Beat Jab

Mount Moriah LIVE at Mercury Lounge, Manhattan

Micah Ling — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 14:02:09 +0000

Spring break, 2013! Sort of. It was cold and rain/snowing on Monday night in NYC. It's nearly a full moon. It's past time for legit nice weather to have healed some things. We're all a little cranky and tired. Hell, another strand of the goddamn flu is going around. And yet, there we were. Holding each other up because that's what we needed to do. Mount Moriah was holding a not-sold-out-but-not-sparse-crowd together for a couple of hours. Mercury Lounge continues to be one of NYC's greatest venues. It's small. It's intimate. The sound fucking rocks. This band from North Carolina was a good reminder that no matter what's going on in your little bubble-world, things are circular--they'll come around. Heather McEntire is adorable but in a genius kind of way--in a humble kind of way. She's got punk roots, which shine through from time to time. They can be rocking, and also very quiet. The night largely consisted of their new album, Miracle Temple, but they also took requests, thank goodness. We all needed some lament, some eureka, some bright light. –Micah Ling

The Thermals LIVE at The Ace Hotel Manhattan

Micah Ling — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 00:49:23 +0000

Like every other band that matters, The Thermals are headed to SXSW this week; but fuck SXSW! They played a pretty sweet mini show in the lobby of the Ace Hotel today. Everyone likes to go to cool venues with perfect sound systems, but I'm a big fan of little random jams for the sake of people who appreciate slowing down and listening. What's better than a Monday afternoon with a cup of good coffee and a little break of great music? A few things, but not many. The Thermals are from Portland, Oregon: so, happy-go-lucky-punk-vibe. Being in the Ace Hotel is kind of like being in Portlandia anyway (the two women sitting on an oversized couch next to me were designing what seemed like very simple price tags for clothing, but they were way into it). Kind of a Death Cab/Built to Spill sound. They've got a new album coming out in April, Desperate Ground, and until then, you can check out a track off of it on their website. I wouldn't be surprised to see these guys move up pretty quickly, but I'll be happy to see bands like this in cool hotel lobbies any day. -Micah Ling

Bhi Bhiman, Joe Pug: LIVE at The Mercury Lounge, Manhattan

Micah Ling — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 05:23:18 +0000

Well good god damn, NYC; for 3 reasons: 1. The Mercury Lounge, your sound is amazing! 2. The audience, you were quiet enough to make Joe Pug tell you not to be so quiet and then you responded by yelling, "It means we're paying attention" ...which was oddly perfect and metaphorical 3. Bhi Bhiman you're HILARIOUS, thank god, because it was fucking freezing in NYC Sunday night and we all needed to laugh. A lot. But that's the thing about Bhiman: his songs are funny, even silly sometimes, and he tells great stories, but there's also ache there. He writes the kind of song that can get you through the toughest summer of your life, on repeat. And when you tell him this, he'll likely give you his new album for free. That's what we do, some of us, sometimes, when we're not being altogether selfish: we give what we can--we react to honesty. Joe Pug was there, too: all of his Maryland/Chicago self. So Whitman. So dramatic. His shirt made him look like a fugitive, which he may have been going for. He certainly channels a bit of Cash--lots of other musical greats, too. -Micah Ling

Iced Ink, Heldin, Assorted Animals LIVE at The Rock Shop, Brooklyn

Micah Ling — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 17:00:12 +0000

One cool thing about living in a big city is that you get to see the biggest bands play the biggest venues (and sometimes pay big ticket prices). The cool thing about living anywhere, from Brooklyn to Bozeman, is that the Indie scene is alive and well. Musicians are working, making music, and loving it; and it's a relief to know we cannot escape that. Iced Ink played The Rock Shop in Brooklyn, and frankly, they rocked. Things overheard from the audience, "Even if you think you understand what these guys are doing, you don't--they are so well rehearsed." Also, "That guy [guitarist Mike Krenner] is heroin sweet." Which, yes, sums things up pretty well. Krenner really is incredible, and makes it look easy. They describe themselves as being surf-jazz-metal...but there's also pop and funk and rockabilly in there.

Assorted Animals opened the night, and played some wild covers of The Beatles, Elvis Costello, and others. Heldin was serious metal. Out-of-breath-is-this-even-possible-boarderline-Wayne's-World-heavy-metal. All in one night. All in one place. Don't miss out on this stuff: most of the time bigger is better (don’t kid yourself), but when it comes to smaller venues and lesser known bands, amazing things can happen. -Micah Ling

The xx, LIVE at the Hammerstein, Manhattan

Micah Ling — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 05:34:17 +0000

There's something to that name. Something about staring at those x's. Something sexy and dangerous: like, don't go there, except, do. Go there. I was recently talking to a friend about people either learning to play by the rules or learning to break them. We're all a balance, of course, but David Lynch said "We think we understand the rules when we become adults, but what we really experience is a narrowing of the imagination." This band does not lack imagination, and they certainly seem to be breaking some rules. Combining hyper-technology with old school mixing and raw talent. It wasn't so long ago that you couldn't even really find out about this band: they were doing their thing and people were catching on, but they didn't have a visual presence. (Plus, try searching “xx” back then, and, well…) They were like a Banksy band: who? How? Names? Pictures? I'd say that helped. Their voices do the work: filled with all that gives you pause. They still sort of hide in the fog and the lights. They come and go. All you know is, you feel kissed, and who doesn't need that? –Micah Ling

Count Down 2012: Number 1

Micah Ling — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 20:26:27 +0000

David Byrne & St. Vincent, "Love This Giant" --This is the album that I came back to over and over since the day it was released. Somehow, these two drastically different people and voices converge in an amazing and even unexpected way. I'm most interested in how artists work together these days--and when it works out, it's pretty damn cool. The fact that David Byrne is still working at new, amazing music, makes me excited. This album wins this year, for me, because it's crazy and complicated, and yet refined and beautiful. These artists are having fun, and also having fun together. Plus, they're so normal. Watch their interview on Colbert following the hurricane. They make me proud. -Micah Ling

