[review: Jennifer Hood]
[photos: Marcus Johnson]

The early nineties, for me, were marked by the lovely smell of the smoke machine and the heavy mystery of dark, dank clubs. I’ve always loved that smell and the excitement the ethereal fog creates as it fills the room. The reassuring thing about a Sisters of Mercy show is that it will always be enveloped in an abundance of smoke. It’s like a magical vapor released from a genie’s bottle, and Andrew Eldritch, the only original band member that is part of the current tour (save for Doktor Avalanche, the trusty drum machine), waits for the smoke to completely shroud the stage before he chooses to present himself.

The First Avenue show on Tuesday night opened with the beats of Doktor Avalanche but proved to be more about thrashing guitars than the groove machine. And although Andrew’s vocals were buried too low in the mix, we were in for a treat indeed. “Ribbons” and “Flood I” helped set a sexy, if not seedy, tone with skin, mascara, and stolen guitars. We heard the dark moral of “Alice” unfold and they played “Giving Ground,” a rarity by The Sisterhood! New song “Romeo Down” was introduced by Mr. Eldritch as a “murder mystery without the murder or the mystery…okay, just a bit of murder” and was performed against red and pink lights like a valentine. “Flood II,” my favorite song of the evening, was complemented by oceanic blue streams of light and healthy puffs of smoke, and found Eldritch hissing “like the sea” into the microphone, bringing the first set to a dramatic close.

The impressive light show continued for two more encores, before the show finished with “Temple of Love,” the stage awash in green and golden rays of light.

While I’m not convinced that the backing vocals should ever overpower Andrew Eldritch’s, as during the chorus on songs like “This Corrosion” or “Dominion/Mother Russia,” guitarists Ben Christo and Chris Catalyst’s did energize the live show. I feel lucky to have seen The Sisters three times in the early nineties (one of those shows was at DAR Constitution Hall, with Public Enemy and Gang of Four), and their shows are always more than mere melancholy. Sisters of Mercy songs, when you get past the smoke and despair, are quite smart. The lyrics transport one to another world: dark, glamorous, and exotic. Whether it’s a shadowy hallway or pre-perestroika Russia, it’s always a theater of the mind. And that sense of drama was what everyone turned out (and dressed up) to see, and it was on full display during the stirring Sisters Of Mercy show at First Avenue Tuesday night.

The Sisters of Mercy: (Official) (Wikipedia)

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[photos/review: Jon Behm]

I had to make some tough choices on Monday night, music-wise. While great Monday night shows are relatively rare, somehow we ended up with three of them falling on the same date: Atmosphere, Deerhunter, and Holly Golightly and the Brokeoff’s. In the end, Atmosphere’s overcrowding of First Avenue and the Triple Rock’s cash only policy tipped me towards The Entry. While Golightly may not have been the most obvious choice, I believe it was the right one. Not only was it a fantastic set but it also introduced me to the talents of Kiwi songwriter Delaney Davidson, who opened the show.

Davidson led off the night with tunes off of his self released album Ghost Songs, a bluesy collection of folk songs in the American roots tradition. To paint a picture of what it sounded like, try imagining Bob Dylan covering the songs off of Tom Waits’ Bone Machine with Son House accompanying on bottleneck guitar. Davidson has got Dylan’s current raspy and disaffected delivery, while his subject matter is filled with “Waitsian” images of seediness and mortality. He utilized loop pedals to craft his rhythm guitar licks, while doing some experimental and improvisational “soloing” on top of them. At one point he even let the looped guitar keep repeating itself for several minutes while he led a waltz competition on the floor of the club (which was won jointly by a pair of hard-competing unisex couples). Overall I thought very highly of Davidson’s set, and look forward to spinning my newly purchased copy of his record.

British folk singer Holly Golightly headlined the night, backed up by Brokeoff’s founder (and only member?) Lawyer Dave. Much like Billy Bragg, Golightly has taken up the American Folk tradition, and manages to do it a lot better than many Americans themselves. Her set included original songs off of her recent release Dirt Don’t Hurt, as well as some of the obscure folk covers that she is famous for. The highlight of the set was Lawyer Dave’s bluesy slide guitar work on a pair of gorgeous arch top Höfner’s, as well as he and Golightly’s humorous stage banter, musing on the dangers of Jagermeister and the popularity (or lack of) of their songs in ultra-religious Salt Lake City. Examples of such song titles include: “Gettin’ High for Jesus” and “Devil Do,” to give you an idea.

