Night Two- Arcade Fire @ United Palace Theatre

*Photo Credit

Last Friday I went down to DC to see Arcade Fire play a damn fine show and the only thing I could keep thinking is my days of seeing this band in an intimate setting are over (I was seated pretty far back in a big auditorium). Before I continue, it must be pointed out that Arcade Fire is a band that truly wishes to be one with the audience...this element of their live show is exemplified repeatedly. Whether through Wins' invititations to the audience to get closer (even in the balcony) and or his eventual entrance into the crowd itself during numerous performances, it's as though Arcade Fire has achieved success but wants to remain tiny and to do this they ask of the audience to get closer in order to lose the big house feeling.

Last night they performed to a sold out crowd that was hungry with wanting any and every chance to get to be part of the "Arcade Fire Experience." I call their shows "An Experience" because they put more heart into their live performance than most bands out there right now. Once the night got underway with 'Keep The Car Running' the crowd slowly built up with energy that would carry them throughout the night. Arcade Fire played there standard setlist they have sticking with for much of this tour but they did throw in 'In The Backseat' which has only been played twice this entire year. Last night, much like most of the shows i have seen on this tour thus far, really culmintated when the band kicked into 'Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)' and 'Rebellion (Lies)'. I think everyone in the place was out of their seats practically losing it with music and singing every word at the top of their lungs!

As if that was not enough, after the band left the stage the whole crowd was humming the part of 'Rebellion' that you can hum (you know what I am talking about) until the band returned to the stage and Jeremy played the final drum beat. The band then ripped through a rockin' 'Intervention' until Win told the crowd, "that's it, come on stage." This began the rush and I ran as fast I could and to stake my spot on the stage for a finale of 'Wake Up' which consisted of everyone singing along and rocking out like no tomorrow. I am not gonna lie, i have seen hundreds of shows and this was hands down the greatest moment I have experienced at a live show. To look around and be literally feet from Richard and Regine and on the stage looking out at the crowd is an experience I will never forget. Amazing night and amazing time! Bring on Radio City! Viva Arcade Fire!

Rebellion (Lies).mp3
The Woodlands National Anthem.mp3

*Monday Night
-Jaime W.

Bridges and Tunnels

cred
As much fun as us 'New Yorkers' like to poke at the numerous bridges and tunnels surrounding our tiny island of Manhattan they bring us many a lovely thing on a daily basis. Food, friends, family, and when we are lucky enough, some of our favorite artists and musicians. This past weekend local bands Les Savy Fav, Blonde Redhead and LCD Soundsystem were happily looking forward to playing a home town audience while our northern neighbors and headling act, Arcade Fire had to travel the miles to Randalls Island to perform to their largest New York audience yet (estimated at 25,000 according to Win). Being a bit of a snob i only showed up in time for LCD Soundsystem and Arcade Fire.

cred
There are not enough words to describe my love for both of these bands, especially the latter. They represent the best of the indie genre and they always deliver a 100% of everything you could ever hope for and expect. As i have said before, Arcade Fire is a band for the times. Brilliant beyond belief both in prose and delivery they simply are on a level all of their own creation leaving the rest of us in awe or trying to catch up. Despite how much time you spend away from their beautiful songs or their live performances within a few minutes of reunion with them and their material you recall exactly why how you fell in love in the first place. Highlights included collaborations with Regine, Will and Win joining James on various LCD tracks. James poking fun at the audience for being a bit lame and not clapping-shocker, but always good to hear a performer call us city folk out on it. Will deciding to scale the side of the stage leaving all of us gasping and worrying until he safely touched the stage again. Apparently they played two encores, i missed the second one. Sadly, Win proclaimed that this would be their last show here for two years to which we all boo'ed and hissed. Hopefully they will change their minds, but even the worthy Arcade Fire need a break every now and again.
~BrooklynVegan has numerous posts and videos to share with you.
*Arcade Fire Tags
*LCD Soundsystem Tags

Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem to play nYc

Cred
Circle Saturday, October 6th in your calendar kiddies. Arcade Fire is returning to our lovely city with local band LCD Soundsystem to play Randalls Island. It is listed on Bowery Presents, the online presale starts tomorrow -general onsale is Friday. (please note September 30 - St. Paul, MN (presale 7/25-7/27, general on-sale 7/28); October 3 - Louisville KY (presale 7/23 - 7/27, general on-sale 7/28); October 5 - Columbus OH (presale 7/31 - 8/3, general on-sale 8/4)

