You're welcome.

Yes it's been like, 2 years since I've written on this damned thing.

OK, more like 3.

Whatever.

But hey, as my first blog in 3 years, I have a treat for everyone. I got married in May, and created the best playlist ever played at any wedding in the history of weddings and also the earth. I know, bold statement, right? Well, not when you see this playlist.

The backstory is, my husband and I first met in 1984, and we were engaged in 2008, married in 2009. So the playlist spans decades and is goddamned brilliant. I am not one to brag but in this case? I just can't help it. It's a fabulous playlist, the end.

So here's the playlist that played during the reception. Because I am a generous precious, precious treasure, I will also share with you the shorter playlists from other sections of the ceremony, like when people were filing in and getting seated, and then the playlist for just after the ceremony but before the first dances, etc. and so on. You could say I went a little playlist-happy, and I suppose you'd be right. But it was my wedding, and I love making playlists, and that's the story.

To whit, our reception playlist:

Let's Stay Together - Al Green
One Step Beyond... - Madness
Blue Monday - New Order
Situation - Yaz
Kiss Me - Stephen Tin Tin Duffy
Suburbia - Pet Shop Boys
How to Be a Millionare - ABC
Always Something There To Remind Me - Naked Eyes
Why? - Bronski Beat
Soft Core - Maurice and the Cliches
I Touch Roses - Book of Love
The Bottom Line - Big Audio Dynamite
Ball of Confusion - Love and Rockets
Uncertain Smile - The The
Whisper to a Scream - Icicle Works
Pale Shelter - Tears for Fears
A Forest - The Cure
People are People - Depeche Mode
Shellshock - New Order
Stand and Deliver - Adam and the Ants
To Hell With Poverty - Gang of Four
Tesla Girls - O.M.D.
Hard Act To Follow - Split Enz
Friends of Mine - Duran Duran
Don't Tell Me - Blancmange
New Song - Howard Jones
Weird Science - Oingo Boingo
Perfect Way - Scritti Politti
Six Months In A Leaky Boat - Split Enz
Fisherman's Blues - Waterboys
Mirror in the Bathroom - The English Beat
Let Me Go - Heaven 17
Christine - Souxsie and the Banshees
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - Specimen
Ahead - Wire
Seven Seas - Echo and the Bunnymen
24 Hour Party People - Happy Monday
The Only One I Know - Charlatans
Very Loud - Shout Out Louds
A-Punk - Vampire Weekend
Destroy Everything You Touch - Ladytron
None Shall Pass - Aesop Rock
Starry Eyed Surprise - Paul Oakenfold
Callin' Out - Lyrics Born
Sum of Us - Jurassic 5
This is Not a Love Song - P.I.L.
DARE - Gorillaz
Sit Down - James
She Will Have Her Way - Neil Finn
See the World - Gomez
On - Bloc Party
Sleepdriving - Grand Archives
Weather to Fly - Elbow
To the Sky - Maps
The Modern Leper - Frightened Rabbit
The Shining - Badly Drawn Boy

You're welcome.

East London Is a Vampire!

I finally went to see Bloc Party. Finally.

My road-blocked Bloc Party (see what I did there?) journey began almost two years ago with the release of the first record, "Silent Alarm." You may remember my blog review of that there record. Not a bad song on it, I'm here to tell you. I listened to it first on an obscenely long drive from Bellevue to Seattle across the 520 bridge during rush hour. Needless to say, I was able to listen to the entire album and then some, and somehow didn't mind the traffic so much that day.

So they came to Nuemos promoting the album, but I heard about it after the fact. Then it was off to Austin for Austin City Limits (hey, I blogged that, too!), where Bloc Party were once again playing. I was actually at the venue that day, seeing Aqualung and passing by a sadly boring Death Cab For Cutie, but then it was like, 3 hours until Bloc Party, it was 108 degrees out, and well... I didn't make it. My friend Tom assured me that Bloc Party are a band best seen in a small club, and while I wholeheartedly agree, not seeing them was one of the biggest disappointments of the weekend.

