Favorite new (to me) albums of 2011

My (mostly-inherited) vinyl collection got a lot of play this year – I’ve been trying to expand my musical knowledge & interest outside of the material that’s come out in the past 10 or so years.  I really never listened to much classic rock, jazz, folk, etc – I spent most of my childhood listening to hip-hop and (I’m not afraid to admit it) stuff like Dave Matthews Band.  So I missed out on many of the bands who influenced a lot of the music being created today.

I’ve worked my way steadily through 100 or so albums, and while some have been real duds (looking at you, Seals and Crofts), I’ve really taken to more than a few of them.  I’m not accustomed to writing about music from previous generations, but in the interest of sharing what I’ve been doing during the pretty sustained silence on this blog in the past 6 months, here’s a look back at some new (to me) favorites:

Steely Dan – Countdown to Ecstasy

I’m now ashamed to admit how little I knew about and how little I’d heard of Steely Dan.  I’ve listened to Countdown to Ecstasy, Katy Lied, Can’t Buy A Thrill and Aja a few times each, and while the others have highlights, I really think Countdown to Ecstasy is the most impressive, cover to cover.  Speaking of, the photo on the back cover of this album has inspired more than one “who would you be in you were in Steely Dan” conversation, and is likely to inspire more as it’s definitely one of the most played LPs I have.

Countdown To Ecstasy on Amazon mp3

Elton John - Tumbleweed Connection

Packaged in a glossy, heavy duty cover and accompanied by a full-sized lyric booklet, this 1970 release, Elton John’s third, has also become a favorite.  With vague echoes of some of his better known tunes, this album has a really different sound than anything I’d heard of Elton John’s (which was admittedly mostly pop hits from later in his career).  A “concept album” about the American West, this album didn’t have any released singles, though I have a few favorites (“Son of Your Father” among them).  If you can get past some of the clunkier thematic elements and accept this as a concept album, it’s a great listen.

Tumbleweed Connection on Amazon mp3

Roberta Flack – First Take 

Part soul, part jazz, Roberta Flack’s 1969 debut album was recorded when she was still playing intimate shows in tiny venues like D.C.’s Bohemian Caverns, a spot I frequented for a spell when I lived down there.  It is absolutely magical to put this album on, crank up the volume and close your eyes.  First Take has started me on yet another exploration, delving into the Jazz bins at Burlington Records.  If you’re in the mood for something a little different, you should definitely give this a spin.

First Take on Amazon mp3

If you’re unfamiliar with these albums, I highly recommend giving them all a listen.  If this post is old news to you, maybe it’ll at least serve as a reminder of how awesome these albums are, and encourage you to listen to them again.

Note: All photos are copyright © 2010 Brendan Bush unless otherwise noted. You are free to copy, distribute and transmit them as long as proper attribution is given, in accordance with this Creative Commons policy.

Wrapup: Waters & Clap Your Hands Say Yeah @ La Tulipe 12/10/2011

I made it up to Montreal on Saturday night for the first time in too long. I’ve been fairly obsessed with the new Waters album, Out In The Light, since it came out in September, and as a bonus, they opened for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, whose latest effort Hysterical I’ve also enjoyed.

It was a wicked early show (started at 7:30p), so I can’t say that I was surprised to walk into a fairly empty venue just as Waters started playing. But it did feel really strange that only a handful of folks were on the dance floor while Waters cranked through a fairly energetic and engaging set.

Of course, that meant that I was able to stand directly in front of the stage, and even leave my beer on the floor as I walked around for a couple different camera angles.

I’ve finally got the aperture setting down for show photos, but I’m still having a hard time with manual focus (as auto-focus uses a beam of light to find the subject, which I assume would be incredibly annoying to the band). So while he gave me plenty of opportunities to get a great shot, this is the best I could do to capture Waters frontman (and former Port O’Brien lead singer) Van Pierszalowski’s impressive headbanging:

Eventually Pierszalowski was able to coax some of the more timid from the back, culminating in an acoustic rendition of “Mickey Mantle” played from the floor, with the audience leading the song’s chorus. Pretty damn cool way to end a show, and an excellent way to energize a fairly docile and uninvolved crowd for the main act.

