No Shit! An occasional series: No.2 - Cameo Gallery

After kicking off the series with the monstrous DBA toilet, our attention now turns to yet another Williamsburg establishment, the Cameo Gallery (this toilet is actually in between the music venue and connecting cafe, The Lovin' Cup). The venue itself is more professionally ran than the raft of DIY venues in the area, featuring an actual bar, a good sound system and a room that's probably a bit too clean and hip for my liking if I'm being picky.

Before heading in to see the live US debut of Belfast Band, Girls Names (who were excellent, by the way), I needed the facilities. I'd been to the venue before to see La Sera (who are also brilliant), but did not have a call of nature.

As you can see from the pictures, there is something incredibly sinister about this place. Forget about saying Candyman in the mirror three times, I was half expecting Dexter to appear behind me as I took a slash.

Whilst the serial killer lighting makes it memorable, the rest of the room is fairly bland, minimal graffiti, functional toilet AND taps (DBA take note...).

Cameo Gallery - A spooky but ultimately tame toilet experience.

Score on the floor...
Venue: 6.5
Character: 5
Functionality: 6
Hygiene: 6

No Shit Score: 23.5

No shit! An occasional series: No.1 - Death By Audio

The state of most toilets in New York is shocking, for newcomers I imagine this is considerably disconcerting. However, there comes a time where you must embrace filth and ultimately these things become endearing. Afterall, you're sharing this city with over 8 million people as it is, anyone who remotely leans towards being a germophone would be particularly crippled. If you suffer from lutropublicaphobia, please never come here, for your own sake.

Now, onto our first offering, which is at Williamsburg music venue, Death By Audio. 

I like DBA, it's my kind of venue and I've seen some good acts there, I guess you could call it "intimate", music venues should not be pretentious, and they definitely should not be clean, two very important boxes are ticked here! 

Anyway, enough about the venue, which may feature in a separate series in the future, let's check out the bog. Graffiti like that takes time to build up. While I expect things to look terrible I do expect facilities to work, thankfully the toilet itself is functional but be warned, I don't think the tap has ever worked when I've gone there and while patrons may do a double-take at what looks like the tub of stale vaseline on top of the unit, it's actually an odour eater.

DBA, don't ever change.

Score on the floor...
Venue: 7
Character: 8
Functionality: 4
Hygiene: 4

No Shit Score: 23

The Men - New Moon album + Bowery Ballroom review

The Men have described New Moon as "their most intensely personal album" and they certainly serve up both an enchanting and complex record that will demand effort from any listener.

The record opens with a low-key country number, Open the Door before we're served up a double whammy of raucous Americana-like workouts with Half Angel Half Light followed by Without a Face. It's as if someone ripped up the country-rock rule book, sped things up and turned all the amps up to 11, like someone held a gun to Tom Petty's head and told him to put together a real fucking rock and roll record by the morning or they would blow his brains out (note - this record does not sound like Tom Petty...), the songs are raw and haven't been laboured over. There's definitely a Neil Young and Crazy Horse vibe on some of the songs, like I Saw Her Face, which would fit seamlessly onto Zuma, complete with raging guitar solo. 

High and Lonesome gives us a couple of minutes to catch our breaths and reflect with a forlorn slide guitar taking centre stage. It isn't long before before you're caught up in another whirlwind, as The Brass does its best to melt your brain.

Lead single, Electric, is probably closest the band come to sounding like previous record, Open Your Heart.

The album closes with Supermoon, which features more of that crazy, crashing and burning wig-out that that gives your brain a real workout, not in a look at us type way, just a band that is pushing themselves to their very limit, dragging the listener along with them whether they like it or not. The only thing missing is an actual kitchen sink! I haven't been left reeling like this by a closing song in a long time, while the band may have gone in a slightly more traditional direction they have not substituted any of their intensity and in some ways have even upped it, they have to play even harder in this setup. For me, New Moon is the strongest record of 2013 so far. 

I managed to pick up bonus EP, Campfire Songs at their record release show, a 5 song set, which sounds like the title suggests, a bunch of guys sat around a campfire with acoustic guitars. It's a lovely accompaniment to the record, the vocals are distant, almost demo-like. 

