I’m truly sorry T-Sides and all related projects have been offline for so long. Chalk it up to summer, chalk it up to a quarter-life crisis, chalk it up to any sorry excuse for life taking us away from the things we love that require any amount of work. But let’s turn the focus on the positives. I’ve certainly continued ingesting and thinking about all things culture-related, just find myself less able to capture the associated thoughts. So, here’s a showcase of Top 15 things that have been on the T-Sides radar while we’ve been dormant (not in order of preference, simply in the order of thought). Click the jump to see!

1. TV on the Radio Remixes – Read Silence

Truth be told, remixes rarely appeal to me. A relationship with a song can be so personal, so intimate, that for it to be broken down into pieces and transformed can be like going to bed with someone you love and waking up next to a stranger. But holy hell, all three remixes on the Read Silence EP are breathtaking reinterpretations. The handy craft of Glitch Mob, Gang Gang Dance and Jneiro Jarel on these selections from Dear Science are perfect companion pieces to TV on the Radio’s compositions. It’s like finding out that someone you already love is an amazing cook or volunteers to teach children how to read or something.

TV On The Radio: “Shout Me Out (Willie Isz Remix By Jneiro Jarel)” (download)

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2. Neko Case, Neko Case, Neko Case

Oh, Neko. It’s quite possible that my girl-crush on her has gone too far, considering I’ve begun to imitate her promotional art in portrait form. Middle Cyclone enchanted me so deeply that I went back to listen to Fox Confessor… and Blacklisted, and more frequently than any other current listening habit I’ve developed, I have a tendency to just put those three albums on shuffle. It’s only a matter of time until I own and then do so with her entire catalog.

Neko Case: “Runnin’ Out Of Fools” (download)

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3. Mariah Carey, “Obsessed”

The reasons why this song is on repeat deserve their own list, because it mostly involves the lyrics, like “All up in the blogs,” and “Lyin’ that you’re sexin’ me,” but especially the line, “Got you all fired up with your Napoleon complex, seein’ right through you like you’re bathin’ in Windex.” Really. Oh, and it’s a Mean Girls reference. What’s not to love?

Mariah Carey: “Obsessed” (download)

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4. Ear Farm

Go ahead and call me biased since my name has appeared on the site a time or two, but truth is, it’s not bias, it’s bloggist envy! The crew at Ear Farm have been coming up with some ridiculously insightful, entertaining and impressively original features. From countdowns like the “Top 10 Most Metal Classical Music Pieces” to exposes about fake myspace accounts to dinnerviews, Ear Farm has me constantly checking their site for updates – and checking my brainstorming well for better ideas.

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5. Yeasayer

It’s not that I want these dudes to rush, by all means, I want them to take as much time as they need to write their perfect, perfect songs, but oh god I can’t remember the last time I was so prematurely excited for an album. All Hour Cymbals is still still still on heavy play because it is so so good, and “Tightrope” is so so good, and it’s just so so hard not to get so so anxious/eager/greedy for more! Their “Odd Blood” recording blog is a bright spot on my Google Reader every update, whether it be picture updates from their Woodstock recording cabin, random themes, crueal teasers or actual news. Between this and their upcoming Pier 54 gig, I hope my thirst for Yeasayer will be satisfied.

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6. Jay-Z, “DOA”

Hovy Hov, it’s not that I stopped loving you, but the leaks and singles since the American Gangster stuff have been… well, mediocre. Your “A Billi” version of “A Milli” is fierce, and “Brooklyn We Go Hard” is a serious jam, but it’s not going to be on Blueprint 3? That made me think you had something better coming, but nothing I heard has really topped that. I was ready to side with your detractors and brush you off as an old man, outta touch – which, truthfully, I don’t neccessarily completely disagree with. But there’s something about you, that swagger, that love of old soul samples, that epic, hit-making ear that keeps me coming back for more. So I didn’t lose all faith. And then you relased “DOA,” which deservedly rips auto-tune, has those hot brass and guitar riffs and references my other favorite big-time rapper (Young Jeezy). Not to mention, a seriously piiiiimp video, featuring exploding assets, you smoking a cigar in front of an NY skyline and playing poker with Harvey Keitel. There I was, finessed by you again.

