For Football - Let's Re-visit These Guys

Best Coast is the West Coast?

I first heard the music at the onset of this year. I was intrigued with every 7" that came from Bethany Cosentino. With the release of her full length at the beginning of Summer, I was hooked. After seeing them in concert last night, I may have a crush on Best Coast (her stage name w/ buddy Bob Bruno & Ali from Vivian Girls). All of her songs that were overfuzzed in her early releases, now sound so much better live. If someone uploads last lights clips to the Tube, I will provide. Until then, here is some stuff from earlier in the year.

PS-If you like garage, sun pop, lo-fi etc. and haven't picked up BC - DO IT!

New Kings of Leon

Radioactive!

New album, Come Around Before Sundown out in October!
http://radioactive.kingsofleon.com/

Sorry For My Absence

This post goes out to Clayton Turner (who I never knew was on here). I'll be back tonight with some music. Sorry for my sabbatical. I had again thought about hanging it up. I thought Mr Holt was my lone reader.
Talk to you all soon.
- W

So Excited About...Inception

It's almost like Kubrick has returned from the dead to do the sequel to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Christopher Nolan, who has wowed us with Insomnia, Memento, The Prestige and The Dark Knight, is back for another complete mind scramble from the looks of it. Dicaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, the always creepy Cillian Murphy and Nolan's secret weapon - Michael Caine. I CAN'T WAIT!!!! INCEPTION !!!!

Man vs. Flip Flop

In honor of Bonnaroo this weekend don't be this guy....

Interpol Loses Style and Flair

Interpol is set to release their new album this year and have recently made the song, "Lights" (click to download), available for download. As they map out a tour of the country in support, Paul Banks has announced that bassist, Carlos D, has left the band. Interpol has basically been an NYC drenched version of Joy Division since 2001. Their slow droning anthems to their driving beats have always tickled my fancy. However, I will say I didn't care for the last effort in 2007. "Heinrich Maneuver" was a great single with a clever play on words, but the rest of the album left me flat. Perhaps this lack of creativity and too many long stints on the road led to Carlos's departure. He makes up 1/2 of the rhythm section with drummer, Sam Fogarino, but he was 100% of the spark in Interpol. His base lines and runs are amazing as is his interesting take on fashion if you like the Crispin Glover look. No one wears a holster like Carlos. He had turned into this Western look in the past couple of years. Whatever. Did anyone buy Paul Banks side project, Julian Plenti? I did. It lacks a certain something - Carlos! Oh, sigh. This may be the end of Interpol as I need it....I know Banks is the main songwriter but it seems like so much for songs like "Obstacle 1" and "Stella Was a Diver". Boo!

Here is some of Interpol's finest interplays between Banks, Carlos and Sammy - Fantastic!

Local Natives/Suckers @ Great Scott

Saturday, I had the pleasure of taking in a VERY intimate and SOLD OUT show of Local Natives at Great Scott (which is right down the street from us - I walked). Whit was down for the count, so I went solo. Suckers was the opening act. I got there way too early, apparently (9:45pm).I got to meet the Suckers and talk Nashville (they had just played the Basement below Grimey's before the flood). Very nice guys from Brooklyn with their debut album coming out in June. They put on a great show that I thought might best Local Natives - nope. LN took the stage and didn't hold back with 4 part harmonies and chants over pounding percussion and subtle riffs. It was amazing. I felt like I was seeing something revolutionary. I'm sure it wasn't and isn't, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. Here are some shots from my crappy phone and some better ones from the guy standing right in front of me (literally) with a better camera. What a show! Go get Gorilla Manor their album, now!

Here's "Wide Eyes" from the Show

Happy Mother's Day

Wolves On Parade

New Wolf Parade

Out in June on Sub Pop - very nice!
Nice suburban Lord of the Flies cover....

Download MP3's
Ghost Pressure
What Did My Lover Say

The End of My Parents' Street...

Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid

Several times in life you are caught without a camera. It is rare these days with so much technology. With no iPhone, I'm relegated to the crappy cellphone camera as my real camera (Nikon sSLR) is too big to lug everywhere. Many of these times I've captured these moments but never shared. Here is a quick flashback to my Spring through blurry eyes.

In January, the addition to Tufts University School of Dental Medicine were opened along with our department's new clinic. 5 new floors - very nice!

views from Washington & Kneeland

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One of my patients is a lobster fisherman who also works at Fenway Park. After finishing his implants, he showed up to his post op appointment with a plastic bag. He handed it to me and inside were 4 LIVE lobsters crawling all over each other and a bag of ice. Needless to say, I had all variants of lobster that weekend with the final meal a tip of the cap to George Costanza and Kosmo Kramer.

