Kings of Leon - A Coronation in Boston

Concert Date: 9/16/24

Venue: MGM Fenway, Boston

Genre:  Hard Rock

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In an ever-expanding landscape of sonic complexity, genres, sub-genres, and sub-sub-genres, it's comforting to return to where it all started: rock and roll. Kings of Leon embodies modern southern rock underscored by classic rock cool and indie rock indifference. Their current sound evolved from early garage rock and punk to a more refined, diverse, and complex alt-rock sensibility while remaining true to the core rock construct - three chords and the truth. Within this simplicity, KOL's songs are intricate masterworks. Delivered live, they simply explode.  

After a tepid opener, "Ballerina  Radio," from their latest album, "Can We Have Fun," KOL warmed up fast, ripping into "The Bucket," which set the tone for the night ahead. When the Followil brothers (and cousin) reached the chorus on On Call, "I'm on call..." they seemed surprised to hear the audience resoundingly respond, "to be there." Caleb remarked on the audience after the lights went up at the song's end. "I'll be honest, we didn't expect this on a Monday night in Boston."  

Not a single chair at the 5,000-seat MGM Fenway venue was empty, and everyone stood to share their appreciation for one of the best-kept secrets in rock music. The energy and sheer fanaticism were contagious across the intimate amphitheater. The connection between the band and the audience was palpable, and the power delivered onstage with musicianship and intensity was absorbed and reciprocated tenfold by the audience with wild cheers, singing, and... revelry. 

After the raucous "Razz" from their second album, Caleb paused once again to acknowledge the crowd. "Really. We were not expecting you guys to be this good." The fans erupted, demonstrating that the question "Can We Have Fun?" didn't need to be asked; they embodied the answer.

Throughout the 26-song set, fans of their raw early work or fully-baked later work were rewarded. Funky rhythms and delicious licks remain constant throughout. Highlights included "Manhattan," "Mustang," "Molly's Chambers," "Sex on Fire," and "Revelry." Heartfelt renditions of "Back Down South" and "Closer" completed the core set. The band returned for an impassioned trifecta of "Rainbow Ball," "Knocked Up," and "Use Somebody," the latter inspiring the band to open their arms to the crowd and sing, "...someone like you."

This tour only lasts a few more weeks, and if you missed this show in Boston, the good news is that they'll be back on October 7th. So don't miss your chance to see one of our time's most underappreciated rock bands deliver a tight, tireless, most unexpectedly outstanding show. 

Tour Dates

- Tom Endyke | Guitar & Pen

Rockin' Radio City - Elvis Costello & Darryl Hall

Score: 84/100 

Concert Date: 7/17/24

Venue: Radio City Music Hall, NYC

Genre: Rock, Pop

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The unlikely pairing of Hall and Costello raised my reluctance as the show date drew near. I thought about driving my sister around town in the 1980s and fighting over which station to choose: my favorite alternative mainstay, WFNX, or my sister's pop pablum, KISS108. "Okay," I said. "FNX on the way there, KISS on the way back." And so became my attitude approaching this show.  

After walking fifteen blocks in 95-degree city heat, walking into Radio City Music Hall felt like walking into a refrigerator. I stared at the stoic God on the massive "Quest for the Fountain of Youth" mural standing on the mountaintop, staring into the clouds, and felt a similar sense of hope and wonder. Like Elvis and Daryl, perhaps I, too, was in search of that 80's atmosphere of boundless possibility when This Year's Model spun like a black hole of hope on the turntable in my bedroom when a bright light might have indeed cornered the market. 

The lights dimmed, and The Imposters with Charlie Sexton took the stage. In the key of B, a thumping bass and drum line began. Elvis rushed out, adjusted his microphone, and pumped out the intro to the suggestive This Year's Model anthem, "Pump it Up." Elvis approached the mic like it had stolen his lunch and sang, "I've been out on the tenderhooks. Ending in dirtly looks." reminding me that a lyricist as gifted as Dylan made me look words and phrases up to understand their meetings, thus filling in the cracks of my suburban Boston education.  

