Shovels and Rope were asked to curate the lineup and they nailed it. While we really like that band and now we like them even more as their ears and taste seem to be just as talented as the rest of them. Jason Isbell, Band of Horses, Jeff Tweedy have all been featured on RtBE before and we would love to catch them all at a festival. It is quite frankly some of the best Americana you will hear anywhere...and there will be oyster seminars?!?!
With our commitment to Jazzfest we will probably not be able to head to this one, but we are praying all these bands keep the party going and head to NOLA when that announcement is made. Until then let's hear some of the bands playing High Water, starting with the curators themselves:
The group put them out on their bandcamp site and you can stream over there or below. The songs do have a demo feel to them and we wouldn't be surprised if the band re-worked them before officially releasing both on a future album, but they are classic tHS style. Big swells (even horns) tons of lyrics with memorable turns of phrase and major riffs.
While we personally dig "Entitlement Crew" more, both are solid and it is fun to have Franz back in the mix. We will be attending and reviewing the Friday Night show with a bunch of friends, RtBE can not wait to see them. Below are some older live tunes to get us all pumped.
It is of Bob Dylan's recent show at the Beacon Theater on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It is no secret that Bob is an idol of RtBE but over the last few albums and live experiences we have been let down by the bard...but not at this show.
This was the best we have seen Dylan and the band in years.
Mavis Staples was a joy to see as well with her backup singers and band clearly enjoying themselves on stage as well. The only negatives on the night were the exorbitant Ticketmaster service charge ($40 per ticket) and the Beacon Theater having only 5 metal detectors for all 3,000 people to filter through. Clearly that fee was not going to security as lines snaked around the block at 7pm when the doors were opening and moved incredibly slowly.
Focusing on the positive though, it was a hell of a night of tuns from two of the all-time greats. Support Bob and Mavis, and peep some video below:
In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune comes from TheSteepwater Band and is a live cover of "Isis"
Thoughts on Dylan Original: From the first time we tackled a cover of this tune in the series: Desire is such a thick album, Dylan's most complex story songs seem to hover in and around it, and not all are winners...."Isis" is though. A great song that manages to engage even without a chorus, it is one of Bob's more "mystical" tunes and lures most people in the first time they hear it...before the mp3 age it came right after the powerful "Hurricane" and transforms the album from timely to timeless. Cover:
Thoughts on Cover Artist:
RtBE have not heard of The Steepwater Bandbefore. Turns out they are a bluesy rock band from Chicago who have been rocking since 1998. Thoughts on Cover:
Great guitar work and some upbeat playing make this journey a fun one to take after this holiday weekend. Get up and shake out that stuffing with the fellas.
We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week.. Myrkur!
It is upon us! BLACK Friday! In a tradition we started a few years ago it is time for the most evil Black Metal ever; because really it is the perfect soundtrack if you are hitting the brutality of shopping on this day. Granted we here at RtBE are not fans of the genre (or shopping) but have researched a few bands after enjoying the documentary Until The Light Takes Us.
This year we let the female black metal voice be heard as Amalie Bruun fronts her outfit Myrkur. RtBE has actually been meaning to review the bands newest record since it came out in September, but have yet to get around to it. Perhaps this will push deeper into the darkness....
Pro shot, Pro sound, full set list below:
Songs:
00:13 Den Lille Piges Død
05:01 Hævnen
08:57 Onde Børn
13:15 Vølvens Spådom
14:55 Jeg Er Guden, I Er Tjenerne
18:51 Mordet
22:57 Dybt I Skoven
26:15 Skøgen Skulle Dø
30:50 Skaði
35:42 Song to Hall Up High
Have a Happy Thanksgiving. Make sure you spend some time over this holiday doing what is truly important...Watching The Last Waltz:
Also make sure to enjoy your time with loved ones and family. As a famous man once said, "Enjoy Every Sandwich"...especially the leftover turkey, mashed potato, stuffing and gravy ones on potato rolls...
