W♥M (Archive)

Jonathan Richman at Bowery Ballroom, New York City (11/1/10)

Read More Jonathan Richman Jonathan Richman is always fun. This is a pretty typically fun song from Richman, "Abominable Snowman in the Market". I think the title pretty much sums up the song :)

Whether you think Jonathan Richman is an untrained genius or an overrated man-child, you can’t deny that he’s entertaining. At last night’s show at Bowery Ballroom, he had the audience laughing, dancing, and occasionally ‘aww-ing’ at his painfully honest lyrics and campy dance moves. As endearing as he proved to be, he proved his chops with some fancy guitar playing, accompanied by his right-hand man, Tommy Larkin on drums. Richman started the show with one of his many songs about famous artists, “No One Was Like Vermeer,” and the audience giggled at his overly sincere delivery and rambling narrative. On an old favorite like “Pablo Picasso,” he changed the words a little, noting that the phrase “to pick up” a girl had a much creepier context in 2010. It was such improvisation that had everyone cooing over his every move. The audience, a slightly older crowd, was much more reverent than a typical Williamsburg mob. The only contrary moment occurred when someone yelled, “Show yer tits!” during a dance number. Richman, ever the gentleman, coyly shook his head.

As the majority of Richman’s song are about love (and the lack of it), the show seemed like an ideal place to bring a date. Couples slow-danced to quirky songs like “When We Refuse to Suffer” and “My Baby Love Love Loves Me.” A song like “Springtime in New York,” though idyllic and sentimental, prompted the occasional laugh with its specific references to the constant construction in the city. And of course, there was the dancing. Richman went all out during “I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar” had him busting out his most absurd moves, while the audience helped him with the chorus. In the span of an hour, he had the audience sighing and laughing at regular intervals. By the time he ended the show with an a capella rendition of “Even Though I Know I Am The Wind and The Sun, I?” from his new album, he had the crowd doing a little bit of both.

♥ Jonathan Richman at Bowery Ballroom, New York City (11/1/10)

kateg () ♥ vaporrecords.com

Matt and Kim at Webster Hall, New York City (10/26/10)

Discography [2006] Matt & Kim [2009] Grand [2010] Sidewalks

“Tuesday night New York dance party!” Matt declared towards the beginning of their show at Webster Hall. That about summed up the atmosphere in the large venue, where a sea of people all jumped up and down in unison and occasionally supported an over-zealous crowdsurfer. Like the band itself, the show ran on a ridiculous amount of energy and good cheer. They opened with the child-like wonder anthem, “I Wanna,” and blazed through several other fan favorites, like “5K” and “Good Ol’ Fashioned Nightmare” in a matter of minutes. Their songs have always been on the short side, but they stretched it out with funny interludes involving familiar beats and melodies (IE: Sugar Hill Gang’s “Apache”). The audience joined in on “Lessons Learned,” adding their own “da da das” along with Kim’s.

The interaction between Matt and Kim provided much of the entertainment as well, as they have their stage banter down to a quasi-comedic act. Matt joked about everything from the semi-plausible Matt and Kim porno to his Justin Beiber-like bangs, while Kim cursed like a sailor. They enthralled the audience with pseudo-gymnastics, climbing on everything from stools, to ladders, to Kim’s drumset. It was endearing to watch them during songs as well, still grinning maniacally each other, as if they still can’t believe they’re up there, playing their own songs. After all, it’s a big leap from loft parties to Webster Hall.

♥ Matt and Kim at Webster Hall, New York City (10/26/10)

kateg () ♥ mattandkimmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Los Campesinos! at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn (10/16/10)

Tour Dates 10/19/10 Charlotte, NC @ Visulite Theatre (16+)* 10/20/10 Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse (All Ages)* 10/22/10 Dallas, TX @ Granada Theatre (14+)* 10/23/10 Austin, TX @ La Zona Rosa (All Ages)* 10/24/10 Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live (All Ages)* 10/25/10 New Orleans, LA @ Republic (18+)* 10/26/10 St. Louis, MO @ Firebird (All Ages)* 10/27/10 Iowa City, IA @ The Blue Moose (All Ages)* 11/14/10 Constellations, Leeds Univesity (w/ Broken Social Scene, Les Savy Fav, Four Tet, Local Natives) * support from Johnny Foreigner Read More Los Campesinos! Let me get this straight: this is a Welsh band with a Spanish name. What's even stranger is that the name translate to The Farmers. Los Campesinos! have a new four-track EP called All's Well That Ends and features reworked version of songs from their Romance is Boring album.

