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Live Review: Kendrick Lamar w/ Chance the Rapper

Jeremy — Fri, 17 May 2013 02:49:44 GMT

Live Review: Kendrick Lamar / Chance the Rapper
IMU Main Ballroom, Iowa City, IA - 5.06.13

Several years ago, Snoop Dogg was scheduled to play a show here at the University of Iowa. If memory serves (and it might not), the show was scheduled for one of the larger venues around, if not the sprawling Hubbard Park, then certainly the spacious Main Ballroom inside the Union. I�m surely getting the specific details mixed up in the fog of time, but the show WAS cancelled. While the University never came out and said it (if I remember correctly), the show was cancelled due to the desire to keep �Undesirables� out that may or may not be associated with Mr. Dogg. Now, outside of being super messed up and the fact that Snoop Dogg is and has been a cartoon for a while, the cancellation put the kibosh on rap shows in town for a while. SCOPE along with Mission Creek have slowly brought big mainstream acts such as Killer Mike, GZA, Ghostface Killah, and Childish Gambino back to the area. While those acts are nothing to sneeze at, SCOPE�s last show of the semester upped the ante by bringing the red-hot Kendrick Lamar to the IMU.

Chicago�s Chance the Rapper has been making massive amounts of waves as of late. His latest mixtape Acid Rap is scratching the itches of all the pertinent tastemakers of the day, he�s guest rapping on all of the big names of the day, and his SXSW performance has people all hot and bothered for his upcoming Lollapalooza slot. His onstage presence more than justified the hype - from the moment he stepped on stage, Chance was a barely contained bundle of energy, spending almost as much time maniacally dancing about the stage as he did rapping. I can�t even fake a passing knowledge of Chance�s music, but the intensity saved the set.

The set suffered from both muddy sound and some poor pacing. Chance�s DJ began the set with a confusing display of his admirable skills - if this was intended to amp up the crowd, the constant switching of music to hype killed any flow, and this pre-set went on for an interminably long time before Chance actually came out. Once onstage, the show picked up exponentially, but Chance�s microphone was too low to actually make out what was going on. The problem only increased after both the house sound techs as well as the DJ tried to remedy the issues, leading to massive amounts of crunching in the sound. Still, Chance�s charisma, energy, and the crowd�s devotion to the set kept the show above water.

Kendrick Lamar�s explosion this past year was one of the most heartening things I�ve seen in the music scene as of late. Too often, popular music, especially rap, it�s far too easy to rely on a hook to get an audience, be it �Oh man, what crazy slut!� or �Did you hear how much Drank he drank?!�. With good kid, M.A.A.D. City, Kendrick Lamar did the old fashioned way. He made a truly original album without relying on tired stereotypes or hopping on a bandwagon. The show sold out almost immediately, and the crowd maintained the level of enthusiasm shown at the box office. The sound issues were resolved in the interim, and the crowd made sure to go ballistic at every song, whether it was known or not. Tracks like �P&P� got the crowd singing along early in the set, but the real reactions came once Kendrick broke into the good kid material. The crowd had largely smoked and drank themselves limbless, and the slightest push was able to topple them into a frenzy.

It�s a good thing the crowd was in such high spirits and willing to roll with anything, because Kendrick�s performance was sub-par. While the nature of the songs and the amped crowd lend themselves to a call-and-response interaction with the crowd, Kendrick spending well over half of his time on stage letting the crowd take the baton and run was inexcusable. It became even more disappointing during the times he actually did rap full verses as he did on �M.A.A.D. City�. In those rare moments, he managed to show why he�s made himself a gold standard of sorts for modern rap, and it made the laziness all the more disappointing. Still, those moments alongside a bananas crowd during those INCREDIBLE songs made Kendrick Lamar a winner overall. Kendrick Lamar claimed to be genuinely surprised at the reaction got here in the middle of nowhere and that he would back - here�s hoping he�s not hungover the next time.

Thanks to Mack Sheehy and everyone at SCOPE for another great year, and thanks to Zak Neumann for the photos and keeping his remarks about Barack Obama to himself for once.