Then came the V Festival in TV's England in August of 2006. I bought a day ticket, thanks to my excellent friend Tina, specifically to see Bloc Party, Keane, Editors, and Radiohead. But due to delayed planes and things of that nature, I made it time for most of Keane's set, then all of Editors and Radiohead, but I missed Bloc Party. AGAIN.

Then the band I'd been chasing and missing for a year and a half put out their new album, "A Weekend in the City." First listen: yea it's good. Different, but good. Second listen: holy shit, can't get "Hunting for Witches" outta my head. Third listen: best album of 2007, no contest.
Then came the announcement: Bloc Party at the Paramount Theatre on Sunday, March 11th. My friend Kerry and I immediately got general admission tickets, and it wasn't until I saw that cute little Kele Okereke actually bounce onto the stage that I really believed I was finally going to see this goddamned band.

I'm actually not sure what I was expecting. As I mentioned in my review of "Silent Alarm," Bloc Party take themselves very seriously. They're little arty boys who just think that what they have to say is the most important stuff ever in the history of forever, so I guess I was expecting... not a lot of talking, no smiling, perhaps some Ben Harper-esque lecturing... that kind of thing. Great songs; some of my favorite songs. But I didn't expect much out of the band in terms of energy.

I was so, so wrong.

I have been going to shows since I was 13 years old. I've seen everyone from P.I.L. to The Who to Radiohead to The Cramps to the Indigo Girls. My show-going life has been fairly diverse, I think. And in all that time, never have I seen a show as fun, as energized, as engaging, and as purely joyful as Bloc Party.

I can count on one hand the number of shows I've seen that I've wished would never ever end. I could have stood there in that painfully hot, crushingly crowded theater all night if Bloc Party would have obliged.

Pitch perfect, exuberant vocals from a constantly smiling Okereke, spot-on drum-machine-like beats from Matt Tong, and everything in between made their entire set sound like a set full of greatest hits. Even if you had never heard the sound before, you were bouncing and singing and smiling along. The entire crowd shouting, "EAST LONDON IS A VAMPIRE, IT SUCKS THE JOY RIGHT OUT OF ME!!" is something truly to behold.

Their Seattle show was the kick-off to their national tour, so that might explain the freshness and eagerness of the band that night. But their banter was funny and sweet and comfortable, their performance was exciting, and the songs were perfectly turned out. The crowd, as usual, was the only downside of the evening, but even the worst offenders became smiling compatriots toward the end, as we remarked to each other about how much we were sweating and how amazing the band was.

Bloc Party was truly one of the very best performances I've ever seen from a band. I'm even more of a convert than I was before, and I take back everything I said about their self-important art school rantings. They certainly didn't even show a hint of that kind of thing during their show, so now I'm wondering if it's just an unfair assumption because they are proud of the smart music they write.

If you get the chance, get thee to a Bloc Party show, poste haste. But first, buy "A Weekend in the City." You won't regret either.

keane's flawed and glorious follow-up

i can't believe it's taken me this long to get a review up. hey i've been busy! well not really. just extremely, extremely lazy.

this is keane's second record, the long-awaited, much-discussed, hugely-hyped under the iron sea. yes, the fish would drown, blah blah. but i think it's supposed to be a metaphor or something. oh, they're so dramatic.

this is a much more difficult record than their debut, for a number of reasons. it's less evenly paced, less cohesive, darker, richer, more layered, and yes, angrier. though "angry" put through the keane filter is: "grumbley, irritated, and a little sad, but still optimistic that everything will be fine -- or at least fantasizing that everything will be fine."

the bad news:

"a bad dream." they've taken what could be the best song off the album and turned it into a crushing disappointment with the chorus. everything about it promises fabulousness, then when singer tom chaplin gets to the chorus... the chorus has been taken directly from "nothing in my way." i couldn't believe it. it was like songwriter tim rice-oxley had come up with this amazing idea, but was missing a way to tie it in, so just thought, "oh i liked what i did with 'nothing in my way,' i'll just use it again. no one will notice." SO maddening, that it ruins an otherwise brilliant song for me.