Plenty has changed for Los Campesinos! since 2007, when they gleefully proclaimed that the “international tweexcore underground saved us all.” They’re a little more hardcore, but there’s still enough twee in their systems to include a few “bah bah bahs” into their choruses. Not to mention the recent lineup changes, with Gareth’s sister, Kim, replacing Aleks on vocals and keyboard, and long-time drummer, Ollie, being replaced by newcomer Jason. They’ve also thrown in a couple of new instruments into the mix (flute, trumpet) and had a brush with corporate fame by having a song featured in a Budweiser commercial. But despite these change, they remain as infectious –and glockenspiel-heavy—as ever.

When they descended upon Brooklyn, the band had all the frenzied enthusiasm from their debut album, Hold On Now, Youngster…, but with the added bite of their last two albums and EP as well. The setlist was heavy on the latter, as songs like “There are Listed Buildings” and “Romance is Boring” induced brief attempts at crowdsurfing. There were plenty of moments of harsh screaming from lead singer, Gareth, particularly on “Miserabilia,” the centerpiece of their second album, We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed. It wasn’t the kind of thing typically seen at an indie pop show, but then again, LC! Have proven that they’re not as cute as their hand-drawn album covers may have once suggested.

Still, the show’s climax (“You! Me! Dancing!” of course) re-affirmed the purpose of the exclamation point at the end of the band’s name. They definitely still have the catchiness gene. As they played older songs like “We Are All Accelerated Readers” and “My Year In Lists,” the audience adapted and switched from moshing to head-bopping. They got to do a little bit of both with the band’s encore rendition of “Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks,” as Gareth plunged into the audience (and barely escaped). Though “The International Tweexcore Underground” was woefully absent from the setlist that night, its message still held true: You can be both twee and hardcore – even if your drummer is wearing a Blink-182 shirt.

♥ Los Campesinos! at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn (10/16/10)

kateg () ♥ www.loscampesinos.com ♥ myspace.com/loscampesinos

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone at Mercury Lounge, New York City (10/15/10)

Tour Dates 10/16/10 Rochester, NY @ Bug Jar 10/17/10 Pittsburgh, PA @ Garfield Arts 10/21/10 Lisbon (PT), Musicbox 10/22/10 Barcelona (ES), Razzmatazz 3 10/23/10 Madrid (ES), Moby Dick 10/24/10 Bratislava (SK), A4 10/25/10 Prague (CZ), Klub 007 Strahov 10/26/10 Berlin (DE), Marie-Antoinette 10/27/10 Hamburg (DE), Astra Stube 10/28/10 Copenhagen (DK), Din Nye Ven 10/29/10 Gothenburg (SE), Utmarken 10/30/10 Stockholm (SE), Debaser 10/31/10 Oslo (NO), Garage Upstairs 11/02/10 London (UK), Luminaire < 11/03/10 Brighton (UK), The Prince Albert 11/04/10 Bristol (UK), Cube Cinema 11/05/10 Manchester (UK), The Deaf Institute 11/06/10 Dublin (IE), Workman's Club 11/07/10 Galway (IE), Roisin Dubh (upstairs room) 11/08/10 Belfast (UK), Auntie Annies 11/09/10 Leeds (UK), Brudenell Social Club 11/10/10 Edinburgh (UK), Sneaky Pete's 11/11/10 Glasgow (UK), Captains Rest 11/12/10 Newcastle (UK), Head Of Steam 11/13/10 Coventry (UK), Taylor Johns House 11/14/10 Cambridge (UK), Haymakers 11/15/10 London (UK), Cargo 11/16/10 Gent (BE), Cafe Video 11/17/10 Koeln (DE), King Georg 11/18/10 Amsterdam (NL), Paradiso 11/19/10 Heidelberg, (DE), HDKV 11/20/10 Colmar (FR), Festival Hiero 11/21/10 Wiesbaden (DE), Walhalla Spiegelsaal 11/22/10 Wien (AT), Arena 12/03/10 San Diego, CA @ The Soda Bar 12/04/10 Merced, CA @ The Partisan 12/05/10 San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill Discography [1999] Answering Machine Music [2001] Pocket Symphonies for Lonesome Subway Cars [2003] Twinkle Echo [2006] Etiquette Read More Casiotone for the Painfully Alone In many ways, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone’s latest album, Vs. Children, picks up exactly where the previous LP, Etiquette left off. The heart-wrenching mumbled lyrics...

