Review: Sick of Sarah @ TT the Bear's, 3/30/11

"What are you gonna write about?" Katie of Sick of Sarah asked me in the bathroom after her band had just finished their sweet set. We had met earlier and I told her I would be writing up a review of the show. I didn't have a good answer to her question, so I asked her for some help.

"Rock and roll!"

Rock and roll it is! Sick of Sarah are a five-piece pop/punk band out of Minneanapolis who are now out promoting their second album, the excellent 2205. It's fun, sexy, and in your face. Think old school Paramore attitude with more swag and some Tegan and Sara angst. But make no mistake; everything about Sick of Sarah is very rock and roll.

My review would be incomplete without mentioning SoS's opening acts, Lucas of The Cliks and Hunter Valentine, and the bands' collective ability to transform TT's on that typical Boston wintry-mix-in-the-springtime night. Upon walking in, the scene was all alternative lifestyle haircuts and tattoos and cute piercings. It was the kind of unplanned awesome that magically materializes when cool & talented all-girl bands go out and tour.

After supporting high energy (and alcohol) Hunter Valentine for a song or two and dancing around in the crowd, headliners Sick of Sarah took the stage. They opened with current single, the super catchy "Kick Back." Lead singer Abisha Uhl reached out for our hands, jumped around, wore suspenders and did all the things that make the girls swoon. The setlist was full of 2205 tracks: "Overexposure," "Kiss Me," "Autograph," "El Paso Blue," and more. They also played some older favorites, including the song from their debut that first caught my heart, "Bittersweet"!

In stride with the general goings ons of the evening, Hunter Valentine came on stage to offer some backup vocals here and there. There may have been some straddling and suggestive dancing involved. It may have been really hot.

It would have been nice to hear Abisha's vocals better (technical difficulties) but people in the crowd were able to help with that by knowing almost every word. Overall, the music and the atmosphere was on point. Sick of Sarah are the kind of band whose energy, edge and sense of humor come through live — on stage, at the bar, out front, etc. They have the talent, and their tight bond as rock star friends doing what they love was no joke either — just check their wrists for the matching 2205 tattoos.

- Jessy Bartlett

WTBU & the WRC present: Open Mic Night

Come one, come all! WTBU and the Women's Resource Center at BU are teaming up to host Open Mic Night on this Thursday, November 19 at 7 p.m.

All artists are welcome. Sing a song, read your poetry, do magic?... Just do it up right! If you would like to perform, please give a shout on the Facebook event wall, send us a message, or sign up at 6:50 p.m. before the show begins.

The evening will take place at the WRC, in the basement of the GSU (775 Comm Ave) and will be hosted by WTBU's/WRC's own Jessy Bartlett!

ALL are welcome in this comfy space and we hope to see you there for a great night of music and fun!

Off the Hook in '09 & Overlooked in '08

Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca (2009)

"Isn't life under the sun just a crazy, crazy, crazy dream?" asks Amber Coffman of the Dirty Projectors in "Stillness Is the Move," the first single off Bitte Orca. If music can sound this crazy good all the time, then I think it must be.

The Dirty Projectors have finally cleared the hurdles of over ambition and lack of cohesion. Bitte Orca pulses with life, a full out celebration of everything under the sun. Mind blowing arrangements of vocals and all instruments take flight over grooves you'll swear were inspired by your heart and soul on your best day. If David Longstreth's impulsive YEAH!s won't get you, the African beats and queer harmonies will.

All female vocals, precise to the point of sounding alien-like at times, show auto-tuner what's up and then some on "Temecula Sunrise" and "Stillness Is the Move." A seamless transition into "Two Doves" follows, a love song with a gorgeous hook. Love seems to be the order of the day on Bitte Orca, and you will feel it all over; it's impossible to sit still when the electric finale of "Useful Chamber" hits and breaks you into a million happy pieces as Longstreth shouts, "Bitte orca, orca BITTE!" over raging guitars. Even darker lines such as, "... beckoning everyone in for the good news that / no one has any good reason to live!" heard on "The Bride" are delivered as a cause for rejoicing in a big way.

Bitte Orca makes me want to run out into the streets, conjure up an impromptu cultural festival in a major metropolitan area, and then embrace all parties involved under a blazing setting sun. Take that as you wish, but if you give any album a chance this summer, please let it be this one.

Other Top Contenders:

St. Vincent - Actor : Annie Clark is back for another round of weird fantasy meets tragedy storytelling on her sophomore effort, and she's now even harder to pin down. Rock "Marrow" at your house dance party or bring on nightmares with "The Neighbors."

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest : Another harmony and unorthodox instrument party. See review.
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Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line (2008)

I'm not sure why I slept on Ra Ra Riot's debut full-length release, but after seeing them live, it's sure got my attention (and love) now. Wes Miles' vocals are disarming, sad but sweet, while violin and cello accompaniments class things up with a gravitas you don't often find in young bands. Their wise-beyond-their-years vibe may very well be rooted in the tragic death of band member John Pike back in 2007. Standout tracks such as "Winter '05" and "Dying is Fine" are given new weight as a result: "If you were here / Winter wouldn't pass quite so slow...."

Still, with the heavy-heartedness comes a bright and steady light of optimism that permeates the album. "Oh, la! / We've got a lot to learn from each other, we have got to stick together," pleads Miles on "Oh, La." The sunny "Each Year," inspired by literary children's classic To Kill a Mockingbird, can sum up the spirit of Ra Ra Riot: innocent but mature, hopeful, and well-meaning. The infectious "St. Peter's Day Festival" is instant favorite material while album closer "Run My Mouth" sports a bridge that will earn repeat listens for days.

