Music Under Fire

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It's Memorial Day Weekend once again, and as everyone is heading down to the shore, a lake or just over to a friend's house or hanging out with your family, we're sure you're looking for some musical zest to add to this holiday. Keep in mind all of those who have fought for our country to be where we are today.

The list below is quite diverse, not sticking to any one theme. We have some harder rock with Ashes Divide and some classic Queens of the Stone Age. There's indie rock with Grizzly Bear and Spoon and some electronica with a Postal Service remix, Air France and The Crystal Method. We also have some groups we're just plain excited about like Phoenix, Cut Off Your Hands, Say Hi, Harlem Shakes. Enjoy our list and enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend!

MP3: Phoenix - 1901 (Customised by DLID) (buy)
MP3: The Postal Services - We Will Become Silhouettes (Mexicans With Guns Mix)
MP3: Youth Group - All This Will Pass (buy)
MP3: Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks (buy)
MP3: The Fiery Furnaces - Benton Harbor Blues (Again) (buy)
MP3: Cut Off Your Hands - Turn Cold (buy)
MP3: Air France - Collapsing at Your Doorstep (buy)
MP3: Ashes Divide - The Stone (buy)
MP3: The Builders and The Butchers - Devil Town (buy)
MP3: Azure Ray - The Drinks We Drank Last Night (buy)
MP3: Spoon - 30 Gallon Tank (buy)
MP3: Harlem Shakes - Sunlight (buy)
MP3: Camera Obscura - Honey In The Sun (buy)
MP3: The Crystal Method - Sine Language (Featuring Lmfao) (buy)
MP3: Ash - I Started A Fire (buy)
MP3: Phoenix - Rome (buy)
MP3: Queens of the Stone Age - In The Fade (buy)
MP3: The Radio Dept - Pulling Our Weight (buy)
MP3: Say Hi - November Was White, December Was Grey (buy)

OR you can download the entire list right here.

We interviewed Angel Pier last March and since then lead singer Darragh Nolan has been our main insight to the mind of an indie rocker. On top of that, the music from the Ireland-based ensemble pleases us.

The group just finished recording a pair of tracks and plan to release an album this coming Fall. We got an opportunity to pick Darragh's brain regarding the recording process and the direction the group is heading.

MUF: Seems like you changed a little bit.

Darragh: We have changed quite a bit. We're happy with the direction, it's more us, less derivative - I hope.

MUF: How long were you recording?

Darragh: We recorded on and off for I think eight days. Most of the recording was done in the first few days, then we spent quite a while shaping as we knew the sound we wanted and had to figure out how to get it.

We definitely spent a lot longer on these tracks than any previous recording. Sacrifice EP was recorded in three days, but that was just a live band recording what we played. With these tracks we wanted to bring it that couple of steps further- create recordings that aim to grow over time, with repeated listens things should jump out or reveal themselves.

Experimenting with different keyboards, samples, arrangements, layering and layering vocals, somehow without crowding the recordings.

Jimmy Eadie produced them and he treated them like his babies, so we shaped and moulded the whole time we were in there... all for only two tracks but we're happy with the results.

MUF: Do you have other material you might test run at live shows, or are you satisfied with the two new tracks on top of the your previous work

Darragh: We have a couple more new tracks that we play live but they still need a bit more work before recording.

In terms of our previous work we're generally happier with the direction than before. Before we were trying lots of different directions all at once, not really sure where we were going...

MUF: It's encouraging to see that for a group from a fan's perspective. Some groups have five albums that all sound the same. Even if you have to find your groove over five years, it is much better than hearing manufactured filler.

Darragh: I guess we seem to have found what we're best at, without trying to be like anyone, you know?

MUF: Absolutely.

Darragh: Or at the very least the beginnings of the direction.

MUF: Did you have to take off from work during recording, or did you have a bunch of long weekends?

Darragh: A few days off, some weekends, a lot of evenings...

MUF: One last question about your recording - did you find it easier to deal with a different style/feel than what previous direction you were going at?

Darragh: In some ways it was easier I guess since we were already excited about the new tracks & getting them into the studio, but in other ways we had to work harder to get the exact vibe we were looking for, we were going to get them right if it killed us.

Thanks again to Darragh for taking the time from his busy schedule to answer a few questions. "Belong" and "Align The Seas" can be found on Angel Pier's Myspace. Their EP Bullet Holes & Broken Sectors is on iTunes while the Sacrifice EP can be streamed on garageband.com.