Owen Ashworth, the bearded electro-troubadour behind Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, made sure the audience at the Mercury Lounge knew he was not quitting music. Rather, he was just retiring the Casiotone name and letting himself forget all these “old ass songs.” As one of his last shows in New York, a somewhat somber tone hung over the event, but it was fitting for Ashforth’s songs, which are mostly wordy character studies of quietly desperate people in quietly desperate situations. He opened the show with “Harsh the Herald Angels Sing,” a grim narrative about a girl getting an abortion that is backed up by an eerily optimistic keyboard. It’s not the type of song that would induce a mosh pit, but the audience was well aware of Ashworth’s gloomy songwriting style, so they were expecting an ample amount of catchy heartbreak.

The setlist consisted heavily of the last two Casiotone albums, Etiquette and Vs. Children. Despite the “band” consisting only of Ashworth and a few keyboards, each song was fleshed out through a series of hypnotic beats and electronic chatter. Songs that were originally much more measured, such as “I Love Creedence” and “Bobby Malone Moves Home,” were given an edge with heightened percussion and droning feedback. Hazel Brown, from the Australian pop band Otouto, was brought out to provide vocals for “Killers” and “Man O’ War,” a song, Ashworth, explained, that was partly about a lethal Portuguese jellyfish.

It was such off-hand specificity that added comic relief between each melancholy song. Ashworth rhapsodized about New York (and the wonders of crossing the “Grover Cleveland Expressway”) and his love for Germans and John Fogarty, all in the same endearing monotone. One of the most upbeat moments of the show followed Ashforth’s anecdote about being credited for writing the melody for “When the Saints Go Marching In,” which he appropriates in his song, “Optimist Vs. the Silent Alarm.” When it came time to play the gospel hymn, he played it with an offbeat authority, as if he had indeed composed the piece. It made the audience smile, and it was one of the many small jokes that lingering beneath each song. By the end of the show, it was easy to see why Casiotone for the Painfully Alone would be missed. Then again, he wasn’t going anywhere; just changing names.

♥ Casiotone for the Painfully Alone at Mercury Lounge, New York City (10/15/10)

kateg () ♥ cftpa.org ♥ myspace.com/cftpa

The Secret History at the Knitting Factory, Brooklyn (8/26/10)

Secret History:Johnny Anorak [2008] Desolation Town Ep [2010] The World That Never Was Read More The Secret History Everyone is raving about the fact that songwriter Michael Grace Jr., from the indiepop band My Favorite, has teamed up with Lisa Ronson...

Known for their maudlin sound and tragic lyrics, the Secret History took the stage in Brooklyn in a relatively fitting manner: bathed only in the light of a projected black-and-white French film. It made for a dramatic set-up, but after the first song, lead singer Michael Grace Jr. confessed that he was “scared of the dark,” and asked the stage crew for a more traditional backdrop. The break in theatrics provided a healthy dose of contrast to the band’s looming stage persona, which they often broke with silly anecdotes and self-aware dance moves.

Lisa Ronson sang lead on the majority of the songs, contrasting Grace’s animated antics with her own brand of sophistication. On slower songs like “Love Theme (from the World That Never Was),” her steady voice kept the melancholy song interesting and almost upbeat at times. She also showcased her ability to kick things up a notch, having no qualms about screaming her head off during “How I Saved My Life.”

With only one album, the setlist consisted primarily of The World That Never Was tracks, but they slipped in a new song from their upcoming album. With bouncy, almost-punk-like guitar riffs, it was noticeably different from their previous work, but Grace’s intricate songwriting seemed to remain intact within Ronson’s sparkling vocals. It was usually the times when the two sang together that the audience’s energy seemed to buzz. On songs like, “God Save the Runaways” and “Our Lady of Stalingrad,” Grace and Ronson kept things exciting with their palpable chemistry. For a band that seems to love singing about death and destruction, their performance seemed to leave the audience all warm and fuzzy inside.