The Rhumb Line succeeds because it works on so many levels. It can be poignant and emotional or uplifting, heels-a-clicking fun. It can keep you company in the dead of lonely winter or spring you back to life for summer. Either way, there is not one throwaway track on here.

Also worth checking out:

The Kills - Midnight Boom: Lead singer Alison Mosshart is dangerous (irresistibly so), and she will take you for a ride on her crazy train. "Tape Song" and "Cheap and Cheerful" showcase the album's gritty, sexy and so very rock & roll attitude.

- Jessy Bartlett

Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest

A band can have all the talent in the world, but if it can't break through its own majestic bubble to meet the rest of us at least halfway, all bets are off. It would be like putting a brilliant professor with no teaching skills in a classroom; that's just not going to be a fun class for anyone.

Grizzly Bear have earned critical praise in the indie rock world for their first full-length, 2006’s Yellow House. For me, Yellow House is pretty but boring. While original and technically impressive, it plays like a gorgeous haunted house without the thrills, and without lasting appeal.

On the other hand, Veckatimest is the dream sophomore breakout album we knew Grizzly Bear was capable of. In its entirety, Veckatimest glides along from break to bridge with Grizzly Bear’s trademark ghostly choirboy harmonies leading the way. What Yellow House lacked in structure, Veckatimest more than makes up for with songs that progress fluidly to treat the ear and imagination.

Album opener "Southern Point" starts out calmly enough before bursting out into a string-heavy high-speed chase of a chorus. "Two Weeks" follows, their first single and a standout track. "Would you always / Maybe sometimes / Make it easy? / Take your time," lead singer Edward Droste asks in the chorus over his band mates' jumping falsetto vocals and a beat that jumps with it.

Fun, driving drumbeats are central to many songs on Veckatimest including more uptempo tracks such as "Cheerleader," "While You Wait for the Others" (current favorite), "About Face" and "I Live with You," while "Ready, Able" slips into a dizzying rhythmic coma to end with Droste on repeat in a daze of guilt: “They go, we go / I want you to know / what I did, I did…." When the drums are subdued, the band ups the eerie factor Yellow House-style on tracks such as "Dory" and album closer "Foreground."

A sometimes dark, sometimes light, and always exciting ride, Veckatimest is Grizzly Bear's most accessible and versatile effort yet. While these guys will continue to excite critics, their odd brand of elaborate pop rock on Veckatimest will beckon to music fans from other walks to come see what the fuss is about. Most are bound to find something to like here.

- Jessy Bartlett

Review: Thao @ Iron Horse, 5/12

Thao Nguyen and friends filled the Iron Horse in Northampton with beach drums and ukulele strums last Tuesday night. Together, we bobbed our heads and braved bee stings and all (read: these intimidating characters and a phenomenon sweeping the nation that has come to be known as the Antagonistic Bro).

Samantha Crain & the Midnight Shivers of WTBU rotation fame opened first. Crain's voice shined, big and countrified, sometimes approaching a Joanna Newsome level of strange. Sister Suvi played next with a set that could be the ocean's official soundtrack. They were at their fiercest when ukulele toting Merrill took lead vocals and ordered the crowd to dance in a tone that let us know she meant business.

Thao Nguyen and the Get Down Stay Down, her backing band, took the stage next after setting up some homemade monsters made of wood and earthy colors. She kept the energy high with upbeat favorites from her debut LP, We Brave Bee Stings and All. The trio kept things fresh by pressing the fast forward button on choruses to end songs. Merrill of Sister Suvi and Samantha Crain also joined Thao for a couple songs with Crain's voice making for a rich, peculiar harmony. Thao put an exclamation point on album opener "Beat (Health, Life & Fire)" with a percussion party break around the drum set as she, Merrill and the band gathered around and went to town midway through.


Thao debuted some new songs with the same beat-heavy grooves and sad but sharp observations on the dysfunctionality of past infatuations for which we have grown to love her. "So what am I, just a body in your bed?" she shouted in the chorus of a standout new track. She ended things with "Feet Asleep" where the crowd kept the chorus going long after Thao stopped singing. Girl's got fans.


For more WTBU coverage of Thao Nguyen, including an interview and past show review, click here.

- Jessy Bartlett

Metric and St. Vincent - New Albums This Spring

There are a few bands I keep a particularly close eye on. Every music fan has at least one of these—that special artist you happen upon by accident... they seem to find you. Because you are fated to meet! Because their songs tell the stories of your life one way or another, and they do it with panache.

Well, such is the case for Emily Haines and Metric for me. I am just overjoyed to report that one the most anticipated records of the year, Metric's Fantasies, will be released on April 14, 2009. You can find more information and letters from Emily on their official site, ilovemetric.com.

In addition to what has already been unveiled about the new album, IFC in Canada recently covered Metric in their documentary series, The Rawside of... [Metric]. Some gracious souls have posted the program in its entirety. Between the cool production values, interviews, behind the scenes look and the fabulous Emily Haines, The Rawside of... Metric is a must-see. You can start at Part 1 here.


And if all of that isn't enough to get you jumping about with glee, the ever so magical St. Vincent has announced the release of her sophomore album, Actor, on her website, ilovestvincent.com. Actor will be released on May 5th via 4AD. She will also be playing at SXSW, Bonnaroo and Sasquatch! Festival with "a full itinerary to be announced soon."

Best spring ever? Quite possibly. Get ready for two super records and try to keep your head from exploding!

- Jessy Bartlett