Riotfest 2013 Announces Fall Out Boy, Blink 182, Motorhead, Rancid, FLAG & Many More

Jeremy — Thu, 16 May 2013 03:51:39 GMT

I went to Riotfest's first iteration as an outdoor festival last year, and it was an incredibly well run festival, stacked front to back with acts to pay homage to the old school (Iggy & The Stooges) as well as the current day (Rise Against). Over the course of the weekend, I had precisely forty-five minutes where there was not a band I HAD to see. I thought I had missed out on the days of seeing shows made specifically for me when Warped Tour started booking screamo bands, but Riotfest proved me wrong. I did not think such a show was possible.

Not only was it done, it was done well, and with their 2013 announcement this evening, Chicago's Riotfest has made one of the most perfect lineup announcements I have ever seen. Headlining the September 13-15 festival in Humboldt Park will Be Fall Out Boy, Blink 182 and an as-of-yet unnamed third act. The ridiculous undercard features Violent Femmes, Motorhead, Rancid, Against Me!, FLAG, AFI, X, Taking Back Sunday, Public Enemy, Brand New, GWAR, Glassjaw, and countless others. This is a batshit insane lineup, and tickets are only $69.98 for now. More acts are on the way, so get them now at www.riotfest.org. I'll see you there.

Music Video: The Olympics - "Gypsy Blood"

Jeremy — Tue, 14 May 2013 00:41:54 GMT

We've seen our friends in The Olympics a few times around here, and dammit, they're fun. Check out the Iowa City group's debut video for "Gypsy Blood":

"The Olympics - "Gypsy Blood"" via YouTube
ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs & My Bloody Valentine to Headline LA's FYF Fest

Jeremy — Tue, 14 May 2013 00:32:03 GMT

It's been a while, but My Bloody Valentine are continuing the resurrection in the wake of MBV with a headlining spot at Los Angeles's FYF Fest. The festival will take place August 24th & 25th at L.A. State Historic Park. Yeah Yeah Yeahs will also close out a night, and they'll be joined by groups like TV on the Radio, FLAG, Yo La Tengo, Kurt Vile & The Violators, and and many more. All information can be found at www.fyffest.com, and the lineup is as follows:

Saturday, August 24th

Yeah Yeah Yeahs
TV on the Radio
FLAG
Deerhunter
Devendra Banhart
The Breeders (Performing Last Splash)
Toro Y Moi
Death Grips
Roky Erickson
STRFKR
Thee Oh Sees
Simian Mobile Disco B2B Bicep
Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires
Ty Segall
Dan Deacon
Nosaj Thing
Title Fight
Delorean
Omar Souleyman
Eleanor Friedberger
Joyce Manor
Foxygen
Horse Meat Disco
Metz
Crystal Antlers
The Underachievers
Waxahatchee

Sunday, August 25th:

My Bloody Valentine
MGMT
Beach House
Solange
Yo La Tengo
Washed Out
Holy Ghost
The Melvins
Les Savy Fav
Shlomo
Kurt Vile & The Violators
Flume
!!!
Jonathan Richman
Baroness (Ed. Note: HOLY SHIT)
Poolside
Touche Amore
Mac Demarco
Glasser
How to Dress Well
Chelsea Wolfe
The Orwells
Classixx
Mikal Cronin
Guards
Pional
Fear of Men
Lemuria
Antwon

+ More & Comedians

Full Album Stream: The National - 'Trouble Will Find Me'

Jeremy — Tue, 14 May 2013 00:23:41 GMT

YAIS.

New album by The National.

Streaming on iTunes.

Don't be dumb:

Full Album Stream: The National - Trouble Will Find Me

Full Album Stream: Daft Punk - 'Random Access Memories'

Jeremy — Tue, 14 May 2013 00:20:34 GMT

Daft Punk continues to wind up the masses in the lead up to the release of Random Access Memories, and now....you can hear it all. Follow the link to iTunes, and stream the whole damn thing.