The concoction for the lobster steam bath

The lobster en route to the pot with a wink and nod to the bear

The finished product

The important parts

Lobster Scrambled Eggs

French Press Coffee

Biscuits to boot!

Kramer stays Kosher

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On our recent trip home, we also checked out many new things around Nashville that have popped up since we moved to Boston. Imogene + Willie in the Gulch is a clothing store/mini-factory/performance space transformed from an old service station where they make their own jeans. You want them made to measure: you got it! They also manufacture Ralph Lauren's RRL line of denim there which will fetch a nice price of around $400-650 for a pair of jeans. Crazy! And yet it sadly doesn't seem THAT crazy after being brainwashed in Massachusetts. Outside the store depending on the day of the week is a van that sells Tacos (Mas Tacos), and they are awesome! If you're ever on 12th and see the taco truck, pull over and grab a couple. It will be much better than that wrap you were likely to get at Frothy Monkey (loser!). I also went by Grimey's for Record Store Day to pick up some things and to hear the Alex Chilton tribute band with Eef Barzelay of Clem Snide and Grimey himself. At the same time, I unknowingly missed the Raconteurs playing live up the street at Jack White's Third Man Records on 7th (I drug Whitney by there before we left town to pick up the new Dead Weather's record.....she wanted to die). We also sampled some chocolate from Olive & Sinclair's in East Nashville - very tasty. Finally, we had dinner at Whiskey Kitchen right next to Jeff Fisher the night before the draft. Oh, we also managed to see most of our friends who we miss so dearly. Can't wait to be back!

Imogene + Willie

Imogene + Willie plus Ella the dog

Whit checking the merch

What a nouveau western feel

Steak Biscuits w/ 3 sauces and a Manhattan from Whiskey Kitchen

Fried Chicken with Macaroni and a Pink Lady of some kind @ WK

Mas Tacos Y'all from Mas Tacos!

Back lot @ Grimey's - 1 Yazoo Pale, please!

Yup...

Inside the Store...

That's all.....

Nashville, here we come!
July can't get here fast enough!
We'll miss ya, Beantown, but
my thoughts are with you, Nashville.
Dry Up.

-W

Long Drive Home/Quarterly Round-Up

2010 is off to a bang, and my what a bang it is going to be when it's all said and done. In less than 90 days, I will be back in Tennessee with Boston in the rearview mirror. It's kind of sad, but not really. In truth, it's a relief and exciting to know that for the 1st time in 12 years I will be settled in one place with some permanence! For our cross country trek (Oregon Trail-style!), I couldn't think of a better soundtrack than what 2010 has already delivered. Can't wait to see what the rest of this year holds (IN EVERY ASPECT!).

Here are my favorite records for
the 1st Quarter of 2010:
(that I have PURCHASED)

Local Natives - Gorilla Manor
I've already spoken ad-nauseum about this one. It's great. Enough said. It's the follow up that Fleet Foxes still hasn't released.




Download: Local Natives - "Sun Hands"


Harlem - Hippies
This AZ band via Austin is keeping my love of garage/retro rock alive. Their major indie debut on Matador is step up from their last outing, Free Drugs. Matador Records a stalwart of American Independent Labels is under the Beggars Group that also owns stake in Rough Trade, XL, 4AD, and the now defunct Beggars Banquet. All those labels are putting out some of the best music available right now. Harlem is the latest addition to a long list of legends in independent music.

Download: Harlem - "Gay Human Bones"

Surfer Blood - Astro Coast
Is surf rock back? I think so. It is rising up along the same lines with the flower punk. Surfer Blood is NOT surf rock, though. It is something like a bastard child of the Pixies/Breeders with My Morning Jacket (don't attach too much to the MMJ reference - I say that only b/c the singer has vocals that are reverbed out the wazzoo - he is NO Jim James)
***THIS JUST IN*** - They are going on tour with Pains of Being Pure at Heart and will be coming to the Hi-Tone in Memphis and the Bottletree in the big, salty 'Ham. So you better get off your couch and check out what should be an amazing show. THERE!

Download: Surfer Blood - "Floating Vibes"

Spoon - Transference
One of my favorite bands is back for more with less. Scaling things back for a more raw/rough sound than 2007's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Transference is more along the lines of Gimme Fiction without going fully minimalist like Kill the Moonlight. (I still like Ga and Girls Can Tell the best!)

