The Wonder Years – Best Buy Theater – April 17th, 2014 – The sound of Young America trying to make sense of a world of diminished expectations and social desperation, sung by 20 somethings just a little bit wiser than their teenage fans.
The week belonged to Kraftwerk. Yes, there is only one original member left and, yes, the other three are hired hands and, yes indeedy, there isn’t much action. But having noted all of the above, the 3D Kraftwerk was a blast of sound and sign and numbers.
(You Make Me Feel) Mighty Real – Frankie Knuckles Directors Cut – This is the exact diving line between disco and House, Sylvester’s greatest disco song of all time is given a nine minute blow out, the beat is all over it but essentially Knuckles takes the title hook and loops it and loops it and loops it – A+
hirty years after “Hiroshima” came Kraftwerk and forty years after that they are still dealing in the same language, even the same musical language, and Kraftwerk are still dealing with good guesses.
Adore You – Miley Cyrus – The second best song off Bangerz is a full blooded ballad as tuneful as it is moving, a hardcore moving epic of sexual love that points the way forward for an adult Miley – A
They’ve been touring on and off since the excellent 13 was released last year and this is about as big a concert as they are gonna get. I missed out on years of Ozzyfest because I couldn’t be bothered hitching to the swamps of New Jersey. But the swamps of Brooklyn , Monday at Barclay Center? That I can do.
Miss You In My Life – The Belle Brigade – This is too soft even for the soft sidey Souther Cali Laurel Canyon hand, the song is too ethereal, the melody doesn’t lock you in, and much like the album, it floats away – C+
Over half of the, er, songs will be repeats from the 2005 concerts, and five will be off 2009 Radio-Activity album. Ergo, however much the 3D Kraftwerk might or might not be cutting edge, they are working from the same template as everybody
I didn’t bother even trying for a tix to the Kraftwerk retrospective at MOMA last year, and stories of tix changing hands for $5K a pop but in reading on Brooklynvegan about their performance April 1ST and 2 nd at United Palace and then getting the BV password (COMPUTERS HAR HAR) the decision was made and a hundred bucks later I am planning my first sighting of the Kings of (OK) Komputers
A Weill-Mann classic, and the big boom drums spur it like an undercurrent of feeling and Ronnie sounds so deep into the feelings which are pretty awesome as well: this one is a real dream of love because it doesn’t even really exist, it is like a day dream of what it will be like – A+
Walking Back To Happiness – Helen Shapiro – A huge hit in the early 60s, the hook, the “hoop hah oh yeah” is the closest the UK ever got to trouncing US girl groups, an infectious blast – A+
