Something old, something new

There's a bunch of new recordings on the way soon (I promise). In the meantime, someone contacted me about a bunch of old shows where the links are dead. Here are the new links in case anyone else wants them:

Radiohead at Rod Laver Night 1 - https://mega.co.nz/#F!ZdtQWa5A!3oERMr2aCuFuF2qqhM2PBw Radiohead at Rod Laver Night 2 - https://mega.co.nz/#F!pENjwTRb!x234aCtLkIA0M678FxFGtQ Flight of the Conchords at the Plenery - https://mega.co.nz/#F!cR9nFTLb!rjT3ONUFNtAe9Na0fS3LIQ
Beck at Harvest - https://mega.co.nz/#F!cd9zxL4T!jcyaZF0F-yueZTBjc5sLag
Beirut at Harvest - https://mega.co.nz/#F!xRMWjDCL!ZtDvYAOBinAd8wXVdMTXhA
Jack White at Festival Hall - https://mega.co.nz/#F!tE8myRJT!HTy8b_FGQBzm7mN4Lb4-1Q Neutral Milk Hotel at Forum Night 1 - https://mega.co.nz/#F!NAUDjAha!avU5ni7ym2cmesVHXANtYw
Neutral Milk Hotel at Forum Night 2 - https://mega.co.nz/#F!lQcGUArJ!XLvwXyPAT4Rpj3MgKbW7GQ

Free Album: Little Hurricane - Stay Classy

Free albums used to be something I put up regularly, but not for a while. Well here's another one. I can't remember how I found these guys, I just found their album on my hard drive the other day. They sound a bit like the Black Keys.

This is an album of covers. There aren't any real duds, but the classic songs where they stick very closely to the original are inevitably a bit dull given the quality of the originals. More interesting are newer songs like Grounds for Divorce, or I'm on Fire where things are slightly less obvious.

Stay Classy

For anyone that likes this, they've also got a free album sampler in advance of a 2015 European tour here.

Note: these are both from Bandcamp, but I'll only put up albums that are free, name a price isn't free (and treating it like it is is ripping off the artist).

The National - Sydney Opera House, 8 February 2014

This is a bit old, but for anyone that wants it, here's the National at the Opera House. It was live streamed as part of the Music at the House series (Wilco's second Sydney show was also streamed, and both shows released to those that attended).

In my experience these guys are a bit hit and miss in their ability to recreate their songs in the live setting. Mr November, in particular, doesn't seem to really work. Nonetheless, the majority of their set works, and they've developed a good back catalogue to draw on.

Unfortunately, it seems like there were a couple of glitchs in the stream, so the sound isn't perfect. A couple of times it drops out very briefly, not often, but annoying when it happens.

https://mega.co.nz/#F!tVcFSTTY!XoxuQfhApC6ZyTtO-w7wow

Soundgarden - Festival Hall, 24 February 2015

Soundgarden's last headlining show in Melbourne was ruined by the awful sound at Sidney Myer. And while Festival Hall isn't the greatest of venues (by a long stretch), the sound was good and the band put on a great show.

Without an opening act and a scheduled set of nearly three hours, I was hoping that the band might be planning on doing something interesting. In the end they came on stage 45 minutes late, but when the eventually made it they were on fire. The set featured a lot of Superunknown songs, with a few from all their other albums thrown into the mix.

The recording is really good, there's a tiny bit of noise from people around me and from when I've moved as people walk back and forth from the bar, but other than that this sounds great.

Flower
Kickstand
Outshined
Attrition
Room a Thousand Years Wide
Jesus Christ Pose
Like Suicide
Superunknown
Mailman
Black Hole Sun
Spoonman
Hunted Down
Ty Cobb
Fell on Black Days
My Wave
The Day I Tried to Live
Been Away Too Long
Pretty Noose
Birth Ritual
A Thousand Days Before
Rusty Cage

Limo Wreck
Slaves & Bulldozers

FLAC

MP3

First Aid Kit - Palais Theatre, 6 March 2015

It was a bit surprising that First Aid Kit announced another Melbourne show less than a year after they did two shows at the HiFi, and that the new show would be at the Palais. While the show wasn't sold out, it was full enough. I recorded the opening band's set, but they really didn't grab me at the time or on second listen, so I haven't bothered to post them. If anyone really wants it just send me a message.

First Aid Kit on the other hand were great. They don't mix their setlists up much, so people who attended their last show only heard a couple of different things. Having said that the songs they play are great and they always sing amazingly well.

