Has it really been almost a month since I last posted? Time flies when it’s summer in New York City… though, truth be told, my professional life has been the focus, leaving little time for labors of love such as this one. But we’re not dead, so please don’t forget us. Just on a temporary break. T-Sides will be back full-fledged after 4th of July. In the mean time, I highly recommend the following two videos. By the time you watch them two or three times, we’ll be back.

Jake One: “Home”

Cursive: “I Couldn’t Love You”

An overwhelming 27,000 people showed up to see David Byrne play a free show at the Prospect Park Bandshell in Brooklyn on Monday night. The show was the opening of the 2009 Celebrate Brooklyn concert series. Celebration was easily the theme of the night, whether you were celebrating the fact that it didn’t rain, the fact that you managed to actually get inside the bandshell (many were detoured by the long, snake-like line, which purportedly began just before 11am), or the fact that you were seeing a legendary performer for free (or the cost of your donation).

The show’s focus was Byrne’s work with Eno, covering the Talking Heads’ three pivotal, mid-career albums, and their two collab LPs, 1981’s My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts, and last year’s Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, with the latter release unsurprisingly taking the most focus. (Which explains the absence of hits like “Psycho Killer,” “And She Was,” and “Road To Nowhere.”) Still, Byrne brought out some of the bigger Talking Heads players, all of which got the crowd going - “I Zimbra,” “Crosseyed & Painless,” “Once In A Lifetime,” “Burning Down The House” (See T-Sides video below!), “Life During Wartime,” and the group’s funky Al Green cover, “Take Me to the River.” The hopeful attitude of the newer material was especially fitting, as Byrne serenaded, “I’m counting all the possibilities,” in “My Big Nurse.”

David Byrne & Brian Eno: “My Big Nurse” (download)

Byrne was more than capably backed, not only by an arsenal of musicians and back-up singers bringing a soulful, afrobeat flavor when needed, but also by a saucy dance troop. The spectacle made the show all the more joyous, at least for those within eye range of the stage. Overall, the audience was upbeat and well-behaved, dancing and singing at full force.

The sound was a little muddled at times (even close to the sound booth), and the vocals definitely could have been louder. Leaving the area was a slow process, though not much worse than it was in the days of the McCarren Park Pool shows. Hopefully over the course of the summer, those kinds of kinks will be worked out. And, hey, it’s hard to complain much about something that’s free.

For more T-Sides pictures, click here. For the setlist, T-Sides video of “Burning Down The House” from this show and more information, click the jump.

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Summer’s basically here. I can taste it. Spent my Memorial Day Weekend in the green bounty of Vermont. The minute my train rode into Vermont’s green border, the smile on my face couldn’t be removed. Managed to get a little work done while I was there, though –

Wrote an 8+ for Ear Farm on the intersection of music, emotion and memory, in relation to the Akron/Family song, “Italy.”

I woke up after 4 hours of sleep to talk about being sleepy for the Contrast Podcast.

And I gave St. Vincent’s new album, Actor, a big ol’ kiss on Popdose despite the rocky performance the other week.

Laura Nyro & Labelle: “Nowhere To Run” (download)

Save the massive excitement surrounding what was claimed to be his first and only show in the U.S. (though it seems he played Chicago three nights prior), everything about Wolfgang Voigt’s show at Columbia University’s Miller Theatre on Friday night was minimal. Performing under the name of his popular ambient electronic project, GAS, Voigt was hardly discernible in the dim light of Petra Hollenbach’s video accompaniment, a white, triangular portion of his shirt more visible than his face.

Primarily known as a co-founder of the German techno label, Kompakt, Voigt made four albums under the GAS moniker, all of which were re-released as the box set Nah und Fern last year. Beginning in 1995, Voigt attributes the original inspiration for GAS to an LSD trip spent wandering in Germany’s Black Forest.

GAS successfully captures a natural atmosphere with ambient sounds akin to rain, wind, waves and rustling leaves. String and brass instruments float in and out, and techno beats are occasionally incorporated in a muffled manner, as though hearing someone bumping their car stereo from a couple blocks away.

GAS: “Vier” (download)

In an effort to make the performance more than just a laptop show, Voigt used a mixer to make subtle manipulations and transitions, though he primarily remained faithful to the original material. Video art from Hollenbach used Voigt’s own photography - also featured on the GAS releases’ album art - to create moving psychedelic forest images, stimulating the eyes in a similar way as the ears. Some audience members were lulled into unfortunately timed slumber while others softly nodded their heads. Drugs weren’t needed to feel Voigt’s desired affect - though they certainly would’ve been keeping with its inspiration.