"crystal ball." while musically, it is just fantastic, lyrically, it makes me want to bash my head into a table. "oh crystal ball/crystal ball/save us all/tell me life is beautiful..." it sounds like lyrics i wrote when i was 10. i completely understand where songwriter tim rice-oxley is coming from here, and i get the point, as the rest of the song makes it quite clear. this is your standard "touring's a bitch" song about losing identities and sense of place because of the constant traveling, and watching themselves sink into monotony. it's an oft-visited subject, and musically, rice-oxley takes it to a different place than i've ever heard it taken. but those lyrics! my GOD, so cheesy. you can almost hear the thought process: "so, what rhymes with chrystal ball? ball... small... gaul... crawl... ALL! hmm, now what would fit with 'all...'" these lyrics need more work, is all i'm saying.

"put it behind you." i appreciate the sentiment, and lyrically this song hits closer to home that any song keane's ever written. possibly more than any band has ever written. but the mix is like fingernails on a chalk board. tom chaplin, arguably one of the best male singers in rock, has a nasty habit of taking deep, gulping breaths between words due to his lack of formal training. usually, it's not a big deal. noticeable, but it makes that ethereal voice sound more human, which is nice. the vocals for this album were done in the booth to make things sound more... oh i don't know. live? immediate? somethin'. and on every other song, it works nicely. but on this one, you hear every gasp, every gulp, every consanent as you can tell he's too close to the mic and spitting... it just takes away from an otherwise great song so much, and that for me, it's a skip over. which makes me very sad.

"the iron sea." a little musical interlude which, in a small snippet, is nice and moody. as a full song, it's repetative and annoying.

"nothing in my way," "try again," and "hamburg song." all great songs (with "nothing in my way" being extremely underrated, by the way), and no quarrel with them. the reason they're in this section is because they played them to death on tour as previews of the new album, so by the time the album came out, i was already sick of them. it's sad that new songs can already sound worn the day you purchase a new record. and of course, it's my fault for seeing them so many times, but still.

the good news:

"atlantic." this song leads off the album. besides "station approach" by elbow and "2+2=5" by radiohead, this is possibly the greatest lead off song in the last 10 years of rock. bold statement, i know, but have you heard this song? rice-oxley has not only managed to capture the mood of the entire album (which is saying something, because as i mentioned above, the album is un-even), but he's managed to encapsulate exactly what keane is about in one 4 minute and 13 second song. it's rich, a little quirky (genius drums from richard hughes), sad, longing, a little desperate, but ultimately, unfailingly optimistic and even a little niave. every second of this song works. listen to it with your eyes closed, preferably in a dark room.

"leaving so soon." while the jury's still out on the questionable bridge ("leaaaaaving, LEEEAAAAVING soo-ooo-ooo-ooooon, soo-ooo-ooo-oooon..." yikes), the lyrics are by far the most biting and direct that i've heard from this band, and the music is exhilirating. the song is about how the band reacts to media impressions of them, and the lyrics couldn't make their reaction more clear: "a slap/in the face/in the face for you now/just might do now..." i love it when tim gets bitchy!

"hamburg song." yes, also marked in the bad news section, but that's only because i'd heard it so much. it's a delicate, graceful love song, but not in the way people would think: it's about the songwriter's love for his lead singer, friends since birth. he's watching his best friend drift away from him, and the lyrics are sweet and melancholy and questioning, while the music is simple and lilting. brilliant vocals from chaplin, as usual. a gorgeous composition.

"a broken toy," and "the frog prince." they're mentioned together because they are not only the best songs off this album, they are the two best songs keane has ever written. yes, some drum riffs from "a broken toy" are taken directly from "pyramid song" by radiohead, but who cares, it works. they're very different songs, but so musically layered and sophisticated and so lyrically brilliant, they fit together at the end of the album perfectly.

