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Music
Don't know what to do tonight? Don't worry, we've got you covered.
At first, I resented that a coworker called me a hippie for liking the West Philadelphia Orchestra. But, in a certain kind of way, the band is our city's Phish. The members tour around Philly like it's a vice, and their live show is far superior to their albums. (That doesn't mean I think Phish's albums are good just that they're worse than the band's performances.) But the analogy ends there the WPO are far from slow-jammers, and they'll never, ever put you to sleep. To the contrary they play old-timey Eastern European music, with a gaggle of trumpets, tenor horns, sousaphones, saxes, clarinets, violins, violas and drums. It 's nervously quick, almost manic and makes you want to dance.
Thu., March 12, 10 p.m., $5, Tritone, 1508 South St., 215-545-0475, tritonebar.com
Don't know what to do tonight? Don't worry, we've got you covered.
You may know the Canadian band Metric in one of the following ways: 1) You heard "Monster Hospital" on Grey's Anatomy. 2) You like Broken Social Scene and are aware that Metric is somehow connected to that strange family-tree of a band. 3) You've heard lead singer Emily Haines critique consumerism. 4) You've heard lead singer Emily Haines' voice on a TV commercial for Polaroid film, despite critiquing such things.
OK, so the band may be a little hypocritical. So what? They make super clean, '90s throwback pop, which sometimes sounds just like Euro dance music and other times sounds exactly like Stars. The slow songs, like "Ending Start," are so dreamy and ethereal that they may send you into a coma. Conversely, the faster-paced songs, like "Monster Hospital," may induce an anxiety attack. Check out their show tonight and revel in the paradox.
Tue., Feb. 17, 8pm, $23, Upstairs at World Live Café, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400.
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| I'm totally straight for FotC! |
If you appreciate honesty over flattery — for example, being told that you're pretty enough to be a waitress (but definitely not the prettiest girl in the world) — then you'll dig relationship advice from the leading men of Flight of the Conchords.
Will Bret and Jemaine tell you that your boyfriend's ugly and you should dump him for a New Zealander? Most likely. When you ask them if you should wear that cute new sweater on your first date, will they say "No, 'cause you just look OK in it, girl?" Yep. But isn't that the raw, honest truth you've been looking for?
Send in your burning questions to askaconchord@bust.com by Sun., Jan. 25, and read the answers in BUST Magazine's April/May issue. Just don't expect anything sugar-coated.
Every week, we have a staffer, freelancer or friend/enemy/frienemy of The Clog put their iTunes or iPod on shuffle and tell us about the first 10 songs that come up. The only rules: No skipping, no cheating and you don’t need to be all music critic-y about it. (If you’d like to submit a 10-Track Mind of your own, contact Drew Lazor at drew.lazor @ citypaper.net.) This week, listings editor Holly Otterbein stops working long enough to temporarily treat her ears nice.
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1. Woody Guthrie – “New Found Land” (Columbia River Collection)
I have my snobby friends to thank for this one. I’d want to rock out to the jangly, metallic-y and unarguably brilliant Blonde on Blonde, and they’d hate on it. “Screw Bob Dylan,” they’d say. “He’s just a ripoff of Woody Guthrie.” It turns out this is only half-true, applying to a measly six of Dylan’s 32 studio albums. But I’m glad I got to know Guthrie because of it. He’s wholly American and makes for great roadtrip music.
2. Radiohead – “Kid A” (Kid A)
A friend of mine once said that this album captures our zeitgeist. And that’s all I’m going to say, because otherwise I’ll sound like a slobbering fangirl.
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3. The Decemberists – “Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)” (The Crane Wife)
This album, The Crane Wife, is based off an an old, bittersweet Japanese tale. (Read about its fantastical plot here.) It’s epic and involves soldiers and lovers, just like every great Decemberists album. By the way, I never heard of the term “lit-rock” before The Decemberists came around. Did it exist before them? Surely another band must like the thesaurus as much as The Decemberists do.
4. Broken Social Scene – “Tremoloa Debut” (Broken Social Scene)
This one-minute ditty makes me think of the word “longing.”
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5. Wilco – “When You Wake Up Feeling Old” (Summerteeth)
Damn, this 10-Track Mind makes me look pretty indie, huh? Well, whatever. My excuse is that I just started using iTunes. As for this Wilco song, it’s a little more cheerful than I like my Jeff Tweedy. I’m a bigger fan of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and all its depressing, neurotic melodies.
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6. Joni Mitchell – “River” (Blue)
Joni’s schtick is insecurity — her lyrics, voice and stage prescense all reek of it — and this is especially true in “River.” In the line, “I’m so hard to handle/I’m selfish and I’m sad,” you can actually hear her pouting. (Listen for it in the words beginning with “s.”) But damn if it isn’t the most beautiful whining I’ve ever heard. Thank God for Joni’s failed love affairs. We wouldn’t have gems like these without ’em.
7. Neutral Milk Hotel – “Two-Headed Boy” (In the Aeroplane Over the Sea)
Where did Neutral Milk Hotel go? Why won’t they come back and write more wildy abstract, dramatic songs that make me want to roll in a field all day?
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8. Notorious B.I.G. — “Warning" (Ready to Die)
Now here’s a song that speaks to who I really am, unlike all those indie songs. Kidding. But I do love Big Poppa.
9. The Fugees — “Family Business” (The Score)
A beautiful, complex rap about immortality and crime. Isn’t it cool that Prez-elect Obama said he digs this group?
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10. Cat Power – “The Greatest” (The Greatest)
Chan Marshall is so damn wry. She names her album “The Greatest,” which makes it sound like an prideful recap of her 15-year ouvre, and then puts completely new songs on it! Songs about how she once wanted to be the greatest, but then realized that goal was futile! Well, at least her dilemmas make for bluesy, soulful jams. I can’t say the same about mine.
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| Thank you for Flight of the Conchords, Internet. |
| Courtesy people.tribe.net |
If you're a Flight of the Conchords fan, you've probably sneaked a peek at this season's first episode. That's because the show's leading men, Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, give credit where it's due: They leaked the season premiere in December to "thank" the Internet for the success it's brought them. (And by success, I think they mean 167,000 MySpace friends. Either that or the best-selling album.)
The boys must be grateful for Philly, too, because HBO is screening the first episode tonight at 941 Theater (941 N. Front St.), and giving attendants free food and drinks! Be sure to RSVP here, though, because times are tough — and who can turn down a free HBO premiere?
I missed it :'(
You can watch Episode 1 online if you haven't seen it yet!
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