Kompakt Official Site
Kompakt on MySpace

Also there:
NYT

Pattern Is Movement have certainly lived up to the Movement part of their name, touring relentlessly since the release of their excellent fourth album, All Together. Seeing them for the third time since October, Pattern Is Movement’s set at Webster Hall last Wednesday was yet another in a line of charged, exciting performances. The duo debuted two new songs that sounded a little more aggressive than the rest of their cannon, though that could very well be because their live sound is beefier overall. Drummer Chris Ward’s rapid-fire drumming must be seen to be believed that there’s not some kind of magician responsible for some of those beats, and singer/keyboardist Andrew Thiboldeaux is both collected and charismatic, their mutual sense of whimsy exemplified in their constantly expressive faces and a flirty cover of D’Angelo’s “Untitled (How Does It Feel?)” (see T-Sides video below!).

Pattern Is Movement: “Right Away” (download)

Headliner St. Vincent (aka Annie Clark) was surprisingly staid. Having whipped through New York City oozing charm and cutesiness in the past, the first half of her set was underwhelming, the sound a little flat and thin, the band just trudging through. Though she pulled out impressive riff after impressive riff, and heartbreaking vocal after heartbreaking vocal, everything seemed just a little off until the band returned to join her after a brief solo stint for “Oh My God.” Luckily they hit their stride in time for “Marrow,” the most savage song she’s written yet. As she waltzed through “Just the Same But Brand New” and dug out first album favorites “Marry Me, John” and “Your Lips Are Red” for the encore, it was easy to chalk the tepid first half to a case of nerves.

St. Vincent: “Marrow” (download)

Pattern is Movement and St. Vincent have a slew of dates - mostly together - and if you haven’t seen either, you oughta step to this.

For more T-Sides pictures, see here. For more info, including a T-Sides video of Pattern Is Movement’s D’Angelo cover, click the jump.

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It’s Spring, and the album releases are heating up! Expect more of these coming soon.

Over at Popdose, I talk about the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ glitzy new album, It’s Blitz!…

I make a triumphant return to Bullz-Eye with a dissection of Cursive’s latest, Mama, I’m Swollen…

I stop in to the Contrast Podcast again to talk about one of my all-time favorite songs for the “Yes” theme.

Peace, love and bare feet.

Fleetwood Mac: “Everywhere” (download)

After seeing jam-freak-avant-folksters Akron/Family put on an incredible show at Brooklyn’s Union Pool in March, there was only one thing left to do: Go home, go online, buy tickets to see them again. After seeing Akron/Family put on an incredible show at Manhattan’s Bowery Ballroom last night, there’s only one conclusion that can be made: Akron/Family are one of the best live bands currently out there. Rarely is a show as lively and diverse as Akron/Family’s.

If you broke down their set and described it, song by song, it’d be hard to believe it’s all the same show. Most of all, Akron/Family is dynamic, moving from delightfully understated, pretty ballads like “Alps And Their Orange Evergreen” and “Crickets,” to epic-length jam-dance numbers “Gravelly Mountains Of The Moon” and fan favorite, “Ed Is A Portal.” Most of Wednesday night’s set was dominated by songs from their brand new album, Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free, just released this past Tuesday.

Akron/Family: “Ed Is A Portal” (download)

But what really sets Akron/Family apart is the level of interaction, both between band members and with the audience. Three songs into the show, guitarist/vocalist Seth Olinsky invited members of the openers, William Parker’s Southern Satellites, on stage to play along with them. Throughout the show, bassist Miles Seaton played a cheerleader of sorts, inviting the audience to sing, snap, clap, dance. “I feel like you’re just staring at us. Maybe you could put your hands up or something,” he said, demonstrating, before “Creatures,” a groovy, bass heavy tune from the new album.

For the last quarter of the show, they pulled out some of the sing-a-longs from the Union Pool concert, “Woody Guthrie’s America” and “Crickets.” Especially poignant was the album closer from Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free, “Last Year,” which is simply one repeated refrain - “Last year was a hard year / for such a long time / this year is gonna be ours.” The audience stomped, clapped and sang along as the band observed. (See the video below.)

