Classic Elton John Reissued

Typically we here at H.A.D. tend to shy away from the "reissue" market: it seems like a never ending effort to repackage albums with a single bonus track, and then milk some cash out of the diehard fans (yes, Elvis Costello, we're looking at you). Elton John's catalogue has been middle-of-the-road in terms of it's reissue status. There were a few superfluous reissues on Polydor in the early 90's, but the "Classic Years" reissues that followed actually packed quite a punch: remastered by original producer Gus Dudgeon (before his untimely death), the discs sounded great and came with a nice tag on of 3-4 bonus tracks a piece. They were, it seemed, really the defacto representation of John's amazing early seventies career-defining output.

The more recent reissues in the Elton John catalogue have seemed to reenforce this: both the Captain Fantastic and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road reissues have been short on new material, and heavy on repackaging. So, it was with no small amount of surprise that we stumbled upon the reissues of Elton John and Tumbleweed Connection. Released at the beginning of June, the discs each come with a huge amount of bonus material, including unreleased demos, new tracks, and BBC sessions. Moreover, the recording sessions for these two records were the beginning of John's killer 70's combo that would go on to dominate pop music for the next six years. Getting to hear what the demos and alternate takes for these sessions sound like is like getting a private view into John's massively prolific writing style.

If you're already a fan, then these releases are a no brainer. On the other hand, if you're a skeptic whose biggest familiarity with John is The Lion King, then frankly, this would be a good place to start.

Plants And Animals Played The Rickshaw

The Montreal-based band Plants and Animals made it to San Francisco last Wednesday, and H.A.D. was in attendance to check out the set. We were expecting some killer tunes, after a few weeks of really enjoying their first full length, Parc Avenue.

With the disc's carefully crafted production, we weren't exactly sure what to expect from a live set. As the band set up on stage, it was clear that the live sound was going to be a different beast. The band's three members each had a relatively straight forward set up, and it looked like a classic "power trio", with the three members all equally occupying the front of the stage.

While the band's set really didn't have the same sound as the record, all of the hallmarks that make the record so damn good were firmly in place. The band nailed tightly harmonized vocals, percussion was rock solid, and Nicolas Basque did a great job at filling the multi-instrumentalist role as needed.

Also extremely notable was that the band simply has a lot of energy live. The songs swelled with energy, and Warren Spicer's vocals really took on a live passion that isn't completely evident on the disc. It was also clear from Matthew Woodley's drumming and vocals that this band is really a three person collaboration. The band had a stunning rapport going on throughout the whole show.

As the show wrapped up, we found ourselves feeling pretty damn good about Plants And Animals. If you're looking to hear their record note-for-note in a live setting, then you might be a tad disappointed. On the other hand, if you're interested in a slightly more driven version of the songs by a group of fantastic musicians, well then this show is just your ticket.

Many more photos over at the H.A.D. Archive.

Girls MP3 Available

Photo from the H.A.D. Archive

Some of you may remember that we were fawning over Girls when we saw them open for Port O'Brien last month. You may also remember that they're playing a gig at Hotel Utah on July 5th, and that there weren't really any mp3's available for the taking. Well, now the band has decided to post one, and we're loving it. We really recommend you come to the July 5th show, but if you have your doubts, give this a listen.

mp3: Girls - Lust For Life (click through to download)

Death Cab Played The Greek

Last Saturday we were convinced to tag along with some friends to The Greek Theater to catch Rogue Wave and Death Cab For Cutie. Unfortunately, we only caught the tail end of Rogue Wave's set, but from what we saw they were positively nailing it, and the crowd was loving it appropriately. As for Death Cab, the band delivered largely what we had been expecting when we decided to attend the show. Thankfully, there were some surprises as well.

As for what we expected, well, if you've heard a Death Cab album, you probably already know: Achingly well produced songs with heart-on-sleeve lyrics, some tentative experimental elements, and Ben Gibbard's distinctive sing song-y vocals. What we weren't really expecting was the ability of the band to "rock", and a nicely diversified setlist.

Gibbard has really done a lot in the last couple of years to spruce up his rock star image: he's lost weight, grown some mutton chops, and got a true rock and roll stage presence going on. Moreover, we were surprised to see that many of the band's lead guitar lines are played by Gibbard, and not by Chris Walla. The band definitely was putting forth a rock and roll vibe, and on many of the songs, there was a musical rapport that we hadn't expected.

