Live Shows: Sebadoh and Octagrape, The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA 11-4-13

Monday night shows are always iffy, especially for “classic” bands. Most of my Sebadoh loving friends (ok, ALL of my Sebadoh loving friends) have passed the no going out that early in a work week stage, and I was curious how the show would go, especially after hearing about a Fountains of Wayne/Soul Asylum/Evan Dando triple bill back on a Monday night in September that ended up being ½ full. All 3 of those acts had more commercial success than Sebadoh, but apparently Sebadoh breeds more loyalty since The Sinclair was roughly ¾ full, with the majority being older fans, so luckily the Creepy Old Guy Factor was non-existent.

I had never heard of Octagrape before seeing that they were opening for Sebadoh. I meant to pop into The Sinclair maybe half way through their set just to check them out, but ended up in the area earlier than I expected, so I wandered in early while they were still setting up. Seeing as how they sometimes write out their name as “Octa#grape,” I assumed they were kids in their early 20s who’d be rocking ironic hipster mustaches. Instead they were middle aged guys keeping the dream alive. Their set blew me away completely in a way an opening act hasn’t since Spirit Family Reunion opening for David Wax Museum two years ago. Their sound blended the sludge of the Melvins with the stoner quirk of Pavement. You’d never know they were from San Diego since they had the live energy of Ex-Models. Their love of playing love was infectious, and after three days on the tour, they had sold all but five 7” records. That’s a pretty good sign of a great band.

Sebadoh took the stage next. Opening with the first song on their new album, “I Will,” was a bold choice, but it worked and set the tone for the night. Lou Barlow and Jason Lowenstein did their trademark switching instruments and vocal duties. This time around each of them performed 5-6 songs in a row before switching back to the other. They also tended to play guitar on their own songs, and always sang from stage right. This helped alleviate one of Sebadoh’s other trademarks, long gaps between songs. Lou joked about how this always seemed particularly frustrating whenever they were in Boston, but I always saw multiple minute tuning sessions as part of their charm. They also have adjusted some of their older sings a bit for live performances, which is great for fans that have been around for a while. “Love to Fight” was almost unrecognizable, but in a fantastic way. Sebadoh played a marathon set clocking in at nearly two hours, which rewarded the die hards that stuck around well past our normal bedtimes.

Make sure you check out Octagrape. Trust me, it’ll be worth it. Also, head over to Sebadoh’s website for remaining dates on their tour and to purchase their excellent new album, Defend Yourself.

Circles - Are You Watching the Masters? Because the Masters Are Watching You

Chicago trio Circles (featuring members of Ponys, France Has the Bomb, and Radar Eyes) released their debut EP over the summer called Are You Watching the Masters? Because the Masters Are Watching You. It features some of the jangliest indie pop I've heard in a long, long time, reminiscent of bands like Guided By Voices and Apples in Stereo. You get a great, upbeat mixture, followed by a wall of distortion and noise that is seemingly unexpected. Melissa Elias and R. Srini share lead vocal duties and complement each other quite well. "Curses" is without a doubt my favorite, nodding heavily to Regretfully Yours era Superdrag. If you long for fuzzed out indie pop, definitely check them out.

There's not much info available online for Circles, but they do have a Bandcamp where you can stream/download Are You Watching the Masters? Because the Masters Are Watching You.

First Listen: New Releases for November 5

Another slow week for those uninterested in pseudo-comeback albums from your favorite white rapper from high school/college. We'll avoid that in favor of a few others:

Midlake - Antiphon: Midlake is back after a while with Antiphon. I got into Midlake thanks to an Amie Street sale way back when, and they are a deceptively complex indie rock/folk group with an extremely recognizable sound. No song jumps out at me as something above and beyond for Antiphon, but no single Midlake song ever has for me. They've always been an album experience, and this is no different. I'm not sure if I like it or love it or I'm just glad it's there, but it's one of the highlights of the week.

