Concert: Delta Spirit at Bowery Ballroom 2/21/09

Delta Spirit knocked it out of the park on Saturday at the Bowery Ballroom, playing a very impassioned set to a sold out crowd. Stopping in NYC for a night on their wham-bam tour of the US before they head to Europe, they left it all on the stage. Here's the setlist (new songs are starred):

Strange Vine
People C'mon
Streetwalker (played very bass-heavy)
House Built For Two
The Best* (very Interpol-y, with the drummer from opener Dawes)
Bushwick Blues*
Parade
Salt In The Wound* (with the cellist from opener Invisible Children)
Vivian*
St. Francis*
Children
Piano Intro - Trashcan
People, Turn Around
Encore:
Bleeding Bell (a rocked up version)
Crippler King

My take:
They have the songs. Some rockers, some ballads, but all have raw emotion.
They can pull off a full-crowd singalong (their choruses seem custom built for that purpose), but can also quiet down everything to a solo vocal.
They have some very talented musicians, especially the keyboard player.
But:
They need to turn the volume up on the lead guitar and keys. The album has some tasty licks sprinkled around, but I heard none of them live.
They need to look the part. The piano player, bassist, and drummer all get it, but lead vox and guitar need to ditch the J.Crew.
They need to use their harmonies more. All 5 of them are mic'd up. But really only the lead singer and keys player are singing. I know they all can, and the should.

Great show though, you'll hopefully be hearing more from these guys in the future.

Video: Have your CAKE and eat it too

My love of the band CAKE runs deep. Real deep. In fact, the sole reason I got to know 4 or 5 of my best buds from college is because of our mutual love for John McCrea and company. Without CAKE, I would literally have less friends.

This weekend, one of the aforementioned chums, Lord Newton, sent me an interesting video in honor of Valentine's Day. It's for the song "Love You Madly" from their 2001 album Comfort Eagle. You may recognize it from the opening credits of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, one of my favorite movies (further proving to me that Jason Segel and I would totally be pals if I was famous. Maybe even CAKE friends?).

Anyway, the video is interesting because it's not your typical music video (actually, none of their videos are). It stars the drummer and trumpeter from the band competing in a timed cookoff using pumpkin as the main ingredient. Sound familiar? Iron Chef America and Top Chef, you've been called out. This video is from 2001, you didn't start to air until 2005 and 2006, respectively.

Watch for three amazing cameos at the end, as the judges.

Video: CAKE - "Love You Madly"

And if you ever have the sick desire to know what's going on inside CAKE lead singer John McCrea's head, check out the CAKE NEWS blog. It's insane.

Loose Ends: Feb '09

1) My sober January sucked. Sure I lost some weight, but there's a 50/50 chance I'm going to gain it right back (bets anyone?). I didn't sleep any better (which is so little to begin with). I didn't feel any healthier overall day-to-day. And I'm pretty sure my friends still hate me for ditching them all month. But I'm back on the sauce, and happier than ever. So in honor, listen to my favorite song about drinking, "Good Ol' Alcohol" by the Mooney Suzuki (a sadly underrated rock band).

2) Check out Bite Sized Spoilers, a clever blog from my friend the Kate. And best of all, you can play along right at home (I did, and they were kind enough to post it).

3) You really should watch Life Wednesdays at 9 on NBC (or on Hulu). TiVo it while you watch Lost (if you're still a slave to the meaningless). Not only is it a unique and well-written drama featuring one of the best character actors on the small screen (Damien Lewis); not only does it feature the most redheads on TV (the aforementioned Lewis, Donal Logue and Christina Hendricks); and not only does it start off my Wednesday trifecta of cop shows (with Life on Mars and L&O), but it has one of the best soundtracks on TV. They've featured Beck, Spoon, Radiohead, The Black Keys, The Raconteurs, Cat Power, Aimee Mann, M83, !!!, Sloan and many others. Here are a few of my favorite songs that I discovered thanks to Detective Charlie Crews:

Jon Doe - Golden State
Camper von Beethoven - Pictures of Matchstick Men
Gutter Twins - I Was In Love With You
The Beta Band - Squares
Jackie Greene - I Don't Live In A Dream

Update: Delta Spirit

In true TML fashion, I'm late to this party. My good buddy McGregor has been all about Delta Spirit since early last year. He had a great interview with the boys on his blog Chocolate Bobka (which I highly recommend reading regularly). Enjoy.

