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6 posts categorized "Arcade Fire"

April 23, 2011

Concert review: Arcade Fire at UIC Pavilion

Fire  “Kids are all standing with their arms folded tight,” Win Butler sang at the outset of Arcade Fire’s concert Friday at the UIC Pavilion.

But he wasn’t talking about present company. Most of the capacity audience in the first of three sold-out concerts at the venue was acting out as passionately as the band from the get-go.

With their latest release, “The Suburbs,” anointed as an improbable – if  highly worthy – album of the year at the Grammy Awards last February, the Montreal octet had reason to celebrate (Additional concert photos HERE).


They did it by turning heavy subjects into cathartic sing-alongs on 16 songs spread over 90 minutes: the death of close friends and family in their debut album, “Funeral” (2004); the political madness that consumes the characters in “Neon Bible” (2007); and the ghosts of memory, childhood and home that infiltrate “The Suburbs” (2010).
 
In most arena-level bands, there's a hierarchy: a designated mouthpiece and possibly a sidekick, with everyone else making do with punching the clock or lurking in the shadows. But Arcade Fire spreads the personalities across the stage.

Continue reading "Concert review: Arcade Fire at UIC Pavilion" »

April 22, 2011

Top weekend shows: Arcade Fire, Material Issue, Eleventh Dream Day

Arcade Fire: Montreal’s orchestral-rock juggernaut is riding high after an improbable but well-deserved Grammy for Album of the Year for “The Suburbs,”  7:30 p.m. Friday, Sunday, Monday with The National at UIC Pavilion, 525 S. Racine, $49; ticketmaster.com.

Material Issue: Surviving band members Ted Ansani and Mike Zelenko join forces with vocalist Phil Angotti to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Material Issue’s power-pop classic “International Pop Overthrow” and the legacy of late singer-guitarist Jim Ellison, 7 p.m. Saturday at the Abbey, 3420 W. Grace, $10 ($12 door); ticketfly.com.

Eleventh Dream Day: Read about them HERE.  9 p.m. Friday at Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln Av, $12 ($14 door); lincolnhallchicago.com.

greg@gregkot.com

February 13, 2011

Grammy Awards 2011: Arcade Fire wins album of the year

It was supposed to be Eminem's night Sunday. The night he was supposed to cash in on most of his 10 nominations at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards and complete his comeback from declining sales and drug rehab.

It wasn't to be. Instead, independent rock band Arcade Fire surprised everyone, including quite possibly themselves, by winning the Grammys' most prestigious prize for album of the year with "The Suburbs." The band proved their mettle and their worthiness with a seizure-inducing version of their song "Month of May" on the nationally televised program from Los Angeles.

Nashville country-pop trio Lady Antebellum also prevailed with family friendly pleasantness, notching five awards, including big prizes for song and record of the year ("Need You Now").

Though Eminem -- the former pariah turned mainstream celebrity cuddly enough to star in two Super Bowl ads -- lost out in the big categories, he did win for rap album of the year, "Recovery." It was likely a small consolation for an artist who had outsold everyone else in 2010 with nearly 3.5 million album sales. But his act, still peppered with explicit language and confrontational stances, still apparently leaves many Grammy voters squeamish. In Eminem's case, that's a badge of honor more than a curse.

The Grammys considered 1052 nominees in 109 categories. But that’s not enough for us. We handed out some awards of our own during the broadcast.

Not domesticated enough, apparently: After the serene beauty of Rihanna set him up, Eminem marked his turf with a fierce stream of invective that was heavily censored for TV on "Love the Way You Lie." The contrast between the two artists made for riveting theater, then Dr. Dre made his Grammy debut by going toe-to-toe with his protege. It was an overload of star power, a TV moment if there ever was one. But if anything it confirmed why Eminem didn't roll away with 10 Grammys as some had predicted -- he's still a little too vile for the staid old awards voters to handle without fire-repellant gloves.   

Gay rights in prime time: Lady Gaga, who entered the ceremony as a zygote, hoisted aloft inside an oversized “egg” by a retinue of servants dressed in flesh-colored outfits, hatched in time to perform her latest hit, “Born this Way.” It was a straightforward big dance number that flagrantly quoted Madonna, but Madonna probably couldn’t have gotten away with belting out a line like “Don’t be a drag, just be a queen” on national television two decades ago.

Smart move: Remember when the Grammys ill-advisedly matched the Jonas Brothers with Stevie Wonder a few years ago? That didn't go well as the boys were taken to school. This year, the new teen-pop phenom, 16-year-old Justin Bieber, was paired with someone relatively his own age, 12-year-old Jaden Smith, son of Will Smith, before teaming up with his mentor, Usher. It wasn't life-changing, but at least it wasn't embarrassing for the Biebs.

