Entries Tagged With: michael stipe

Southbyscurvy: The Best of SxSW

At 11:04am Mar 18, 2008

By Niki D'Andrea

Well, I managed to survive another fun and frantic SxSW festival. While I'm laid up at home recovering, I thought I'd bring you some of the highlights from this year's fest.

Best Local Buzz Band: What Laura Says Thinks and Feels (Tempe)

Several solid artists from our great desert metropolis performed at SxSW this year, but it seems like everywhere I turned, people were talking about WLSTaF. Here are just a couple examples of the word on the street:

From Soundcheck magazine’s “Label Alert: The 411 for Lovelorn A&R Reps” section: “I don’t know what it is about Arizona. The entire state seems to have really stepped up in the past couple of years, producing a veritable army of truly remarkable musicians – and this year, they are invading SxSW. On the frontlines of this musical onslaught is What Laura Says…, a band that hates commas and haircuts, but loves crafting sunny melodies that fall somewhere between freak-folk and indie-pop. Some of their songs sound like Elton John fronting the Super Furry Animals; others sound like Devendra Banhart covering Sondre Lerche; still others sound like Ben Folds on a bender with Ariel Pink. Regardless of what bizarre combinations you might hear in their music, one thing is certain: they will slay you. But instead of using swords and guns, they use irresistible harmonies. And instead of dying of sharp force trauma and exsanguination, you will die of pure, unadulterated happiness.” – Emily Strong.

From the blog of Arielle Castillo, music editor at Village Voice Media sister publication Miami New Times: “First cool random discovery was What Laura Says Thinks and Feels from Tempe, Arizona; a bunch of shaggy, long-haired types with a really pleasant, tripped out, fleshed out psych-ey sound. Kind of like Devendra Banhart but not quite as weird, and with a big backing band. Awesome, creepy harmonies.”

Word to the label reps: What Laura Says…is currently UNSIGNED. Hurry up and check ‘em out, because I have a feeling they won’t be available for pickup much longer.

Check out the band’s MySpace page here.

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Best Promo Swag:
Cube Services, Inc. and Sprint

Cube Services, Inc. is a company that manufactures backstage passes and crew credentials for touring acts. Their promo boxes included a slew of collectible backstage passes from everybody from Prince and Aerosmith to Luciano Pavarotti and Tim McGraw.

Sprint was giving out 1GB flash drive fobs. Mine came in handy right away, when my Internet connection crapped out at the hotel and I had to transfer photos from the Dax Riggs show onto my friend’s laptop.

Best Nickname for the Illness People Brought Home:
Southbyscurvy. I’ve been seeing the phrase on various social networking sites all morning. Apparently, a lot of people brought back more than promo swag from the festival (including myself). That sort of thing tends to happen when you’re on the streets until 4 a.m. with tens of thousands of people coughing into the air, and most of them are running off nothing but three hours of sleep and a six pack of beer. I’m going to the doctor today for my official diagnosis. It probably won’t be “Southbyscurvy,” though.

Best Celebrity Sightings:
Michael Stipe in the VIP section of the Rhapsody day party, Sia outside Rio Grande Restaurant

Best Potential Celebrity Sighting That Never Happened:
Billy Bob Thornton, who was allegedly staying at the same hotel as me.

Best Musical Discovery:
P.D.A. If you haven’t checked out my blog and video clip from this Oklahoma hip-hop artist’s incredible performance at SxSW, hit it here. You’ll be seeing his name a lot more next year.

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P.D.A.

Best Free Booze:
The BMI/Billboard Acoustic Brunch: Free mimosas, bloody marys, beer, and wine. I couldn’t beat my hangover with a stick, but the mimosas helped.

Musician’s Atlas’ homemade honey vodka: I took two shots after realizing I had caught the Southbyscurvy. I’m pretty sure it burned all my phlegm away, but I was too buzzed to care either way.