♥ The Secret History at the Knitting Factory, Brooklyn (8/26/10)

kateg () ♥ thesecrethistory.net ♥ myspace.com ♥ facebook.com

Sondre Lerche, JBM at Mercury Lounge, New York City (7/27/10)

JBM - Cleo's Song JBM Tour Dates 08/10/10 Columbia, MO - Mojos* 08/11/10 Little Rock,AR - Sticky Fingers* 08/12/10 Dallas, TX - The Loft* 08/13/10 Austin, TX - ND* 08/14/10 Houston, TX - Mangos* 08/16/10 Memphis, TN - Hi Tone* 08/17/10 Nashville, TN - Mercy* 08/18/10 Asheville, NC - Grey Eagle* 08/19/10 Washington - Rock N Roll café* 09/01/10 San Diego, CA - Casbah* 09/02/10 Santa Barbara, CA - Soho* 09/03/10 LA, CA - Hotel Café % 09/07/10 Oakland, CA - New Parish* 09/10/10 Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern* 09/11/10 Vancouver, BC - Media Club* 09/13/10 Eugene, OR - Venue TBD* 09/14/10 Sacramento, CA - TBD* 09/15/10 Santa Cruz/ Big Sur...TBD* 09/16/10 Costa Mesa, CA -Detroit Bar* * w/ AA Bondy % solo show Read More Sondre Lerche http://weheartmus... Sondre Lerche was born in Bergen, Norway. Lerche was weaned on the 80s pop that emanated from his...

Sondre Lerche - Good Luck

Despite the thunderous applause that followed each of his songs, Sondre Lerche was still visibly nervous at Mercury Lounge last night. He fumbled along while tuning his guitar and awkwardly asked the soundguy for help. Though he’s been playing in front of crowds since the tender age of fourteen, Lerche was on edge that night since he was debuting a handful of new songs and opening for his close friend, JBM. His anxiousness, however, seemed uncalled for. He opened the set with the new track, “Red Flags,” and despite the somber melody, the audience ate it up. He looked quite relieved by the feedback, and this seemed to jolt him back into his more confident, upbeat stage persona. He then brought out a violinist named Kay for two songs: “Heartbeat Radio” and “Good Luck.” The strings added a strangely psychedelic feel to the former song, while it lent a playful orchestral edge to the latter. Since most of Lerche’s shows feature just him and his guitar, the violin provided a nice texture to his guitar-heavy music.

For the next new song (“Dear Laughing Doubters”), Lerche exerted much more confidence. He explained that he had been commissioned to write it for the upcoming Steve Carell comedy, Dinner for Schmucks, “in theaters this Friday!” he added in his best Moviefone voice. Again, it was sweet and somber, and the audience swooned in unison. He ended the night with another new song, “Domino,” and by then, he didn’t seem hesitant at all to showcase his talents. It acted as a nice segue into JBM’s set, which was fleshed out with a full band but still on the intimate side. Since his debut album, Not Even in July, was just released, he’s still working out the kinks with his touring band, but he has an undeniable confidence with his own work. As he effortlessly switched between a number of instruments, it was obvious how he could make a seasoned professional like Sondre Lerche a wee bit insecure.

Sondre Lerche

 07/30/2010 19:46:19 ♥ kate () ♥ jbm-music.com/myspace ♥ sondrelerche.com/myspace 

We Are Scientists at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn (7/17/10)