~~Europe Tour Dates~~
07/20 Carhaix, France - Festival des Vieilles Charrues
07/22 Nimes, France - Festival de Nimes
07/25 Nyon, Switzerland - Paleo Festival
08/17 Hasselt, Belgium - Pukkelpop Festival
08/19 Biddinghuizen, Holland - Lowlands Festival
08/24 Paris, France - Rock En Seine
08/25 Reading, England - Reading Festival
08/26 Leeds, England - Leeds Festival
10/26 Glasgow, Scotland - SECC
10/27 Manchester, England - MEN Arena
10/29 Newcastle, England - Metro Radio Arena
10/30 Cardiff, Wales - International Arena
10/31 Nottingham, England - Arena
11/08 Berlin, Germany - Columbiahalle
11/10 Vienna, Austria - Gasometer
11/11 Munich, Germany - Tonhalle
11/17 London, England - Alexandra Palace
11/18 London, England - Alexandra Palace
11/19 London, England - Alexandra Palace
***US Tour Dates***
09/15 Austin, TX - Zilker Park - Austin City Limits Festival
09/17 Morrison, CO - Red Rocks +
09/20 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl +
09/30 St. Paul, MN - Roy Wilkins Auditorium +
10/03 Louisville, KY - Waterfront Park +
10/05 Columbus, OH - LC Pavilion +
10/06 New York, NY - Randall's Island +
+ w/ LCD Soundsystem
Arcade Fire-Vampire Forest Fire.mp3
LCD Soundsystem-North American Scum (Onastic Dub Remix).mp3
Arcade Fire Tags
LCD Soundsystem Tags

Not much chance for survival...if the Neon Bible is Right

Everyone loves Arcade Fire for more than just their music. There are always those descriptions of bands whose fans go on about how good the artists' music is along with the AND... That big AND that is the aspect setting the band you love apart from all others. Having seen Arcade Fire on Friday down in DC at DAR Constitution Hall and again last night up at United Palace Theatre the list of reasons for loving this band now includes their incredible live show. I will admit, i have not read many interviews with them- i guess a bit of me likes them to stay the mystical band that they are- i don't want to know all of their secrets. Both of their albums weave such richly taut stories that evoked so much emotion for me that i wouldn't want to find out something to make me change my mind. Growing up my dad fed our family musically with Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Woodie Guthrie, old labor union songs, and Simon and Garfunkel re-telling stories of his days of protests and college youth. Back in those days he said people used to sit around and listen to these artists because they were angry, because they wanted to feel something and be united- to become a community who wanted to make a difference. For me, this feeling comes across for the first time in my generation of music with Arcade Fire in such a way that it made me proud to tout the album about to my Dad. Which is saying a lot. Enough about me and why i love them- for it is their music that is deserving of the attention and this article.

Their live show is so unique because of this sense of community between every band member on stage. They are so in touch with each other even though it looks like a spastic theatrical performance. Regine with her robotic dance moves, Win climbing into the audience, Sarah playing violin like you wish everyone would, Jeremy pounding on the drums like he is working out some secret aggression, Will, Richard, Tim, Alexander...all switching up instruments between the tambourine, the bass, guitar, organ, anything and everything on stage.

These are artists- this is music. This is why people should buy records, pick up magazines, attend shows and share with their friends. This overwhelmingly talented band, this incredible sense of community. They are incredibly brave, every artist is in their own right- to get on stage and perform for us, especially us New York concert goers. But well, we all know the story of their beginnings, of the obsticales they had to overcome and then the words that they sing- that they have the courage to say. With this new album it is clear how they feel about this war, our war, how they feel about this country, how they feel about 'our' president and well- i always fall for that. So then you see them live and everyone is singing along and clapping and it makes you feel like this scene, this spirit must have been what it was like back in the 60's a bit- as much as anything could be nowadays. Messages of love, anger, hope- and they deliver it in a way that makes everyone in Canada proud to call this band theirs and gives everyone in America a huge reason to be jealous and a reason to cling to survival as a community-at least until another one of their albums comes out.

BrooklynVegan has some lovely shots of last night and a complete setlist as well as some selections from The National- who were EXCELLENT-definitely make it there early!
ProductshopNYC was there as well & at Beirut!
Tripwire

Neon Bible.mp3
The Well And The Lighthouse.mp3

Austin City Limits-2007

Jaime enthusiastically kept me updated on his Austin City Limits adventures throughout the past weekend with text messages that made me increasingly vicously jealous. Whether it was enjoying Arcade Fire with a heavy crowd of +40,000 or excitedly sharing that Andrew Bird joined My Morning Jacket during their set...it all sounded fantastic. Very excited to catch some stories after he has some much needed sleep. (i am guessing!) I am most curious to hear how Muse was accepted in place of The White Stripes. Or how sick it must have been to experience Ghostland Observatory in their hometown. Hopefully he will post a bit in his own words as the week progresses. In the meantime you can check out an interview with Will Butler via Rocky Mountain News in preparation for Arcade Fire out at Randalls Island, which is only a few weeks away!
Ghostland Observatory-Move with Your Lover.mp3
Andrew Bird-A Nervous Tic Motion Of The Head To The Left.mp3
Arcade Fire-Old Flame.mp3
Austin City Limits Tags

Arcade Fire-2 shows-October-Maxwells??

