Other Lives-Live!

Other Lives took their intricate studio production to the live stage, and play it with added emotion. I have spoken about my love for this band in a blog before, and I was really looking forward to the show. They played in The Urban Lounge, which is a small club, and it was the perfect setting for a band like Other Lives. When they were quiet and stripped-down, Other Lives never lost their intensity, and kept the audience always engaged. But when hit the climax of their songs is when the music and show became transcending. All the members of the band played multiple instruments and exceptionally talented. I was surprised that such a deep and detailed sound came from only five band members. But when I watched the band members switch from instruments most of the time in the same song, I was deeply impressed and grew and even deeper appreciation for the band. NPR and KCRW have both been raving about this band, and I hope that more people will find this band, and enjoy their music as much as they people who know of them do.

The Rosebuds-Live!

The Rosebuds played a fun, grooving set that got everyone up and moving on Friday night. I hadn’t heard of The Rosebuds before and didn’t find out that they were playing with Other Lives until that day. Since they were touring with Other Lives, I guessed and hoped that they would be good, and I was both happy and surprised by them. They are made up of guy and girl couple, which is accompanied by a violin player and a drummer. As they played their catchy and harmony filled songs, anyone that had been sitting got up to move. Their harmonies were what really drew me in to the music. Ivan Howard and Kelly Crisp have been together since 2003 when they came out with their first album. They had an aparrent chemistry and their voices blended perfectly. It was a fun finish to the show, and I am excited to hear more of their music.

Dry The River

Dry The River is looking like they could be the next big folk-rock group. With bands like Mumford and Sons, The Avett Brothers, and RayLaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs getting a lot of attention, Dry The River is following there path with a slightly more rock feel.  In an interview with the band,  the lead singer said that they all came from heavier bands and wanted to go to a more folk direction in this band, but it always started turning more into rock. It is the lead singer’s high tenor that emits emotion throughout all the songs. Their songs start off slow and sound like typical but beautiful folk songs, but songs like No Rest and New Ceremony have such huge and catchy finales that set them apart. They have yet to release a full album, but have already been touring, and have just recently released a couple singles. Unsurprisingly they have been getting much attention, even though they are such a young band. With this amount of attention so early, they seem to have a bright future ahead.

Explosions in the Sky-Live!

Explosions in the Sky brought a dynamic and highly charged show to 25,000 in Salt Lake City. After the release of their sixth album, Take Care Take Care Take Care, Explosions has been touring and playing at music festivals promoting their album. They have been long been acclaimed for their intense performances. Yet, they still keep a sense of intimacy while they are playing for thousands of fans. Explosions is originally a four-set band, with three guitarists and one drummer. For this tour though, they added a bass player. They are an entirely instrumental band, and have been since they started. One of the guitarists, Munaf Rayani, said that they thought about having lyrics for about a half-second before they decided they wanted just an instrumental band. Many of the bands songs are at least six or seven minutes long and some are over the double-digit mark. With these long and sweeping songs, it is easy to get lost in them. They take you for a journey and you are almost exhausted after. The whole show, Munaf Rayani only spoke twice for the band; at the beginning, and at the end. There were no long pauses between songs, just and hour and fifteen minutes of sonic bliss. Because they played one song right after the next, every song seemed like a chapter in their story that they were sharing with you. There an unbelievable and inventive band that plays every song with an incredible amount of passion and bring this emotion with every note.

No Age-Live

No Age is a fuzz-rock band that opened for Explosions In The Sky on Thursday Night. I had only listened to a few No Age before the song, and I was kind of unimpressed, but hoped they would put on a good show. They did have a lot of energy and had fun, I just couldn't get past my dislike for the music. The guitarist put his distortion has high as it would go and played every song that way. His bar chords for every song were almost indistinguishable underneath the distortion. The drummer and also singer's yelling-singing seemed the same for every song, but I couldn't hear it very well over the guitar and drums anyway. After listening to their studio songs, I found that I liked it much more than their live performances. When I was able to hear the lyrics and the singing a little bit more, I could start enjoying their high-octane punk more. They did bring a lot of energy to their show, and had a lot of the crowd moving. Many people enjoy this kind of music, and I am sure many people enjoyed their show last night. It just wasn't for me.