Best Overheard Statement:
“We wish we could be lesbians.” (overheard twice at two different shows throughout the week)



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Overheard at SxSW

At 10:23am Mar 15, 2008

By Niki D'Andrea

"That girl weighs like, 60 pounds. I'm serious."

"White belts are okay, as long as you wear them with irony."

"There are so many bald guys here. How am I supposed to tell Michael Stipe from Moby from some random dude?"

"Bark back at that damn dog! Little yippie bitch."

"Hang on, I'm not sure if the number is in my iPhone, my Blackberry, or my Razer phone."

"Who wants to ride in the ambulance?"

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R.E.M. at Stubb's, SXSW, Wednesday, March 12: Review

At 03:17am Mar 13, 2008


(photo by Jaime Lees)

I'm not sure how anyone who saw this show could say that R.E.M. isn't a good live band. Caveat: This was my twelfth time seeing R.E.M. Translation: I'm a huge, dorky fan. However: The band is great live. Period. No contest. I've seen some crappy R.E.M. shows through the years, but I've also seen some amazing ones: Madison Square Garden after Gore lost the election in 2004, at an Indianapolis theater on that same tour, Cleveland 1995 Gund Arena.

Out of all the shows I've seen -- from the Monster tour onward -- this was by far the most fun I've ever seen the band have. Michael Stipe, Mike Mills and Peter Buck have trimmed the fat from their songs -- the oft--played "Walk Unafraid" for one -- and made them into lean, solid thrash-rock songs. Reckoning's hyper-jangle "Second Guessing" and its yelping cry of "Here we are!" felt touched by the fountain of youth, while "Auctioneer (Another Engine)" -- from 1985 -- sounded fresh and brisk (perhaps because drummer Bill Rieflin now feels like a true part of the band); on a joyous, uplifting "Fall On Me," Stipe hit the high notes on the final chorus, which he hasn't done in recent years. "The Great Beyond" was also shimmering and moving, as transcendent as "Imitation of Life" was celebratory.

The new songs, from the upcoming Accelerate, were mostly stellar. The opening one-two punch of "Living Well's The Best Revenge" and "Mansized Wreath" lived up to their raucous studio versions, while standout crescendo-rocker "Hollow Man" stands up to anything in the R.E.M. canon. The droning "Mr. Richards" dragged, while "Supernatural Superserious" was pleasant, if a bit cotton-candy fluffy.

Above all, even though this show wasn't a rehearsal -- and Stipe threw in plenty of political remarks and calls to arms -- the atmosphere was loose and relaxed; the band sang happy birthday to long-time associate Dewitt Burton and generally just bashed out a solid, fun show.

-- Annie Zaleski
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R.E.M. at Stubb's, SXSW, Wednesday, March 12: Setlist

At 02:25am Mar 13, 2008


(photo by Jaime Lees)

First, setlist (accidental photo by Annie Zaleski)

Living Well's the Best Revenge
Mansized Wreath
Second Guessing
Drive
Hollow Man
Animal
Auctioneer (Another Engine)
Mr. Richards
Fall On Me
The Great Beyond
Houston
Electrolite
Accelerate
Until the Day Is Done
Final Straw
Bad Day
Horse to Water
Walk Unafraid

Encore:
Supernatural Superserious
Imitation of Life
Happy Birthday -- to Dewitt Burton
I'm Gonna DJ
Man on the Moon

-- Annie Zaleski
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R.E.M. Accelerate: An Advance Review and Song-by-Song Analysis of the Band's New Album

At 04:06am Mar 08, 2008

In honor of R.E.M.’s SXSW show on Wednesday, March 12, at Stubb’s (I’ll be there and reporting back), here’s a review of Accelerate, the Athens, Georgia, band’s new record, which is out April 1.

A friend posed an interesting question to me a few weeks ago: At what point in a band’s career is it impossible to evaluate its new album without referencing its back catalog? We were talking about R.E.M. specifically, although it’s a thought applicable to countless groups with lengthy careers.