"a broken toy" is again about tim rice-oxley's relationship with his childhood friend, singer tom chaplin, and is again, one of those internal grumble-and-question-and-self-pity-and grumble fests that i think everyone who's had a row with their best friend can relate to. "god he's pissing me off. he's such a childish asshole. but you know, is it me? could my expectations be too high? maybe i'm the problem. ohhh i'm such a horrible friend! i'm a miserable failure not only as a friend, but as a human being. but my GOD he's being SUCH a prick!!" the music is choppy and somewhat unstructured, which highlights the superior musicianship of the three individuals playing drums, bass, piano, and playing with effects. it is a joy to experience.

"the frog prince" is a biting, uplifting ode to the lead singer of an english indie band who was once a friend to keane, then slagged them off in the press. rumour has it, they're talking about johnny borrell of razorlight, but others have said it's about james blunt. either way, it's structured around a fairy tale, and shows just a wee bit more of the pissiness from the east sussex song writer as he writes that keane will actually prevail in this industry because they remember who their friends are and are not stuck-up assholes, as in 'the meek will inherit the earth.' EAT THAT! it's a beautiful, lush, and brilliantly mastered song, and one you simply will never tire of.

the album is not as easy a sell as hopes and fears was, obviously. they're more experienced now, and they've been through a lot. they're a little harder, and little more bitter. but that optimism is still there, and it soaks every part of every song. one of the reasons the flaws on this record are so infuriating is because when the songs work, they work so brilliantly, that it's a long way to come down for sophmoric lyrics and blatantly borrowing choruses from other songs on the same album.

but, rarely is an album perfect. in fact, the only perfect album i can think of is 'ok computer,' but even that has 'fitter happier,' which i invariably skip over.

overall, this is a more important and more meaningful album than hopes and fears. it shows how far they've come, how much they've matured musically, and how much more direct tim rice-oxley feels he can be with his lyrics. you can tell when he's really angry, or when he's so introspective that he simply can't think of the appropriate words.

i think that's what makes him a truly great artist and songwriter: there is no questioning his humanity. his sort of inner monologue is shared by all of us, and that's why this works.

under the iron sea: easily one of the best albums of 2006.

happy cute sunshiney music!

yes, the album of the summer has arrived. well, it's by import-only here in the states, which can be expensive. but i was smart (and sneaky): i bought it at a normal price on amazon.co.uk, had it shipped to a very good man in england, who then sent it to me when he arrived in san francisco. how nice is that? well i'll tell you. it's very nice.

ok so what's this album i've gone through all this struggle to get into my hot little hands, that i can't download on u.s. itunes yet? why, it's the upper room's first release, other people's problems, of course!

i've had a series of demos and acoustic tracks for sometime now, so it's no surprise that i would love this album. but they pumped up the demos so they sound, well, non-demo-y, and songs that i had only heard in their stripped-down acoustic formats now appear with everything all plugged in and nicely produced and all, and it's just great.

upper room are a bunch of kids who hail from brighton in the u.k. alex miller is the songwriter and lead singer, and he's got the looks of a fresh-faced and non-suicidal ian curtis with the writing style of a more upbeat morrissey. he sings in a thick english accent, and the uniquely english lyrics match the singing style. the lyrics are rarely trite, always have an edge of cynical humor, and are verbose while maintaining the ever-important singable factor (the shins, by contrast, also write brilliant, funny, verbose lyrics, but there are so damned many words there, it's tough for the average listener to sing along).

the tunes are pure pop happiness. you can definitely hear the happiest 80s new wave influences in there that remind me of omd and their contemporaries. there's a definite 80s thing, but of course, updated, and paired with those slightly dark, quirky, paranoid-yet-hilarious lyrics.