The vibe chilled as the band led us into the highlight of the evening, a reimagined "Watching the Detectives," which felt less like pop shop crafting and more like a soundtrack to a forgotten noir film from the 50s. Bruce Thomas'  stretched-out bass line and Pete Thomas' delayed staccato drum beat allowed Sexton to fill in the gaps with sublime outcries from his pedal steel guitar. All the while, Steve Nieve's hauntingly mysterious keyboard underscored the sonic atmosphere with attitude and amplitude.  

As the evening wore on, Elvis masterfully blended his well-known songs such as "Green Shirt," "Every Day I Write the Book," "Mystery Dance," and "Alison" with the more obscure "No Flags," "Indoor Fireworks," and "Everybody's Cryin' Mercy." The show came to a resounding crescendo with his two closing numbers, "I Don't Wanna Go to Chelsea" and "What's so Funny 'bout Peace, Love and Understanding," the latter striking a nerve given today's volatile political climate.  

After a brief intermission, came the ride home, and my sister got to change the station. Elvis' low-lit, dark, and dusty stage setting had been replaced by bright blue and white lights illuminating a stage full of shiny, candied instruments. As the pop priest in a pompadour and shades laid out some velvet vocals over a chill, yacht rock vibe, I felt overcome with a taste so sugary, I could barely swallow. "Maneater" set the tone for what was to come. A string of songs most pleasing to a Hall & Oates fan base, I'm sure, but my palette just needed to be cleansed. 

Settling in, I realized Hall's songs have more hooks than a strip of Velcro. There are few variations with Hall. "Rich Girl" came across as vibrant a pop masterpiece as it was in 1976. Hall's voice, the range at once so incredibly broad and daring, has aged quite gracefully and now takes on a different identity, which, despite the lack of variation, gives the songs a fresh sound. Never the more evident on this night than when he transitioned from "Every Time You Go Away" into "Sara Smile", two songs brilliant in their simplicity. 

In this reviewer's humble opinion, Elvis Costello should have headlined this tour, but record sales dictate the billing, not the depth of lyrics and musicianship. Understanding this, Darryl Hall delivered his form of the goods, and like my drives with my sister back in the day, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  

- Tom Endyke | Guitar & Pen

Alt Rock Review: Ratboys - The Window

Score: 84/100 

Release Date: August 25, 2023

Genre: Alternative, Indie

Similar Artists: Big Thief, Sun Kil Moon, Kevin Morby, Big Thief

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A low-key and low-fi dynamo, Chicago-based Ratboys have been making music since songwriters and guitarists Julia Steiner and Dave Sagan met at Notre Dame in the early 2010s. 

The band's standout album, Printer's Devil, in 2020, when the band expanded from a duet to a quartet, was this writer's first exposure and embodied an eclectic and otherwise ineffable sound that defied labels. All I knew was that I liked it, especially the heavy groove, Flaming Lips-channeled "Alien With a Sleep Mask On," and the relaxed, hooky, disaffected vibe of "I Go Out at Night."  

Earlier this year, an early release from The Window, a song called "Black Earth, WI," came onto my radar, and I became hooked. It is the type of slow bass groove that locks you in from the start. When Steiner's charming yet broken voice enters the fray, one can envision a bird flying into a windstorm, and you know you're in for a ride. There is no question that that bird will fight its way out, and that battle is scored by Sagan's soulful and blistering four-minute guitar solo. When the clouds pass, our faith is rewarded with the return of that sweet bird, the resolution of a conflict, and a most satisfactory conclusion. This song is a masterwork and the highlight of the album.  

If you're not into eight-minute masterworks, the rest of the songs, albeit shorter, are equally unpredictable and vary in sonic tone and theme while skillfully alternating between the sweet and the sour to create a sensation to the ears, not unlike a mouthful of Sour Patch Kids to the mouth. 

Opening The Window is "Making Noise for the Ones You Love." It's a screamer that, like other songs on The Window, such as "Break" and "No Way," are both soft and loud, making a Pixies influence difficult not to draw, albeit more of an even keel. It's Alive is the most accessible and sure to appeal to a broad audience. It is quintessential Ratboys and will hopefully draw listeners into the rest of the fine work on this album.  

Bad Reaction closes The Window in an impassioned and affected fashion. Here, Steiner draws on a formative experience coming out clean on the other side. 

