On the topic of giving blood, one of the most crucial bands in 90s hardcore, Bane, whose 2001 album was titled "Give Blood", are at it again with a new 7" in the works due out later this year. The first song to be released off of it is titled "The Bold and the Beautiful" and it has absolutely nothing to do with the soap opera. Bane are about as far as away as it gets from a soap opera... as real as it gets, sharing so much passion and emotion through their grueling tour schedule, furious shows and great records. "Give Blood" is a good example of their output, my favourite of theirs, an example of a band not straying too far from the somewhat stereotypical positive hardcore vibe but still coming off as having something about them that just seems so much more "real" than a lot of their contemporaries. The new song has all your favourite hardcore cliches, great sing-a-long gang vocals, breakdowns, fast tempos and Andrew Bedard, known within certain circles as the "B-Tard", screaming his lungs out so everyone with a set of ears and a heart who are willing to listen to him, are able to do so. Check it out (as well as some of their earlier material while you're at it).
This past saturday I was lucky enough to catch one of my favourite groups of recent year, Pissed Jeans, play their first show ever in Vancouver at the Media Club downtown. I was lucky enough to see them last year at the SP20 festival at Marymoor Park in Redmond, WA which was a beautiful venue (more on it later). Not really fitting for a band of their demeaner, I'm glad I finally got to see them play in a small hole in the wall club where their energy and general off the wall nature came alive for everyone who was willing to participate, which ammounted to a few guys up front, having the time of their lives.
Known for their wild shows, it's interesting to see these guys go from seemingly mild-mannered, plain looking guys one moment to a wild bunch the next, more specifically lead singer Matt Korvette and guitar player (and former pro wrestler) Bradley Fry who make up the bulk of the bands on stage antics. They played a good mix of songs from their newest release "King of Jeans" as well as their last LP, "Hope for Men", both of which are available on Sub Pop records (and come with the highest of recommendations from me). They even managed to close with the distortion filled screecher "I'm Sick", the opener off their first record which got a much better reaction than I was anticipating. I couldn't find any footage of the show to share with you and I posted the lead single off their new album last time around, so I figured I'd share with you their lone music video. The song is called "I Still Got You (Ice Cream)" and it gives you a good idea of the general tone of their lyricism as well as how they use such a brash style in such an effective manner... plus the video is uber weird and awesome.
Sticking with Sub Pop bands, I can't believe i've gone 5 blog entries and I'm just *now* getting around to spreading the gospel of the two dudes from so cal that comprise No Age. Having released one of last year's most sought after record titled "Nouns", this duo from LA who play lo-fi, 2 man, punk rock are never ones to stay still. Not only have they been touring non-stop since the album's release (including a stop here in Vancouver this past June that I'm lucky enough to say I witnessed) but they've put together a new 4 song 12" EP, "Losing Feeling", due out this October on Sub Pop. Known for mixing it up when it comes to their albums, usually consisting of a good mix of face melting, 2 minute punk jams and more oblong, loop-based trip-outs, this album not only allows them to showcase their slower, dare I say more creative side but also finds a way to meld their varying styles together in a way like they've never done befeore. Give this band a shot, they deserve some serious attention and at the rate they're going (already scoring a Grammy nomination this past year for album design), they'll end up getting it. Below is a link to a leak of the new EP
As I mentioned a few weeks back in the blog, the most amazing live band on earth, The Flaming Lips came to the Pacific Northwest this past week and I was lucky enough to see them outdoors (for the third straight time) in a beautiful setting, Redmond, WA's Marymoor Park. It had only been just over a year since I last had the opportunity to see them and although that seems like not that long of a period of a time, it was far too long and I had almost forgotten how amazing and life changing of a show these guys put on. Almost. From their traditional beginning of the evening, lead singer Wayne Coyne crowd surfing in a giant inflatable ball to the last note of mega-hit "Do You Realize?", these fearless freaks from Oklahoma City had the entire park of onlookers hooked on every last beat and word, singing along and sharing the love. In fact it was during the peak of their encore, the previously spoken of "...Realize?", that I found myself being hugged by a guy in a bunny suit. Giant Bunnies, Santa Claus', a stage full of Yetis and the air filled with enough giant balloons, confetti and light, business as usual for these guys who make a living bringing a new level of hope to some of the luckiest, most appreciative and dedicated group of fans on the planet.
I found a couple of pretty decent celphone videos of the show itself on other blogs that if you choose to, you can look for. However if you wish to check out a full show of theirs but aren't able to do so live and in the flesh (or you haven't been able to up to this point in your life), here's the next best thing. Their entire set from earlier this year at Chicago's Pitchfork Festival has been ripped from Pitchfork's live stream and uploaded on youtube (linked from their own personal site), and broken up song by song. This is super good quality and gives you an idea of the beautiful insanity that goes on at a Flaming Lips show. If what I haven't written already isn't enough to get you out to see this band the next change you get, check 'em out for yourself below... I'll even start you off.
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