as for the songs themselves, they flow into one another quite nicely on this disk. 'all over this town' is their single, and it leads off the album. it's got a great driving beat and is custom made for cranking on a sunny day in a convertable somewhere, speeding down the highway. 'black and white,' my favorite song from the album (it was my favorite of theirs in its acoustic version as well), is absolutely infectous, and has a great time taking its self seriously not one little bit. with lyrics like, 'pain pain pain pain pain paa-aaain,' how can it? genius. 'leave me alone' had me laughing out loud, as miller sings, 'i told you not to call me at home,' and expresses his love for a girl who is, let's face it, just a little creeped out by him.

but don't let the humor fool you. this is not novelty music. these are exceptionally well-crafted pop tunes that probably leave people like damon albarn thinking, 'ok why couldn't i write like that?' and he would be right.

if the sea was made of iron, wouldn't the fish drown?

my lord it's been a long time since i've written. the muse left me, i'm telling you. gone gone gone.

but you know. now is as good a time as ever to start back up again. although anyone who ever read this has long ago vanished, due to extreme lack of updates. let's see if this will get their attention:

"under the iron sea" is the title of keane's sophmore effort, coming out june 20th for us underpriveledged folk in the u.s. the band have described it as a "rock and roll beast" to literally anyone who will listen (literally. in interviews, to people in pubs, to random passers-by, shouting it out of moving cars and trains. it's embarassing). they are touting it as darker, harder, and more ambitious. we'll see.

veteran keane show attendees have already heard lead singer tom chaplin's pleas for incredibly biased opinions on three of the new album's tracks, "nothing in my way," (formerly "nothing in your way") "try again," and "hamburg song."

"nothing in my way," while good, sounds like "somewhere only we know" thrown into the microwave with your lean cuisine macaroni and cheese. it's warmed over and got some new lyrics, but otherwise, nothing we haven't heard before from the kids from battle. we've only heard the live version, so who knows, maybe in the studio they threw in a didgeridoo and some tuvan throat music to beef it up and make it non-"sowk"-like. somehow i doubt it.

"try again" has only been heard by audiences in its most stripped-down state (save for a lovely duet at last year's wireless festival with the omnipresent rufus wainwright), with a very simple keyboard, a shaker, and a tambourine-ish thingie for the beat. chaplin announced it to fans as "...the best thing tim has written..." or something like that. it's not. but it's nice! but it's not the best thing tim's ever written. and not even remotely "beast"-like. it's a "droopy lady music" ballad. and again, we've only heard it in its earliest stages on tour, so mayhaps they beefed it up a bit on the record.

"hamburg song," however, might possibly be the best thing tim has ever written. it's delicate and gorgeous and soaring and lilting and oooooooooh so pretty. it tends to get a bad rap from keane fans, for a reason that i have yet to descern. it's one of those songs that brings the room to a hush, and people stand with their eyes closed, just letting tom chaplin's elastic vocals wash over them. it's like a lullaby. so pretty. not a beast though. my my, no.

billboard got a copy and claims to hear guitar effects. they're wrong: tim has put his piano through some guitar effects pedals. so the piano is going through guitar components, but no guitars show up. there are some strings, apparently.

i've got my fingers crossed for a smokin' ukulele solo. that would rock.

so until june 20th...

Top 10 Albums of 2005

10) Aqualung - Strange and Beautiful

This is the first U.S. release from Aqualung, but the songs are not new. In fact, they're compiled from Aqualung's two previous U.K. releases. But you know what? I love Aqualung. Everytime I think they don't live up to my own self-imposed hype, I give them another listen and again, am hard-pressed to find a weak song among all of them. The classically trained Matt Hales triumphs in the multi-layered format he's putting forth here, with his gorgeous, delicate piano and vunerable voice rising above the drum and guitar. It all works to create an almost church-like atmosphere as Matt's brother Ben chimes in with soaring harmonies. And there still is no experience like hearing and seeing "Tongue Tied" played live with the full band. The only reason this is showing up at #10 is because I know I'm cheating, and I feel guilty.