Jay-Z: “DOA” (download)

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7. Music Direction on “The Sopranos”

Anyone who checks in on my personal tumblr has heard me talk about this before. I’m closing in on “The Sopranos” finale (and if you try to spoil it for me, I’ll cut your head off) after a couple years spent watching it via Netflix and friends’ copies of the show. Most HBO shows use music in the most incredible way, and “Nip/Tuck” is another great example of television music direction, too, but “The Sopranos” is so perfect, it’s as if they had an army of thousands, possessing the knowledge of every song to ever exist when selecting, as if they had brackets and votes and cage matches of which song is best for which moment. My recent favorite selection was the use of The Rolling Stones’ “Moonlight Mile” in the Season 6, Part 1 closer. And, yes, I do already know what the big finale song is – but that’s all I know.

The Rolling Stones: “Moonlight Mile” (download)

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8. Jaime Foxx, “Blame It”

I hated “Blame It” the first time I heard it. It’s demeaning to women no matter how you look at it – either we need liquor to have a one-night stand so as to not feel “easy” (women can’t be as sexually promiscuous as men), or Foxx is acknowledging that such a double-standard exists and is exploiting a loop hole (but is still, basically, trying to bone women by getting them hammered) – that stutter is annoying as hell if you’re not in the right mood, and someone should probably tell Foxx he’s not Usher (speaking of which, wherefore art thou, Usher?). That said, “Blame It” is club R&B gold, catchy and sing-a-long-able as all hell, and unsurprisingly fun to drink to (or get ready to drink to). I also acknowledge that the video is killer, though I probably only think so because it features an appearance from fellow redhead and The Music Man star, Ron Howard. Yep, that’s right. Ron Howard in a club video. Point: Jamie Foxx.

But I’d still love it if a woman did a version of “Blame It” targeted at male drinking stereotypes. (Hint: Ironically, it rhymes with frisky stick). Someone put me in touch with Beyonce and Rihanna’s agents!

Jamie Foxx: “Blame It (Feat. T-Pain)” (download)

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9. Built To Spill

The minute Pacific Northwest Rock Royalty Built To Spill were announced as headliners for this year’s Siren Fest, I pulled out Keep It Like A Secret and There’s Nothing Wrong With Love, and haven’t stopped listening to them since. As with Neko Case, it’s only a matter of time until I jaunt through their entire discography. Luckily I’ll be getting another addition in the fall, in the form of There Is No Enemy.

Built To Spill: “You Were Right” (download)

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10. VeniSin

From the gents who bear such musical fruits as Lilum and The Jobz comes VeniSin, an exericse in indulgence, masculinity and rock. You don’t need words, you just need to listen to this.

VeniSin: “Koadak Blues” (download)

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11. Jake One, “Home”

Click here to view the embedded video.

What’s that? I already posted this? You don’t say…

Actually, I don’t say, because it’s worth talking about again, between the opening shot at my beloved Dick’s Drive-Thru on Broadway, the Sir Mix-A-Lot cameo, the jokes about Seattle being a city of potsmokers, the digs at Seattle sports teams, and the laid-back, positive vibes. Seattle doesn’t get enough theme songs, so I’mma pimp this one, our best one, as much as I can. Even if you aren’t from the Emerald City, you can appreciate the skill of some of its best emcees.

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12. The Dead Weather

After playing witness to their in-store at Jack White’s pop-up Third Man Records, it’s hard to listen to Horehound, which lacks some of the intensity and complexity of the live performance. But, at the very least, on “Treat Me Like Your Mother” and “I Cut Like A Buffalo,” Jack White’s passion is infectious, and Alison Mosshart makes a great toughsexy frontwoman for him to spar with. The rest of the album requires more digesting on my end, but I may never get past the way both songs make me want to slinky-swagger my way down the sidewalk and spit in some dude’s eye, or the violent video for “Treat Me Like Your Mother.” Can you imagine if you and an ex could have a shoot-out, knowing you wouldn’t kill the other person? I also have to point out the deliciously sinister fact that it’s filmed right outside some sort of copycat suburban housing plot.

The Dead Weather: “Treat Me Like Your Mother” (download)

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13. Phoenix

The French popsters from the Lost In Translation soundtrack hit it big with this year’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, particularly opening tracks “Lizstomania” and “1901.” They have me smitten – me and everyone else, that is.