As a band who have recently amassed a major label contract, and a huge group of teenage fans to go along with it, we were somewhat fearful that the band might be relegated to a "recent albums only" setlist. Thankfully this was not the case, and the band delivered a few choice cuts off of their early records, including two of our favorites from Transatlanticism.

While not a show that will shock you with it's originality or divergence from album material, we do have to say that the Death Cab live experience pleasantly surprised us. The band nails their instrumentation, and delivers enough of a new take on the songs that it's memorable. On top of that, Gibbard's live energy and enthusiasm really is something worth noting. Our guess is the guy was a camp counselor in another life, but we're guessing rock star is a way cooler gig.

More pictures at the H.A.D. Archive.
Gussifer also has some nice shots at flickr.

Kooks Warfield Presale On Now

The Kooks will be back to San Francisco on October, playing at The Warfield. We've been digging their latest, Konk, and we've heard say that the live show is a treat as well. Tickets go on sale this Sunday, but a presale is going on right now. The password is "kooksfalltour".

mp3: The Kooks - Shine On

Silver Jews Coming To The Fillmore In September

Hot on the heels of their new disc Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea, Silver Jews are out and about on tour. The band will be at The Fillmore on September 25th, right after Spoon finishes up their three night run. This is good news - and a sure sign that frontman David Berman is continuing to enjoy his newfound propensity for live performance. We haven't gotten to hear much of the new record (Drag City pulled out of eMusic), but by many accounts it's got a feel of being boiler-plate Silver Jews. That is to say: better than most records, but not a hightlight of the catalogue. That being said, the promo track on Drag City's web site (see below) is damn fine, and we're pretty sure we'll be picking this one up in the next week or two. Tickets are on-sale this Sunday at 10 AM.

mp3: Silver Jews - Strange Victory, Strange Defeat

Sondre Lerche Coming To GAMH

Photo from the H.A.D Archive

Norwegian songsmith Sondre Lerche will be playing an (apparently solo) visit to the Great American Music Hall on August 26th. Lerche packs an amazing punch live, and bursts with energy that trumps his records - despite their being as good as they are to begin with. After heartily enjoying Lerche's solo set in Boston last fall, you can bet that we at H.A.D. will be there. Tickets are on-sale now.

Plants And Animals At The Rickshaw Wednesday Night

We here at H.A.D. tend to keep an eye on the Rickshaw's calendar. For one, it's a tiny venue, and we love the space. For another, they tend to have great acts that have yet to truly "break through", but are right on the verge. Well, after perusing this week's update from the venue, we noticed Plants and Animals will be at the Stop on Wednesday night. From where we're sitting, this show has some massive potential - hopefully we'll see you there...

mp3: Plants And Animals - Feedback In The Field

Islands Played Bimbo's

Last Monday, Canadian band Islands made their way to Bimbo's 365 Club to make up a date that had been cancelled back in April. The band is currently promoting their latest, Arm's Way, and as such, the set was heavily weighted towards the newer material.

The crowd, while not a sellout, was highly enthusiastic, and packed the front of the room. To say that they were "fans" would be a significant udnerstatement. It seemed that everything the band did (including a good natured butchering one of the encore songs), the crowd went apeshit for, be it good or bad. We're certainly in favor of high levels of enthusiasm, but when it seems to be completely unrelated to what's going on in the room, it can be a bit odd.

We here at H.A.D. dig the new album (and the old, for that matter), and enjoyed the show quite a bit. That being said, the band could learn a thing or two about maybe planning the setlist so that it had a bit more of a clear direction: the song selections seemed to go up and down quite a bit, and at times the back and forth seemed to get repetitive.

That being said, the band is highly technically skilled, and is a killer live combo. It was particularly inspirational to see just how many members are multi-instrumentalists. If you get the chance, Islands is a show not to miss.

More pictures available at the H.A.D. Archive.

Vampire Weekend Apes Wes Anderson

Vampire Weekend have just released their latest video - for "Oxford Comma" - and we can't help but feel that it's just trying a little hard to be "eclectic" in the style of a certain well known that director. That being said, we still love the band, and every time we hear them, all our skepticism tends to go out the window...all is forgiven.