Aidin Vaziri: February 2011

28 February 2011

Review: Beady Eye, 'Different Gear, Still Speeding'

Review: Beady Eye, 'Different Gear, Still Speeding': Aidin Vaziri | Oasis fans are wise to approach the first album by Beady Eye, which is essentially the mouthy Britpop group minus the main songwriter and guitar player, Noel Gallagher, with a healthy measure of apprehension. Front man Liam Gallagher (Noel's younger brother) only contributed a handful of songs during the band's 18-year run, and most of those were throwaways. But it turns out he does a decent, if not always remarkable, job carrying his own band. With help from guitarist Gem Archer and bassist Andy Bell, Beady Eye turns out a set of riff-heavy, retro-leaning rock 'n' roll songs that can sit comfortably on the shelf next to Oasis' latter-day offerings. The boogie-woogie kick that propels the first single, "Bright the Light," sounds a little remedial (even by Gallagher standards), but having been cast adrift the musicians rediscover much of their old-school velocity and vigor on the bulk of the tunes here, particularly Lennon-inspired jams such as "Wigwam," "Three Ring Circus" and "The Roller." The only drawback is that the live shows aren't going to be nearly as exciting without the brotherly punch-ups.

Pop Quiz: Michael Gira of Swans

Aidin Vaziri | Swans broke up in 1997, after more than a decade of making a fairly sizable post-punk racket and confronting audiences with chaotic live spectacles. The group's baritone-voiced founder, Michael Gira, who went on to front Angels of Light, once insisted he would "absolutely not, never" re-form the band. But he has done just that for the new album "My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky." The group plays Tuesday at the Regency Grand Ballroom. We checked in with Gira during tour rehearsals in Austin, Texas, last week.

Michael Gira of Swans
Q: Do you find it odd that you're playing for bigger audiences now than when the band broke up in 1997?
A: It's very gratifying. This is my Nuremberg moment. God is just.
Q: Do you expect anyone to walk out of the shows like they used to back in the day?
A: More than that. I expect to be publicly disemboweled, my entrails roasted as I watch. I expect my band to be stripped, then flayed, then devoured by a greedy audience of rat-human hybrids. Then I expect the audience to turn on each other in a frenzy of mutilation and cannibalism.
Q: What is the potential for bodily harm - namely to your ribs - with the new stage show?
A: Zero. This is new music, a different era, and it would be false to try to act like a young lunatic again.
Read more.

Live Review: Prince at Oracle Arena

Prince review: A raucous reign of hits in Oakland: Aidin Vaziri | TPrince has made a career out of playing the daredevil. But booking three arena shows with less than a week's notice - in this day and age, in this economy - well, that's just plain crazy. "They said we wouldn't sell this place out," he proclaimed on Monday at the top of his set at Oakland's Oracle Arena, where he also headlines tonight and Thursday. "How long did it take - five minutes?" Well, not exactly, but tickets sold briskly enough that the promoters quickly added that third concert for Thursday. It's hard to imagine that many other artists could pull off such a stunt without sending Live Nation's top brass to the sanitarium. Prince Rogers Nelson hasn't even had a Top 10 hit since 1994's "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World." But the 52-year-old Minneapolis native is more than a pop star - he's an institution. On Monday, he looked like the Wax Museum version of Prince come to life - spinning, strutting and swaying in his towering heels as if no time had passed since the days he dominated MTV with his angular suits and perfectly sculpted hair Read more.

Pop Quiz: Ben Gibbard

Aidin Vaziri | Ben Gibbard is taking a quick break from working on Death Cab for Cutie's forthcoming album, "Codes and Keys," to play a special festival closing solo set for Noise Pop next Sunday at the Great American Music Hall. The songwriter, whose airy indie pop tunes have inspired numerous imitators (most notably Owl City's breakthrough hit, "Fireflies"), spoke to us from the Los Angeles home he shares with his wife, actress Zooey Deschanel. "We've been mail-ordering Blue Bottle," he said. "We may be serving the best coffee in Los Angeles at our house."

Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie
Q: I'm glad I finally get to talk to you. I totally love that song "Fireflies."
A: Oh, really? You like that one?
Q: Are you extremely flattered or extremely distraught that someone who completely ripped you off sold 4 million singles?
A: I have to give you a big no comment on that one. You'll have to read between the lines.
Q: Well, if you're not going to perform it at Noise Pop, what are you going to play?
A: I play these solo shows so infrequently I feel it's my duty to keep it mostly to the hits. The majority of the set will be that kind of thing. I may slip one or two new tunes in there that I feel translate well. I always cover something in that setting that only exists at that show. I kind of like the idea of some bootleg of some cover floating around the world that happened that one night. Of course, I haven't determined what that will be yet.
Q: I hear the Lady Gaga album is quite good.
A: There could be something there. You never know. At this point, I think I've done my fair share of ironic covers. I think I'll stick with something I really like.
Read more.

