Matador 21, or Doom To All Ye Who Enter Here...

With just a few hours respite to pack and (ahem) sleep, the weekend continued. After rolling north to home from the Hollywood Bowl, the new day started by tacking eastward across the state, through the mountains toward the desert. Destination: Las Vegas! Mission: 3 days of bands and love to celebrate the 21st birthday of Matador Records, a.k.a. 'The Lost Weekend'. (Insert your favorite Ray Milland riff here).

Due to the sheer hell of driving into Vegas on a Friday, needless to say our arrival was somewhat delayed, missing the Opening Ceremonies, and sets by Guitar Wolf and Chavez. Word of mouth was that Chavez did a killer set. File under d'ohh!
After finally getting lodging squared away, it was a seamless jaunt through registration, then double back to hit the floor.

Action time started with Fucked Up (from Toronto), fittingly named to meld perfectly with the day.
They unleashed a hellish storm of their own particular brand of noise, spurred on by the antics of lead instigator Pink Eyes (Damian), who took every cue to leave the stage and walk the earth like Cain, dispensing sweaty bro hugs, continuing to sing, and generally having a good old time.

Highly enjoyable, and the high point of the set was bringing out his toddler son Holden, complete w/ear protection, to hang out with dad for a song.

A band that made an impact, and it would not be the last we heard of Fucked Up over the course of the weekend.

The remainder of the evening in some ways mirrored the previous, and in some ways not...

The final two acts of the regular schedule were: Sonic Youth and Pavement, reprising the previous night's entertainment, but with slightly different results.

Sonic Youth, if it were at all possible, came off even heavier, staying in the same songbook parameters of the previous eve, (i.e. before 1994, for the most part), but spreading the love across albums more evenly, rather than focusing on any one.

Their set culminated with Thurston in the audience with Lee and Kim piling on to trigger feedback the ravaged the hall. Truly memorable.

Pavement also, it can be said, was truly memorable, but not the kind that inspires postcards back home. Standoffishness and seeming sniping amongst the troops could not salvage the periodic outbreaks of enthusiasm, and the show, (and the U.S. tour), fell apart at the end, with Spiral Stairs (Scott Kannberg), stalking off stage due to what was reportedly 'monitor issues'. This reunion was always a gambling proposition, and the cool part is that whatever internal issues still exist, they held it together until the very end. Aside from this show, the previous three I saw ranged from good to great...a testament to a band that historically was never noted for its live consistency. All one can say is 'Thanks for the memories', and when i dwell on the group, I shall surely be thinking of the first US show of the tour, a brilliant gambol through their history at the Fox Theater in Pomona, Ca in April. The stuff of which dreams are made...

There was still more to come, with a special ballroom performance of Ted Leo V. Fucked Up, wherein the bands traded cover versions, as well as a quieter afterparty with James McNew from Yo La Tengo manning the decks. Peeked into both, but at that point my body was in shutdown mode, and it was time to retire semi.gracefully.

A Night At The Bowl, or Preamble To Insanity...

In and of itself, a night at the Hollywood Bowl in the company of No Age, Sonic Youth, and Pavement sounds like a quaint time with fun for all...But dialing back and looking at the big picture, it represented the first shots fired of an incredible weekend, for it had the good grace to occupy that spot on the calender right before 'The Lost Weekend', Matador Records celebration of its 21st anniversary, at the Palms in Las Vegas.

The next three installments will take care of that action, so now we'll just focus on the matter at hand...

Up first, Los Angeles' own No Age, Dean and Randy making the leap to the big stage with an extra added member wielding samples and adding some extra ooomph to their sound. If you need to do a little compare and contrast, head back to the Coachella 2009 wrapup, and see how they controlled the tent.
Bolstered by songs from their new album: 'Everything In Between', No Age kicked off the proceedings in style, adding depth to their sound without sacrificing its quirkiness, as well as laying the table for the likes of a noisefest the Bowl has probably never witnessed.

In the absence of Pavement being on the road, Sonic Youth absconded with their bass player Mark Ibold, allowing Kim Gordon to move over to guitar and add another dimension to their sound. (see January 2010, Wiltern Theater, LA report for more details) The question was, would Ibold do double duty? Fortunately, (for him) that was not to be...

