Loch Me Up
Scotland - Sep 2008
For a whirlwind, somewhat last-minute 4-day trip, my first exposure to and exploration of Scotland was a veritable feast of eye and stomach-filling experiences. 'Twas an easy drive from Glasgow to Milton of Buchanan via Drymen beside Loch Lomond. Stayed the night with family of friends back in NZ, that I hadn't seen for quite a few haircuts indeed. About 20 years worth!
Spent some time beside the Loch, learnign some of the history and drinking in the view before heading back to the homestead to eat the haggis and chicken, spuds and cabbage. Yum indeed.
2nd day was spent driving out west to Oban on the coast, and spending a relaxing evening drinking in the view as well as the Tennents, staying in a harbourside B&B. The next day was an easy drive to the town of Drumnadrochit, half way up the shore of Loch Ness, where I took in a cruise onboard the Deepscan with Captain John - who features in an upcoming Discovery Channel documentary with Jacques Cousteau's grandson - and a few Swedes'n'Poms for fun.
No monsters, but a lovely rainbow over the Loch during a lull in precipitation by Urquhart Castle. Enjoyed more Haggis'n'Whiskey in town with the friendly folk. Not a shabby country...

The Day the World Turned Day-Glo!
X-Ray Spex, Camden, Sep 6 2008
"...some people think little girls should be seen and not heard - but I think: Oh Bondage Up Yours! 1,2,3,4..."
The sax kicked in, and for the following hour those present were treated to virtually all of the X-Ray Spex canon of material, from the 1st single through most of their classic "Germfree Adolescents" album from 1978. Although only Poly and Paul are extant from the original line-up, the band delivered a solid, spirited performance that echoed the sounds of old, possibly more.
With barely an hours worth of material, the set was over all too soon, but the capacity crowd at Camden's Roundhouse left sated from what many thought would surely never transpire - Poly Styrene once more singing socially-aware lyrics as relevant today as then:
"Identity, is the crisis can't you see? Identity, Identity!"

Red!

King Crimson, Park West, Chicago Aug 6 2008

The virtuosos return for a small US tour, including 3 sold-out nights at Chicago's Park West venue. One can't really complain when Messrs. Belew, Fripp and Levin take the stage for a solid 2-hour show comprising improvisations and reworkings of tracks both new and old, though this punter was definitely more than exicted to hear the title track of Crimson's 1974 album Red early on in the eclectic set - Three of a Perfect Pair was another highlight.
Fripp said nary a word all night to either the band or audience, but the knowing smile between the main protaganists said it all - they were enjoying themselves, and the crowd lapped it all up. Twin drummers provided much of the interplay, at time "soloing" or playing along with Tony Levin while Adrian Belew and Robert Fripp sat out - how they kept in time with the band, let alone each other, boggles me...
But then again, a good boggling never hurt anybody with such a soundtrack to capture attention!

Drum Duet
ConstruKtion of Light Pt. 1 & 2
Frame by Frame
Red
Neurotica
Three of a Perfect Pair
Vroom
One Time
B'boom
Dinosaur
Level Five
Talking Drum
Larks' Tongues in Aspic

Encore:
Drum Duet
Thela Hun Ginjeet
Indiscipline
Elephant Talk

Idioteque

Lollapalooza, Chicago Aug 1-3 2008

I'll get the gripes off my chest to start with: when you host a world-class concert with one of the best bands around graciously headlining Day 1, please remember to fix the mid-field speaker row for those who don't want to fight off 69,999 other punters for a front-of-mixing-desk location!!! Had a nice center spot scoped out directly behind said speakers, but as Bloc Party finished their always-lively set, they went off - then on - and off again, never to return. Radiohead was thus rendered as am impressive light-show with a mono transistor radio hidden behind a hedge with the bastard neighbours lawnmower going at 8am Sunday morning...

Enough of that. Cat Power kicked off my 2008 Lolla experience around 5pm on a steamy Friday, and pretty much delivered an outdoor version of her "Jukebox" album as seen mid-winter here in Chi-Town, albeit without the small-venue intensity. I would have appreciated more Chan-authored songs than just "Metal Heart" (she covered herself, so to speak) like "Love & Communication", but that's a personal request. Something was lost in translation Friday.

Moving across Grant Park past Buckingham fountain to grab grub'n'piss and head towards the main stage for Radiohead, it was obvious most of the Friday crowd were there for one thing - and had already staked their claim to turf. It was 2 hours before kickoff, no competing act at the other end, and the punters were already wading through the hot'n'sweaty crowd aiming for the front. I was happy with my afore-mentioned spot (well, apart from the lack of speakerage!) and it was right about sunset when Thom and the lads from Oxford hit the stage with a rollicking rendition of "15 Steps" from last album "In Rainbows" (the entire album was played during the evening) and right into "OK Computer" opening track "Airbag", which went down a treat, followed by "There There" from "Hail To The Thief", pummelled along with percussion.

I must have seen Radiohead a good dozen times since the "OK Computer" tour back home in Auckland NZ in 1998, with highlights definitely being the shows at Red Rocks and Bonnaroo, where Justin and I had the pleasure of chatting with them briefly after the show, a couple of years after Neil Finn co-opted their rhythm section for his "7 Worlds Collide" concerts in 2001.

