A handful of great bands kicking out live music in London this October including Friendly Fires, Elbow, Jenny Lewis, Fall Out Boy and The Last Shadow Puppets. By the Spoonfed Team.

Read the preview at Spoonfed Reviews.

Music. Art. Comedy. Theatre.

I say obligatory, because I've been re-reading my old festival review posts (Intonation ('05), Lollapalooza ('05), Pitchfork ('07)) to figure out if it's always been this much work to get our "money's worth" out of a festival. My conclusion is that ACL was, in fact, a mistake. Next year we'll be doing afterparties only.

Friday
Mates of State where dependably enjoyable. It's funny to see a band like them on a festival stage. They fit better in bowling alleys and tiny pubs. On a big stage, they look lonely, too far apart from each other. It's also odd to see them with other people (strings section) on stage.

We left after about 2/3 of the set, to go see Jenny Lewis at the WaMu JP Morgan/Chase stage. Unfortunately, the stage had an awkward roof and bleachers, so that if you weren't queued up early, you couldn't see or hear her. That was a lot of my issue with the fest, that for every set you had to try to beat the crowd there, or risk completely missing out (unlike Lolla, where you could at least hear/see monitors from a great distance).

Saturday
I got there early for Fleet Foxes, since they sold out last time they were in town. It was a great set for early in the morning (okay, noon-ish), very chilled and comfortable (albeit hot). By the end of the set, though, they had to compete with the leaking sound from other stages. My other main gripe with ACL is that there's much poorer coordination between the stages, so if you're not really close to the stage you want to be hearing, you're going to get a mash of sound.

cupcakepants and hhuynh512 didn't get there early enough to catch the show, so it wasn't quite as much fun by myself. Attempting to meet up with people for The Fratellis was also fail, so I gave up for the evening, since I was going to see Conor Oberst at the afterparty on sunday. After a long walk home, I was sunburnt (hah) and exhausted.

Sunday

Stars were our first set, although not as relaxing as fleet foxes. They're more of a CD band than I live band, I guess. Rather than trying to deal with fighting through the crowds to see anyone else, we stayed in place for Okkervil River (meh) and Tegan and Sara. Sara actually apologized for passing out during the Lollapalooza we saw them at, which was hilarious. Darkness had fallen before they came on, so there were no such difficulties this time.

In the end, even with only getting up for beer/food/bathroom, we were still to tired to make it to Conor's afterparty.

So here we have everything that came out in 2008 that I listen to. As time goes on, I'll update it with my thoughts and ratings for what will hopefully be each album.