Drove to the graveyard where you were not

Found a nice little hill with an empty plot

I threw the wheels in reverse so fast

Lost in the headache, didn't look back

The velvet hammer method in which Steiner delivers cutting phrases wrapped in soft tones only makes them more powerful and draws comparisons to Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker. 

Overall, The Window is wide open to the rest of the world. With the release of this exceptionally diverse and exhilarating album, no longer shall they be Chicago's best-kept indie-rock secret.  

- Tom Endyke | Guitar & Pen

Alt Review: Panda Bear & Sonic Boom - Reset

Score: 92/100 

Release Date: August 22, 2022

Genre: Alternative, Indie

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The music of Panda Bear (aka Noah Lennox) has historically sampled the past. This was especially true as a solo artist with Animal Collective and now as a collaborator with Sonic Boom (aka Pete Kember).  

Reset is more than an album title. It's a declaration to the world of modern music that anything is possible. The underlying rhythm is intricate and infectious, transporting the listener to a children's music room filled with skilled musicians. You'll hear what sounds like xylophones, plastic drums, washboards, and maracas.  

The opening track, "Getting to the Point," borrows from Eddie Cochrane's "Three Steps to Heaven," adding the schoolhouse rhythms, synths, and infectious vocals to create an infectious pop song.  

The album cover of brightly colored paddles and whole and half circles indicates symmetrical punctures in the fabric of time. These black holes transport us to other dimensions in the rock and roll continuum. There are strains of 1968 America when the Monkees and Archies sang sugar pop harmonies mixed with 1982 England when Joy Division and The Fall shook our senses with horror and delight. The listener also tastes the modern era, with hints of Tame Impala, Flaming Lips, and Gorillaz.  

Reset forces the listener to stop and look backward in order to move forward. Lennox and Kember have embraced the sounds of the past and skillfully placed them in context with the contemporary music landscape providing a clear path toward the future.  

- Tom Endyke | Guitar & Pen

Alt Rock Review: Jerry Cantrell - Brighten

Score: 87/100 

Release Date: October 29, 2021

Genre: Alt-Rock, Country-Rock, Grunge, Blues

Similar Artists: Alice in Chains, Mark Lanegan, Thurston Moore

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Former Alice in Chains guitarist releases his first solo work in 19 years, and the results are pleasantly compelling. An all-star cast of characters (Duff Mckagen, Gil Sharrone, and Greg Puciato) joined Cantrell in the studio, and Cantrell produced this remarkable work.

Cantrell describes the album as "a journey up through darkness to light." Brighten is filled with space; within that space, Cantrell reflects on the past two decades of healing and growth.  

The opening track, Atone, is one that Cantrell tells us has haunted him for twenty years. It is a soundscape that could serve as a soundtrack for a late-sixties spaghetti western. His grunge has mellowed with age and, as mixed with country and folk, creates something altogether new. 

Prism of Doubt, the most rhythmic and harmonious track, is a triumph of wills in which the singer recognizes his shortcomings, and no matter how his perspective has changed over the years, it is an unshakable prism of doubt that shapes his thoughts.  

The undertones of Brighten are that of a guilty man who feels he has gotten away with something and does not deserve his lot in life. The pathos is palpable and identifiable, yet the story is spun with threads of lessons learned and hope - as if stepping out into the sun after a long season of rain.  

When the dust of Cantrell's not-so-everyday life settles, we're treated to a surprisingly fitting finale, a cover of Elton John's "Goodbye." Here we hear Cantrell's voice in relative isolation, in this reviewer's opinion letting listeners know that what we have just experienced only comes around every few decades and don't expect anything more for quite some time. 

 

- Tom Endyke | Guitar & Pen

Folk Rock and Soul Review: Skyway Man - The World Only Ends When You Die

Score: 87/100 

Release Date: October 23, 2020

Genre: Folk Rock, Soul, Gospel

Similar Artists:  My Morning Jacket, Wilco, M. Ward

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James Wallace, singer, songwriter, and producer behind Skyway Man describes his third studio album, The World Only Ends When You Die, as "a spinning disc flashing the finest examples of cosmological country and sci-fi gospel blues." If that's not enough to give it a listen, I don't know what is. After I did, I found his description quite apt. There's a lot of soul here, a lot of good ole fireside foot-stomping, and enough howls at the moon to make the wolves think you're one of their own.  