Review: Adele, '21'

Review: Adele, '21': Aidin Vaziri | When Adele was handed the best new artist prize at the Grammys two years ago, everyone watching thought it was a mistake. The big-voiced London native was actually a worthy winner of a worthy award and, well, that never happens. But between Gaga and Kesha, she is something of a rarity - a brawny 22-year-old with a smoldering voice and some very tangible insecurity running through her music. Like her breakthrough first album, "19," the songs on the "Chasing Pavements" star's latest deal with heartbreak inside and out. Only this time it feels bigger, deeper and more expensive, with high-end producers such as Rick Rubin and Paul Epworth giving the record its legs. "21" is rich in texture, diverse in sound. The opener, "Rolling in the Deep," is a staggering kiss-off served with a Nashville backbeat; "Turning Tables" a graceful meditation sung by the fire; and "Set Fire to the Rain" a breathless epic that could easily become Adele's calling card. You can tell that all parties involved expect big things from the album, and that sometimes gives it a little too much heft, particularly midway though, where it feels as if the singer is being suffocated by the weight of expectation. But redemption lies in a low-key cover of the Cure's "Lovesong" going back to back with the jilted, beautifully broken ballad "Someone Like You." Sometimes coming of age isn't all it's cracked up to be - at least she has those pipes to carry her through.

The Frustrators: What Mike Dirnt of Green Day Did Next

Mike Dirnt of Green Day to play Frustrators gigs: Aidin Vaziri | The Frustrators, a little punk outfit that happens to include moonlighting Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt among its ranks, will play four hit-and-run club shows around the Bay Area in the next few days.But before he can talk about them, there is a ground rule: Keep the conversation away from Green Day. Very well. So how did Dirnt feel about the Green Bay Packers' Super Bowl run? "I thought it was awesome," he said, checking in from his Berkeley home last week. "I always root for the underdog." Did he happen to catch the remake of "The Green Hornet"? "I did," he said. "I thought it was going to be horrible, but I was pleasantly surprised for a junk-food movie." And did the spiky-haired bass player have any thoughts on green bean casserole? "The secret is to grill the onions. And use fresh green beans, not canned." Read more.

13 February 2011

Review: PJ Harvey, 'Let England Shake'

Review: PJ Harvey, 'Let England Shake': Aidin Vaziri | Two decades into a wildly prolific career, Polly Jean Harvey remains resolute and restless. Her eighth album, the follow-up to the disquietingly raw "White Chalk," sees another sharp left turn. She tempers the banshee wail with her most uplifting melodies since 2000's "Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea," while tearing into current events on songs such as the auto-harp-driven "The Words That Maketh Murder" and reggae-tinged "Written on the Forehead." At points, she sounds utterly unrecognizable, whether breaking into a muted yodel in "On Battleship Hill," revealing a previously unheard falsetto on the title track or leading the death-rattle campfire hymn "The Colour of the Earth." But that's what has always made Harvey stand out - the absolute refusal to stand still.

Pop Quiz: Boyce Avenue

Aidin Vaziri | By reworking some of the biggest pop hits of the past few years as acoustic rock ballads, the three brothers who make up Boyce Avenue have garnered more than 250 million views on their YouTube channel. Now the members of the Florida group - Daniel, Alejandro and Fabian Manzano - are hoping that the people who turned their versions of Rihanna's "Umbrella," Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love" and Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" into huge viral hits will give their original songs equal time. The trio plays Tuesday at the Great American Music Hall. Daniel, a Harvard Law graduate, tells us how it all happened.

Daniel Manzano of Boyce Avenue
Q: You have more than 250 million views on the YouTube channel. When did you realize that half the world was watching your home videos?
A: We got lucky. Our second video was a Rihanna "Umbrella" cover, and somehow that just took off for us. But the biggest eye-opener for us was when we went to play four shows in the Philippines. We knew there was something there because we were getting a lot of comments in Tagalog on our videos. But we didn't know the scope of it. It was just insanity. That was the moment we realized it had gone international.
Q: You don't get paid for all those clicks. How do you plan to make a living out of this?
A: You can monetize YouTube videos by running ads, but we're about sharing our music and videos with people. It's more rewarding for us to do it that way. So we sell music, we sell merchandise and we tour - just like a normal band.
Read more.

Cake: No. 1 With A Pellet

Cake returns after 7 years as industry crumbles: Aidin Vaziri | Cake's return last month after a seven-year hiatus was marked by two major milestones: The band not only scored its first No. 1 on the Billboard album chart, but also, with 44,000 copies, it set a record for the lowest-selling release in SoundScan history to take the position. The group's lead singer, John McCrea, who lives in Oakland, is equally proud of both achievements. "I think it's absolutely perfect," he says the day after the numbers are released. "Our band has always been about economy and downsizing. Next week it could be zero." Close. Read more.

