Going To A Garden Party...

We had a terrific time at the Tommy Keene show last night; my memories of earlier gigs of his must have been unfairly tainted because I don’t ever remember him and his band sounding as great as they did last night at the Hideout. Every song played, each of which could have been culled from my own personal playlist of favorite Tommy Keene moments, just seemed to explode from the stage.

And while I’m sure it’s a cliché to say so at this point in his career, I just can’t believe that Tommy Keene isn’t more of a household name amongst people who fancy themselves as lovers of 60s/70s-inspired rock with an indie flare; especially those who kneel at the altar of groups such as The Replacements and Big Star. If the Chicago Cubs' Len Kasper can be a fan, then you can too. Read more of my previous laments here.

And last but certainly not least: a big shout-out to this guy for making the trek downtown and staying out not only well past his own bedtime, but mine as well. I think I caught him snoozing only once but give the guy a break; he’s a dad of two…

Tommy Keene – “Realize Your Mind” (mp3)

(from the Second Motion Records CD, In The Late Bright, 2009)

Shades Of Darkened Skies

I’ll be the first to admit that metal isn’t really my thing. I can appreciate it for what it is as well as the deep love many respected individuals have for it but as for myself, it just never clicked with me, outside a few exceptions, no doubt due to the barrage of what was passed off as metal in the mainstream media in the mid to late 80s with more than a fair amount of it being really, really bad. I guess most of if just seemed to lack the melodic intimacy that I was looking for and only coming off as abrasive for the sake of being abrasive. With that in mind, it comes as a bit of a surprise that I’ve been enjoying Mastodon’s new album, Crack The Skye, as much as I have.

Now, I by no means qualify as even an amateur fan on the art form but it doesn’t take a deep rooted knowledge of the genre to see that these guys are really talented. The compositions are very well arranged, the playing tight and the music absolutely rocks in both a melodic and, dare I say, atmospheric sense. That being said, I can’t help but have a, and I hate to use this phrase, “guilty pleasure” vibe coming off of it but that could more than likely be a result of my absolute ignorance and insecurity on the subject. Obviously, if you like something you like it so sometimes it just helps to go with it but I’d be curious to hear a more qualified opinion on the matter. All in all, I can’t help but feel like this one has a nice crossover appeal for fans of punk and garage rock.

Mastodon – “Divinations” (mp3)

(from the Reprise CD, Crack The Skye, 2009)

Pharoah's Return

Oh my…this album is really, really good. This is one of those records where you can tell that the band members are all probably really serious vinyl hounds as I hear numerous genres of which Vee Dee are tipping their hat to. Shades of 60s garage and psychedelia along with 70s punk are a ‘plenty, sure, but I’m also hearing serious nods to free form jazz as well in that the members are allowing themselves to stretch well beyond the 3-minute mark usually found in most forms of garage and punk rock.

And the guitar leads all throughout are crazy good; think Live at Leeds-era Who where Townshend was really coming into his own as a player. I'm also hearing Rollins-era Black Flag meets the first Misfits album as well as the Cramps. Overall, there’s just something really great about hearing a group discover their identity not only as players but as a band who evolves into something more than the constraints found in their initial inception would allow. Simply aces and as far as I’m concerned, this is the album-of-the-year so far to beat. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Vee Dee - "Out Of My Skin" (mp3)

Vee Dee - “Into The Void” (mp3)

(from the Criminal IQ Records LP/CD, Public Mental Health System, 2009)

Winter, In My Heart...It Never Stops...It Never Stops

Forgive me, Deerhunter, for I feel as if I may have sinned. For several years now, ever since the release of your second full-length album, Cryptograms, I’ve kinda pooh-pahed you for no other reason besides the fact that it just seemed liker there were bands sprouting up all over the place with some form of the pronunciation “deer” in their name. It just all got to be a bit confusing and difficult to keep track of who was actually who; much less who sounded like what, which led to me just throw up my hands and surrender. I see now the error of my ways.

About a month ago I was killing time in Reckless Records’ downtown Chicago locale, scanning the descriptions of the albums up on the listening station, when I came across Deerhunter’s third full-length, Microcastle, which came out this past October. Bands such as Ride, Jesus & Mary Chain and Stone Roses as well as “late 90’s indie rock” contained within the description piqued my curiosity so I gave it a cursory spin. Songs like “Intro,” “Agoraphobia” and “Never Stops” pretty much sealed the deal right then and there so later on that night after getting home from work, I was plopping the needle down on the vinyl; something I’ve hence done pretty much every day since.

Microcastle has been one of the more rewarding slow-growers in recent memory; the type of record that has you liking a little bit more of it after each listen until you eventually think the whole thing is absolutely brilliant. In fact, just last week I was telling some music-minded comrades that it was “very worth hearing.” Now, I can’t help but feel that it’s almost essential to hear; it’s grown on me that much. And while I can’t say I agree with the Reckless clerk’s band comparisons, I suppose that it does get the point across. Personally, I would’ve name checked groups such as Bowie, Brian Eno, Magazine, Echo & The Bunneymen and My Bloody Valentine as well as genres such as “post-punk” and “ambient” music but maybe we’re just talking apples & oranges, right?

Deerhunter – “Nothing Ever Happened” (mp3)

(from the Kranky LP, Microcastle, 2008)