9) Youth Group - Skeleton Jar

The Aussie outfit's first release reminds me of old James, and mostly because of Toby Martin's meandering, soulful, slightly sad singing style. And while James purists will likely hunt me down and torture me until I recant that comparison, I won't back down. Toby Martin loves Tim Booth, and it's obvious. As for the songs themselves, they're catchy and poppy, with some melancholic lyrics thrown in to keep things interesting. It's an incredibly easy record to fall in love with. It's nothing really groundbreaking, but the album works well together (albeit at times the songs blend a little too seamlessly into one another), and it sure is good to crank on a long drive or a long afternoon at work.

8) Idlewild - Warnings/Promises

Idlewild are one of the most important bands ever to emerge from Scotland. Other Scottish bands aspire to be Idlewild. They've been around forever and ever, and finally, after 8 years and 4 albums, they're splitting from their label EMI for greener pastures. And good luck to them. Idlewild remind me a bit of "Comfort in Sound"-era Feeder in their kind of very melodic and sensitive, yet straight ahead rock and roll approach. This album is a great sing along, with some awesome lyrics ("you said something stupid like/love steals us from loneliness/happy birthday/are you lonely yet?"), and one of the best songs to be released in 2005, "I Understand It." Which, by the way, quickly became my theme song.

7) Kasabian

Ok, say what you will about Kasabian. They're a bunch of 21 year old drunken pricks, their egos are a thing unto themselves, etc. and so on. That's fine. But then give this debut another listen. They're bringing back the early-90s Manchester scene, which is a refreshing change from the already-old 80s revival thing. "Reason is Treason," "LSF," and "Processed Beats" are just really cool songs, and the album flows together as if it were more of a concept record than I think they meant for it to be. And they strut around the stage with all the swagger and confidence of an early-70s doped-up Keith Richards, and good for them. I think indie pop is missing that kind of bravado and unapologetic rock n roll excess. Go shag some more groupies and drink another fifth of whiskey, Kasabian. That's what rock stars are supposed to do.

6) Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

Matt Tong is the best drummer working today, period. He sounds like a damned drum machine. Sharp, persistant, nearly-tribal beats anchor these songs and Kele Okereke's quirky, personal lyrics and high, clear voice into a soundscape of angular, Gang of Four-like, smart pop. And while the drumming is almost inhuman, it never distracts from the song. Tong really is a drummer who plays for the song. Every piece plays like fingers on one hand, they're so incredibly tight. Like, old INXS tight (don't laugh at me, INXS, love them or hate them, were once the tightest band in music). "Price of Gasoline" is the perfect theme song for 2005. They promoted the album just a wee bit in the U.S., and are now back to work on album #2. Should be a scorcher.

5) Elbow - Leaders of the Free World

Elbow, like Idlewild, have also been around for 6 million (give or take) years, and are one of the most respected bands to come out of England. "Leaders of the Free World," has moments of absolute revelation, which make up for the somewhat tedius title song. "Station Approach" is the lead-in song that every band wishes they could write. The lyrics describing the intense familiarity of home ring freakishly true: "coming home I feel like I/designed these buildings I walk by." But the highlight for me is "Forget Myself." It is one of those rare songs that makes me want to get up and run around the block. Inspiring, brilliant... a near perfect song. Guy Garvey's voice is thick and hoarse and hypnotic, and continues to improve with each album. "Leaders of the Free World" is the pinnacle of Elbow.

4) Clap Your Hands Say Yea

They're from New York, and they could be the start of something really big. Like the Talking Heads before them (a band whose name frequently appears when talking about Clap Your Hands Say Yeah), these guys could be leading a new New York revolution. Elefant thought they were doing it, but their overinflated sense of self-importance got the better of them. The Strokes thought they were doing it, but after the 2nd album was met with a collective, "yea, been there, done that," it was clear they would not be our Big Apple pide pipers. Alec Ounsworth's David Byrne-30-years-ago-and-on-crack voice and the band's art school pop is at once some of the most exciting and strangely accessible music to come out of New York in years. And I dare you to find a better live band.

