Andrew Bird and Madison’s own Pale Young Gentlemen concluded this year’s Forward Music Festival in Madison. It was a wonderful conclusion to a festival that has grown immensely in just one year and we’re already looking forward to what’s in store for year #3. Ed Oliver was on hand, seeing Andrew Bird for the first time and nabbed the shots below.

Discuss: What did you think of Andrew Bird? How did Pale Young Gentlemen sound on the big stage? What were your highlights of the Forward Music Festival? Is it too early to list who you’d like to see next year?

By Tyler Fassnacht

Last night was disappointing in terms of who I didn’t get to see. Antlers, Low, Iran, Fruit Bats, Ganglians and Wavves to name a few, but the bands I did get to see kept the quality high.

My first show of the evening was at the Project Lodge, which is actually a really fun place to see a show. It is small, but very open and it has a big DIY feel to it. Plus it is not located exactly downtown which can be nice when trying to park and just walking around. Anyway the first band I saw was Nuclear Woods, which apparently was their last show. Nuclear Woods were a local band who I feel finally started playing a bunch of shows and getting a little recognition. The drum and bass duo play noisy, technical music; think Death From Above 1979 without vocals and more emphasis and cool bass parts. This was the third time seeing the band for me and every time they seemed to just get better. The first time I saw them (coincidentally also opening for Maps and Atlases), I thought they were awful because they couldn’t keep together and they were a lot less melodic than they became later. This time however, I felt like they had finally become accomplished, which was a nice treat for the fifteen or so people who got to witness the band’s last show.

Next on the bill was Maps and Atlases, who include intricate guitar lines in their music, with a lot of tapping and other advanced playing techniques. The thing about Maps and Atlases is that, even though they almost strictly have complicated guitar parts and the majority of their songs include tapping to a certain extent, they don’t come off sounding pretentious, or worse, gimmicky. When the band started, the Lodge was packed and deservedly so, because the band came on and just powered through their set, without missing a beat, always playing incredibly tight. I feel that this band could easily have fit in on to Friday night’s showcase with Cougar and Collections of Colonies of Bees, but that might have been just too much of a good thing.

After Maps and Atlases I headed over to the Orpheum stage door to catch BLK JKS, but apparently due to some schedule switching or maybe delays (there seemed to be a lot of delays at this festival), the Occidental Brothers were playing at 9 and BLK JKS were pushed to 10. I must say though, that I am really glad I got to see the Occidental Brothers. The majority of the group was from West Africa and they played tropical, slightly westernized African music. I say slightly westernized because they used electric guitar extensively and had a drummer that often used rock beats. With the percussion and horns though, it just made me, and many other attendees, feel like dancing and I think everyone was having a good time. As they finished their set, the singer imparted some suggestions to the audience, “everyone make the good love tonight!”

Continuing with the African theme, BLK JKS were next, who hail from South Africa. This band unfortunately really fell victim to the bad sound at the Stage Door, and the fact that their mixer didn’t seem to be doing their job didn’t help either. For the first two songs it was almost impossible to make out what was going on, but finally after a while the mix seemed to be level and the band started showing why they are being spoke of as a new buzz band. This was a band that relied heavily on rhythm, which was held down by their beast of a drummer. The band played psychedelic songs, with swaying guitar sounds and ripping guitar solos. The drummer also, seemingly on a whim, changed rhythms and tempos several times a song, with the whole band playing right with what he did. They seemed to really excel in their long instrumental sections, which could have been jamming for all I know, but it worked.

Sadly my night, and festival ended with BLK JKS, but it was a pretty damn good note to end on. I’m sure that the rest of the bands playing late into the night were great as well and I really am excited to see what this festival can bring next year.

MP3: BLK JKS – “Molalatladi”

While Tyler was off catching Atlas Sound, El Valiente, Collections of Colonies of Bees and others at last night’s Forward Music Fest, Ed Oliver was snapping photos of Ra Ra Riot, Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s, Flatbear, Archie Powell & the Exports.

Discuss: What band’s did you check out last night? How were Ra Ra Riot? Leave a comment with your thoughts/reviews on the festival thus far and who you’re looking forward to tonight.

By Tyler Fassnacht

After getting downtown a little later than I had hoped I only had around an hour before El Valiente kicked off the Just Sayin is All showcase at the Overture Center, which was the main attraction for me. The only other bands I really got a chance to see were part of the Amble Down showcase, but I can’t complain. The first band was the Cloud Hymn, who with guitar, piano and three voices, played your standard indie-folk, which was a very pleasant way to start off my evening. The band wasn’t super original, but they did their thing very well. The other band from Amble Down that I caught was Meridene. I was only able to stay for a couple songs, but these guys were upbeat and poppy, again very enjoyable from what I saw.

When El Valiente came on a little after 8:00, there were maybe thirty people in the Capitol Theater, so I felt a little bad for them, especially after hearing how good they were. It was the first time I had listened to El Valiente, but I assure you it won’t be the last. The band really exceeded my expectations, with one part math rock, one part post-rock, one experimental and the rest just melodic guitar playing. There were a couple times during their set when the songs would build up until the drummer would be standing up hitting all the cymbals as hard as he could. I’m sure the way they played to the almost empty theater was just as if they were playing to a full house and for that I got to give them some props.

