Who would have guessed that an empty radio studio in a manufacturing building would be creepy at midnight when you’re there all by yourself? Crazy, isn’t it?  Made a couple of good musical discoveries, though, of artists I’d never heard before randomly selecting them to play. That’s always a plus.

Here’s what I played to close out Saturday night. Your next chance to hear me is on Saturday, November 5th, from noon to 2 pm (Central).

11:55 PM DeVotchKa The Enemy Guns from How It Ends (Cicero)
11:53 PM Sarah Siskind Say It Louder from Say It Louder (Request Records)
11:50 PM Mike and the Censations Don’t Sell Your Soul from Don’t Sell Your Soul (Ubiquity)
11:45 PM Regina Spektor Samson from Begin to Hope (Sire)
11:42 PM St. Vincent Champagne Year from Strange Mercy (4AD)
11:37 PM Andrew Bird Night Sky from Norman (Mom+Pop)
11:34 PM Neko Case I’m An Animal from Middle Cyclone (ANTI-)
11:30 PM Guster Either Way from Lost and Gone Forever (Sire)
11:26 PM Mates of State Sway from Mountaintops (Barsuk)
11:22 PM Rachael Cantu I Threw It All Away from Paupers, Peasants, Princes & Kings: The Songs of Bob Dylan (Doghouse Records)
11:18 PM Feist Comfort Me from Metals (Cherrytree)
11:13 PM Helen Money Too Heavy from In Tune (Table of the Elements)
11:10 PM Vashti Bunyan Come Wind Come Rain from Just Another Diamond Day (Dicristina Stair)
11:04 PM Bon Iver Re: Stacks from For Emma, Forever Ago (Jagjaguwar)
11:02 PM Kate and Anna McGarrigle Schooldays from The McGarrigle Hour (Hannibal)
10:58 PM The David Mayfield Parade I Just Might Pray from The David Mayfield Parade (Ninth Grade Records)
10:53 PM Joe Firstman Now You’re Gorgeous, Now You’re Gone from The War of Women (Atlantic)
10:51 PM Twin Sister Spain from In Heaven (Domino)
10:47 PM Sharon Van Etten For You from Because I Was In Love (Language of Stone)
10:41 PM Johnny Flynn Been Listening from Been Listening (Transgressive Records)
10:38 PM Laura Marling The Muse from A Creature I Don’t Know (Ribbon)
10:34 PM Mar Caribe Django Tango from Songs From Under the Flight Path (self-released)
10:29 PM The Acorn Blankets from Blankets! EP (Kelp)
10:25 PM Azita Stars or Fish from Disturbing the Air (Drag City)
10:20 PM Over the Rhine The Laugh of Recognition from The Long Surrender (Great Speckled Dog Records)
10:14 PM Bonnie “Prince” Billy No Match from Wolfroy Goes to Town (Drag City)
10:10 PM Ryan Adams Chains of Love from Ashes & Fire (PAX-AM/Capitol)
10:07 PM Pinetop Seven His Aging Miss Idaho from The Night’s Bloom (Empyrean)
10:02 PM The Traveling Wilburys Not Alone Any More from The Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1 (Wilbury Records)
9:57 PM The Mountain Goats The Young Thousands from We Shall All Be Healed (4AD)
9:54 PM My Brightest Diamond Escape Routes from All Things Will Unwind (Asthmatic Kitty)
9:51 PM The Cell Phones Husband from Hospital Spaceship EP (Self-released)
9:46 PM JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound Awake from Want More (Bloodshot)
9:42 PM Melissa Ferrick Burn This Guitar from Listen Hard (Right On Records)
9:39 PM Thea Gilmore This Girl Is Taking Bets from Rules for Jokers (Compass)
9:33 PM Neil Young Alabama from Harvest (Reprise)
9:29 PM Deer Tick Let’s All Go To The Bar from Divine Providence (Partisan)
9:26 PM Brian Wright and the Waco Tragedies Morning Cigarettes from Bluebird (Breakout)
9:21 PM A.C. Newman Drink To Me, Babe, Then from The Slow Wonder (Matador)
9:17 PM We Were Promised Jetpacks Hard to Remember from In the Pit of the Stomach (FatCat)
9:14 PM Chin Up Chin Up We Should Have Never Lived Like We Were Skyscrapers (Stephen Snydacker Mix) from Chin Up Chin Up (Flameshovel)
9:08 PM Dan Mangan Robots from Nice Nice Very Nice (Arts & Crafts)
9:05 PM Malajube Radiologie from La Caverne (MB3)
9:02 PM Tegan and Sara Monday Monday Monday from If It Was You (Vapor Records)

Related posts:

1. CHIRP Playlist: Saturday, October 1, 2011
2. CHIRP Playlist: Saturday, October 8, 2011
3. CHIRP Playlist: Saturday, November 5, 2011

Busy week of shows!  Don’t forget, you can win tickets to see Those Darlins on Wednesday or Thursday!  See this post for information on how to win.

