2011-01-21

Crocodiles - 2011-01-15 - Slim's SF


Crocodiles
2011-01-15
Slim's SF

taper: thehappyone
equip: Sonic Studios DSM-6/L's > Sony PCM-M10
locat: near the front somewhere

setlist: Sleep Forever / Neon Jesus / Hearts Of Love / Summer Of Hate / Mirrors / All My Hate and Hexes Are For You  / Stoned To Death / I Wanna Kill // I'm Not A Young Man Anymore [Velvet Underground] (w/Dee Dee of Dum Dum Girls on backing vox) / outro
 
A pretty stunning wall of sound from San Diego's finest new act...they pretty much played this as one continuous song, with feedback stringing the songs together.    If you listen to the recording you can hear people compliment the performance, even before the show was over.  Nearly the same songs as their Popscene performance from August, but with a substitution and an additional encore track with Brandon's wife Dee Dee doing backing vox...

It's been a somewhat uphill climb for me from outright dismissing these guys as slavish JAMC imitators when I first saw them open for Ladytron back in 2009 (got there mid-set, so wasn't able to tape them) to actually appreciating their songcraft and noisepop hooks.  But we're here now, so enjoy the view!

Listen (FLAC format)

Also up on YouTube


Bonus! 

Crocodiles
2010-08-19
Popscene
330 Ritch Street
San Francisco CA

tapers: thehappyone + tomzero
equip: Sonic Studios DSM-6/Ls > Sony PCM-M10 (thehappyone) 
       Sonic Studios DSM-6s > Edirol R-09HR (tomzero)
blended together in Adobe Audition 1.5 by thehappyone

setlist:

Sleep Forever / Neon Jesus / Hearts of Love / Summer of Hate / Mirrors / Billy Speed / Stoned To Death / I Wanna Kill

Had to wait nearly an hour for them to come on, and this was a short set that clocked just north of 35 minutes.  We were pretty annoyed at the time, but it gave the proceedings an edge which proved to make it all good.  This story is good too...better than snakes on a plane in my opinion...maybe it's what inspired them to call themselves that...

Listen (FLAC format)


2011-01-19

The Fresh And Onlys - 2011-01-15 - Slim's SF


The Fresh and Onlys
2011-01-15
Slim's SF

taper:  thehappyone
equip:  Sonic Studios DSM-6/L mics > Sony PCM-M10
locat:  behind a pillar stage right-ish 

tracks:  intro / Invisible Forces / Grey-Eyed Girl / ? / Until The End Of Time / Waterfall / Fascinated / (new song #1) / I'm A Thief / ? / Tropical Island Suite / ? / ? / Diamond In The Dark

Pitchfork gave their album an 8.0, and mentioned 'By My Hooker' as one of the standout tracks, to quote from the article: 'My favorite line comes on "Be My Hooker": "I can hear the open sea calling me, but I don't know, I don't know"-- wanderlust and indecision rendered in one quick, direct stroke.' 

However, the presence of this song title would cause another blogger some degree of consternation, with the fallout detailed here.  My opinion is that while this brings up interesting issues involving what certain sites will allow from their hired writing help before they conclude that biting the hand that feeds them free releases isn't conducive to the new realm of pageviews and impressions, and allows those who feel constrained to score sympathy with the blogosphere though that disclosure, it should come as very little surprise to know how any of this stuff actually plays out, and more importantly, has naught to do with The Fresh And Onlys actual material or motivations.  Heck, I almost want the worst about "Be My Hooker" to be true, since that would help them get some more notice, under the guidelines of any press being good press, though I suspect anybody truly in their camp would want them to earn praise through less sensational means, entirely on the basis of their art. 

Which is why I am presenting this to you here, so that you can form your own opinion, as it's through sharing which allows Tim Cohen and company to be appreciated for their "lazy-arsed garage-psych", rather than slammed for it by some random reviewer either looking for an angle or who was genuinely disturbed by the song title.  It's a disturbing world, after all; given all that is truly obscene (just look at US foreign policy for starters), trying to hang one's hat on a song title seems a bit trite.  

Anyway, enough of my spiel, please download (FLAC zipfile) and enjoy!

(you can also check out my previous recording of them playing at Serra Bowl back in July 2010)

 

2011-01-17

Magic Bullets - 2011-01-15 - Slim's SF



Magic Bullets
2010-01-15
Slim's SF

taper:  thehappyone

equip:  a bit of a mess, the first song was done with my standard rig, but when I went to check levels, i must have unplugged my mics, so you can hear some interruptions as this happens.  So this was basically done with the built-ins on my Sony PCM-M10, and as a result had to be re-EQ'ed a bit more heavy-handed than normal.  
But it's still very listeneable.

locat:  about 3 rows back nearly in front of singer Phillip Benson, who caterwauls with the best of 'em.

setlist:  A Day Not So Far Off / Millions Of People Running In Circles / Lying Around / Common House Cats / ? / Television Won't Know / On Top Of The World / Sigh The Day Away

[note:  Common House Cats was released in April 2012 on Much Ado About, the fifth song I can't identify, may have to email the group to find out]

First of multiple dispatches from this show.  The next post(s) will feature The Fresh and Onlys and Crocodiles.

I first saw Magic Bullets along with Brilliant Colors open for The Homosexuals back at Bottom Of The Hill in March of 2009, and was simply floored...as others have remarked, it was part Smiths, part Postcard Scottish beat groups, and very, very catchy.  

I next caught them at Part Time Punks mini-fest in SF later that year, and hopped around so enthusiastically I knocked out the batteries in my recorder....just amazing stuff...and for me, the standout act of that night.

So when I heard they were opening for Crocodiles, this became a can't miss.  Confession time:  I don't own any of their own recordings.  Yet.  Don't be like me, buy them from the Mon Amie Records store!!  

(update: I went ahead and purchased their latest album+single bundle and their initial EP which they have on sale again)

The interesting part was that they were playing at Slim's, which I hadn't been to in over 10 years...last time was to see the Chameleons back when they reunited and played four West Coast shows.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that the place had been cleaned up since I was last there...it may be another 10 years before they again book another act I'd be interested in, but for the time I was there, I had no complaints, except for the pillars that can block your view of the stage.  Of course, the Bullets killed it, they cause people up front to dance and put a smile on my normally sullen features.  'Too much fighting on the dance floor'...not.  Just love.

Listen (FLAC download)