From the first quivering notes of "Candle", (below), Sonic Youth had the crowd in thrall. It was but the opening salvo in a three song barrage from 'Daydream Nation', (also: "Sprawl" & "'Cross The Breeze"), that set the tone for a trip into the deepest and noisiest recesses of their catalogue. Quartet style, they dropped DN's "Hey Joni", before heading back to "Death Valley 69", and 'EVOL's' "Kiss Me In The Shadow", after which Kim Gordon noted drily: "Thanks a lot, we're Pavement from Sacremento". They finished the set with "White Cross", leaving no doubt as to their undiminished power.

Pavement is on the final lap of its reunion/victory lap around the world, and given their spotty history as a live act, it's been a revelation to see these performances. Pavement played to the strengths of their catalogue and delivered a rousing set that leaned heavily on 'Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain' and 'Brighten The Corners'. Bob Nastanovich made the journey along the pool circle wall out into the masses during "Unfair", and the band peaked during a three song arc of: "Stereo", "Stop Breathin'", and "Range Life", (latter below), before finishing with a heartwarming "Here". A satisfying end to a run that defied the normal reunion expectations...

Thanks out to the L.A. Philharmonic, for going way out on a limb with this show...It is appreciated.

Viva Las Vegas...

File under: Good God Almighty...These folks certainly know how to throw a party. To celebrate their 21st anniversary, Matador Records has put together a whopping shindig they call 'The Lost Weekend', in the City of Sin for October. Much love to FYF Fest for doing much of the heavy lifting, organization.wise. Should be a corker...

What's also been confirmed by the label, but not yet 'announced' is the reunion of Come, Thalia Zedek & Chris Brokaw's mighty Boston noisemakers from the '90's. Most of the press is focusing, (& rightly) on Robert Pollard's resurrection of Guided By Voices, and while sure to be of interest, it's Come that has my heart.

Which, of course, is not even to mention Pavement, Sonic Youth, Superchunk, Yo La Tengo, etc, etc...

Really looking forward to seeing Belle & Sebastian, Shearwater, Fucked Up, and Harlem for the first time.

Tickets went up this morning, and sold out in two (2) minutes. Luck was with me, & looks like we'll be reporting this one from the front lines. You will surely hear more about this as the time approaches...

Sonic Youth, Wiltern Theater, LA 09 Jan, 2010

First field trip of the '010 takes us into downtown LA, destination: The Wiltern Theater. Sonic Youth came into town to put the finishing touches on their tour for last year's 'The Eternal'. Lee Ranaldo's untimely wrist fracture sidelined the group, wiping out some shows & forcing make.up dates for others.

This, fortunately, was a make.up date, and the band showed no ill effects whatsoever. The one thing you can count on in a Sonic Youth show is forward motion...wherever they're currently at, that would be what the focus is on, (notable exception being some '07 shows to revisit 'Daydream Nation'), and tonight was a celebration of 'The Eternal'. Their newest record is informed by those 'Daydream Nation' shows, an attempt to revisit an album recorded by instruments they no longer possess, and also a move away from the old Mainstream, giving up the ghost of Geffen Records for uber.indie Matador, as well as working Pavement bassist Mark Ibold into the fold, allowing Kim Gordon to add more guitar to the proceedings.














They opened with the one.two punch of "No Way" and "Sacred Trickster" from the new album, then pulled out an exhilerating "Hey Joni", the first of three (!!) 'Daydream Nation' songs that they would offer. (The other two coming in the first encore). Back to 'The Eternal' for "Calming The Snake", with Kim Gordon leading the charge over squalling guitars.

I was basking in the sound of the Theater, easily the most complimentary mix I've ever heard on a Sonic Youth show, and not something said lightly...To capture the nuances of skronk and feedback, and, yes, melody, is truly capturing lightning in a bottle, and it's always a little miracle to me. Also made me realize that of the times i've seen them, this was the first indoor show, so that certainly makes a difference, but hats off to their crew & the theater...crispest mix on a noisy guitar show i've heard in awhile...



With the preliminaries out of the way, the band lit up "Anti.Orgasm" (above) finishing with a beautiful coda, and followed with a luminous take on "Walking Blue". The remainder of the main set mix and matched the rest of 'The Eternal', "Poison Arrow", "Thunderclap for Bobby Pyn", "Malibu Gas Station", "Antenna", a rousing "Leaky Lifeboat (for Gregory Corso)", and "What We Know", ending with an amazing take on a surprising setpiece, "Massage The History". For days afterwards, i had Kim's strained coo and the guitar harmonics bouncing around in my head. The possibilities of the song really opened up live, and the haunting guitar lines bounced around the theater.