Monday, October 3
Jens Lekman, Geoffrey O’Connor; Lincoln Hall. 9 pm, $20

Tuesday, October 4
Zee Avi; Schubas. 8 pm, $12
The Mekons; SPACE. 8 pm, $18-30
The Besnard Lakes, Malajube; Lincoln Hall. 9 pm, $14
Mar Caribe; Hideout. 9 pm, $5 suggested donation
The Head and the Heart, Thao with the Get Down Stay Down, The Devil Whale; Metro. 9 pm, $19-21

Wednesday, October 5
Foster the People, Cults, Reptar; the Riviera. 7:30 pm, sold out
Bandallamas, Brice Woodall; Martyrs. 8 pm, $10
Jaron And The Long Road To Love, Joe Firstman; Joe’s Bar. 8:30 pm, $10
St. Vincent; Metro. 9 pm, $18
The Mekons, Brokeback; Lincoln Hall. 9 pm, $20
Those Darlins, Peelander-Z, Birthday Suits; Empty Bottle. 9:30 pm, $12-14

Thursday, October 6
Those Darlins, Peelander-Z; Schubas. 7 pm, $12-14
Cameron McGill, Matt Hopper; SPACE. 8 pm, $10-18
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Holy Sons; Metro. 8 pm, $22.50
Keb’ Mo’; House of Blues. 9 pm, $32.50-35

Friday, October 7
Esperanza Spalding; Symphony Center. 8 pm, $20-70
Imelda May; Park West. 8 pm, $20
Pieta Brown, Nora O’Connor, Liam Davis; SPACE. 8 pm, $12-22
The Naked and Famous, The Chain Gang of 1974, White Arrows; Metro. 8 pm, $19-21

Saturday, October 8
Priscilla Ahn; SPACE. 8 pm, $12-15
The Shams Band, Go Long Mule; Fitzgeralds. 9 pm, $15
Wild Flag, YellowFever; Empty Bottle. 9:30 pm, $15

Sunday, October 9
Wild Flag, YellowFever; Empty Bottle. 9:30 pm, $15

Related posts:

1. This Week in Great Music: 10/11 – 10/17
2. This Week in Great Music: 10/18 – 10/24
3. This Week in Great Music: 4/5 – 4/11

Thanks to everyone who tuned in to my inaugural (internet) radio adventure on CHIRP Radio. If you’re interested to know what kind of music I play whenever I get three hours behind the controls of Chicago’s best radio station, then read on.  I’ll be back on the air on Saturday, October 8th, from 9 am to noon, Central time.

