Read Our Minds

The Who: Old? How about Great!

I love football. I love the Super Bowl. I’ve been attending the same Super Bowl party with friends in Buffalo Grove for well over ten years now. My buddy and host, Ben Crown, has everything.  He and his wife Michele are the best. Good eats, good drink, gambling games and many, many high-def television sets all over the house. And Ben pays attention to the sound as well. It’s always a treat to watch the game there.

So now you combine the Super Bowl with my all-time favorite rock ‘n roll band; The Who? I was a kid in a candy store. For the first time in my life, I was more excited about the halftime show than the game itself (although it was a great game, obviously). I had seen the unbelievable acoustic performance Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey put on during the NFL Network news conference on Thursday of Super Bowl week (still have it on the DVR).

OK, this won’t shock you: I thought the 12-minute show was great. It was a tough chore, but I liked the way Roger edited the five classic songs into a medley.  I loved the way the stage was set up and used and the pyrotechnics didn’t get in the way as it does sometimes. The band I thought sounded great, Roger in particular. As usual, The Who put a smile on my face that couldn’t get knocked off for anything. Except for the criticism the “show” received afterwards in some circles. It was weird. So many people vehemently opined that they thought the band was terrible yet it seemed most of the criticism centered on how “old” the band (especially Pete) looked. Terrible? C’mon. OK, let’s stipulate. They are old. We can’t get around that. So what?

In my mind, that’s what makes their performance all the more spectacular. But I’m old too. Perhaps the younger generation is resentful that these geezers can still do it better than they can? Or they hate the face that the classic rock of my generation is still holding up and compares favorably to whatever has come after it? To each its own, I guess. 

But you watch. Next year you are going to see a “younger” halftime band that I’ve never heard of. That’s OK. I usually hate the hour long halftime shows you get at the Super Bowl anyway. I’ll be to catch up on my eating and drinking again.

--Reviewed by Kevin Johnson

Coachella 2010 Preview

As some of my fellow employees at Tech Image know, I am a somewhat of an indie music geek.  I am a frequent attendee of electronica, indie rock and hip-hop shows at Chicago concert venues, a consummate reader of Indie music blogs and a regular music festival goer.  This year I am departing from my tradition of attending Chicago's Lollapalooza, and instead headed out west to Coachella 2010, in Indio, California.  I thought i'd give a small preview of some of the acts I hope to see, and do a full review and update in late April when I return.

Friday
Aeroplane has put together two of my favorite remixes of the year.  Hailed by Pitchfork as one of the best tracks of the year, their version of Paris by Friendly Fires is outstanding.
Fever Ray is the solo project of Karen Anderson, whose other band The Knife is a recent favorite of mine.
Grizzly Bear had a huge hit this year in Two Weeks, a track which made the rounds on Indie blogs all year.  Their latest album, Veckatimest, is great all the way through.
Jay-Z continues to be an influential, prolific hip-hop artist, and should kick the weekend off to a great start as the Friday headliner.
Passion Pit were the indie darlings of 2009, releasing both an EP and full album that were all over the blogosphere.  The Bostonians put on a great show at Lollapalooza 09, and i'm hoping they can top it in April.
Them Crooked Vultures is a supergroup made up of Foo Fighter's Dave Grohl, Zeppelin's John Paul Jones and Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme. As is the case with any supergroup, they are surrounded by tremendous amounts of hype. 
Vampire Weekend just recently released the follow-up to their self-titled debut from 2008.  Their part Afro-pop, part Paul Simon sound draws a huge following, and i've seen very few shows with as much energy as theirs.

Saturday
Beach House is part of the recent resurgence of Dream Pop, in addition to counterparts The XX and Lykke Li.
Hot Chip has been a perennial blogger's favorite, and will help start off 2010 on a strong note with new album One Life Stand.
Mew is a band recommended to me by Tech Image's own Dennis Collins.  While I have yet to experience their older material, their latest album, No More Stories, was one of the better albums I got my hands on last year.
MGMT was one of the most oft-posted and most oft-remixed bands of '08 and '09.  While I loved Oracular Spectacular, i'm eager to hear some new material.
Muse is a band that helped to really bridge the gap for me from alternative music to indie rock.  They put on a fantastic live show, second only to Daft Punk at Lollapallooza 2007, but their latest album wasn't quite as strong as their previous efforts.
Porcupine Tree comes highly recommended from Tech Image's Dennis Collins and association management company SmithBucklin's Mike Nikolich.  I have been enjoying listening to a few of their albums, including Deadwing, and am pumped to see Steve Wilson and co. in a live setting.
The Dead Weather is Jack White's latest project, and much more raw and gritty than both of his other bands The White Stripes and The Raconteurs.  Jack White is a tremendous guitarist and vocalist, and though he is primarily playing drums in TDW, has me excited nonetheless.
White Rabbits have been all over Chicago's XRT radio station this past year- and for good reason.  They played a great set at Schuba's earlier this year, and Percussion Gun was one of my favorite songs of 2009.

