My Fill-In-the Blanks. Et Tu?

This morning I was looking at Carrie Bronstein's blog over at Monitor Mix where I noticed an interesting fill-in-the-blanks music-informed exercise.


Here's HetPer's own version:




1) I've had to defend my love of _____________________ over the years.

2. As far as I'm concerned, ______________________ nearly ruined music.

3. One of my favorite live performers ever? That's easy: _______________________.

4. If I could go back in time and dance like crazy, crowd surf or join a mosh pit, I would do that at a ___________________ show.

5. If I could choose to name a concert that truly changed my life, it would have to be _______________________.

6. The one clothing item that's musically informed and I value above the rest would have to be ___________________.

7. If there is one musician I would choose to see live even though such a choice would mean that I would be skipping out on my loved one's birthday, it would have to be ___________________.

My answers:
1) The Killers
2) Bono. And it doesn't mean that I don't listen to U2.
3) Keane
4) 30 Seconds to Mars. Blame it on Leto. Featured in the picture with C. Farrell
5) Muse. It was a life-changing experience.
6) Easy! My vintage Bob Dylan t-shirt.
7) Kelly Jones. It's true. I'm sorry. I am flawed.

Yours?

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New Videocast: Keane, Meat Festival, and Cleveland

In this new episode I address things like space, indie rock performances, and culinary decisions.

You may view this new episode here.

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Keane: Concert Report

Two nights ago we headed up North to Cleveland to see Keane in concert.
I am most appreciative of Keane as, over the years, they have informed much of my own writing process. Our concert experience was quite gripping as it seemed to contain a number of nigh comical contradictions.
Actually, the main reason why the Keane concert was such an enjoyable experience was because of the bundle of oddities that occupied the same setting.



For starters, on the tickets it said that the 'opener' for Keane was some form of a cook-off. Cook-off?! Welcome to Ohio, folks! Meat, Buckeye football, and John Boehner. Yup. I did a double take as a cook-off isn't necessarily the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of an Indie rock performance where the artists sport skinny jeans, nicely coiffured hair, and an overall vegetarianism-informed 'text.'

We approach the gate to ask the older gentleman who checked the tickets what all the other commotion was. The gentleman said, "you can eat anything you please here. There's a lot of booths. And afterwards there's going to be a concert, too."

"Ah, well, we're here for the concert, actually. Are there any sushi places nearby?" the good half asked.

The man looked at us funny and then added: "Sushi? Uhm, well, there's a lot of food here."

We thanked the man and then decided to scope the Cleveland downtown area ourselves and pick one of the places the iPhone app "Around Me" recommended to us. Yes, oh-so-very-non-cook-off-like!

The musical opening acts for Keane were Helio Sequence and Matt Kearney. Both bands made comments about the uniqueness of the setting. Matt Kearney made some vegetarian references while also commenting on the meat. "I don't think I've ever sung my songs while reading a big meat sign from the stage" said the Eugene, OR-based performer. He also taught the audience how to pronounce Oregon. "It's not Ore-gon," he said and I smiled as this is a comment I hear with much frequency from my Oregonian crowd.

And then it was Keane's turn. Tom Chaplin also made food- and meat-references when on stage. His language was almost too polite. Chaplin's good schoolboy charm is easily observed on stage. He has a hard time masking his surprise over the fact that the audience was so excited to see them perform. "I really didn't know what to expect tonight," said Chaplin, and it was a statement that could be easily believed, especially having the odd/funny setting in mind. His demeanor seemed to say: 'You guys like cook-offs and our music?! How equal opportunity of y'all!'

I wondered who was in charge of event planning and who had thought to pair the music of Keane and Matt Kearny with a cook-off. But the odd setting contributed to a most enjoyable experience. Contradictions like this are what make Ohio fascinating to me.

Keane's shows are always worth it as they are fully committed to entertaining well. After a 90-minute non-stop performance, we were happy to have driven a couple of hours North on the I-71 to see them live.

If Keane is performing in your neck of the woods, do see them. It'll be worth it, cook-off and all.

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Kaiser Chiefs and Current Favorite Playlists

I have gotten a lot of questions the past few weeks about the kinds of playlists I am using the most these days.

So, to answer your questions, this is what the playlists include currently. True to nature, I will be switching to other sounds soon, but for now, this is what they look like:






Work-out Playlist

1) My Friend Dario by Vitalic
2) Come Mona Lisa by Mango
3) Dreamworld by Rilo Kiley
4) Bawitdaba by Kid Rock
5) Busy by K's Choice
6) Destroy Everything
You Touch by Ladytron
7) Angel in Night by Basshunter
8) Gone, Gone, Gone by Robert Plant and Allison Krauss
9) Black Burning Heart by Keane
10) Depeche Mode Remix

Writing/Work Music

It's mostly the Kaiser Chiefs. Because they're great! I think of the Kaiser Chiefs as Oasis on vitamins and melatonin. Their sound is unequivocally indie while retaining a good measure of 'mellow' as well. If you have not checked out their 2008 album, Off With Their Heads, you are, indeed, missing out. It's one of the best albums of 2008. And I'm not just biased. I'm being as fair as my nature allows me to be. Beautiful sound. Wonderful depth!

