Two pretty good shows make one great one

Scheduling changes bring Interpol, Liars and Shout Out Louds to the same stage

The band that epitomizes the term “New York City hipsters” will be hitting up Salt Lake’s In The Venue on Monday, Oct. 15. Interpol is currently touring to support the release of their new album, Our Love To Admire.

But this trip to town for Interpol has had its fair share of twists and changes. First, the tour was scheduled for the McKay Events Center with Cold War Kids. Then Cold War Kids decided to take a spot on the White Stripes’ tour that never happened. Now the show has changed to In The Venue, which provides a little more intimate atmosphere.

Currently taking the supporting role for the show, opening up for Interpol is another group who got together in New York City and recently released an album – Liars (that’s the name of the band, not an accusation). Liars’ new self-titled album hit shelves at the end of August.

Then to shake things up a little bit, Oct. 15 was also the night Swedish indie pop outfit Shout Out Louds planned to play a show at Urban Lounge in Salt Lake City. Turns out Morrisey and a couple of other shows are scheduled for the same evening.

So, as confirmed just this past week with Postfontaine, who organized both the Shout Out Louds and Interpol shows, the Shout Out Louds cancelled their appearance at Urban Lounge and have now been added to the bill for the show with Interpol.

Unless you’re a die-hard Smiths fan or love Morrissey’s ravishing chest hairs, Oct. 15 at In The Venue is the place to be. Three of indie’s hippest bands on the scene right now will be all together in the same place on the same night, united by a series of scheduling changes that created the next in a series of must-see shows coming to the area over the course of the fall season.

The show is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. that evening and tickets are priced at $27 if purchased in advance or $30 the day of the show. Tickets, regardless of when their purchased will also have a service fee of $4.50.

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.