Sunday
The Gorillaz return from a 5-year hiatus to headline the final day of Coachella.  What has frontman Damien Albarn (formerly of Blur fame) been doing in the years since 2005's Demon Days?  Oh, just composing an opera.  In Mandarin.
Julian Casablancas is the frontman of The Strokes, who has seen some decent play on the indie blog scene in late 2009.  Though The Strokes occasionally get some flack, i'm interested to see what he can do solo.
Little Boots is an electropop/dance artist who plays her own instruments, writes her own songs and makes some catchy and excellent music.
Miike Snow has played a few times in Chicago this past year, though i've missed them each time.  I'm hoping that they translate well to a live show.
Phoenix (also known as 'the band from that Cadillac commercial') has received a lot of play this year, and for good reason.  Their recent effort, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, is one of the best all-around albums of the year.                                    

Thom Yorke ???? no matter the format, will put on an excellent show.  The Radiohead frontman has put out some solo material recently, and its rumored that he will appear with a small backup band, including Red Hot Chili Pepper's Bassist Flea.

Any acts I shouldn't miss?

Previewed by -- Dan McDonnell

I Heard the Muse Today, Oh Boy

Depeche Mode’s latest release shows that back to the future can be a positive course of action. sounds of the universe is a blast from the past – literally and figuratively.  In an attempt to move forward, the band members pulled out their old analog synthesizers and reacquainted themselves with their heritage.  The result is a CD that ranks among their best as an example of electronica, but rankles many contemporary reviewers because it seems ‘frozen’ in time.  To me, that was the point of the exercise.  Their Muse (it was even the name of their original label) always was electronic – sampling industrial sounds and looping them into grooves, then layering synths and guitar into crescendos that often resolved into ambient soundscapes. 

Somehow digital keyboards, with their automatic presets and samples, don’t provide the same bio-feedback that white noise generators, filters and knobs do.  Analog also puts a constraint on the artist because it requires more programming.  As a result, this CD is more stripped down in its production, which plays to the band’s strength.  There is more air and space in the mix and the rawness suits dépêche Mode better than the overly lush mash-ups of recent years. 

This is a vital, energetic sound, and for me it brings back fond memories of why I first liked this band over twenty years ago.  As I said earlier, it’ll also remind others of why they didn’t – and it will confuse a younger generation who don’t realize that this band was the root of a movement they initiated that now has become bloated in production.  Welcome back, Depeche Mode.  It’ll be interesting to see how you transition from this work.

--Reviewed by Dennis Collins

Musical Web- The Who

I don’t swirl around the Internet much.  I read the newspapers, scour ESPN.com and check out sites connected to the University of Illinois Fighting Illini.  I also visit a few political sites for news as well.  That’s about it.  But I do know we like music at Tech Image…and there is one site that I visit all the time.  It may date me but I don’t care as I am a tremendous fan of the world’s greatest LIVE rock and roll band—The Who.

I think this is a great site because they post current and old concert song clips.

So check out this site … TheWho.com.  Registration is free and you don’t even have to register.  Enjoy.

--Reviewed by Kevin Johnson

ApologetiX Proves PR Value of Spoofing Great Songwriters

My husband and I found ourselves at a rock ’n roll concert with a bunch of hippies and eardrum blasting speakers the other night, and had a blast! There was no smoke, no alcohol, and no profanity in the place. Much to our surprise, the artists, the ApologetiX Christian Parody Band, so closely mimicked the original artists that it was difficult to believe we weren’t listening to AC/DC, the Eagles and Kansas live. Until we heard the lyrics.

The Eagle’s “Hotel California” was changed to “Hotel Can’t Afford You,” and conveyed the story of Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem on the night of Jesus’ birth. “Eight Days a Week” by the Beatles outlined “Eight Ways to Be,” which the band humorously coined the “Be-Attitudes” from Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. And, Elvis’s “Don’t Be Cruel” became “Don’t Be Fooled,” cautioning the audience not to fall for anything short of the real thing.
 