Songs such as "Night Walking, Alone," "Sometimes Darkness…," and "Common Void" reveal the sonic easiness of early My Morning Jacket while "Muddy Water" is so early Dylan-esque it feels as if it belongs on one of the New Basement Tapes Dylan cover albums alongside Marcus Mumford's "Going Back to Kansas City."  

The World Only Ends When You Die is construed by the artist as a cinematic psych-folk opera about a person rendered incapable of coping with an uncertain reality following a near-death experience. Under a spell of mixed wisdom by several "trickster guides" hailing from the future, they leap back into the world of the dead only to spend a hero's journey climbing out, finally returning to the strange American existence of 2020. 

After Wallace's lyrics seep into the listener's consciousness, a realization sets in that while the struggles we've all faced within the uncertainty of 2020 have hardened us, that hardening has also left us stronger and better prepared to take on whatever the future brings.  

"Muddy water like a piece of ancient church glass flowing. We're on the darkest stretch, but the bend ahead is glowing."

"Sometimes darkness in the mind, sometimes it leaves us."

"Don't feel bad about being alive. Sometimes the ship rocks you side-to-side. Some hold tightly, some watch the moonrise bobbing up and down in the water."

I've given this album a good ten listens, and the beauty of it doesn't fade after two or three. In fact, the more I listen, it seems the more I discover. A welcome start to the 2021 year in music.  

- Tom Endyke | Guitar & Pen

8.5.7

Pop/Punk Review: The Cribs - Night Network

Score: 77/100 

Release Date: November 20, 2020

Genre: Pop/Punk

Similar Artists: Strokes, The Jam

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After years of the label litigation, the crafty British indie-rockers have returned with a solid blend of soaring hooks and captivating harmonies. At Dave Grohl's behest, the Jarman brothers, Gary, Ryan, and Ross retreated to Grohl's Los Angeles studio to record Night Network. What feels like a new chapter for The Cribs, this release harks back to their signature 'Beach Boys meets The Strokes' sound with a bit of Motown thrown in for good measure. 

The tone is a unique blend of pop, punk, and harmony. Night Network starts with the alluring "Goodbye," which entraps the listener into a false sense of pop security before shifting into a consciousness-altering garage band fuzz solo at the 1:45 mark, which is both mesmerizing and enthralling. In a way, the album raises the bar with this gem and tries hard to reach its heights in the remainder of the tracks.  

"Running into You" feels like a throwback to the band's early 2000's origins with the constant and hooky chorus; it is apparently targeted as the hit song. More original and quintessential are songs like "Weather Speaks your Name" and "Siren Sing-Along." The latter's Motown stylings are mainly lifted from Dusty Springfield's "I Only Want to be with you." Sonic Youth's Lee Renaldo joins the fray on the adventurous "You Don't Know Who I Am," with backing vocals distorted guitar overdubs. 

Lyrically, the Cribs don't dive as deeply into the poetic realm as they have done in the past. One exception comes from the clever aforementioned "Weather Speaks your Name."

Sometimes yeah, the weather speaks your name/Like a childhood moment that felt the same/Keep wishing for an ever shorter day/I'd leave you alone, but you'd be lost in another age.

All in all, This is a tight and targeted release by an underrated band. The Cribs pull influences from many genres and stylings to produce a uniquely modern, elegant sound. They appear to have reestablished their footing as a force to be reckoned with.  

- Tom Endyke | Guitar & Pen

8.5.5

Alt Rock Review: Thurston Moore - By The Fire

Score: 82/100 

Release Date: September 26, 2020

Genre: Alt-Rock, Experimental Rock

Similar Artists:  Stephen Malkmus, Bob Mould, Black Francis

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Since the iconic NYC art/punk-rock band Sonic Youth broke up in 2011, frontman Thurston Moore has carried on in the most innovative and prolific fashion. His divorce with bandmate Kim Gordon triggered the divorce of the band. "Sonic Youth was a bond that existed between four of us. I have a tattoo that says 'SONIC LIFE,' and it's something that defines me forever. For me, it goes on and won't end." states Moore. 

By The Fire, the seventh 'solo' album from the Sonic Youth founder is the latest in his catalog of fine-tuned hard rock and some of his bravest and most vibrant work to date. A known revolutionary, no one should be surprised as to where Moore stands within today's politically tattered global state. The real surprise here is that between the sharp edges lies an inspiring message of optimism and hope.   

