On Wednesday I saw one of my favorite bands, The Notwist. This German group who releases intricate albums full of various sounds was touring the USA to promote their new album, The Devil, You + Me. Their albums are a bit on the subdued side but as Keith can attest, their shows are incredible.

One notable part of the band was their use of technology and ability to improvise on the spot. In the past one of the instruments used by a member was a macbook. On this new tour, the macbook was still there, but IT WAS CONTROLLED BY A GUY USING HACKED NINTENDO WII CONTROLLERS!! I could not keep my eyes off that. His gestures, twists, and flicks of the wrist added sound effects all night and it was amazing.

The drummer also had a touchscreen that he banged on all night, but I couldn't quite tell exactly what it was. A wide array of songs were played that covered all the albums and the crowd was into it. I noticed a lot of people singing along the simple but resounding English lyrics. The songs Gloomy Planet, Neon Golden, Boneless, On Planet Off, Different Cars and Trains, and Pilot were amazing. The Notwist always put on an amazing show and I quickly remembered why I promised myself the last time I saw them to never miss them when they visit again.

I think my musical entertainment for the rest of the year is looking pretty good.

Oct 29 - Wed - Notwists - Always put on a surreal folk-tronic show
Nov 05 - Wed - The Faint - never seen em, but heard good things
Nov 22 - Sat - VHS or Beta - so fun
Nov 24 - Mon - Decemberists - should be awesome
Dec 02 - Tue - Smashing Pumpkins - I'm going backstage and in the pit!!
Dec 03 - Wed - Smashing Pumpkins - Sitting a little farther back
Dec 04 - Thr - Oasis - why not? who wants to go?

My Morning Jacket is the best American Rock Band right now.

I've been a fan for a handful of years, and Sunday was my first time seeing them live. They blew everyone away and melted faces with their incredible show. I'm certain that everyone who expected a great rock show feels that MMJ went beyond the hype.

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Sam Sparro - Sam Sparro - I kept hearing his song Black and Gold on the radio, but I never heard who did it. Finally I caught the name and downloaded his album. Sam has made a great R&B & soul album that I've really enjoyed playing at home. He's a nerdy white guy with lots of Rhythm. I don't know if I'll like this album six months from now. But at the moment, I really dig it. I missed his tour in LA, but I would have loved to have seen it.

The Verve - Forth - Their rock is soooo British. I can't imagine any American band playing music like this. It's just not our style. The song Love is Noise got me into the album. Tracks like Slide Away and This is Music keep me coming back. If you like any of their early stuff, including Bittersweet Symphony, give this album a chance. It's upbeat and rockin. It's never monotonous.

Last Night I saw Radiohead at the Hollywood Bowl.

I've wanted to see them live forever, and I've missed out on tickets the last 3 times they've been in LA. I actually missed out on them again this time, but my friend Scott came through and I was the lucky recipient of his second ticket. I really suck at Ticketmaster.

I'm a big fan of The Bends, OK Computer, and Kid A. I never kept the albums after those (Amnesiac, Hail to the Thief, In Rainbows) on my playlist very long, but I do realize they're pretty good.

The setlist, as stolen from Variety was:

Reckoner/Optimistic/There There/15 Step/All I Need/Pyramid Song/Weird Fishes/Arpeggi/The Gloaming/Videotape/Talk Show Host/Faust Arp/Tell Me Why*/No Surprises/Jigsaw Falling Into Place/The Bends/The National Anthem/Nude/Bodysnatchers/Encore: House of Cards/Planet Telex/Go Slowly/Fake Plastic Trees/True Love Waits Intro/Everything In Its Right Place** Encore 2: Cymbal Rush/Karma Police/Idioteque

* = Neil Young cover featuring Jonny Greenwood and Thom Yorke on acoustic guitars
** = Thom sings two minutes of "True Love Waits" on a sustained dark organ before launching into "Everything In Its Right Place"

There were some great moments. Fake Plastic Trees was really good, and gave me goosebumps. Idioteque was an amazing closing performance with a light show unlike any other I've ever seen. Pyramid Song and The Bends were really good too. Talk Show Host was terrific as well and really got the crowd pumped despite not being a hugely popular song. Radiohead had a great mix of their quieter songs and their post-modern stuff. The crowd really enjoyed it, even though it's cool not to show it in L.A. Great night, great venue, great performance.

Here's most of the closer, Idioteque. It was the only song I recorded on my camera.

I have some uninteresting photos here. My camera couldn't capture a close-up of the band.

Last night I got to check out my favorite local band for the first time in a long time. The Tyde played at The Echo with Beachwood Sparks and a few other bands. It was weird seeing a Tyde lineup without an organist, but also with 3 guitarists and a tambourine guy.

This one goes out to Keith

I also got a quick picture with lead singer Darren Rademaker. He said 7 songs for the new album are done.

I think this post will finally cover all my Barcelona experiences. I'll have one more to wrap up tomorrow. We attended 2 musical events in Barcelona.

The first musical event was a night of Catalonian classical music at Gran Teatre del Liceu. The opera house on La Rambla is one of the world's finest. Everything about the inside says luxury. I ordered box seats for a show featuring two composers. The first half of the show was scenes from an opera called La Celestina by Felip Pedrell. The language was Catalan, but the music and voices were top notch. Their were digital displays in every seat with a translation, but on our night the translations were only for Spanish and Catalan. My sister figured out that the opera was a comedy about match making.

The second half of the show was by Roberto Gerhard. This was a performance unlike any I've ever heard. The music and a narrator told a haunting story called La Pesta. My sister figured out that it was about Nazi occupation in France, but the story was told as a tale of horror. It was quite amazing to see horror movie music performed live with a haunting choir and deep voiced narrator.

The second musical event we attended was during our last day in Barcelona. The show was at the Gran Palau de la Musica Catalana. The concert was mainly arranged for tourists as it featured a potpurri of Flamenco, opera, and spanish music. The Flamenco dancers were very impressive and the crowd was nuts for them. The opera singers were pretty good too, but I felt they didn't get featured enough. Nevertheless, the venue and show were great.

I haven't had a Music For (insert month) post in a while. Here we go with 2 stunning albums everyone should give a try.

The Notwists - The Devil, You + Me - I'm a huge fan of this band. It seems so long ago when I was Keith at the Knitting Factory watching The Notwist put on one of the best live shows I've ever seen. Their new album is like their previous one, Neon Golden, but more evolved and and different enough that it isn't a rehash. They have a jazzy, beat heavy, tripnotic sound with soft but poignant vocals. I definitely recommend this album to everyone. Check out aaaaahhhhh.

My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges - My Morning Jacket deserves a lot more acclaim than they get. This band can play anything and they have some incredibly skilled guitarists. Their songs range from quiet slow acoustic jams to intense head banging classic rock psychedelia. Evil Urges has some great intense rock, some mellow heavy stuff, and lots of echoey guitars. I'm a huge fan of the echoey guitar sound. Their lead singer is named Jimmy James, so that's a plus too. If you're a fan of great riffs and non-monotonous rock, give this one a try.

If you're not familiar with My Morning Jacket, check out this performance from their last album. Epic song.