Perhaps what was most interesting about the evening was that it was some of the best American Roots music I have heard in awhile, though it was performed almost entirely by non-Americans (Lawyer Dave is the exception, being from Texas). Though both Davidson and Golightly spoke in the heavy accents of their native lands, when they sang the dialects almost disappear completely. Hearing Davidson in particular speak and then hearing him sing is sort of like the difference in taste between Marmite and Memphis Barbecue. I could care less who is keeping these traditions alive though, as long as someone is doing it. If American culture abandons its Roots music heritage completely, at least we can count on folks like these to keep the flame ablaze.

Holly Golightly: (Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)

Delaney Davidson: (MySpace)
Delaney Davidson “Hate A Man” (mp3)
Delaney Davidson “Sinner’s World” (mp3)

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Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s “As Tall as Cliffs (11/20/2008)” (mp3)

Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s: (Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)

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Also: (“As Tall As Cliffs” Video) (Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s @ Turf Club 05/12/2008 Photos) (Margot & The Nuclear So And So’s “The Dust of Retreat” Review)

Q-Tip: (Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)

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Also: (Q-Tip on the Late Show with David Letterman) (Four Takes on Q-Tip’s “The Renaissance”) (“Move” Video) (“Getting Up” Video)

Twin Cities News:
— Culture Bully is teaming with First Avenue today in offering a pair of tickets to some upcoming shows; Dir En Grey on Nov. 20, Drinking with Ian on Nov. 28 & The Belfast Cowboys on Dec. 3. The first three people to email chris@culturebully.com will get to choose their destiny… their concert destiny.
— Also on the First Avenue tip, the club is holding its second annual Too Much Turkey free Thanksgiving dinner on November 27. Sovietpanda vs. free turkey = !!!
— City Pages profiles the Absent Arch.
— Muzzle of Bees reviews Atmosphere’s Chicago show at the Vic Theatre.
— How Was The Show interviews the Western Fifth.
— CP’s David Hansen has some serious hate for Deerhunter.
— Ben Sollee and The Herbaliser both stopped by The Current to perform a set.
— A Night in the Box, Martin Devaney, Eliza Blue & Mary Everest will be playing the 331 Club this Saturday in support of Andromeda Alexander, a new mother of twins who has been recently diagnosed with leukemia. The benefit is set to help raise money for Alexander who does not have health insurance.
— Don’t forget to become a friend of Culture Bully on MySpace or a fan on Facebook!

Local Concert Highlights:
— H20, Bane, Electricity & Cruel Hand @ Triple Rock Social Club (5:00)
H20: (Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)
Bane: (MySpace)
Cruel Hand: (MySpace)
— Ladyhawk @ Turf Club (9:00)
(Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)
Ladyhawk “War” (mp3)
Ladyhawk “The Dugout” (mp3)
— Freeway, Trama, St. Paul Slim & Muja Messiah @ Element (9:00)
Freeway: (Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)
Trama: (MySpace)
St. Paul Slim: (MySpace)
Muja Messiah: (MySpace)
Muja Messiah feat. M.anifest “Paper Planes” (mp3)
Muja Messiah “True Lies” (mp3)
Muja Messiah “True Lies (demo)” (mp3)

Daily Audio Downloads:
— The Bodies Obtained “Hear & Believe” (mp3)
(MySpace)
— Eksi Ekso “O God, They’ve Frozen” (mp3)
— Eksi Ekso “Killing Texas” (mp3)
— Eksi Ekso “Just Leave” (mp3)
(Official) (MySpace)
— Larsen & Furious Jane “Vietnam Pool Boy” (mp3)
— Larsen & Furious Jane “Local Nobility” (mp3)
(MySpace)
— Little Boots “Meddle (Baron von Luxxury’s Technicolor Remix)” (mp3)
(MySpace)
— The Secret History “It’s Not the End of the World, Jonah” (mp3)
(MySpace)
— The Sword “How Heavy This Axe” (mp3)
(Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)

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[by Chris DeLine]

“Chinese Democracy” opens with a shrieking Axl Rose whose voice overwhelms a surprisingly sharp rhythm section. The song ignites the near-mythological album, also tossing aside any preconceived notion of what Chinese Democracy should sound like. But at this point in time, any interested listener has had access to various bits and pieces of the album for not simply weeks, but years - questioning not why it has taken 17 years to release a follow up to the brilliant Use Your Illusion albums, but rather why has it taken so much time to release tracks that sound essentially like they did a few years ago?