"Hashish" starts us off with sharp and innovative guitar stylings that segway into the groove of an enchanting melody. The drugs/love metaphor, while cliched, still hits home. "Feel the full effect of this dose. "It is in you girl, my repose."

Four of the nine tracks extend beyond ten minutes and feel a lot like a soundtrack not to a movie but to a place in time. Moore gives "Breath," "Siren," "Locomotives," and "Venus" room to breathe, and as such, they waft into your subconsciousness, providing the sonic texture to drive your most cogent inner thoughts into action. 

"Cantelope" is fascinating as it somehow blends late 60's psycho-rock with polished punk of the '90s. Iron Butterfly meets Soundgarden.  

There isn't much lyrically that stands out on this album with the slight exception of "Locomotives". "We take nothing, only liberties. And just one photo, if you please. Of the shapes of clouds we cannot keep." And "You on the platform, ravishing. Electric carriage wanderings. Locomotives kiss tenderly. We arrive foreign and free. Crossing borders we don't see." 

Overall, By The Fire is an enthralling progression from 2014's The Best Day and 2017's Rock & Roll Consciousness, all the while maintaining an identity of its own. Like Sonic Youth on stage in their prime, Moore stands strong with rock god poise, a lighthouse in a storm, while all the world spirals in chaos around him. If 'SONIC LIFE' defines Moore forever, we're all the better for it.  

- Tom Endyke | Guitar & Pen

Psychedelic Rock Review: The Flaming Lips - American Head

Score: 85/100 

Release Date: September 11, 2020

Genre: Experimental, Psychedelic

Similar Artists: King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Neil Young, Beck, Beatles

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After a decade of dabbling in the wayward experimental, prodigal psycho-proggers, The Flaming Lips have returned home with the modern-day jewel, American Head.  After the garage-acid college radio days of the '80s and '90, the band created the triumphant triumvirate, The Soft Bulletin, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, and At War with the Mystics -  three of the finest albums any band has ever recorded in succession. They closed out the 2000s with the brilliant Embryonic, a supercharged experimental onslaught which would carve an even stranger path into the 2010s. 

 

Chalk it up to creative differences, ill-advised flights of fancy or indifference, but the 2010s were a decade that tried even the most ardent Flaming Lips fans. The terror of The Terror, the lethargy of Oczy Mlody, and the inanity of King's Mouth made most fans drift toward disinterest. The savvy stylings of the early 2020 collaboration with Deap Vally (see review here)  gave fans a sign that a return to form was imminent.  Now, with the real American Dream in complete chaos, the Lips provide their own, a sonic roadmap through the sadness, steering listeners across the landscape of loss with profundity and hope. 

 

Elegant and layered, the opening track "Will You Return/When You Come Down" is a piano and acoustic guitar-ladened masterwork.  The initial refrain carries the doleful tune into an acoustic chord shift that drives the mood deeper. "Now, all your friends are dead. And their ghosts. Floating around your bed. Hear it said. Now all your friends are dead." In remembrance of all the death that fell before him over the years, Wayne Coyne laments the fact that he will not reunite with his fallen brethren in heaven or Valhalla.  They are gone forever, and the weight of this realization crashes upon him in the song's crescendo. Underneath it all lies a cutting rhythm and gentleness reminiscent of Yoshimi and the Pink Robots.

 

Thus lies the central theme of American Dream.  It is a protocol on how to live one's life years after misspending one's youth. Do not fret, because a hopeful theme undercuts these songs.  The pain of these remembrances is less sharp and even hopeful with those you love by your side. In an ocean of death, "You and me Selling Weed" and "My Religion is You" offer the illusion of salvation. On "Dinosaurs on the Mountain," Coyne brings to light the memory of traveling in his family's station wagon as a kid. Pretending the trees on the mountain are dinosaurs, he laments a time when one could simply imagine and create things in one's mind without repercussions of reality, which creeps in as adults. 

