rock nyc

We hoped and prayed it would be on whole other levels of gratuitous self-indulgence and divaish slo-mo diselegance and while it has its moments, all in all I am a little disappointed

Obviously Vampire Weekend is the one to beat here, but the runner ups are pretty impressive. I’ve liked everything I’ve streamed off the new Rod Stewart, Talib Kweli and Fitz And The Tantrums are long time rock nyc faves, Van Dykes Park is his first album of new material since the excellent Orange Crate Art with Brian Wilson. If you haven’t heard it, the album sounds better now than it did in 1995.

8 of these songs are here directly because of live concerts, three reference the Peter Tork set, three are a preview for tonight’s Rihanna show, one for the past date Mac show and one for the I am not gonna see Van Dyke Parks show at MHOW on Sunday May 16th, 2013.

I found a version of “Migraine” captured in The Live Room and to be entirely honest, I like almost cried the first time I heard it. This band is absolutely perfect.

Haven’t the people of Beantown been tortured enough? I mean, look that was a mess. Three dead, lots of injuries but life goes on and that’s the price of living in a democracy.

Fantasia and Melvins are on the second songs off their later albums, Paramore is on the third, Fleetwood Mac on the second off their otherwise disappointing EP, Johnny Marr a surprise return following the live show and as for The Passenger… who?

If Passenger are this year’s Gotye (and I certainly hope so) than without a reasonable doubt,at least it doesn’t sound like Sting. electronic twins Disclosure put the great Eliza Doolittle to pretty good use one way or the other on a boring song. Otherwise, electronic pop songs rule of 2013 continues

I’ve only given Passenger a perfunctory listen, so it might be better, it might be worse, Blue -a typical European Boy band, is nothing much and Bo Brice is very good. Passenger -I wonder… let’s wait and see.

I hate time because time means Conor Oberst doesn’t have the wild innocence of his youth, as he does on “Train Under Water” where you can see the innocence comes unstuck like a young Van Morrison singing “And if I don’t call that just means I’d rather not”. Both of these guys are confused by how cruelty and honesty interlock

The music was quite stripped down to let her voice shine and be the definite star, a voice she was in total control of, as she was effortlessly pushing the high notes with a rare elasticity, a total vocal agility, while making expressive faces, moving her hands in the air or clenching fists

Television needs to offer up a segment for the underdog. We want to see people that are unfamiliar so we can say we knew them before they made it big. Think of the dollars saved, think of the goodwill careers made! Instead we get the same old people in a different order on a different couch. Oh well, I can dream

To quote the Joker, wait till they get a load of me. With guest stars a plenty on hand mostly for vocal purposes (Howdy Jello Biafra!) long term sludge rockers cover their fave tracks but only fly when they leave their natural breeding ground for Queen, Roxy Music, and one of the great covers of the year, a damaged and deformed but still the same sensed version of the already pretty out there Bowie masterwork “Station To Station ” – ALBUM OF THE WEEK – A-

James Blake will probably be brooding behind a bank of synths for 90 minutes on Thursday BUT his songs are so remarkable who cares? It is the price of doing business with the young electronic whiz kid you’ll have to suck it up to hear his excellent sophomore effort Retrograde on stage. Plus it is T5 so you weren’t going to see much any way. Request “A Case Of You” quietly.

The Melvins are my big rock band right this minute, I really enjoy their new covers album and I love their haircuts which always helps. Down the middle of the list are three of the biggest dogs of the year, you should listen to em just so as you know I am not aimlessly dssing here. The Vince Gill song is a masterpiece that passed me right by and more’s the shame. As for the last three, two are 2013 faves and the last one was a highly of Marrs gig at MHOW.

I can’t get enough of this band. The chorus totally hits home and makes this their Warped Tour anthem; every band who plays Warped has the one new song that people know and scream along to, even if just walking by, and this is it

Sounding as fresh as ever and full of life’s experiences, “Elvis Club” is an instant pleaser

wned and operated by Rockafella Records (or did I misread that somewhere?) and playing at the surging Barclay Center where everybody who is anybody comes to perform, starting with Barbra Streisand. Sure, the Bulls are decimated by DLs at the moment and I couldn’t be happier! The Nets have been fun to watch all year and while I am a Knicks guy (through gritted teeth till they dump Dolan), I am awed by the Nets having forced a Game Seven at the Barclay Center tonight. LET’S GO NETS.

The top six are simply my way of saying adieu adieu, to yieU and yieu and yieu. Deanna Darbin was a particularly favorite of my gone but not forgotten papa, two of these songs have much much much to do with having seen Mr. Marr last night, and the newbie is a revelation I missed when I reviewed the album. If you haven’t read Ross’ Richard barone, do it NOW!

I’m so used to writing about Festival failures that its amazing to me that I am writing about a success. Game Changers “Skate and Surf” Festival was to be held at the iPlay complex in Freehold New Jersey. Stoked! Indoor amusement park. I wont like the parking bit confused me. Y

Wait, that’s too harsh, it is still damn good but it needs a rethink.

A fragile English Rose vision in a polo neck sweatshirt, Laura was blonde. But not California blonde. A translucent , timeless blondeness. Like she had been raised around sheep in the English countryside and was auditioning for the role of Emily Bronte’s ghost

All we need now is a Davy hologram to make it more awful. This is a great example of missed opportunity. A four man Monkees tour would have me screaming like the ‘Beatles just landed, a three man Monkee tour is a meh of an event.

I got tix for Pet Shop Boys and Vampire Weekend, a pretty good reason to stick on tons of PSB and return to the scene of the crime with VW whose use of the f bomb was entirely inspired. The new Hanson sounds like the Jackson 5. Not as good of course, but pretty damn good any way.