Arcade Fire warms up the cold night

Despite cool fall weather two great bands draw big crowd

Never having played a show in Utah previously, Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem decided to make the trip together, playing Thanksgiving Point’s Electric Park on Wednesday, Sept. 26.

Both bands are currently touring together to promote their latest releases. Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible has received quite a bit of acclaim, and on the back of their initial release, Funeral, the band has achieved a mass audience and gained a fair amount of popularity.

James Murphy’s LCD Soundsystem has earned quite a bit of buzz in its own right. The new album from the dance-punk outfit, Sound of Silver, has definitely lived up to the standard set by their Grammy-nominated release, LCD Soundsystem.

The hype generated by these two phenomenal releases generated an awesome crowd Wednesday evening, despite the fact the show was set outside and it wasn’t exactly warm after seven that evening. Both bands brought their A-games and satisfied the crowd that had anticipated the day this show would finally materialize.

Murphy and crew got the evening going right on time and in great style. Opening with their stand-out track, “Daft Punk is Playing at My House,” everyone got to dancing and the dancing did not stop for the rest of the night.

One of the most intense moments of the set was when Al Doyle (guitarist, also a member of Hot Chip) shredded his guitar to death at the end of “Movement.” Doyle went to town on his strings and on a myriad of other instruments throughout the set, but the way he took of during “Movement” was truly compelling.

Other than that, Murphy and the rest of the crew were pretty stationary, but that’s their style, and it works. LCD Soundsystem performed well with a good mix of new songs, “North American Scum,” “Someone Great,” and “New York I Love You, but You’re Bringing Me Down,” as well as the classic songs from the self-titled album.

Comprised of ten members and countless instruments, Arcade Fire was impossible not to enjoy. Opening with “Black Mirror” Win Butler and wife Régine Chassagne led the crew through a twisting set of emotional stories unveiled through song. The lights and video that accompanied the group helped turn the set into an experience instead of a concert as well.

They moved between the four “Neighborhoods” from Funeral and hit “Intervention” with the booming organ throughout and hit “No Cars Go” as well. Butler even dedicated “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)” to his grandpa, Alvino Rey, who, according to Butler, took him and his brother William into the surrounding mountains fishing numerous times. He also hinted at the fact that those memories made it hard for him to be back here, perhaps one reason they’ve only passed through Utah on tour until now.

Ending the set with an encore preceded by the rambunctious “Rebellion (Lies),” Arcade Fire put on a spectacle that tops the list of live performances which have come through the state this year. Despite the cold night air and large numbers of people crowding around to take it all in, this show was void of filler and full of incredible music and performance.

Both Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem would be more than welcome back for another show anytime.

One legendary band, one stellar album and two shows impossible to miss

Zeitgeist of Pumpkins, Bravery, LCD Soundsystem and an Arcade Fire

Biblically, after the feast comes the famine and vice versa. If this ideological maxim holds true in all aspects of life, then the return of Billy Corgan's "machine," Smashing Pumpkins is a great example.

In 2000, after the release of Machina: The Machines of God (and an online release of a series of songs called Machina II: The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music), Corgan's supergroup called it quits. Since that time, there has been a Smashing Pumpkins famine. For seven years the alternative rockers that were a dominating force in music remained silent.

Then, on June 25, 2005, in a full-page advertisement in the Chicago Tribune, Corgan announced plans to reunite the band. Though only drummer Jimmy Chamberlain jumped back on board with Corgan to reform the band, the two forged on to tour and produce the bands seventh album, Zeitgeist, which was unleashed in July.

While the album takes a different direction than the Pumpkins' previous albums, Zeitgeist stays true to the heavy, emotional style the band is most famous for. Corgan himself summarized the themes of the album as "love, loss and the government." The last topic is most apparent at first glance of the record. The cover pictures a sun-lit Statue of Liberty robe deep in water -- an obvious statement about current global warming trends. Song titles like "United States," "For God and Country" and "Doomsday Clock" solidify the message being put out in concern to political issues and trends.

But Zeitgeist isn't just an avenue for Corgan's political views to be expressed, the second single, "That's the Way (My Love Is)" attests to the well-rounded attempt Corgan and Chamberlain made to hit the "love, loss and the government" themes. "That's the Way" seems to echo Machina era Pumpkins and is arguably the catchiest track on the album.

Of course each track is good in it's own right, but, even so, Zeitgeist is not comprised fully of hit material. In fact, the album as a whole takes some getting used to before it's committed to memory and becomes a go-to album. An initial listen actually leaves the listener wondering where the transitions between songs even is most of the time.

