Guided By Voices - "My Son Cool"

Guided By Voices - "My Son Cool": "The last time I saw Guided by Voices was in NYC, during their (2004?) goodbye tour (with special opener Chavez, who reformed for one night then too) - but I have to admit I never saw them during the Alien Lanes/Under The Bushes period, or at least with that band lineup - until now. Drunk as ever (except for Tobin Sprout, who could still stand upright) but charmingly so, GbV flashed a neon "The club is open" sign and plowed through dozens of lo-fi hits, including this one. So much fun. They still had so many songs they didn't play, I hope they make it `round one more time before they call it quits again."

Chavez - "Unreal Is Here"

Chavez - "Unreal Is Here": "Back to my Matador "Lost Weekend" recaps -
While I've already celebrated the pummeling drums of Mr. James Lo in previous posts - which were also a real highlight of the live show for me - Chavez was so tight in all ways, they also delivered mightily on this arena-ready ballad. You wouldn't know that this was basically their first show in a half-decade and one of their only in the last decade overall. Guys, remind me why you're not together full-time anymore? Ask the folks who were in Vegas and almost everyone will agree this was one of the best sets of the weekend."

Debbie Harry - "Feel The Spin"

Debbie Harry - "Feel The Spin": "Don't worry kids, more Matador weekend highlights still coming - it's been a busy week since I've been back - but just a simple TGIF song for today. Pretend it's an 80s dance party!"

Weezer - "Hang On"

Weezer - "Hang On": "No offense meant by this, but is it weird that I can totally hear Taylor Swift doing this song? And that this thought occured to me during only my second listen to this tune? Weird. Don't know what it means."

Ted Leo - "The Mighty Sparrow"

Ted Leo - "The Mighty Sparrow": "There will be lots of Matador "Lost Weekend" Recap posts to come, but I have to start off with Ted Leo. Ted was definitely the MVP of the weekend, rocking all the way from Night One to Night Three. Starting off with a late night, pseudo-Battle-of-the-Bands with Fucked Up, both bands threw down some great (mostly punk) covers, but Ted had a choice entry with a solo, electric version of Liz Phair's "Fuck and Run"...which he then dueted with her on during Night Three. Night Two saw Ted showing up at the Karaoke Underground party, where he did Beat Happening's "Cast A Shadow". Night Three also saw Ted perform a blistering set of mostly Ted Leo originals during the main night's showcase, but still popped back up to take some good-natured abuse from MCs Sharpling & Wurster during one of their introductions. In other words, he was in it to win it.
I ran into Ted's drummer this morning and told him how great they were, but now I'm taking the news public. Good job Ted and keep up the good work. (You too, Pharmacists!)
Almost forgot to mention - even though it's one of the songs he didn't do this weekend, "The Mighty Sparrow" is the great lead-off track from the equally great new album The Brutalist Bricks. Check it out."

Soundgarden - "Birth Ritual"

Soundgarden - "Birth Ritual": "I love love love Chris Cornell's high-pitched wail in 'ritu-aaaaaaaal!!!' I think more hard rock/metal needs higher register singing like that, especially when paired with the deeper, heavier riffs."

The Rolling Stones - "Miss You"

The Rolling Stones - "Miss You": "Who doesn't know this song already? And if you already know it, you know the Stones get away with their disco strut largely based on Mick's swagger, which falls just on the amazing side of ridiculous, not to mention his eyebrow-raising (and equally awesome) falsetto. For a frame of reference on what's on the other side of ridiculous, check out the 'video' version where Mick shows what happens when less restraint is applied to his delivery.
Double bonus: the extended version with extra choice lyrics like 'girls will come and go / they're just like streetcars!'. Nice one, Mick."

Broken Social Scene - "World Sick"

Broken Social Scene - "World Sick": "The long instrumental fade-in and fade-out make the song feel kind of epic, but the key parts are really the quick, reverbed guitar leads during the laid-back verses and the drama of the chorus, led by almost marching-band strength drums and a small chorus of singers. As always, BSS shows that its group of rotating members isn't a gluttony of excess, but a tasteful arrangement of all its various member parts."

Miles Kurosky - "An Apple For An Apple"

Miles Kurosky - "An Apple For An Apple": "This song kind of goes all over the place, with all sorts of different musical segments, but at it's core, it still has that old Beulah magic, as one would hope from Miles Kurosky, it's former frontman. It's a little sharp, a little sad, a little simple, a little adorned - all in different parts, so it's kind of a roller coaster, but a fun one."