More over-the-top than Gaga: That would be Muse, the British band that is finally making major inroads in North America after nearly two decades. Amid the fog machines, double-necked guitar and dancers this was a band that desperately wants to be Queen, without the self-aware humor.

More surreal than Gaga: That would be Bob Dylan, backed by an army of 19th Century troubadours who looked remarkably like Mumford & Sons and the Avett Brothers. Dylan rasped, wheezed and howled his way through "Maggie's Farm" while his scruffy accomplices staged a folk-punk hootenanny behind him. Wonder what the Bieber fans made of this?

Comfort food: After all the shock and awe of Gaga, Muse, Bieber and the rest, the straight-up songcraft delivered without frills, pyro or half-dressed dancers came from the country acts, Miranda Lambert and Lady Antebellum. Pop doesn't get much more snoozy than this.

Most bizarre collaboration: Cee-Lo Green, the most gifted singer to be heard all night and looking absolutely peacock funky in a Mardi Gras Indian outfit, sang the sanitized version of his explicit hit "Forget You" backed by actress Gwyneth Paltrow and a bunch of Jim Henson's puppets. There's a long tradition of pop artists jamming with Henson's fuzzy creations, but you do have to wonder about Paltrow's credentials. She may be married to Coldplay's Chris Martin, but come on, does singing "Forget You" on "Glee" count for anything? Oh, wait, there's that whole audience ratings thing to consider, isn't there?

Classiest gesture: Rather than catering to younger viewers with some eye-popping Gaga stunt or Eminem tune, the telecast opened with a lengthy tribute to Aretha Franklin, recovering from cancer surgery. She was honored with a diva committee performing a medley of her hits. Christina Aguilera ornamented so many notes so soon it grew tiresome, but Martina McBride was elegantly restrained, and Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine built nicely to a ringing final note. Yolanda Adams connected convincingly to Aretha’s gospel roots and Jennifer Hudson threw down on “Respect.” Best of all, Franklin herself showed up on screen, looking fit and healthy enough to thank her fans, the recording academy and Clive Davis.

Janelle smokes Bruno in retro-soul throwdown: With the suit and tie, the pompadour and the melisma-soaked falsetto, Bruno Mars decided to act like he was James Brown at the Apollo. I don't really need to tell you how that turned out, do I? He sounded out of breath, like a kid who never broke a cold sweat. Janelle Monae, however, immediately followed up with a fierce, crowd-surfing version of "Cold War." She ripped a few stitches on her "retro" outfit, no doubt.

Dirty little secret: Giving credit where credit is due, Bruno Mars might actually be a better percussionist than a singer. He went off on the drums backing Monae on her song.

Most out of tune: Katy Perry, an award she pretty much owns at every TV show on which she performs.

Here are a few highlights from the pre-televised ceremonies:

Grammy Ill-logic No. 1: Though nominated for album of the year, Arcade Fire couldn’t win in a lesser category (best alternative album) for “The Suburbs,” losing out to the Black Keys, whose “Brothers” was not found worthy enough for an album-of-the-year nomination by the Recording Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Second City first: Mavis Staples won her first ever Grammy Award for best Americana album (“You Are Not Alone”) and sang the praises of her late father Pops Staples. “You laid the foundation,” Staples said, “and I am still working on the building.” Other winners with Chicago connections included Buddy Guy (best contemporary blues album) and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which upped its lifetime Grammy haul to 62 with victories for best classical album and best classical performance (Verdi Requiem).
 
Better late … : Neil Young won his first ever Grammy for music (he had won previously for best recording package). His nod for best rock song (“Angry World”) was greeted with typically wry humor by the straw-haired rocker. “I’m not Mavis,” he said, “but I’m close.”

greg@gregkot.com

December 03, 2010

Top albums of 2010

Janelle-monae-400

Photos: Top albums | Top Box Sets

Here are my favorite albums of 2010:

1. Janelle Monae, “The ArchAndroid” (Bad Boy): The Atlanta singer’s boundary-busting debut album has ambition to burn. It’s a self-empowerment manifesto couched inside a futuristic “emotion-picture” about an android’s battle to overcome oppression – got all that? The music is equally adventurous, touching on everything from lounge jazz to hard funk. A star is born.

2. The Besnard Lakes, “The Besnard Lakes are the Roaring Night” (Jagjaguwar):  The Montreal band perfects its marriage of Brian Wilson-like melodic splendor and My Bloody Valentine-worthy guitar roar. While the lyrics are a bonfire of earthly espionage and anxiety, the music shoots for the heavens.