8:56 PM Neil Young Southern Man from After The Goldrush (Reprise)
8:52 PM Jessica Lea Mayfield Blue Skies Again from Tell Me (Nonesuch)
8:51 PM The Jayhawks She Walks in So Many Ways from Mockingbird Time (Rounder)
8:47 PM Tinariwen Tamiditin Tan Ufrawan from Tassili (ANTI-)
8:44 PM Martha Wainwright Jesus and Mary from I Know You’re Married But I’ve Got Feelings Too (Zoe)
8:40 PM Serengeti Flutes from Family & Friends (Anticon)
8:33 PM Andrew Bird Not A Robot, But A Ghost from Noble Beast (Fat Possum)
8:29 PM Brandi Carlile Looking Out from Live at Benaroya Hall with the Seattle Symphony (Columbia)
8:25 PM Milagres Halfway from Glowing Mouth (Kill Rock Stars)
8:20 PM The Bowmans Make It Last from Far From Home (self-released)
8:17 PM Wilco Black Moon from The Whole Love (dBpm)
8:14 PM Justin Townes Earle Poor Fool from Midnight At The Movies (Bloodshot)
8:08 PM Allá Es Tiempo from Es Tiempo (Crammed)
8:04 PM Vienna Teng 1BR/1BA from Dreaming Through the Noise (Zoe)
7:59 PM Active Child Johnny Belinda from You Are All I See (Vagrant)
7:54 PM Gotye Somebody That I Used to Know from Making Mirrors (Ais)
7:52 PM Buffalo Rome Plant White Roses from Obscurities (Merge)
7:45 PM Ohbijou Balikbayan from Metal Meets (Last Gang)
7:41 PM The Avett Brothers The Weight of Lies from Emotionalism (Ramseur Records)
7:37 PM Low Majesty / Magic from C’mon (Sub Pop)
7:33 PM White Mystery Take a Walk from White Mystery (self-released)
7:28 PM Okkervil River Your Past Life as a Blast from I Am Very Far (Jagjaguwar)
7:25 PM Peter Wolf Crier Beach from Garden of Arms (Jagjaguwar)
7:20 PM Booker T. Jones Representing Memphis (featuring Matt Berninger and Sharon Jones) from The Road from Memphis (ANTI-)
7:15 PM Teddy Thompson Separate Ways from Separate Ways (Verve)
7:07 PM Braid Universe or Worse from Closer to Closed EP (Polyvinyl)
7:04 PM St. Vincent Northern Lights from Strange Mercy (4AD)
7:01 PM Anais Mitchell Hades & Persephone from The Brightness (Righteous Babe)
6:57 PM Dessa Into the Spin from A Badly Broken Code (Doomtree)
6:53 PM The Grey Race On the Chin from Give It Love (Unfiltered)
6:51 PM Tom Vek World of Doubt from Leisure Seizure (Co-op)
6:45 PM Nico The Fairest of the Seasons from Chelsea Girl (Polygram)
6:42 PM Laura Marling Rest in the Bed from A Creature I Don’t Know (Ribbon)
6:39 PM Jeff Pianki Missing Parts from Paper Window. (self-released)
6:35 PM Alpha Consumer The Crown Salesman from Kick Drugs out of America (self-released)
6:30 PM A.A. Bondy Surfer King from Believers (Fat Possum)
6:25 PM Dusty Bibles Wintersong from Sinus Rhythm EP (self-released)
6:20 PM April Smith and the Great Picture Show Drop Dead Gorgeous from Songs for a Sinking Ship (self-released)
6:17 PM Beirut Goshen from The Rip Tide (Pompeii)
6:14 PM Neko Case Runnin’ Out of Fools from Blacklisted (Bloodshot)
6:09 PM The Mountain Goats Psalms 40:2 from Life Of The World To Come (4AD)
6:03 PM Girls Just a Song from Father, Son, Holy Ghost (True Panther Sounds)
5:59 PM Ha Ha Tonka Usual Suspects from Death of a Decade (Bloodshot)

Related posts:

1. CHIRP Playlist: Saturday, October 22, 2011
2. CHIRP Playlist: Saturday, October 8, 2011
3. CHIRP Playlist: Saturday, November 26, 2011

Now that Mumford and Sons have released Sigh No More in the US, there are tons of great reviews coming out for it. My Old Kentucky Blog, John (of Meandre and Radio Free Chicago) and Popdosehave all weighed in. I love the album, no question about it, as it was one of my top CDs of 2009. Maybe I will cheat and name it a top album of 2010 as well, in honor of its US release date. The band will be appearing at the 2010 Bonnaroo festival; I’m hoping they stick in a few more tour dates, perhaps one in, oh, say, Chicago, en route to the festival.

Popdose has also a look at Butch Walker’s latest, I Liked it Better When You Had No Heart, which is currently sitting around, calling my name on my desk at home.

Next to it on my desk is the Preservation Hall benefit album, which Popdose has also reviewed. Short review on my part: I loved it. Go buy it. Longer review forthcoming.

Two more reviews of St. Vincent’s all around stellar performance earlier this month at Metro, this time from Uniform Grey and Gapers Block.

If bootlegs are your thing, here’s an audience recording of Ben Folds’ February 13th show with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

Dawn Landes stops by HearYa for a quick set. MP3s and video are available.

Suburban Chicago’s Daily Herald profiles Justin Townes Earle, who plays at Lincoln Hall on Saturday.

Rocky Votolato talks to Popmattersabout depression, success, and the truth. Votolato plays Schubas on Friday.

Famed opera singer Renee Fleming is releasing an album of covers. Dark Hope is due out on March 18th, and tackles songs by Muse, Arcade Fire, Peter Gabriel, and, of course, Leonard Cohen. This is either going to be great, or a train wreck.

Gapers Block looks at Tinariwen and their unique brand of desert blues. The group is at the Old Town School of Folk Music this weekend, performing two concerts on Saturday and one on Sunday, as well as a guitar and percussion workshop on Sunday.

