A Dreamy night at The Vic

I really love indie rock music! Something moody and hypnotic is pleasant on my ears.

Intricate guitar jams mixed with a steady drumbeat and angelic female voices in harmony are the essence of what my wife and I experienced last night

WARPAINT is the name of the band that I truly enjoy following. Four young ladies from Los Angeles make up this dream pop group. Their style of music melodies calm my nerves on any day. Sunday night at the Vic Theater was no exception to that mellow feeling.

Strobe lights, stage lighting, lots and lots of lights were draped on the stage & certainly giving off calm red and blue colors. A shadowy collage of the four ladies were on display on the backdrop cloth. Fog set a gloomy atmosphere allowing unique shadows to be cast.

This vaudeville theater had spectacular acoustics. Perfect setting for this band. The keyboards and synthesizers blended well with the chill vibe among the 1,000 of us spectators. Vocals were ran through real cool echoey distortion pedals that had a deep distinct 80’s sound.

They engaged the crowd and jumped around the stage at times. I was reminded of The Cure with female vocals and I fell madly in love with my wife all over again. Everything was in its right place last night with some Angry Orchard Cider by my side and breathtaking trip rock in my brain in Chi Town.

Surrealistic Lyrics For The Unwritten Song

uncontrollable urge
to de-evolve
ten years after
i wanted to change
the world
throwing cream
in a white room

keeping it healthy
with warpaint
ultraviolence
on the west coast
it’s too true
under these hands
this screen shot
of swans
i just don’t understand
the spoons

what color is the blood
of a sunbathing animal?
a soft morning phase
don’t let it go
beneath a hundred waters
down from the rafters
time for a last call
during the midnight sun
cuz it ain’t all flowers
who’s producing you?

the circle is wide
making my head sing
pure stuff
love my body to death
lost in a reverse dream
guilty of everything i love
in a transparent world

all is clear
in my forest
throw my clothes
on the floor
and scream
hallelujah

so……who gets the references????

NUMBER ONE = SAVAGES

Thrilling! Haunting! Arresting!

Those are just some of the words to describe this 80’s style, indie post punk band from London. A female-foursome, nonetheless. I was honestly blown away the first time they blasted energetic and addictive raw hooks into my ears. I’m getting more goosebumps just talking about this band for the third time this year. Their debut album is entitled, “Silence Yourself.” The guitars, the bass, & those tight drums are all so clean, yet heavy. Explosively pulsating machines of focused rage! Everything is amplified by their wonderful production. A new wave of post punk; a do-it-yourself revival is coming your way!!!!

In this day and age of music, it’s not easy to find an original and valid band. These girls have done it! They made an anti-pop record. There are no “anthems” involved here. I honestly do think of other garage punk groups from the late 70′s when I listen closely. Groups like Joy Division and Siouxsie & the Banshees come to mind for sure. As lead singer of Savages, Jenny Beth’s voice compliments the instruments quite lovely. Their appearance is dark and mesmerizing. All of it is riveting, poisonous, exclusive and reckless.

This album rocks hard! It really does. This is my favorite record of the year. Why?

Well; first of all, they all actually know how to play their instruments each with a unique sound. Nothing is radio-friendly about them. Compared to their live shows, the album “Silence Yourself” is low-energy. I saw them at Metro Club in Chicago! Wow! Astonishing! I do not believe that these ladies are over-hyped. No. Not this time. They bring it!

The fusion of Jenny’s original sounding screams at the end of a perfect track, “She Will” with the wailing feedback makes me think to myself, “Damn that is genius.” Who does that anymore? I love the bravery and brilliant results of these tracks. At moments they can be be unsettling and dreamy. But still, my ears do the talking. They like what they hear. I find it difficult to avoid them. I keep playing them over and over and over again. Almost every day over this summer and for the past two months. I am nuts over them!

British chicks RULE!!! While tons of bands have all done similar things with their music as other groups have over the years, it’s the jaw-dropping and unique way that Savages recorded the sound on this album that makes the difference. This re-creates rock and roll history, for me. If it SOUNDS great then it is great!

Give it a listen (brace yourself):

London INVADES…..PALMA VIOLETS…..Number TWO

It’s time to do a 180. That’s the title of a supreme British Punk Record for the year 2013. The album title is based on the studio in Lambeth, London where the band tends to perform. Palma Violets are a pretty radical group. They are the first of two British bands that made it to the top of my countdown! What does that tell you? I LOVE British bands! They just know how to do it for me. For the fans of bands like THE CLASH, look no further. So these guys are named after an old-fashioned British candy, apparently. The lads of this gigantically buzzed-about indie-rock four-piece from southeast London look like they blew their first paycheck on facials and cigarettes—so far. But Palma Violets have a great sound all of their own, even if it has been pieced together from their favorite records. But that’s ok. The band’s debut single, “Best of Friends,” featured an awesome and stylish organ, plus loud drum pounding and background shouting that recalls the Who or something that begs for a round of drinks and earplugs. Animal like noises blast at times. I even hear a bit of Syd’s Piper in it. No matter. The songs get their rugged physical strength and vocals from the likes of Nick Cave and surprisingly the deep and fantastic Joe Strummer. Give this video a view and a listen! Modern Rock to the MAX Baby!!!! It’s pure brilliance!

December Playlist…..CHRISTMAS MUSIC

Are you tired of the same old songs? Want to hear something different? Well then look no further! I have a list of 25 songs here that are alternative and independent choices that will most certainly wake your ears up to brand new sounds! These tracks aren’t in any particular order. You can easily find them on iTunes, Youtube or Amazon. I will list them here and post a couple of video highlights. Enjoy!

Artist/SONG

01 Matt Harding/PURPLE SNOWFLAKES
02 Current Swell/CHRISTMAS ALONE
03 Julian Casablancas/CHRISTMAS TREAT
04 Still Corners/THE WHITE SEASON
05 Jars of Clay/LOVE CAME DOWN AT CHRISTMAS
06 Weezer/O HOLY NIGHT
07 The Layaways/O CHRISTMAS TREE
08 Young Moon/COLD DAY SOLSTICE
09 Travis Denning/BALLAD OF RUDOLPH
10 Trainwreck Riders/CHRISTMAS TIME BLUES
11 There Will Be Fireworks/IN EXCELSIS DEO
12 Los Straitjackets/DECK THE HALLS
13 Oh, Hush!/CHRISTMAS WITH YOU
14 She & Him/CHRISTMAS WISH
15 Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra/CAROL OF THE BELLS
16 Snow Patrol/WHEN I GET HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
17 The Raveonettes/THE CHRISTMAS SONG
18 Vampire Weekend/HOLIDAY
19 Oasis/MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY
20 Death Cab For Cutie/CHRISTMAS (BABY PLEASE COME HOME)
21 Lenka/ALL MY BELLS ARE RINGING
22 Bahamas/CHRISTMAS MUST BE TONIGHT
23 The Eastern Sea/O, HOLY NIGHT
24 Andrew Belle/HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS
25 Niki & The Dove/WINTERHEART

MERRY CHRISTMAS

C-NOTE