That’s ultimately another essay in and of itself. But the question seems especially relevant, because early buzz around R.E.M.’s fourteenth studio album, Accelerate, involved the band nodding to the past. A five-night live residency in Dublin, Ireland, last July saw the trio sandwiching old, old songs it hadn’t played in decades between new material. Interviews have mentioned the record being faster than anything R.E.M.’s produced in two decades – which no doubt lead to the speedy title, Accelerate.
R.E.M. new press shot
And yes, the album lives up to its name. It’s loud, quick and dirty, spinning by so fast that it takes multiple listens to sink in. It’s full of buzzing guitars and stream-of-conscious discontent, along with an abundance of Mike Mills’ choir-boy harmonies and sinewy bass.

But the overall atmosphere of Accelerate doesn’t resemble the mood of previous R.E.M. releases at all – meaning that you can’t exactly herald it as a return to form (whatever that means, anyway). Each R.E.M. album has a distinct personality and possesses a distinct atmosphere, even as it allows for variations in tone and texture. That’s the true genius of the band – and why its catalog remains so listenable: It’s adroit at finding cohesion in disparate, if not enigmatic or unorthodox, elements.

Sure, Accelerate's music itself hints at past eras – fuzzy guitars a la 1994's Monster; New Adventures in Hi-Fi's evocative pop; the dirty distortion and political yowling of 1988's Green; some orchestrated elegance circa 1992's Automatic for the People; the calls-to-arms of 1986's Life’s Rich Pageant; and the slick earnestness of 1987's Document. A friend mentioned that the music sounds like later-era Pearl Jam; to my ears, a few songs reference the raw crunch of Nirvana or the chaos of the Pixies.

Accelerate’s music is all of these things. But the album’s interpretations of the past are colored by experience, wisdom and, most important, time. R.E.M. isn’t a band full of rowdy college darlings or alt-rock weirdos anymore – and doesn’t seem interested in revisiting its quirky adolescence. Not to mention that it’s unfair to expect the band to be the cryptic poets they were in 1983.

What stands out most is that the band sounds like it’s having fun again. The previous three albums were meticulous, mannered and frequently moving – I stand by 1998's Up as a classic -- but often felt strained or out-of-focus. But on Accelerate, the music sounds effortless, crisp and breezy. If I have a quibble, it’s that the sequencing of the album in places seems off; the slower songs seem ill-placed, simply because the fast songs are so speedy in comparison.

Above all, the band has always made the album it’s wanted to make, at whatever time it’s wanted – with whatever messages it’s felt like conveying. Accelerate is no different. And so as a fan, I’m satisfied.

Here’s a track-by-track analysis. YouTube video links (if applicable) will be included with each. Also see the Web site ninetynights.com, which is posting a video snippet every day until the album's release.

“Living Well’s the Best Revenge” (YouTube). Peter Buck’s molten riffs race by, jangling through hyperspace at warp-speed. Vocalist Michael Stipe, his voice tinged with gravel and scorn, snarls lines such as, “Don’t turn your talking points on me / History will set me free / The future is ours.” He positively spits the chorus: “I’m not one to sit and spin / ‘Cause living well’s the best revenge.” The innocent narrator of the similarly styled 1986 song “I Believe” – the one who believed in “time as an abstract” – is twenty years older, and wizened from life. But he’s mad as hell – and isn’t going to let his youthful idealism die.

“Mansized Wreath” (YouTube). A song originally meant to be a B-Side, but elevated to an album track apparently after it was so well-received in Dublin. Deceptively jaunty garage-rock riffs have a bouncy, busy feel. Like on “Well,” copper-plated background harmonies from Mike Mills wind around Stipe’s off-the-cuff choruses. Think Guided by Voices or the Pixies.

“Supernatural Superserious” (YouTube real video; live version). I’ve talked about this song already here; it hasn’t grown tiresome after repeated listens. But in context with the album, it almost feels like it should have been the first track. Glossy and instantly memorable, it’s a classic R.E.M. single. (Especially because I still have no idea how to parse the summer camp/loner/ghost metaphors throughout.)