The dramatics behind Chinese Democracy are more than enough to suggest that there is some sort of credence behind its drastically prolonged release date, the band’s constantly changing lineup and Axl’s own perfectionism barely skimming the surface of the album’s history, but as a listener, a fan even, it’s hard to not initially feel like Chinese Democracy isn’t really worth the wait. Such a feeling first springs up with “Shackler’s Revenge,” which churns out a thumping “Dragula“-like riff before breaking into one of the album’s many solid choruses. Despite the solid composition, there’s an awkwardness in the transition to the next song that results from the puzzle-piece reality of Chinese Democracy; on an individual basis, each song is at the very worst, good, but as a whole, the album is a culmination of parts pieced together over the course of well over a decade. It’s there that the initial feeling of disappointment sets in.

photo: George Chin

The street glam feel of “Shackler’s Revenge” is followed by the album’s first stand-out, “Better,” but lost in that transition is the previously mentioned feeling of solidarity between the album’s unique parts. Then again, forget 17 years, how is a recording that has taken five years to compile supposed to reflect a consistent focus or artistic goal? In 2003 when the first rough demo of “I.R.S.” began circulating, the song presumably reflected Axl’s focus as a musician in 2003 - is it even possible to suggest that 13 more songs, added over the course of five years, would hold any sort of consistency? In that respect, Chinese Democracy is one of the most unique rock & roll albums ever recorded - not only has Axl had to overcome personal and public expectations of the music, but he’s had to combine nearly two decades worth of rough drafts into something fluid. Despite the awkward transition between “Shackler’s Revenge” and “Better,” when consideration is made for the process behind the transition, it’s amazing that the tracks sound as good together as they do.

“Street of Dreams” continues by rining true to the Guns N’ Roses of the past. Like “Catcher in the Rye” does later in the album, “Dreams” finds a balance between a daunting mountain of sound and that horrible armpit of a niche known as a “rock-ballad.” It’s in “Dreams” that Axl becomes a victim of his own creation, because at about a minute and a half into the song, a guitar comes crashing in, attempting to rip it in half, and the resulting feeling is that… well, Slash could have destroyed this song. Though the solo that later materializes easily stands up to anything else on Chinese Democracy, the song unleashes a shadow of past-successes that casts a cloudy feeling of sentimental longing for a band that no longer exists. Here, the idea of living in the moment and appreciating what it is that Guns N’ Roses have turned into becomes secondary to the what-ifs, if only temporarily. But the eventual reality of the situation isn’t that the songs could have been better if performed by the original band members, but rather that they sound just as good now as it probably would have in 1995 - no matter who’s performing them.

photo: George Chin

There are a few exceptions, “Scraped” in particular, that sound out sightly of place, but as the album continues ahead those sharp transitions become softer and Chinese Democracy starts to sound like something complete. Questioning at first why the album took even a few years to “perfect” becomes superficial as the album rolls on - the key to Chinese Democracy isn’t that it’s a culmination of 17 years, but rather that no song on the album stands as something entirely out of place. Any song could effectively have been released during the past 15 years and it wouldn’t have sounded any better or worse at any point time than it does now. Hearing “I.R.S.” and “Madagascar” two years ago for the first time, I can’t say that I’m any less impressed by them now than I was then. How many albums from any of rock’s giants can the same be said for? Think of the bands that have been releasing mediocre albums since 1993, U2’s Pop or Metallica’s Reload for instance; chances are that time will prove those albums even more dated sounding and stuck in the moment than they sound now. Such a reality is one that I don’t believe Chinese Democracy will have to face.