Lambchop, "Mr. M" -- This year the theme was surprise – or lack thereof. Very little impressed me. So, the albums that made my list were the ones that caught me off guard, track after track. Except this one. Lambchop (a band, lead by a guy, Kurt Wagner) has made some good albums. “Mr. M” was good on first listen. A million listens later and it’s stunning. Over and over and over again it delivers. It’s gentle and divine, lulling and grand. Lyrics call up every lost memory in your head. Its music is never anything but exquisite. It’s confident music made for anxious times. ~ Jay Cullis

Click here for a link to a Spotify playlist featuring all our picks for the best music of 2012.

Count Down 2012: Number 2

Micah Ling — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 20:04:40 +0000

Fiona Apple, "The Idler Wheel..." --Fiona Apple is in a different league. As a musician, yes, and maybe even as a human being. She doesn't discredit or resist emotion: she fully embraces it all. Lots of times, that's crushing, which is why a lot of us hide. Apple recently canceled several tour dates to be with her dying dog, saying, "This decision is instant. These are the choices we make, which define us. I am not the woman who puts her career ahead of love and friendship. I'm the woman who stays home, and bakes tilapia for my dearest, oldest friend." That says it all. This whole album is just like that quote. -Micah Ling

Sharon Van Etten, "Tramp" -- “To say the things I want to say to you would be a crime.” That’s how Sharon Van Etten led off her slyly titled, seven-song EP “Epic” back in 2010. Now, in 2012, the only crime is that so few know about this incredible artist and her heart-wrenching, heart-broken music. “Tramp” is one blindsiding song after another. Not simply a singer, or even a singer-songwriter, Van Etten is a force of nature. Adele gets all the scorned woman attention these days. Let’s change that, you and I, and give Sharon Van Etten the attention she deserves. ~ Jay Cullis

Count Down 2012: Number 3

Jay Cullis — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 11:41:49 +0000

Cat Power, "Sun" -- I saw Cat Power in Manhattan earlier this fall. She was a little crazy. But that's what we all crave, right? The ability to embrace wonder? The ability to be unembarrassed by it? Everyone should be trying to get back to the mindset of about fifth grade. Knowledge and recognition of the world, but absolute curiosity. That's Cat Power. She reminds me of an adult fifth grader, in the best possible way. Her songs are just truth. This album is perfect. Buy it on vinyl. Listen to it as a child. -- Micah Ling

Beach House, "Bloom" -- With “My Girls” three years ago, Animal Collective brought “the drop” to the masses: that moment in a song where everything before was just intro, and everything after is careening toward the end. In the years since, Beach House have perfected the absence thereof – that limitless place where music simply continues. Building, never tiring, never boring, always churning. Sure, other bands have trod this territory. But none have done so much with so little. So many simple pleasures are found throughout “Bloom.” It’s a walk toward a limitless horizon. Such possibility, opening and opening and opening. ~ Jay Cullis

Click here for a Spotify playlist featuring all our picks for the best music of 2012!

Count Down 2012: Number 4

Micah Ling — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:02:24 +0000

Leonard Cohen, "Old Ideas" --As usual, Leonard Cohen put out the sexiest album of the year. How in the world can he get away with whisper-singing “I’m naked and I’m filthy”? He’s 78 years old and still killing it: still selling out concerts and perfecting albums. Because of that voice and those lyrics. If you don’t think poetry is powerful or necessary, well, this might change your mind. This is the kind of album, that, if warring nations listened to it, they might just fall down and weep. I’d be willing to bet money on it. What if we at least try it? The Cohen condition. Might cause a whole lot of love making. -Micah Ling

Cat Power, "Sun" -- The wonder of Cat Power’s musical catalog is akin to a novelist finding success in the mystery, romance, political thriller, and science fiction genres. It just doesn’t happen. But somehow she’s run the gamut from punk to Dusty-in-Memphis-soul… and now to throbbing electronica. “Sun” is her sci-fi. It’s dark and dangerous and full of sound, with few guitars in sight. It’s miles from her excellent 2006 album “The Greatest” and light years from “Moon Pix.” There’s nothing wrong with the distance. It feels honest, raw, momentous and real. This album is fiercely alive. In other words: It fits right in. ~ Jay Cullis

Click here for a Spotify playlist featuring all of our 2012 picks so far!

Count Down 2012: Number 5

Jay Cullis — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 11:51:08 +0000

Usher, "Looking 4 Myself" --I'd like to reiterate what I said in June about this album. It's like this, Prince + MJ + James Brown = Usher's latest. That's not a bad equation to be part of. "Climax" is Prince hot, for sure. Yeah, I just used Prince as an adverb: he's that powerful. I respect this guy as much as the ones in that equation because he's influenced. He's ready to admit that he takes things from Rick Ross and Mumford & Sons. If any artist is honest, they'll tell you that they are influenced non-stop. It's why we pay attention at all: to turn it into something our own. -Micah Ling

Jack White, "Blunderbuss" -- My bottom five could have been filled with any number of albums in any order. But my top five this year were easy picks. Jack White’s solo effort made the cut simply by being consistently surprising and audaciously eclectic. These songs are like fingerprints. No two sound alike, yet their creator’s signature is written in every chord, every lyric, and every fuzzy guitar tone. That’s the genius here: That thirteen sundry tracks point unequivocally toward a locus. It’s a weird, wild place inside Jack White’s head, and this is an album that rewards with riches every time you spin it. ~ Jay Cullis