The last few years we have thrown it back to Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parades of the past and this years no different. Here is the 1993 Thanksgiving Day Parade:
For her eighteenth studio album the legendary Mavis Staples once again teamed up with producer and songwriter Jeff Tweedy. If All I Was Was Black tackles our current political climate and Tweedy addressed this directly when discussing writing songs for the new album:
"I’ve always thought of art as a political statement in and of itself—that it was enough to be on the side of creation and not destruction. But there is something that feels complicit at this moment in time about not facing what is happening in this country head on."
Just last year the Staples and Tweedy combined for one of the best records of the 2016 with Livin' on A High Note, but this album digs a bit deeper lyrically while returning to Staples stripped down musical roots. Racial injustice is present from the first smooth funky outing "Little Bit" and continues into the title track. Both support Staples lead vocals with gorgeous backup singing, grooving riffs and excellently cutting electric guitar lead lines. It is a simple and direct formula that isn't messed with much over the course of the album.
"Who Told You That" gets grittier with both the lyrics and the funk as the song takes a harder edge while "Peaceful Dream" goes back to church with Staples gospel singing, organ and easy acoustic plucking. There is very little to find fault with as the music effortlessly flows from the sweet soul sounds of "Build A Bridge" to the feedback driven "Try Harder"; all songs have a focus on healing humanity and our present day cultural rifts. One minor flaws is there isn't a full fledged anthem to get behind and a track like "No Time For Crying" runs long and never takes off on the record, but will probably be a focus of Staples live sets.
The pair of artists come together for a blissful duet on "Ain't No Doubt About It" that sums up their professional relationship (if not their personal one) in a very easy going straight ahead manner. Tweedy and Staples clicked immediately, knocking it out of the park in 2010 with the Grammy winning You Are Not Alone and have continued to succeed and strive ever since.
Staples late career renaissance is impressive and while her early wok will always soar high, her partnership with Jeff Tweedy has yielded almost as successful results. While If All I Was Was Black is definitely a 2017 record the sounds and (unfortunately the messages sung about) will live on for a long time.
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Support the artist, buy the album and peep some video below:
The prolific psychedelic Australian rockers King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, put their summer of love meets the new millennium, freak-out style back into action with their newest release (their 4th of supposedly 5 in 2017), with the easy to pronounce (and spell), Polygondwanaland. The group keeps raising the stakes with concept albums and explorations with free jazz nodding to Sketches of Spain and their newest is a sonic assault on the senses...in a good way.
The opening track needs special attention as it is over ten minutes of increasing freak-outs around the title "Crumbling Castle". Frankenstein-ed together but somehow flowing, there are sonic excursions, percussive breaks and a variety of vocal styles that make the full trip even odder. It is a bad ass opening statement and sticks around long after it finishes.
After the dizzying opener the group stays odd, but keeps it direct (well, direct for this outfit). The title track percolates with an excellent bass-line/acoustic guitar work while "Inner Cell" incorporates an eastern tinged flair with a snaking groove. The theme of castles reappears with "The Castle In The Air" a dreamy spoken word adventure before dripping into the propulsive "Deserted Dunes Welcome Weary Feet".
Synthesizers and flutes color "Loyalty" but it is the ever moving beat that pushes things along and the drum and bass combo wind up the MVP for "Horology" as well. The vocals take a back seat to the gymnastic playing but this album was designed for multiple listens to parse out meanings, phrases and lyrics from the melodic soup. The seven piece can sound overly busy at times (see album closer "The Fourth Colour"), but when things lock in the music can be transcendent.
The band released this full album for free, even posting the master recordings online for people to use as they please. KG&TLW seem to never stop producing music and when it arrives as fresh as Polygondwanaland here's hoping it never stops.