In his review, Chuck Klosterman began by questioning the relevance of even attempting to review the album, “Reviewing Chinese Democracy is not like reviewing music. It’s more like reviewing a unicorn.” Summing up a few words in reflection of the music pales in comparison to the epic release and the history behind it. Putting aside all thought on expectation, what the demos sounded like, why the album has taken so long to release, and if the final product sounds remotely good all becomes secondary to the fact that Chinese Democracy is finally a reality. For what it’s worth though, when considering the obstacles faced prior to its release, it’s nothing short of remarkable how good the album sounds.

Guns N’ Roses: (Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)

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[photos/video: Brody McCoy]

Ben Sollee: (Official) (MySpace)

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[review: Erik Thompson]
[photos: Jeremy Nelson]

It’s never a good sign when the first thing Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox says to the audience is “I’ve got some bad news to tell you.” I immediately became worried that the show was in jeopardy, but it just turned out that guitarist Whitney Petty was back at the hotel with the flu, and unfortunately wouldn’t be making the gig. So, it would be up to Bradford and Lockett Pundt to manage the guitar assault for the evening, a task which they took to admirably once the sound issues were worked out. It’s also never a good sign when Bradford has to yell “This monitor is fucked” during opening track “Cryptograms.” The song sounded amazing from the crowd, incidentally, with no audible buzzing in the vocals that Bradford would allude to. So, with encouragement from the audience, the band soldiered on into “Never Stops,” one of my favorite tracks from Deerhunter’s incredible new record Microcastle. But Bradford had enough of the monitor issue, stopping the song outright just a minute or two in, and demanding that the issue get resolved before the band continued, more for the crowds benefit than the bands, with Bradford exclaiming that he didn’t want us to have to listen to a lousy show and have a bad trip. So, after the tech fixed the issue, Bradford joked “Take it from the chorus…Just kidding. We’re starting the song again,” and with that, finally, the show took off.

“Never Stops” soared, being led by the bouncy bass line of Josh Fauver, and the two guitar attack that brought the song to a cacophonous finish. “Dr. Glass,” off the Fluorescent Grey E.P. was next, and it was clear that the band were locked in at this point, or at least locked in after drummer Moses Archuleta returned from his mid-set between-song bathroom break. It certainly wasn’t the smoothest of starts for Deerhunter, but the sublime sound of their music more than made up for any glitches, be they technical or, ahem, physical.

Deerhunter

The band has really fleshed out the live sound of their older tracks, adding Sonic Youth-style layers of noise on to tracks like “Hazel St.” and “Like New,” that really turned them into massive, sonorous live songs. The Triple Rock has always been my favorite sounding room in the city, and after the opening fiasco, the sound was fantastic for the duration of the show. And it was clear that after the hi-jinks of past Deerhunter performances, the band was much more into their music now than any sort of on-stage theater, and the set was tightly focused, forceful, and as stirring as any of their shows were in the past. And the strength and vision of their new record is a big reason for that, as well, with the new songs building and crashing over the audience in exquisite waves of sound. The last two or three minutes of “Nothing Ever Happens,” was absolutely sublime (not to mean that the first part of the song was shit, or anything), and was really where the show caught fire.

The band built on that momentum with a stunning guitar heavy version of “Octet,” that built up gradually, until the song completely filled the room and had everyone around me at least smiling if they weren’t moving something. The band really were able to lose themselves completely during the number, with all the members locked into the groove and collectively lost in their sound. “Microcastle” slowed things down a bit, until its rousing finish sparked the show back to life again, and an excellent version of “Vox Celeste” proved to be the nights only offering from Weird Era Cont, the outstanding bonus album released with Microcastle. “Calvary Scars,” found the band stretching the song out a bit and experimenting musically, with Bradford turning knobs extensively in search of that perfect sound, and the other members turning their backs on the audience as they focused on the sound coming out of their amps. It was fantastic, and eased the band off the stage before the encore.

Deerhunter

Remnants of the song were still being looped repeatedly as Bradford came back on stage, much to his annoyance as he tried to thank the audience for coming out on a cold Monday night. After repeated attempts to silence the loop by hitting on a cymbal, Bradford joked, after Moses was able to silence the noise, “See how professional this band is.” “Agoraphobia,” was the first encore, and while sounding incredible, it was also somewhat sleepy, and that continued into set closer “Twilight At Carbon Lake,” which Bradford introduced fittingly as “a lullaby for baby roaches.” So the encore proved to be somewhat languid, until the end of “Twilight,” which brought discord and feedback galore, again echoing Sonic Youth, and ended the set on a high note.