Small Chicagois a new web series presenting three songs, performed live and taped for the internet’s viewing pleasure. First up is Coltrane Motion.

Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore did an instore show in a Lexington, Kentucky CD Central. You Ain’t No Picasso offers a review, photos, and MP3s of the set.

Antony Hegarty, of Antony & the Johnsons, talks to Stereogum about two recent shows he did in Japan, where he performed alongside dancer Yoshito Ohno, whose father Kazuo is the Butoh dancer on the cover of The Crying Light.

Josh Rouse’s latest album, El Turista, streams for free at KCRW through March 22.

While the review is from much earlier in the month, Consequence of Sound takes a look at Movits!New Year’s Eve show at Schubas. Sounds like it was a great show.  You can’t go wrong with Swedish jazz/hip hop/awesomeness.

Related posts:

1. News & Links – February 20
2. News & Links – January 8
3. News & Links – January 12

With my feed reader at 1000+ unread posts (thanks a lot, busy work week and unexpected out-of-country trip), I might as well just claim defeat and start from scratch, but not before compiling some things that have caught my eye.

First up, Cover Me posted a bunch of covers of Lady Gaga songs.  And if there’s anything I love in music, it’s non-pop covers of pop songs.  The post kicks off with Corey TuT‘s awesome cover of “Bad Romance” — if you don’t want to download, check out a hilarious video of the song on Youtube.  Additional songs will be posted via Twitter later today.  I can’t wait!

Related posts:

1. News & Links – February 25
2. News & Links – January 27
3. News & Links – January 12

Happy federal holiday, everyone (in the US, at least).

Some interesting shows going on this week.  The Antlers stop by The Vic and will undoubtedly perform some beautifully atmospheric songs from Hospice.  Snook Dog managed to sell out the Metro, Greg Laswell has his second night of his winter residency up at SPACE, and Billy Corgan lends his name and talent to a benefit show for the Kellogg Cancer Care Center.

Monday, February 15
Robbie Fulks, Hideout. 7 pm, $10 suggested donation
Editors, The Antlers, The Dig; The Vic. 7:30 pm, $23.50

Tuesday, February 16
Daedelus, Nosaj Thing, jogger; Lincoln Hall. 7 pm, $12
Switchfoot; House of Blues. 7 pm, $21-23
Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons, Dawes, Jason Boesel; Double Door. 8 pm, $10-12
Snoop Dog; Metro. 8 pm, sold out

Wednesday, February 17
Sarah and the Tall Boys; The Underground Wonder Bar (10 E Walton). 8 pm, cover varies
Greg Laswell, Rachele Eve; SPACE. 8 pm, $12-15

Thursday, February 18
Billy Corgan, Matt Walker; LaSalle Power Co. 7 pm, $150-300 (benefit for Kellogg Cancer Care Center at Evanston Hospital)
St. Vincent, Wildbirds and Peacedrums; Metro. 9 pm, sold out

Friday, February 19
Bonnie Koloc, Dala; Old Town School of Folk Music. 7 pm, $24-28
Four Tet, Nathan Fake; Empty Bottle. 8 pm and 11 pm, sold out
Evan Dando, The Candles, Hospital Garden; Double Door. 9 pm, $15
Buckwheat Zydeco, Cubby Bear Wrigleyville (1059 W Addison). 9 pm, $20
Sondre Lerche, JBM; Lincoln Hall. 10 pm, $15
Retribution Gospel Choir, Implodes; Hideout. 10 pm, $10

Saturday, February 20
Sarah and the Tall Boys; The Underground Wonder Bar (10 E Walton). 8 pm, cover varies
Ha Ha Tonka, Rego, Kevin Andrew Prchal; Subterranean. 9 pm, $10

Sunday, February 21
Bela Fleck: The Africa Project; Old Town School of Folk Music. 5 pm and 8 pm, $41-45
Kris Kristofferson, Merle Haggard; Rosemont Theatre (5400 N River Rd., Rosemont). 7 pm, $35-65
Mark Cohn, Kristina Train; SPACE. 8 pm, sold out

Related posts:

1. This Week in Great Music: 4/5 – 4/11
2. This Week in Great Music: 10/11 – 10/17
3. This Week in Great Music: 2/22 – 2/28

I’ll admit that I’m not much of a Joanna Newsom fan.  I didn’t like either of her previous releases, The Milk-Eyed Mender or Ys.  I wanted to like her music, because she oftentimes gets lumped in with musicians whose work I do enjoy, but I just couldn’t get into her whole sound.  Regardless of my own personal twitchyness over the anti-folk harpist’s style, she’s got the internet all abuzz with her forthcoming triple-disc (!!!) release, Have One on Me.  Consequence of Sound has the latest news on the new release, and Fan Made Recordingshas a recording of a recent show in Australia where Newsom performed many of the songs which will appear on the new album.  Her label, Drag City, is streaming “’81″, a track from the new album (look in the right hand column, under “Free Music”).  As for me, I think I may have to revisit Newsom’s past releases.  My musical world has expanded since the 2006 release of Ys, so maybe this time, I’ll like what I hear.