At their sold-out Bowery Ballroom show, openers Parquet Courts impressed me greatly, I had listened to their record, Light Up Gold, which did pass me by a little bit but off the back of their support slot I will certainly revisit. 

Nude Beach were also on the bill, who I had seen the previous night supporting The Babies at the Knitting Factory, they play an unashamed retro garage rock that is infectious, thankfully that night they played their best song, Some Kinda Love, which they hadn't played the night before.

This was the first time I had seen The Men, and they do not excel at subtlety! It must be a difficult job to get the sound right when you've got 5 guys going full-on all the time, the vocals were way too low in the mix but aside from that small complaint the band absolutely rifled through their set, even the slow numbers seemed to give little respite.

The set was obviously tilted towards the new material, but we still got a smattering of material from the previous two records, the venue erupted when they stormed through Open Your Heart, in particular. They are an impressive live act, and I'll certainly be hoping to catch them again now that I've had a chance to immerse myself in the album.

Spanish Moss - Kelp: EP Review

Spanish Moss marks an occasion where I really should have listened to my wife, who said I would love this band, I dilly-dallied for some reason but she wasn't wrong.

Kelp is billed as an EP, but the six songs total over 35-minutes and it feels worthy of an LP-status. The psychedelic rock masterclass opens with Fuzz Puzzle, a sprawling monster clocking in at close to 10-minutes, Ian Caddick's guitar engulfs the listener in a napalm of solos, this is one of the most powerful performances committed to tape. At times it sounds like the wheels are about to fall off but the band keep things together while vocalist Tom Madden's reverb-laden vocals vie for attention in amongst the flames.

Patrick Haight's production is spot-on (forgive the pun), recorded in January 2012 (released August 2012) on a Tascam 388 to produce that proper old-school garage rock feel. Deliberately going for a retro sound and influence is a bridge some bands get stuck on, but while they wear influences on their sleeve, the quality of the songs smash through any inclination for simple nostalgia.

The other stand-out on the record for me is the penultimate track, Witch Rings, with another snaking riff before a break-out into Dark Side of the Moon-era Pink Floyd (an obvious and lazy comparison, but you will know exactly which bit when you hear it), then pummeling us with that riff again. The band blast out the chorus repeating "always remember, always remember..." not as a simple lyric, but as a demand, you will remember this sonic assault! As the guitar screams to a crescendo, we seam into the final track, Catherine's Last Trip, treated to a final guitar flurry to leave our minds blown and battered.

9/10!! 

Tracklist

1. Fuzz Puzzle 09:47
2. Chemical Catherine 05:32
3. Vril Loop 01:52
4. Space Drugs 07:11
5. Witch Rings 07:38
6. Catherine's Last Trip 03:34


Spanish Moss are:
Ian Caddick (lead guitar)
Tom Madden (rhythm guitar/vocals)
Tav Palumbo (drums/vocals)
Jesse Perez (bass)

Kelp is available on vinyl (which I have, despite not currently owning a record player...) from Spot On Sound and cassette from Burger Records and Under the Gun, it can also be downloaded for a bargain $3 on the band's bandcamp page.

Föllakzoid - II: Album review

Question: A Chilean based cosmic music band releasing their album on Sacred Bones, what could possible go wrong?

Answer: Nothing!

The production on II is crystal clear and we're treated to an array of sounds attacking a repetitive drum and bass combination, With bands like Moon Duo and Wooden Shjips also on the radar, lovers of space-rock jams finally have some contemporary options without having to dig out their Neu! records for the thousandth time. While there is clear influence on the record there is something about it that seems fresh. 

It's hard to pick a standout track, but after the driving rhythms of Trees, 9 and Rio, the more atmospheric 99 does leap out with its swirling synths and wandering guitar delays. The record ends with Pulsar, a 15-minute wig-out that Porcupine Tree used to do so well in their early days (circa Up the Downstair through to Signify). 

It's easy for this kind of spacious psychedelic music to seem aimless and meandering, but II seems to have a focus, you're being taken for a ride, but the band know the best route and will not get lost while you get to enjoy the view.

Föllakzoid have a few shows lined up around the US, one of which takes them to NYC at the Mercury Lounge on the 21st of March with fellow Chileans The Holydrug Couple, which I'm certainly hoping to attend! Is there a fertile South American music scene just waiting to be unearthed? Or perhaps there is already and I am shamelessly ignorant, either way, I am looking forward to finding out.