The trend that El Valiente started would keep going on into the night, with Collections of Colonies of Bees. The six-member band often had three guitarists, bass, drums and laptop sampling. During their 45 minute set, the band played maybe four or five songs, but it didn’t visibly bother any of the audience, who kept their heads bobbing (what else could you do at a show like this?) while the band droned through their set and I use drone in a good way. COCOB created beautiful atmospheres with layers of guitar, mixed in with slight electronic noise, which mesmerized you until the climax finally would hit and you would realize they finished a song. This was the first band I saw who I had listened to prior, so my excitement of the night was finally running high.

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I’ve been really enjoying the Early Day Miners new album, Treatment that comes out next week on Secretly Canadian. Milwaukee fans can/should head to Mad Planet tonight (Saturday) for their show along with MoB favorites Decibully & Conrad Plymouth.

In celebration of that show and their new album I got in touch with the band to give me 5 Albums that they’re digging from the past and present. Lots of good suggestions and stuff I myself need to seek out.

Stars of The Lid – “The Ballasted Orchestra”
I found this in the stacks at Waterloo Records while visiting a girlfriend who lived in Austin, TX. It had just been released (1998) and it was one of those LP’s you buy because it looks intriguing and mysterious. I had no idea what it sounded like. It became the soundtrack of my week-long visit. 18 minute +, one and two chord drones that induce a feeling of warmth and melancholy. It rained the entire trip and we welcomed it on her front porch couch with bourbon in our hands and SOTL on the hi-fi. Later I was astonished to find out this was recorded entirely on a Yamaha MT-120 four-track cassette deck. I had one of those in my closet. My soulmate Jackie and I have spent a lot of time blissing out to this record over the years.

Public Enemy – “Fear of a Black Planet”
In the early days of magnetic tape, Luening, Ussachevsky, Stocakhausen, Shaeffer and countless lesser-knowns documented experimeriments on the medium that revealed timbres and textures unknown to human ears. Their work exploded attitudes about the expressive potential of sound reproduction. In the history of rock and roll music, there are two groups that facilitated the most visceral manifestations of this potential: The Beatles and Public Enemy. Where the Beatles pioneered expert use of technology to subtly animate familiar worlds and create a hyper-reality of fulfilled expectation, Public Enemy chose to dismantle accepted sonic constructs and rearrange them into dense, confrontational patterns via drum machine, sampler and turntable. Although “It Takes a Nation of Millions…” may stand as the groups more iconic work, “Fear of Black Planet” is their strongest. Much like “Sgt. Pepper” provided a summary of the collective consciousness of 1967, “Fight The Power” served as a radical crystalization of culture that hasn’t been matched since.

Cocteau Twins- “Treasure”
Music you hear in your dreams. Siren-like female voices chanting unrecognizable lyrics with droney, murky guitars and sharp drum machines that you hear in your heart, not your head. Voices are used as an instrument. Do we really care what the voices are saying to us? Not as long as they keep singing. Timeless and otherworldly, this is not a band, it is a milestone in post-modern music. 1984 never sounded so good. Your journey begins here.

Kate Bush – “The Dreaming”
When I’ve put this record on I’ve been asked, “What ARE you listening to?” This album is quite simply one of the most exciting and stimulating listens ever! The album varies drastically in style from song to song and even within songs. The songs are so weird and dense and yet still so catchy. Kate’s voice is rich and impassioned. You can hear her vocal chords shredding at times. The album’s mysteries and complexities demand repeated listens!

Julee Cruise – “Floating into the Night”
Angelo Badalementi and David Lynch have had some great collaborations, but this is the strongest. A complete journey of an album down lost, forested highways deep into the night. This could have ended up being an easy listening venture, but there is an edgy undercurrent throughout that results in a pretty avant adventure. The entire record has an even, sizzle-ride flow, which makes the moments where everything falls apart that much more powerful. Tremolo guitar has never sounded so good and Julee’s voice is otherworldly.

Buy: Early Day Miners – Treatment
MP3: Early Day Miners – “So Slowly”

Welcome to the 22nd podcast/download I’m co-hosting with Ryan Schleicher at 91.7 WMSE. This week’s we are joined by Langhorne Slim joins us for an interview and three-songs acoustic studio performance of new material from his forthcoming album, Be Set Free (Kemado | September 29th).

Good news, you are now able to subscribe to our podcast feed.

Muzzle of Bees + 91.7 WMSE Podcast: Volume 23:

Langhorne Slim Interview / Langhorne Slim – “Back To The Wild” (Live at 91.7 WMSE) / Langhorne Slim – “Be Set Free” (Live at 91.7 WMSE) / Langhorne Slim – “Say Yes” (Live at 91.7 WMSE) / Mason Jennings – “Blood of Man” / Soulsavers – “You Will Miss Me When I Burn” / Yo La Tengo – “Periodically Double or Triple” / The Smith Westerns – “Imagine Pt. 3” / Givers – “Meantime”

Download: Muzzle of Bees + 91.7 WMSE Podcast :: Volume 23