A Week In Music

Waxahatchee and the New Pornographers at Tips

Last Wednesday Canadian power pop stalwarts The New Pornographers rolled into Tips with Waxahatchee in the supporting position.  From the start this was an excellent pairing.  Katie Crutchfield’s new school of indie pop would set the stage for the polished excellence of the New Pornographers.  As usual Crutchfield delivered a remarkably heartfelt performance even though the audience seemed anxious for the headliners to take the stage.  In this incarnation Waxahatchee was just Crutchfield accompanied by her bassist Katherine Simonetti.  Though excellent, the performance never managed to achieve the swells that they are capable of achieving with the full band.  This is a shame since Waxahatchee at full strength is a force to rival even The New Pornographers and would have made an outstanding introduction to their show.  For their part The New Pornographers were outstanding.  Their twenty years together have served to meld them into a tightly oiled machine.  Carl Newman and Neko Case continue to work together magnificently.  The show’s primary focus was on new material from the band’s last couple of records Brill Bruisers and Whiteout Conditions, but despite this focus there was a nice blend of the old and the new.  The Jazz Fest crowd made for a festive atmosphere that lifted their already airy hooks.  As a gateway to the second weekend of Fest this could not have been a better way of setting the tone. 

 

 

 

Perfume Genius No Shape

Last week Mike Hadreas released his fourth record as Perfume Genius.  His 2014 record Too Bright was one of my top records of that year as it saw Hadreas letting go of his previously minimal almost timid style and coming out into the world of glamorous pop. This new record has continued that confident development.  This record is a triumph that revels in transgressive beauty without hesitation.  This record is in many ways a love letter to his partner (musically and otherwise) Alan Wyffels and it deals with both the exterior representation of the self and the internal struggles that those moments of posturing attempt to obscure.  What works so well here is Hadreas’ obvious joy at finding himself in his current position in life.  This record is an ecstatic declaration of that joy.  Hadreas’ voice both personally and musically has never been stronger.   Check out the video for “Slip Away” below.

To Do This Week

Now that the craziness of Jazz Fest is behind us and we’ve gotten a little sleep, it’s time to head back out into the world.  On Friday Caddywhompus is having a CD release party at Tips with Vox and the Hound and the excellent Sexy Sex and the Fresh.  Also on Friday be sure to check out Hamilton Leithauser with Walker Lukens at One Eyed Jacks.  Saturday Shonen Knife is at Siberia and Sondre Lerche is at One Eyed Jacks plus The Chainsmokers are holding down the Smoothie King Center.  Monday check out Hoops at Gasa Gasa.  This week’s Wednesdays at the Square is Tank and the Bangas.

 

To Listen This Week

 

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