The entire internet seems to be talking about the benefit show on Saturday at the Music Hall of Williamsburg… and with good reason, as I have it on authority that the show was pretty awesome.  Performers included St. Vincent, Justin Vernon, Britt Daniel (of Spoon), My Brightest Diamond, and comedians Zach Galifianakis and Janeane Garofalo (whose names are impossible to spell). Stereogum has video of Justin Vernon and Annie Clark performing Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon”.  Brooklyn Vegan, who helped put the show together, has a recap, videos, and a ton of fantastic photos of the show.  Pitchfork has more videos, including a cover of Prince’s “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore” by Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond). And So This is What the Volume Knob’s For has their own in-person coverage, including photos and video.

Stereogum reports on the apparently epic Radiohead showon Sunday, which raised over $500,000 for relief efforts in Haiti.  Setlist and photos are included at the site

Loud Loop Press  has a list of ways that local Chicago artists have been getting involved in raising money for Haiti.  And if hip-hop is your thing, Reggie’s Rock Club in the South Loop is having a benefit show on the 31st, with proceeds going to Every Drop Counts (a newly formed grassroots organization that unfortunately picked a name already used by a non-profit trying to protect Lake Michigan, so boy was I confused when trying to find a link).

A.A. Bondy and band stopped by Hear Ya to record an acoustic session.  Video and MP3s are available.  I don’t think I need to tell you how fantastic this guy is.

While we’re at it with free music for your listening pleasure, Fan Made Recordings has The Decemberists’ January 19th set from Sydney, Australia.  And Web in Front has a Coachella-inspired mixtape, featuring 20 songs by artists slated to perform at this year’s festival.

Popdose provides an extensive look at the music and career of Patty Griffin.  Her new album, Downtown Church, is available now.

Local Chicago punk-rock-ish quintet Bully in the Hallway is profiled by Consequence of Sound.  You can catch the band this Thursday at the Double Door, for free.

My Old Kentucky Blog reviews Saturday’s show by Alejandro Escovedo in Louisville, KY.  Looks like the show was pretty intense (in a good way).  You can catch Escovedo in Chicago on April 3, when he does two shows at the Old Town School of Folk Music (although I think both shows are sold out).

Canadian band Woodpigeon share their cover of “The Log Driver’s Waltz”,a song made famous by Kate and Anna McGarrigle.

And in the “this can’t possibly end well” department, the Department of Justice approved the Ticketmaster/Livenation/All Your Fees Are Belong to Us merger, with a couple of conditions (including selling off a division which handles college sports ticketing — to Comcast, prohibiting against retaliation for venues who choose to use competitors, and licensing its proprietary software to a main competitor).  These conditions do not, of course, include changing the system so that fans have a better shot at getting tickets than brokers, getting rid of those “convenience fees” which jack up the price of a ticket, or ceasing to charge people for the privilege of printing their own tickets using their own printers.  See Rolling Stone, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, BusinessWeek, or TicketDisaster.org for information.

Related posts:

1. News & Links – January 15
2. News & Links – January 20
3. News & Links – January 12

Here are some more albums which have seen some pretty heavy play around here this year. In case you’ve missed it, check out albums 11 through 15 and 16 through 20 on my list of favorites from the past year.

A.A. Bondy, When the Devil’s Loose.

I had waited and waited and waited for this album to come out, as I had loved American Hearts, and I absolutely wasn’t disappointed.  Bondy’s returned here with his own brand of Americana; if it weren’t for his intense live show, you’d hardly know that he got his start in grunge rock band Verbena.  I find it easy to get lost into this album.  I’ve put it on a bunch of times and just found myself listening to it over and over again.  Even better than the album, though, is Bondy’s live show, which is what cemented this album as one of my favorites of the year.  While the album at time is gentle, Bondy holds nothing back in performance.  If you ever have the chance to see him (and oh, you will; he tours relentlessly), do go see him.

When the Devil’s Loose was released September 1 by Fat Possum.
MySpace
Buy the album here.