The album tends to start really heavy and get lighter and lighter toward the end. It makes the listen flow, but also a little one-sided. It feels unbalanced at times but somehow, with each additional listen, it seems to even itself out and take on a more solid feel overall. For the listener spinning Zeitgeist for only the first or second time, do not worry that Corgan is going the way of his solo release.

Smashing Pumpkins are back, with a vengence, and with each unique listen a new track will mean more and gain more favor as the progression to loving the entire album becomes possible. Corgan, Chamberlain and the new crew stay true to the sound that is Smashing Pumpkins and Zeitgeist should be a perfect fit in completing any fan's catalog of the band.

In step with supporting the new album, Smashing Pumpkins are out on the road and will making an appearance in Utah at UVSC's McKay Events Center on the evening Friday, Sept. 28. Doors for the event open at 6:30 and ticket prices range from $36.50 to $47.50 depending on how close you want to be from the action.

Directly supporting the Pumpkins on this leg of the tour is The Bravery. The Bravery also recently put out a new album, The Sun and the Moon, which includes the hit song "Time Won't Let Me Go."

This is one of the must see events of the fall, as is another show which will be coming through Utah only two days prior to the Smashing Pumpkins concert.

Wednesday, Sept. 26, marks a most rare event for music fans in Utah Valley. Indie superheroes Arcade Fire are actually coming to perform in the state of Utah. In support of their incredible release, Neon Bible, and with direct support from LCD Soundsystem, this is a concert that anyone with any taste for indie music cannot miss.

Held at Thanksgiving Point's Waterfall Amphitheatre in Lehi, gates will open at 6:00 and the show will get underway at 7:00. The amphitheatre is a grassy venue and blankets are exceptionally handy for seating. Tickets for the show are $36 for general admission. Between the energy and ingenuity of Arcade Fire and the dance-punk infusion of James Murphy and LCD Soundsystem, whose latest release, Sound of Silver, has been well-received worldwide, this show cannot be missed.

So This week it's the battle of the two super shows in Utah County. Smashing Pumpkins and Arcade Fire. The Bravery and LCD Soundsystem. If there is any possible way to catch both of these mammoth-sized events, it's highly recommended.

In anticipation of Sept. 26, here is an old review/preview combo

Note: The following post is made up of a review for the LCD Soundsystem album Sound of Silver and a brief preview of Arcade Fire's Neon Bible which I wrote before it came out (obviously the information is dated, but it's about showcasing some writing I have done previously about the band and the album). I'm posting this review/preview combo in lieu of their upcoming visit to Thanksgiving Point on Sept. 26. It is looking to be one of the best shows on the year and you should expect a full rundown as soon as it's over on When In Doubt, Clap! So for now, enjoy a review/preview combo of each respective band's latest release.


Sound of Silver sounding more golden
New release by acclaimed disco-punk outfit aims for aesthetics

Sound of Silver, the latest release by LCD Soundsystem, is a major staple in dance albums produced this year.

LCD Soundsystem is the side project of James Murphy, co-founder of Death From Above (DFA) Records. Sound of Silver is the follow-up record to the 2005 self-titled release that made everybody want Daft Punk playing at their house.

LCD Soundsystem’s Sound of Silver was released through DFA/Capitol. It hit stores until March 20 in the United States. The record also leaked onto the internet months before the release date, and numerous fans had already put in a few good listens before the album ever touched the shelves. Those who wanted to get a preview, but not just a pirate copy, got a taste of what’s on the new album on the band’s Web site.

This new effort by Murphy is a standout, sporting tracks that could have been on the self-titled album as well as new standouts that are sure to perk up a lot of ears. Must-here tracks on the album include “North American Scum”, which is the first single from the record, “All My Friends”, and “Someone Great.” “Someone Great” was extracted directly from a 45-minute track Murphy put together for Nike and iTunes, aptly titled "45:33," in 2006.

Despite being a well-put-together release, Sound of Silver does have a couple of the nine tracks that quickly become mundane and overly repetitive. One track in particular, the opener “Get Innocuous”, lives up to its meaning. It fails to catch the listener’s interest throughout its seven-minute plus duration. Murphy and the sound system are in full force on this sophomore effort. He continues expanding his sound on the album, sampling from other influential artists like Bowie, Talking Heads and New Order.

Sound of Silver is possibly one of the most anticipated dance/disco/punk albums of the year. Clips of the new album on the LCD Soundsystem website, lcdsoundsystem.com


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Music Noteworthy of the New Year

A new year means a fresh chance for some excellent music. A number of artists are taking advantage of this by releasing their albums right away in the first few months of 2007.

Numerous releases doesn’t necessarily mean loads of excellent, listen-worthy music. To help alleviate some of the stress of picking through what’s promising and what wasn’t worth the cost of printing, there are some albums worthy of recommendation out there.

