Explosions in the Sky - Live at the 9:30 Club 2016-05-19

 

Another recommendation I make on a regular basis is this full concert, courtesy of NPR, of Explosions in the Sky.  I saw them at the Norva in Norfolk on May 17, 2016, and this professional, multi-camera shoot at the 9:30 Club open May 19, 2016 is basically the same show.  The only difference is that Norfolk got "Infinite Orbit" as the 5th song, and DC got "The Ecstatics".  

I've blogged about EITS before, and my 2010 review of "Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever" gives a more in-depth description of their aesthetic.  In addition to the influences I listed then, I'd now add shoegazing, as well as Sonic Youth and "Lesson No. 1" era Glenn Branca. 

The show should really be consumed as single, 84 minute experience. But if you don't have 84 minutes, I'd say "Greet Death" and "The Birth and Death of the Day" are highlights.  

That night at the Norva, I was moved, transformed even.  A YouTube video can't even begin to capture the live experience, but I hope this will give you insight into what I felt that night.  

Angel Olsen - "My Woman" (LP Review)

In my second installment for Women's History Month, I take a look at one of the better results for 2016 -- a year that was pretty bad for music in general.  In the Now Playing Facebook Group, I took note of a parade of posts extolling Angel Olsen's third LP, "My Woman".  Eventually I had to investigate and I was not disappointed: this really is a candidate for LP of the year.

I worked my way backward through her catalog: 2014's "Burn Your Fire for No Witness" and 2012's "Halfway Home", and while those are good LPs they don't foreshadow the level of accomplishment and mastery she displays on "My Woman".  Pitchfork gives an eloquent review, complete with references to Dolly, Loretta, Patti, and Cat Power.  Sure, no pressure there.  They should throw in a good bit of Mazzy Star as well. The New Yorker has a similarly effusive review, evoking Julee Cruise (via David Lynch) and Fleetwood Mac.

But Angel does move confidently and effortlessly from genre to genre, from the abstract synth of "Intern", to the garage-rock of "Shut Up Kiss Me", to the epic, slow burn of "Sister", and many others.  There are no bad songs on this LP, and you owe it to yourself to see what all the buzz is about*.

Standout songs: "Intern", "Never Be Mine", "Shut Up Kiss Me" (live on the Late Show, 2016-08-29; the backup singer takes this to 11**),  "Give It Up", "Not Gonna Kill You",  "Sister", "Those Were the Days", "Woman" (live, 2016-10-30?)

Skip 'em songs: none.

Final score: 9/10

Bonus link: "Intern / Woman" (live 2017-02-23)

* For the record: while Danette doesn't dislike the LP, she doesn't "get it".

** 2017-12-27 update: I just realized that "the backup singer" is Heather McEntire, of Mount Moriah. No wonder I liked her so much.  

Warpaint - Live KEXP 2016-09-19 (concert)

San Francisco-based Warpaint has been active since 2004, but I just recently learned of them via Herbert, when he mentioned about seeing them in the Netherlands last November.  I don't know how I had missed them for 12 or so years, but I really like their sound.  I got "Heads Up" for Christmas but haven't had a chance to listen to it yet.

In the meantime, check out this recent performance on KEXP.  Unlike their earlier material, this reminds me of recent Radiohead (e.g., "A Moon Shaped Pool", "The King of Limbs").

Body Count - "Raining Blood" (the song remains the same)

You may be cool, but are you Ice-T, fronting Body Count, covering Slayer's "Raining Blood" cool?

Unless your name is Tori Amos, probably not.  

Body Count: rehearsal version, studio version.

Tori Amos: studio version.

Slayer: studio version, and as seen on South Park.

Kungs vs. Cookin' on 3 Burners - "This Girl" (spotlight)

I heard this on 96X in the car the other day and the song stuck with me.  The DJ said it had been "big in France" for a while but it had just arrived here. Googling the next day I found out that it requires some unpacking. The song is "This Girl", and the 2016 release is from the French DJ Kungs (aka Valentin Brunel) and it's a remix of the 2009 song by the Australian funk/soul/Motown revival group Cookin' on 3 Burners (who remind me of St. Paul and the Broken Bones), featuring Kylie Auldist. 

The original version sounds like it was recorded in the mid 70s and the Kungs version is a sped up, house version.  Both are enjoyable and worth checking out.

Kungs vs. Cookin' on 3 Burners: "This Girl"
Cookin' on 3 Burners: studio, live