Vibes blog

I am enamored with My Brightest Diamond, a band I only recently discovered through brainchild, Shara Worden’s, association with The Decemberists.

Captivated by some of the most memorable vocals I’ve heard live since Beth Gibbons of Portishead, I had to have more. I immediately downloaded My Brightest Diamond’s 2006 debut, Bring Me the Workhorse, and their sophomore effort, A Thousand Shark’s Teeth released in June of 2008, both on Asthmatic Kitty Records.

This is a band that deserves recognition, both records delivering Worden’s refined, celestial nature. Each listen reveals another layer of complexity; these albums are a tapestry of inventiveness, classical training, stunning string arrangements, and that voice which has garnered comparisons to the theatrics of Jeff Buckley and the seductiveness of Nina Simone. Yes, it’s that good. (more…)

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TV on the Radio w/ Dirty Projectors
Amos’ Southend
June 11, 2009

The Deal: TV on the Radio played Amos’ Southend with openers Dirty Projectors.

The Good: Any sincere music lover will admit to one truth – never say never. In order for musical tastes to evolve, as they always do, one must be willing to maintain an open mind, to give sounds that once aggravated the ear drums a chance to insert themselves in the psyche. Anyone who’s ever hated the first listen of a particular album only to love it a few weeks later knows what I’m talking about. The same holds true for bands in general. Such is the case with my relationship with TV on the Radio. In 2006, I saw them live after hearing bits and pieces from their earlier albums. The live show, as is often the case, was the deciding factor for this listener. They bored me immensely; I merely waited for my beloved cape-wearing Goths, Bauhaus and their kin, the headlining Nine Inch Nails to take the stage. (more…)

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The Decemberists
Raleigh Memorial Auditorium
June 4, 2009

The Deal: The Decemberists played Raleigh Memorial Auditorium with openers Blind Pilot.

The Good: Despite being a rather obsessed and decidedly uncool fan of The Decemberists, this was my first time seeing them live. As the soundtrack to my graduate school experience, my expectations for this show, above all others, were high. With their self-described nerd folk rock, I can think of no better band to resonate with someone who has spent years analyzing literary tropes and writing fiction. As I entered the theater, I noticed there were some similarities amongst the attendees; we all looked like we belonged to English departments. But don’t let the pale skin, dark glasses and manners fool you; we can rock, too. (more…)

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It’s no surprise that arts funding is one of the casualties of the state’s budget crisis. Organizations and schools are getting creative with how they respond to the spending freeze. The Community Charter School is planning a family-friendly event at The Philosopher’s Stone this Saturday to benefit their music department after the state took back monies allocated for the school.

This event is slated for 2 p.m. through 2 a.m. and will include seven bands/performers — Deformati, Matthew Paul Butler, Thank You Spaceman, Sill Live Static, Near Gravity, Chasing Edison, Mons Venera — instrument-making activities, ping pong, a bean bag toss, hula hoops and more. Outdoor activities are slated for 2 to 7 p.m., after which, the music moves indoors.

Though the event is free, donations (cash or gently-used instruments) are encouraged.
Music teacher Artie Denham says, “We have instruments that are badly in need of repair, and we lack certain basics like a working clarinet, or a tuned piano. The goal of the fundraiser is not necessarily to buy new instruments, “but to repair or tune what instruments we have.”

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Yeah Yeah Yeahs have unveiled the new video for its next single, “Heads Will Roll,” off the newest album, It’s Blitz! The video, directed by Richard Ayoade, houses a rather silly allusion to a mash up of Michael Jackson’s videos for “Beat It” and “Thriller.” This stain of a video for a song I actually enjoyed before hand is why I try to avoid music videos these days.

Far more entertaining in my opinion, is the live clip of Trent Reznor and Street Sweeper Social Club covering MC5’s “Kick out the Jams.” Since Reznor announced his open recording policy on twitter and nin.com, there have been a host of exciting live scenes posted.

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Danger Mouse’s latest project with Sparklehorse may well be the best album of the year with its dark, ethereal tone and brilliant contributions by guest vocalists as diverse as The Flaming Lips, Iggy Pop and Suzanne Vega, but an official release may never happen due to an undisclosed legal dispute with EMI.

Right now, Dark Night of the Soul is scheduled to be released as a blank CD-R packaged with a book of photographs by the eccentric filmmaker, David Lynch (Blue Velvet, Fire Walk with Me). Danger Mouse’s representative said the CD-R will be labeled, “For legal reasons, CD-R contains no music. Use it as you will.” (more…)

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