The Mountain Goats, The Life of the World to Come.

Over the past couple of months, I’ve come to realize that for the most part, I appreciate this album best as a whole, rather than individual songs.  When listening on my Not iPod, I find that I skip a lot of songs when they come up on shuffle.  As a whole, though, I love the album.  John Darnielle really is one of the best songwriters out there today.  Reading his lyrics can mess you up, to put it simply.  The songs may be named after Bible passages, but I think it’s pretty safe to say that The Mountain Goats aren’t going to be running off and recording hymns any time soon.  With lyrics like “And I won’t get better but someday I’ll be free,  ’cause I am not this body that imprisons me,” The Life of the World to Come isn’t a happy little album, but it sure is beautiful.

The Life of the World to Come was released on October 6 by 4AD.
Official Website | MySpace
Buy the album here.

Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.

This is the perfect summer pop album which turned into the perfect pop album for the whole year.  The lyrics are smart, the songs are catchy, and the band is French.  What’s not to love?  Phoenix flew under my radar (and under the radar of pretty much everyone else outside of France, I guess) until I saw them on some late-night show earlier this year.  Impressed with the performance, I sought out the album and loved it at first listen.  It’s one of those feel good albums that you stick back into rotation every so often just to put a smile on your face.

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix was released May 26 by V2.
Official Website | MySpace | Twitter
Buy the album here.

St. Vincent, Actor.

Annie Clark is so, so deceptive.  I mean, just look at her.  She’s this tiny little lady, all pale skin and cute curly hair.  Her voice sounds just as delicate as she looks, but underneath it is something much, much harder, maybe even a little dangerous.  ”Save me from what I want,” Clark sings, and you get the feeling that you probably should step in to intervene.  Things might get a little messy otherwise.  Clark is a musician not afraid to play with sound, inserting messy feedback and distortion into songs which could otherwise be seen as cute little pop songs.  Her live show is what won me over, if only because the visual of Clark creating her ruckus on stage is just so incredibly striking.

Actor was released on May 5 by 4AD.
Official Website | MySpace | Twitter
Buy the album here.

The xx, xx.

I didn’t want to like The xx.  I really didn’t.  Every other blogger and hipster kid was going on about how awesome this album was.  What can I say, I’ve been burned one too many times by buzz bands that ended up sucking.  I finally gave in, though, and man, now I wish I hadn’t ignored them for so long.  I don’t know that there’s anything particularly innovative about their brand of electronic pop, but it’s good, catchy material, delivered in a laid-back, almost disinterested manner which is intriguing in its own right.  Time will tell whether or not The xx will be able to follow this up with something great, but I’m pretty sure the entire internet will be waiting to see what’s next.

xx was released August 17/October 20 by Young Turks.
Official Website | MySpace
Buy the album here.

Related posts:

1. 2009 Favorites: Part Two
2. 2009 Favorites: Part One
3. 2009 Favorites: Part Four

After Friday’s wildly successful show at the Pabst, Andrew Bird had little to prove to Saturday’s audience.  He admitted that he felt much less pressure, given how well things had gone the night before. For other artists, this might mean that the show gets sloppier, less tight, but not for Andrew Bird. On Saturday, he took a few more risks than usual, playing several new songs, bringing back old favorites, and engaging in a few beautiful collaborations.  Whether for continuity on film or out of superstition, Bird took the stage in the same outfit as he did the prior night, the most notable part of which was a pair of shoes that I described on Twitter as looking like a glitter factory exploded on them.  (Seeing as this outfit has made many appearances already throughout this tour, I’m thinking it’s probably just another delightful Bird superstition.  And given that I have a pair of shoes that have now become my Lucky Andrew Bird-Meeting Shoes, I can’t argue with that.) 

Starting out with the eerily compelling “Water Jet Cilice”, Bird brought a different mood to Saturday’s show, a more laid-back atmosphere as compared to Friday’s high-energy assault of sound. Creating every sound on his own with the help of his looping machines, songs stretched and formed right in front of you. It’s easy to forget just how much of what you hear is Andrew Bird and his cluster of instruments when watching the full band. As a solo act, however, you’re confronted with that fact early on, making it hard to deny the special kind of genius he exhibits in his work.