Juan Pablo Rodrigues (vocals)
Domingo Garcia-Huidobro (guitar)
Alfredo Thiermann (piano, synthesizer)
Diego Lorca (drums).

Tracklist:

1. Trees
2. 9
3. Rio
4. 99
5. Pulsar

Live review: Vivian Girls / Widowspeak / Eternal Summers / Heliotropes

When Converse Rubber Tracks Live announced another of their free shows at Music Hall Williamsburg, my heart raced. I'd seen Vivian Girls play a very short set almost exactly a year ago (10th of Feb 2012) at Gansevoort Plaza, possibly the only show I've been to where it snowed! Anyway, I was over the moon at the chance to see them play a full set and was even more determined to be on the ball and get tickets for this show since we missed the last one converse put on, featuring King Tuff and Metz!

First up was Heliotropes, I'd heard the name many times but had not gotten round to listening to their music. They play a blend of 70s-inspired doom/desert rock. Guitarist/vocalist Jessica Numsuwankijul blazes through some good solos to complement the riffs and they have an album due in April which should be worth keeping an ear out for. If I were being critical, the additional percussionist could do with a bit of variation, too much tamborine!

Heliotropes

Next up were Eternal Summers, who I saw twice in 2012, once at a free outdoor show at Fulton Street and also supporting Nada Surf at the Bowery Ballroom. They always put on a good set and coming off the back of 2012's fine record, Correct Behaviour, are due to enter the recording studio for a follow-up very soon, so we got plenty of new material (some of which I recognised from the other shows), which sounded very promising.

Eternal Summers

Next up was Widowspeak, this was also the third time I had seen them (technically the first band I ever saw in NYC as they were the support act for Dum Dum Girls), and while I like their recorded output, they are a frustrating live band. Singer Molly Hamilton has a lovely Mazzy Star-like wistful vocal but is drowned out by the lead guitarist, who also comes across as a bit of a poser and seems at odds with the music. If they toned the other instruments down and notched Molly's vocals up they be greatly improved in my opinion (basically, to how they sound like on record).

Widowspeak

Finally, Vivian Girls took to the stage and rattled through one of the most fun sets I've ever seen, they have the perfect mix of intensity, positive attitude and most importantly (for most bands seem unable to marry all these qualities), they are backed up by having great songs.

If you ever get a chance to see them play, you would be a fool not to. Leaving the occasional pause in between songs to interact with the audience and catch their breath, re-tuning is an option! The set covered songs from their three records and the night would have been close to perfect if they had played my favourite song, Can't Get Over You, but I'll gladly settle for it being the best show I've seen so far this year and one that will certainly take some beating! I just don't know how anyone could not have a good time at a Vivian Girls show.

I recorded The End, it's a crappy video (for a start I was watching them, not my camera, and secondly the camera is too close to the stage monitor) but it captures the vibe.

And just for good measure, I met Katy Goodman at the show I mentioned last year and it gives me a chance to post the picture:

And as a PPS, I saw Cassie Ramone do a short solo set the night before supporting Total Slacker at Webster Hall Studio (Katy was in the audience and I was too chicken to talk to her). Check out her 7" split with Hunx.

1st New York Anniversary

I moved to New York on the 4th of January 2012 (and made a post about it a few days later), it has been a memorable 12 months to say the least (some good, some bad). 

It's equally embarrassing and endearing to think about how nervous I was on first arriving (I had never even visited New York before), for the first week we would make sure we were back in the apartment not long after it got dark and had no idea where anything was or how to get around, a couple of lost lambs.

We have settled in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn and it feels like something I'm happy to call home. The area has a slightly suburban feel to it, probably because of the old victorian houses and tree-lined streets.

(we live in an apartment building a block or so down)

A view from our apartment window

The neighbourhood also features some utterly fantastic eateries and we are really spoiled for choice. The quality of food here in general has been a revelation. Our local favourites in particular include:

Ox Cart Tavern do the best burgers I have ever had. Cafe Tibet is our go-to takeaway option (well, equal with Ox Cart), the ginger chicken is always ordered... I have enjoyed The Farm on Adderly every time I've eaten there although my wife prefers Picket Fence where we have also had some very good meals (the prix-fix menus during the week have offered great value). I ordered food from AM Thai on new years eve and was suitably impressed, it will definite be getting future business from me.