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Arcade Fire – Neon Bible

Canadian super group Arcade Fire, masters of utilizing large numbers of instruments as opposed to digitally combining their sounds using technology, bring forth their new effort, entitled Neon Bible, March 6. Neon Bible rings true to the band’s patent sound, and seems to pick up where their initial release, Funeral, left off. Singles like “Intervention” and “Black Wave/Bad Vibrations” make this effort seem a very listenable album that will be worth the anticipation.

In an effort to build some excitement about the release, earlier in January the band created a toll-free phone number which was answered by the first single of the album, “Intervention”. Though not the first to try this technique of getting a song into the public without the cliché internet “leak”, Arcade Fire is working hard to create a buzz about Neon Bible, which, hopefully, and likely, the album can match.

Sleeping With Giants in Salt Lake City

The Academy Is... headlining tour sweeps through In The Venue

As part of their headlining tour, which is better known as the Sleeping With Giants tour, The Academy Is..., brought friends Armor For Sleep, The Rocket Summer and Sherwood to Salt Lake's In The Venue Wednesday night, Sept. 12.

The tour began Sept. 5 and is scheduled to run until the end of November. Still on their first leg of the tour, most of the bands were partial, so far, to a wild, dancy Utah crowd that showed up despite stiff competition from a slew of other concerts in town that same evening.

The show started off with California five-piece group Sherwood. The group had a little trouble getting going as they experienced some technical difficulties with a microphone. But after realizing how distracting from the song the problem was, the guys quit playing, tackled the technical stuff and took it from the top.

Though they were only opening up the tour and it was still early, the Utah kids in attendance were ready to dance to Sherwood's poppy music and crowd surfed the Sherwood set away. Once Sherwood finished up, the crowd intensified in anticipation for Bryce Avary's The Rocket Summer.

By now most every pop-punk fan knows the name Bryce Avary. Since releasing Do You Feel back in July, The Rocket Summer have taken off with their single "So Much Love." The Rocket Summer have been to In The Venue a couple times previously this year, playing with The Early November and headlining with Daphne Loves Derby.

Despite The Rocket Summer's good track record with putting on energy-rich, fun performances, their new-found fame really turned the crowd that turned out to see them into a mob of crazed teens pushing, punching and kicking their way to be Avary's number one fan.

It really put a damper on the experience of the set. Between that and the fact that Avary and crew put on the exact same show (including the confetti cannon) as last time, almost song for song, this trip The Rocket Summer was a bit of a let down.

The surprising act of the night was definitely Armor For Sleep. Though they were the number two band on the bill for the evening, they drew by far the smallest crowd. But everyone that bailed after The Rocket Summer really missed out as Armor For Sleep put on an amazing set.

Playing from their two current releases, What to Do When You Are Dead and Dream to Make Believe, and playing a couple songs from an upcoming album, the boys from New Jersey brought a good energy onto the stage, though their music was a bit heavier and felt a little out of place with the other bands on the tour.

Even though Armor For Sleep was the surprisers for the evening, headliners The Academy Is... really brought the show together and made the evening worthwhile.

With the relative success of both their debut and sophomore albums, Almost Home and Santi respectively, The Academy Is... has achieved about as popular a status as a band of their nature could without"blowing up," as many of the bands on their label, Fueled By Ramen, have in recent years (Fall Out Boy, Gym Class Heroes and Panic! At The Disco come readily to mind). And they proved it with a non-stop power set that hit on near every song in their two-disc library.

Much of the band's draw, as most critics would say, comes from the honest, melodic delivery of vocalist William Beckett. But the entire band deserves credit for the spectacular performance of their stop at In The Venue. Every song was spot on in every possible way, and the presence of each and every member contributed to the power the performance brought into the venue.

Of course, the crowning performance of the night had to be the first single off of the new album, "We've Got A Big Mess On Our Hands," which the crowd went nuts for. And with good reason, as Beckett and crew fed into the energy and intensity of the crowd and played it up for all it was worth.

Though the Sleeping With Giants tour met with some serious competition as both Muse and Rise Against were in town on that same evening, any fan that picked The Academy Is... over the competition that evening did not leave disappointed. Even if the success of the show rested squarely on the shoulders of the headliners, The Academy Is... brought the skill, energy and stage presence that made the Sleeping With Giants tour anything but a giant sleeper.

Modest Mouse draw impressive crowd at McKay Center

Matt Costa and Rilo Kiley play in house with Modest Mouse

Fans packed the McKay Events Center on Monday, Sept. 10, to see indie supergroup Modest Mouse perform with Rilo Kiley and Matt Costa as part of a current west coast tour.