We left the concert with 10 of the bands CDs, and laughed all the way home at this band’s amazing musical and copywriting abilities. They were brilliant publicists, building on their talents and abilities to connect with an audience via the music the audience loved.

In reflecting back on the show, I wonder why more PR people don’t tap into the power of music to convey their messages. Believe it or not, the Supreme Court laid down some specific guidelines that make it legal to use the world’s most popular music, providing it fits the criterion of a parody, spoofing the original artist in some way. The entire transcript from Supreme Court ruling can be found here. More on the fair use of music parody can be found here.

Whether you like the ApologetiX message or not, I encourage you to check them out to better understand the power of this PR play. Their musical and copywriting ability seems to enhance the original artist, and make their message that much more attractive.

--Reviewed by Mary Conley Eggert

Kanye West: Love Lockdown

I’ve been saying for months that I should review Kanye West’s latest album (if that’s what you can even call them anymore) “Love Lockdown” but still haven’t since its September 2008 release date. Well, I guess better late than never.

While I wouldn’t consider myself a diehard Kanye West fan by any means (probably because of his snippety attitude), I do own each of his albums and appreciate the cutting-edge lead he takes to the rap/hip-hop music genre. He always seems to plant the latest directional seed with one, big single that other artists are quick to pour water on and make grow.

And he didn’t disappoint with “Love Lockdown.”

Unlike any of his other releases, West was inspired by 80s synthetic-pop icons like Boy George and Phil Colins. The beat to each track is compiled of electronic pop sounding instruments much like you heard when you were sporting your neon mesh tops, crimped hair and slap bracelets. For the lyrical overlay, West uses the computerized auto-tune voice effect, which is something that several other artists quickly adapted to after the album release.

You also can’t forget the drum machine in the background of some of the tracks, though nothing like the Hit Stix toy I had growing up with a side ponytail. The different back-in-the-day sounds combined with today’s mixed tempos make it an interesting musical concept that is a nice change to some of the other music out there  right now.

Overall, I liked Kanye West’s take on the album and it’s a good listen. All the sounds flow nicely and the lyrics keep to an album plot like all his CDs seem to do. “Love Lockdown” has definitely kept to West’s way of scooping up new flavors for several others to begin serving up as well.

 

Now let’s just hope he comes out with something else (and fast) that doesn’t use a voicebox.

--Reviewed by Christine Rojewski

Insurgentes by Steve Wilson (released 03/09/09)

Steven Wilson has been an underappreciated cult musician for many years, but his primary project, Porcupine Tree, has begun to change that with its rising popularity.  This solo effort is sure to accelerate his visibility to a larger audience as well.  Unlike many ego-gratifying discs that leave you wondering just what were they thinking when they made it – Insurgentes is blatant in offering familiar sonic approaches that resemble Wilson’s other projects but provides a distinct difference that is gratifying.

The ten songs weave through a variety of styles that reflect Wilson’s range -  from progressive rock through metal and into ambient textures - and create a cohesive environment that is especially interesting in the 5.1 surround-sound DVD version (included with the CD). 

Wilson is a busy artist, he collaborates with other established bands and also has two other side projects, but each one maintains a unique flavor.  The one constant in Wilson’s work is quality.  He takes care with the mix and has re-mastered many early recordings to take advantage of current technology.  Musical virtuosity is also a given – on this album he collaborates with exceptional artists like Gavin Harrison, Tony Levin and Jordan Rudess.  

I could go on about the macabre and visually arresting video for Harmony Korine or other aspects of the CD, but the bottom line is simple  - if you are interested in music that impacts you on multiple levels and actually rewards you for repeated listening, then click here and order this CD now.  You won’t regret it, except that you might become as hooked as I have with this singular talent.

--Reviewed by Dennis Collins

King of the Surf Guitar - Dick Dale and his Deltones

No one plays the surf guitar like Dick Dale, and the King of the Surf Guitar “best of” compilation is Exhibit A. Although there are a few stinkers – I don’t ever need to hear “Mr. Peppermint Man” again – for the most part this is a great listen. One of the best highlights is a duet with the late Stevie Ray Vaughan on the old Chantays hit “Pipeline” – which is actually from the Frankie and Annette movie “Back to the Beach.” Also included is the classic “Miserlou,” which is worth the price of the CD alone. If you need a little sun and surf, this is the CD for you.
- Reviewed by Ken Krause