Favorites covering favorites is always a welcome listen here at Muzzle of Bees. Here’s a video of The Daredevil Christopher Wright covering Megafaun’s “Drains.” Here’s the skinny on the video:

“This week we’re bringing some good-natured Midwestern charm all the way from Madison, Wisconsin. The Daredevil Christopher Wright kept it in the family and covered a song by their Wisconsin bros, Megafaun, at a bar on State Street that had a giant fake tree inside of it. Be warned: the harmonization will make you weep.”

The “giant fake tree” reference means this was shot at Paul’s Club.

Previously: The Daredevil Christopher Wright :: 5 Albums

Buy: The Daredevil Christopher Wright – In Deference To A Broken Back
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Myspace: Daredevil Christopher Wright
MP3: The Daredevil Christopher Wright – “The East Coast”

By Alex Schaaf

In light of Andrew Bird’s tremendous 2-night stand in Milwaukee last week, I thought it was time to shed light on one of the year’s most underappreciated albums. No, not Noble Beast, as good as that is. One of the year’s best albums is not even a proper album at all (even Wikipedia barely acknowledges it), but is a “bonus” collection entitled Useless Creatures that came on the tail end of Noble Beast. Comprised of nine instrumental tracks, Useless Creatures is a fantastic display of Bird’s otherworldly talents at creating intoxicating sound textures and melodies.

Bird himself has said, “I’m really an instrumentalist who sings words, and if you care to pay attention you might enjoy them.” Enjoy them as we may, on this album Bird drops the words in favor of elaborate instrumental suites, self-invented instruments and intriguing experiments in sound.

Bird admitted that this is his “indulgent” record, and I say, it’s been a long time coming. If anyone should be allowed to indulge, I think the man has deserved it. His studio output over the past few years has been excellent, but lately it’s been very pop-focused, eschewing long instrumental passages for tighter, melodic, structured works. But Useless Creatures takes his occasional indulgence and stretches it into 45 glorious minutes. Ranking highest on the “indulgent” scale is the hypnotic “Barn Tapes,” which Bird created by recording hours of violin loops in his rural barn, and then using the mixing board as a new instrument to mix and mold the loops, creating this 10-minute long ambient composition.

Going from the more classical “Carrion Suite” (which also features Wilco’s Glenn Kotche on drums) to the contented vocal layers of “Master Sigh” to the upbeat and exotic “Nyatiti,” the album spans multiple styles, showcasing, in Bird’s own words, “homeless melodies, polyrhythmic pizzicato, Debussy-like, minimalistic string passages thrown from a rotating speaker, and lots of really inventive percussion.”

“You Woke Me Up,” which was brought out during his solo set at the Pabst Theater last Saturday night as a new, “lyricized” song called “Wake Up,” is one of the album’s many highlights, starting with his trademark building up of pizzicato layers before delving into vibraphone melodies and grooving bass lines.

All in all, this album showcases Andrew Bird as one of the most inventive and versatile artists of our time. Past songs like “Oh No” and “Skin Is, My” showcase his talents at creating perfect little pop gems that will reach a broader audience, while experiments like Useless Creatures show an even deeper, more innovative side that appeals to lovers of sound everywhere.

Andrew Bird has scheduled additional dates to close out 2009, including three nights 4th Presbyterian Church. These unique solo shows focus “mainly on instrumental violin pieces” and will “eschew a typical P.A. for these performances, instead utilizing more of his signature giant horns to amplify his violin playing.”

MP3: Andrew Bird – “Nyatiti”
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Buy: Andrew Bird – Noble Beast / Useless Creatures (Deluxe Edition)

Last night Wilco capped off their two night stint at the UIC Pavillion with a highly energetic 30-song show that concluded their US run of tour dates for 2009. Having sold out the place out the previous night, Wilco performed to a crowd far from capacity though you never would’ve been able to tell the difference based on the set list and reception the band received from their fans. Being admittedly skeptical of the venue going in, Wilco (The Band) won me over in a big way in what ended up being one of the best shows I’ve ever seen them play.

In place of a standard review, we’re offering our 10 favorite moments from last night’s show put together by myself, Daniel Brielmaier and Jon Stone. There were no doubt many moments that didn’t crack our list that and we encourage you to drop a comment with your favorite moments from last night.

Here’s our favorites in no particular order:

1. New material. Wilco played 6 songs from Wilco (The Album), including: “Bull Black Nova”, “One WIng”, “I’ll Fight“, “Country Disappeared”, “You Never Know“, and “Sonny Feeling”. I struggled to place “Country Disappeared’s album of origin. That speaks to the “The Album”‘s strengths, as most of the new songs feel like classics already, and it’s only been a few months. I really liked the new stuff. Some of it seems a little sparse at this point, but I’m sure WIlco will fill in the blanks. “Bull Black Nova” is already exceptional.

2. Nels Cline. (can he count as a moment all on his own?) Nels was even more animated than I remember him last April at the Pabst. I heard him described recently as “like an out of control vacuum hose.” That sounds about right. He’s gotta have some aches that would be more akin to Brett Favre than a guitarist. That said, his playing ruled, especially on “Impossible Germany.”