Eventually Akron/Family descended from the stage, walked up along the Bowery Ballroom’s balcony, then down to the showroom floor, staking out a circle in the center of the audience. They jammed until someone yelled out “Dance party!” and the disco ball came on, sending everyone home dancing.

For more T-Sides pictures, click here. For the set list, a T-Sides video of “Last Year” and more info, click the jump.

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If anyone other than Throbbing Gristle had been playing the Brooklyn Masonic Temple on Tuesday night, the fact that the crowd was older and stranger and on more drugs than the average New York City crowd might have been off-putting. And if anyone other than Throbbing Gristle had been on stage, the fact that they more or less just stood there while they played might also have been off-putting. But as it was, it was Throbbing Gristle who delivered a memorable performance in a characteristically unusual setting.

The group’s history alone was worth the price of admission. They formed in the UK in 1976 and began Industrial Records, which bred the term “Industrial” as a music genre. They only stayed together until 1981, after which the members embarked on different projects. During that time, they released four albums, became known for their outrageous and confrontational performances, and rarely played in the United States. The group re-formed in 2004 and recorded TG Now and Part Two, their first studio albums in 25 years. When the band came to New York City (twice over the past two weeks), it was the first time they’d ever played here. And as if that wasn’t convincing or fascinating enough, frontman Genesis P-Orridge doesn’t look so much like a frontman anymore as a frontwoman, having undergone massive surgeries as part of a “pandrogynous” project with his second wife, Lady Jaye, driven by a desire to look alike.

Throbbing Gristle couldn’t be a more apt name, because the band’s music is just that - throbbing and aggressive. But as far as performance, the performing aspect was rather low. Most of the musical components have translated to computers, run by Peter Christopherson, Chris Carter and occasionally Cosey Fanni Tutti, who otherwise plays guitar with a slide, while P-Orridge sings and occasionally plays violin. The pulsating qualities make the music inherently engaging, though, almost hypnotic, especially when coupled with P-Orridge, who sassily flirted with the audience, quipping “You must all be really sick to enjoy a song like that,” after “Very Friendly,” about a serial killer, and at another point, sniffing the boxers an audience member threw on stage and declaring them “acrid.”

The atmosphere was rather odd - when Throbbing Gristle took the stage, all of the house lights were turned on (perhaps a reference to the days when they would aim lights at the audience?). Some of the audience members danced, but most nodded rhythmically and applauded rapturously at each song, though a bearded gentleman towards the front was having some sort of freak-out, and got in several fights before being dragged out by security during “Hamburger Lady.”

Towards the end of the evening, the band debuted the newly rebuilt “Gristle-izer” in a song of the same name, during which it became obvious that, for once, the Brooklyn Masonic Temple had finally gotten the sound right. As P-Orridge asked, “Can we survive?” during “Endless Not,” from the 2007 album Part Two, one had to respect Throbbing Gristle for doing just that, for finding an embrace in a fickle, snobby music scene very different from the one they left.

For more T-Sides pictures, click here.

Throbbing Gristle Official Site
Throbbing Gristle on MySpace

Also there:
LimeWire
Altered Fluid
Fourfour (NSFW)

Former MK Ultra front-man and current solo artist/singer-songwriter John Vanderslice is nothing if not consistent. At his “worst,” Vanderslice is simply pleasant — at his best, he’s transcendent.

It’s been awhile since he’s hit transcendence, though. Since Cellar Door, arguably his most alluring and diverse album, he’s lost a bit of the aesthetic and lyrical punch that drove that album and its predecessor, Life And Death Of An American Fourtracker. Emerald City and Pixel Revolt, his two most recent releases, have their moments of poignancy and darkness, true — but nothing quite as piercing or menacing as, say, “Pale Horse” (“rise like lions after a slumber in / in greatly unknowable numbers / free the blood that must ensue / we are many and they are few”), or “Heated Pool and Bar” (“but you can’t be nice / you put your gun to their head / and you pull back the pin / and you can’t be good”). For someone who’s developed a reputation as being a really nice guy in his interpersonal interactions (and he is - see item #5), and, perhaps partly because of that fact, Vanderslice is especially affecting when he’s pissed off.

John Vanderslice: “Fetal Horses” (download)

“Fetal Horses,” the single from his upcoming album, Romanian Names, finds Vanderslice combining familiar techniques in newer ways. Typically more fond of electronic keys, Vanderslice uses piano sparingly, but it finds prominence on “Fetal Horses,” accompanied by his old favorite, the synthesizer, and an odd background that sounds a bit like a regurgitating computer. There’s even a dabble of electric guitar around the two-minute-mark, another switch for Vanderslice, who often prefers an acoustic guitar.