“Hollow Man”. Far and away my favorite song on the album. The song fakes out listeners at first, as it begins with beatific, somber solo piano and a vulnerable Stipe gruffly singing, “I’ve been lost inside my head / Echoes fall on me.” But waves of crashing riffs suddenly arrive on the chorus, signaling the narrator’s horror that he’s become a “hollow man.” The happy-ending sequel to Up’s “Sad Professor” lyrically, the song ends with the plea: “Believe in me, believe in nothing / Corner me and make me something.” Confident bursts of jangly guitar ebb and flow from restrained to loudly triumphant, mirroring the narrator’s wild-eyed regret at his life – and his burning desire to transcend this feeling.

“Houston”. (YouTube) Another favorite, based on acoustic guitar. Frowning organ and a stern low end curiously conjure a steamship whistle. The tempo also sways like that of a ship at sea; one can imagine brave captain Michael Stipe singing these lyrics while keeping lookout. The kicker is at the end of the song, though. After lyrics brimming with nostalgia and wistfulness about cities in Texas, Stipe sings: “Belief has not filled me, and so I am put to the test.” Cursory interpretation is that being agnostic or an atheist in our country’s political climate – and in particular, Texas – is emotionally trying.

“Accelerate”. (YouTube) My second-favorite song on the album. Reminiscent of Monster’s “King of Comedy," due to its urgent tempo and buzzsawing, minor-key guitar clouds (which often fade out in a trail of distortion). The sense of clawing panic in this song is palpable: “Where is the ripcord, the trap door, the key? Where is the cartoon escape hatch for me?” The atmosphere careens like a hectic pinball game, signaling that there’s no time to hesitate or think things through; action based on raw instinct is imperative.

“Until the Day is Done”. (YouTube). A quintessential thoughtful R.E.M. ballad, one earnestly wringing its hands over the state of the country. Beat-poet percussion meshes with fluttering acoustic guitar. The lack of vocal effects on this song means that Stipe’s vocals bleed with (and for) humanity.

“Mr. Richards” . (YouTube) Droning, lazy riffs spiral and dip in the background; think the Velvet Underground & Nico, or a kite soaring through the air. Stipe’s vocals are drenched in effects, giving the song a vaguely robotic tone. The coolest part: A few drum parts push forward into a quasi-drum-‘n-bass motif that’s an intriguing diversion from the relatively straightforward 4/4 beat.

“Sing for the Submarine.” A distraught, macabre waltz possessing a sense of floating anxiety and unspecified dread. With its greyscale guitars and melancholy minor key, the song feels like an outtake of 2004’s Around the Sun. As noted elsewhere, the lyrics seem deliberately self-referential: “electron blue,” “gravity’s pull” and “high speed train” all appear. The dank percussion breakdown/drum solo in the bridge is something I wish appeared more. Probably my least favorite song; it needs an editor, as there’s too much repetition to keep its elements interesting.

“Horse to Water” (YouTube). A completely jarring juxtaposition after the previous three slower numbers, “Water” is a thrashing speedball reminiscent of Nirvana’s punkiest moments (or Scottish superstars Idlewild). Guitars clash and shred, careening off the rails; Mills’ chorus counter-melodies mesh perfectly with Stipe’s banshee howl. Again, the theme of eschewing the mindless lemming mentality – implied is reference to political – emerges. Simple, but effective.

“I’m Gonna DJ” (YouTube). We haven’t had a “silly” song on an R.E.M. album in awhile (see also: “Shiny Happy People,” “Supeman”). And this is it. First debuted on the 2004 world tour, in the studio the song is all glittered out, T. Rex-style. Like a metallic glam-robot, Stipe speak-sings lyrics such as, “Death is pretty final/I’m collecting vinyl/I’m gonna DJ at the end of the world!” Falsetto background vocals gleefully shriek “whoo!” behind clunky garage-punk riffs. But among this noise and clamor is a glorious truism: “Music will provide the light you cannot resist.”

-- Annie Zaleski
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