Able Baker Fox - Voices -- 7/10 - Able Baker Fox has the technicality of Moneen and a vocal quality not unlike Nic from Gatsby's. Plus Small Brown Bike ftw. I find myself not listening much to the lyrics with this album, which is weird.
The Academy Is... - Fast Times At Barrington High -- 2/10 -- Were they even trying? Almost Here was a fluke, I guess. That album had emotion and conviction, andthe songs were catchy. This time they're just catchy, and catchy does not automatically equal good. Right, Daniel?
The Action Design - Never Say -- 4/10 -- Tsunami Bomb was awesome in 2005 opening for the Bouncing Souls. Not so awesome in 2008 doing dancy indie rock.
Alkaline Trio - Agony And Irony
Alkaline Trio - Goddamnit (Reissue)
Anberlin - New Surrender
Andrew Jackson Jihad - Only God Can Judge Me
Anthony Green - Avalon
Anti-Flag - The Bright Lights Of America
The Apprentice - The Apprentice
Armor for Sleep - The Way Out Is Broken
Astronautalis - Pomegranate
Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold
The Audition - Champion
Augustana - Can't Love, Can't Hurt
AZ - Undeniable
Bayside - Live At The Bayside Social Club
Bayside - Shudder
Ben Folds - Way to Normal
The Cast Before The Break - As Your Shoulders Turn On You
Chris Bathgate - Wait, Skeleton
Chris Walla - Field Manual
Cinematic Sunrise - A Coloring Book And Long Playing Record
City and Colour - Bring Me Your Love
Clipse - We Got it 4 Cheap Vol 3
Colin Meloy - Sings Live!
Colour Revolt - Plunder, Beg, and Curse
Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst
The Cool Kids - The Bake Sale
Counting Crows - Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings
Damien Jurado - Caught In The Trees
Dead Confederate - Wrecking Ball
Dear and the Headlights - Drunk Like Bible Times
Deas Vail - White Lights
Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
The Decemberists - Always The Bridesmaid: A Singles Series
Destroyer - Trouble in Dream
Dillinger Four - C I V I L W A R
DJ Khaled - We Global
Foxy Shazam! - Introducing
Frank Turner - Love, Ire, and Song
Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
The Game - LAX
The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound
Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly - Searching For The Hows And Whys
A Girl, A Gun, A Ghost - Through The Eyes Of Ahab
Good Old War - Only Way To Be Alone
Gym Class Heroes - The Quilt
GZA/Genius - Pro Tools
Head of Femur - Great Plains
The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
House of Heroes - The End Is Not The End
The Hush Sound - Goodbye Blues
Jack's Mannequin - The Glass Passenger
Jaguar Love - Take Me to the Sea
Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue
Jonezetta - Cruel To Be Young
Joshua Radin - Simple Times
Koufax - Strugglers
Lagwagon - I Think My Older Brother Used To Listen To Lagwagon
Less Than Jake - GNV FLA
Lil' Wayne - Tha Carter III
Looking Glass Wars - The Musician
Lost In The Trees - All Alone in an Empty House
The Loved Ones - Build And Burn
Lovedrug - The Sucker Punch Show
Ludo - You're Awful, I Love You
Lydia - Illuminate
Man Without Wax - Anchor
MANSIONS - Mansions
Maps and Atlases - You and Me and the Mountain
Margot & the Nuclear So and So's - Animal!
Margot & the Nuclear So and So's - Not Animal
The Matches - A Band In Hope
The Max Levine Ensemble - Ok Smarty Pants
Mitch Hedberg - Do You Believe in Gosh?
The Morning Of - The World As We Know It
The Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride
Murder by Death - Red of Tooth and Claw
Nas - The Nigger Tape
Nas - Untitled
New Found Glory - Tip Of The Iceberg
Norma Jean - The Anti-Mother
Okkervil River - The Stand Ins
Panic at the Disco - Pretty. Odd
Paper Rival - Dialog
Polar Bear Club - Sometimes Things Just Disappear
Pompeii - Nothing Happens For A Reason
Portugal. The Man - Censored Colors
Protest the Hero - Fortress
Punchline - Just Say Yes
R. Kelly - 12 Play 4th Quarter
R.E.M. - Accelerate
Re-Up Gang - Re-Up Gang
The Reign Of Kindo - Rhythm Chord & Melody
Rick Ross - Trilla
The Riot Before - Fists Buried in Pockets
Rise Against - Appeal To Reason
The Roots - Rising Down
RZA - Digi Snacks
Say Hi - The Wishes And The Glitch
The Scenic - Find Yourself Here
search/rescue - The Compound
Shai Hulud - Misanthropy Pure
shining through - man vs wild
Smoking Popes - Stay Down
Socratic - Spread The Rumors
Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin - Pershing
The Sound of Animals Fighting - The Ocean And The Sun
Straylight Run - Un Mas Dos
The Streets - Everything Is Borrowed
T.I. - Paper Trail
Thrice - The Alchemy Index Vols. III And IV Air And Earth
Thursday - Thursday/Envy
Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell
Tourmaline - The Swindle
United Nations - United Nations
Usher - Here I Stand
Wale - The Mixtape About Nothing
Why? - Alopecia
Wild Sweet Orange - We Have Cause To Be Uneasy
Young Jeezy - The Recession
Your Best Friend - Your Best Friend
1969 - Maya

Still to come:

9/30 - Joey Cape - Bridge
10/7 - Annuals - Such Fun
10/14 - Copeland - You Are My Sunshine
10/14 - This Town Needs Guns - Animals
10/28 - Dead to Me - Little Brother
10/28 - Fear Before - Fear Before
10/28 - Forgive Durden - Razia's Shadow
10/28 - John Legend - Evolver
10/28 - Ryan Adams and the Cardinals - Cardinology
10/28 - Tom Gabel - Heart Burns
11/4 - Fall Out Boy - Folie a Deux
11/4 - The Graduate - Interlude 2.0
11/11 - Butch Walker - Sycamore Meadows
11/11 - Right Away, Great Captain! - The Eventually Home
11/11 - Ludacris - Theater of the Mind
11/19 - Anathallo - Canopy Glow

No dates:

The Mountain Goats - Satanic Messiah
The Mountain Goats and Kaki - Black Pear Tree EP[

New recordings from Kings of Leon, Jenny Lewis, Joan Osborne, Calexio, Dr. John, Lenka, TV on the Radio & Dr. John which are all, in their own way, crazy good. Plus, and most importantly, Liz Phair rocks!