After a short break, they returned to blow the doors off the place with a double salvo from 'Daydream Nation', "The Sprawl" (above), and "'Cross The Breeze". Total annihilation.

Not content to leave it at that, they came back for a second encore, and finished the night with a harrowing take on "Death Valley 69", (below). Amazing show, and while peers have risen higher, and flamed out, regrouped and made millions, Sonic Youth continues to chug along in its own unique fashion...



(major thanks to Okeastron2008 & EdgeLover4Life for the video...)

top ten time...

Ah, finally cleaning up the files...here's the dreaded 'end of year list''...Fascinating year, and deep, lots of quality music...many oldsters-i so thought about having junior/senior lists, but what the hell...in all it's glory, here we go:

Honourable Mention: (VA) dark was the night, Joe Henry, Neko Case, Fanfarlo, Avett Brothers, Le Loup, Norah Jones, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs get the Honorable Mention...

As for the toppermost, it would be:

10 BROWNIES ourknife yourback
A spastic blast of good old rock and roll from the UK...In the wake of Coldplay, Snow Patrol, Kasabian, and for god sakes Muse, you really had to wonder what had got into the old chaps...was there really no life left in the form whatsoever? Here is your answer, everything great, rude, crude, and socially unacceptable in one neat little package...



9 YO LA TENGO popular songs
Still defiantly barking up their very own tree...this one's front.loaded with great songs, and then finishes with three long jams ranging from sublime to spiky. It could only be Yo La Tengo!








8 ANTLERS hospice
Happy surprise in the form of a desperately dire concept record...(see title). Actually uplifting, in that downbeat kind of way...









7 DINOSAUR, JR farm
Along with Mission of Burma, Dinosaur Jr has managed to pull off the rare reunion that transcends its original work. Their reunion album Beyond was a great return to form, but Farm ups the ante with an emphasis on tightness, and Mascis' amazing guitar work.







6 GIRLS girls
Buzz band with a crazed backstory and a Phil Spector/Jesus & Mary Chain fuzzball sound makes waves w/their debut...compulsively listenable...(& yet another show i missed this year, sigh...)









5 MOS DEF the ecstatic
A serious return to form; Mos hits it hard and doesn't quit, effectively cancelling out the 'WTF' that was 'True Magic, with a lean and muscular record. He's totally committed, riding over some jawdropping samples, culminating the whole trip with a Black Star reunion on key track, 'History'









4 SONIC YOUTH the eternal
Aging gracefully is such a rare thing (to paraphrase Ornette Coleman), and while their peers made marginal records, broke up, reformed for big $$$, Sonic Youth kept the bar raised...Some records were gauzier and less linear, some sharper and shorter, but they maintained a certain level, and never backed away...
Perhaps inspired by their trotting out of Daydream Nation for ATP shows and a move to Matador, this is a career record in terms of looking back across the landscape of their career and bringing all the different elements of noise back under one roof, while maintaining their cohesiveness.












3 GRIZZLY BEAR veckatimest
How to follow up Yellow House? Grizzly Bear chose ostensibly the harder road, the arrangements getting denser, the hype starting with internet leaks of early mixes, a summer tour slot opening for Radiohead, and a sense of having to lay all its cards on the table.
Veckatimest is a magnificent success, the very definition of a 'grower' record, one that seeps into your senses, and crawls under your skin.











2 MISSION OF BURMA the sound the speed the light
The latest salvo in the second wave of Burma is, like Sonic Youth's 'Eternal', at once a summation record of all the strands that made them great, and a statement of current purpose...Never have they rocked harder...each song building upon the previous with little let down. Perhaps no individual songs will match the Burma anthems of yore, this relentless disc as a whole could well be their finest album.











1 DIRTY PROJECTORS bitte orca Stunning from the first listen, still revealing months and months later, like a crystal held to light...Dirty Projectors come into their own.

Misc cleanup...still haven't heard Bat For Lashes new one...loved the first, and how did she not get the Mercury Prize?! Did they turn into the Grammy's when i wasn't looking? Also, just got new Trail of Dead, back in business in a big way. I think both of those would have tussled for a spot on this list if i had it together...



Forward Ho! in the 010, already can't wait for Spoon's new album, 'Transferences', as well as new records from Los Campesinos! , the Besnard Lakes, Shearwater, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Midlake, and Shearwater. In the studio as we speak, (w/no reported release dates), are both Radiohead and Arcade Fire...