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(03/27/15 8:10pm)
A Brief History of The Maine
The Maine will be releasing their fifth album in less than a week, and by the looks of things, it’s going to be another update on their ever-evolving sound. To get ready for the new album, here’s a quick rundown of The Maine’s past releases.
Stay Up and Get Down + The Way We Talk (2007): In the rain of pop/emo, soundtrack-to-a-freshmen highschooler’s-daydream music, The Maine’s first two EPs were drops in the bucket. Stay Up and Get Down contains laments of young love, raging teenage hormones (see, “Undressing the Words”), and in a special case, robotic vocals and proto-techno beats (“Give Me Everything”). After signing to Fearless Records and getting hooked up with a legitimate producer, the boys released “The Way We Talk”. Production value took a leap forward, strange computer-generated tracks were reworked, Akon was covered, and fans were made. Singer John O’Callaghan established a vocal that alternated between a languid, lackadaisical sound and a pop-punk vibe.
Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop + …And a Happy New Year (2008): For their first full-length effort, The Maine launched off by pumping up the energy levels and hitting the alt-pop genre full-force. Moving into new song-writing content, the boys handle thoughts of growing up in songs like, “We All Roll Along” and “We’ll All Be”. Revisiting old song writing content, the band revamped “Count ‘Em One, Two, Three” and remixed “The Way We Talk”. While not groundbreaking by any means, the first full length was a gleaming example of the scene that birthed them. The band released an unexpectedly delightful Christmas EP later in the year mixing humor (“Santa Stole My Girlfriend”) with touchingly sentimental holiday tracks (“Ho Ho Hopefully”).
Black and White (2010): After signing with Warner Bros. Records, the band released their second full-length Black and White. This album is a bit of a departure from Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop, as they melded their style into a rock form. The name Black and White seems ironic because the album feels very much like a grey area. The Maine’s style was definitely shifting, but this album has them straddling the line without committing either way. However, with this album began the tradition of releasing tons of bonus material, collaborations, and artwork. The band released two photo books and a book of poetry featuring photographer Dirk Mai and poetry by John O’Callaghan. The Maine began their trademark of mainlining fans a look into their world as musicians and as people.
Pioneer + Good Love (2011-2012): This is where things got interesting. After being disappointed in their deal with Warner Bros. Records and having their new music rejected, The Maine decided to take a huge risk; they funded their own independent release of their third album, Pioneer. While the band had released numerous songs about feelings associated with growing up, Pioneer is when they grew up in reality. Pioneer is an album that reflects true growth as a band. The lyrics tackled issues like establishing one’s identity (“Identify”) and dealing with personal demons (“Misery”). New song structures popped up, and the catchy songs no longer identified as pop, but something transcendent of that. There’s craftsmanship and the vocals were more developed and stylized. It’s as if everything that came before were necessary stepping-stones to get them to this point as their true launching pad. The next year, they released the Good Love EP, which was a natural and welcome continuation of the content of Pioneer. The Maine was reborn and documented their shift with a mini-documentary entitled, “Anthem for a Dying Breed.”
Forever Halloween + Imaginary Numbers (2013): The Maine ran with their newfound independent spirit, forming their own management team, 8123. 8123 is a group effort involving musicians and friends of The Maine. The fourth album, Forever Halloween, was recorded live onto tape and released in 2013. Forever Halloween has a darker flavor than Pioneer, but the new style held true. Throughout the album, there are feelings of personal unhappiness and turmoil. This theme carried through to an EP released later in the year, Imaginary Numbers. Completely acoustic, this EP showcased O’Callaghan’s lyrics and added nuance to some of the bolder declarations of unhappiness from Forever Halloween. True growing up comes with a cost, and it seems O’Callaghan expressed that through Forever Halloween and Imaginary Numbers.
