Bonnaroo (A Hypothetical)

The attempt to earn a college degree as well as maintain an active fanaticism for music is a long and difficult struggle for a number of reasons: time, money, the usuals. This year's Bonnaroo festival lineup laughs in my face, taunting my poor, busy college student ass. But if I were able to go, here's a rundown of where I'd be:

Thursday
Thursday's lineup is comedy-heavy and music-light. The only band I'd really make a priority to see would be The National, the newest buzz band in indie-rock. Aside from glowing reviews from Pitchfork and everyone else, a friend of mine caught the band opening for Arcade Fire at Radio City Music Hall and had nothing but great things to say about them. They hit "That Tent" from 10:30 to 11:30 p.m. Aside from that, I'd be sure to catch Lewis Black & Friends (8:15 to 9:30) and David Cross plus Aziz Ansari and Nick Kroll (11:45 to 1 a.m.) in the "Yet Another (Comedy) Tent." After the late comedy show, I'd head over to the Troo Music Lounge to catch Athens, Ga. trio The Whigs (1:30 to 2:30), because nothing bad has ever come out of Athens, Ga.

Friday
After a late night on Thursday, I'd probably be tempted to sleep in on Friday. But hell, if I'm hypothetically throwing down at least 185 bucks for this festival, I should probably get my money's worth. And although I've already seen The Roots live, seeing them again would guarantee I'd get my money's worth. Since OutKast disappointed with its Idlewild soundtrack, The Roots stepped up with Game Theory and became the best hip-hop band in the world. Unfortunately, due to their time (6 to 7:30 p.m.) on the "What Stage," I'd completely miss Lily Allen. The other disappointment about Friday night at Bonnaroo is that Tool is the only band playing between 8 and midnight. What the shit is that?

Aside from the Roots, I'd probably keep a lookout for The Nightwatchman in "That Tent", Tom Morello's new solo project. Dude hasn't done anything cool since The Battle For Los Angeles, but I'd be curious enough to check him out (4:30 - 5:45). Late night, the fest features a trio of white hip-hop artists (Aesop Rock, El-P, DJ Shadow), but I'd personally rather catch the Ravi Coltrane Quartet (12 to 1 a.m.) at "Somethin' Else" before jumping to see the tail end of El-P's set (and all of DJ Shadow's).

Saturday
This is when shit gets real, with the reunited (and reportedly disgruntled) Police playing "What Stage" from 9 to 11:30 p.m., followed by The Flaming Lips on "Which Stage" from midnight to 2:30 a.m. What a nightcap. But even before that, I'd set up camp in "That Tent" for Spoon (6 to 7:30) and The Hold Steady (4:15 to 5:30). I think this would probably be the best day of my life. Before that, I could set up in That Tent early for Annuals (2:45 to 3:45) after catching my favorite Philly indie-pop group Dr. Dog in This Tent (12:45 to 1:45) for some early afternoon psychedelia.

Sunday
This is, by far, the most aggravating day of the festival. Who's the asshole who overlapped The Decemberists ("Which Stage," 4:30 to 6), Wilco ("What Stage," 5:30 to 7), Feist ("This Tent," 6 to 7:30) and The White Stripes (Which Stage, 7:15 to 8:45)?!?!?! I honestly don't know where to begin with this. All four artists have been said to put on stellar live shows, and I've missed out on all opportunities to see any of them (that poor college student thing). That said, I'd have to play it by ear. If I had to guess, I'd sacrifice the better part of Feist's set to see all of the Decemberists' and a half hour of Wilco's. Then I'd hustle over to see Leslie finish her show and miss the first 15 of the White Stripes' set. But don't worry, I'd be able to catch most of Widespread Panic! Thanks, Bonnaroo!

Before the late evening clusterfuck, I'd make sure I caught Flight of The Conchords plus Demetri Martin in the "Yet Another (Comedy) Tent" (2:00 - 3:15) to keep a good music/comedy balance. Unfortunately, because of the generally awesome lineups on Saturday and Sunday, I'd miss out on Dave Attell's set. I've got more complaints than that, but it's hard to complain when you're seeing so many bands.

Well, hypothetically, anyway.

Bubbling Under: Swan Lake - Beast Moans

While most blogs/publications will be commenting on their top albums of the year (as will we), I decided to do a write up on one of the more overlooked albums of 2006.


