Disorganized thoughts about music and science and film and philosophy and literature and…
Artists: The Books, Death Vessel, Jose Gonzalez
Venue: Bowery Ballroom, NYC, NY
Date: March 24, 2006
Holy shit I think that as a whole show, this one might take the cake for ‘best evening of music, ever’. I heard a few tracks by each of the openers online and decided that they were worth checking out–and indeed they […]
Artist: Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins
Venue: Irving Plaza, NYC, NY
Date: March 19, 2006
Possibly as a reaction to the glut of indie rock music I’ve been listening to recently, I find myself feeling slightly jaded by much of the “traditional” indie rock, and getting more interested in other (related) areas, such as some folk-country. Thus, […]
Artists: Sufjan Stevens, Philip Glass
Venue: Carnegie Hall, NYC, NY
Date: March 1, 2006
My first Carnegie Hall performance, this benefit event for Tibet House featured a wide variety of performances, including my faves Sufjan and Glass, but also others ranging from Antony (from ‘Antony and the Johnsons’ singing his brand of off-kilter folk music) to Nawang Khechog, […]
Artist: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Venue: Webster Hall, NYC, NY
Date: February 18, 2006
If this was a record review, then I would feel a great need to reference Jesus and Mary Chain in every other sentence, just like every other site, but fortunately, this is just a live review and so I don’t have to (which […]
Artists: Electric Six, She Wants Revenge
Venue: Bowery Ballroom, NYC, NY
Date: February 12, 2006
There’s a fair amount of snow/sludge on the ground, and to be honest, I’m not a big fan of Electric Six. But upon repeated good recommendations from Alex, I drag myself out to the Bowery to catch them and their opener She Wants […]
Artist: Amina
Venue: Joe’s Pub, NYC, NY
Date: February 8, 2006
Being so impressed with them when they opened for Sigur Ros last year, I decided to go catch a show featuring Amina. The venue was a tiny (but classy-looking) joint that’s somehow associated with the Public Theatre of NY. The place was surprisingly packed for such relative […]
Artist: Broken Social Scene
Venue: Webster Hall, NYC, NY
Date: January 26, 2006
The first show of the new year: a good omen for the rest of it. Billed as “an evening with Broken Social Scene”, there were no openers. Not that one was really needed, considering that BSS consists of just about a million Canadian rockers of […]
I succumb finally to the vanity of writing my “best” of 2005 in music list. No ordering is implied in the following list, nor are any claims made as to the actual quality of the music.
Illinoise by Sufjan Stevens - Best music introducing the general populace to a consistently amazing artist with albums spanning the […]
Artist: Prefuse 73 & Icy Demons
Venue: Bowery Ballroom, NYC, NY
Date: December 1, 2005
Prefuse 73 gets frequent comparisons to Four Tet, but I like to think of them as yin and yang. Four Tet has the better music (”folk-tronica” if you wanna call it that) and albums (Rounds is one of the most cohesive and well-put-together […]
Artist: Animal Collective
Venue: Webster Hall, NYC, NY
Date: November 20, 2005
I walk in as the opening band is starting. It’s two dudes dressed in shiny clothes behind two turntables and a microphone. They put on this decent beat, and start saying “yeah, uh-huh, yeah” while they’re bobbing their heads.Cut to thirty minutes later: I’m gouging my […]
Artists: Dennis Russell Davies & Maki Namekawa playing music for two pianos by Messiaen, Glass, and others
Venue: Miller Theatre, NYC, NY
Date: November 9, 2005
My first classical concert in NY–and an amazing surprise! The Miller Theatre is surprisingly small, although tastefully arranged (also, the numerous photos of several of the big names in 20th century classical […]
Artists: Caribou, Super Furry Animals
Venue: Webster Hall, NYC, NY
Date: November 5, 2005
We (Rob and I) got there just a little late, as Caribou was already into their acts. Going through a fairly large setlist (given that they were just the opener), they were fucking amazing. Two drumsets, loads of electronics and other percussion, and a […]
Artist: The Go! Team
Venue: Webster Hall, NYC, NY
Date: November 2, 2005
Again, one of those mysterious concerts were everything goes right, and somehow, something’s wrong. All very high-energy renditions of the album, as well as some not on the album. I think the big surprise for me was the large size of the group, some 10 […]
Artist: Dresden Dolls
Venue: Webster Hall, NYC, NY
Date: October 28, 2005
THIS is the way a show should be. Lots of theatrical playing, an acrobatic dancer on two tightropes hanging from the ceiling above the crowd, a quick Pantera live cover on acoustic guitar, and a mini-orchestra conducted by a mad surgeon/psycho killer with enough blood on […]
Artist: Ambulance LTD
Venue: Bowery Ballroom, NYC, NY
Date: October 27, 2005
Wow these guys looked and sounded really tired from the git go. Apparently, this was their last show on this tour, and they were all happy to be back in NY. They did a fairly ho-hum run of most of their album, and that was that.
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