American Candy (2015): Toward the end of 2014, the band blacked out on all social media for a few months to record American Candy, which is to be released on March 31. In a video about the fifth album, O’Callaghan says, “I didn’t want things to be so heavy this time around…I wanted to keep things mostly light and groovy, if for nothing else for my psyche. I needed to be better. I needed to feel better. I’m definitely not the phony, bubblegum depiction of happiness they sell you, but I’m in a better place nonetheless.” Two singles, “English Girls” and “Miles Away” fall in line with this thinking, as The Maine once again shoot off in another direction, delving back into pop rock, but this time from a more experienced place.
There you have it! If The Maine hasn’t been on your radar, this should have you caught up and ready for the next chapter. Check back for a review of the new album, American Candy, out next week!
(03/12/15 12:57am)
The true sweet spot for seeing a new artist live is on their first headlining tour for their debut album. With a limited catalogue, the chances of hearing your favorites are good. If you’ve waited to see them until after the deluxe album is released, you’ll probably get one of the bonus tracks. To top it all off, you can always bank on a cover, if not a full-blown mash-up. From the moment Hozier’s towering, lanky frame silhouetted the doorway and strode to the center mic to the final bow with his cast and crew of supporting musicians, this itinerary held true.
Hozier launched in sans introduction with the deep humming of “Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene”. The Irish blues singer tracked through a shuffled version of his entire album. Hard-hitting, intense tracks like “To Be Alone”, and “Arsonist’s Lullaby” were the emotional high points of the night (or low, depending on how well you handle searching the darkest parts of your soul). While all eyes were on him, through these songs’ lyrics he reciprocated the attention by engendering a self-introspective atmosphere. Hozier proved his flexibility by easily transitioning from more haunting and relentless beats to gentle and sentimental acoustic tunes, like “Cherry Wine” and “In a Week.”
To be capable of such intensity and power, while at the same time having the propensity for an equal amount of gentleness and delicacy makes Hozier able to meet any musical need. These softer tracks provided him the opportunity to talk about his home country of Ireland. He described rising at 6:30 in the morning and climbing to the roof of an abandoned hotel in his hometown of Bray to capture “Cherry Wine” live for the album. In the recording, you can hear the birds chirping which gives an organic feeling, as if the song itself is something of nature. This is a pleasant complement to the video of the recording in which you can see shoots of greenery reclaiming the roof of the dilapidated hotel. “In a Week,” he explained, is about the Wicklow mountains where bodies are often discovered. In the context of his song, it is about two lovers who go there to “do what lovers do”, he says. In the live version, the cellist Alana Henderson, who is a talented singer in her own right, does the female vocal.
Enough praises cannot be sung of Hozier’s supporting musicians. Combining the talents of a cellist, keyboardist, drummer, two additional singers, and Alex Ryan on bass, synth, and the occasional cymbal (frequently at the same time), make Hozier a force of nature. The collaborative effort gives them the ability to weave the sound into an environment. They pushed the audience passed the point of being a motivated listener. They erased whatever you were trying to experience and forced you to simply let them take over your cognition. This group sets Hozier apart and above other musicians who simply can’t compete with that kind of intricate complexity.
Not to say that Hozier isn’t a talented instrumentalist as well. His cover of Skip James’ “Illinois Blues” gives a distinct example of his guitar skills and pays homage to his musical influences, besides being thoroughly enjoyable. Although I am generally against encores as a rule (I’m just not a fan of begging I suppose), by the time Hozier’s rolled around, I was more than happy to oblige. It felt earned and turned out to be well worth the effort. For the cover, they played a fun version of “1 Thing” originally by Amerie. I can’t pretend it didn’t seem totally out of context with the rest of the set, and I have no clue as to why he may have chosen it, but I preferred it to his Ariana Grande “Problems” cover, and it’s more energetic than the “Do I Wanna Know?” Arctic Monkeys cover. It was a strange shift from the vernacular of his work to that of a hip hop song but that kept it interesting. Included in the encore was one of the songs off the deluxe album, “Run,” which describes a relationship through lovely poetic imagery. The show ended with “Work Song,” which uses mainly claps as percussion and fused the audience with the band one last time before saying goodbye. Throughout the song, Hozier placed his hand over his heart as if to indicate his appreciation for the crowd and his feelings about being able to perform for us. The band formed a line and took a couple of group bows that were met with zealous applause.