Animal imagery is common for Vanderslice - a runaway bunny in “Angela,” birds in “Up Above The Sea” and “White Dove,” the whale in “You Were My Fiji” - and with “Fetal Horses” he returns to the starring mammal of “Pale Horse” and “Lunar Landscapes.” He also adds in some of that acerbic morbidity that snuck into the lyrics of at least one song on almost all of his albums, “To come back to me again / You’d break everything I have / You’ll turn a hanging man bad.”

Though not a drastic change of form, there’s something about “Fetal Horses,” a kind of quiet excitement, that begs to know what Vanderslice has in store on Romanian Names, due May 19th.

John Vanderslice Official Site
John Vanderslice on MySpace
John Vanderslice on Twitter

I don’t really do traditional reviews here on T-Sides, because my reviewing is usually covered by Popdose and Bullz-Eye. So, when friend of T-Sides (and top-notch drummer!) Chris Enriquez said he wanted to do a write-up of Cursive’s new album, Mama, I’m Swollen, I jumped at the chance! Here’s what Chris, a long-time Cursive fan, had to say…

Cursive have once again outdone themselves. Mama, I’m Swollen is their fifth album, not including the EPs, singles and splits they’ve done over their 13 years of existence. There aren’t enough words to be said about this magnificent band who have never needed the mainstream to still maintain success — this release is still on Saddle Creek. Though it’s possible that this record has potential to thrust them into more mainstream eyes.

Throughout the hardships and lineup changes, Cursive have come back with an eclectic record with the same heartfelt lyrics die-hard fans are used to. Tim Kasher has proved that he can evolve lyrically with subjects ranging from personal matters to universal philosophies and politics. Musically, the band maintains their edge, which involves pop sensibilities coinciding with tons of dissonance.

It seems that Cursive have not focused so much on making a concept album this time around, something they did with the last three records. Instead, it seems that Kasher’s songwriting has been tied together. Elements of everything he’s done, including The Good Life (Kasher’s side band), all are heard on this release. Ted Stevens’ signature vocal stylings, which involve singing the lower octaves of whatever Kasher is vocalizing, add a dark lush to the vocal melodies on here. Returning to the instrumentation, there are strings, percussion, horns, keys and other layers upon layers. All the songs are moody, some darker and some poppier. Overall, it can be foreseen as a pleasure for anyone that has followed the band thus far.

As for newer fans, this record could draw in more. It seems easier to digest, as they’ve matured since their days of playing more aggressively. Don’t misunderstand though, the aggressiveness is still there. Only now it’s under the layers of beautiful melodies that Cursive have become known to be so good at as they’ve added new instrumentation. New drummer, Cornbread Compton (ex Engine Down/Denali) adds a new flavor to the group on this release. His percussive dynamics add a different groove to the current direction of the band, notably on the single “From The Hips.” Kasher’s lyrics in this particular song, “I’m at my best when I’m at my worst / I’m at my worst when it’s not rehearsed,” sum up the band’s philosophy on why they do what they do. Their sense of realness prevents them from ever seeming like a band that could ever be labeled as sellouts as their fan-base increases over the years.

Cursive: “From The Hips” (download)

With their recent video directed by Michael Groedner, along with the SXSW ’09 appearances and TV debut on David Letterman, the future looks brighter as the band continues to move forward. [Ed. Note: T-Sides caught them live at Music Hall of Williamsburg.] Mama, I’m Swollen is one of the most important rock records to come out in recent time, with nothing but awful dance-rock plaguing the indie-rock world and awful emo plaguing the mainstream world. Cursive formed when mid 90’s “emo” was starting what would eventually influence the mainstream and they’ve managed to not fall into the category of being a cheesy band and still hold a reputation for having credibility. The same can be said for Saddle Creek and the whole Omaha scene.

Pay attention if you aren’t already, and pick up this release. Anyone with a heart and soul will be able to appreciate the genius of Kasher and Co.

Cursive Official Site
Cursive on MySpace

T-Sides is always interested in hearing pitches for T-Sides B-Sides features. If you’ve got an idea, write us: taylor@t-sides.com. And stay tuned for T’s review of this album!