Phoenix: “Lizstomania” (download)

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14. Wilco

I’m fully aware of the fact that I’ve knocked Wilco before. Though I’ve admittedly warmed up to them, in some ways, I still stand by my original statements. It takes way too long for Wilco albums to hit home, longer than I’m usually willing to spend on an album without some amount of faith in the artist. After hearing some live recordings, though, I decided to splurge on seeing the band with Yo La Tengo (who I, regrettably, only saw the last song of), and came away something closely resembling a fan. My favorite moments involved songs from A Ghost Is Born and Sky Blue Sky and the incredible guitarmanship of Nels Cline, who made sounds I’d never heard before. I don’t know that I’d call Wilco a new favorite, but I came away from the show willing to put a little more faith in their hands.

Wilco: “You And I” (download)

15. Domino Records

So, about that job thing. After an exhaustive job hunt, I’ve taken a positon with Domino Records (US), fine purveyors of alternative artists. Being a critic and working at a label puts me in a right compromising position, one that will be solved by my not expressing opinions regarding Domino artists. This unfortunately means I’ll have to refrain from further editorializing on Domino artists I’ve written about before – Animal Collective, Dirty Projectors, Cass McCombs, The Notwist, Arctic Monkeys – but is the best route to ensure things don’t get cloudy around here. There is a chance that I will decide to report facts - without critique or comment – from events I attend (for example, Animal Collective’s show at Prospect Park that I bought tickets for months and months ago), but should I do so, will disclose things of that nature to you, the T-Sides readers. Credibility and integrity still remain two facets I hold dear, despite being known as a blogger and the source of my current paycheck.

Van Morrison: “Domino” (YouTube)

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.

SET LIST:
Strange Overtones
I Zimbra
One Fine Day
Help Me Somebody
Houses In Motion
My Big Nurse
My Big Hands (Fall Through The Cracks)
Heaven
Moonlight In Glory
Life Is Long
Crosseyed And Painless
Born Under Punches
Once In A Lifetime
Life During Wartime
I Feel My Stuff
Encore: Take Me To The River
Great Curve
Encore 2: Air
Burning Down The House
Encore 3: Everything That Happens

David Byrne: “Burning Down The House” Live @ Prospect Park Bandshell, June 8th, 2009

Click here to view the embedded video.

David Byrne Official Site
David Byrne on MySpace

Also there:
BrooklynVegan
Late Night Wallflower
Quiet Color
Village Voice

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

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!

New York City living, with its ever-expanding list of options, presents a reoccurring problem: What to do when you need or want to be in two places at once? Given the opportunity to see both legendary crooner Morrissey at Webster Hall for free and up and coming hype bands the Grates and Micachu and the Shapes for free, what does one do? Well, if you have experience covering festivals like CMJ, and enough money for cab fare, you do both.

Starting out at Webster Hall, the end of the set by openers the Courteeners was unsurprisingly Smiths-ish. At any other time and place, that might be perfectly fine, but as an opener for Morrissey? Who wants processed cheese when you can have cheddar?

Morrissey warmed the crowd up, as has become standard, with a series of old video clips before his set. When the curtain dropped and the pompadoured singer took the stage, he asked, “I just have one soul searching question to ask you: Where the hell am I?” before jumping into Brooklyn bar dance favorite, “This Charming Man.”

But, sadly enough, the same people that will likely bust a move to the song when it comes on at their local bar were noticeably less rapturous than the average Morrissey fanboy crowd. Were people there to say they saw Morrissey at a smaller venue than he usually plays, or where they simply there to see him?

Morrissey, however, was up to his normal tricks, casting shirts into the audience, whipping the mic around, brushing back his hair, and interjecting an air of mystery between songs with statements like, “I am a myth.” The set list was full of standard fare – “How Soon Is Now?” “Irish Blood, English Heart” “Billy Budd” – all of which were as aggressive as Morrissey has ever been, with the help of his current backing band. But lest we forget his reputation as the International Man of Misery, there was “Let Me Kiss You,” and “Seasick, Yet Still Docked” to tug at the heartstrings. (See below for live video of “Seasick, Yet Still Docked” from this snow.)