Continue reading "Top albums of 2010" »

August 08, 2010

Lollapalooza 2010: Reviews from Day 3


Video by Kevin Pang


 
Lollapalooza is a wrap, setting a new attendance record of 240,000 for the three-day festival, up 15,000 from the peak set in 2008 and ‘09.

Here’s an excerpt from my Monday story for the print edition that summarizes my concerns about the record-busting weekend:

Size matters at Lollapalooza, as the festival expanded its reach westward by shutting down Columbus Avenue and spreading eight stages across 115 acres, up from 80 acres in previous years. Columbus Drive was converted into a giant sidewalk lined with portable toilets, a simple but effective improvement that allowed fans to avoid the dreaded Buckingham Fountain bottleneck that had turned previous festivals into human traffic jams. The festival topped its previous three-day record of 225,000, reached the last two years.

Still, there was little room during some performances at the northernmost stages on Butler Field, where fans jostled shoulder-to-shoulder for space to see performances by Metric, Phoenix and Arcade Fire. Note to Austin, Texas-based promoters C3 Presents: How about widening the southern entrance to Butler Field or moving one of the stages onto Columbus Drive to relieve what is becoming an annual problem? It's only going to get worse if the festival approaches its new capacity of 95,000 a day in future years. 
 
As for the music, here’s how Day 3 went down Sunday, with reports from me (GK) and my indefatigable colleagues Bob Gendron (BG) and Andy Downing (AD).

11:20 a.m.
Chicago DJ Dani Deahl begins her early set on Lollapalooza's final day under gray skies and a steady stream of raindrops. Flanked by a quartet of dancers that pop-and-lock like extras from Madonna's “Vogue” video, Deahl mixes glammed-up disco grooves with harder rock beats (dig that ominous, reverb-soaked bass line), but has a hard time rousing the couple dozen early arrivers that mill about the stage. Surrounded by partially-deflated beach balls, the soggy attendees — some wearing wide-brimmed sombreros — stand around glumly as though their afternoon beach party has just been canceled. (AD)

Healthlolla10

View more Lollapalooza 2010 pictures.

11:35 a.m.
Health guitarist-vocalist Jake Duzsik throws his instrument down on the stage floor. The action isn't out of frustration. Rather, it's part of the Los Angeles quartet's sonic terrorism that, along with the steady rain and wind, gets Day Three off to a ruckus start. There's no way to tell if the noise rock band (above) makes any mistakes. Borrowing from the Japanese no-wave tradition, songs aren't concerned with form. Function — namely, using various gadgets, hot-rodded computer keyboards and tribal percussion to stir up a frenzy — is key. Indecipherable vocals, phased effects, repetitive electronic loops and programmed synths that mimic shorting-out fuses contribute to the danceable commotion. One wonders what E.T. would've done had the alien heard the group's version of Speak and Spell transmissions. In the process of bridging abrasive disco to hyperactive punk, Health aptly reminds everyone about the importance of treating attention-deficit disorders. (BG)
 

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2010: Reviews from Day 3" »

July 29, 2010

Album review: Arcade Fire, 'The Suburbs'

Arcade-Fire-The-Suburbs
3.5 stars (out of 4)


Memory, childhood, home. These are big subjects that have obsessed novelists, movie makers, playwrights and songwriters for decades, if not centuries. Now the Arcade Fire, a band not known for thinking small, tackles them all in its third studio album, “The Suburbs” (Merge).

When the Arcade Fire burst into sudden prominence in 2004 with its rousing debut album,
“Funeral,” a process accelerated by the kind of viral enthusiasm normally reserved for Paris Hilton home movies and Kanye West tweets, the excitement was tempered by one nagging doubt: Was this just another built-to-implode Internet flash?

But the Montreal septet has now proven its staying power, making three very different albums in a span of six years. Whereas “Funeral” inspired shout-from-the-rafters sing-alongs, a blast of live-for-the-moment resolve at a time of mourning,
“Neon Bible” (2007) was ominous and claustrophobic, a skeptical look at an era that conflates religion, war and consumerism. If “Funeral” was about having faith in each other, “Neon Bible” was about losing faith in the institutions that try to manage our lives.
       
The title song that opens “The Suburbs” signals another thematic and sonic shift. It’s lighter than anything Arcade Fire has done in the past, with its bouncy piano and skip-along beat, an invitation into an album that seems to expand as it progresses, not unlike the sprawling communities it describes. The song’s jauntiness melts into a mass of ghost-like voices and the tone shifts to something more evanescent. The narrator recalls the expectations and dreams he once had as a child and questions whether he has lived up to them.
 

Continue reading "Album review: Arcade Fire, 'The Suburbs'" »

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