How about the Tweeter Center line-up instead
By WILL SPITZ | August 14, 2007
|
After spending more time than I would’ve liked trying to figure out what the “Download Festival” — an annual multi-city sponsor-saturated concert owned by Clear Channel — has to do with downloading, I decided to give up and just listen to some stuff by bands playing the Tweeter Center date this Saturday. It’s a pretty cool line-up of “indie” stars (Modest Mouse, Yeah Yeah Yeahs), indie almost-stars (Neko Case, Wolf Parade, Band of Horses), college-rock faves (Guster), and local heroes (Bang Camaro, Apollo Sunshine).
Band of Horses, “The End’s Not Near”
Those who were never obsessed with The OC might’ve missed this little gem — a modest, pleasant cover version of a song by the New Year (whose drummer is Boston fixture Chris Brokaw) that appeared on the sixth and final Music from The OC mix.
Guster, “G Major”
It’s easy to see why everyone’s favorite Tufts grads opted not to include this unimaginatively titled song on their latest (and possibly best) full-length, last year’s Ganging Up on the Sun: it’s not good — a plodding, repetitive, melodically boring bit of filler to save for a B-side.
Apollo Sunshine and Mazarin, “Your Advice”
I haven’t heard much from the local boys of Apollo Sunshine since they started work on the follow-up to 2005’s Apollo Sunshine, but they recently posted this live track recorded in June at Bonnaroo with Mazarin frontman Quentin Stoltzfus — a cover of Stoltzfus’s fellow Philadelphians Blood Feathers. It’s a good song, upbeat and (somehow) languid at the same time. I’d recommend checking out the studio version, which is available at Mazarin’s MySpace page.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Down Boy”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs have always been one of those bands I’ve really tried to love but just haven’t been able to. This song, from their new Is Is EP, follows that pattern. It has its moments — Nick Zinner’s Jack White–esque loud-ass guitar molestation right after the chorus — but in the end it goes nowhere. And Karen O still can’t write or sing a melody for shit.
Related:
Modest Mouse, buzzing bees, Playlist: September 28, 2007, Stop the world, More 
- Modest Mouse, buzzing bees
“I think this festival is sponsored by large, stinging insects . . . made by Volkswagen,” quipped Band of Horses frontman Ben Bridwell.
- Playlist: September 28, 2007
Coconut water!, Goji berries!, Kale!, and more.
- Stop the world
To say Apollo Sunshine have skyrocketed to success would be stretching the temptation to equate the Berklee-bred band’s hard-earned accolades with some sort of stratospheric journey.
- Apollo Sunshine open for Wu-Tang
"Well, we got some shit thrown at us, and we got some fingers. But overall, I think a lot of people thought, 'Wow, these guys don't give a fuck.'"
- Band of Horses
Much has changed for Band of Horses and their mercurial frontguy, singer/guitarist Ben Bridwell, since they quietly released their debut album.
- Second job
Tyler Ramsey is currently touring the country pulling double duty as both a solo singer-songwriter and a recent-addition guitarist in Band of Horses.
- Photos: Band of Horses at the Ames Hotel
Band of Horses, live at WFNX Ames Hotel Session
- Best Music Poll 2006
The results are in for the 18th annual FNX/Phoenix Best Music Poll. Gorillaz, Matisyahu, Dropkick Murphys, Dresden Dolls, and Apollo Sunshine top your charts.
- I'm a believer
It was one of those nights: Apollo Sunshine brought basketballs, Atmosphere brought an emo band, and Matisyahu played “King Without a Crown” twice .
- Singles scene
It’s old news: this series of tubes they call the Internet has revolutionized the way music is distributed.
- Music mismatch
Coming off break-up life support has rendered me incapable of common sense, which is why I volunteer to participate in foolish “single girl” activities that I will likely look back on for a chuckle when I’m craggier than Mick Jagger and sporting orthopedic Chuck Taylors.
- Less
Topics:
Download
, Chris Brokaw, Tufts University, Modest Mouse, More
, Chris Brokaw, Tufts University, Modest Mouse, Jack White, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Neko Case, Apollo Sunshine, Band of Horses, Bang Camaro, Wolf Parade, Less
