Saturday, July 28, 2012
Father John Misty - Oxford Art Factory (27/7/2012)
Let it be known that FJM (J. Tillman) loves to shake his tush.
Fact is, he cavorts and loosens up like a shaman possessed.
When I saw someone in the audience approach J. for an autograph during the night's first support act (Melodie Nelson), I knew it was a case of now or never - Dashed across the road, got myself a marker, headed back, purchased a vinyl copy of Fear Fun (When I already own the CD) and a T-shirt, all in time to catch the second support act, Mosman Alder.
This is, after all, my favourite album of the year so far. Count me a fanboy.
When the band opened with Fun Times in Babylon, we knew we were in for a special night.
Jeff Frattiti (Sp?) dressed in polka dot pullover and spacey spandex, looking like a drag Cobain gone wrong, immediately challenged us visually and it was clear we weren't in Kansas anymore.
He was especially animated during Hollywood Forever Centery Sings and gestured his bass as a shovel to the lyrics' "someone's got to help me dig" .
The set consisted the entire album, only O I Long to Feel Your Arms Around Me was left out. Arrangements deviated little from that on the album; bar the extra howl and extended wig-out jam & feedback frenzy. The band (Same lineup as that on the KEXP clip below) sounded great live.
Highlights for me were Only Son of the Ladies' Man, Nancy from Now On and Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings
It was hilarious when Misty got foggy and forgot the beginning lyrics to Now I'm Learning to Love the War and ad-libbed on the spot.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for a night of blissful, joyous music.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
The Story So Far... Mid Year Report
Jan to Jun 2012
How time seems to fly. While the first half of the year (musically) doesn't seem too fruitful and offerings haven't exactly been earth-shattering; there is, thank heavens, music worth celebrating.
Doesn't seem all that long ago either, that I have made some RSD (Record Store Day April 21, 2012) purchases and have since been hatching two as yet unpublished posts - Reviews of The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends and Jack White's Blunderbuss...
And here we are, mid point already!
Drum roll please, my 25 favourite albums thus far -
1. Father John Misty - Fear Fun
2. The Flaming Lips - The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends
3. Damien Jurado - Maraqopa
4. The Walkmen - Heaven
5. Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
6. Beach House - Bloom
7. Perfume Genius - Put Your Back N 2 It
8. Spiritualized - Sweet Heart Sweet Light
9. Jack White - Blunderbuss
10. Chromatics - Kill for Love
11. Caetano Veloso and David Byrne - Live at Carnegie Hall
12. Jay Farrar, Yim Yames, Will Johnson and Anders Parker - New Multitudes
13. Django Django - Django Django
14. John Talabot - ƒIN
15. Dr. John - Locked Down
16. Dexys - One Day I'm Going to Soar
17. Lambchop - Mr. M
18. Giant Giant Sand - Tuscon
19. Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself
20. M. Ward - A Wasteland Companion
21. Brendan Benson - What Kind of World
22. The 2 Bears - Be Strong
23. Trembling Bells & Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - The Marble Downs
24. fun. - Some Nights
25. Lana Del Rey - Born to Die
There you have it.
There's still a few which have yet to take root: Fiona Apple's The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do, Fanfarlo's Rooms Filled with Light, The Tallest Man On Earth's There's No Leaving Now, Liars' WIXIW.
The second half of the year shall see new releases by Animal Collective, The Antlers, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Bat for Lashes, Beak>,Bloc Party, Calexico, Matthew Dear, Dirty Projectors, Foals, Grizzly Bear, Mission of Burma, The Raveonettes, St. Vincent and David Byrne, Swans, The xx, Yeasayer
Enjoy!
Labels:
Alt-J,
Andrew Bird,
Beach House,
Best albums 2012,
Chromatics,
Damien Jurado,
Django Django,
Father John Misty,
Flaming Lips,
fun.,
Heady Fwends,
Jack White,
Lambchop,
M. Ward,
Perfume Genius,
Spiritualized,
Walkmen
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