We're about a ten minute walk away from Prospect Park, which is a lovely place for a weekend stroll. Overall it's just a truly nice neighbourhood in which to live. We don't really know anybody in the area yet, I'm a bit of a social leper and too shy to engage, maybe in the future! I did go to the local bar, Sycamore (which doubles-up as a florist), a couple of times during the European Championships in the summer. The local blog, Ditmas Park Corner, has also proved an invaluable source of information.

To cap things off, the journey into the city is quick and easy on the Q-line (I have to make a quick change to get to work in the financial district) which goes direct up to Union Square and beyond. One early moment that will stay with me was when I was heading back after work (when our office was near Union Square), the Q-train goes over the Manhattan bridge, the sun was just going down and produced a glorious skyline and Afghan Whigs' Blame, etc just shuffled onto my ipod. Perfect.

I now work just off Wall Street, so unfortunately don't get those views anymore.

Wall Street

I find fidi boring compared to Union Square, which is snugly in between Greenwich Village and the East Village, as well as having great subway access to the rest of the city. But some of the architecture is cool down here and it's just a short walk to the piers or battery park so it's a good spot for a lunchtime stroll (but I do miss being able to head down to Other Music on a break), so it's not all bad.

The surprising thing about the city is that you can really cover a lot of ground on foot, you think of NYC as this vast metropolis, but in the scheme of things, Manhattan is fairly small (2.3 miles wide at its widest point), it's the little things and places that usually come to mind when thinking about what to recommend here.

Of course, one huge benefit has been the access to concerts, highlighted by my recent post, I've mentioned some local treats but I can't talk about consumables without mentioning two places in the city:

The best coffee I've ever had is from Abraco, a little hole in the wall joint in the East Village. Get the drip-coffee. One thing that has definitely changed since my arrival here has been my coffee consumption, something I didn't really drink back home (I was a typically tea drinker).

Little Cupcake Bakeshop seem to produce cakes that are simply out of this world, every time we are in that part of town we have to go in. My wife always gets the pistachio cake, which is indeed very good, I seem to be doing my best to work my way through the extensive array of goodies.

Another benefit of living here is to see the city change with the seasons, seeing the trees and flowers bloom between Spring and Autumn is truly a joy, although the "aroma" of all the linden trees in the spring takes some getting used to... and the weather in general has been great, the sun is out almost every day, although the summer was brutally hot (and there was one cloudy day in September I found myself slightly nostalgic for grey skies).

The weather can't be mentioned without a couple of pictures of the neighbourhood in the aftermath of hurricane Sandy (which in fairness came out a lot better than many parts of New York).

The storm was pretty close to delaying my trip back to England in November (I was given the all-clear from work the afternoon before my flight), it was nice to be back for a few weeks and I also managed to squeeze in a spontaneous trip to Paris (I'd never been), which does have a certain grandness and eloquence that New York doesn't have (not that it suffers for it), put it down to age and history. Here I am on the second level of the Eiffel Tower.

And just for good measure, a picture of me in my natural habitat:

It was fantastic to see friends and family again, they are just about the only thing I have truly missed since moving away, there might be a couple of other things but nothing ever seems to spring to mind when I have to think about it.

Other highlights of the last 12 months include getting tickets to see both The Colbert Report and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (see if you can spot me!).

This city does, however, seem to pull you in all directions emotionally, the hustle and bustle busy subway commutes (which admittedly are not as bad as I was expecting), the self-inflicted pressure of keeping up with and trying to get to various events takes a bit of a toll eventually, the cost of living, the crazy healthcare and of course the sheer number of people. They are, however, all part of the experience, and while the perception of NYC from the outside seems to suggest that the residents are rude and unfriendly, I have not really experienced that at all.

A final anecdote on which to end, at a meet-up with friends from a music message board I frequent, one of the visitors to the city remarked that I wasn't a New Yorker (which, I don't really feel like, everything still feels very new to me), at which point, before I even had a chance to agree or disagree, the locals jumped in and defended me, maybe I do belong here.