We Are Scientists - The Great Escape We Are Scientists Tour Dates 07/21/10 Bottom Lounge Chicago, IL 07/23/10 Larimer Lounge Denver, CO 07/26/10 Doug Fir Lounge Portland, OR 07/27/10 media club Vancouver, Can 07/28/10 Neumo's Seattle, WA 08/01/10 Splendour In The Grass 08/03/10 Metro Sydney, Aus* 08/04/10 Princes Of Wales Melbourne, Aus* 08/06/10 Troubadour Los Angeles, ca 08/07/10 Slim's San Francisco, CA 08/08/10 Cellar Door Visalia, CA 08/10/10 Kilby Court Salt Lake City, UT 08/12/10 Record Bar Kansas City, MO 08/13/10 Old Rock House St. Louis, MO 08/14/10 Basement Columbus, OH 08/15/10 Brillobox Pittsburgh, PA 08/19/10 Pukkelpop Festival Kiewit, Belgium 08/21/10 Gampel Open Air , Switzerland 08/23/10 59:1 Munich, Germany 08/24/10 Lido Berlin, Berlin 08/25/10 Knust Hamburg 08/26/10 Luxor Köln, Nordrhein 08/28/10 Leeds Festival Leeds 08/28/10 Reading Festival Reading 08/29/10 Leeds Festival Leeds 09/03/10 Fountain Square Cincinnati, OH * with Ash Discography [2002] Safety, Fun, and Learning (In That Order) [2005] With Love and Squalor [2006] Crap Attack [2008] Brain Thrust Mastery [2010] Barbara

After two and a half grueling days of unsuccessful apartment hunting in Brooklyn, my attitude towards the borough wasn’t particularly fond. So by the time I reached Williamsburg to see We Are Scientists, I was feeling hostile towards anyone who seemed to look as if though lived comfortably in an apartment – whether it be a sprawling brownstone or a shared loft. The audience that night seemed to all have their housing situations in order, as many of them seemed to have come directly from the Siren Music Festival on Coney Island. The concert, which was the festival’s official “afterparty,” was full of sweaty, heat stroke victims, but despite this, they seemed quite forgiving towards the second opening act, Lightspeed Champion, whose act consisted of him pressing buttons on a boombox and belting out soft-rock songs. He oozed with schmaltz, right down to his never nude cut offs, but he seemed to fit in quite nicely in this particular Brooklyn neighborhood.

We Are Scientists took the stage quite late into the night, and Chris Cain and Keith Murray chatted with the audience frequently between songs. They had a booming rapport that reminded me of AM radio talk show hosts, but the audience seemed eager to laugh at all their jokes. Right from the start, they got on the audience’s good side by playing a number of their fan favorites, such as “This Scene is Dead” and “Nobody Move, Nobody Gets Hurt.” The familiar opening bars of the songs were usually met with a deafening scream, and the audience’s vocals usually overpowered that of the band.

Songs off their newest release, Barbara, were greeted with equal enthusiasm. “Nice Guys” was the first song on the setlist, and its repetitive rhythms gave the audience plenty to bounce to. Songs like “Pittsburgh” and “I Don’t Bite” were also seamlessly slipped in with older tracks, and unlike, say at a Weezer show, there was no clear preference for older material over newer material. Their drummer, Andy Burrows, (formerly of Razorlight) was a quiet but steady presence in the background and got quite a few whistles from the tipsy girls in the front. As a fitting way to kick off the encore, the band chose “After Hours,” their ode to endless nights of gallivanting and mild debauchery. However, the prospect of staying out all night is only appealing if you have a place to eventually go home to. Since I was currently homeless, I cut out early, after briefly considering sleeping in the sound guy’s booth.

♥ We Are Scientists

 07/20/2010 20:19:16 ♥ kate () ♥ wearescientists.com ♥ myspace.com ♥ @scientistbros 

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin at The Bell House, Brooklyn (12/7/09)

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Oregon Girl Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin SSLYBY at The Bell House  ♥ photo by Dave Tour Dates 12/12/09 Outland Ballroom Springfield, MO 01/13/10 Maxine’s Pub Hot Springs, AK 01/23/10 Gallery Sounds Springfield, MO 01/28/10 Schubas  Chicago, IL 01/29/10 Courtyard Cafe Champaign, IL 01/30/10 Mojo’s Columbia, MO 01/31/10 Jackpot Lawrence, KS Discography [2006] Broom [2008]Pershing [2009]PuzzleEP Read More Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin http://www.daytro... Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin at The Bell House, Brooklyn (12/7/09)

In terms of favorite bands with excessively long names, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yelstin is right up there with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Suburban Kids with Biblical Names. (Fun Fact: There’s a band called Meanwhile Back in Communist Russia that won BBC Radio’s title for worst band name ever. When you think about it, the Soviet Union is a rich source for potentially awful band names, IE: Lenin’s Mausoleum, Khrushchev’s Thaw, The Gulag, etc. etc. etc.)

