No Surprises. Radiohead Live.

Opening Act: Liars
Venue: Whiteriver Amphitheater

The WhiteRiver Amphitheater is a long way from my house, roughly an hour. With heavy rain and traffic, that time extends another half an hour. I didn’t know until the day of the show whether the venue was open to the sky or covered and was relieved to discover that my seat was covered. This is because the weather that day can only be described as schizophrenic. One minute, it was pouring down torrential rains and the next, it was bright and sunny. My first congratulations go to all the people seated on the grass because half way through the show the rains started coming down hard again. But that demonstrates the depth of Radiohead fan’s commitment. Because to sit through that kind of rain is to suffer and these people were very willing to suffer for Thom Yorke and Co.

I got to the show early enough to see the opening band, Liars. I like Liars, I don’t love them but I like them well enough. Their blend of tribal drumming, noise music leanings and chanted vocals are all things I enjoy and their set wasn’t very long so I got on with them very well. Plus, they played my favorite song of theirs “Plaster Casts of Everything.” Their frontman was clearly very enthusiastic to be opening for Radiohead and constantly referred to this as the greatest night of our lives. At this point, the seated area was less than half full, something I found interesting. I’m actually uncertain how many Radiohead fans have heard of Liars and, of that group, how many of them actually like them. Regardless, I think they were an inspired choice of an opening band. Props to Liars for scoring this opening spot as they are definitely a band worthy of this prestigious position.

After they left the stage, the venue filled up. There must have been 25, 000 people there, all of them just to see five guys and their instruments. Such is the power of music to bring people together, I suppose. Radiohead is like Nine Inch Nails for me in a number of regards. They used to be my favorite band and I know all of their songs really well. But, even though they are no longer my favorite band, I still really enjoyed the show. Actually, it reminded me how much I like them and that I should listen to them more often. It was a great show, despite the cold, despite the drive, despite being tired, it was a great show. And one of the biggest I’ve been to in a while. They played a killer set of old and new stuff including my all time favorite song of theirs; “Climbing Up the Walls” from OK Computer. Thom Yorke is a great, if bizarre frontman. A friend of mine once said that he looks like he should be dead. If that’s true, then the man is one of the liveliest corpses I have ever seen. He danced a lot, especially during songs like Idioteque and 15 Step, a weird gyrating dance of a man possessed. It kind of (chillingly) reminded me of Ian Curtis. He didn’t speak much but did say a few things about how his favorite thing about Seattle was what happened during W.T.O. He then dedicated “You and Whose Army” to “anyone who was in Seattle during W.T.O.” The man also makes the most bizarre facial expressions when playing the guitar, kind of dislocating his vision and looking in two places at once (I’m not kidding!) The band was in top form and played every song seamlessly, only flubbing once during “Faust Arp” which is a short acoustic song. They covered it by shifting into a cover of a Neil Young song before finishing the tune. The show was just fantastic, and they played a lot of my favorites including; “The Gloaming” and “There There” from Hail to the Thief, “Pyramid Song” from Amnesiac, “The National Anthem” and Idioteque from Kid A. I don’t think I can say anymore without repeating myself. It was so good. At one point Thom Yorke said “Thank you for having us.” Mr. Yorke, the pleasure was all ours.

Mostly Complete Out of Order Set List:

-Pyramid Song
-You and who’s Army?
-Dollars and Cents
-Street Sprit (Fade Out)
-The Gloaming
-There There
-15 Step
-Bodysnatchers (Maybe)
-Nude
-Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
-All I Need
-Videotape
-Faust Arp
-Reckoner
-Jigsaw Falling Into Place (Maybe)
-Everything in its Right Place
-The National Anthem
-How to Disappear Completely
-Optimistic
-In Limbo
-Idioteque
-Lucky
-Climbing Up the Walls
-No Surprises

Vast Oceans of Feedback...

Album: Street Horrrsing
Artist: Fuck Buttons
Genre: Electronica/Glitch/Drone
Year: 2008
Label: ATP

Sometimes I get albums for simple or stupid reasons. I acquired the album Street Horrrsing by Fuck Buttons partly because of the fact that they’re opening for Mogwai in a few weeks, but mostly because of their name. In retrospect, that’s a really dumb reason to get an album. After all, you can buy an album by Porn but that doesn’t guarantee you anything, Porn least of all. Fuck Buttons are actually quite good though. I went into this album with low expectations and got a fairly large reward.

A duo, Fuck Buttons hail from Bristol, UK, the Mecca of 90’s Trip-Hop but have absolutely nothing to do with the genre. Instead, they’re an electronica group that creates long stretches of droning noise. But droning noise with a purpose! There are drums machines in some sections (track 2 is entirely percussion) and melodic keyboards, all of it wrapped up in the walls of sound. It’s very meditative music, but you can’t zone out to it, as every once in a while there will be a spike of sound or a percussion storm to shake you out of your reverie. At only six tracks, the album appears short until you realize that at least three out the six tracks are over 9 minutes in length. Like I said, “Stretches” of music. The length of the tracks could be a detracting factor to some, but it actually works to the advantage of the music. These are very multi-layered pieces with wash after wash of sound rolling over you like a black tide. You need more then three minutes to build something as big as this. The music is so good you barely notice how long it takes for some tracks to reach their full height.