The explanation of “Sweetmatter” (it being inadvisable to release a song containing a reference to mad cow disease) and the lyrics (“that’s the taste of neurons blinking”) drew laughter from the audience. While I’ve heard it before, being with an audience where many seem to be hearing the song for the first time gave it a whole new freshness. Proceeding to launch into the moody instrumental opening of “Why?”, Bird continued to amaze with his perfect delivery of the lyrics, where deadpan humor, anger, and raw emotion all coexist in one song. Though he mixed up some of the lyrics at the end, this is one song where you half expect that to happen, given how the song consumes him. “I just get so angry,” he said with a smile, explaining away the bungled lyrics.

More behind the jump…

He followed that with the first new song of the night, which he’s currently calling “Wake Up”. The music is adapted from the instrumental “You Woke Me Up!” from Useless Creatures, and incorporates original lyrics as well as parts of the traditional song “Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning”. This being the second time I’ve heard this one (he also played it at the show at the Art Institute of Chicago last month), I caught a few more snippets of lyrics; standing out most was the line “when you break up, there’s no one by your side; darling, you’re all alone”.

Continuing on with a setlist seemingly designed to make me the happiest fan ever, Bird played “Masterfade”, then went into “Tenuousness”, wherein he played the maracas to give the background loops some extra rhythm. After the song, he mentioned that the maraca part really sums up what “Tenuousness” is all about: wondering how things just don’t all come apart at the seams. “If you mess up the maraca part,” he said, “well, case in point.”

After “Effigy” (performed completely on guitar), the lights dimmed to illuminate Bird with a single spotlight, white lights sparkling on the dark screen behind him. He introduced a brand new song, one which he’d never performed for anyone other than the person who wrote the lyrics. (The lyrics were largely written by a friend of his for a play; I believe he said the name of it was “The Sifters.”) He seemed almost uncharacteristically nervous, pausing for a few moments to collect himself before starting the song. You could have heard a pin drop as he played, and I felt like the whole audience collectively exhaled when it was finished. 

He continued on with “Anonanimal” (where he once again forgot about the switch mid-song from violin to guitar; “I forgot that I’m supposed to be ready for that,” he said afterwards), “Natural Disaster”, and “Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning,” which he mentioned would sound familiar, as it formed part of the basis for “Wake Up”. The song got off to a great start, until he stopped abruptly right before the lyrics should come in. “Now I keep confusing myself,” he announced, staring off into space as he tried to remember the words. After a helpful audience member shouted out the opening line, the song continued on, just as though someone had simply pressed pause for a moment.

Bird brought out Annie Clark of St. Vincent for the next two songs, providing some of the most beautiful moments of the evening. She joined him first on “Lusitania”. He gave a bit more of an explanation of the song’s origins this time; the line about the Lusitania was in “Natural Disaster” at one point, but got taken out when it didn’t work with anything else. Bird said that it had taken him three or four years to figure out how to use naval history as a metaphor for relationships and the excuses we make for conflict. Now that description right there is quintessential Andrew Bird.  Clark sang the latter verses of the song, which Bird said were about electricity, “two completely different things hanging out in the same song”.

They followed that up with one of Annie’s songs, “Marry Me”, from her first album.  The two performed an acoustic version of the song for a French music site earlier this year, and I know that many were hoping that they would reprise that performance for this show.  Their voices and musical stylings work perfectly together, two eclectic indie darlings unafraid of playing with sound.  Bird brought out the rest of St. Vincent to close out the show with “Scythian Empires” and “Tables and Chairs”.  Watching him perform with this different backing band, I felt like I was watching Andrew Bird the frontman.  I’m not really sure what was different, other than the fact that there were more people on stage and more varied instrumentation (including a second violin), but during those closing songs, Bird was perhaps the most unlikely rock star ever to take center stage.

As an encore, Bird and Clark took to the stage again, huddled around a single microphone to perform a stunning acoustic version of Bob Dylan’s “Oh, Sister”, a song which Bird put out on an EP a few years ago and which rarely makes its way into his show.  It was an incredibly special moment, just two beautiful voices together, the song performed without loops or machinery.  For his final song, he played “Weather Systems”, a perfect bookend to concert.   The show ended much the same as it started: a lone man on stage, violin in hand, and a haunting whistle piercing the air.  I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Check out my set of photos on Flickr of the second night.

In more personal notes, consider this a shout-out to all the amazing people who I met at the shows. Audiences for Andrew Bird shows are consistently among the most respectful I’ve ever encountered, and while I’m not exactly a people person, I was more than glad to strike up conversations with fellow fans. Also, major props to the group of die-hards who waited after the show in hopes of getting to meet Bird (end result: mission accomplished). It takes a special artist to compel people to wait for around two and a half hours in the cold, and an even more special artist to take the time to talk to each person there, and give out signatures, handshakes, and hugs, even if it was 1:30 in the morning and sleep was probably the most important thing on the agenda.

