Previously known as the “the best unsigned band in America” by Rolling Stone, The Whigs have found a home with Dave Matthews’ ATO Records. Their ATO debut, Mission Control combines the arena rock accessibility of The Foo Fighters and the beer fueled garage rock of The Replacements.
You may remember Stevie Ray Vaughan as arguably the greatest electric blues guitarist, but do you know him as a video giant? No, probably not, because SRV was no Michael Jackson. And the Texas boy would be more likely playing dance punk chords (as he did for Bowie’s “Lets Dance”) before looking pretty in a video. Stevie was more about sound than image; although you have to hand it to him for always looking cool with his flat brimmed hat, poncho and SRV initialed Statocaster.
Director Anton Corbijn recreates Curtis’ struggles in Control, basing the script on the autobiography, “Touching From a Distance,” by Curtis’ widow. The urban decay and paranoia of late 1970’s Manchester, England is conjured vividly from the film makers black and white imagery, which later gave birth to the “Madchester” scene a decade later.
So it finally happened. The next most bewildering reunion aside from the ghosts of John and George jamming with Paul and Ringo, Led Zeppelin reunited and played a full two-hour show Monday night at the O2 Arena in London.
With year end best of lists being cluttered with The National, Spoon and Bruce Springsteen, there is a band out of Birmingham, Alabama, Through the Sparks, whose Lazarus Beach certainly deserves some attention. Through the Sparks is a collaboration of long time friends that involve James Brangle and Jody Nelson, who began writing and recording with longtime friends and collaborators Nikolaus and Thomas Mimikakis and Greg Slamen in early 2004.
Releasing one, two and sometimes three studio albums a year, calling Ryan Adams prolific would be an understatement. However for every brilliant Cold Roses there is a "did we really need this" 29. With the Follow the Lights EP, Adams has released perhaps his most unblemished recording since Gold.
The Radishes are a San Francisco/Los Angeles based band with an attacking sound that has been described as Nirvana meets Motorhead. Although musical comparisons are easy to come by, cocalist/guitiarst Paul Stinson likens it as White Stripes meets the Stooges meets NIN. Not too shabby. Toss in the Radishes fiery vocals and their ominous song-writing with loads of pop, punk and metal, and you have an act that could be headlining the big festival stages if they weren’t doing it the small “Do It Yourself” route, in part due to Stinson's self admitted "laziness."
The Marquee Theater has that effect of making a Friday night seem like a Tuesday for most bands, but Art Brut and The Hold Steady knew they have a job to do. As Finn said at the end of the show, “there is so much joy in doing what we do,” – you almost had to believe him.
With a little more direction, Spirit If.. has the makings of a winner, instead it has too many B-sides mixed with the good stuff to award Drew higher status on the Broken Social Scene name chain.
La Cucaracha isn’t your Chocolate and Cheese or Mollusk Ween; it’s inconsistent, but never-the-less, it’s always been about those three or four Ween gems that keep you coming back.