Unfortunately, as he began mid-set standard “The Loop,” a cab and Piano’s were beckoning…

Arriving at Piano’s, the post-SXSW hype was in full effect, as I was turned away – despite having a ticket – because the venue was at full capacity. I was finally allowed in, but curiosity begs the question, was there anyone who paid and didn’t get in at all? Would Piano’s offer a refund in that instance? But why oversell to begin with?

Luckily, I caught the Australian four-piece (they’re technically a trio, but had a keyboardist in tow) in time to hear “Milk Eyes,” a serious power pop jam that front-woman Patience Hodgson said is, “about babies,” though it makes for a great love song in general, “You know I’m never gonna turn you away / you know I’m never gonna give you no pain / Even if I could, yeah, even though I would / even though my friends all say that I should.”

There’s nothing ground-breaking about the music, but what it lacks in inventiveness it makes up for in pure fun. The Grates are the rock and roll show done right. Hodgson can switch in and out of flinging herself around stage one moment and flirting with audience members the next. At some point, she sang a song from atop the shoulders of a man in the crowd, while twirling around a purple ribbon. Show closer “Burn Bridges” is a fist pumper with a hand-clapping, chanting heart, “Spent time making trouble, doing the right thing / Spent time making trouble, what’s the sum of everything.”

The Grates were followed by Micachu and the Shapes, coming off SXSW coverage over-saturation. Though there wasn’t anything wrong with their show, there wasn’t necessarily anything right with it, either. Their heavy, noise pop came off as muddled, chaotic and too jumbled. There are bands that make you wonder if they’re really trying to do something different, or if they’re just fucking around, and Micachu and the Shapes are one of those bands, proving it’s not always smarter to do something that’s never been done – sometimes it’s best to just be memorable, a lesson it seems the Grates have already learned.

For more T-Sides pictures of Morrissey, click here. For more T-Sides pictures of The Grates and Micachu & the Shapes, click here. For a T-Sides video of Morrissey playing “Seasick, Yet Still Docked” at Webster Hall, and more information, click the jump.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Morrissey Official Site
Morrissey on MySpace

Also at Morrissey:
Ear Farm
Lime Wire Music Blog
Tastes Like Caramel
Brooklyn Vegan
Radio Exile
The Music Slut

The Grates Official Site
The Grates on MySpace

Micachu & The Shapes on MySpace

Also at Piano’s:
Look At Me, I Made A Blog
Pop Tarts Suck Toasted (Grates)
Pop Tarts Suck Toasted (Micachu)

While browsing through the archive the other day, I realized it’s been awhile since we’ve had a contributor here on T-Sides. So, I put out a call to some trusted associates, asking if there was anyone who’d like to take a turn at it. Fellow Popdose associate Dw. Dunphy answered the call with this alluring write-up of a tune and artist yours truly had never heard until now. Ah, and thus, the whole point of having different voices here. So, without further delay…

This is nothing new, really. Don MacLean had a fairly big hit with his maudlin folkie, “Vincent,” in case you don’t recall, but even though Vincent Van Gogh is also the protagonist of the song “Skin” from VOL (1995) by Vigilantes Of Love, the similarities end there. First off, lead vigilante Bill Mallonee is one of the most insidious songwriters I’ve ever come across. He will take a character, historical figure or event and start the song from there, then sneakliy shift focus. It was about this, but it’s really about that.

Vigilantes Of Love: “Skin” (download)

The same holds true here. The line, “Your princess, she don’t want to know you / Your princess, she don’t want to hear / So Vincent, he picked up the blade / And he put it to his ear,” goes far enough into framing Van Gogh’s instability. But after that, the song recasts itself into something many songwriters dread and far fewer navigate gracefully: The pep talk tune. They dread it because it is almost impossible to write one convincingly, and because it’s even harder not to drown in the murk of inspirational cliches and Sylvester Stallone arm-wrestling montage scores. “If you’re gonna come around here and say those sorts of things / You’re gonna take a few on the chin / Talkin’ ’bout love and all that stuff? / You better put on your thickest skin.” Nowhere is the listener being discouraged from being an openhearted proponent in an artistic setting. On the contrary, it’s being encouraged, but with the implicit proviso that a cynical world may not react kindly to it.