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Support the band, download the album for free or stream it below, and peep some video:
In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune is a live cover by Old Crow Medicine Show playing "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35"
Thoughts on Original:
From the first time we tackled a cover of this tune:
The first song on the iconic Blonde on Blonde "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" is an anthem for a generation...to do what with, is up for debate. Stoned in the head or stoned by the masses up to you to decide. Whatever your thoughts on the lyrics and meaning it can't be argued that Bob is having fun which doesn't always come across on his studio releases. The "salvation Army" style horns and marching is a hoot...once in a long while but not made for everyday consumption. Truth be told, the song is normally skipped when I am listening to the album, I like opening Blonde on Blonde better with "Pledging My Time".
Cover:
Thoughts on Cover Artist: Old Crow Medicine Show have always been a fun folkise root rock ride when we have heard them, but also that hasn't been too often.
Thoughts on Cover:
THIS is the way you cover this song. Rollicking, powerful, full of vigor and rambling shambling around the stage. An excellent version of this song and when we see the man himself tonight we hope he plays one song half as energetic as this version.
We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...Joni Mitchell!
This week we focused on some of the most talented females making popular music today. So it was time to showcase Joni Mitchell live from 1980 Shadow and Light for our Full Show Friday to end things. Playing with Pat Methany and Jaco, Joni digs into her tunes with touches of jazz as all of the players are world class. Joni came up in conversation last week and while RtBE are not the biggest fans of hers we realized we never featured her on Full Show Friday so that needed to change.
This is her Shadows and Light tour which produced the live album. Pro Shot, Pro Sound, full setlist below.
Enjoy:
00:00 - Introduction
01:58 - In France They Kiss on Main Street
06:07 - Edith and the Kingpin
10:18 - Coyote
15:12 - Free Man in Paris
18:42 - Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
24:36 - Jaco's Solo:
The High and the Mighty
Third Stone from the Sun
28:41 - The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines
33:04 - Amelia
39:45 - Pat's Solo
42:46 - Hejira
50:04 - Black Crow
54:01 - Furry Sings the Blues
59:37 - Raised on Robbery
1:02:52 - Band Introduction
1:04:03 - Why Do Fools Fall in Love
1:06:26 - Shadows and Light
Via our friends over at Brooklyn Vegan we found out that the Continental on 3rd ave and St. Marks will be closing next year with the building to be demolished.
You may ask what does a dive bar have to do with a music site? Well RtBE has seen many shows at Continental throughout our time in NYC. From friends bands to Joey Ramone's Birthday shows, to secret NYHC shows after they didn't officially have live music anymore. (They news-papered the windows so no one could have possible known there was a band playing right?!?!) You can view the full statement on the closing,
We ourselves never got to play there, but it would have been exactly our speed. It has been a part of our NYC heart so it is sad to see it go...what was even sadder was when St. Marks Pizza got new owners and then shut down...that used to be our favorite pizza in the whole city!
But we digress...here is some live video from Continental to remember the joint. Head down for some cheap drinks before it gets knocked down in August 2018
Last year’s debut Midwest Farmers Daughter was a long time coming and it delivered the country/Americana goods, kick starting Margo Price’s career. It was on multiple 2016 Best of Lists (including ours) and proved she had the talent to write, sing and pick with the best of best from any generation.
Only one year later comes her follow-up and All American Made is even better. Price has broadened her songwriting to ingest modern day heartbreak, tough mental states and (most expressively) on political touch points; this is a masterful country/Americana record.
The opener "Don't Say It" contains a a splash of “Hard to Handle” and is the most barroom rock and roll shit-kicking Price gets, telling off a bad relationship via killer lyrics. These excellent turns of phrase are everywhere on the disk, you could swear you’ve heard them before but nope, these songs are pure Margo and the second track “Weakness” is an instant classic in the country genre.
Speaking of classics, none other than Willie Nelson shows up for a fantastic duet on “Learning to Lose” and while lyrically it may not top others here, just hearing that purely American voice delicately sing with Price is a joy. She has what amounts to a sequel to the last album’s title track with “Heart of America”, the complications of sexism double standard on the road (and in life in general) with “Wild Woman” and expands into traveling spirituality on “Loner” painting broad strokes lyrically in front of swaying music.