3) Editors - The Back Room

These top 3 were tough ones for me. There really should be a 3-way tie here. I am addicted to this record from the Editors. From England, the lazier amongst us will dismiss them as Interpol/Joy Division knock-offs. Oh but they're not. They're so so so not. Yea, Tom Smith's deep voice sounds a lot like a more confident (and um, alive) Ian Curtis, but the music blends some fabulous influences from Echo and the Bunnymen, Catherine Wheel, and yes, a little Joy Division (so sue them). Powerful and insightful lyrics, explosive and intense music, this band has the energy and the integrity to crush those who would wave a hand at them as imitators. They really need to tour the U.S. so I can properly worship at their feet.

2) Death Cab for Cutie - Plans

I was so skeptical. I was such a naysayer. "The Photo Album" held a post on Kate's Desert Island disks, I loved it so much. So when "Transatlantacism" came out, I was so excited for it. Imagine my disappointment when it, well, sucked. A lot. It sounded overproduced and self-conscience, and just like they were trying way way too hard. How many songs must we hear about your long-distance relationship, Ben? *yawn* So when "Plans" came out, I was not all that excited. I wasn't even going to listen to it. My friend Tom loaned me the disk and I grudgingly gave it a chance. It is, in a word, transcendant. Deeply personal, insightful lyrics... and Ben Gibbard's voice has never sounded better. It's tight and certain and unflinching, and just plain gorgeous. "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" rarely leaves me without a lump in my throat. They aren't afraid to add some of Gibbard's Human League-esque electronica he fell in love with during his stint with side project The Postal Service, and it adds a beautiful layer to the music. This is just the most near-perfect record I think I've ever heard. They've come back strong. I will never doubt again.

1) Spoon - Gimme Fiction

This number 1 spot may rotate between Editors, Death Cab for Cutie, and Spoon. But for now, I'm putting my almost-year-long obsession with this record in the #1 slot. Because it is just so goddamned good. Bowie-like, Beatles-esque, with a dash of early 70's hard rock mixed in, "Gimme Fiction" is just a joy. The soggy beats, Britt Daniel's sexy, stuffy vocals, and "Merchants of Soul" being one of the best songs I've ever heard in my life, ever. Spoon gets me every time. They are just the essence of cool. I never get bored of listening to this one. There's not a Spoon record that I haven't loved, of course, so I guess the perfection of "Gimme Fiction" should come as no surprise. This is a timeless, colorful, verbose, interesting, witty, and downright sexy record. In the words of Daniels himself, chicks love the falsetto.

depeche the modelator

see, so depeche mode have this song called 'john the revelator,' so i thought i'd do a funny little play on that and... wow, it really didn't work, did it? *sigh*

so kerry and i went to see depeche mode last night! at key arena!

this would be my 4th time seeing them. the 3rd time being in vancouver in '89 or '90. at that show, we saw dave gahan and his now-wife at a club afterwards, and we walked up to him and said, 'hey great show!' and he stared us, turned around, and walked away. oh. ok, asshole.

eh hem.

anyway, so depeche mode was MY band in the 80s. they were my duran duran. they were the first band i can remember needing to know every last detail about, needing to get every single album and 7" (yes i'm dating myself, shut up) that came out. the only part of my room where i could hang posters was in my bathroom, and it was WALLPAPERED with depeche mode posters. i was martin gore for halloween one year!

loved them. love love loved them.

up until 'violator.' then i never listened again.

alan wilder (aka the cute, classically trained one) quit in '95, dave gahan (the wirey, freaky, rude-to-me one) skipped on over to rehab, and now they've put out their first record in 4 years, 'playing the angel.' they've gone deeper into the industrial sound that martin gore (chief songwriter) loves oh so much, and dave gahan even penned a couple of songs, which are actually quite good. so they're touring in support, not surprisingly.

the ravonettes opened up, but we blissfully skipped them and had an 2 hour meal (not by choice, hence the lack of tip) at a local indian place. we got in the doors just in time for depeche.