Upcoming tour dates for the group are below.
5/22/09 Stables - Mullingar #
5/23/09 Liverpool Sound City Festival Heebie Jeebies Court Yard - Liverpool, UK
5/28/09 Spirit Store - Dundulk #
6/1109 The Pavilion - Cork
6/12/09 Greystones Theatre - Greystones, Wicklow #
6/18/09 Dolans (Upstairs) - Limerick w/ The Kinetiks
8/1/09 Castlepalooza - Main Stage, Charlevill Castle, Tullamore
# - w/ The Kinetiks

The Helio Sequence was on the bill two nights ago, which pushed us over the edge when it came time to decide whether we wanted to see Keane and Mat Kearney in the historic Tower Theatre in Upper Darby, PA. After pulling the trigger, we were quite excited to see our #1 album from 2008 go live once again since we last hung with the duo in early 2008 at Johnny Brenda's.

The Helio Sequence


The Helio Sequence are a small band, consisting of only Brandon Summers and his drumming sidekick, Benjamin Weikel. It need not be said, but if you've read our site before you probably already realize how aesthetically pleasing THC is to us. Everything we stand for and drool over is unified into their songwriting and musical talents. Summers has the smoky rumblings of a folk rock singer, while Weikel supplies the tech-beats and machine-like drumming to bring their two-man and computer ensemble to an accord.

The venue gave THC an appearance of being quite small, and although they are only a two man band, their setup in Johnny Brenda's last year was ample for them to fit on the stage yet the Tower Theatre proved to make them quite minuscule on that large stage. Songs such as "Lately" and "The Captive Mind" brought the performance right back to the ground. They were clearly not too phased by playing at larger venues. Offering little talk inbetween songs, their performance was a delight to see, especially since so many people had not recognized how big a group they may be to others who familiarized themselves with this Subpop favorite.

Their set list was to be expected, nothing but mostly their fantastic tracks from Keep Your Eyes Ahead, including "Keep Your Eyes Ahead", "Hallelujia" were played. The crowd was appeased, who was now becoming educated and taking a liking to their small group before them. Such a change now stands before The Helio Sequence since headlining smaller shows last year. Brandon and Ben now appeared at the beginning of their exciting tour with Keane as the opening act.

MP3: The Helio Sequence - Everyone Knows Everyone (buy)




Mat Kearney


Not familiar with the growing popularity of Mat Kearney (pronounced 'Carney'), we were curious to see what would take place in front of us. With the feeling of being set-up for a sappy, love-song laden set list, the doors were practically closed in terms of our interest, but swinging open to keep any bias from clogging our suspicion. To our surprise, Kearney was not sappy, nor could he have been more captivating. Releasing his new album City of Black and White the previous day, Kearney was ready to play some of his new songs, which he did, including "Here We Go" and "Lifeline".

The set list included "Undeniable", played on the radio back in 2006, which does play much better on the radio, but to Kearney's credit was meant for the radio given the vocal layering and pace of song. His stage presence was there too. With a band setup of bass, lead guitar, drums, keyboard to support his act, the proper support for the music was created, particularly with "Breathe In Breathe Out" which started off with a piano solo, then rose to an orchestration of a total band effort. Kearney closed with his most upbeat song, "Nothing Left To Lose" and had the crowd singing to the end.

Although he was a plus to have in the lineup, the alt-rock style did not particularly fall into our specifications for a group we would spend too much time on. The performance was well-executed on Kearney's part and he surely won the crowd over offering free autographs with the purchase of his new album.

Keane


Unmistakably adorned for Keane's 2004 masterpiece Hopes and Fears, a near perfect album in our eyes, we were geared up to hear more from their first two albums since 2008's Perfect Symmetry did not particularly entice us. Their plan was instantly revealed as the stage lit up with their album cover in the background.

Kicking off the show with "The Lovers Are Losing", we were set to hear the majority of Perfect Symmetry, including songs which we not too fond of such as their first single from the album, "Spiralling". But when one new song was played, it was counteracted by some of the songs we loved such as "This Is The Last Time", which was done as a solo on the piano by Tom Chaplin. It was this moment that his voice truly shined. Nothing but the piano and his vocals were heard; his voice shimmered under the single light shone on the stage.