Unfortunately, CYHSY did very little to continue that energy. Their music sounded great, a good mix of tunes from their debut self-titled album and their latest, with at least one tune off of their sophomore album. But they had absolutely no stage presence, putting on a performance best characterized by the look on lead singer Alec Ounsworth’s face in this shot:

It’s too bad – I really dig their new album, and hoped I’d catch a performance as energized as the first time I saw them (at Bonnaroo in 2006). But it definitely felt like they’d all taken a handful of sedatives right before taking the stage.

The best part of the night was yet to come, however. Since the show let out so early, I was also lucky enough to stumble upon a k-os performance at Club Soda. I had sadly left my camera behind, but suffice it to say k-os made up for whatever lack of energy I’d been left with from the previous show, accompanied by a break dancer and a kickass band and turntablist. k-os gave me exactly what I asked for in May of 2010 when I wrote “I hope to catch k-os again at some point, preferably playing to a much larger audience with a lot more energy.” Thanks Kevin!

Note: All photos are copyright © 2010 Brendan Bush unless otherwise noted. You are free to copy, distribute and transmit them as long as proper attribution is given, in accordance with this Creative Commons policy.

Wrapup: The Thoughts @ Monkey House 11/7/2011

What can I say, I’m a sucker for falsetto. I wasn’t sure what was going to get me back to writing, but now I know the answer.  Though he didn’t need to play Radiohead and Neutral Milk Hotel covers to draw the comparison, The Thoughts vocalist Ian Williams made it easy for an overworked web developer-cum-music blogger to make a lazy comparison for reference.  Williams did a perfect Thom Yorke and a really good Jeff Mangum, but their original work was all The Thoughts needed to make me a quick fan.

Though I was one of maybe 3 people at the Monkey House to see The Thoughts tonight (the other 8 folks there were REALLY LOUD people playing pool in the back), they still put on a show that would have worked as well in either my living room or to a crowd of a couple hundred.  While the show was billed as a trio, Williams and violinist/harpist Katie Mosehauer were without percussion.  It may have livened up the show, but I was just as happy sitting in a chair at the front and resting my legs so my ears could do all the work.

I only wish I’d paid more attention so I could have invited more folks to the show tonight.  I can’t think of a single person who I share musical interest with who wouldn’t have loved the performance.  The Thoughts are on the East coast for a few more shows, and are based out of Seattle.  If you have the chance to see them, I highly recommend it.  I’m already looking forward to their next trip east, and will be listening to I Won’t Keep You Here from now until then.

Note: All photos are copyright © 2010 Brendan Bush unless otherwise noted. You are free to copy, distribute and transmit them as long as proper attribution is given, in accordance with this Creative Commons policy.

And life gets in the way…

It has been a pathetically long time since I’ve written anything here, and I feel pretty shitty about it. I was so motivated for so long, and always found time to go to random shows and sit down and write. Unfortunately, life has been a whirlwind for the past couple of months and I sort’ve lost the plot.

I don’t plan on abandoning this site for much longer though… I’ve been listening to a lot of classic vinyl, and I’ve got a lot to talk about, when I have time. Not long, I hope. If only my iPad cold transcribe my thoughts I’d have much more luck. Alas, the wait goes on…

Note: All photos are copyright © 2010 Brendan Bush unless otherwise noted. You are free to copy, distribute and transmit them as long as proper attribution is given, in accordance with this Creative Commons policy.

Wrapup: Jeff Mangum @ First Unitarian Church, Burlington 8/8/11

Though I admittedly waste way too much time paying attention to live music listings in Burlington, Montreal, Boston, D.C., New York and Chicago, sometimes all that wasted time pays off.  For every 50 shows I see that are in a city that I can’t make it to, I come across one gem like last night’s show that makes every freaking second worth it.