the visuals were quite impressive. everything looked like a space ship. the keyboards were all wrapped in these little pod thingies that lit up in time with the music, there was this big ball with bits of the lyrics of whatever song they were playing scrolling by on it and flashing lights and various messages, and the lighting was just spectacular. all green and black and cool and spacey looking.

they had an actual live drummer, which is new, and a nice addition.

gore spent most of his time on the guitar (which he has thankfully gotten better at playing since 1989). he looks pretty much the same, except a little fuller in the facial department. same really amazing, delicate-yet-strong voice. the things he can do with his voice are still really impressive.

andy fletcher did his usual kind of hanging around, clapping his hands, and looking like he wasn't doing anything. and besides a hairline that has receeded a bit, he looks like he hasn't aged a second.

they had a stand-in for alan wilder who was never introduced, but he took up most of the keyboard slack and sang backup for gore and gahan. and was quite good. they really should have introduced him.

gahan was his usual gyrating, whirling dervish self, with a body that still looks like a 15 year old boy, and i am not exaggerating. a few more tattoos than you'd hope your 15 year old boy would have, but lordie that's a man who's stayed in fine shape. i guess heroin will do that for you. he also has aged beautifully, and is much better looking than he was even back in the 80s, during depeche mode's prime. his voice was booming and almost too powerful, at times overwhelming the music. but then again, it does that. you forget how strong that baratone is, and i swear he made the speakers shudder. out of that little wirey body comes just the most amazing noise. i chalk it up to the extra-long neck. he really does have a freakishly long neck if you really look at it.

anyway, they played a really great mix of old and new so that the new stuff didn't alienate the fans, like kerry and me, who were there specifically to hear stuff like, 'never let me down again,' and 'everything counts.' they were able to craft their setlist so that everything blended well together and nothing felt out of place.

and they played the best song ever written by a human being on this planet, 'enjoy the silence.' i was a happy happy girl. i had never heard that live again, and it hit me as the show was starting that, omg, this is the band who does 'enjoy the silence,' and omg, they might like, PLAY it tonight er somethin! and they did. aside from the guitar solo-ish thing in the middle (wa...huh?), it was a religious experience.

and yes, they played 'just can't get enough.' it was the cutest ever. at first i was thinking, 'you know, this song actually has aged nicely!' then you realize, with lyrics like, 'we walk together... we're walking down the street... and i just can't get enough! i just can't get enough!' set to the plinky plunky backdrop of the Happiest Synth on Earth(tm), that no, no it really hasn't aged nicely. especially not with the power of gahan's voice belting out sunshiney lyrics like that.

one song that they played, that i almost lost my mind over, that has aged remarkably well was 'everything counts.' the lyrics are great, and just as relevant today as they were in the 80s. everything in that song just worked beautifully. they could re-release it and people wouldn't know the difference.

many times gahan wanted the audience to sing along, and for the older stuff, that's great. but a lot of the audience simply didn't know the newer tunes. so his cries of, 'SING IT WITH MEEEE!' were met with crickets. at least from where we were sitting (floor seats, row 34). they could have been singing up front, but we certainly couldn't hear them. so that was a little odd.

a few times gahan sat by the edge of the stage and let the front row, literally, fondle him. they were touching his hair and his feet, and he was drinking it in. it was actually really cool to see, and when you realize how overtly sexual most of depeche mode's lyrics are, that kind of stage show fits in beautifully.

the biggest thing that struck kerry and i was how relevant the show seemed. it didn't seem like a 'reunion' tour (it wasn't... but other 80s bands who shall remain nameless also didn't technically do 'reunion' tours, but it managed to feel like that). depeche mode felt solid and fresh and vital and just... well, like it did back in 1989. the visuals all worked and were cutting edge and interesting, and the band has lost not one ounce of their energy and range.

overall, a really solid show, and one i would not hesitate in recommending to both newcomers to the depeche world, or old schoolers like me. they managed to keep it cool for all of us.