Anyway.

SSLYBY at The Bell House, Brooklyn (12/7/09) ♥ photo by Dave

SSLYBY provided a refreshing lack of plaid and/or flannel to the Bell House on Monday night. It was nice to see a band so sincere and enthusiastic, whose only incidental brush with pretense stemmed from the fact that their bassist/drummer bore an uncanny resemblance to Michael Cera. They seemed so affable that one wayward audience member felt compelled to describe them as “the Jimmy Buffet of the indie world.”

They opened with “Pangea,” the jangly first track from their debut album, Broom. However, the jangle did not seem as prevalent live as it does on the album. To borrow a word from Chuck Klosterman’s phrasebook, the songs sounded considerably more “trenchant” compared to their recorded counterparts. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it gave pop-centric tracks like “Oregon Girl” and “Gwyneth” a slight edge. It also allowed them to turn the bittersweet confection that is “Dead Right” into a slow-burning, thumping number.

Singing duties switched between guitarists, John Cardwell and Philip Dickey, and they invited friends on stage to sing and play the occasional tambourine. The audience was peppered with their fellow musicians/friends, such as Jason Anderson and Paul DeGeorge from Harry & the Potters. With such support, it was only natural that an impromptu audience rendition of Aladdin’s “A Whole New World” should happen. (It did. It was short-lived but sweet.)

They ended the show with “Modern Mystery” before returning for a much-welcomed encore. Say what you will about their clunky name or the curse of USSR-related monikers, but overall, it was a perfectly lovely show. Besides, how many Putin-inspired bands have you heard of lately?

Photos by Dave:

SSLYBY at The Bell House, Brooklyn (12/7/09) ♥ photo by Dave

SSLYBY at The Bell House, Brooklyn (12/7/09) ♥ photo by Dave

SSLYBY at The Bell House, Brooklyn (12/7/09) ♥ photo by Dave

 12/09/2009 22:35:36 ♥ kateg () ♥ sslyby.com ♥ myspace.com/boris 

Pants Yell! - Received Pronunciation

Pants Yell! - Cold Hands Pants Yell! Tour Dates 11/16/09 ZuZu Cambridge, MA 11/20/09 Space Gallery Portland, ME 12/05/09 Bruar Falls Brooklyn, NY

Every couple of months I go through what my friends lovingly call a “twee midlife crisis.” I listen to one too many Tullycraft songs or suddenly find the dulcet tones of the glockenspiel unbearable. During these spells, the only cure is a few hours of Joy Division and some pronounced sulking. And yet, the irresistible jangle always lures me back. In the immortal words of R. Kelly: “My mind’s telling me no, but my body’s telling me yes.” That’s twee for me.

Pants Yell’s newest (and final) album, Received Pronunciation, encapsulates the siren-like influence that indie pop has over me. The vibrant guitars, the charming lyrics, the sugary sweet pessimism: it’s all there. Pants Yell has always been the more understated, precise bands of the pop scene, and they’ve made a name for themselves by crafting intricate, witty pop gems that feel like eloquent inside jokes. From the tentative opening notes of “Frank and Sandy” to the upbeat apology of “To Take,” lead singer and guitarist, Andrew Churchman, proves that the band is able to expand their sound while maintaining the modest sensibilities that have made them
mixtape staples.

First single, “Cold Hands,” displays slightly crunchier guitars than expected and lyrics dripping with wisdom that only hindsight can provide. “I was young, I was selfish, I was in love, but now I’m over it,” Churchman sings with cheerful spite. On their first album, Songs for Sibling, the band embraced the roles of lovable losers, but Received Pronunciation shows them at a new advantage, where they’ve grown up but still have the childish vindictiveness that adults always fall back on. On the hostile-yet-sunny track, “Got to Stop,” Churchman calls out a guy for being an “asshole,” and in the twee world, that’s as close as you’re ever going to get to a Maury-like smackdown.

Although the claws do come out on this album, they are still Pants Yell, after all. Amidst the slew of passive aggressive quips and snide comments, there remains upbeat melodies and hyper-articulate hooks. It’s everything a pop album should be, but with just the right amount of snark to keep it from OD-ing on its own cuteness. So when the time comes for my regularly scheduled twee meltdown, I know I can count on Pants Yell to get me through my inevitable withdrawals.