Instructions: This works best if you have an active Last.fm account! Through the judicious use of online statistics, take out your list of Top 50 artistes based on play count, and answer the following survey.

How did you get into 31? (Michelle Branch)
Back in the old days, I turned the TV on one sunny 2001 afternoon, and the song that came on MTV was "Everywhere" by Michelle Branch. That's how. I got both her albums later, but never partook in anything else she ever did. I suppose I outgrew it.

What was the first song you ever heard by 22? (Mark 'm0ds' Lovegrove)
The soundtrack of Trilby's Notes, while only in midi form, was my entry point to m0ds. Specifically, the piece "Remember" which played in Trilby's opening monologue.

What's your favorite lyric by 29? (Emilie Simon)
Emilie Simon? How the hell would I know, it's in French! And besides, I haven't listened to her for the longest time ever. Samantha was the one who introduced this to me.

What is your favorite album by 49? (Marit Larsen)
Considering she's only had one album, Under The Surface, which I found somewhat 'bleh', it has to be Under The Surface.

How many albums by 13 do you own? (Garbage)
I don't "own" any of their albums, but I have full mp3s of one album, what do you call it, Bleed Like Me. That's my favorite of them, actually.

What is your favorite song by 50? (Radiohead)
A pretty obvious, if unexciting, answer. "Creep".

Is there a song by 7 that makes you sad? (Storm and The Balls)
Yes, there is! A bunch of songs, in fact! Storm can make me laugh, make me stand up straight, and make me feel a touch sad. One of those sad-inducing songs would be, um, "Where Is My Mind?"

What is your favorite song by 15? (James Newton Howard)
Anything off the Batman Begins soundtrack. If you have to ask me to name one... well, "Molossus".

What is your favorite song by 5? (Poets of the Fall)
"Carnival Of Rust". That's their absolute superlative, six-star song.

Is there a song by 6 that makes you happy? (Bear McCreary)
Um, I don't think so, because the Battlestar Galactica soundtrack - which is beyond great, everybody, honestly, you don't even have to be a fan of Galactica or sci-fi to enjoy his drum & percussion heavy masterpieces - is so bleak at times. "Passacaglia" makes me feel happy sometimes though.

What is your favorite album by 40? (Ozzy Osbourne)
"Mr Crowley".

What is your favorite song by 10? (Shiver Skin)
EVERYTHING is my favorite song by Shiver Skin. EVERYTHING. If you really wanted just one, I'd say "From Exordium To Entropy", with the 2nd non-modified Intro.

What is a good memory you have involving 33? (Shivaree)
Shivaree? Well, um, "I Close My Eyes" reminds me of a very, very disastrous relationship. Disasters of an emotional sort give me good memories.

What is your favorite song by 37? (The Smiths)
"How Soon Is Now".

Is there a song by 19 that makes you happy? ("Weird Al" Yankovic)
Everything he does makes me happy. In particular, "Weenie In A Bottle".

How many times have you seen 24 live? (KT Tunstall)
I've never seen anybody live, let alone KT Tunstall.

What is the first song you ever heard by 23? (Swan Lee)
"Tomorrow Never Dies", off the Hitman: Blood Money soundtrack. I loved that. It was so angelic, that scene at the Heaven party.

What is your favorite album by 11? (A Camp)
Nina's only released one A Camp album, but with Colonia coming out in just a matter of weeks, I hope that'll be a new favorite album. A Camp the album was, to be honest, an acquired taste.

Who is a favorite member of 1? (The Cardigans)
Would it be a surprise if I said, Nina Persson, frontwoman?

Have you ever seen 14 live? (Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard)
As said previously, I've not seen anybody life, let alone them.

What is a good memory involving 45? (The Cranberries)
The Cranberries? I don't know. I think it was when Dilana Robichaux sang "Zombie" for Rockstar: Supernova, and just purely owned the song.

What is your favorite song by 16? (Storm Inc)
My favorite song by Storm Inc. is "Ruin Everything", though I have to say that her work with The Balls was far, far superior.