Speaking of the music, there are a few stretches away from Prices bread and butter of Midwestern country. “A Little Pain” gets excellently soulful with organ work while “Do Right By Me” has a down home groove propelled by the bass, drums and soul singing backup vocals; both prove when Price branches out she and her band can succeed.
The two tracks that will be discussed the most are “Pay Gap” and the title effort as Price wades into the political arena on both. “Pay Gap” is a delightful flamenco number that has yips and yee-haws whimsically masking the amazingly STILL prevalent topic of the title and succeeds in all directions. Lyrically Price is fierce and delivers her point with gusto, directness, wisdom and conviction.
“All American Made” isn’t as successful as Price dives into presidential politics, sampling speeches, singing about Reagan selling arms to the Iranians and tying it into an aching pain she can’t quite describe. While her heart is in the right place, the overloaded samples and unclear overarching focus (driving rusty pick trucks to California? Closing with an LBJ sample?) can’t live up to her lyrical directness in “Pay Gap”.
After crafting a solid-to-great country album on Midwest Farmers Daughter no one would have blinked twice if Price played it safe, especially after struggling so long to break through. Instead the opposite happened and she put out a gem of a record that broadens her horizons while simultaneously cementing her as a singer/songwriter who needs to be heard regardless of genre (not gender) bias.
St. Vincent’s 5th studio album MASSEDUCATION is a swirling mix of pop, pills, sex and personal confessions blending layers of vocals styles, gorgeous production and instrumentation. However, even with a variety of styles there still seems to be a mask over the proceedings keeping things from truly sinking into the skin.
Annie Clark has made her bones being an art rock guitar slayer, but here she moves directly to the pop and visual glam as this music is tailor made for video distribution and costume changes. While David Bowie is a clear comparison for Clark, her baroque style throughout MASSEDUCATION called to mind Lady Gaga more times than expected.
Her guitar playing takes a back seat (or on some tracks it’s thrown out of the car completely) to her production work with co-producer Jack Antonoff. Dance beats, building choruses and electro-funk breaks are everywhere from the rave up for relationships (especially the fleeting ones) on “Sugarboy” to the sexed up role reversal of “Savior” to the silly-before symphonic “Pills”. With “Pills” Clark mixes up the script from direct 2017 mindless radio pop to an arty flair an ending, a trick she uses a few times throughout.
“Los Ageless” is the best of the swaggering dance tunes as it pushes the music into an industrial flavored pop direction with huge bass hits Trent Reznor would enjoy before ending the tune with a swirling mellow refrain of “Try to write you a love song but it comes out a lament” (another phrase/sound Reznor probably enjoys). While the album bumps plenty, it is the slower piano based tracks that really hit home the hardest, leading to the feeling that the pomp around the upbeat jams is more of a smoke screen for the notoriously private singer.
The mystical cool end of “Los Ageless” dovetails expertly into the achingly personal sounding, minimalist track “Happy Birthday, Johnny”. The detail and emotion of the lyrics and vocals elevate this song for Clark a style she also uses for the back-to-what-you-know love song “New York” which turns out to be an album highlight. “Slow Disco” amps up the dramatic strings while “Smoking Section” artfully declares MASSEDUCATION is not over with Clark's final lyrics.
While “Fear The Future” contains intriguing guitar work and overloaded production sounding as if it was made to steal the show, it is those softer numbers that hint at even great depth and layers for Clark’s future. While this disk is sure to have droves of devotees with its dance-pop friendly sheen it also shows Clark can deliver even more in the future.