*cred
Insanity! I double checked their website and didn't see any news of this. According to some of the people i have asked about this, they think it is about 10% true. We shall see. Of course there is the incredible news of the show at Red Rocks with LCD Soundsystem that was covered all over the blogs yesterday. I have always wanted to check out a show at Red Rocks-this is definitely a good occasion. So here is your rumour of the day:

"ARCADE FIRE ANNOUNCE SPECIAL INTIMATE SHOWS IN NEW JERSEY
Earlier today, the band announced two special intimate shows at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ on October 5 and October 6. These shows are not part of the national tour with LCD Soundsystem. Tickets for these shows are extremely limited and will be available at a limit of 2 per person starting Thursday, June 21 at 8 p.m. EDT on arcadefire.net. Remaining tickets will be made available on ticketweb and maxwellsnj.com on Friday, June 22 at 12 p.m. EDT. To protect our fans, tickets will not be mailed. There will be no physical tickets for either show. Patrons successfully completing orders will be required to produce photo identification and the credit/debit card used for purchase. An announcement regarding more dates for the national tour with LCD Soundsystem, including dates in the tri-state area, will be forthcoming." MusicSlut
Vampire Forest Fire.mp3

Come closer, dear music fans

*cred
As Jaime so cleverly pointed out while sharing his Arcade Fire experience with you, it is obvious that Win Butler enjoys performing up close and personal when it comes to his loving audiences. In a recent interview with NME, Win praises U2 for keeping their performances intimate even while performing to sizeable numbers. "The U2 thing was kind of interesting just because the way their stage is designed, the crowd is right there - there isn't a huge gap or anything. And it was actually more intimate than a lot of club shows, because the people are right there. They've done it for so long that it's really well designed. You can play a crappy show in a 100-person room, and you can play a crappy show in a 15,000-seat room. You just have to make the most of whatever situation you're in." Arcade Fire supported U2 during their 'Vertigo' world tour back in 2005 during their Montreal dates and before hitting the stage during their US appearances came out to 'Wake Up.'
Wake Up.mp3

Wildlight/Les Savy Fav/Blonde Redhead/LDC Soundsystem/Arcade Fire-SET TIMES!

Set times, set times, set times! I still can't believe this date is already here-time is just a flyin.' If you haven't gotten a ticket yet most of my people have extras and will be selling theirs outside the gates or you can go the old fashion route via Ticketmonster. As of right now the weather looks good, fingers crossed! Like it would dare to rain on the masterful Win Butler.
Wildlight- 5-5:30
Les Savy Fav- 5:50-6:25
Blonde Redhead- 6:45-7:25
LCD Soundsystem- 7:45-8:45
Arcade Fire- 9:15pm
*thanks Bob-o*

Arcade Fire Video Clips

Your weekly dose of Arcade Fire:

*Thank you Todd & Jaime

And in case you missed this:

Just amazing. I can't stop going back to watch this.
Visit the whole clip at Blogotheque.

The Great Pumpkin Day!

When it is your favorite holiday you have to have two song lists-candy corn for everyone!
Albert Hammond Jr.-Scared.mp3
Creedence Clearwater Revival-Bad Moon Rising.mp3
Ghostland Observatory-Sad Sad City.mp3
Eagles-Witchy Woman.mp3
White Stripes-Death Letter.mp3
Arcade Fire-Vampire Forest Fire.mp3
Adam Green-Vultures.mp3
Tegan and Sara-Walking With A Ghost.mp3
Donovan-Season of the Witch.mp3
Wolf Parade-Same Ghost Every Night.mp3
Nina Simone-I Put a Spell on You.mp3
Stevie Wonder-Superstition.mp3
Mercury Rev-Spiders and Flies.mp3
Patrick Wolf-The Magic Position.mp3
Interpol-Evil.mp3
Radiohead-Bodysnatchers.mp3
Black Crowes-Evil Eye.mp3
Ryan Adams-Halloweenhead.mp3
Rob Zombie-Dragula.mp3

*`~! Take care of each other tonight and have fun!~`*
BEst costume ever-Love the KEvin Cole!

