Posts Tagged ‘M. Ward’
Reviewed: Monsters of Folk
Monsters of Folk might seem like an inappropriate moniker for indie darlings Jim James, M. Ward, Conor Oberst, and Oberst collaborator Mike Mogis.
The supergroup kicks off its self-titled debut with a number that might fit more comfortably in the genre of Christian R&B pop: “Sometimes it’s so hard to believe in/But God, I know you have your reasons,” sing James, Ward, and Oberst on “Dear God (sincerely M.O.F.)”
But childlike faith gives way to adolescent rebellion on “Baby Boomer,” teachable strife on “Man Named Truth,” and finally cheerful optimism on “The Sandman, the Brakeman, and Me.”
9:30 Two-fer: Fleet Foxes and M. Ward
I’ve heard the Name Game play out in many contexts, but at a concert—between the drummer and some guy standing ten rows into the audience—was a new one. “Do you know Rebecca Callahan*?” shouted a tall kid in a white Polo. “She was, like, two grades ahead…”
“Rebecca, oh, yeah,” replied Fleet Foxes drummer J. Tillman.
This, one supposes, is the fate of stage banter at a show when the drummer admits he grew up in a nearby suburb (Rockville) and is pressed upon to kill time between every song while the lead singer re-tunes his 12-string guitar and the rest of the band hangs out in unhelpful silence. But that was the sort of casual vibe Fleet Foxes brought to the 9:30 Club on Wednesday, breaking down the distance between the band and the sold-out audience in such a way that it felt less like a crowded concert hall than the living room of a buddy who makes you pay $9 for a Guinness. Other topics of band-audience banter included the menu at Rockville pastry shop The Fractured Prune, frontman Robin Pecknold’s bad haircut (hidden beneath a red knit hat, which he refused to remove), and whether Tillman more closely resembled Jesus Christ, Charles Manson, or Rob Zombie.
Weekend Music Round-Up
Friday
- M. Ward, Chain & the Gang. 9:30 club. $25. All ages.
- Deanna Bogart & Tom Principato Band. Birchmere. $25.
- Shortstack, Lorelei, The Moderate. Black Cat. $10. All ages.
- The Charm Offensive, Lanterns, Drunken Banshees, Free Electric State. The Red & The Black. $8. +21.
- The Method, Ramzy, The Frustrations, Justin Trawick. Rock and Roll Hotel. $10. All ages.
- Sunsets with a Soundtrack: The U.S. Army Band Downrange. West Steps U.S. Capitol. Free.
- The Blue Planet Live w/ NSO. Filene Center at Wolf Trap. $20-$48.
- Deep Sang. Cafe Saint Ex.
Leak Proof: Beck, Wu Tang Clan, She & Him, Gareth Williams
Beck: “I’m Waiting For My Man”
The Velvet Underground’s original version of this song made scoring drugs sound exotic and cool. Beck’s cover, on the other hand, is probably a little closer to reality. The second offering from the singer’s Record Club website, where the singer will be covering The Velvet Underground & Nico in its entirety, is dense, sloppy, and out of tune. This is not the sound of hipsters slumming in urban bohemia but a long stroll to the drum circle with your bare-foot Dead-head neighbor. A different activity, for sure, but not one lacking in charms of its own.
She & Him: “Please Please Let Me Get What I Want”
Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward, who perform together as She & Him, take a swipe at the most frequently covered of all Smiths songs for the soundtrack to Deschanel’s new movie (500) Days of Summer. As those covers go, this is a pretty traditional rendering, with heaps of reverb and a gazillion overdubbed acoustic guitars. But Deschanel delivers the vocal with the requisite amount of melancholy and the cover holds its own just fine alongside The Deftones version.
Wu Tang Clan ft. Raekwon, Sean Price, and Cormega: “Radian Jewels”
It certainly sounds like Wu-Tang–synths strings, minimalist beats, Raekwon–but apparently “Radiant Jewels” and Chamber Music, the Rza produced record it comes from, is not a new Wu-Tang Clan record. Instead, according to a particularly confusing press release, it’s just a record featuring new music made with participation from every member of the group and a live backing band that emulates the classic Wu-Tang sound. So maybe it’s better than a “real” Wu-Tang record? Go figure.
Gareth Williams: “Anger of Fire”
Gareth Williams’ role in This Heat, the experimental/post-punk band in which he performed during the early ’80s, seemed somewhat subversive. While his band mates, drummer Charles Hayward and guitarist Charles Bullen, were traditionally skilled musicians, Williams approached things from a more naive and unschooled perspective. He mashed on a bizarrely tuned keyboard, played back tape collages, and fueled the group’s more abstract and unpredictable moments. But “Anger of Fire,” written years after Williams had departed from This Heat, is surprisingly tuneful. Built on two acoustic guitar chords and a reggae-inspired rhythm, it suggest that Williams, who passed away in ‘01, certainly had more in his head than noise.
M. Ward at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
For many, Matt Ward is best known as one half of She & Him, the indie-folk duo Zooey Deschanel (the Ward’s other half in the band) foisted into the limelight last March. But to those who know better, M. Ward is the Fahey-following, finger-plucking guitar hero whose jaw-dropping performance Saturday night silenced the sold-out crowd at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue.