Death Cab for Cutie-Codes and Keys

Death Cab for Cutie have just recently come out with a new album following the same style and footsteps of their album before, Narrow Stairs.  Death Cab for Cutie have long been indie-rock darlings, and are still growing on their seventh album. Since their mega-success on the album, Plans, they have gained millions of fans, but also lost some due to their switching record-labels. Ben Gibbard, the lead-singer, was always an avid protestor of Major Record Labels, until the band signed with Atlantic Records. Although many early fans were upset with this signing, the band has stayed true to their sound, and continued to make wonderful albums. Codes and Keys is full of fun poppy songs, and is a perfect summer album. With Ben Gibbard's always on-point lyrics and incredibly catchy singing, I have found myself repeatedly singing many of the songs.  In their seventh album, they are still finding ways to make their music fresh and different. They have been one of alternative-rock's biggest band for a few years, and they look ready to stay.

James Vincent McMorrow-Early in the Morning

James Vincent McMorrow's debut album is a stirring, and raw wonderment. McMorrow has been receiving high-praises for his album, and is being thrown into the same category as Bon Iver and Damien Rice. It is not surprising since he has the same same haunting voice and stripped down instrumental. Robin Hilton of NPR, also said that his voice sounds like a mixture of Antony Hegarty and Ray LaMontagne. Two people with very different and distinct voices, but after listening to the song, I fully agreed with. Just as Justin Vernon of Bon Iver went to a secluded cabin to write For Emma, Forever Ago, McMorrow went to his sea-side cabin in Ireland to write his album. In an interview with KCRW, McMorrow said he wasn't planning on making a record when he went his cabin. He wanted to remove as many distractions as possible. While living in this seclusion, he started writing songs that would eventually go into this album. McMorrow is also receiving high accolades for his intense and intimate shows. He is currently on tour promoting this album.

Danger Mouse and Daniele Lupi-Rome

Fresh from his most recent collaboration of Broken Bells, Danger Mouse produces another masterpiece collaboration album. Five years ago, Danger Mouse and Daniele Lupi decided to make this album five years ago, after finding out they both had a strong love for spaghetti-western music. As a lover of the movies and the music of Once Upon A Time In The West, and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. I think these spaghetti-westerns have some of the most and haunting and beautiful music.
Danger Mouse has been one of the music industry's most sought-after producers after he made the Grey Album; which mashed-up Jay-Z's Black album, and The Beatles' White album. After, Danger Mouse was also the producing half of Gnarles Barkley with Cee-Lo Green, and Danger Doom with rapper MF Doom. Daniele Lupi is an Italian composer and arranger. I wasn't familiar with his music before this album, but if his other music is anything like Rome, I'm sure it will be lovely. On this album Jack White and Nora Jones also lent their voices to a few of the songs. Jack White, who over the last decade has given us the most explosive and undying rock of the last decade, is fantastic in his small part on the album. His lyrics on Two Against One, also fit the theme of the album impossibly well. No woman would be more perfect for this album than Nora Jones. Her smooth and sultry voice is the perfect compliment to the classical guitars and the deep rich bass. It came as no surprise to many that such a beautiful album came from these artists. After listening to this album on repeat, I have started wearing a poncho, started smoking a hand-rolled cigarette, and have started talking in a raspy voice. "You see in this world, there's two kinds of people, my friend; those with loaded guns, and those who dig."

Bon Iver-Bon Iver

After the overwhelming success of Bon Iver's first album, For Emma, Forever Ago in 2008, Bon Iver has recently come out with a new self-titled album. For Emma, Forever Ago was one of the most acclaimed albums of recent years and was one of NPR's Top 50 albums of the decade. The story of how the lead singer, Justin Vernon, wrote the album is a legend now. After breaking up with his girlfriend, Emma, he went to his cabin in the woods of Wisconsin with just his acoustic guitar, and For Emma, Forever Ago was the astonishing product. With such heart-breaking and beautiful songs like Skinny Love and For Emma, many wondered how he could ever top or even maintain the same level on his next album. In between these two albums Bon Iver also came out with a four-song EP, titled Blood Bank. Three of these songs were classic Bon Iver, but one song, Woods, was an auto-tuned masterpiece that reminded me of Imogen Heap's Hide and Seek. When Bon Iver released their single Calgary, I knew he would be going in a more experimental and multi-layered direction, rather than the acoustic-based first album. I loved Calgary and was painfully anxious and excited for the album to come out. The album did not disappoint me, and I fell in love with it instantly. While guitars and drums make up much of the album, it is far from a simple guitar and drums rock or folk. This is where Justin Vernon's genius songwriting shows. He adds so many beautiful instruments and unique sounds, every song requires repeat listens. The best and most well-recieved albums of the year are all albums that require repeat listens and slowly unfold. Such as, Radiohead's King of Limbs, James Blake's self-titled album, Bright Eyes' The People's Key, and last year's Sufjan Steven's Age of Adz. Which was my favorite album of the year last year. Many of these bands have successfully changed their style and grown just like Bon Iver is doing on this album. Justin Vernon is an incredibly talented musician and songwriter, and this album has cemented his place as a vital member of the future of music.