Sigh---

*Via Brooklynvegan
Arcade Fire run in NYC finished. Bjork run in NYC finished. It is a bit like, what to write about now? According to Jaime last night was, "insane...the crowd was the most into it compared to any of the nights...the tunnels>power out>rebellion was insane....they had the whole entire place in absolute hysteria....i was tallking with todd and I have not see a crowd so into music like that since seeing Phish when they had epic jams....it was insane..." Yep, that about sums it up. After seeing a total of four arcade shows since last friday between the two of us i bet we are both feeling a bit of, what now?! At least i have The Shackeltons tonight! YEAH!

20-10

As of this year this blog is three years old. THREE YEARS OLD. My first year I hit it out of the ballpark so to say. I wrote almost everyday. I was picked up and asked to write for my very favorite thing people in all of the music industry. My roommate would download songs she liked and we would dance around my apartment. Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, LCD Soundsystem and The Rapture all toured that year. I discovered Basia Bulat, Ghostland Observatory, Midlake, Cold War Kids, Florence and the Machine, Lykke Li and I became...ahem, a 'critic.' My second year I got a real job and learned some real lessons and it was more difficult for me to write time-wise. Then it became more difficult for me to write on an emotional level. I have never had writers block. This is new to me. Like most bloggers I write like I talk and blogging is writing out into the void. If you can't writer for yourself, who can you write for? No one apparently. This year is a whole new story. I love music. I do. No matter how many people try to beat it out of me it is not going to happen. I am excited for this year. Some great things are about to happen, i just know it. And so, I will write. I will write and post as though I never have before. Like it is 2007 all over again. I promise. This is my first post. Mountain Man is a band from Vermont. Give them a second to work their way into your bloodstream. It is soothing and warm and delightful for fighting off the cold winter air. They will be at SXSW so keep your ears open. This video was filmed during a recent show in Greenpoint and I am so sad I missed it! Ray Concepcion has become one of my favorite new videographers to watch. His color palete is pleasing and reminds me of scratchy lithographs. Which is neat. Check out his vimeo here.

Mountain Man from Ray Concepcioñ on Vimeo.

*Mountain Man's Myspace
*Mountain Man's Website
*My Old Kentucky Blog has some of their Mp3's for Download

Songs I annoyed my co-workers with this year

Today is not only the day of posting my end of the year lists, it is also my last day at a company where i learned so many important life lessons- one of which is how to blast KEXP as loud as possible and how to break people down enough to the point where they love what you do. Hey- it is New York, tough love is how we roll here. Plus, change is good!

1.LCD Soundsystem-Someone Great.mp3

the rest i cannot possibly rank...so here it goes:

White Stripes-Little Cream Soda.mp3
Yeasayer-Final Path.mp3
Band of Horses-No Ones Gonna Love You.mp3
Justice-D.A.N.C.E..mp3
Digitalism-Pogo.mp3
Tegan and Sara-Nineteen.mp3
!!!-Heart Of Hearts.mp3
The Thermals-A Pillar Of Salt.mp3
Burial-Archangel.mp3
Blitzen Trapper-Wild Mountain Nation.mp3
Bon Iver-Skinny Love.mp3
Arctic Monkeys-505.mp3
Arcade Fire-Neon Bible.mp3
The National-Slow Show.mp3
F&M-Collarbone.mp3
Feist-I Feel It All.mp3
Flight of the Conchords-Hiphopopotamus Vs. The Rhymenoceros.mp3
Great Lake Swimmers-I am Part of a Large Family.mp3
M.I.A.-Paper Planes.mp3
MGMT-Electric Feel.mp3
Mexican Institute of Sound-El Microfono.mp3

so many others I could/should list...but i am running out the door so i am leaving you with my theme song...
CSS-Music Is My Hot Hot Sex.mp3

Details coming soon...

I am still kicking myself for not heading out to last years Sasquatch Festival with the best festival line up of 2007. (at least i think so...) So I am waiting and watching for details for this years events to unfold. You should as well. If they follow suit last year they hosted Arcade Fire, Bjork, Ghostland Observatory, Grizzly Bear and Neko Case just to name a few (of the ones i wanted to see the most!). I am wondering if Radiohead or R.E.M. will be the headliners this time around. I definitely would not miss that!
Sasquatch Festival Tags

Lily Allen adding a NYC date

"New York I love you, but you're bringing me down," seriously though, TICKETMASTER IS A BEAST in this city. To all of the fans who missed out on Bjork or Arcade Fire, fear not, for there are many a show coming up that you will be able to procure a golden ticket to. Miss Lily Allen just added another date to her already busy American tour, this time at Roseland Ballroom on May 30th, tickets go on sale tomorrow morning (via the beast, ticketmaster) along with Daft Punk (via ticketweb). Also, as i previously mentioned, The Rosewood Thieves in all their glory will be holding a residency at Piano in June. Mark down June 6th, June 13th and June 20th. Last night at Tonic they debuted some new material from their upcoming album (stay tuned for release dates and more info). It was the largest crowd i have seen thus far for their shows and it was so good to see that they are finally getting the credit they so deserve.