It’s never a good thing when a band has to work through technical issues that plague their sound, but Deerhunter showed great fortitude and dedication in not only working though the issues at the start of the set, but turning in a stellar show once the sound was sorted out. They are touring for a fantastic record, and last night they put on a show worthy of the quality of their entire catalog, and, despite perhaps lacking the theatrics of past shows, the concert was musically sound and experimental in its own right, and certainly made braving the cold on a Monday night worthwhile.

Deerhunter Set List:
Cryptograms
Never Stops
Dr. Glass
Hazel St.
Like New
Little Kids
Nothing Ever Happened
Octet
Microcastle
Vox Celeste
Saved By Old Times
Calvary Scars
Encore:
Agoraphobia
Twilight At Carbon Lake

Times New Viking

I need to make special mention of Chicago’s Disappears, who opened the night with a strong set of guitar heavy minimalist rock that was reminiscent of Velvet Underground and Television, and with our show being their last on the tour with Deerhunter, we were lucky to have them kick off the night. Times New Viking, from Columbus, Ohio, were up next, and while making that sort of racket with their nominal stage set was admirable, their songs suffered from sounding too similar and not really having any real direction, with just simple keyboards and guitar to drive the song along with the drums. Their set was met with approval by most of the crowd, but not necessarily with me, especially when compared to the superb sounds of Deerhunter.

Deerhunter: (Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)
Times New Viking: (Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)
Disappears: (Official) (MySpace)

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Twin Cities News:
— Cloud Cult, Romantica, the Melismatics and a laundry list of other bands have contributed to the benefit CD, Hope Rocks! Vol. 1 Benefiting Faith’s Lodge.
— Rift interviews the Bill Mike Band.
— How Was The Show reviews The New Monarchs, Ghost in the Water and Laarks’ Kitty Cat Klub show.
— More Cowbell reviews The Rosebuds & Megafaun @ the Turf Club.
— Add Culture Bully as a friend on MySpace or become a fan on Facebook!

Local Concert Highlights:
— John Legend & Raphael Saadiq @ Northrop Auditorium (7:30)
John Legend: (Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)
Raphael Saadiq: (Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)
— The Herbaliser & M.anifest @ Varsity Theater (7:30)
The Herbaliser: (Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)
M.anifest: (Official) (MySpace)
M.anifest “Age of Obama” (mp3)

Daily Audio Downloads:
— Colourmusic “Put In A Little Glass” (mp3)
(Official) (MySpace)
— Copycat “Daddy’s Gone” (mp3)
(Glasvegas vs. Elton John)
(Official) (MySpace)
— The Cut Ups “Beautiful Dead To Be” (mp3)
(MySpace)
— Matt Duke “Spilt Milk” (mp3)
(Official) (MySpace)
— Faunts “Memories of Places We’ve Never Been (T.H. White remix)” (mp3)
— Faunts “M4 (Part II) (The Paronomasiac remix)” (mp3)
(Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)
— Jensen Sportag “Power Sergio” (mp3)
— Jensen Sportag “2×2″ (mp3)
(MySpace)
— Melanie Fiona “Give It To Me Right” (mp3)
(Official) (MySpace)
— Mt. Sims “Dig It In” (mp3)
— Mt. Sims “Window Window” (mp3)
(Official) (MySpace)
— Max Tundra “Playboy” (mp3)
(Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)
— The Theater Fire “Uncle Wayne” (mp3)
— The Theater Fire “Swashbuckler Blues” (mp3)
(MySpace)

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(here’s the idea: play the tricked out street-tivo version of the video… as the label took down all the “good” versions of the performance… and play the mp3 with it & you’re golden)

The Roots “Lovely, Love My Family” (mp3)

The Roots: (Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)

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Also: (The Roots on the Late Show with David Letterman 2008) (The Roots on The Colbert Report) (“75 Bars: Black’s Reconstruction” Video) (The Roots on the Late Show with David Letterman 2006)