The two girls in front of me titter away a little bit, but other than that (which is pretty minor really) this is a really great sounding recording, with short snippets of Friday by Rebecca Black and Chandelier by Sia thrown in as bonuses.

The Lion's Roar
Stay Gold
Blue
King of the World
In the Hearts of Men
Waitress Song
Shattered & Hollow
Ghost Town
My Silver Lining
Love Interuption
Master Pretender
Wolf

Cedar Lane
Heaven Knows
Emmylou

https://mega.co.nz/#F!kRNG1LZY!J3D0ewhfO1unXUwl8Dediw

The Felice Brothers - Toff in Town, 1 March 2015

Fortunately for Felice Brothers fans the band managed to fit in a couple of headlining shows while touring in support of Conor Oberst. The set was a bit short in comparison to some of their other shows, presumably because the band were playing in Auckland the next night. The quality of the show was great though and the crowd, although a bit small, was pretty enthusiastic.

Meadow of a Dream
Honda Civic
The Big Surprise
Lion
Whiskey in my Whiskey
I've Been All Around this World
Dead Dog
Saturday Night
Hey Hey Revolver
Cherry Licorice
Omie Wise
Ruby Mae
Silver in the Shadow
Love Me Tenderly
Frankie's Gun
Run Chicken Run
The Mating of the Doves

Cus's Catskill Gym
Many Rivers to Cross

https://mega.co.nz/#F!xJdBUA4R!6DcCM_c-0wtY52c3iqHhOw

Conor Oberst & The Felice Brothers - Corner Hotel, 26 February 2015

Never seen either of these guys before but both put on really great shows. The Felice Brothers set seemed a little bit hurt by the fact they had a crowd that was only half paying attention and that their set was over just as they were starting to fire, but they still did a great job (particularly given they were on stage for nearly three hours a night on this tour).

The Felice Brothers backed Conor Oberst for his set, it really highlighted what a flexible band they are, because it didn't seem like their folk/country background limited the set choices in any way. The set was very wideranging, covering solo material, Bright Eyes and some covers (including a Felice Brothers song). The set lasted two hours (which he apologised for a few times) because he only makes it here every three or four years (because the plane ride is a bitch). My only criticism would be that the encore seemed to lose a bit of momentum thanks to some slower songs, but really this was a great show.

Unfortunately, I stood in a different spot to my usual and the sound isn't as good as past recordings. Nothing awful, but a bit too much bass and a little noise from a nearby fan. I can't imagine it will worry anyone particular, but it's worth noting.

Felice Brothers

Murder by Mistletoe
Honda Civic
Lion
Silver in the Shadow
Wonderful Life (w/ Conor Oberst)
Penn Station
Dead Dog
Cumberland Gap
Hey Hey Revolver
Cherry Licorice

Conor Oberst

Napoleon's Hat
Southern State
Four Winds
Time Forgot
Hundreds of Ways
Ten Women
Artifact #1
Well Whiskey
Poison Oak
An Attempt to Tip the Scales
We Are Free Man
Meadow of a Dream
Lenders in the Temple
Zigzagging Towards the Light
Cape Canaveral
Soul Singer in a Session Band
Method Acting
Easy/Lucky/Free

Milk Thistle
Walls (w/ John Darnielle)
Another Travellin' Song
A Song to Pass the Time

Felice Brothers

Conor Oberst

Belle & Sebastian - Palais Theatre, 1 February 2015

Belle & Sebastian are a reliably great band, so no real surprise that this was a great show. Last tour they played the Forum, so it's a big jump to the Palais, but the show seemed to have sold pretty well. The band kicked off with two songs from their new album, which is always a ballsy opening move. The new tracks are good, but incredibly upbeat, which was a bit weird in a seated venue (with notoriously officious policies). After that most of the songs were fairly low tempo, until Stuart announced that anyone who wanted to dance should follow him, as he walked through the aisles. A large group ended up following him up to the stage for the Boy with the Arab Strap (one even having a go at singing a verse, despite not actually knowing the lyrics).

My only complaint was that it would have been nicer to have a slightly longer show. 90 minutes is really the minimum length for a headlining show, and B&S have a large enough (and good enough) back catalog to play at least a few more songs.

Nobody's Empire
The Party Line
Seeing Other People
Expectations
Beautiful
Allie
Perfect Couplles
The Fox in the Snow
Wrapped Up in Books
The Power of Three
Electronic Renaissance
Dirty Dream #2
A Summer Wasting
The Boy with the Arab Strap
Legal Man
Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying

Funny Little Frog
Me and the Major

FLAC

MP3