RobertSpuhler.com

Let Me In The Sounds...U2, Pasadena, 10/25/09

It seems fitting that U2, after spending most of the decade embracing its role as “the biggest band in the world,” would look to expand into space.

Jarvis Cocker and the Curse of the One Hit (The Wiltern, July 27th)

In the spring of 1999, Young MC was the opening act of a concert at American University. Midway through his set, and reacting to the - to be polite - apathetic response of the crowd, he blurted out, "C'mon, y'all, I can't play 'Bust a Move' seven times."

"Say You Wanna Get In" - Metric, The Wiltern, 6/8/09

When interviewing Emily Haines a few weeks ago, she mentioned to me (somewhere in between my bouts of the vapors), jokingly, that she thought she'd make an excellent "dancehall diva."

In a way, it seemed a bit laughable – not because she doesn't have the pipes for it, but because the woman who once sang "worldwide, air-tight, no one has a face left to blame" seems to have a lot more to offer than catchy hooks.

On June 8, I went to see Metric at the Wiltern, on tour to support "Fantasies," the band's new (and best yet) album. Needless to say, she's nowhere near mindless hook territory. But what was interesting was that, in front of a sold-out crowd in a venue larger than any the band has headlined in Los Angeles, the beats per minute never slowed down. From the breakdown at the end of opener "Twilight Galaxy" all the way until a slightly ballad-ized version of "Live It Out" to end the night, every track was a dance track.

The crowd ate it up, no doubt. But as someone who remembers a lightly attended shows at the Troubadour in 2003, for instance, I missed the peaks and valleys of the older shows. I missed "Calculation Theme." I missed "Love is a Place." I missed "Blindness" - one of only two songs from the new album that went unplayed (the other, "Collect Call," is also slower).

This is what happens when a band grows. To some - not all, but some - of the people in that audience, Metric is that band that was on Grey's Anatomy. Or that band with the hot lead singer. And those people wanted to dance. Hard to fault the band for that.

I'm incredibly happy for them - the band deserves every accolade it gets at this point, and has certainly worked hard enough to merit this level of success. But there's definitely a selfish kid in me who misses his secret.

And don't get me wrong - when the tour comes back, I'll be there again. Because they still put on a hell of a live show.

Like an Old Friend

...real updates soon, I promise. But for now, enjoy Broken Social Scene:

In Love, In Fear, In Hate, In Tears - James, House of Blues Anaheim, 10/5/08

There seems to be a certain self-assuredness that comes with age. The longing for acceptance subsides slightly, at least to the outside eye, as an awareness of who one is takes over.

I am speaking, of course, of James.

It's All Gonna Break - Broken Social Scene at Sunset Junction

Few modern bands sum up the spirit of community quite like Broken Social Scene. Whether it is because of the communal nature in how the band records music (there are 17 members credited in the liner notes for the self-titled album) or the constantly rotating touring lineups, BSS is mostly about the group and not any of the individuals.

One Blink For Yes - Los Campesinos!, 6/7/08

Here's a brief history of my experience in music: I played piano for a short span of years as a child, until I started to think that it would interfere with the preparations for my clearly-can't-miss NBA career. In fifth grade, I played trumpet for a grand total of two weeks. In college, I tried to take voice class, only to be told at the first class that I was nearly tone-deaf and, at that time, a lost cause. So I can’t tell you whether or not Los Campesinos! is a talented band because, to be frank, I have no earthly idea.

Here's what I can tell you: The Welsh seven-piece band is probably the most fun band I've ever seen in concert.

The Lie to Save Your Life

I wanted to put a couple of interesting quotes from Jarvis Cocker, someone I really respect artistically, about entertainment today:

There seems to be a contradiction in the fact that there's more music around and more channels or downloading music or more channels on TV, and yet at the same time, in some ways it doesn't seem to be as vital as it once was. It seems to be just another entertainment option or lifestyle enhancement aid or something.

…

Culture shouldn't be a pacifying thing. It shouldn't be something that you just passively accept. I think it should be something that, in some ways, is quite disruptive-- makes you think and question things, and actually sparks debate. And a lot of the time now, people use culture and music and films and stuff in the same ways you use them on kids. If kids are driving you mad and chucking stuff around the house, you put a Disney CD or DVD on, and then they shut up and watch it, and you get some peace. I've done it. I feel guilty about it sometimes, but I do it. And I think that kind of thing, in some ways, has moved into adult culture as well. In a way, if you're watching a film on DVD, the time passes, and-- do you know what I mean?-- there's a bit too much just letting things wash over you rather than actually engaging with what you're watching, or what you're listening to.

One (and by "one," I mean "me") can take music everywhere with the aforementioned gadget, and even if one doesn't, it's piped into every public space possible.

Does saturation take away from appreciation? Is that why "1-2-3-4" has somehow become my least favorite Feist song? And are we breeding a feast/famine entertainment culture, where the niche artist - the regional radio single, the mid-sized venue tourer - can't exist because (s)he still expects to be paid for his/her work, even if it didn't help sell Coke or Pepsi?

Does the entertainment democracy we now have through expanded outlets lead us to gorge until we have the aural equivalent of audio diabetes?

This Week In Feist

Because I wanted to share...

On Patronage

How much would you pay for your favorite song? For your favorite movie?