 

"Assassins of Youth" is as brilliant a Flaming Lips song that's been created in the last twenty years. A galloping pop jaunt through the tenets of rock and rhythm, there's a touch of Zeppelin and, to Coyne's admission, a touch of ABBA as well. "Mother, please Don't Be Sad" is another - a Bohemian Rhapsody-esque gem polished with soulful lyrics and other-worldly interludes.  

 

In American Head, the Flaming Lips have not quite come full circle as no journey of enlightenment ever truly ends at its source. Their journey is more like a spiral, and they've swooped by and tipped their caps to their former selves as they glide inward with a touching collection of songs ranking right up there with the best albums of 2020.  

- Tom Endyke | Guitar & Pen

Indie Rock Review: My Morning Jacket - The Waterfall II

Score: 83/100 

Release Date: July 10, 2020

Genre: Indie-Rock, Psychadelic-Rock, Jam-Rock

Similar Artists: Wilco, Band of Horses, War on Drugs

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The first trip over The Waterfall in 2015 was a comfortable, if not sleepy ride. The landing was soft with a return to the band's trademark sonic weightlessness, countrified arpeggios, and soaring vocals, which brought bastions of bohemians to their shows in the early 2000s.  In this regard, The Waterfall was a refreshing yet largely forgettable trip down the river.  For me, The Waterfall II stays in the groove, yet takes more chances.  Although these songs were conceived and recorded in the same sessions at Stinson Beach, California, in 2015, there's something about II that feels more carefree and unhinged.  

Such is the nature of My Morning Jacket fandom.  One man's Tennesse Fire is another man's Circuital.  The taste of their followers is diverse, and much like The Grateful Dead, it is rare that any two fans agree on their best album.  My personal belief that Evil Urges is among their best work is shared by few and ridiculed by others.  No matter where you stand, all MMJ fans will agree, their studio work is but a framework for their live performances. Listening to The Waterfall II, I couldn't stop imagining what these songs would sound like live and in living color.  

What comes off the record as cautious and cliched refrains paced with pauses and pulses of electric guitar, comes off live as a rocketship toward another sonic dimension.  The pacing and texture of the studio work allow for experimentation on stage.  The pauses are filled will blazing guitar solos, the cliches ring like a bell of truth in the night. The band's chemistry forms and a masterclass jam band emerges and resonates.  

One such song from The Waterfall II is the brilliant "Wasted," which comes upon you like a sunrise saturating the listener in light and sound.  A chorus of "Ohhh" s punctuate a series of deep riffs before the prophetic vocals of Jim James ride over it all. "You've been wasting too much time lately. You've been gone. An illusion then, but one more pressing." At 2:42, a guitar solo kicks in that will make you stand up to absorb the glory imagining the band 20 feet away from you on stage on a hot summer night. When the demons are exorcised, you'll feel the air grow colder and watch the sun as it sets in the distance. Few bands hold such power.  

"Magic Bullet" borrows a funk groove that Bootsy Collins would be proud to lay down.  Again, a squealing guitar takes over the show mid-way, and the completely takes over as the song fades to black. "Run It" adds a gospel chorus over a dancing piano melody. "Can't try much harder to get back to water, gonna get back hotter, get back, get back to water.  Set my mind free."  

"Beautiful Love (Wasn't Enough)" keeps the freewheeling spirit going. The soulful lyrics strike a nerve, and the guitar work, which sounds like new sneakers twisting on a wooden gymnasium floor, is unlike anything I've ever heard. 

There are other strong tracks on this album, yet these four stand out as the gems. They are innovative, and if they sound this good on the album, I can't wait to hear them live.  Some sleepier Jim James solo-ey type tracks found their way onto the record, and that's to be expected.  You can't have the chicken without the grits.  If I had my way, I'd keep James focused on collaborating with this skill group of musicians that have built undeniable chemistry and sound unique and incredible, rather than chasing ideological butterflies in the church of his solo career.  

Overall, I'm thankful that these songs have been packaged and released. My Morning Jacket sounds as powerful and innovative as ever. The band toured in the summer of 2019, and James described the shows as among his favorite MMJ performances. He said the group worked through some of their personal issues in advance of the shows.  More good news coming out of this release is James announcing the band has a fresh full-length, all ready to go. Keeping true to its live performance prowess, it's been said that the new album won't be released until the band can tour immediately behind it. This will eventually happen!  

- Tom Endyke | Guitar & Pen