However, if you don’t like noise music you may want to steer clear of this, for there are some parts where the seas of sounds turn to storms. Actually, scratch that; this album is where Sunn O))) meets Aphex Twin and the two sire a child into the world of music. Born from beats and feedback this thing takes the best elements of its parents and creates something entirely awesome. Glitchy is a nice word to describe some of the passages here. Imagine a controlled ocean of static swirling around you, creating shapes and objects and then dissolving them bit by bit and you’ll have an idea of what this band sounds like. But it’s beautiful, epic and occasionally danceable even, I recommend it highly.

Who needs Reagge? We've got the Dub Trio!

Intro: Dub for Dummies.

Dub began as a remix art for Reggae where the vocals, horns, keyboards and guitars would be faded out or removed, leaving just the bass and drums. Periodically throughout tracks, elements of the guitars, vocals, keys and horns would be echoed through the piece. It is widely known for its repetitive and reverberating feel. Dub bass has become a very distinct style of bass playing.

Album: Another Sound is Dying
Artist: Dub Trio
Genre: Dub Metal
Year: 2008
Label: Ipecac

I’ll skip the moping and get straight to the point. For those of you who never thought you’d live long enough to see a Dub/Metal crossover band, meet the Dub Trio, a band from New York whose name says it all. Their new album, “Another Sound is Dying” was released on Ipecac Records, which is how I found them. Specifically, I found them through Mike Patton’s Peeping Tom project. The last track on Peeping Tom’s debut was the song “We’re Not Alone (Remix);” the original version appears on the Dub Trio’s sophomore album “New Heavy”. But we’re here to talk about the most recent album.

If the idea of Dub Metal makes you skeptical, worry not. These goons are masters at both Dub and Metal and play them with skill. True to Dub form, sounds reverberate throughout the album and echo far into the distance and back again. The name Dub Trio is only slightly misleading as much of the album focuses on the Instrumental Metal that makes up half the bands repertoire. But when they Dub, it sounds really, really good. “Mortar Dub,” the 5th track on the album is a perfect Dub; slow, echo filled and bass heavy. Another great track is “No Flag” on which Mike Patton returns for a vocal take. This track is far different from “We’re Not Alone” which had the possibilities of Pop aspirations (Peeping Tom was a Pop project so its inclusion is telling.) No such Pop presence exists on “No Flag” which features Patton on some of his screaming best. The whole album is excellent, with nary a weak track. But the definitive best comes with the track “Agonist” which is at the same time the best Dub and Metal track on the album. The album probably gets its name from the final track, which ends with what sounds like the amplifiers sputtering out. But the band continues to play, completely frying the amps and leaving us with the sound of silence.

The cons of this album are few and far between, though they’re there. It can be a little repetitive at times (but really, what do you expect from Dub) and if you don’t like Metal or Dub then you won’t find much to like. But aside from that, if you have gone your whole life without hearing Dub, Metal or Dub Metal, pick this up and see what you think.

The White Stripes + Zombies + Blood Swamp + More Blood =

Album: We Are Night Sky
Artist: Deadboy and the Elephantmen
Genre: Swamp Rock
Year: 2005
Label: Fat Possum

I’m beginning to start these all the same way: I haven’t written anything for a while and I’m not really at the top of my game at the moment. There is laundry that needs doing and I’m falling asleep at the proverbial wheel (a recurring theme to come.) So, here is a quick review of Deadboy and the Elephantmen, a contender for best band name ever. Dax Riggs was the vocalist for Sludge/Doom Metal band Acid Bath. Acid Bath came to an abrupt end when their bass player was killed in a car accident. Since then Riggs has pursued various projects. One of these, Deadboy and the Elephantmen caught my eye and I picked up their album “We Are Night Sky.” I was not disappointed.

I have never been a huge fan of The White Stripes, probably because Jack White has an extremely whiney voice and the drums have usually felt lack luster. Deadboy and the Elephantmen, a guy on guitar/girl on drums duo doesn’t exactly re-invent the wheel, but it does give it a fine and well needed tune up (har har.) Dax Riggs has a fine vocal range (never once whines) and the drums are thumptastic. The genre of swamp rock is an old tradition, and a good one, well suited to an ex-sludge metal pioneer. Lyrically speaking, Deadboy doesn’t stretch that far from Riggs’s previous place as Acid Bath’s screamer. Skulls still rain from the sky and there is no rainbow. Another recurring theme is the night sky; it is contemplated and, once or twice, envied. However, this is much easier to take in one sitting then say “When the Kite Strings Pop.” No bass, obviously, just swampy guitars, bludgeoning drums and Riggs’s bluesy howl. Some of the tracks are entirely acoustic, with just the guitar and Riggs’s voice. One of these “Walking Stick” I think may be one of the finest moments on the album. Other excellent tracks are the opener “Stop, I’m Already Dead” and the lo-fi thrash of “Kissed By Lightning.” Deadboy is refreshing on a number of levels, you have Riggs’s reinventing himself as a swamp rocker and you have proof that the wheel sometimes can be oiled and still run just fine. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

The problems are really only existential ones. This is the only Deadboy album, though Riggs’s is continuing in this direction on his solo stuff (His most recent album; "We Sing Only of Blood or Love" is also very good.) Another problem is the simplicity of the music means that I don’t have that much to say about it. It’s good, you should check it out. It’s not my absolute favorite thing in the world, but it’s damn good none the less.