Hozier is a humble artist attuned with something older and wiser than his age should allow. But luckily we can plug into that as well through his music and his performances. He is a gentle giant who along with his band brings a welcome wave of meaning and genuineness to a oversaturated, feel-good marketplace. Annie Lennox described Hozier as a bard, and I whole-heartedly agree. His songwriting skills reflect the prose writing of the best Irish poets, and in each song he weaves a subtle, but complete story, open to interpretation. It doesn’t matter your level of musical sophistication, this speaks to people at the level of human nature and thus can’t (and won't) be ignored. Catch him while you can.
(09/29/14 6:12pm)
Hailing from Nashville, TN, opener Matt Wertz has the dialect of a Southerner minus the accent. He’s a semi-solo act with his partner in crime jumping in with any necessary back up. Wertz provided a nice set that complimented Parachute’s style well. His acoustic driven, country-tinged songs were similar in romantic content, and although a little bit older, he had the girls in the room wrapped around his finger. Wertz’s live performance comes across as much more powerful than his recorded music, which was a pleasant surprise.
After a quick turnover, Parachute took the stage. Props to their lighting coordinator because one of the strongest aspects of their stage presence were two tall columns of bright, circular lamps on either side of the hanging banner with the band name. These provided the lighting power, but were complimented by softer, colored lights that reflected the colors and lighting of the album cover for Overnight, the band’s latest record. It was a very thoughtful touch, although for some the power of the bright white lamps was a little overpowering. There was definitely more than one person shielding their eyes when the first burst lit up the crowd.
One of Parachute’s strongest attributes is consistency. The vocals and band performed each song to the quality of the album recording. The signature black piano was in its usual position on the left. They gave the effort to make their instrumentation more intricate with an extremely talented, permanent saxophone player. Parachute chose to cover Ariana Grande’s “Problem” and inserted their own song “She (For Liz)” into the middle of the Grande song. It made for an awkward transition, made worse by the conflicting content of the two songs, but although the transition was strange it yielded a chance to highlight the saxophone player and gave way to a full band, mid-set, jam session that was energized and fun.
Singer, Will Anderson, told a humorous story about being rejected by a girl in high school after asking her to go see current opener, Matt Wertz. After revealing this connection between Parachute and Wertz, Anderson brought Wertz onstage to help him sing “Other Side.” Then Anderson took a moment to put on a mini-infomercial for a charity organization (called Mocha Club) Wertz had started. While I’m sure it’s for a great cause, it felt a lot like waiting for your Spotify ad to end before you can listen to that song you really wanted to hear.
The set list was a decent mix of new and old, although with their song catalogue expanding, some old favorites (“Ghost” for example) were cut in favor of songs from the new album. So it goes. One of the catchiest new songs, “Didn’t See It Coming” was a high point, despite the fact that Anderson insisted on doing the talking portion of the song live. That might be a personal peeve of mine, but something about it seems hokey. If the crowd minded, I couldn’t tell, and even if they did, he quickly made up for it by suggestively showing “a little skin” during the appropriate lyric from the song. Parachute ended their set with a tweaked version of “She Is Love” that older fans probably weren’t crazy about as it was very different from the original style of the song. At the end of the night, everyone seemed to go home satisfied, and I’m sure they’ll be back again.