David Bowie - "Beauty And The Beast"

David Bowie - "Beauty And The Beast": "A key track in Bowie's Berlin trilogy, in my book. From the processed punch of Dennis Davis' drumming to the heavy and often distorted synthesizers, there's definitely a strange (Eastern?) European detachment amidst the dramatic delivery. Each musician in the band plays their hand strong without being overwhelming, which is why this Bowie lineup feels so cohesive to me (this lineup is in place, largely, from Station to Station through Scary Monsters). There's a touch of the paranoia found on "Blackout" and the melodrama of "The Secret Life of Arabia" (both also from "Heroes"), but, here, Antonia Maas' backing vocals blend in a unique female counterpoint."

Torche - "Face The Wall"

Torche - "Face The Wall": "A great slice of heavy from the new Torche EP. A moody, weighty wall of sound punctured by powerful drums, with slightly brooding vocals floating in the middle, all building in intensity as the song progresses. Totally awesome."

Superchunk - "Everything at Once"

Superchunk - "Everything at Once": "Wow, I love this. It reminds me of Superchunk's earlier Here's Where The Strings Come In and Indoor Living vibe, but with a more mature quality - perhaps because of the atmospheric intro or the cool "ooohs" that pepper the song - although it still makes me want to pogo, as the best Superchunk always does. It scares me to think how long they've been around (and, thus, how long I've been a fan), but it's super-satisfying that they can still develop their sound without leaving any of their mojo behind."

Stars - "Elevator Love Letter"

Stars - "Elevator Love Letter": "Stars have a lot of gorgeous songs and this is one of their best. The interplay between lead vocalists Amy and Torquil is lush and a little melancholy, with a really strong keyboard part creating a great textured melody behind them."

Pixies - "Bone Machine"

Pixies - "Bone Machine": "Yes, Doolittle is an amazing album. I love it dearly. But Surfer Rosa is the religious experience for me. It's the sound of a band going completely in its own direction and it sounds revolutionary every time I hear it. It's hard not to be blown away by an album that starts of like this - from the pounding drum/bass intro, leading into Black Francis' screams (have you listened to the lyrics? crazy and amazing!), later off-set by Kim Deal's sweet counterpart vocals. I'd think they sound like they have a cocky swagger in what they do here, but I think it's closer to dorks who don't know that they're dorks, so they have no self-awareness in what they're doing and there's nothing being held back, which makes them all the more awesome. Does that make sense???"

The Human League - "Love Action"

The Human League - "Love Action": "Is there a day that can't be made better with a little of Human League frontman Phil Oakey? I think not! Here, you get 100% of your daily Phil, as he even references himself in the song! 'This is Phil talking, I wanna tell you what I found to be true'. Yes, do!!!"

Barcelona - "Bugs"

Barcelona - "Bugs": "Is this a song about computer problems or a love song? Either way, it's definitely optimistic - and, even if it wasn't, the song is so damn bouncy that it would still feel positive. I'll always be thankful to Nick for introducing me to Barcelona (and thankful for Nick as well)."

Adam Franklin - "Yesterday Has Gone Forever"

Adam Franklin - "Yesterday Has Gone Forever": "For a key frame of reference, Adam Franklin is the frontman of Swervedriver and, although this track is way more mellow than anything from that band, it still has some of that band's key qualities, particularly the guitar effects that reverb and shimmer. Luckily, it doesn't sound like a carbon copy, but an updating of their core sound. In other words, if you like Swervedriver, you are probably going to like this too."

Interpol - "Lights"

Interpol - "Lights": "From the new, self-titled Interpol album out today. Many of you have already heard this song when the band pushed it out on the internet early with a strange, Matthew Barney-esque video involving fluids and costumes, but it's also really standing out on my first listen of the album. It starts out spare and brooding - some drama without theatrical tics - slowly gathering steam instrument by instrument, until it becomes a full-on rock song."

Tears for Fears - "Pale Shelter"

Tears for Fears - "Pale Shelter": "Yes, I know Roland pretty much writes everything, but my favorite TFF songs tend to be the ones that Curt sings, like this one and 'Change'. I love how the acoustic guitar plays against the chilly synths, even better when the synth handclaps come in at the end. (Yup, real or fake, I'm always a sucker for them handclaps.)
I'll also always remember the first time I saw the video as a wee lad, with the alligator climbing into a swimming pool that a lady's swimming in and thinking...'whoa, lady, watch out!' It doesn't hold up as well as I'd like, but I still love watching it today."

Tokyo Police Club - "Big Difference"

Tokyo Police Club - "Big Difference": "Spirited (and slightly snotty) Brit-styled post-punk - from Canada, no less - but it's the guitar lead that makes the song: ringing, echoey, jagged, great."