It was an extremely eventful evening which began with a very relaxed set by young singer/songwriter Matt Costa. Costa performed tracks from his 2005 album, Songs We Sing, and other various songs from EPs and singles he has put out since 2003. The Orem crowd was very receptive to Costa's Jack Johnson style deliveries performed with his travelling troupe.

Rilo Kiley presented what some fans may consider was the best performance on the night. Really Jenny Lewis and crew put on a rather standard performance of their new material from Under The Blacklight. Their sound was definitely right on, but their presence on stage wasn't exactly impressive.

Beyond Jenny Lewis' random get-up of black leather, black nylons and high heels, there really wasn't much else happening on stage with Rilo Kiley. It could have been anybody up on stage with the band playing somewhere off the side of the stage and it would have created the same effect. Overall, Rilo Kiley were good, but with all the standing around and just swaying to the beats made it less than complete.

The lack of completion was more than filled with an electric performance by the revamped Modest Mouse lineup, which, of course, now includes former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, who joined the group during the production of their latest release, We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank. Not only did the lineup feel more complete, but the songs felt fuller and stronger even than some of their studio tracks.

Isaac Brock, Eric Judy and the rest of the crew took the stage, which featured a spectacular two-drum setup, with clear plastic masks and an intense performance of "Bury Me With It" from Good News for People Who Love Bad News. Right from the get go the band attacked every song with captivating stage presence, precision sound and a passion for the music they have created.

The crowning song in their set was when they pumped out a pounding rendition of the "Tiny Cities Made of Ashes." The extended version of the song epitomized a set of songs which included unique performances of singles like "Dashboard," "Float On," and "We've Got Everything."

Isaac Brock's between song banter wasn't too bad either. He made off the wall commentary that matched his quirky one-liners that make up the lyrics to a lot of the bands songs. Johnny Marr's dry wit was quite delightful as well. But other than the occasional witty remark, Marr pretty much stayed in his corner and let his guitar genius speak for him.

Capping the night off with a phenomenal encore, which included "Spitting Venom," Modest Mouse made their mark on the crowd at the McKay Events Center. A show that looked to be a fairly good show turned out to be an incredible evening of live music, mostly due to the untouchable indie genius of Isaac Brock and Modest Mouse.

Jamboree Music Festival Guest Review

Jamboree Rocks Thanksgiving Point

Greg Wilcox
Life Writer for The College Times

The Jamboree music festival kicked off this last Saturday at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi. Somewhat resembling a low-key Vans Warped Tour, The event featured many famous artists on the music scene today, including Dashboard Confessional, The Format, and Limbeck band to name a few.

The doors for the show opened at around 1:00. Shortly after, the show was started by the local favorite Love You Long Time. Although they did manage to give an energetic performance and get the festival started, they were also incredibly cheesy with their onstage dancing and very poor, nasally vocals from the singer.

A highlight of the jamboree for many attendees was the reprisal performance of The Aquabats, who delighted the audience with their onstage antics and live performance of fan-favorite songs such as “The Super-rad”. In particular, they had a seahorse ride competition, where they had two kids crowd-surf race across the audience on inflatable seahorses.

Older audiences and new fans alike welcomed Toad the Wet Sprocket who played some of their early era hits as “All I want” and ”Walk on the Ocean”. One must admit, however, that this band was a somewhat odd addition to line-up of more modern music. They weren’t the only ones that were surprising to see though. Colbie Caillat also performed, and, despite being somewhat out of place compared with the other bands, she gave an excellent performance.

The Format likely drew the most fans next to Dashboard Confessional. Playing a live energetic set, they played such fan favorites as ”The First Single” and “On Your Porch”, the latter turning into one massive sing-a-long. Limbeck Band also performed a good set, and in particular gave a great performance on their song “Honk and Wave”, which incidentally is a song about driving through Utah.

It was the headliner, Dashboard Confessional, however, that most of the audience was there to see. Dashboard’s singer Chris Carrabba started off the set with “Vindicated”, and continued through playing all the fan favorites, eventually ending with “Hands Down”. In between songs, Carrabba told the audience how much he loved playing in Utah, and that he will be back very soon on another tour.

The downside of the Jamboree was that they had only one stage. This made many somewhat impatient, as some bands did take a while to set up and play. Another drawback was the high prices for food, and the restrictions the festival had, such as not allowing backpacks into it. Despite this, however, many bands showed that they were worth the wait, and in general fans seemed to be satisfied and having a good time.

My hope is that the Jamboree will continue, probably not “Next Week!” as the Aquabats singer exclaimed several times, jokingly, but rather on a yearly basis and attract more bands and become a bigger event. How cool would it be to see a rival Coachella Music Festival in Utah?