LOU REED 'rock'n'roll' 1974

it might be a little crazy of me, but Lou, as whacked out as he is, gave a great performance here.

Brett Dennen (Sydney I'll Come Runnin') 2/17/2011 Hipcooks

i'm a fan. There are a lot of singer/songwriter types out there who annoy the hell out of me, but Brett Dennen makes me feel like there is something out there to believe in again. He reminds me of a more upbeat and fun Nick Drake, in the sense that he's doing this wholly for himself and that he's not in it for the fame and fortune, but he legitimately has something to say and says it well. dig it

The Wombats - Kill The Director

I love the Wombats. They have a really fun vibe, really good sing along pop. The infectious tunes and witty songwriting make for a great feel good band. I posted something about this type of brit-pop, and how there are so many bands with this sound out there right now, but all of them I really get into. I love all of their songs, and think that they are poised for greatness. "Let's dance to joy division" is genius, as well as this song, "Kill the Director". definitely worth a listen, and then a second listen, because they keep getting better every time I put them on.

Laura Marling - Rambling Man

Laura Marling is the real deal. At just 21 she's got the chops of a whole generation of folk singing women who paved the way for her to be where she is, and you can even hear the ghosts of Joni Mitchell in her heart felt lyrics. I think that she's going to be a big star... soon...

Los Campesinos

There is a recent trend, or perhaps not so recent, but I seem to be digging a certain kind of brit-pop, but really, I think that it's really the only brit-pop out there at the moment.  When it comes to other types of music, when everything sounds the same I get annoyed, and turned off, but of late I am really liking a couple of bands that if you aren't familiar with them you would think that they are the same band.  To name a few I would say Arctic Monkeys, The Wombats, The Kooks, A Band of Bees and the band I'm talking about tonight, Los Camesinos.  They have the whiney angry young man vibe and all seem to be reared by the early days of The Who, The Kinks and The Clash, but make it more contemporary pop and less blues based, but they all seem to have a great time making silly feel good music that's easy to dance to.  Ultimately they aren't anything special, but they are fun, and have really witty songwriting.  Once you start listening to them you can hear distinct differences, but any way you look at it, it's wicked pop stickiness.  But I do like Los Campesinos, and the fact that they are keen on the glockenspiel.  I don't think that there is enough glockenspiel in the world today.

Titus Andronicus perform A More Perfect Union

something disappointing

I tend to go out of my way to try and find new music, and while I spend a lot of my time listening to older music, I get really excited about new artists. There are several outlets I go to find out about new bands, and one of them is from a company called Manic Productions, based in New Haven, CT. They put on some pretty good shows here in Connecticut and while I'm here I was glad to see that there was good music here and good places to see it. About six months ago, the manic productions web site had a listing for a show that was all young, unsigned acts, and all from right here in CT, so I took a look at the lineup. I'm not going to lie, like wine, I can be a label buyer from time to time, and if I don't like the name of a band, I won't even give them a chance. I think a lot of this is a direct result of the fact that there isn't enough time to listen to, and investigate every band that is brought to my attention. There was one band in this showcase that got me so incredibly psyched. I thought to myself "wow, these guys have got to be great!" and I got it into my head that I had to check them out. I thought that there were very few bands out there today that would have that respect for the pioneers. The band was called "Split for the City". Arguably, one of the most influential records in rock history is Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys, and my favorite track on said record is That's Not Me, and one of the lines in this song is "I once had a dream, so I packed up and split for the city." I got so excited that there was a young band out there doing something that was important. Something that I could get behind, and that they were here in Connecticut. When I finally got around to listening to them, I was utterly disappointed. Maybe this is where they derived their name, but they don't pay any homage to the band at all. Perhaps they will grow into the name. Or, maybe I should stop being a snob and give them another listen and try and find something redeeming about them. But really, how can you name your band something so profound and then fall so short?