The first half of the show was done quite well by Keane with a nice change of pace in song and both movement on stage. At one point all four members convened in the middle of the stage, toning down Chaplins excited antics on stage for a few songs. Also notable was the fourth and newest member on tour, Jesse Quin, who has been used to enhance Keane's stage performance for which they had been somewhat scrutinized for on their last tour.

There was an even spread of songs from Hope and Fears and Perfect Symmetry up until this point, and the theme would carry throughout the rest of the show with only four songs from Under The Iron Sea. To my dismay, one of the songs I did expect to be performed was not. "Frog Prince", which stood second to "Crystal Ball" (which would be their second to last song in the encore) was not played. But fitting enough, Keane closed down the show with one of their most beloved songs, "Bedshaped".

The entire performance was animated and energetic. Chaplin announced from the beginning to "sing out loud and enjoy the show" as he would later dangle his microphone over the crowd to sing the words. His hand gestures and dancing around the stage upped the ante when it came to livening the crowd. At every moment Chaplin pulled the crowd in, commanding the attention with wild hand motions and his own giddy excitement over the music he's been working so dilligently in creating over the years.

MP3: Keane - Nothing In My Way (live) (buy)

Setlist:
The Lovers Are Losing
Everybody's Changing
Bend and Break
We Might As Well Be Strangers
Again and Again
This Is The Last Time
Spiralling
Playing Along
Try Again
Sunshine
You Haven't Told Me Anything
Leaving So Soon?
You Don't See Me
Perfect Symmetry
Somewhere Only We Know
Crystal Ball
Encore:
My Shadow
Is It Any Wonder?
Bedshaped

Passion Pit officially release today. White Rabbits release today. Mat Kearney releases today. This is just the beginning of a huge week. Huge.

Michael Angelakos' musings continue to draw attention. Not only was the Loose Change EP stellar, but with a five-man traveling band on salary, Passion Pit should be on everyone's calendar and in everyone's compact disc player, especially with the release of Manners.

Fort Nightly earned high honors in 2007 for White Rabbits. It has gently swept into indie-lovers' libraries as a favorite. With It's Frightening, perhaps even more music reviewers can start to see what has made the New York crew so astounding.

Tomorrow we will see Keane, The Helio Sequence and Mat Kearney, so the release of City of Black & White has us perusing the artist at an accelerated rate. For those who have previously heard Mat Kearney, he occasionally staggered into poetry during his music. The new album is heads above his previous work.

Female vocalists have the major role in this year's releases. Polly Scattergood and Alela Diane are phenomenal. Scattergood's playful singing and catchy accompanying instrumentals undoubtedly hit us a bit different than most singer/songwriters. For Alela Diane, the mass artist project of Headless Heroes carries the folk music pace this week while still harnessing the impressive singer's ability, much like that of Zooey Deschanel.

We've only hit the tip of the iceberg, so dig in and have a wonderful week!

MP3: Passion Pit - Smile Upon Me (buy)
MP3: Iron and Wine - Belated Promise Ring (buy)
MP3: Jarvis Cocker - Angela (buy)
MP3: White Rabbits - Kid On My Shoulders (buy)

Apostle of Hustle - Eats Darkness (Official) (MySpace)
Federico Aubele - Amatoria (Official) (MySpace)
Clues - Clues (Official) (MySpace)
CKY - Carver City (Official) (MySpace)
Drive A - Loss of Desire (Official) (MySpace)
Ear PWR - Super Animal Brother (Official) (MySpace)
Elfin Saddle - Ringing for the Begin Again (Official) (MySpace)
The Field - Yesterday & Today (Official) (MySpace)
Green Day - 21ST Century Breakdown (Official)
Headless Heroes - Silence of Love (Official) (MySpace)
Hedley - Never Too Late (Official) (MySpace)
Iron & Wine - Around the Well (Official) (MySpace)
Jarvis Cocker - Further Complications (Official) (MySpace)
Jason Lytle - Yours Truly (Official) (MySpace)
Jeffrey Lewis - 'Em Are I (Official) (MySpace)
Karate High School - Invaders (Official) (MySpace)
Kronos Quartet - Floodplain (Official) (MySpace)
Mat Kearney - City of Black & White (Official) (MySpace)
Miss Kittin & The Hacker - Two (Official) (MySpace)
Parachute - Losing Sleep (Official) (MySpace)
Passion Pit - Manners (Official) (MySpace)
Polly Scattergood - Polly Scattergood (MySpace)
Settle - At Home We Are Tourists (Official) (MySpace)
Tartufi - Nests of Waves & Wire (Official) (MySpace)
Tori Amos - Abnormally Attracted To Sin (Official) (MySpace)
John Vanderslice - Romanian Names (Official) (MySpace)
White Rabbits - It's Frightening (Official) (MySpace)