In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune is a live cover by Hank & Hanna singing "I Want You"
Thoughts on Original:
(From the first time we tackled a cover of this song)
A song that fits the Gemini Dylan like a glove; direct lyrical yearning chorus with verses that meander about introducing characters like roadblocks in the way of true love. It was the last tune written for the mega Blonde on Blonde and a song he and others (it was Al Kooper's favorite) admired so much he almost titled the album after it. Never a track that jumps to the top of peoples "favorites" or "best of" Dylan lists but one that really nails what the artist is all about in some of the simplest terms. Cover:
Thoughts on Cover Artist: Hanna & Hank are an indie-folk duo from Gothenburg - Sweden. Their page has more on them as well. Thoughts on Cover:
This is a fun duet cover, a fun way to do an easy folkie take on the direct song. Love the dueling lyrics and the harmonica playing.
Since this is a music site we will pay homage in our way and especially since our friend Glen has recorded a song with his great NYHC band Billyclub Sandwich titled "Veteran's Day". You can listen to bad ass tune below following the perfect Patton quote that the group used to intro it:
No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.
"I choose to fight for what I live for" Well said fellows. Well said.
We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...Foo Fighters!
This week we focus on one of the biggest rock bands in the world, the Foo Fighters. We here at RtBE aren't huge fans of theirs, but you can't deny their broad appeal. Here is their set from Rock am Ring 2015. Pro Shot, Pro Sound, with the setlist below. Enjoy!
Setlist:
1:20 - Everlong
6:04 - Monkey Wrench
13:50 - Learn to Fly
17:56 - Something From Nothing
22:51 - The Pretender
31:11 - Arlandria (band introduction at 39:00)
44:40 - Cold Day in the Sun
48:27 - Congregation
53:22 - Walk
B-Stage:
58:28 - My Hero (Dave solo, acoustic)
1:06:32 - Times Like These (Half Dave solo & half with the band on B-Stage)
1:12:25 - Stay With Me (The Faces cover) (with Dave Catching)
1:22:26 - Let There Be Rock (AC/DC cover)
1:28:18 - Under Pressure (Queen & David Bowie cover)
Main-Stage:
1:34:28 - All My Life
1:40:08 - These Days
1:47:35 - Outside
1:54:45 - Big Me (Slow Version)
1:59:55 - Breakout
2:09:26 - Best of You
We were in NOLA when Allen Toussaintpassed away and the movement started to rename Lee Circle for him. We are 100% behind that movement and are now 100% behind renaming the Williamsburg Bridge for a jazz titan who famously use to practice out on the expanse, blowing into the wind.
"I could have probably spent the rest of my life just going up on the bridge. I realized, no, I have to get back into the real world."
There is a now legislation starting to move through NYC government to rename the span for Sonny Rollins and while it make some time to move ahead, it feels like the right people are pushing the effort and politicians are clearly open to the change.
You can find out more about it here and here but RtBE is clearly on the side of music when it comes to this one. In order to sway anyone who might be reading, just peep some of his video below:
The Austin based singer/songwriter/guitarist Jackie Venson has recently released her newest EP Transcends. It is engaging mix of pop/rock/soul all around her excellent guitar work and easy rolling vocals.
Opening with the grooving "Flying" the EP starts strong via the Prince inspired number that showcases all of the artists numerable talents. "Mysterious" is Venson's most pop influenced numbers, using loops and digital beats, focusing directly on her breathy vocals while "Fast" struts with rocky confidence and a funky bass line but suffers from cliched lyrics about materialism.
Venson's funky strutting keeps moving with the positive "Fight" which quotes Bob Marley and leans on dance beats behind melodic strums and some gorgeous ringing guitar notes. Things then come to a close (much to quickly) with the rocking title track which contains Jackie's fiercest guitar work on the disk and proves she is a player to watch as it closes Transcends on a high note.
While Venson has released a few EP's her 2017 is proving to be her biggest year yet with Transcends and a tour with fellow Austin rocker Gary Clark Jr. The talent is clearly there and hopefully she reaches even higher heights in the 2018 (and releases a full length).