As a brief introduction for those unfamiliar, Jeff Mangum was most notably the the driving force behind Neutral Milk Hotel, indie rock idols who last released an album in 1998.  Yup, the same year I was heading off to college with posters of 2Pac and Wu-Tang Clan to hang on my walls, Jeff Mangum released what could be considered one of the best albums of my generation.

Last night, after taking a decade or so off of performing live music, Mangum proved to an adoring crowd of several hundred overheated fans that the wait was worth it.  And the audience responded in kind, pumping the packed, nearly 200-year old church with a palpable electricity.

A few songs in, as he was putting down one guitar and picking up another underneath a glowing red altar, the PA system popped and went silent.  Taking it completely in stride, Mangum picked up his folding chair and a guitar and sat on the floor facing the first pew to sing a tune while the issue was fixed.  With at least half of the audience singing along (at his request), he belted out an acoustic rendition of Two Headed Boy Pt. 2 as people streamed from the pews to the floor to sit beside him.

Playing a good mix of tunes from Neutral Milk Hotel’s two releases (Avery Island & In the Aeroplane Over the Sea), as well as a Daniel Johnston cover and an unreleased song requested by someone up front, Mangum gave us no hint as to his future as a performer, only a reminder of his talented past.

Kudos to everyone there last night (at least as far as I’ve heard) for respecting the artist’s request for no photos or recording of any sort.  It definitely spoke volumes about the quality of Burlington’s live music scene, and made me excited rather than envious for the first time in a while.

Extra special thanks go to Angioplasty Media and MSR for bringing this show to Burlington. Your efforts are more appreciated than I’m able to express on the internet.  Please keep doing what you’re doing.

Note: All photos are copyright © 2010 Brendan Bush unless otherwise noted. You are free to copy, distribute and transmit them as long as proper attribution is given, in accordance with this Creative Commons policy.

Too many bands are dying

Figuratively speaking of course.  But seriously, this is getting worrisome.  I’m still upset about the loss of Drink Up Buttercup (RIP May 2011), Wolf Parade (RIP 2010) and Port O’Brien (RIP 2010), and now I’m mourning another.   The Middle East announced via Facebook earlier this week that they were ceasing to be:

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN,

writing to inform you that we’re ceasing. i’m not sure if we’ll make more music later on or not.

we don’t feel like playing anymore for a whole lot of reasons that i won’t list here and i’m afraid if we continued any longer it would just be a moneygrab. i’d rather go hungry. thank you to all those who came to shows.

we had fun.

t.s elliot wrote ‘you are the music while the music lasts’, but he also wrote that confusing little book about cats so don’t put too much stock in his quotes.

i’m very tired. until next time.

sincerely yours,

the middle east.

Yeah, that’s the same Middle East that recently released I Want That You Are Always Happy, my favorite album of the year to date.  While I do have to give them credit for going out on their own terms, I’m also selfishly pissed that I’m not going to see them perform live.  They were definitely on the top of my must-see list, and it really sucks to be adding them to the list of lost bands so soon.

To celebrate their work while mourning their loss, here’s The Middle East’s “Jesus Came To My Birthday Party:”

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Note: All photos are copyright © 2010 Brendan Bush unless otherwise noted. You are free to copy, distribute and transmit them as long as proper attribution is given, in accordance with this Creative Commons policy.

Daytrotter comes to Vermont

Exciting news from Daytrotter today — they are bringing their Barnstorming 5 tour through Charlotte, VT on August 28. The tour features White Rabbits, Deer Tick, We Are Augustines, Blood Orange and Doug Paisley. I saw White Rabbits a couple years back and definitely recommend their show.