Cycling Music

Mostly Radiohead.

However, I am shifting gears soon and I will most likely revisit Stereophonics for a couple of days. And Verdi's Requiem will be given some attention too. As will Debussy.
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Which Tracks Do You Privilege?

Had this conversation a few weeks ago. A bit said:

"So, any particular music you listen to over and over again?"
Rather economically, I said, 'ja.'
"Oh, cool. Like what?"

I looked at my watch as it's always the first I do so I can gauge what kind of answer I was to give.

Here is the answer and the reasons that back each choice.

Stereophonics: Rainbows and Pots of Gold

Because Kelly Jones, the mastermind behind the UK band, has that lucky talent of coupling great lyrics with incomparable sounds. I do think that it takes a certain kind music lover to truly get this sound. They sort of live this ars gratia artis thing.



Marco Masini's "Perche lo fai?"

I remember seeing this live as a very young teenager. Marco Masini won the first price in San Remo's music festival's 'young performers' edition. What I found particularly contagious was this never-before-seen-on-stage collage of angst, anxiety, inadequacy, and shear skill. This song has that 'it'. Just how many times have I heard this? By now, thousands and thousands. And, alas, those who share life with me have too, by association. And many of them even know the words by now.



The Killers: All These Things That I Have Done.

If you have not seen The Killers live you are missing out. These guys are Indie to the core. Those of us who have been following them since long before the mainstream loved them up and turned them into elevator music, get what makes them timeless. To me, they are this poetic blend of solid Americana, the indomitable spirit of the Wild West, pure rock 'n roll, androgyny, and unapologetic lyrics.

I once drove from Grand Junction, CO to Aspen and then from Aspen to Denver. My iPod played this song a total of 8 + hours. When I arrived home the next day I was asked if I had enjoyed the playlist that was prepared for me. 'Yeah, yeah, great track!'
-Track?! Just one?
-Ja. didn't see the need to go past the first one.



Muse: Sing for Absolution

I first saw them in concert when they were still promoting in small, intimate venues before they made it uber-big in the States. That first concert remains, to this day, the best rock 'n roll experience of my life.



Keane: Nothing in My Way

Because I find this song in basically every playlist. Every album of theirs delivers. And as for their latest, Perfect Symmetry, I believe my review of it was was unabashedly laudatory. Theirs is a kind of melancholy I have yet to see better and less affectedly presented by any other modern performer.

Keane's Absolute Must-Have New Album

Well, folks.
It's finally happened.
Not till 2004 have I been this excited about a new album as I am about Keane's Perfect Symmetry.
I'm endorsing it proudly and gladly. It is, de facto, that good.
Perfect Symmetry is as close to perfect as it could be. It is one of those creative projects that captures confidently the spirit of these times while, at the same time, being beholden to sounds past.

Here is the breakdown of the tracks:

1. "Spiralling" (Chaplin/Hughes/Rice-Oxley/Quin) - 4:19
2. "The Lovers Are Losing" - 5:04
3. "Better Than This" - 4:04
4. "You Haven't Told Me Anything" - 3:47
5. "Perfect Symmetry" - 5:12
6. "You Don't See Me" - 4:03
7. "Again and Again" - 3:50
8. "Playing Along" - 5:35
9. "Pretend That You're Alone" - 3:47
10. "Black Burning Heart" - 5:23
11. "Love Is the End" - 5:40
12. "My Shadow" (bonus track on Japanese edition & pre-order track on iTunes UK) - 4:47

As I just noted to an associate, Keane's new album is "so good, so happy, so 80's done right."
I can't beat that initial phrasing. Another phrase I don't mind sharing is what I intimated to Liam when discussing some albums earlier today. I referred to it as 'happy yet not sappy." Also, when referring to the track '"You Haven't Told Me Anything"' all I could come up with was: "wowsah. What vocal range!" I stand by this, too.
I can count with three hands the albums I could play daily. Keane's Perfect Symmetry is now added to that list, thus ousting LCD Soundsystem.

And if you, even marginally, like any of the British bands of a similar persuasion that I've reviewed here, you should definitely give this a try.
PS
Also, here is what the Rolling Stone magazine is saying about the album. Plus, you get to listen to the album as well.

Music Info

Anticipated projects include Keane and The Killers.

I will be reviewing the much-anticipated album by Keane, Perfect Symmetry, during the second week of October.

Here is a list of all the new Fall releases.

The Killers are also scheduled to release their third, full album in November. Read more about the RS coverage of their recent pursuits here.
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