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A fun release from a talented individual. Support the artist, buy the album, peep some video below:
Two huge acts from the early nineties are pairing up for a summer tour to bring out all of the thirty/forty-somethings for a night of reliving their youth. The Pixies and Weezer will pair up for a seven week North American Tour, full dates are below:
Tickets go on sale to the public starting on Friday, November 10 at 10am local time; For more information visit weezer.com and pixiesmusic.com. Weezer fans can also sign up for their email list now for access to the band’s pre-sale that will begin on Monday, November 6 at 11am local time.
“We’re all big Weezer fans,” said Pixies’ Black Francis, “so we’re really looking forward to this summer. We have a lot of respect for Weezer, they’re not afraid to take risks with their music.”
Weezer and Pixies 2018 Tour Dates:
6/23/18 Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
6/26/18 New Orleans, LA @ Bold Sphere Music at Champions Square
In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune is a live cover by Emmylou Harris of the Dylan tune "Every Grain of Sand"
Thoughts on Original:
A monster of a song and crowning achievement during his born again Christianity phase. The version RtBE always goes back to is from the Bootleg Series Vol 1-3 with backup vocals from Jennifer Warnes and the gorgeous scene it sets. It was the pinnacle of his song writing during this era and signaled the end of his Christian phase moving back to more universal themes and a throw back to William Blake style poetry. Who knows what goes on inside the Bard's mind but this seemed to help him move back into secular music some of which showed up on Shot of Love with this tune closing out the disk and that phase of his career. Cover:
Thoughts on Cover Artist:
We have never been a huge fan of Emmylou Harris outside of her guest work with Gram Parsons, The Band and Dylan himself.
Thoughts on Cover:
This was recorded on Emmylou's 1995 album Wrecking Ball and featured Daniel Lanois as producer. Recorded in New Orleans with the excellent producer the song takes on a different feel from the original, but Harris excellently delivers with a marching beat with light airy vocals.
We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...Stevie Wonder!
This week we showcase the great Stevie Wonder. RtBE caught him down in New Orleans on this same tour. Our show wasn't as engaging as this one though as Wonder plays the 02 Arena in London. Pro shot, Pro sound, full setlist with timings below...
Enjoy!
SETLIST & PERSONNEL
1 Intro / All Blues 0:00
2 As If You Read My Mind 4:50
3 Master Blaster (Jammin') 9:05
4 Did I Hear You Say You Love Me 13:11
5 All I Do 17:10
6 Knocks Me Off My Feet 21:50
7 Celebration Of Love 25:30
8 Harmony 29:50
9 [UK Medley] 32:30
London Bridge Is Falling Down
Fool On The Hill
I Wanna Hold Your Hand
I Can't Get No Satisfaction
10 People Make The World Go 'Round 36:40
11 Higher Ground (Cut out due to copyright issues)
12 Spain 39:45
13 Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing 51:30
14 Visions 56:40
15 Living For The City 1:09:24
16 A Man Gotta Do 1:12:49
17 Part-Time Lover 1:17:20
18 Overjoyed 1:20:15
19 Lately 1:24:5
20 I'm Gonna Laugh You Right Out Of My Live (Performer – Aisha Morris) 1:28:50
21 My Cherie Amour 1:35:10
22 Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours 1:38:20
23 Sir Duke 1:41:15
24 I Wish 1:44:03
25 Isn't She Lovely 1:46:22
26 You Are The Sunshine Of My Life 1:48:20
27 I Just Called To Say I Love You (Cut out due copyright issues)
28 You Are The Only One For Me (Snippet) 1:50:40
29 Superstition (So What The Fuss)/Clock On The Wall 1:53:02
31 As 2:01:34
Filmed at the O2 Arena, London, UK on September 30th & October 1st, 2008
Personnel (thanks HAPPY WHALE)
(In order as introduced):
Stevie Wonder (The Boss - Voc; p; Harm; synth; Clav.)