Download: Spoon - "Mystery Zone"


Vampire Weekend - CONTRA
Saw the ol' VW last week at the Orpheum. I feel like I've seen it all. It felt like your umpteenth Dave Matthews Band concert in High School. I fear the next time I see them will be like the one DMB concert I saw in college (snore........). Regardless, the show was excellent and fun. Contra is of the vein of if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Little studio tricks are toyed with (autotune), but it is still Vampire Weekend plain and simple. Spring has arrived and I believe it is time to put on my boat shoes!

Download: Vampire Weekend - "Giving Up the Gun"

She & Him - Volume 2
Zooey and M are back to sugarcoat your brains out! These little ditties are sappy as all get out, but they are good in their own simplicity. So, channel Phil Spector producing a Judy Garland/Patsy Cline duet album, put on your retro clothes (girls grab your favorite thrift store skirt and flats), prepare for a deadpan delivery and get lost in what sounds like music for a 70's Disney cartoon (Robin Hood, I'm looking at you....).

Download: She & Him - "In the Sun"

Let me tell you what let me down so far:

Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
The Soft Pack
BOOO! You could do better!


There is plenty of awesome other music that came out that I really like but haven't gotten around to purchasing, yet:

The Morning Benders - Big Echo
Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be
Los Campensinos - Romance is Boring
Beach House - Teen Dream
Happy Birthday - Happy Birthday

and on and on........

There is also a lot coming out soon to be fired up about:

MGMT
New Pornographers
The National
Avi Buffalo

and more!

It's gonna be a great year for us and for music!

Bad Kids - Kids Like You and Me

Last week, I finally got to see the Black Lips in concert. They blew my socks off in 2007 with their live album from Tijuana and Good Bad Not Evil. They have come through Boston at least 4 times since we have been here - missed 'em every time... No more. I also finally graced the infamous Middle East in Cambridge. So many times I was gonna go to a show and.......nope. Done and done. Both were great! I was way late to the dance even in 2007. While I was in dental school in Memphis, R.A. Weinstock, the beatnik scenester in our class would always tell me to meet her and her crew at the Buccaneer in Midtown. King Khan and BBQ show were always playing there, and little did I know that the Black Lips were often in tow. I never made it - still bums me out, but I still have my King Khan/BBQ mix tape cassette that she gave me in the stereo to this day. It always warranted a trip to Goner Records in Cooper/Young. In the 00's, King Khan, the Black Lips, et al carried the torch the Brian Jonestown Massacre carried in the mid-90's. The flower punk, garage rock, drug scene, 60's soul revival is alive and well. It's basically like Sam the Sham being backed by the Shangri-La's. Watching these guys play, it feels like you have been transported to the sock hop diner on acid (really wouldn't know...).

On Pitchfork this week, they are streaming the documentary, We Fun, that follows the music scene in Atlanta circa 2005-2008. The Black Lips are primary players along with Deerhunter, Mastodon, the Selmanaires, and many others. I love a good music doc. It is in the vein of DIG!, except no rivalries or sadness. It's just people hanging out at house parties, clubs and talking about the scene (and how hey have a severe distaste of the scene in Athens). Check it out HERE if you like music.

Black Lips New Years Eve at the end of We Fun

Greenberg

Noah Baumbach's latest venture comes out today. Greenberg appears to be simply the story about a man named Greenberg (played by a jaded Ben Stiller). He's a New Yorker who has moved to Los Angeles and dysfunction ensues. Probably a great casting with Stiller as no one plays the "guy who nothing goes right for" like him. Furthermore, comedians in serious roles almost always turn heads. The movie is almost as intriguing for the fact as the movie has a soundtrack/score by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem. The preview below has "All My Friends" playing throughout - it is easily one of the best songs of the 00's.

I will most likely drag Whit to see this, and awkwardness will ensue. Have you watched Noah Baumbach movies? You worry about the guy's upbringing. His overly indie movies that usually feature 1 or 2 big names will usually have a couple of moments that will make you squirm in your seat (or make you unable to make eye contact with the person you are watching the movie with). Such I guess are the harsh realities of life? Too real for me sometimes. The Squid and the Whale, Margot at the Wedding, Kicking & Screaming.......awkward, awkward, awkward. I guess I can only stomach "watered down" Noah like The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (he wrote the screenplay). Check it out when it makes its way to your city, but don't say I didn't warn you....cringe.