Thighs Wide Shut

MGMT
The Ed Sullivan Theater
May 11th

it was no longer time to pretend that MGMT’s new album, Congratulations, sucked, cause in reality, their sophomore effort doesn’t suck twatsoever.  evidence of that was evident when we saw the boys in person on the Live On Letterman gig (which was simultaneously webcasted) last night at the renowned Ed Sullivan Theater.  if you think otherwise, maybe you should speak directly to the MGMT

set list:

Flash Delirium
Destrokk
The Youth
Electric Feel
It’s Working
The Handshake
Song for Dan Treacy
Time to Pretend
Congratulations
(encore)
Brian Eno

but what, no ‘I Found A Whistle‘????

Air
Terminal 5
March 19th

They’re still very French, they’re still very slightly gay, they’re still very very much one of our mos flavorite bands nick goings, and they should never stop, at least until they run out of air.  Their footfall is not light, it’s heavy man!!

Set List
Do The Joy / So Light Is Her Footfall / Love / Remember / Venus / J’ai Dormi Sous L’eau / Missing The Light / Tropical Disease / People In The City / Don’t Be Light / Radian / Cherry Blossom Girl / Be A Bee / Talisman / How Does It Make You Feel / Alpha Beta Gaga / Kelly Watch The Stars – ENCORE – Heaven’s Light / Sexy Boy / La Femme D’argent

perv-e-us engagments:

Theater at MSG in 2007

Coachella in 2004

Hammerstein in 2004

Charlotte Gainsbourg
The Bell House
January 20th

Was this really Serge Gainsbourg‘s daughter’s second concert performance EVER???? It certainly showed at times, with her trademark shyness in play, but she’d also gain confidence along the way and let her lovely quiet voice float high above the juxtaposed hard rhythms her temporary back-up band banged out. Most of what was heard came from her Beck aided 3rd album, IRM, and while Beck wasn’t on hand, and would have probably been a distraction had he been, you could feel his presence in the air. Charlotte’s tiny loud music may not be destined to rawk stadiums around the world, and so this smaller venue was a wise choice, as it perfectly suited her stylings, although we kinda wish we were seated the entire time. We wish for a lot of things, such as wishing we could remove the image ingrained on our brain of CG cutting her vagina to kibbles and bits in LVT’s Antichrist. Gross!!!!!!!!!!!! And as a minused boo-nus, here she is in Antichrist NSFW fingerbanging herself like there was no tomorrow. So not hawt!!!

The Swell Season
Radio City Music Hall
January 19th

The Swell Season were Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, you know, them star crossed busking lovers from Once. Yep, that’s ‘were’, not ‘are’ cause they aint no longers a duo only (also, they’re no longer an item). Hansard is also a part of band called The Frames and while he was off gettin famous with the quiet Czech girl, the rest of his ye olde band were sitting back in Ireland gettin filled with ire, and so Glennie incorporated the group into the Swell Season so they can join in on the riches and stop bitchings, or whatevs, but it doesn’t really matter who’s apart of the SS (damn Nazis!) cause this is Hansard’s show alone, and everyone else be merely puppets in his play of unexpected stardom. And while he and she (and them) are humble pie about the magnitude of going from zeroes to heroes, Glen also basks in his own glory, maybe juss a wee bit too much (his storytelling also carries on a weeeee bit too much). Not to say that he can’t, cause the dude is sortanlee gifted and talented (their/his follow-up Strict Joy is a… strict joy!! and sounded even more so live), but constantly asking your audience to sing along to yer songs when they probably wouldn’t in the first place is quite telling of how Glen views his own place in the world of music. He pours his heart and soul into every note, and while none of those notes are false, not all of them ring true. True or false? Huh? Dunno, but for the moist part, all was swell that ends swell, and we’re still holding out for Twice

setlist + mo pics over at BV

The Fiery Furnaces
Bowery Ballroom
December 12th

remember when we wouldn’t wide shut up about The Fiery Furnaces, circa 2004-05? then they came out with that Metal Machine career destroying music featuring their nana and we promptly turned our backs on them like we did Lindseed Lohag when she got the point where her baby fat was replaced with skanky coke hits and anorexia. wells, a lot of thyme has passed and everyone deserves a second breast enhancement so we gave it to em and they gave it back to us by totally rockin dat shiz like we remembered they dids and now all is well again like Briana Evigan. yes, even in the rain

don’t think we’ll be doings a top 100 music thingies of the 2000s (like we ills with movies, duhvs, look for in 2010 though!), but we’d have to say that Matty Friedberger’s solo shaz (disc 1 only) be one of the breastest!!! czech it before you wriggty wreck it!! and Mattz, if yer reading this, ditch the sis and it’ll be nuttin but bli$$!!!!

Matthew Friedberger – ‘Her Chinese Typewriter’ [d]