Full Album Stream: Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

Music Video: Kendrick Lamar - "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe"

Jeremy — Tue, 14 May 2013 00:13:54 GMT

Still with the victory lap. You know it, you love it - check the video for Kendrick Lamar's "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe":

"Kendrick Lamar - "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe"" via YouTube
ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

Album Review: H.D. Harmsen - Papoose

Jeremy — Thu, 09 May 2013 02:12:19 GMT

H.D. Harmsen
Papoose

In my eyes, one of the most curious facets of the music business is how certain indie record labels become defined by a sound or how the label itself will come to define its members sounds. It makes sense, of course - no leaps of faith are needed to suspect that a small business would be formed with a group of friends, and it stands to reason that those friends would have similar interests and tastes. Sub Pop cornered the grunge and flannel market in the late 1980s (and later, to a lesser extent, the hipster market in the 00s), Drive-Thru Records hit a vein of pop-punk angst at the turn of the century, and Saddle Creek left their mark with the bloodletting yowls of the vaunted Real Emo. Iowa�s Maximum Ames Records is still in its nascent stages of life, but already they�ve managed to make a stamp without having a Maximum Ames Sound. 70s piano pop (Christopher the Conquered), high-voltage rock and roll (The Poison Control Center), dance pop (Trouble Lights), and whatever the fuck Mumford�s are all mix together on the label, and it all works. It works because they all have the same love for music, and with the release of Papoose, the label may have found its unifying face in H.D. Harmsen.

It is nearly impossible to give a vague description of Papoose. There�s nothing inherently wrong with being able to give a quick, loose description of a band as I did above, but H.D. Harmsen has thrown so much into the mix here that I�m not even sure I can classify this as a rock album. Sure, tracks like �The Phoenix� come across as a rambunctious cross between Titus Andronicus and The Thermals, but immediately after, you�re just as likely to come across a delicate ballad like �Life in My Fishbowl� or even a cool jazz ode to Judy Garland in �Song for Judy�. It�s this omnivorous, earnest love for all kinds of music that makes Harmsen a perfect avatar for Maximum Ames, and it�s also Papoose�s strongest suit. Not only does Harmsen make a point to include as many genres as he can, he makes sure to include as many instruments as possible. A thunderous horn section adds brawn to �The Phoenix� and brings an unbelievable Vaudevillian swagger to �Teetotaler�, while a soaring, cinematic violin brings an austere beauty to the devastatingly beautiful �The Balloon�. Shredding guitar solos are just as likely to appear as slide guitar and mouth harp, and despite a rough transition between a few songs, the ease with which Papoose slides into all of these genres is truly staggering.

Of course, such genre-defying music wouldn�t mean a thing if you didn�t give a shit about what�s going on behind the music. There�s no constants in Papoose, but all of the songs seem to share the connective tissue of a young man trying to find his place in the world. Heartache and loss provide the easiest points of reference for the listener in songs like �A Love Forgotten� and especially in the surging album highlight �The Divorce�. While anyone that�s ever been on the wrong end of a dumping will be able to feel the bile dripping off of Harmsen�s tongue in the chorus, he�s not willing to let Papoose take the easy way out. �Teetotaler� gives even more insight to the man with a high-kicking description of a straight-edge lifestyle, and alongside �Life in My Fishbowl�, �The Balloon� sees the man waxing philosophical about any potential legacy his music may leave behind. Harmsen is all over the map on Papoose, but he manages to keep between the ditches, and in an album this diverse, that�s no small feat.

Papoose does not feature any one track that seems even remotely like any of the other fourteen tracks, but if mission statement of Harmsen�s debut exists, it�s likely the album�s penultimate track �How to Kill a Monster�. It features the laidback feel in the verses of �I Still Believe in You�, it�s got the ebullient basslines of �Papoose�, and it�s got the spastic, squalling guitars in its coda that give the fieriest tracks their extra kick. Most of all, though, it�s got Harmsen laying himself bare for the listener and giving an honest assessment of how he sees himself. Even though this is an incredibly personal track (and album), I�d like to think that anyone can relate to a line like �I need a backbone, I don�t need your hand, but it�s still such a long way to go�. It�s a simple line, but it�s a universal truth made all the more poignant with Harmsen�s heartbreaking delivery. With Papoose, H.D. Harmsen has made an incredibly assured debut album that�s as diverse as a world traveler, but still as uniquely Iowan as Templeton Rye...and it�s only the beginning.

