BRUCE!!!

I should note that I am the happy owner of two tickets to see the Boss & The E Street Band at Oracle Areana in Oakland in late October.

Last time I saw Bruce was in '03 was at Pac Bell and it was phenomenal. I'm not sure how psyched I am about it being an indoors, but in any case, I'm going to see one of the best live shows in the music business. I have nothing to complain about.

Musical Obsessions of the Moment

UCLA songstress Sara Bareilles who's first album, "Little Voice", has been a breakout hit. Here's a clip of her performing "Gravity" in San Francisco.



Loudon Wainwrights "Strange Weirdos: Music from and Inspired by the Film Knocked Up" is amazing. Who would have thought that one of the summer's most crude and uproarious comedies could have produced a suite of songs this deep and meditative? The songs are autumnal and introspective, dealing with the ins and outs of love. The AllMusic.com review is here. It's a perfect album for the fall.

Wilco!

GREAT show last night at the Greek...2 1/2 hours of quality music. Jeff Tweedy had the best comment of the night when he said to the crowd, "You all smell high". Highlights for me were "Sky Blue Sky", "California Stars", "Either Way", "On And On And On" and "Jesus, Etc".

Musical Obsession of the Moment

Thank God for iTunes gift certificates and Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic.com.

While trying to figure out how to burn through my $15, I perused AMG's best records of the year so far and found the elegant and refined songs of Nick Lowe. "At My Age" is just such an engaging listen...it's a portrait of a man who's truly lived, looking back over his time on earth, sometimes with regret, sometimes with razor sharp humor. Musically, the album runs from something like rockabilly to classic late night, jazz tinged piano ballads. Lowe's voice on the slower songs has that wonderful, weary sound to it and, to me, it recalls some of the mood of Tom Waits classic "Closing Time".

My favorite track is easily "Rome Wasn't Built In a Day". It's a slightly swinging tune with a confident protagonist musing on how he's going to win the object of his affection:

"You don't know it but I've made my mind up
You'll wind up in my arms
First I have to break down your resistance to my charms
Yes darlin'
I know it won't be easy
But I won't rest until I find a way
Everyobody knows that Rome wasn't built in one day"

I am most happy to see that Mr. Lowe (I think I have to refer to him that way; he's got the air of someone my grandfather, a classy gent himself, would have been friends with) is going to be coming to San Francisco later this year. I might be the only person under 50 at the show, but I'm in. I may even have to put on a suit for this one.

Voxtrot album review

Just downloaded the self-titled debut album from the next big thing out of Austin. From the opening track, "Introduction", the long play album differs from their previous EP's ("Raised By Wolves" and "Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives) in a few ways. The overall tone of the album is very subdued (which is fine, considering that they sound like an American band channeling Britpop). There's nothing as carefree as "The Start of Something". Strings dominate several songs, including the aforementioned "Introduction", and "Ghost". Recollections of broken relationships are everywhere:

From "Kid Gloves":

Everytime I close my eyes I see you in front of me
Prentending in a love like this
I have no choice but to put you in back of me
Don't cover my footsteps
Dead weight alright, I know you're no good for me
Dead weight alright, I know you're no righteous leader
Dead weight alright, that's fine but get your hands off me
You have to touch me with kid gloves
You have to touch me with kid gloves

From "Ghost" (which swirls at the outset with an urgent push from the piano, guitar, bass and strings):

I have no choice but to be vicious on my feet
I never sleep
I never eat
I am learning how to be lost completetly
I want to be found
We crave the things we push away
These patterns cut like every day
I need you to reach
I need you to need me

& the bridge/last verse:

I don't ever want to be alone like this
Haunted by the presence by of the things I miss
I don't ever want to be alone like this
Haunted by the presence by of the things I miss
I am becoming a ghost of myself
I am becoming a ghost of myself
Chopped little secrets
Little things we never tell
No, I am becoming a ghost of myself

As is sometimes typical with Voxtrot's songs, the music (which ends up kind of soaring at towards the end of "Ghost") belies the starkness of the lyrics.

"Firecracker" (and the song that follows, "Brother in Conflict") contains a punky swagger, and, to me, "Firecracker" is going to be a monster song in concert (and one you'd want to crank up at home when you're alone) due to the chorus:

I will kick the wall
Smash the lights
Rip the shades
Burn it all
Firecracker
Firecracker
I will not complain at all
I will never be tricked by you
I will never be tricked by you

The big ballad sits near the end of the album. "Real Live Verison" is the "get your lighters out" set closer and it's filled with almost mournful strings and quiet piano.

As has been noted in many quarters, people who like smart pop (which is sometimes taken to only mean "British Pop" will find a lot to like here). The oft made comparison is to Belle & Sebastian, but I don't find Voxtrot to be quite as pretentious as B & S. In any case, it's nice to buy an album that is this highly consistent from track to track and I think it's best consumed as a single listen whenever you decide to spin it. Highly recommended.

Peter, Bjorn & John at Bimbo's, 5/16

Caught PB & J at the venerable Bimbo's last night. The evening got underway over at Kennedy's, where my partner in crime for the evening, Catherine, and I enjoyed the cheap beer and people watching (there was a rather intense game of beer pong going on right inside the door and the lights at the pool table were so bright as to make you think you were playing outfield at a night game in the Phone Booth). The bar at Kennedy's has been remodeled, so where the jukebox once stood, the bar now extends and, behind it on a ledge, were a collection of hookahs and stacked on the floor beneath sat an odd array of cowboy hats (at least one of which was pink). The hookahs I get, the cowboy hats, not so much, since Kennedy's bills itself as an Irish Bar and Indian Curry House.

The doors for the show opened at 7, but PB & J were not coming on until after 10. Thankfully, we missed most of the first act while at Kennedy's, so we ended up passing the time in the lounge at Bimbo's watching the depleted Suns (that's bullshit, David Stern, by the way) lose a close one to the Spurs.

As expected, the crowd contained a multitude of hipsters (both foreign and domestic) and the vibe was mellow, but good. PB & J hit the stage to much applause and immediately launched into "Roll the Credits". The third song in, if I recall correctly, was "The Chills" and Peter announced that they were going to do it with "a different beat". They did and it was a great...the song morphed from the industrial drum machine driven version on the album into a slinky come on, with Peter channeling Prince as he purred out the lyrics with Bjorn adding the "shh-shh-shh" for effect.

Bjorn provided the vox on "Amsterdam", which was performed as an acoustic duo with Peter on guitar. Very well done, as was "Paris 2004", with Peter on harmonica (Peter remarked after the song was over that, "It can't be cheesy if it's true", alluding to the lovey dovey nature of the lyrics).

Towards the end of the set came spirited renditions of "Objects of My Affection" (watch those Swedes jump around!), and, of course, the big one, "Young Folks" (with the band's manager taking over the bongo duties and Peter singing both his part and Victoria Bergsman's (and running around the stage brandishing something that looked like a martini shaker).

The set closed out with my favorite song from "Writer's Block", "Up Against the Wall". With Peter exhorting people to dance, the band charged in and really dug into it, building to a careening crescendo of guitars and propulsive drumming.

A great evening with a truly fun band.