We All Want Someone To Shout For

Wolf Parade bring something different to the table. The unique voice of Spencer Krug, along with the stage presence of Dan Boeckner, are the main reason for the original sound that this Montreal band uses to separate themselves from the rest. The already great songs evolve into something epic live. It took me three years of patience to finally get to see this magnificent band. This show did not disappoint.

Opening band Wintersleep brought a very loud atmospheric sound. They had a very powerful opening song that set the tone of their set just right. Their instrumental songs even had some traces of ambiance. They played a solid 40 minute set and didn’t overstay their welcome. Definitely a band to keep an eye out for.

Wolf Parade finally took the stage to a huge ovation and started off with You Are A Runner And I Am My Father’s Son. Right from the first chorus I knew this was going to be one hell of a show. They stormed through a fast paced set playing all of the songs off of Mount Zoomer, as well as several of the fan favorites off of Apologies. The crowd went into a frenzy throughout the show, which was completely unexpected from me and even the band. You would not think that you were seeing a so called “indie band” with the way the crowd was moving. After playing An Animal In Your Care Spencer thanked the crowd for being so ready with some small mosh pits but asked us to be careful not to hurt anyone.

Songs like This Heart’s On Fire, Shine A Light, and Soldier’s Grin were taken to a whole new level live. These guys really took their songs and re amped them live. They really blew the doors off terminal 5. The epic Kissing The Beehive pushed 12 minutes and has become an instant live classic. They ended their magnificent show with the fan favorite I’ll Believe In Anything (my personal favorite too).

Wolf Parade really seem like a close knit group, with a tight performance. Spencer really sung his lyrics with emotion, showing where these songs came from. His voice is so god damn cool, it is amazing. Dan’s voice compliments it perferctly added another layer to the songs. They interacted with the crowd a lot more than I thought they would. This band really lives true to the idea of sounding bigger and better live. They put on one hell of a show.

Videos and photo’s I took are below:

Highlight’s of the show: I’ll Believe In Anything, California Dreamer, Fancy Claps, Shine A Light, Kissing The Beehive

Set List:
You Are a Runner and I Am My Father’s Son
Soldier’s Grin
Call It a Ritual
The Grey Estates
Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts
Language City
An Animal in Your Care
Shine a Light
Bang Your Drum
Fancy Claps
Fine Young Cannibals
California Dreamer
This Heart’s on Fire
Kissing the Beehives

ENCORE:
It’s a Curse
I’ll Believe in Anything

Wolf Parade:

Wintersleep:

The blog heroes of yesterday, Cold War Kids are back with a new song called “Something Is Not Right With Me.” The new song will be featured on their new album “Loyalty To Loyalty.” They posted the song for free on their website, enjoy it below. The song is short but sweet. I have high expectations for their sophomore release.

Something Is Not Right With Me

Vampire Weekend quickly released their new video for single “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” yesterday via myspace. The video is a mix of both 80′s/the cure in one. A lot more Ezra than the rest of the band, but I guess that is music videos for you. I think they should have spent more time on this one, but thats just me.

Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa

The Killers who I personally love played an exclusive show for their fanclub online at Highline Ballroom. By the time I found out about the show, it was all sold out. They are about to go into the studio to record their 3rd album, so accordingly they played some new songs last night. Thankfully for the people who missed out on the show, youtube has a couple videos of 2 new songs called “Spaceman” and “Neon Tiger.” They sound pretty cool, and they even seem to still be developing a new sound.

Hopefully the Killers will have a tour coming up so we all can enjoy these new songs. They killed it at MSG when I saw them back in 2006. The videos are below!

Mike Skinner a.k.a The Streets is releasing his new single “The Escapist” for a free online download. Recently, this seems to be the norm in the music industry. The single is the last song of his upcoming 4th album “Everything Is Borrowed.”

The Streets last album “The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living” was seen as a disappointment to many after Skinner’s first two critically applauded albums. After one listen I am really enjoying this song, and I think many fans will be glad to see Skinner getting back on the right track. Video of the track below.

New York rock band, The Walkmen announced that they are releasing their new album, “You & Me” for $5 online only at AmieStreet.com. All the funds go towards Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center for cancer research. Which is a win-win situation for all. This is a digital version of the album, however you get it a few weeks early from the street date. The release date for the physical version of the album is on August 19th. You can also stream the album for free right now here. Can’t lose either way.
There is a lot of buzz that this is an amazing album. It just may be one the best album that they have delivered so far. This is saying a lot since their first two albums are two of the most critically appreciated albums of the 21st century. After you really get into the song “The Rat”, you begin to understand why.

Grizzly Bear is a band I still have to fully listen to. I have been meaning to get the album for months but never seem to get around to it. I have the song “Knife” and think it is really excellent, quite a beautiful track. I am very excited to catch them at All Points West in a few weeks. I saw them play “While You Wait for the Others” live on Conan and was amazed at the voice of both singers, and the melody behind them. It was pretty stunning, especially since they are live. I listened to it non-stop once it hit the web
.A few days ago they played another new track called “Two Weeks” live on David Letterman. They continue to impress, as it is another stellar song.. This band’s live performances beat many bands album’s recordings with the unique atmosphere they bring with them.

Their sophomore album is pointing to a gem if the rest of it sounds like this. These are some beautiful tracks. I gotta get their debut album right away.

Grizzly Bear – On a Neck, on a Spit (MP3)

Buy Their Album “Yellow House”
Buy Their Friend [EP]

It was impossible to miss the hype that surrounded Black Kids in 2007. After a highly acclaimed “Wizard of Ahhhs EP” that earned a best new music review stamp from Pitchforkmedia.com, the band had a lot to prove in 2008. To be fair to Black Kids, this was unfair expectation to put on their debut album. These expectations didn’t seem to phase Reggie Youngblood and the rest of Black Kids.

Each one of these songs could be legitimate singles. They are accessible and infectious. The energy in these songs does not go anywhere during your listen. The delivery of the songs provides an enjoyable listen with the duo male/female vocals that compliment each other excellently. You cannot help but sing along to the big chorus’s in tracks like “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You” and “I’ve Underestimated My Charm (Again)”.

This is not one of the deep albums of 2008, if you are looking for that give Fleet Foxes a listen. However, this is a fun record that you will go back to tons of times, even if you don’t know why. The backlash can live on (cough pitchfork), but it is part of the vicious hype machine.

Rating: 7.8

Listen to these songs now:

1. I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You
2. Listen To Your Body Tonight
3. I’m Making Eyes At You
4. Hurricane Jane

Buy Their CD

Enjoy the video for “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You”