It's been quite a while, dear readers, but we here at The Cuddle are pleased to be back on the blogging track. Since we last had a chance to chat (and since we received our most recent threatening e-mail about removing MP3 files) there has been a lot going on in our musical landscape. We've seen some great shows and heard some great new things that have gotten our fires stoked. It's a time for change, as we're speeding toward the greatest time of year in sweet, little B-lo - Fall. Just over 24 hours from now, our calendars will mark September 21st, the start of the Autumn season, and with it, Mrs. Cuddle's favorite holiday, Halloween. We've got a lot planned between now and then, but in the meantime, on to an update:
On a beautiful late summer evening (August 28th to be exact), Mrs. Cuddle and I ventured to the Canandaigua Music and Arts Center (CMAC from now on) to see two of our favorite bands (to be fair, two of MY favorite bands, ONE of hers) - The New Pornographers opening for My Morning Jacket. Despite being sans the rapturous Neko Case (felt more than a little slighted there), the Pornos sounded great. Carl Newman was in fine voice as usual, the band was tight, and Kathryn Calder was downright impressive - not only singing her parts, but covering Neko's as well. It was a little disappointing that the venue was less than 1/10th full to see one of indie rock's foremost groups, though.
After a short intermission, the now packed CMAC was greeted by the nattily dressed quintet and its dual guitar onslaught of Jim James and Carl Brommel as they tore into "The Way That He Sings". For the next two hours, those in attendance were held in rapt attention by what must be the finest live band playing today. Besides the great setlist and amazing musicianship of the band, what stands out is how much fun they seemed to be having. Jim James played a variety of guitars (among them, his signature flying-V) and danced all over the stage. Besides playing most of our personal favorites ("Dondante" and "Wordless Chorus" were sublime), the band played new tune "Circuital" - a live version from an earlier show on 8/17/10 appears below. This show will rank right up there with the best of our concert-going lives and made us long for their next show in our surrounding area. A final word on the CMAC - the venue was absolutely perfect. Great concessions, well-arranged, perfectly clean, great sound, easy parking, helpful staff. We'll definitely make every effort to go back soon.
Just 5 days later, Buffalo's finest rock venue, The Town Ballroom, played host to another one of rock's most incendiary live acts - The Black Keys. The room was packed to the rafters as Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney took the stage and burned through some old favorites (kicking things off, as usual, with "thickfreakness"). They were later joined by a bass player and organist to flesh out the sound of some tunes from this year's masterpiece,
Brothers ("Ten Cent Pistol" was a definite highlight). No one in the crowd left disappointed by The Keys' aural onslaught, despite the huge build-up that the show received in our local media (one would think that a band
couldn't live up to the hype... The Black Keys certainly did).
This past Tuesday (September 14th to be exact) was quite the new release day, with 3 albums that will vie for places near the top of The Ideological Cuddle's Best of 2010 list. First, the always enchanting Leonard Cohen blessed his fans with another postcard from the road of his almost two year 2008-2009 tour, adding to the spectacular
Live in London which was released last year.
Songs From the Road is a CD/DVD combo (also available in 2 LP form - $35 was a little rich for my blood despite my obvious proclivity for all things wax) with 12 songs taken from various venues on the tour. The CD and DVD contain the same material, but no matter. Take it from a Cohen obsessive - the CD is great, but the DVD is essential. Just watching a 74 year old musical genius weave his web of intrigue is worth the price of admission. Each performance is pitch-perfect (Cohen's chilling intonation and impressive guitar playing on "Avalanche" is a highlight), but the version of "Hallelujah" from the 2009 Coachella Fest is TRANSCENDENTAL - try not to get chills as Cohen holds 100,000 kids in rapt attention and gets them to sing along.
Nick Cave's Grinderman project returned this past week with
Grinderman 2, another album full of sex and sleaze with a psych-blues bent. More sonically dense and lyrically evil than its predecessor,
Grinderman 2 burns out of the gate with "Mickey Mouse and the Goodbye Man", a wicked tune about two brothers clearly up to no good (OK, that's an understatement - felonious would be a better description). When the band cranks the volume, thrashing ensues. Where the first Grinderman record was clearly a mid-life crisis record about hunting tail ("No Pussy Blues" anyone?), this record presents the morose along with the deviant. The protagonist in "When My Baby Comes" is longingly singing from his hospital bed, waiting for his beloved to show up (hint - she ain't coming), while "Palaces of Montezuma" professes the singer's deep love for his woman with all of the things (corporeal and ethereal) that he'll give to her. All in all, another feather in Cave's crowded cap of masterworks. While we're on the topic of Nick Cave, if you like the works of Irvine Welsh (author of
Trainspotting and
Filth, among others) and Chuck Palahniuk (
Fight Club), by all means check out Cave's second novel,
The Death of Bunny Munro. This book is not for those looking for a clean, good time, but for those seeking a little bit of seediness with their literature. I picked it up while on vacation and couldn't put it down. I kind of wish I had known about the audio book version, as it's 7 discs worth of Cave reading his prose. Perfect for the Halloween season.
The final new release from last week that has our ears ringing and our hearts leaping out of their collective chests is the thundering return to form by Merge records superheroes Superchunk.
Majesty Shredding can't be called a return to form, nor can it be called a new direction for the band. What it can be called is a modern masterpiece of indie power-pop. Coming through the speakers like a New Pornographers LP turned up to 45 speed, Mac McCaughan and company spin through 11 tracks without a dud in the bunch. First single "Digging for Something" starts the proceedings off right and the band refuses to slow down throughout 42 minutes of perfection. Most affecting might be "Fractures in Plaster" or "Everything at Once" - as each muses on getting older, and hanging on to what matters. I must admit being a little late to the Superchunk party (only falling in love within the past 5 years and becoming full-on obsessed while in Boston earlier this year), but consider me a full convert. It's hard to believe that there are millions out there unaware of this band's prowess and power. This record is clearly one of the 3 best that 2010 will see and just might supplant The National's
High Violet or The Black Keys' aforementioned
Brothers at the top of this year's list.
Here's a live taste of some of the best that My Morning Jacket and Superchunk have to offer:
My Morning Jacket:
Live in Japan - February 6, 2009 - "Dondante"
Live in Chicago, IL - Charter One Pavilion - August 17, 2010 - "Circuital"
Superchunk:
Live at Duke University - September 26, 1997 - "Shallow End"
Live in Washington, DC - 9:30 Club - September 17, 2010 - "Throwing Things"
Live in Washington, DC - 9:30 Club - September 17, 2010 - "Fractures in Plaster"
Live in Washington, DC - 9:30 Club - September 17, 2010 - "Everything at Once"
Until next time, please head out to see a band that you love live in concert and check out the new Superchunk LP - it'll make your day... just listen...