Thom was supposedly a tad under the weather - a "secret" concert scheduled the night before at the Chicago Theatre had to be cancelled - but this wasn't apparent from the energy and enthusiasm on display through the 2 dozen songs played over the course of 2 hours, with generous helpings from both "Kid A" and "OK Computer", culminating in the triple-whammy of "Optimistic", "2+2=5" and "Idioteque". Staggering show, pity about the speaker stacks...

Goodbye '70's!

Yazoo @ The Chicago Theatre, 14 July 2008

It's only fitting I guess that the first post on this new-fangled Blog is music-related (well, totally music-based). Hailing from Basildon, UK, and existing for only 18 months and only 1 tour, Alison Moyet and Vince Clarke's 2 albums as Yazoo - "Upstairs At Eric's" and "You And Me Both" - stand for me amongst the pinnacles of 1980s electronic pop, up there with The Human League's "Dare", Simple Mind's "New Gold Dream" and Depeche Mode, whom Vince Clarke departed after their 1st album, and which "Upstairs At Eric's" shares a similar sound.

Fast-forward 25 years: both Alf and Vince have successful solo careers and as founder of Erasure respectively, yet the never-played-live songs kept calling, and Alison emailed Vince to ask "what if?!", and the 2nd-ever Yazoo tour was born mid-2008, including just a handful of US dates. I caught them at a sold-out Chicago show this past week with my good friend Sandee, and people-watching was almost as much fun as the music - you name it, we saw it!

So, what about the show? Minimalist stage-set - mic stand for Alf, Apple and keyboard stand for Vince - and a simple lighting backdrop displaying visuals or just colours. From the opening notes of YAMB's "Nobody's Diary", the crowd was ebullient - unusually so for a US audience! - and both the vocals and music rang clear throughout the Chicago Theatre. Even with only 2 albums worth of material to pull from, the setlist was solid and omitted little, melding effortlessly from the dancier to darker songs with applause for a segue, including "Goodbye Seventies", "In My Room" (from which the new box-set draws it's name), a haunting "Winter Kills", a rousing "Only You" as an encore, and of course "Don't Go" and "Situation", all from UAE. A similar mix from YAMB was scattered through the set, including stunning renditions of "Ode To Boy" and "Sweet Thing". The live performances were personal and rousing enough to add to the originals without detracting from their sometimes clinical but always stimulating electronic nature therein. A humourous note came when Vince pulled out a classic Revox reel-to-reel tape deck to play an instrumental. And after a mere 80 minutes it was all over - and i'm looking forward to the Dallas gig...

Top 5's: 2007
It seems to have been one of those years where either: a) I haven't given enough of a toss or there been sufficient quality new releases i've been turned onto to buy/check out and/or been sufficiently taken with it, or... b) quality reissues/listening to old faves on good ol' vinyl have dominated my listening for one reason or another. I hear great individual songs, download, then faithfully check out the album only to end up disappointed and less 15 bucks. Radiohead was a "buy without listen" obvious choice that didn't disappoint, likewise with PJ Harvey on the strenght of hearing a single track. The 1900s from Chicago were "my" discovery of the year, thanks to Chicago Public Radio's weekly Sound Opinions show, and live they reinforced my view as well as reminded me of the halcyon days of NZ alternative music back in the 80's and 90's of bands like the Able Tasmans, Straightjacket Fits and more recently Goldenhorse. The Kings of Leon delivered another solid album that's still growing on me, and Liam Finn overshadowed Dad's Crowded House album with his first post-Betchadupa solo effort. Choice mate!

Top 5+1 Albums:
1900s - Cold & Kind: great melodic psychedelic pop from Chicago, very reminiscent of the Able Tasmans in some ways, The Zombies in others, and Goldenhorse for good measure.
PJ Harvey - White Chalk: Polly switches from guitar to piano, but the feeling remains...
Kings Of Leon - Because of the Times: solid 3rd album from the Tennessee family, just as incendiary live as the earlier material and dealing with more mature issues along the way.
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver: gets to me like Moby's "Play" did back in the 90's. Melodic, pumping, lyrical, great.
Liam Finn - I'll Be Lightning: great live in concert solo, Finn the Younger delivers in abundance in studio. "Second Chance" song of the year in New Zealand.
Radiohead - In Rainbows: it's not OK Computer 2, but elicits the disparate moods in a cohesive manner from previous albums in a way only Radiohead could, yet leaves room for albums to come...

Top 5 Reissues:
Joy Division - Closer
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
Gram Parsons & The Flying Burrito Brothers - Live at the Avalon Ballroom, SF
Split Enz - The Rootin Tootin Luton Tapes
Young Marble Giants - Colossal Youth

Top 5 Gigs:
1900s - The Metro, Chicago
Joanna Newsom & Milwaukee Symphony - Pabst Theatre, Milwaukee
Patti Smith - Lollapalooza, Chicago
Elvis Costello & The Attractions - House of Blues, Chicago
Kings of Leon - Riviera Theatre, Chicago