The chorus is sewn up with this less than triumphant sentiment: “Sometimes you can’t please everyone / Sometimes you can’t please anyone at all / So you sew your heart on to your sleeve / And wait for the axe to fall.” I suspect what songwriter Mallonee is trying to say is that it is Van Gogh’s peaceful scenes that we remember most (the starry night, the fields of corn that, disturbingly, he would go to in a suicide attempt). Other painters may have made their bones on angst and torment, but Vincent’s work, while ornate, had a naivete that gave off a second life, a third and a fourth. If I say Picasso’s Guernica, do you automatically see it in your mind? If I say Van Gogh’s Starry Night, how about that? I rest my case.

It is Mallonee’s ability to extract universality out of unlikely sources that make the most powerful statements. If you gamble looking for love, you may find it as much as you may fail and crash. If you seek peace versus violence, you might get a punch in the face. If you stand for right, even when the power you speak truth to would rather you joined them or should just shut up, you could die. The nobility of love, peace and the just remain undiminished, and that’s where immortaility truly lies.

A parting thought, though: In today’s climate of prescription heart-menders, pain smoothies and mood lifters, could an artist like Vincent Van Gogh even exist?

If you have something you think might be great for T-Sides, let us know!

Appearances, as they say, can be deceiving. Looking at Cursive frontman Tim Kasher’s slim stature on stage at the Music Hall of Williamsburg last Monday night, one unfamiliar with his songwriting might have never guessed the hostilities that lurk within.

Shaking his head and his fist, Kasher pointed his rage at lovers, religion and critics, pulling out a career spanning set list with a heavy emphasis on recent material. Ugly Organ, Happy Hollow and last week’s newly released Mama, I’m Swollen consumed most of the set.

The crowd was tame but appreciative, and so was the band. Cursive can be known for Kasher’s booze-besotted outbursts, but he was quiet and polite in-between songs. Though he claimed, at one point that, “I have a threshold of about 15 songs and then I get really bored,” they chugged through a 13-song set and six-song encore with not so much as a hiccup.

Brand new jams “From The Hips,” “Mama, I’m Satan” and “I Couldn’t Love You” fit in comfortably between fan favorites like “Some Red-Handed Slight of Hand” and “The Casualty,” though it’ll take some time before the new tunes rile fans up as much as the older ones.

Cursive: “From The Hips” (download)

Supporting Kasher were founding bassist Matt Maginn and long-time guitarist Ted Stevens, who thrashed around with ease, as well as a yet to be identified keyboardist and trumpeter. But it appears that the most recent addition, drummer Cornbread Compton – who replaced founding drummer Clint Schnase, who left in ‘07 – was absent at both the Music Hall of Williamsburg show, as well as the show at Bowery Ballroom the following night, and we’re not the only ones to notice. If anyone can confirm or deny, please do. (Drummers, sheesh!)

To check out more T-Sides pictures, click here. For the setlist, a T-Sides video of “Gentleman Caller” from this show, and more information, click the jump.

SETLIST:
Butcher The Song
Dorothy At 40
Mama, I’m Satan
The Great Decay
Driftwood: A Fairy Tale
The Casualty
Let Me Up
Bad Sects
A Career In Transcendence
I Couldn’t Love You
Some Red-Handed Slight Of Hand
Rise Up! Rise Up!
From The Hips
Encore: Art Is Hard
Big Bang
The Game Of Who Needs Who The Worst
What Have I Done
Gentleman Caller
The Martyr

Click here to view the embedded video.

Cursive Official Site
Cursive on MySpace

Also there:
Late Night Wallflower
Mike Farrell
(Lots were at the Bowery show the next night!)

By now, most people who’ve heard (of) Les Savy Fav know their live show is more spectacle than concert. This is due in large part to front-man Tim Harrington, whose no-holds-barred antics could probably attract the same crowd sizes on their own. This isn’t to knock Les Savy Fav’s music, or their ability to play it in a live setting – there’d be nothing wrong with watching them stand or dance around like any other band. But with songs as sexually charged and defiant as theirs, the baccanalian atmosphere just drives the point home.

Their Noise Pop closing show at San Francisco’s the Mezzanine was no exception, with Harrington in top form from the moment he walked on stage. He arrived covered in toilet paper, claiming it was a cask from a biking accident, before he quipped that it reminded him of a tampon, then doused himself in water and shook toilet-paper-mache over an already rapt crowd. The only way to make an entrance like that even better? By opening with “What Would Wolves Do?,” “In time we will show the world why the world made us.”