Cut Copy - Free Your Mind: I am embarrassed because I thought Cut Copy was Hot Chip (of "Ready for the Floor" fame), and they're not. In a way, I might actually like Cut Copy more based off a first listen of this album, which is 80s electro-pop done right with some catchy melodies and dance beats. A pretty solid release that has me thinking about their back catalog as well.

That's all we've got this week, folks.

Magik Markers - "Bonfire"

I had kind of forgotten about Magik Markers, kind of assuming they had broken up a few years ago. I first discovered them opening for the first Dinosaur Jr reunion tour back in 2005. Back then, they played a 20 minute set consisting of exactly one free form song.

Photo credit Art-Utility

"Bonfire" is a complete departure from that era of Magik Markers, seeing as the video clocks in at 2 minutes, 40 seconds. They lost a bit of their charm for me once they started releasing traditional albums with, you know, songs, I got over that relatively quickly and embraced their newer material. "Bonfire" is about as mainstream as Magik Markers can get, being the catchiest noise rock I've heard possibly ever. Drums an frontwoman Elisa Ambrogio's vocals take the forefront which results in something you can almost dance to.

Magik Markers' new album, Surrender to Fantasy, comes out on 11/19. Head on over to their page on Drag City Records' website for more details.

Yoko One Plastic Ono Band - "Bad Dancer" video

To say Yoko Ono isn't my thing is an understatement of epic proportions. However, her video for "Bad Dancer" deserves some attention, just because of the guest stars it features. I'll take any peek into what Ad Rock and Mike D of the Beastie Boys are doing, and when you add Ira Glass of This American Life, Questlove of the Roots, Roberta Flack, and others into the mix, you'll want to watch it at least once. The video features Ono and her cohorts all dancing badly, which sounds (and is) super cheesy, but it also ends up being a lot of fun, which isn't a side of Ono you get to see a lot. Will the song make anyone's best of 2013 list? Nope. Is it worth checking out in between cat videos on a Tuesday morning? Yeah, sure. Why not?

Highlights from Amazon's November mp3 sale

Every month, Amazon.com puts up 100 albums for $5 each. Ones that may be of interest to readers:

* The 1975 - The 1975
* Mazzy Star - The Seasons of Your Day
* Johnny Cash - American III: Solitary Man
* Johnny Cash - American IV: The Man Comes Around
* Foster the People - Torches
* Collective Soul - 7even Year Itch
* They Might Be Giants - Nanobots
* Cake - Fashion Nugget
* Childish Gambino - Camp
* Ice Cube - Greatest Hits
* Silversun Pickups - Neck of the Woods
* A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
* Sea Wolf - Old World Romance
* Andrew Bird - Fingerlings 2
* Minus the Bear - Infinity Overhead
* Butch Walker and the Black Widows - Spade
* Editors - The Weight of Your Love
* The Vaccines - Come of Age
* Destroyer - Kaputt
* T. Hardy Morris - Audition Tapes

First Listen: New Releases for October 29

So sue me, I decided to go to bed early on the last off-day for the World Series instead of share this week's new releases early. Like it matters, you're only listening to one of the new things this week anyway...

Arcade Fire - Reflektor: The last Radiohead album I really truly enjoyed was Amnesiac, although Hail to the Thief had its moments. A year after Hail to the Thief, Arcade Fire released Funeral, which was one of those indie albums that really served as a launchpad for a new indie movement and pushed the artsy Arcade Fire to unexpected heights. Reflektor is the fourth album from the band, and it feels really Big and Important, which is all well and good, but it's kind of interesting that the band has kind of taken the "somewhat accessible artsy indie sensibility" torch away from Radiohead in the last decade. Each of their albums feels a lot more grandiose than the last, and Reflektor, technically a double album in a world where that means very little, is the height of this. Those who find Arcade Fire to be overly pretentious will not be swayed otherwise by this one. Those who think they're making the most interesting music on a whole other level will find a lot to love in the new album. For me? It's an excellent, albeit somewhat long, cohesive unit, without a lot of memorable individual songs because of how well everything links together. It's definitely not the best release of the year, but in terms of importance and impact, it may as well be. Fan or not, you owe yourself a listen.