3. Being There. Jeff remarked that this was the first Chicago show that anyone who wanted to go to the show, could go. In other words, the show at the UIC Pavilion didn’t sell out (as it had the night before), not to mention selling out every other show they’ve ever played in Chicago. This show was also the last show of the year for North America. They obviously gave it everything they had. You can’t ask for more than that.

4. “You Are My Face” – A 5000-member chorus singing “I have no idea how this happens!” in unison.

5. “Jesus, Etc.” – Speaking of sing-a-longs, the crowd sang almost the entire song word for word until Jeff brought it all back home on the last chorus. I had chills during the show and again just writing that out. (listen here)

6. “Passenger Side” – It seemed like it had been a long time since I’ve heard them play this tune. A big smile ear to ear, a perfect song that is still resonating in my head today

7. Tweedy swinging the microphone Morrissey style during Hummingbird.

8. The encore. This was the best part of the show for me. After what I considered an already surprisingly excellent concert, I was expecting a pop-favorites encore. Four or five songs deep into the encore I knew this was not to be. After a great version of “Poor Places“, they broke into “Spiders (Kidsmoke).” This had epic written all over it (a 10-plus minute song this deep into the encore!!) From there they rolled into “A.M.’s” “Passenger Side” & “Casino Queen“. What a treat. They capped the night with “Outtasite (Outta Mind)” from the “Being There” album. This show gets my vote for best encore in recent memory.

9. “I’m the Man Who Loves You” featured a double intro. Part one: Glenn on Gong; Part two; King Kotche conquers with arms and voice raised high.

10. Never mailing it in – Looking out in a fraction of what the crowd was the night before, Wilco dug deeper into their catalog playing 15 minutes longer than the previous night including two addition songs.

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Set: Via Chicago / Bull Black Nova / A Shot in the Arm / Side with the Seeds / You Are My Face / One Wing / I am Trying to Break Your Heart / Kamera / I’ll Fight / Impossible Germany / Country Disappeared / Handshake Drugs / Far, Far Away / Sonny Feeling / Box Full of Letters / Nothing’severgonnastandinmyway(again) / Jesus, Etc. / Can’t Stand It / I’m the Man Who Loves You / Hummingbird

Encore: The Late Greats / You Never Know / Hate it Here / Walken / Heavy Metal Drummer / Poor Places / Spiders (Kidsmoke) / Passenger Side / Casino Queen / Outtasite (Outta Mind)

If you haven’t checked out the Lucero World Cafe show streaming on NPR, make it your next listen. It’s great all the way through, including new material from 1372 Overton Park, and hopefully puts to bed any hesitant fans worried about horn sections on a rock and roll record. I can’t wait to see these guys live in two days.

Listen: Lucero live in concert from WXPN and World Cafe Live in Philadelphia

If you caught Grand Archives on tour recently and arrived early there’s a good chance you might have caught the Black Whales from Seattle. I’ve played them non-stop since being introduced a few weeks back and think you’ll appreciate them as well. Here are two songs to get you on your way…

MP3: Black Whales – “Young Blood”
MP3: Black Whales – “Books On Tape”

Buy: Black Whales – Origins

By Jon Stone (@jwstone)

Late into Blitzen Trapper’s set on Friday night in Urbana, a member of the packed Canopy Club audience began to crowd surf. His ride lasted only a few seconds, but from the grins on the faces of the band, it was clear something special had just happened. After the song, guitarist Erik Menteer advised us that we had just witnessed the very first crowd surf ever at a Blitzen Trapper show. He felt it was significant, also, that the surf occurred during “Furr,” the title track off their most recent LP and, arguably, the song that after four albums and nine years, launched their career. We’d now have something to tell our grandchildren, he said.

Blitzen Trapper is an eclectic band; but while there are many bands who fain eclecticism as an attempt to be interesting, every leaf on lead-singer/songwriter Eric Early’s many-branched tree is a brilliant and unique autumn color. Still, the Tom Petty/Bob Dylan comparison is inevitable. But the Heartbreakers never had three-part vocal harmonies like this, and, well, it’s been a long time since Dylan played the piano—both of which Blitzen Trapper did brilliantly.

Blitzen Trapper comes at their set from every direction. One song would have three keyboards going and the next song could swing into guitar-god, prog territory. And while I like this band best in their quieter, folky moments, the diversity on display was breathtaking. Near the end of the show, the band covered Neil Young’s “Harvest” and couples from the audience crawled on stage to slow dance. Again, the grins on stage made it apparent that this was a show that the band wouldn’t soon forget. When a band is having fun on stage, it’s nearly a sure bet that the audience is enjoying themselves as well. We were.

We’ve had quite a music year in Champaign-Urbana. I don’t know if the specifics of this show will make it into that projected “when I was your age” conversation with my grandchildren, but surely the year as a whole—a year that included shows from Jeff Tweedy, The National, Iron and Wine, The Books, My Brightest Diamond, Sufjan Stevens (and soon the Avett Brothers and Neko Case)—is a contender.

Buy: Blitzen Trapper – Furr
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Myspace: Blitzen Trapper
MP3: Blitzen Trapper – “Furr”