Review // Radiohead at Comcast Center, Mansfield MA 5.29.12

Words // Todd Harrington

Taking the stage shortly after 8pm Radiohead would unload a 23 song marathon of music, the main set and two encores would find the band pushing the 11pm curfew of the sold out Comcast Center in Mansfield Tuesday night.

Basking in the glow of one of the more impressive light shows the six piece band would change gears on a dime, going form heavy lead piano lead tracks, to heavy pounding numbers. Front man Thom Yorke would roate from guitar to piano and back. When not playing he'd do that “freak out” dance he is so well known for. Flanked by Ed O'Brien and his barrage of guitar effects and the multi instrumentalist Johnny Greenwood they'd lead the charge all night. Bassist Colin Greenwood was tucked in the middle of the stage, but set way back, his roaring bass lines were outstanding all evening long.

Yorke was chatty for much of the show, not just the canned “thank you” and “this song is...” common banter. Topics from the looming rain, to the Russian elections he was far more chatty than this reviewer had expected.

Known in recent years for their light shows this did not fail to impress. The top portion of the light rig was fixed camera shots on the band members. The the images would blend from face, to tapping feet to hands on strings. Being a bit far back I am unsure if it was a series of lights or panels, but there were large screens that also dropped and angled and flashed above the bands heads. It was very impressive.

Audience was respectful, at least in my area and were elated with the song selection evidence by a thunderous roar of approval.

The band is currently on this final leg of the King Of Limbs tour, so get at it, while the getting is good.

The full set list:

Bloom
15 Step
Airbag
Staircase
The Daily Mail
Myxomatosis
The Gloaming
Separator
Pyramid Song
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Morning Mr. Magpie
Identikit
Lotus Flower
There There
Feral
Idioteque

--

Supercollider

The National Anthem

Lucky

Everything In Its Right Place (With "After the Gold Rush" intro)

--
Give Up the Ghost
Bodysnatchers
Reckoner

Video courtesy of Boston Through My Eyes:

Songs for Wednesday // The Cellar Door, Kelli Scarr and more

Words // Adam Sharp

'Ground'- The Cellar Door
Plucked strings, tight harmonies and cascading/layered vocals to close- yeah, I'd say these are some talented teenagers.
Website: https://www.facebook.com/findthecellardoor

Ground - The Cellar Door

'Dangling Teeth'- Kelli Scarr
As this song proves, not every summer jam has to be loud and anthemic.
Website: http://www.kelliscarrmusic.com/

Dangling Teeth - Kelli Scarr

'That Darkness'- Hot Bodies in Motion
Appropriate activities while listening to this song: sweating profusely, drinking and dancing in a wholly inappropriate way.
Website: http://hotbodiesinmotion.com/

'Ivory Coast'- Pure Bathing Culture
So. Much. Dreaminess.
Website: https://www.facebook.com/purebathingculture?ref=ts

Ivory Coast - Pure Bathing Culture

'Since I Left You'- The Avalanches
Even after a decade this song still sounds like pure summer.
Website: http://www.theavalanches.com/

New music // Juniper Tar - Since Before

Words // Scott Pingeton

Wisconsin has quickly become a hotbed of gentle, heart-on-sleeve folk.  See Bon Iver, S. Carey, Field Report, et al.  Juniper Tar's brand of midwest folk-rock is decidedly more muscular.  A steady back-beat, electric guitars and rousing keys propel these songs to anthemic heights - perfectly suited to spill from the windows of your car in the summer heat.  That isn't to say these are dumb rock songs, though - far from it.  But, Mohr's poetry is probably more Springsteen than Cohen - direct, relatable and nuanced enough to reveal more with each listen.

I'm only a few listens in, so I don't want to go too crazy yet, but it's safe to say that Since Before, the band's new album, ranks pretty high on my list of favorite albums of 2012 so far.  

You can stream the entire album below.  Then make sure to buy it at the band's bandcamp page (I went for the limited 2x vinyl, myself), and while you're at it, get both of the band's previous releases, The Howl Street EP and To The Trees, for free.  Can't beat that.

TONIGHT: Langhorne Slim / Ha Ha Tonka / Kingsley Flood at The Middle East

If you're looking for something to do tonight, there's no better choice than heading to the Middle East for what has to be one of the strongest bills of the year so far.  Langhorne Slim, Ha Ha Tonka and local favorites Kingsley Flood are going to bring a heavy dose of gritty, sweaty Americana to Central Square and I suggest you be there. 