Additionally, Radio Milwaukee broadcast Friday night’s show on the radio and as a podcast, which is available for download here. This is where I sit in awe of just how giving Andrew Bird, his management, and his label are to fans, because here they are, permitting a free broadcast and download of a show which is eventually going to be released on DVD. I can’t even begin to count the number of artists who would never approve of that happening, even among artists who have fairly liberal taping policies.

Setlist
The Water Jet Cilice
Sweetmatter
Why?
Wake Up
Masterfade
Tenuousness
Effigy
New Song (“If I were the night sky…”)
Anonanimal
Natural Disaster
Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning
Lusitania (with Annie Clark)
Marry Me (St. Vincent song, with Annie Clark)
Scythian Empires (with St. Vincent)
Tables & Chairs (with St. Vincent)
—-
Oh Sister (with Annie Clark)
Weather Systems

Related posts:

1. Concert Review: Andrew Bird (Full Band Show), Pabst Theatre, 10/16
2. Concert Review: Andrew Bird; Power Center, Ann Arbor, MI, 6/18/11
3. Concert Review: Andrew Bird, Arvada Center, 8/9/11

I’ll admit off the bat that I’m horribly behind on listening to music that’s been released this year.  I know there are some gems out there that I’ve missed, and hopefully I’ll be able to rectify that by the end of the year.  For now, though, here are five albums I’ve been enjoying so far in 2009.

Andrew Bird: Noble Beast

Andrew Bird: Noble Beast. It’s nice when you have high expectations for an album, and the album winds up totally delivering. Andrew Bird’s latest offering stays true to his eclectic indie-alt-folk style, with whistling and nonsensical lyrics and intricate, layered music. But he’s made this album to be a bit more accessible to people unfamiliar with his music, with songs that have catchy hooks and — gasp! — choruses.

Noble Beast was released on January 20, by Fat Possum Records.
Official website, Myspace.
Purchase Noble Beast and other fine recordings.

Dave Matthews Band: Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King

Dave Matthews Band: Big Whiskey & The GrooGrux King. A rather bittersweet new album from the Dave Maththews Band: there are some fantastic songs on here, and it really reminds me of the intensity found in some of their earlier recordings, but it’s also the last release which will include LeRoi Moore, the band’s saxophonist and a founding member, who died while the album was still in pre-production. Sure, Matthews’ lyrics are not always great, but the whole album is bigger, more raw, and perhaps more true than any of their other releases.

Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King was released on June 2, by RCA Records.
Official website, Myspace.
Purchase Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King and other fine recordings.

Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.  This is one of my guilty pleasure albums of the year so far. It’s a little pop-rock-ier than my tastes usually run to, but it’s a great album to just put on and enjoy. It helps that the song are catchy, with some interesting lyrics. I mean, “Lisztomania” references freaking Franz Liszt. How many other indie pop-rock-whatever groups are out there name checking dead composers?

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix was released May 26, by V2 Records.
Official website, Myspace.
Purchase Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix and other fine recordings.

St. Vincent: Actor

St. Vincent: Actor. I’ve got to admit, I am fairly late to the St. Vincent train. I’d managed to miss out on catching her first album, Marry Me, writing her off for some reason as another twee, vaguely experimental act that would annoy me. Actor has generated a fair amount of buzz, though, so I checked it out and am so glad I did. Yes, her sound’s pretty experimental at times, but nothing so out there that it’s distracting. She’s got a great voice and is making some truly interesting music.

Actor was released May 5, by 4AD.
Official website, Myspace.
Purchase Actor and other fine recordings.

The Decemberists: The Hazards of Love

The Decemberists: The Hazards of Love. Speaking of interesting music. This album is so ambitious and so epic, I don’t even know where to start. It’s a concept album, it’s an indie rock opera, it tells a story, it’s just amazing. Several other familiar names from the indie music scene are guest artists on the album, including Lavendar Diamond’s Becky Stark, My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden, and My Morning Jacket’s Jim James. Shara Worden in particular gives a very striking performance. The Hazards of Love is something that really needs to be listened to from start to finish; a few songs can stand on their own, but it works best as one big piece of music.

The Hazards of Love was released May 24, by Capitol Records.
Official website, Myspace.
Purchase The Hazards of Love and other fine recordings.

Related posts:

1. 2009 Favorites: Part Three
2. 2009 Favorites: Part Four
3. Music Memoirs: Looking Back on 2009