In music, much like many things in life, appreciation comes with time. Last spring, when Editors and Mobius Band toured together, a line existed between them. Fortunately, they had music in common, so Editors swam through the collection of Mobius Band and vice versa. By the end of touring the groups had built a strong friendship, and with many listens of MB's latest album Heaven still ringing in their ears, the superbly-influential Editors decided to endorse the New England group in the motherland.

On Monday, Heaven reached the pond via iTunes in reverse British invasion fashion. The album is available also through Misra Records and Ghostly International. For more on Mobius Band, head to their web site or check them out on MySpace.

Editors last album, An End Has A Start, hit stores in 2007 and made went platinum shortly thereafter. They have been recording for a new album for the past month, which should release this year, although their European tour over the summer might delay a launch date being announced.

MP3: Mobius Band - Friends Like These (buy)
MP3: Mobius Band - Hallie (buy)

It feels great to see our #1 group from 2008 break the mold and begin touring with Keane this Spring. I'd like to think that once you reach Philadelphia and play at the Tower Theatre, a place that caters to some of our favorite groups such as Interpol, Death Cab For Cutie, Doves and now Keane, holds a dear place to us. The last time we saw The Helio Sequence was at Johnny Brenda's in the beginning of last year. Johnny Brenda's holds about 100-150 (if it were packed to the gills) As I recall, Brandon Summers announced before their show, "The last time we were here, there were about six people here to watch us play."

Surely The Helio Sequence have come a long way since then and we're sure their name will spread like wildfire during their Spring tour, which ends on June 13th in Boise, Idaho. For more information check out their MySpace page or visit their profile on Subpop for more.

MP3: The Helio Sequence - Lately (buy)

Tour Dates:
5/8/09 - Fox Theater w/KEANE Oakland, California
5/9/09 - Hollywood Palladium w/KEANE and Mat Kearney Los Angeles, California
5/10/09 - The Grove of Anaheim w/KEANE and Mat Kearney Anaheim, California
5/12/09 - Kingsbury Hall w/KEANE and Mat Kearney Salt Lake City, Utah
5/13/09 - The Ogden Theatre w/KEANE and Mat Kearney Denver, Colorado
5/15/09 - Myth w/KEANE and Mat Kearney Maplewood, Minnesota
5/16/09 - Aragon Ballroom w/KEANE and Mat Kearney Chicago, Illinois
5/18/09 - Diesel Club Lounge Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
5/19/09 - DAR Constitution Hall w/KEANE and Mat Kearney WASHINGTON, Washington DC
5/20/09 - Tower Theater w/KEANE and Mat Kearney Upper Darby, Pennsylvania
5/21/09 - Bank of America Pavilion w/KEANE and Mat Kearney Boston, Massachusetts
5/22/09 - Mohawk Place Buffalo, New York
5/23/09 - The Sound Academy w/KEANE and Mat Kearney Toronto, Ontario
5/24/09 - Time Warner Cable Amphitheater at Tower City w/KEANE and Mat Kearney Cleveland, Ohio
5/26/09 - Wellmont Theater w/KEANE and Mat Kearney Montclair, New Jersey
5/27/09 - Radio City Music Hall w/KEANE and Mat Kearney New York, New York
5/28/09 - Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn, New York
5/29/09 - Outback Lodge Charlottesville, Virginia
5/30/09 - The Milestone Charlotte, North Carolina
5/31/09 - Earl Atlanta, Georgia
6/1/09 - Bottle Tree Birmingham, Alabama
6/3/09 - Rudyard’s Houston, Texas
6/4/09 - Mohawk (Outdoor Stage) Austin, Texas
6/5/09 - The Loft (TX) Dallas, Texas
6/6/09 - Opolis Production Norman, Oklahoma
6/8/09 - Launch Pad Albuquerque, New Mexico
6/9/09 - Club Congress Tucson, Arizona
6/10/09 - Rhythm Room Phoenix, Arizona
6/11/09 - Beauty Bar Las Vegas, Nevada
6/12/09 - Urban Lounge Salt Lake City, Utah
6/13/09 - Neurolux Boise, Idaho