What is the first song you ever heard by 47? (Soundtrack from Vampire The Masquerade - Bloodlines)
Number 47 is the musical score for Vampire: the Masquerade - Bloodlines. There are some fantastic scores here, but the first I must have heard would probably be... the "Santa Monica Theme".

What is your favourite album by 21? (The Sounds)
The Sounds. Hmm. For me, it would have to be... Dying to Say This to You. Haven't listened to them in a while, though.

What is your favourite song by 18? (Michael Nyman)
"The Departure" from the Gattaca soundtrack. So plaintive.

What is the first song you ever heard by 38? (The Kinks)
"Village Green", and I clearly recall when and how: Hot Fuzz's soundtrack.

What is your favourite lyric by 3? (Poe)
There's too many favorite lyrics by Poe I absolutely love, but this piece from "Angry Johnny" definitely must be it.
I can do it in the water
I can do on dry land
I can do it with instruments
I can do it with my own bare hands

What is your favourite song by 2? (Metric)
"Too Little Too Late", which incidentally is also my favorite song of the entire 13,000 songs I've listened to since downloading Last.fm

What was the first song you ever heard by 32? (Beirut)
"Elephant Gun".

What is your favorite song by 8? (Rilo Kiley)
Just today I found my new favorite song, "Silver Lining", off their current album Under The Blacklight. "Silver Lining" is pure love. I love Jenny Lewis' voice on this.

How many times have you seen 17 live? (Kind of girl)
They're in freakin' Denmark, what am I supposed to do?
Well, as soon as they tour anywhere within a 500 mile radius of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, I will come and see them.

Is there a song by 44 that makes you happy? (Jonathan Coulton)
I've only got one song by him, and it's "Still Alive".

What is you favourite album by 12? (David Bowie)
David Bowie? There's a lot, and they're all varied. But I suppose I'll go with Scary Monsters.

What is the worst song by 46? (U2)
I don't really listen to U2, so I wouldn't know. There's a lot of songs by them I just feel indifferent about.

What was the first song you ever heard by 34? (Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton)
Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton... I'm really not sure, it's one of either five songs, but I think it's Eden or Pink.

What is you favourite album by 42? (Weezer)
I don't have one... well, maybe The Blue Album. I bought Make Believe some years back, but was almost 80% bleh about it.

How many times have you seen 39 live? (Green Day)
STOP ASKING ME IF I'VE SEEN ANYBODY LIVE.
I HAVE NOT SEEN Green Day LIVE.

What is your favourite album by 36? (Franz Ferdinand)
Whatever it was that had "Walk Away" in it.

What was the first song you ever heard by 28? (Conjure One)
Their collaboration with Poe, "Extraordinary Ways".

What is you favourite album by 4? (Darling Violetta)
Definitely, definitely, definitely Parlour. I hear DV4 is coming out reeeal soon. I must, I must, I must get it!

Ok, lets name an artist/band with each letter :D

A - Alicia Keys
B- Björk
C- Carrie Underwood
D - Dido
E - Eisley
F - Fiona Apple
G - Gloria Trevi
H - Hilary Duff
I - Ingrid Michaelson
J - Jenny Lewis
K - Kelly Clarkson
L - Leona Lewis
M - Mariah Carey
N - Nellie McKay
O - Oasis
P - Pink
Q - Queen
R - Regina Spektor
S - Shakira
T - Travis
U - U2
V - Vanessa Carlton
W - Whitney Houston
X - Ximena Sariñana
Y - Yuridia
Z - Zombie Girl

Fri 12 Sep – Jenny Lewis

Just a few videos of Jenny Lewis (accompanied by Johnathan Rice and others) performing at The Echo in Echo Park/Los Angeles, California, on September 12, 2008. It was an intimate warm-up show for her Acid Tongue tour.

You can find all of my concert videos on my YouTube page.


Carpetbaggers:




Acid Tongue:




See Fernando (sometimes just called Fernando):




You can find all of my concert videos on my YouTube page.

Part IV is coming very soon. I probably should've waited until after the 23rd and just posted what I'm sure will be two more additions by Jenny Lewis and of Montreal. But oh well. Here goes...

Conor Oberst-Conor Oberst. I really wondered, before this came out, how different it was going to sound from Bright Eyes stuff, and it is completely different, but in a good way. I Don't Want to Die (In a Hospital) and Get-Well-Cards are my two favorites, but almost every song is great.

Sons and Daughters-This Gift. Thus far, I have given this album two listens all the way through, and it is excellent from start to finish. Not much else to say besides that.