Bardo Pond - Peace on Venus: Our journey through album cover nudity continues with Bardo Pond's latest EP, Peace on Venus. Both Ken and I saw this band open for Sonic Youth back about 10 years ago, and I'm glad to see that I still enjoy them quite a bit. The EP is close to 50 minutes long, with some significantly long songs that don't feel long, and is probably a decent entry point if you're unfamiliar.

Lily & Madeleine - Lily & Madeleine: My favorite release from this week is this debut album from Lily & Madeleine. I get a significant First Aid Kit vibe from them, mostly due to the folky atmosphere and gorgeous harmonies, but this is actually probably more polished and accessible than the sometimes-raw First Aid Kit. There's a lot to love about this album from start to finish, and whoever is doing the signings over at Asthmatic Kitty deserves a raise. Quite possibly a top album contender for this year. A quiet, understated affair that deserves a much wider audience than its likely to get.

The Sounds - Weekend: I've been a fan of The Sounds since I found Living in America in a discount bin sometime in 2003. The band has moved away a bit from the dance rock that turned me onto them, but they're usually good for a handful of solid anthemic rock songs on each album. While Weekend lacks the sort of "No One Sleeps When I'm Awake" killer track on first listen, it's still a solid, pleasant experience from start to finish, the sort of quality release I've come to expect from the band. Definitely worth a look if you've been off the train or looking for a new band to check out. Not their best, but still excellent.

Brief Candles - Newhouse

Yet again out of Minnesota, and on Guilt Ridden Pop, comes another fantastic new 90s tinged release. Released a couple weeks back, Brief Candles’ new EP, Newhouse, blends Guided By Voices power pop with the shoegaze of My Bloody Valentine and early 90s Sonic Youth.

Songs like “Olympic Sleeper” start off with a more upbeat, lush version of Galaxie 500 and just devolve into sheer controlled chaos, in the most melodic way. “Terry Nation,” may be my favorite, and sounds like something off Daydream Nation fronted by Kevin Shields. The songs are intricately layered, with the sound that there may be multiple tempos, and nothing quite fits together like it should, except it does. You’re doing yourself and the music a disservice if you just put it on in the background while plugging away at work. If My Bloody Valentine is the perfect hangover music, Brief Candles is what you listen to on your way to getting hung over.

To listen to and purchase Newhouse, head on over to Brief Candles’ Bandcamp page.

Black Flag Debuts New, Snuggly Album Cover

I've never really been much of a Black Flag fan. For some reason, they just never resonated with me. That being said, one thing I know about them is they are bad ass. Right now there are two different versions of Black Flag touring around the country. Black Flag, led by Greg Ginn and Ron Reyes, it set to release their first album in 25 years. It's called "What The..." which is an odd enough name. Then there's the bizarre cartoon character artwork. Like I said, I'm not a Black Flag expert, but I'm pretty sure my 5 year old, Disney princess obsessed daughter shouldn't refer to their album cover as "cute."

Got a Girl - "You and Me (Board Mix)"

Somehow I missed out on this when it came out 5 months ago. Apparently Dan the Automator has an upcoming project called Got a Girl which is a collaboration with Mary Elizabeth Winstead, of Scott Pilgrim vs the World and Death Proof. Whenever an actress decides to sing, it's always a bit iffy, but Mary Elizabeth Winstead actually pulls it off quite well. Got a Girl is more on the lines of Automator's work with Lovage: Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By and Pillowfight. Mary Elizabeth comes across like a 60s French lounge singer over Portishead if DJ Andy Smith had a bigger role. It looks like an album was supposed to have been released by now, but so far I can't find any information on a release date.

For more information, follow Got a Girl on Twitter.