Le Loup @ The Canal Room on Saturday Night

Saturday night was my first time venturing out to The Canal Room. The attraction was a band from Maryland that my co-worker raves about, Le Loup and it ended up being worth the trip. It is easy to make the comparison to Arcade Fire based on the number of people in the band- but the experience of their live show is quite different. For having only been together a short bit of time their performance was highly impressive. High energy with a steady set of songs that flow evenly into one another yet still remaining unique and controlled-which is quite the feat for a new band. I think it is too early to compare them to any band because i believe they will be filling their material with even grander plans and sounds sometime soon. The level of understanding between the band members and ability to be so comfortable in front of a New York audience was much appreciated by all in attendance. It was refreshing to see a group of people just enjoying sharing their music with a new city. Go to their myspace page and check out some positive Pitchfork reviews and tracks! And make sure to set aside September 7th for their show at Pianos where they will be playing with Jukebox the Ghost! Trust me!

***LE LOUP TOUR DATES***
Sep 7 2007 8:00P Pianos nYc, NY
Sep 8 2007 7:30P The Third Floor - w/ Statehood Fredericksburg, Virginia
Sep 17 2007 8:00P Granada Theatre - w/ Andrew Bird Lawrence, Kansas
Sep 18 2007 7:00P W L Lyons Brown Theater - w/ Andrew Bird Louisville, Kentucky
Sep 19 2007 7:00P Buskirk Chumley Theater - w/ Andrew Bird Bloomington, Indiana
Sep 29 2007 9:00P Black Cat (Mainstage) DC
Le Loup Tags

Feral Children

Feral Children are a band based out of Seattle with a self-released album, To The Last Frontier comfortably behind them for 2007. The single, Jaundice Giraffe is quite catchy and shines with Scott Colburns' production skills (Arcade Fire, Animal Collective). Multi-layered with rattling drums and eerie guitar rifs they are a band that should be receiving national attention and hopefully will add some east coast tour dates sometime soon.

Feral Children are on tour throughout the Seattle Area right NOW!
Nov 24 Neumo’s-Seattle, Washington
Dec 6 Chop Suey-Seattle, Washington
Dec 31 Comet Tavern/ with the Trucks,-Seattle, Washington
Jan 11 The Crocodile Cafe-Seattle, Washington
Feral Children-450 Jaundice Giraffe.mp3

Sigur Ros shows in September

Beautiful Sigur Ros
This time last year I felt like I was writing about Bjork every five seconds and now it is Sigur Ros. Icelandic FEVER! Presale starts tomorrow at 9 AM sharp for their two night run at United Palace Theater. I have seen the Black Crowes and Arcade Fire there and can happily say it is definitely a good match for Sigur Ros. Maybe not as fitting as the MOMA, but close. The dates to take note of are Wednesday, September 17th and Thursday September 18th. As I prevously stated they are worth checking out for their beyond beautiful live show that they unleash. Check out the rest of their tour dates here please!
Sigur Ros Tags

Latitude Festival adds Albert Hammond, Jr.

Britain loves loves loves itself some Albert Hammond, Jr. rightly so and he has just signed up to be added to the Latitude Festival taking place July 12th-15th at Henham Park in Suffolk. The festival already has some very good acts set to take the stage: Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Arcade Fire www.arcadefire.com/, The Good, The Bad & The Queen, Jarvis Cocker, The Rapture and The Magic Numbers. Hope Albert and crew have enough time to check out some of the other talent!

Openers!

It was reported earlier this week that Les Savy Fav are opening up for the Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem. Tiny Masters of Today are a local band from Brooklyn who have been recieving a lot of press due to their incredibly young age-yet have already captured the attention of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and are opening for their show next week on Tuesday at Webster Hall. Blitzen Trapper recently was touring with David Vandervelde, opening up shows across the country and gaining more press for their latest album, 'Wild Mountain Nation.' They signed up to open for Two Gallants during their upcoming tour as well.
Two Gallants-All Your Faithless Loyalties.mp3
Les Savy Fav-Tragic Monsters.mp3