Rave's Raves Blog

Here’s this week’s show and track listing.  No, the placement of the ATE song had nothing to do with the royal wedding : )  It’s always cool to lead-off a new music show with tracks from a strong new album.

Hour 1

Hour 2

The Airborne Toxic Event – Welcome to Your Wedding Day (Song condemms drone bombing)
The Kills – You Don’t Own the Road (Continuing their US tour)
Eastern Conference Champions – Hurricane (Nice Moheak visit by singer Josh)
Yeasayer – Swallowing the Decibels (New EP out next week)
Deerhunter – Helicopter (Very pretty song)
Lykke Li – Rich Kid Blues (Many TV and festival gigs in store)
Santigold f/Karen O. – Go (Haven’t seen release date for next album)
!!! (chk chk chk) – AM/FM (Thought this album would be doing better)
Funeral Party – Finale (Band doing well in the UK)
Skybombers – Lies (Interviewing on Moheak this Sunday)
Skybombers – Sister Jealousy (Interview taking place around 1:15p Pacific)
The Vaccines – Noorgaard (1:39)
Poly Styrene – Thrash City (R.I.P. Poly, former X-Ray Spex singer )
The Belle Brigade – Losers (Full album now out)
Anna Calvi – Blackout (UK buzz artist)
The Naked & Famous – Punching In A Dream (2nd single reached #11 in New Zealand)
The Wombats – Techno Fan (Beginning of Hour 2)
Foster the People – Helena Beat (Album a few weeks away)
Smith Westerns – Weekend (Chicago boys on for Lollapalooza)
Cold Cave – Villains of the Moon (Strong response so far)
Cage the Elephant – Around My Head (Will it be their 5th hit in a row?)
Josh Allen and the Whiskey Brothers – Evelyn (Bluesy Austin band)
The Strokes – Call Me Back (Sweet change of pace)
TV on the Radio – Second Song (Back on road in a week)
Elbow – High Ideals (Big UK album sales again)
Brother – Darling Buds of May (Band sounds like Oasis?)
Beady Eye – Three Ring Circus (Bands not that similar to me)
Telekinesis – Car Crash (SXSW set had power and good songs)
Fleet Foxes – Grown Ocean (Entire album quite solid)
Eliza Doolittle – Skinny Genes (US TV debut on Leno)

Live Skybombers interview this Sunday @1p Pacific

Fellow Ravers, just thought I’d pop you a quick note with a few updates.  A post with new album recommendations will be up in about a week and a half, but I’m really liking the new Airborne Toxic Event and Wombats albums. Fleet Foxes came through once again in very solid fasion.

Tomorrow’s Go Deep new-music show will run on Moheak Radio at 1pm Pacific, 9pm GMT.  Check the playlist here. Archive links along with the playlist will hopefully be up on this site over the weekend if you’re not able to catch the show live.  Skybombers are a fave band of ours at Moheak, and three of us will interview them this Sunday shortly after 1pm Pacific, 9pm GMT, so tune in for our hang, which will include them playing live.

This week’s Go Deep show was pre-recorded as I’ll be at the Worldwide Radio Summit the next two days.  The international music conference Musexpo follows, beginning Sunday evening.  I’ll post panel highlights next week, and will have regular tweets @brucerave.

Talk soon, and keep Ravin’ On.

Here are the playlist and show links for last Friday’s Go Deep show that airs 1-3p Pacific time, 9-11p GMT.  Lots of Coachella bands were played, along with commentary on their sets. Between my streaming on You Tube after attending the last 5 years, and my getting input from many attendees, I was able to get a nice handle on how things went. The two-hour broadcast began with a bit of the normal Moheak Indie Rock rotation as we had a couple of technical snafus. Following The Airborne Toxic Event’s “Numb”, a sweet song I’ve played a few times myself, we were able to kick things into gear. Part 1 begins with “Numb”.

Link to Part 1

Link to Part 2

Arcade Fire – Ready to Start (3 of the best Coachella shows evcr)
The Strokes – You’re So Right (Are The Srokes sill stoked?)
Duran Duran – Runaway Runaway (Huge Coachella crowd sang along with the oldies)
Foster the People – Houdini (Possible breakthrough Coachella gig)
Empire of the Sun – Walking On A Dream (Blew ’em away last weekend)
Cut Copy – Need You Now (Gained lots of new fans)
London Suede – The Beautiful Ones (Reformed and got major buzz)
Two Door Cinema Club – Something Good Can Work (Major Friday breakthrough)
Flogging Molly – Don’t Shut ‘Em Down (Another festive Coachella set)
Elbow – With Love (Not a huge crowd but great set)
Friendly Fires – Live Those Days Tonight (Amazing 2009 Coachella show)
The Kills – Nail In My Coffin (This week’s Rave’s Fave)
Santigold f/Karen O. – Go (Beginning of Part 2)
TV on the Radio – Repetition (Condolences to family and friends of bassist Gerrard Smith)
Cage the Elephant – 2024 (Singer Matt resplendent in red dress)
Skybombers – Lies (American tour going well)
Arctic Monkeys – Don’t Sit Down Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair (“Suck It and See” album )
UNKLE f/Nick Cave – Money and Run (UNKLE always gets stellar singers)
Of Montreal – Slave Translator (“The Controllersphere” EP out Tuesday. )
Glasvegas – Euphoria, Take My Hand (Strong second album)
Lykke Li – Youth Knows No Pain (Larger and larger venues for her)
The Wombats – Anti-D (Very different for these guys)
The Vaccines – Wetsuit (Lyrics reflect band’s “flat” state when they first formed)