Album: Delta Spirit - Ode To Sunshine

2008 had a few rock album triumphs, but it's February and I have played most of them into the ground by now. Along comes Delta Spirit's debut EP Ode To Sunshine. It's a SoCal mix of rhythm piano, expressive percussion, and excited vocals. I am reminded of the raw energy of White Album, a comparison that isn't hurt by it's crisp pop hooks and on-target harmonies. There is an obvious parallel between them and the Cold War Kids (though I think Delta Spirit wins in that battle), but I even propose moments of Bright Eyes, Ryan Adams, and Wilco soundalike. What really sends it home for me is that despite a variety of tempos and sounds, it is incredibly listenable. Front to back, it's an album; full of catchy melodies and bridges, percussive pianos, primal guitar, and harmonious vocals.
Three Key Cuts: "Trashcan," "Children," "Strange Vine"

Tomorrow Goes Away - A very Beatle-y opener, complete with clicky acoustic guitars and good multi-part singing.
Trashcan - A simple 12-bar structured piano-driven tune with one of my favorite refrains in a long time.
People C'mon - Distinctively British pub-rock; what Oasis would write if they didn't think they were the Second Coming.
House Built For Two - A slow, sad and honest ballad that could be a Spoon or early Black Crows outtake.
Strange Vine - Southern California bottled up. Uptempo optimistic pop that makes you think of hot sand and Ray Bans.
Streetwalker - The guitar takes centerstage for this straight-forward rocker with a big choral finish.
People, Turn Around - A protest song 40 years too late; like Bright Eyes but less abstract, like Ryan Adams but less drunk.
Parade - Making a Neil Young with Crazy Horse song sound like your own is hard. It's just missing that one-note solo.
Bleeding Bells - More Bright Eyes comparisons here. Acoustic folk with a haunting brass section, like an old LP.
Children - I'm convinced Ryan Adams ghost wrote and sang this song, which is a great thing. Fun and upbeat, great structure.
Ode To Sunshine - As Ben Folds says, one of the greatest crimes against music by rock and roll is the loss of 3/4 time. This song plays great tribute to it. And it's a great closer with more of that Beatles influence in the bridge.

Note: Delta Sunshine is playing the Bowery Ballroom in NYC on Saturday, February 21st. Tickets are still on sale, and if you go you'll spot me singing along.

Playlist: January 2009

The long delayed "what did I find" list for January 2009. Enjoy. Not all the songs are necessarily brand new; most of it is stuff I missed in 2008. But such is January.

Matt & Kim - Daylight
A spastic dance-beat-heavy song with some just-short-of-annoying vocals, but the great piano line and song structure makes up for all it's sins. It's just a ton of fun to listen to.

The Felice Brothers - Frankie's Gun
My favorite song of the month: a backwoods folk-rock song with a great pop chorus. Reminds me of Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show and the more campfire-y Band songs. It will have you singing along in no time. And the lead singer sounds like a Muppet, so it's even better when you envision these guys playing it.

Delta Spirit - Trashcan
There is something about percussive rhythm piano that I cant get enough of. This song is driven by a great piano line, and has such a simple pop hook, that you feel like you've heard it before. These guys put out a solid album in 2008 called "Ode to Sunshine" and this is the crown single. It's SoCal rock with the right amount of grittiness to make it authentic.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
By and far the oddest song I've pumped into my iTunes in a long while. The story of a modern day Lazarus (or Larry as he's known here) raised from the dead against his will. Art-rock flair in a hilarious story.

Aimee Mann - Freeway
Aimee is feel-good music with a witty edge; so don't be fooled by the groove. She's got one of those unique songwriting POVs and voices that has given her a rabid fanbase and longevity.

Elvis Costello - No Hiding Place
I've been watching a lot of Elvis' show "Spectacle" on the Sundance Channel. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of music, which I dig. But aside from that, he put out a new album last year, and this is the best track from it. A nice uptempo rocker with those classic EC lyrics and nasal howl.

What Made Milwaukee Famous - Sultan
This song gets dangerously close to becoming a pop-punk cliche, but manages to stay on the right side of the road. It's driving music for sure, and the vocalist keeps the car in rock territory. I wish the fake horn part (I think it's just an organ) were real though.

Bon Iver - Skinny Love
I missed this in 2008. It's depressingly honest folk rock, but despite the anger there is something positive in his voice. You might not immediately take to it, but you will catch yourself wanting to hear it again. It's like discovering a new alcoholic drink that's not great at first, but keeps you coming back until you do like it.

The Whigs - Right Hand On My Heart
I featured this already: a melodic, heavy-tempoed, epic rocker. Reminds me of a mix of 70's arena rock (as epitomised so well by the fictional Stillwater from Almost Famous) and good 90's alt rock.

Phantom Planet - Raise The Dead
I think I have to give these guys another try (I just felt so burned after Rooney...), because this is the second tune to completely surprise me off their latest album. This song is a perfect companion to their other single, "Do The Panic." It's more ballad-y, but remains upbeat and just as fun.

The Honey Brothers - Demonstration
Silly pop rock, decidedly middle of the road, but they managed to fit the word "defenestration" into the first verse, so they get points for that.