But I recommend this more than anything for the venue and the experience itself — the show is being held at The Old Lantern Barn in Charlotte. The folks at Daytrotter are true pioneers of the music industry, and if the success of their Daytrotter Sessions are any indication, this is bound to be a special evening.

Tickets can be purchased here (it’s a little bit convoluted of a system, but they explain it well enough).

Note: All photos are copyright © 2010 Brendan Bush unless otherwise noted. You are free to copy, distribute and transmit them as long as proper attribution is given, in accordance with this Creative Commons policy.

Trying out Spotify

For those of you not in the know, Spotify is a service that essentially lets you listen to almost any music you want to for free, in any order that you want, and share it all with your friends. While I’m still playing around with it and feel pretty ambivalent right now (I’ve never really been into the internet music listening services like Pandora or Grooveshark), one cool feature is putting full playlists out there for anyone’s listening. Well, anyone with Spotify that is.

Unlike other services, like 8tracks, which randomize the order of songs in your playlists to get around some sort of licensing issues, Spotify plays them in the order you choose. What better way for me to share my Favorite Music compilations…

Without further ado, for those of you with Spotify, here are links to those playlists. For those of you who haven’t checked it out, you can request an invitation here.

Favorite Music 2006
Favorite Music 2007
Favorite Music 2008
Favorite Music 2009
Favorite Music 2010
Favorite Music 2010 B-Side

Note: All photos are copyright © 2010 Brendan Bush unless otherwise noted. You are free to copy, distribute and transmit them as long as proper attribution is given, in accordance with this Creative Commons policy.

Wow

Just came across this video of the Muppets performing “Sure Shot” by the Beastie Boys. Absolutely incredible:

Note: All photos are copyright © 2010 Brendan Bush unless otherwise noted. You are free to copy, distribute and transmit them as long as proper attribution is given, in accordance with this Creative Commons policy.

Ticket giveaway: U2 w/Arcade Fire in New Brunswick, Canada

I have to admit, I’m doing this more out of laziness and disdain for craigslist than out of sheer goodwill & generosity (also, shameless promotion).  Regardless, the end result is the same.  I bought two tickets as well as camping & parking passes to see U2 & Arcade Fire, but things fell through, and I’m not going to be able to use them.  Can you?

I’m giving away two General Admission tickets, two camping passes for the campground right beside the venue, and a parking pass for the U2 360 Tour (with opener Arcade Fire) July 30 in Moncton, NB, Canada.  The campground opens 2 days before the show, if concert tailgating is your thing.

On Monday, July 18, I’ll pick one random winner from a hat.  Here’s how to get your name into that hat (up to 4 entries per person):

1. Enter a comment to this post using your real name and an actual email address that you can be reached at (your email address will not be published, and will be used only to contact you if you win).  (1 entry)
2. “Like” the On Permanent Rotation facebook page, then come back and reply to your initial comment (To reply to your initial comment, click the ‘Reply to this comment’ link directly underneath your inital comment), letting me know you’ve “Liked” this blog. (1 entry)
3. Invite your facebook friends to “Like” On Permanent Rotation as well, by posting a link to your facebook wall.  Once at least 1 of your friends has “Liked” On Permanent Rotation in response to your invitation, post another reply to your initial comment with the name of that friend. (1 entry)

If you do all 3 of the above, you’ll also receive 1 bonus entry, for a total of 4.  Please note: you MUST follow the order above, and for #2 and #3, you MUST reply to your initial comment from #1 (using the “Reply to this comment” link directly under your initial comment).  This is the only way I’m going to be able to keep track of people.

UPDATE (7/19/11): Thanks to everyone who entered.  The winner of the ticket/camping package is Rose Mary Garrett of Prince Edward Island.  Congrats, Rose Mary, and have fun at the show!

Note: All photos are copyright © 2010 Brendan Bush unless otherwise noted. You are free to copy, distribute and transmit them as long as proper attribution is given, in accordance with this Creative Commons policy.