Les Savy Fav: “What Would Wolves Do?” (download)

Since Harrington just handles vocal duties, his theatrics still leave guitarists Seth Jabour and Andrew Reuland, drummer Harrison Haynes and bassist Syd Butler free to concentrate on the technical aspects of the performance, delivering a tight series of pounding noise-dance-rage tunes. Harrington’s actions are pure spur of the moment, though, so the other band members were often as wide-eyed or slack-jawed as the audience.

The setlist crossed every era of the band, from the grit of their early albums, 3/5 (“Je T’Aime”) and The Cat and the Cobra (“Dishonest Don, Part 2,” “Who Rocks The Party”), to their poppier newest release, Let’s Stay Friends (“The Equestrian,” “Patty Lee”).

Les Savy Fav: “Who Rocks The Party” (download)

As they drew closer to a finale, it became clear that Les Savy Fav’s ability to deliver a flawless performance stems from their ability to accept flaws and improvisation. As Harrington climbed around the audience during the encore, he seguewayed into a spontaneous verse of, “This is my body / This is what it does / I try to make it better / But I know it’s gonna bust,” pointing the mic at audience members to invite their contribution. But the night was far from a bust, as he ended the show sitting on stage, overlooking the crowd like a proud father.

For more T-Sides pictures, click here. Click the jump to see the setlist and more information.

SETLIST:
What Would Wolves Do?
The Equestrian
Patty Lee
Slip
Yawn  Yawn  Yawn
We’ll Make A Lover Of You
Hold On To Your Genre
Pills
Je T’Aime
Dishonest Don, Part 2
The Lowest Bitter
Encore: Raging In The Plague Age
Who Rocks The Party

Les Savy Fav Official Site
Les Savy Fav on MySpace

Also there:
Hippies Are Dead
Impose Magazine
NBC
7×7
Palestra Music
SF Station
Crawdaddy
Venus Zine
The Tripwire

As promised, T-Sides is once again tapping the writing well. There hasn’t been much in the way of live shows to whip us into a frenzy, but new release season is finally picking up.

Quick-witted Lily Allen has a new one that doesn’t quite live up to the pop accessibility of her first, and there are not one but two albums by actor-musicians that are actually quite good: Coconut Records, solo project of Jason Schwartzman, and Steve Martin’s bluegrass record.

Additionally, to celebrate Valentine’s Day, the Popdose staff chose to talk about things we love: books, movies, albums. I selected one of each, as did each staff member. There are lots of great selections. See if you can guess what I picked!

Brandy: “Where Are You Now?” (download)

I “fell in love” so many times in high school that it’s hard to know who to classify as the first, but Damon was the first time I fell hard. Really hard.

We met in a summer program through a local occupational school that allowed you to take a culinary arts class in the summer and get credit for it. The program lasted for half of the summer, and you actually got to run a restaurant, which you’d cycle through each section of. Damon was two years older than me, and very mature and well dressed for a high school guy in Washington state. He worked at the Gap at the mall 15 minutes from my house.

We became fast friends, which quickly grew to stronger feelings on my end. Damon was the guy I’d talk to for hours on my private phone line late at night, hiding the receiver in my sweatshirt hood so I could quickly feign sleep if my mom came in to check on me. If it wasn’t the phone, we would talk for hours on AIM, and I’d frequently fall asleep on the couch in the computer room, waiting for him to sign on. (Author’s note: I don’t miss high school.)

Damon was a pretty talented piano player and singer, and I was constantly harassing him into performing for me. Somewhere in my childhood bedroom, I have a tape of him singing an on the spot version of U2’s “If God Will Send His Angels.”

During my formative years, I’d become obsessed with Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, including the soundtrack, and Des’ree’s “Kissing You” was my sad-romantic anthem. So, for my birthday one year, Damon came over and played and sang to “Kissing You” on the piano for me. It was one of the happiest moments of my adolescent life.

Des’ree: “Kissing You” (download)

My feelings went unfulfilled, and we eventually lost touch, but we reconnected not too long ago. (Hello, Damon, if you ever read this, and apologies if you’re embarrassed, but don’t be!) I still always think of him when I hear that song, and I still always smile when I think of him.