The Head and the Heart/Howler 4/19

I kind of slacked last week and didn't write a review of the First Aid Kit or Cults shows. I've been kind of busy and let's be honest: 4 reviews in one week would have been too much. To compromise, here's my reviews of both shows in 10 words or less!

First Aid Kit:
Beautiful. Melodic. Swedish. No amplification sing along.

Cults:
Adorable lead singer. Too short. Slighly disappointing.

Okay, now that that's over let's move on to the task at hand.

Yesterday, I did something I had never done before. Actually, I did two things I had never done before. The first and most important one was that I went to two concerts in one day (in a non-festival setting). The second... Well, I'll get to that eventually.

First off yesterday was the Head and the Heart. Now, it's no secret that I'm obsessed with them. Like follow-them-home-hide-in-their-bushes-go-through-their-garbage obsessed.

No, it's not that bad. But I do tweet at them pretty often.

Anyway, considering that I fell in love with them instantly the first time I saw them at SXSW last year, I knew it would be a great show and they didn't disappoint. The concert was outside in front of the student union at my school and, unlike how April usually is, it was colder than a witch's teet. But I stuck it out and it was well worth it.

Unlike a lot of bands I've seen, the Head and the Heart have this way of genuinely seeming like they're having fun on stage. It's like watching a bunch of old friends hang out... Friends who are all insanely musically talented. And incredibly attractive.

My favorite part of the concert was when they did Josh McBride, an unreleased song that's pretty easy to find on YouTube. And I happen to love. My other favorite part was when they did a new song that, no surprise, I loved. And I loved Rivers and Roads. And I loved when Charity mentioned her family's meat shop in northern Minnesota. And... Fuck it, I just loved the whole goddamn show.

I tried sticking around to meet them after so I could tell them HOW FREAKING AWESOME THEY ARE, but they had to go before I had a chance. It was disappointing, but they'll be back in July for the Basilica Block Party so maybe I'll get my chance then. IF YOU'RE READING THIS PLEASE COME SAY HI TO ME AFTER I'LL BAKE YOU COOKIES.



Later that night, I went to concert number two of the day, Howler. They're a local band who's been getting a lot of press lately because they're fucking rad/their lead singer said some things about the Minneapolis music scene that got taken way out of context.

These guys definitely lived up to the hype. The energy was incredibly high the whole show. The audience, including myself, couldn't stop moving. It was awesome. The one criticism I have is that it wasn't long enough. They were on and off in 45 minutes.

Even more awesome was when I ended up selling merch for them after. I'm not really sure how it happened but I found myself behind the table taking cash and handing out CDs and posters. It was kind of cool, especially considering one of my dreams has always been to be "the merch guy."

Awesome. Absolutely awesome. Yesterday was so awesome.

Tonight, it's off to see Dessa for concert #8 this month. I just can't get enough live music!!

Best of 2011 So Far

Holy moly, it's already July! Where did the time go? The year is already halfway over! It also means that I'm just a few weeks away from turning 21 and I'll be able to taste alcohol for the first time ever!!!!

As I'm sure many other bloggers do, I'm going to take this opportunity to reflect on some of the great music that's been released so far this year by picking a favorite album, song, and live act as well as give some props to some of my favorite new discoveries thus far this year. Obviously these are not final because there's still six months to go which will be including Lollapalooza, a new No Doubt album (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), and many other releases and shows. Who knows, by the end of the year these might seem like complete and utter shit... but I doubt that =)

Best Album (So Far)
The first six months have included releases by two of my favorite artists, the Sounds and Lady Gaga. Needless to say I was pretty much giddy for these albums to come out and when they did... I kinda got blue ballsed a bit. They were decent, don't get me wrong, and they both have some great songs on them (From the Sounds Something to Die For album, I recommend "The No-No Song," "Wish You Were Here," and "Better Off Dead." From Gaga's Born This Way, "Americano," "Marry the Night," "Government Hooker," "You and I," "Shei(weird German symbol that looks like a B)e,"and "Edge of Glory" stand out) but as a whole, neither of them was spectacular as far as I'm concerned. Some stronger releases came from Yelle, Cold War Kids, and the Rural Alberta Advantage. In fact, the Rural Alberta Advantage would probably be my favorite album this year if I hadn't spontaneously gone to see a band known as the Head and the Heart at SXSW and become absolutely obsessed.

Seriously, these guys are AMAZING and their self titled debut is one of those rare albums that I like every song on it. They played an acoustic set at the Electric Fetus in Minneapolis last month and it was incredible. I had the chance to talk with them for a minute after and they were incredibly nice and down to earth.

Best Song (So Far)
This one is a bit harder to choose from because there have been a few songs that I've had on repeat. "The Edge of Glory" by Lady Gaga is just... fucking genius. It's like an 80's throwback and, while she gets criticized for that, I personally really enjoy it. Other favorites that didn't quite make the cut include, "The Bay" by Metronomy, "Louder Than Ever" by Cold War Kids, "Cardiac Arrest" by Teddybears feat. Robyn, "Breaking and Entering" by Tonight Alive and "Muscle Relaxants" by the Rural Alberta Advantage but my favorite, which has found a place as one of the few non-Metric songs on my most played list, is "The No-No Song" by the Sounds. It's. So. Damn. Catchy. And best of all it includes my favorite musical element, angry female vocals! Stick it to whoever hurt you, Maja! You can have me. Seriously. I wouldn't say no.

Best Live Act
As I've mentioned in the past, I went to SXSW and that's where I saw my favorite live act so far... twice. Yes, it's the Sounds! They have so much energy and what's there not to love about a group of sexy, sweaty Swedes with a ton of energy? Nothing. I finally got to see Maja's legs up close and in person and THEY ARE EVEN BETTER THAN I IMAGINED. The other thing Maja is semi-known for is her ability to chain smoke through a whole set and, while I normally find cigarettes incredibly disgusting, I was more than a bit turned on. If that's not enough, I randomly ran into them on the street and got this picture with Maja!

Isn't she gorgeous?! She was incredibly nice, too. I always find that makes me like a band that much more because there are some asshole musicians out there.


Some New Favorites
I'm not going to pick just one for this category because there are so many great ones. This list is far from complete but here's a sample:

The Head and the Heart- But I've already talked about them enough.

The Naked and Famous- I discovered them early in the year and I'm just going to attribute it to Merrijoy because she's one of two people I know who understand how AWESOME they are.


Ellie Goulding- HOLY MOTHER OF SHIVA I LOVE HER. How did I not hear about her before?! She might be my favorite Brit. When she sings, she still maintains her British accent but it's not annoying as accents sometimes can be. She does a cover of "Your Song" by Elton John and the video for it on YouTube... Oh man. She's too cute for words.

Dessa- She's another one who I don't know how I missed her before. She's a rapper from Minneapolis and she's just incredible... and that's coming from someone who generally doesn't enjoy rap.


The Book of Mormon- Okay, so this isn't a band, it's a musical. But it's earned a spot as one of the two musicals I actually like (the other being Avenue Q). Hasa Diga Eebowai is... just glorious. Go look it up.

Aaaaand those are my favorites so far. What have been some of yours? Do share! I'm always looking for new music!