Some of you may scoff at the notion that a band consisting of some of the most celebrated songwriters of the past year could be overlooked, but make no mistake about it, Swan Lake's Beast Moans is most certainly an album that many people have come to undermine its excellence due to unrealistic expectations.

Featuring members of some of Canada's premiere bands such as Dan Bejar of Destroyer, Spencer Krug of Sunset Rubdown/Wolf Parade, as well as Carey Mercer of Frog Eyes fame, Swan Lake formed over the past year and recorded their debut in Victoria, Canada. Krug and Mercer overlooked a majority of the production as Bejar popped in and out during recording (a method similar to his work with that other supergroup the New Pornographers).

Now, when you look at a majority of 2006 year end lists, you'll be likely to find Sunset Rubdown's Shut Up I am Dreaming (my personal #1 of the year) as well as Destroyer's Rubies making their fair share of Top 10's. So if you put the principal songwriters of both those acts alongside the mastermind behind Frog Eyes, you've got to come up with an obvious critics choice right? Well, judging by the lukewarm reviews a lot of people weren't' exactly falling head over heels once the album was released.

Blame it on too much hype, unfair expectations, or simply, factor in that this is probably the most "difficult" release to absorb by any of the three main songwriters of the past year or two, and you've got an album that truly asks for one's patience. I myself wasn't exactly impressed when I first got my hands on the album. I felt too much of the music was cluttered, some of the songs sounded too unfinished or too rushed, the vocals were hard to decipher at times, and all the great songs were too far and between to make for a consistent listen. However, once I sat down with the record, and actually listened to it all the way through, I came to realize that each listen revealed more nuances and subtle quirks (especially with headphones) that I began to appreciate all of the songs more and more as oppose to the initial two or three that grabbed my attention.

What has to be one of the most appealing aspects of Beast Moans is the nifty keyboard sounds that the trio conjured, sounding wackier than anything that appeared on each songwriter's respective band. The opener "Widow's Walk" features a gorgeous guitar line interweaved with a solid keyboard melody making for a fantastic opener, while the following track "Nubile Days" features Krug's excellent knack for vocal melody while Mercer's guitar gives the song a whole new dimension that maybe would not have been evidenced had Krug gone it alone.

It's little pushes like these, that makes the collaboration sound much more like a group effort as oppose to each songwriter tossing a song out there with the other two members serving as a backing band. As a matter of fact, considering how reasonably different the songwriting styles are of each member (though you can find some common ground between Krug's writing and Mercer's) the cohesiveness of the record is quite impressive.

Arguably, the marriage of the three songwriters never sounded as good as it did on "A Venue Called Rubella". Dual vocals from Bejar and Krug make for an immediate highlight as does the angular guitar hooks of Mercer. It's moments like these that make Swan Lake much greater than the sum of its parts. "Are You Swimming In Her Pools" is another favorite that has Krug at his most vulnerable, while the circus frenzy of "The Partisan But He's Got to Know" (delightfully sung by Mercer) makes for a fantastic sing along.

What may turn some people off upon a first listen is how some of the songs have a complete lack of structure for the verse/chorus/verse formula. Tracks like "Pleasure Vessels" I see much more as a mood piece between tracks as oppose to a proper song, which only confirm that this is a record that must be listened to in its entirety as oppose to skipping around for certain songs. The haunting epic closer in Bejar's "Shooting Rockets" sounds unlike anything he ever attempted with Destroyer and brings a fitting close to this ambitious album.

The band already has hinted that they may do a tour sometime down the line while plans for a follow up are also in the works. Although Wolf Parade, Destroyer and Sunset Rubdown may still have the most anticipated upcoming records, here's to hoping that when Swan Lake gets ready for their sophomore effort, their appreciation will have only increased. Perhaps even a few years down the line Beast Moans may be rightfully seen as an album that easily stands alongside (and maybe even surpass) the best work of the initial bands this group comprised of.

While this record may not appeal to the "frat boy Wolf Parade fans" as Krug suggested in a recent interview, it most certainly makes for an engaging listen, one that reveals its layers over time, and only enhances the respect that Krug, Bejar, and Mercer warrant.

Free Songs:

A Venue Called Rubella
All Fires
The Freedom

Purchase from Amazon

Lazy mother fuckers.

I'm gonna keep this thing going if it is the last thing I do. It is time to get motivated.