Hour 1

Hour 2

Arctic Monkeys – Don’t Sit Down Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair (Album drops in June)
LCD Soundsystem – Drunk Girls (In honor of their final concert)
Raphael Saadiq – Radio (Coachella slot should be awesome)
The Raveonettes – War In Heaven (Like album title “Raven In the Grave”)
Fleet Foxes – Battery Kinzie (Entire album very solid)
Cut Copy – Blink and You’ll Miss A Revolution (Fine live band poised for Coachella)
The Kills – You Don’t Own the Road (Sexual tension very high on this album)
Foster the People – Helena Beat (Are they ready for Coachella?)
Smith Westerns – End of the Night (Bright song with that old sitcom feel)
My Morning Jacket – Circiutal (Fine first track)
Elbow – Open Arms (New single)
Radiohead – Morning Mr. Magpie (Check video for “Lotus Flower” single)
Art Brut – Unprofessional Wrestling (New album out May 31)
The Vaccines – If You Wanna (Album hanging in UK Top 20)
Bad Religion – Wrong Way Kids (One of the most consistent bands)
The Strokes – Call Me Back (Beginning of Hour 2)
Bat for Lashes – Strangelove (Cool cover deserves another spin)
Duran Duran – The Man Who Stole A Leopard (Highlight from Mayan Theater stream)
The Joy Formidable – Austere (Could be a US hit for them)
Chapel Club – All the Eastern Girls (Check April 10 post for interview special)
She Wants Revenge – Take the World (Really promising new single)
Skybombers – Jenny and the Night (Another strong album from them)
Dum Dum Girls – He Gets Me High (Fine set opener back at SXSW)
The Walkmen – Angela Surf City (Touring with New Pornographers)
TV on the Radio – Second Song (Another strong deeper track)
UNKLE f/Nick Cave – Money and Run (He always gets cool singers)
Cage the Elephant – Always Something (Upgraded to the #2 Coachella stage this year)
Cat’s Eyes – Not A Friend (Hauntingly pretty from Horrors side project)
Hunx and his Punx – Lover’s Lane (Fun, 60’s girl-group feel)

Arcade Fire was the band that most made me want to be there live

It seems like day 2 may have been the best. The band that might have emerged from Sunday was Foster the People. I wasn’t sure at the beginning of their set, but damn did they hit a groove. The packed tent went insane, and the buzz will probably propel them to the next level.  Duran Duran were great as expected, and it seems reaction to The Strokes was mixed.  I found them clean and tight, but it felt like a little piece of the puzzle was missing. My Friday new music show on Moheak Radio will feature the developing bands that generated the most festival buzz.

After attending 5 years in a row, it was nice to skip a year and watch on You Tube. Sure, there are moments that make the entire weekend worthwhile, but fans must endure the annual logistical clusterfuck. It was considered a win this year, that the worst traffic jams were cut in half–down to two hours. Officials were pleased that the parking lots were cleared 90 minutes after the music ended. 90 minutes? Damn. Once again, the temps soared on Friday and Saturday. It’s funny how Coachella brings the heat, often with the highest temps of the year to date. I expect to be back next year, and I’m planning to hit Lollapalooza in Chicago this August.

For me, the most magical Coachella moments often come from headliners or other artists who’ve been around for awhile.  In a given weekend, there might a several of them.  I could go on forever about how amazing Arcade Fire were last night, but the other lasting impressions come from shows that catapult artists to the next level.  Last year, my two picks were Florence & the Machine and La Roux, and look what happened to both of them.  You’ll heard all kinds of opinions but a 2011 consensus from the first two days includes Cut Copy, Two Door Cinema Club, Empire of the Sun, Elbow, and as always Flogging Molly.  Will you be online beginning 5 or 6p Pacific time, either at Coachella or watching the You Tube streams? Let’s chat real-time.  I’m @brucerave on Twitter and will be on facebook as well.

The You Tube quality isn’t perfect but If you’re watching the comfort of home, enjoy the free streams.  I’m guessing it won’t be many more years before viewers will have to pay big-time for this kind of access.

On your way to Coachella? You could speak with 20 different people and get 20 different roadmaps on shows to see.  I’m going to skip most of the obvious here and simply give you most of the sets that hold the most interest for me.