Ryan Kilgore (ts; as)
Errol Cooney (g)
Roman Johnson (kb)
Dwight Adams (tp)
Kyle Bolden (g)
Munyungo Jackson (pc)
Victoria Theodore (kb)
Nathan Watts (b; musical director)
Fausto Cuevas III (pc)
Stanley Randolph (dr)
Dejah Gomez (back. voc.)
Aisha Morris (back. voc.)
Kimberly Brewer (back. voc.)
Keith John (back. voc.)
Over the last ten years Dan Auerbach has gone from half of a good rock duo to top notch producer and record label owner. Now he is highlighting his label mates and taking the show on the road in early 2017.
The "Easy Eye Sound Revue Tour" kicks off February 10th in Vancouver and continues until April when it wraps up in Denver. He will travel with his recently signed label mates Robert Finley and Shannon Shaw, with special guests Shannon & the Clams.
Along with those guests Auerbach will be playing solo and featuring songs from his excellent recent release, Waiting on a Song. He is playing Brooklyn on March 27th and RtBE will be there. Tickets for most shows go onsale tomorrow, until then peep some video below to get inspired.
On The War On Drugs last release, the critically acclaimed breakthrough Lost In The Dream, lush AOR styled tunes were paired with distanced vocals singing mumbled paranoia filled phrases. On his Atlantic Records follow up, A Deeper Understanding, Adam Granduciel (the main WoD'er) has managed to improve on the bright, soaring, radio friendly sound while warming up both vocally and lyrically, constructing the best album of his bands career.
The sonic production (another result of Granduciel directly) is simply put, glorious. Songs shine out of the speakers with vibrant crisp textures as the players move through the long numbers that rarely feel weighed down by repetition. The 80’s radio touchstones remain the same for the band, but they have incorporated new depths and dimensions as Granduciel’s vocals take a larger role in the overall sonic production.
Opener “Up All Night” sets the tone with its stylized sound and digital beats behind questioning lyrics. Where in the past Bruce Hornsby and Dire Straits were the main references to WoD's sound, now Granduciel has incorporated Tom Petty and especially mid-eighties Bob Dylan (the good eighties Dylan that is) into the fold. "In Chains" has breakout energetic appeal while “Pain” uses riveting guitar sounds ranging from clean acoustic to fuzzy electric as it slowly rolls like a wave in the ocean with Granduciel floating on top via questioning lyrics as he “Wants to find what can’t be found”.
On an album chock full of picturesque songs “Strangest Thing” is a standout. Huge strums and soaring keyboard work projects a sunrise over the mountains as pianos fade in and a bubbling bass pushes things forward surrounded by Granduciel’s ambivalent lyrics; a beautiful number that rewards repeated spins.
A major advancement is Granduciel projecting vocally rather than retreating into himself. Using Dylan circa Shot of Love and Infidels as an inspiration, his vocals take on a new found honesty on the ballad driven “Knocked Down” and the digital keyboard/chime laced “Holding On”. The difference is, where Dylan during this era dove deep into his evolving spirituality (“Series of Dreams”) or his intricate weighty tales (“Jokerman”) Granduciel never gets past textured phrases describing light and dark, rivers and oceans, shadows and light, pain and happiness, etc. He isn’t truly saying much of anything lyrically but the vocal confidence and easily identifiable openness (compared to past releases) certainly is a step in the right direction.
If there is a downside to A Deeper Understanding it is the feeling of a one trick pony as Granduciel and company have been down this path before and now flush their mid-80’s AOR love to its zenith. That said, it is hard to fault the majority of songs here, even the almost twelve minute, meandering “Thinking Of A Place” contains sonic surprises.
The nineteen eighties neon revival has been everywhere the last few years, taking a slightly different approach to the decade Granduciel and company strive to get mid-eighties mass marketed rock radio back on everyone’s radar. A Deeper Understanding nails this perfectly and should propel and already successful band to even greater heights.
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Friends have been telling us about this band for a while now and while we have enjoyed them in the past nothing form the WoD has stuck around long with RtBE. That has changed. This album is damn good.