The Neighbors

A couple of weeks ago, I watched The Neighbors at Sammy's in Rexburg. Adam Kaiser and Rachel Kaiser are The Neighbors and they play Indie piano rock. They play incredibly catchy songs and have fantastic stage presence. They are both multi-instrumentalists. Adam plays drums, keyboards, and sings. Rachel plays bass, keyboards, and she also sings. Rachel has most recently been touring with Brandon Flowers as one of his two back-up singers. When they first took the stage I was unsure if I would enjoy their music seeing just two keyboards and and a drum kit.  Once they got into their first song I was immediately impressed. All of the songs are synth-based with rolling drums. The choruses are huge and I was singing them for days after. I hope to see much more of them in the next years.

King Creosote & Jon Hopkins-Diamond Mine

Bob Boilen and Stephen Thompson of NPR have both said that this is their favorite album of 2011, thus far. With so many great albums coming out this year by veteran indie bands, it is testament to how great this album is. This is one of the most peaceful and beautiful album I have heard. King Creosote is the stage name of Scotsman Kenny Anderson. King Creosote has many devoted fans in his native Scotland, and has been making beautiful music for many years. Jon Hopkins is an electronic producer who has received massive attention in the last couple of years. This album has been in the works for the last seven years. Kenny Anderson said the album is a, "soundtrack to a romanticised version of a life
lived in a Scottish coastal village." It is easy to hear the love and emotion he has put into writing these songs about his home. Anderson beautiful lyrics and possessing brogue-tinged vocals are perfectly paired with Jon Hopkins production. With a mixture of acoustic guitar, accordion, and ambient sounds, Hopkins places all with restraint and precision. It is through these textures that the album rises above.

My Morning Jacket- Circuital

I hadn't spent much time listening to My Morning Jacket before I listened to their most recent album, Circuital. I had listened to a couple of their songs, and had heard they were good, I just didn't take the time to look further into them. That was until I heard they were coming out with a new album. Before the album came out, Rolling Stone wrote an article about their recording process for this album. Similar to Arcade Fire when they recorded Neon Bible, My Morning Jacket also recorded Circuital in a church. The openness as much heard as it is felt. In an interview with the lead singer, Jim James spoke about his love for 60's pop. With huge choruses in the songs, Holdin' on to Black Metal and Victory Dance, it is easy to hear where his influences come from. The songs are all infectious, and impossible not to repeat. Circuital is their sixth album, and they sound as fresh as a band ten years younger. Although, they are veterans, many still say they are one of the best live bands in the world.

The Head and The Heart: Live!

The Head and the Heart opened for Iron and Wine two weeks ago in Salt Lake City. I had only heard of the band a week before and just listened to a couple of their songs. If it had been anyone but Iron and Wine playing after, they would have stolen the show. The Head and the Heart are a six-piece indie-folk band from Seattle. For an acoustic-based band, I was shocked at the amount of energy they brought. In each song they had a beautiful three-part harmony. Each harmony was perfect, and each song was just as touching. Mid-way through their first song, when the bass player came in, I knew I was about to hear something special. I loved the bass-lines and really thought they kept the energy up, and the band moving. They started off with a song that I thought couldn’t be be topped, and somehow they managed to top themselves on every song in the set. By the last song, I was almost in tears, and I am sure I couldn’t live with myself if I cried at a concert. They are a band that is sure to get more attention, and touring with Iron and Wine will certainly allow them to reach new audiences, and a wider fan base.

Iron and Wine: Live!