Grade: A-

Track Listing:

1. Ghost Dance
2. The Phoenix
3. Heart, Mind & Soul
4. Teetotaler
5. A Love Forgotten
6. Strawberries & Milk
7. Life in My Fishbowl
8. Song for Judy
9. The Divorce
10. Papoose
11. The Balloon
12. Dog Days
13. I Still Believe in You
14. How to Kill a Monster
15. The Creek

Music Video: David Bowie - "The Next Day"

Jeremy — Wed, 08 May 2013 23:41:10 GMT

David Bowie made one hell of a comeback earlier this year with The Next Day, but it's nothing compared to the super bloody, super blasphemous video he's just released for "The Next Day". This is probably NSFW, so be warned:

"David Bowie - "The Next Day"" via YouTube
ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

Music Video: The National - "Sea of Love"

Jeremy — Wed, 08 May 2013 23:35:25 GMT

Goddammit, I'm excited for the new album by The National. Trouble Will Find Me is coming ever closer, and the new video for "Sea of Love" is just making the wait harder:

"The National - "Sea of Love"" via YouTube
ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

Music Video: Frank Turner - "The Way I Tend to Be"

Jeremy — Wed, 08 May 2013 23:32:10 GMT

Frank Turner released one of my early favorites of the year with Tape Deck Heart, and now, there's a video for one of the best tracks on the album. Check out Frank's new video for "The Way I Tend to Be":

"Frank Turner - "The Way I Tend to Be"" via YouTube
ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

80/35 2013 Adds Menomena, H.D. Harmsen, Gloom Balloon & More

Jeremy — Wed, 08 May 2013 22:53:47 GMT

2013's 80/35 has already had a great initial batch of artists ranging from David Byrne & St. Vincent, Wu-Tang Clan, and Wavves alongside locals like Trouble Lights and Mumford's, and they've continued the trend with their latest announcement. Menomena and Detroit rappers Apollo Brown & Guilty Simpson will bring their particular brands of ruckus to the festival along side our boys in Gloom Balloon and H.D. Harmsen. The whole list of new acts can be found below, and all pertinent information regarding the festival can be found at 80/35's website. You've got less than a week to obtain tickets at the lower price - the price will rise to $65/$39 on May 14th. Don't be dumb - get your ass to Des Moines.

Menomena
Apollo Brown & Guilty Simpson
Escondido
The Pines
Water Liars
Maxilla Blue
Prissy Clerks
H.D. Harmsen
SP3
Gloom Balloon
Mighty Shady

Justin Timberlake Announces 2013 '20/20' Tour

Jeremy — Wed, 08 May 2013 01:28:55 GMT

Justin Timberlake just doesn't seem to get any breaks, does he? Successful albums, hilarious stints on SNL, movie star status? It's a wonder the man can sleep. Also adding to the ills is the success of The 20/20 Experience, and now come the perils and trappings of a sure-to-be successful tour. If you want to commiserate with the man, check out the following dates:

Tour Dates

10/31 - Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
11/13 - Raleigh, NC @ PNC Arena
11/15 - Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
11/16 - Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena
11/18 - Memphis, TN @ Fedex Forum
11/19 - St. Louis, MO @ Scottrade Center
11/21 - Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
11/29 - Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
12/2 - Phoenix, AZ @ US Airways Center
12/4 - Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
12/5 - Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
12/11 - Indianapolis, IN @ Bankers Life Fieldhouse
12/12 - Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
12/14 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Consol Energy Center
12/15 - Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! Center
12/17 - Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena
12/19 - Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
1/13 - Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place
1/17 - Seattle, WA @ Key Arena
1/22 - Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
2/7 - Fargo, ND @ FARGODOME
2/9 - St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
2/10 - Omaha, NE @ CenturyLink Center

Full Album Stream: Vampire Weekend - 'Modern Vampires of the City'

Jeremy — Wed, 08 May 2013 01:20:19 GMT

Modern Vampires of the City doesn't come out for another week yet, but you can check out Vampire Weekend's new album in its entirety over at iTunes. Buuuuuuust it:

Full Album Stream: Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City

Music Video: Queens of the Stone Age - "I Appear Missing"

Jeremy — Mon, 06 May 2013 23:07:23 GMT

Queens of the Stone Age's ...Like Clockwork will be dropping next month, but until then, check the trippy, slightly NSFW edit of "I Appear Missing":

"Queens of the Stone Age - "I Appear Missing"" via YouTube
ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.