Gogol Bordello never fail to convert everyone in their midst. They’re huge fun, and perfect for the Main Stage on a Saturday afternoon. Raphael Saadiq may not be topping your list, but this dude completely crushed it at Lollapolooza last summer. Empire Of the Sun was one of the best shows I saw last year and should be a must this weekend. Also from Australia, Cut Copy are huge fun live but I’d recommend getting close to the stage for them if you can, as their vibe didn’t quite reach the back of the tent when I last saw them at a festival. The Presets are much bigger in their Australian homeland, but when I saw them at Melbourne’s Big Day Out, a few years ago they had an entire tent going crazy. !!! had a fine album that was overlooked last year. I can’t promise how their show will be, but I’m really curious about how they’ll do. Perhaps the band with the most to gain is Elbow, who fill stadiums in the UK. They could be one of a handful of bands that lift-off from the Coachella launching pad this year.  Too bad they have an 8pm set in a tent. The ideal Elbow vehicle would have been out in the open, on the #2 stage. Duran Duran will probably exceed expectations, as they have just about everywhere this year. I almost skipped them at SXSW, and that would have been a huge mistake. Last but not least, and this one is more obvious, but there’s Arcade Fire. Their prior two Coachella gigs each provided dramatic boosts to their profile, including a late-night main stage set a few years ago, that was truly magical.

Coachella organizers have promised some logistical improvements in an effort to reduce the annual logistical clusterfuck.  May you have good luck with traffic, lines, and getting enough to see the bands you want to see.  Rave On, and let me know who you like the best.

Best Kills melodies and vocals to date

The Kills–Blood Pressures…This one is really strong all the way through. These guys have been on the verge for years. If guitarist Jamie Hince had his way, this album would have come out sooner, but his sultry partner Allison Mosshart would up getting sidetracked by her Dead Weather stint.  It appears to have worked out for the best, as Allison’s time in Dead Weather increased her vocal prowess and it never hurts having more time to write. Jamie said that this is the first time he wrote off of an acoustic guitar rather than electric. That method seems to have enhanced their melodies, and at times these guys even sound pretty! Track tips are “Satellite”, “DNA”, and “You Don’t Own the Road”.

Skybombers–Black Carousel…These Melbourne, Australia guys emerged in 2008 with “Take Me To Town”, which made my top albums list for the last decade. They combined melodies with garage and punk at a time when the indie marketplace was immersed in electronic and folk.  This time around, they’ve removed some of the swagger and I miss that a little bit. Still, this versatile band nails it hard, medium, or soft and they definitely bring it live. Their follow-up is filled with good songs and strong playing along with Hugh Gurney’s ace vocals and lyrics. “Lies” is a good choice for the first US single. I’m also finding “Jenny And the Night” and “Sister Jealousy” along with the softer “One For Two”.

TV on the Radio– Nine Types of Light…These dudes always deliver quality, and one of their biggest strengths is that you never know where their songs are going to go, especially the slower, softer ones.  Their songs take awhile to grow on me but at this early juncture, it seems that previous release “Dear Science” might have been a tad stronger.  At this point, I’m feeling “Will Do”, “Caffeinated Consciousness” and “Repetition” and look forward to spending more time with the entire album.

Chapel Club were upbeat, articulate, and very smart

Due to the many requests I received, here is the archived Chapel Club SXSW interview special that ran on my March 25 Go Deep program. The station’s recording software didn’t quite awaken that day, so I recreated the special and added other songs that were played on that show. The link runs about 63 minutes and is a bit more chill than usual, perhaps due to it being put together on a mellow Sunday afternoon. Also included were songs by Drawn From Bees (including their interesting first impressions of SXSW), Mumford & Sons, Lykke Li, Cage the Elephant, Foster the People, Elbow, The Strokes, Belle Brigade, and Cloud Control. Check my March 31 posting for details on these included tracks. (Please pardon the pops and other mic imperfections that crop up from time to time in this audio, including the blowing wind in Austin. Everything that was said can be understood and the good news is that the music sounds just like it should.)

Again, here’s the link.

Enjoy! Lots of people are asking for archived Go Deep shows if they can’t catch them live, and all programs will hopefully be posted from now on. I really appreciate the interest, and please keep Ravin’ On  🙂

Vaccines album debuted top 5 in the UK while they were in Austin for SXSW

Every year at SXSW, I choose a few artists I’d like to interview, and I keep the number low because I want to spend most of my time watching bands.  This year’s full chats are now posted on the interview page of the Go Deep site.  If you’d like to catch the Vaccines (NME album cover pictured above) interview special with songs included, that ran on my Moheak Radio program last week, the hourly links on my April 2 post.  The special is at the beginning of hour 2. The station recording program didn’t function a week ago when the Chapel Club (pictured below, left) interview/music special was run, but I’ll work on getting that posted this weekend.

Speaking of Moheak, the station is on “vacation” this week, meaning that the live music shows aren’t running. Long story, but everything’s fine there. The Moheak jukebox is still airing, combining current and rare older tracks in a mix that sounds very similar to what I do on Go Deep. I listen to the station because I want to, not just because I have a show there. Next Friday’s show will be preempted by Coachella programming, so I’ll return weekly beginning Friday, April 22.

I’m really liking songs I’ve heard so far from the new Kills, Fleet Foxes, and TV on the Radio albums.  Look for my latest album recommendations, coming next week.