Iron and Wine, which started as Sam Beam’s acoustic folk project, has transformed into a multi-layered 11-piece spectacle. Beam quickly became know for his lush melodies and picture-painting lyrics. Now, ten years later, he still has those beautiful melodies and heartbreaking lyrics, he just has a crack-bad with him. All of his music translated so gorgeously to the stage. His three horn members were all exceptionally talented and played multiple instruments. Their grooving horn lines are what drove the band. Marketa Irglova was one of the two back-up singers at the show. She is from the band, The Swell Season, and also in the wonderful movie, Once. It was an awesome surprise to see her, and listen to her perfect harmonies with Beam. During the set, Iron and Wine played both old and new songs. He revised all his old songs to fit the new band, and it was incredible to hear my old favorites done in new ways. Every song built on itself until it was a sprawling collision of sounds. It was inspiring to watch so many talented musicians play off each other. Through all the instruments and layers of sounds, Sam Beam’s flawless voice still sailed above the music. It was a show that i stood for two hours in awe and almost disbelief, and it was one of those rare perfect moments.

Other Lives-Tamer Animals

Two years after their debut, Other Lives comes out with Tamer Animals; an atmospheric and dream-like album. Jason Bentley of KCRW said, “There is a certain magic to Other Lives music.” And he is absolutely right.  In that interview with KCRW, Other Lives band members spoke about the painstaking process of recording their music. One member joked, “It’s hard to get the sound of a chamber orchestra when you only have one violin.” After their self-titled debut came out, Other Lives toured for around a year promoting their album. After, they holed themselves up in their Stillwater, Oklahoma studio and began working on Tamer Animals. They worked on this album for 13 months and self-produced it. Tamer Animals has a huge sound with many layers that all have a vital purpose. When I first listened to Other Lives, I immediately thought of Broken Social Scene, one of my favorite bands. The lead singer, Jesse Tabish, has a very absorbing and raspy voice. His voice is what really made me fall head-over-heels for the band. KCRW said their first album was the most criminally overlooked album of the year, and I hope this album will put them in the Indie limelight where they belong.

The Antlers-Burst Apart

Grooving Poignancy

Burst Apart is the second full-length album for The Antlers. Hospice, their first album was a critically acclaimed masterpiece that put them on the map. Hospice is a concept album about a person in a relationship with someone in the terminally ill ward of the hospital, and it is as heart wrenching as it sounds. Sylvia and the Epilogue greatly illustrate the pain and beauty of the album. Unlike Hospice, Burst Apart is not a concept album. But in an interview, lead singer Peter Silberman said "I tend to think of the songs on Burst Apart as being a picture of a period of time in my life, less like one story and more like a change in a way of thinking over time. It begins in a pretty negative, anxious place, at arm's length — and as it progresses, it becomes warmer and more trusting." It is easy to see this change through the album. The first song is called I Don’t Want Love, and the last is called Putting the Dog to Sleep. The last four lines of Putting the Dog to Sleep are, “Put your trust in me, I’m not going to die alone, I don’t think so.” In a music industry where the single rules all, it is fun and enjoyable to listen to a cohesive album, instead of a collection of singles. Peter Silberman’s voice is completely breathtaking and possessing. In songs like Rolled Together, his voice soars over the minimalist instruments, and is similar to Thom Yorke or Jonsi. This is a wonderful follow-up album to one of the best albums of the decade, and shows that The Antlers will be making astonishingly beautiful and visceral music for many years.

Sims-Bad Time Zoo

Bad Time Zoo is the newest album from Minnesota rapper, Sims. Sims is in the Hip-hop collective, Doomtree. This is where I first heard of Sims. Bad Time Zoo is Sims second full-length album. Lights Out Paris was his first, and Osmosis and Key Grip are two standouts from that album. Like all Doomtree artists, Sims is a staggering lyricist. In this album he speaks about commercialism, politics, and technology. Topics that are a little more thought provoking then your common money, sex, and bragging rappers that dominate the Top 40 charts. In One Dimensional Man, he criticizes the liberal, green frenzy.  “You did your part, you gave your hundred bucks to NPR, you joined the co-op now, bought the hybrid car, switched to peace coffee, went to three rallies, then wiped your hands with sanitized solution, good deeds tallied”. This album is chock-full of lyrics like this. Lazerbeak, one of two producers in Doomtree, is the producer on this album. His beats are unusual and some of the most progressive around. The lyrics and delivery by themselves are exceptional, but added with Lazerbeak’s beats; this album is miles above others of the Rap genre. Sims is a criminally unknown artist and deserves a lot more recognition, and he will hopefully continue to make many more records like this. He is currently on tour promoting his album with fellow Doomtree rapper Dessa.