(09/18/14 1:35am)
Pop-rock band Parachute will be playing the Deluxe at the Old National Center in Indianapolis this Friday. The five-piece will be presenting songs from Losing Sleep, The Way It Was, and their most recent 2013 release, Overnight. Parachute's unabashedly pop-rock with heavy emphasis on easily repeatable and upbeat choruses. While pop simplicity may not be everyone's cup of tea, those who enjoy a cup (and everyone does now and again, let's be honest) will be in for an energetic and true-to-recording performance. Even those who don't embrace the sweet and lovelorn lyrics may want to give Parachute's catalogue a second glance as many of their tunes have a relatable moment for anyone who has ever loved anybody. Admittedly, with a playlist that consists of nearly exclusively love songs, the odds that even the most hardened heart would have some resonance with a lyric or two are pretty stacked. If you have any partiality to pop-rock or a clean, strong vocal performance, you're bound to enjoy Parachute's show this Friday as they bring their "Meant to Be" tour to Indy with supporting act Matt Wertz. Show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are $20.
(05/30/14 6:33pm)
Taking place in historic Nashville, TN (a.k.a. “music city”), it only follows that the 1975 concert would be taking place in Marathon Music Works; a beautifully restored automobile factory, all wooden beams and brick with faded paint. It’s a unique environment for a show and effective as well. The set-up was simple: the once packed factory floor emptied of equipment easily fits a massive crowd. Finally, someone had the brilliant idea of installing stylistic and practical industrial fans in the ceiling, eliminating the heat of cramming so many bodies together. Although the venue staff were a little brusque and the rules for entry a little confusing (be sure to have ID, no bags, no cameras), the venue itself was ideal for a show and the unique building added character to the performance.
It didn’t hurt that the show started thirty minutes early, cutting down that awkward hour between doors and show time. First up was Sir Sly. The best parts of the set happened when the instrumentation dropped off leaving the vocals to stand alone. They played a short set filled with songs that seemed to center on themes of mental instability and the hunched, Frankenstein-like lurching of the singer across the stage. The highlight was the final song, “Gold.” Next up was Bad Suns, an extremely young-looking outfit from California who were previously featured as a free single of the week on iTunes with their song, “Cardiac Arrest.” While the band’s EP was very promising, the performance didn’t quite live up to the hype. The singer seemed a bit distracted by the conscious effort of his performance, and there was a distinct incongruity between the recorded EP and live effort, possibly due to the inexperience of the group or the pressure of playing immediately before the 1975, a task I wouldn’t wish on any act. Bad Suns’ first full-length album will be out June 24th, but at this point in their career, I wouldn’t attend a headlining show just yet.
A thick cloud of fog set off the iconic glowing rectangle that is now the recognizable insignia of the 1975. This was accompanied by a repeating ambient noise that constantly increased in volume for a painfully long period before the members finally strode to their places, sans singer Matt Healy. After a few moments of screaming, Healy swaggered onto the stage, casually swinging a bottle of Nashville brewed wine in one hand. From the second Healy grabbed the mic to the moment the glowing rectangle symbolically flickered out, the band and crew put on the most professional presentation of musical creativity I have seen to date, much in line with the streamline aesthetic of the 1975.
Most of this was due to the enigma that is Matt Healy. Watching him perform made me realize I had never before seen a true rock star until that show. Healy exudes confidence and charisma, dancing along to his own music with fluid movements, continuously taking swigs from his bottle and occasionally lighting a cigarette. His performance was so casual; there was no fronting or acting, but an admirable and genuine display of personality. One had to wonder at his level of intoxication however as at some points Healy seemed to be right at the edge of being in control, but that thought was quickly abandoned as he flawlessly executed nearly every song off the band’s first full-length album and then some. By the end it would seem an appearance of intoxication might have simply been a natural lack of inhibition and performance talent of Healy…or it’s the drugs and liquor, but really, who cares? He seems to have been made for this.
Healy made one comment in particular that I think deserves a nod of recognition. Allow me to pull out my soapbox for a second. When I took a quick glance back to survey the crowd, I could not believe how many people were watching the whole set through their phones. Not to sound like somebody’s grandma, but seriously almost half of the audience had their phones in front of their faces. And not just for a quick Snapchat for an unlucky, left-behind friend, but for entire numbers. Lesson of the day: actually experience shows when you go to them. Live it. Love it. I understand we have some amazing cameras on our phones these days, but nothing will ever beat seeing it with your own two eyes. Trust me; some poor sucker will always be there to tape it, and you can always go back and look up his or her low-quality, shaky, below-amateur videography later. As Healy so eloquently put it after asking the iPhone-shielded crowd if they had FaceTime, “What’d you buy a fucking ticket for then?”