The Way We Move - Langhorne Slim

Usual Suspects - Ha Ha Tonka

I Don't Wanna Go Home - Kingsley Flood

Songs for Wednesday // Houndmouth, Aunt Martha and more

Words // Adam Sharp

'Houston Train'- Houndmouth
Be warned that when you hit play below you’re likely to hear your new favorite song.
Website: http://houndmouth.com/

'Kelly Mitchell'- Aunt Martha
A sad, sleepy gem of a song, that'll make you feel feelings while clapping along.
Website: http://www.auntmarthaband.com/

'Oak Tree'- Desert Noises
There are some songs made for driving fast through the country to.  This is one of those.
Website: http://www.desertnoisesmusic.com/

'Thames'- JBM
My favorite song off one of the most underrated albums to come out so far this year.
Website: http://www.jbm-music.com/fr_news.cfm

'Empty (Tour Bus Session)'- Lianne La Havas
That. Voice.
Website: http://www.liannelahavas.com/

New music // Great Elk - "The Weight Of The Sea"

Words // Scott Pingeton

I don't remember the last time I actually read a PR email.  99% get automatically filtered, immediately deleted or sit in the purgatory of my inbox forever.  One sure fire way to get me to read about your band is to compare yourselves to My Morning Jacket and Band Of Horses.  Great Elk's email did just that, I read it, I clicked through and I heard anthemic vaguely rootsy rock that sounds perfect for a long drive through some kind of desolate or majestic landscape that doesn't really exist in this over-populated part of the country.  The New York-based band hails from Alaska, which is exactly the kind of place that desolate and majestic landscapes exist.  Their debut album Autogeography is out May 22, but you can stream the whole thing at their bandcamp page.  Listen to "The Weight Of The Sea" here...

Preview // FreshGrass Festival @ Mass MoCA 9/21-23

Words // Scott Pingeton

Mass MoCA is becoming a destination known as much for their excellent music programming as world class modern art.  Wilco's annual Solid Sound Festival has played a big part in putting the Western Mass museum on the map, but there are plenty of other events throughout the year that are well worth the drive.  One of those events that I personally will be happily making the 3 hour trek from Boston for is the FresGrass Festival in late September.  You really don't need a reason to visit the Berkshires in late-September - it's just gorgeous out that way as summer starts to fade into fall - but if you really need your arm twisted, a top-notch bluegrass festival should do the trick.  The lineup includes David Grisman, Trampled By Turtles, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Devil Makes Three, Infamous Stringdusters, Spirit Family Reunion and lots more.  Spread out over 3 days, it's the perfect excuse for a long weekend away from the city.

Tickets are on sale now for the incredibly reasonable price of just $46 for the whole weekend.  Make your plans now, I am.  Here is some brand new music from three of my favorite artists that will be at FreshGrass:

Alone - Trampled By Turtles

Boodle-De-Bum-Bum - Carolina Chocolate Drops

I Want To Be Relieved - Spirit Family Reunion

Willis Earl Beal - "(773) 295-2135"

No words required.  Just watch.

Review: Kalispell - Westbound

Words // Scott Pingeton

I think you're gonna dig this one, so listen up.  Kalispell is the work of Shane Leonard, and it brims with the earnestness you may have come to expect from fellow Eau Claire Wisconsin locals Justin Vernon, S. Carey and Chris Porterfield.  Westbound is a gorgeous and deeply personal record, perhaps influenced at least in part by the circumstances around Leonard's move from Massachusetts to Wisconsin. I think Kalispell's bandcamp page paints a better picture than I could:

It's like when good friends gather, perhaps around a fire in someone's backyard as the night settles or on the front stoop of your house, cigarette in hand—the setting doesn't matter. It's about the moment after the laughter quiets and the tone shifts, when you venture to say what's been heavy on the mind, so near the tongue, so hard to admit: 

How you've grown impatient with the "state of summer's same."
How you feel alone with the person who should know you best.
How "there was no devotion / in our frozen poses."
How you said yes when you meant no.

Intimate confessions set to folk music is nothing unique, but I think Kalispell does it particularly well - combining confident lyrics with intricate, textured compositions.  From the clawhammer banjo on "Methodist Lift" to "Marion, MT", a folk-dirge that recalls The Low Anthem, to "Lucky A Hundred Times", a gently rolling highlight, the album covers enough sonic ground to hold the listeners interest throughout.  It's a great listen - highly recommended.

Kalispell - Lucky A Hundred Times

Kalispell was at the Middle East in Cambridge last week -- my timing sucks.  Shout if you were there!