Dancing About Architecture 12.02.08

Posted by Ian Wright on 12.02.2008

Wolf Parade Live thoughts, the return of The Jesus Lizard, ATP NY, Not The Gutter Twins and new music from Vivian Girls.

The bit at the start

I suppose it's probably nearly a cliche at this point when I write about a gig I've been to for me to report the point when the band I went to see played a song that turned the whole night and from that point a previously middling gig was turned into something really special.

I'm going to do the opposite today and write that 3 songs into Wolf Parade's gig at Vicar St. on Saturday night after a fantastic opening salvo of "You Are a Runner And I Am My Father's Son", "Soldier's Grin" and "Call It a Ritual" the arse just seemed to fall out of their performance and everything seemed to fall a little flat up until the very end. Oddly enough it wasn't material from the band's save for a few tunes mediocre second album At Mount Zoomer that heralded the procession of meh (hey, it's now a real fucking word) but rather it was "It's A Curse", one of my favourite songs from what is probably one of my five favourite albums of this decade that started the slide.

Things continued in an underwhelming fashion for the best part of an hour as song after song failed to connect. Perhaps it was due to the absence of Hadji Bakara who opted out of the tour to work on his Ph.D. instead but things seemed to be really lifeless and the songs empty throughout. It was only right at the end when things picked up again with "This Heart's On Fire" and the 10 minute plus "Kissing The Beehive" to close the set. But that pair of tunes, coupled with a stunning "I'll Believe In Anything" and a riotous "Fancy Claps" in the encore couldn't change the fact that this was a hugely disappointing night.

In fact I get more enjoyment listening to this than I did from most of what Wolf Parade played that night.

Beg, borrow, buy, steal or download this album.

Women – Women



Put Beach Boys/Sonic Youth/Velvet Underground/Animal Collective in blender. Mix

You news, you lose

When I saw Jesus you say Lizard. Jesus ...

Lizard.

JESUS

LIZARD.

After a decade long split The Jesus Lizard will reunite for a series of gigs next year. According to the band's label Touch and Go this will be a "fleeting reunion" of the classic Jesus Lizard lineup of David Yow, Duane Denison, David Wm. Sims, and Mac McNeilly.

The first (and thus far only) night back is a show at ATP's "The Fans Strike Back" festival in Minehead, England from May 8-10 with things wrapping up in the band's hometown of Chicago in November.

In related news the band's first 4 albums will be re-released on CD and Vinyl next May in a newly remastered form.

ATP ATP ATP NYC NYC NYC.

Details are beginning to emerge to hint that next year's ATP New York event in Kutschers Country Club in Montcello, New York from September 11-13 is going to be a shit load of fun.

Night one of the event will feature a series of Don't Look Back gigs which will see bands play one of their albums in full. Already signed up for that are Suicide who will play their first self-titled album, Dirty Three who will perform Ocean Songs and David Cross will curate a comedy stage.

We're still waiting on word of who will curate the Sunday of the weekend but the ATP selected bands for the Saturday are beginning to be announced with Animal Collective, Panda Bear, Atlas Sound and Antipop Consortium.

Which is a pretty good start.

Not the Gutter Twins.
Together Mark Lanegan and Greg Dulli make up The Gutter Twins. The pair of them will tour Europe together next month. But not as The Gutter Twins.

Confused?

Me too.

The duo will be performing a series of stripped down shows along with guitarist Dave Rosser utlising unique instrumentation and playing songs taken from the pairs recent catalog as well as songs from earlier in both men's careers as well as some songs that they've never performed live before at all.

Crawling out of The Gutter:

01-15 Glasgow, Scotland - Oran Mor
01-16 Dublin, Ireland - Academy
01-17 Galway, Ireland - Roisin Dubh
01-19 London, England - Union Chapel
01-20 Hasselt, Belgium - Muziekodroom
01-21 Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique
01-22 Haarlem, Netherlands - Patronaat
01-24 Berlin, Germany - Babylon
01-25 Vienna, Australia - WuK
01-26 Milan, Italy -La Salumeria Della Musica
01-27 Rome, italy - Auditorium Parco Della Musica
01-28 Florence, Italy - Auditorium Flog
01-30 Barcelona, Spain - Apolo
01-31 Bilbao, Spain - Kafe Antzokia
02-02 Madrid, Spain - Joy Eslava
02-04 Athens, Greece - Gagarian 205

But none of them are called Vivian.

Vivian Girls, currently in the UK to play eleventy billion gigs in 5 days have just issued a new 7" "Surfs Up" on their own Wild World label. They're issueing the single as part of a fun pack which means that you get the single (along with b-side "second date") and a cover of the Beach Boys' "Girls Don't Tell Me" but also included is a t-shirt, postcards and a badge.

The whole thing is a limited edition dealy and you won't be able to get the single as a stand alone thing.


The YouTube video of the week

Growin' Up in ‘72



If you can you should go to these gigs.

Vivian Girls

11-28 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's *
11-30 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom *
12-02 London, England - Brixton Windmill
12-03 London, England - Old Blue Last
12-04 Nottingham, England - The Social
12-05 Liverpool, England - Club Evol
12-06 Glasgow, Scotland - Captain's Rest
12-07 Leeds, England - Cockpit
12-08 Coventry, England - Colosseum
12-09 London, England - Madam Jojo's
12-10 Manchester, England - The Deaf Institute
12-11 Brighton, England - Freebutt
12-12 London, England - MacBeth Ghost School
12-13 Bristol, England - Cooler
12-14 Cardiff, Wales - Clwb Ifor Bach
12-31 Montclair, NJ - Wellmont Theatre +

* with the King Khan & BBQ Show
+ with the Feelies, Yo La Tengo


Writing under the influence

Without which this column would not have been possible:

Talk Radio

The bit at the end

Short one this week. I'm going back to bed as that's where I spent much of the day thanks to the cold that's bee kicking my ass for the last 12 days.

Hope you enjoyed your thanksgiving.

Seriously, that Women album is really good.

Semi permanent plug for my blog. I live blogged the Arsenal – Chelsea game and wrote about some other stuff too.