The band completed a three song encore before Healy clapped for the audience, bowed, and affectionately blew kisses to the crowd, then jogged offstage leaving the satisfied fans to flow over to the wide merch selection (a tour hoodie? Genius.). Moral of the story: if the 1975 is on your radar, try and make it to a show. Despite having to wait through two lackluster openers, the main event is more than worth it. Get there early, because you’re going to want to be as close to Healy’s effortlessly magnetic performance as possible. The 1975 have rumored plans to release a new album in 2015, but getting to them before they’re filling arenas will get you a show to remember.
(03/10/14 4:30pm)
Live from Bloomington is a branch of the student Union Board that you may not be so familiar with. Founded in 1986, Live from Bloomington was created to support local music through an annually released record full of local artists. The proceeds from this album went to support the Hoosier Hills Food Bank. The series of albums has lapsed since 2010, but the Live from Bloomington series has been revived and a new album is in the works. This new album will be a double release including a disc full of greatest hits from the past compilations. The Live from Bloomington crew is planning a CD release show of sorts and the album will be carried at vendors around Bloomington. And as it turns out, a $5 album packed with local tunes may also be a $5 ticket into the Little 5 concert. A small number of the albums will contain a golden ticket that will gain the owner entry into the Little 5 concert.
The most recent project of Live from Bloomington has been the running Gallery Evening Music Series, or GEMS, which are acoustic shows featuring local Bloomington musicians held in the IMU. This week’s GEMS session was a special event featuring the New Jersey band, For the Foxes.
Tessa Angermeier, a singer/songwriter, kicked off the evening, armed with a well-arranged setlist of covers. Highlights included a sultry folk version of “Toxic” by Britney Spears, peppered with Angerneier nailing airy high notes, an on point “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus cover and then transitioned into “I Knew You Were Trouble” by Taylor Swift, and finally a really well-adapted, sexy version of “Say Ah” by Big Sean. Following Angermeier was Reverend House and the Pulpit Bullies, who added a Western blues vibe to the night. To be honest, I was too distracted by the surprising amount of soul coming from the singer’s voice to catch the name of all of the songs the duo played, but there were some Rolling Stones covers along with a Son House song. The talented guitarist matched the singer’s sound perfectly with his bluesy offshoots and slide, and they made for a potent combo.
The main event, For the Foxes, has a sound that lends itself really well to an acoustic performance, and they seemed perfectly comfortable in the coffeeshop/acoustic setting. It’s not often you can see a band like For the Foxes in such an intimate, casual way, and there was a sense of specialness to it. Having a bit more experience, not to mention equipment, than the other acts, For the Foxes had a streamlined, smooth set that included “The Revolution,” “Moonlight Ride,” “Son of a Gun (We Have Fun),” and “Running Back to You.” The guys kept up a great positive energy, which was appreciated considering they may be used to playing to a little larger crowd/venue. This show was treated as a performance and For the Foxes didn’t cheat anyone on talent or showmanship. They threw in a spotless cover of Bastille’s popular “Pompeii” even garnering, to my surprise, some actual crowd participation, and treated the audience to a self-admittedly less practiced version of “Story of My Life” by One Direction that still seemed super-polished, not to mention super fun. Check out the links for a couple of songs by For the Foxes, and if you dig it, check out the other link which will take you to a free download of some songs the band recorded on their iPhones that are shockingly good quality.
If you’re interested in getting involved with Live from Bloomington or want to suggest a band (or musical friend) to be on the local compilation album, shoot an email to lfb@indiana.edu. Check out the next GEMS show this Wednesday, March 12 at the Starbucks in the IMU.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIVIKdqxXp8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmDga726B9k
http://forthefoxes.limitedrun.com/products/507530-iphone-sessions-ep