Pop Quiz: Gang of Four

Aidin Vaziri | Gang of Four may have arrived at the tail end of the British punk explosion, but the movement's message wasn't lost on them. Some copies of the group's first album of new material in 16 years, "Content" - a self-funded effort that saw founding members Andy Gill and Jon King soliciting fans for donations to make it - come packaged with vials of their own blood. "It's like, what do you want? Blood?" explains Gill, who spoke to us while the band was rehearsing for its current tour. Gang of Four, whose politically charged tunes inspired everyone from R.E.M. to Bloc Party, headlines Feb. 19 at the Fillmore.

Andy Gill of Gang of Four
Q: You're indirectly responsible for a lot of terrible bands. Are there any Gang of Four disciples you like?
A: Mea culpa. Michael Stipe very graciously said, "I stole a lot from Gang of Four." The Chili Peppers, a lot of stuff they've done I've liked. Nine Inch Nails I really like. And Nirvana. Many Bloc Party songs. Some of the poppier Franz Ferdinand songs.
Q: You made this CD without a label, offering fans incentives to help fund it - including a helicopter ride with the band to Glastonbury and samples of your blood.
A: t's our Kiss moment. I sometimes think making the album is the easy bit. We're in a world where paid-for CD releases are such a small part of how music is consumed. All kinds of interesting ideas are being thrown up all the time. The Pledge Music concept, which is the band-direct-to-fan arrangement, definitely helps. You need the support services that go with that. If you press some records up and nobody hears them, then you've wasted your time. There's no point in putting something out if nobody knows about it.
Read more.

Review: Cut Copy, 'Zonoscope'

Review: Cut Copy, 'Zonoscope': Aidin Vaziri | This Australian outfit is often credited for leading the modern disco revival. But let's not get carried away. The brainchild of Melbourne producer Dan Whitford may have offered a readymade runway soundtrack with 2008's breakthrough "In Ghost Colours," but its music neatly falls in line with a whole breed of dance-rock fusionists that were mainlining synthesized beats long before that album's arrival - from the Rapture to Hot Chip. That's not to say Cut Copy's third and latest, "Zonoscope," lacks its own distinctive electro-pop thrills. Tighter and more focused than its predecessor, it bursts to life with the '80s-leaning first single, "Take Me Over." There are washes of light psychedelia in clanging songs such as "Corner of the Sky" and "Strange Nostalgia for the Future," and "Pharaohs and Pyramids" shows endearing restraint despite a rather elaborate cowbell solo. But nothing can quite prepare the listener for the dizzying 15-minute closer, "Sun God," which finds Whitford in a state of unfettered bliss, breaking briefly through the waterfall of beats to chant, "You've got to live! You've got to live!"

Pop Quiz: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Aidin Vaziri | After years of filling out festival bills, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals are watching the spotlight heat up since the arrival of last year's self-titled third album. Between a slew of late-night television appearances, the unconditional backing of VH1 and a string of sold-out New Year's performances in their native Vermont, the full-throated blues-rock group is poised to have its biggest year ever. Potter, the hirsute outfit's glamorous 27-year-old singer, also performs solo on the soundtrack of the Disney movie "Tangled." We spoke to her by phone just a few days before they launched the current tour.

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Q: You know how on the single "Tiny Light" you just start screaming for two minutes? How do you not lose your voice after every concert?
A: Talking is much worse for your voice than singing. I also keep a tight leash on tour with the drinking and insanity. It's sad, really. We're in a rock 'n' roll band. There should be debauchery. But you do this for enough years and realize you don't want to wind up like Janis Joplin.
Q: Were you always the loudest one in class?
A: Yes, I was loud. But I was weird. I just ran into a girl who was my worst bully at school and she came up to me and said, "I know I was terrible to you as a kid but that was because I was pretty and you were ugly. You were so weird."
Q: You dropped acid for the first time when you were 12 years old. How has it affected your view of the world?
A: Yeah. I'm not exactly the best role model for kids. But it got me over the whole thing, quickly, which is good. I grew up in Vermont, where you went to a Phish concert and took acid. At the time I tried to understand the world from whatever perspective was available to me. I really had a few formative nights of exploration.
Read more.

Review: Amos Lee, 'Mission Bell'

Review: Amos Lee, 'Mission Bell': Aidin Vaziri | Being labeled "the male Norah Jones" early on didn't do Amos Lee any favors. It's understandable, though. Not only does the Philadelphia musician have a creamy, down-to-earth voice, but his songs also inhabit the same cozy space where jazz, Americana and the blues genially come together. His fourth studio album, "Mission Bell," is another fine showcase for his elegant, soothing songwriting. Songs such as "Windows Are Rolled Down," "Stay With Me" and "Flower" wrap sterling pop melodies in old-school organ fills and soulful choruses. Meanwhile, guests such as Willie Nelson and Lucinda Williams keep a respectful distance, allowing Lee to lavish the dreamy tunes with a sense of heartbreak and poetry that's unmistakably his own.