 11/16/2009 03:54:06 ♥ kateg () ♥ myspace.com/pantsyellmusic ♥ slumberlandrecords.com

El Perro del Mar, Peter Bjorn & John at Webster Hall, New York (11/9/09)

Peter Bjorn & John - Young Folks Peter Bjorn & John Tour Dates 11/11/09 Phoenix Theatre* Toronto 11/12/09 Metro* Chicago, IL 11/13/09 Gargoyle Club* St. Louis, MO 11/14/09 House of Blues* Dallas, TX 11/15/09 La Zona Rosa* Austin, TX 11/17/09 Rialto Theater* Tucson, AZ 11/18/09 House of Blues* San Diego, CA 11/19/09 Great American Music Hall* SF, CA 11/20/09 Great American Music Hall* SF, CA 11/21/09 Club Nokia* LA, CA with El Perro Del Mar Read More Peter, Bjorn and John http://weheartmus... Speaking of solo album, Peter Morén (you know him as Peter from Peter, Bjorn and John) will also...

PB&J and El Perro del Mar ♥ photograph by Michelle

At Webster Hall, the perils of sitting in the VIP balcony often outweigh the perks. True, it’s the ideal place for a certified midget like me, and there’s a private bar and quasi-comfortable seating – but one must also put up with being asphyxiated by the many fog machines, the not-so-subtle orgies taking place on the couches, and that one skeezy guy who keeps trying to offer you a flask full of absinthe. (“It’s the nectar of Satan!”)

But last night the VIP balcony was the place to be since it was the location of a historic fist bump between me and Andrew W.K.

I already knew he was set to make a cameo during PB&J’s set, along with a slew of others, but I did not expect our paths to cross. I don’t know what compelled me to lamely offer him my fist the moment I saw him, but all that matters is that he returned it and all was right in the world. Then he left, and I immediately texted my 13 year-old brother, who soon lapsed into an envy-induced coma.

El Perro Del Mar - Gotta Get Smart

Anyway: PB&J. I have to admit, I was really there for opener, El Perro del Mar. I’ve become obsessed with her latest LP, Love is Not Pop, as it is the perfect soundtrack for long nights of procrastination. Although the crowd didn’t seem too familiar with her work, she won them over with her peculiar brand of melancholy dream pop. She stuck to songs mostly from her new album, including her mind-numbingly lovely version of Lou Reed’s “Heavenly Arms.” The absinthe guy next to us dismissed her as “vagina music,” but I was too distracted by my estrogen-fueled state of euphoria to care.

Swede-fest ’09 continued with PB&J, who announced that this was their 10^th anniversary tour. It was easy to distinguish who was who, as Peter was the one in the pink shirt, Bjorn was the one not in the pink shirt, and John was the drummer. It only got slightly confusing during the smorgasbord of cameos that took place throughout their set. Some made perfect sense (El Perro del Mar on “Young Folks,”), some not so much (an L.A. rap duo who remixed an unrecognizable song off of Living Thing). The final cameo was Spank Rock, who seemed like a solid addition to “Nothing to Worry About” but his appearance was much too brief and almost abrupt.

Obviously the most dramatic cameo of the night was Andrew W.K.’s “interpretive” dancing during “It Don’t Move Me.” He didn’t utter a single word the whole time, yet he left the audience virtually speechless. It was spastic and random but ultimately the best moment of the night.

As for the band themselves, they were in top form as usual. Since the last time I saw them in March, people have warmed up considerably towards their newer material and seemed to enjoy it equally as much as anything off Writer’s Block. The band eschewed slower stand-bys for faster, upbeat songs from their first two albums, and they ended the night with the infectious “Objects of My Affection.” I was kind of hoping they’d play the slow burning track, “Up Against the Wall,” but my friend told me not to be greedy. After all, one paradigm-shifting fist bump was good enough for one night.

PB&J ♥ photograph by Michelle

Peter ♥ photograph by Michelle

Andrew W.K. ♥ photograph by Michelle

PB&J ♥ photograph by Michelle

 11/10/2009 02:13:56 ♥ kateg () ♥ peterbjornandjohn.com ♥ myspace.com/peterbjornandjohn