Japandroids

New Single:  "The House That Heaven Built"

Japandroids, whose 2009 Post-Nothing was a loud, well-received monument to all that crazy stuff young, rebellious dudes do, have released the first single off of their upcoming Celebration Rock (June).  Sounds like they're still making their way through the Replacements' catalog.  Should make for a fun summer.

Mindie Auteur Edition

Friday Night

Rock on...

Lana Del Rey

"Blue Jeans" Video

Just noticed, via @LanaDelRey on Twitter, that there's a new video out for "Blue Jeans" off of Born To Die.

I've really been fascinated by the whole Lana Del Rey phenomenon.  "Video Games," to me, is undeniably great.  That chord progression, the strings, the reverb, "I say you da bestest..." It just never gets old for me.  The other thing that never gets old for me is the debate around how "authentic" LDR is as an act.

I consider myself a card-carrying member of the mindieverse.  But it's become like a political movement.  In the same way that nobody likes a stern talking-to from their lefty, liberal friends (of which I am one) about the environment or veganism or whatever, most people aren't really offended that LDR shot to stardom overnight because her record company pushed some market-researched buttons to trick you into thinking that she was anything more than a pop star.

And there are, obviously, a couple of pernicious "-isms" at work here as well.  Rockism dictates that she's committed the ultimate sin by, perhaps, not having written 100% of her songs all by herself.  And, of course, sexism makes it okay for us to say she's nothing more than a pretty puppet being worked by her handlers and to speculate as to whether those are her original lips.  The New York Times actually referred to her as "a skinnier Adele," and I'm not quite sure which artist should be more offended.

Anyway, it's just pop music.  I don't own Born To Die, but what I've heard -- the title track, "Video Games," "Off to the Races," "Blue Jeans" -- all sounds pretty good.  I like the spaghetti western, Quentin Tarantino-esque sound on several of the songs and I think she has a pretty good sense of humor, despite her deadpan public persona.

Here's the video:

Tour Dates

Los Campesinos!

The exclamation point is part of their name, but it is exciting that Los Campesinos! have announced 2 weeks' worth of dates stateside for June as part of their tour for last year's Hello Sadness.  Tickets will go on sale starting March 30th.

Dates have been announced for Hoboken (6/21), New York (6/22), and Brooklyn (6/23).  I'll be doing my best to attend one of those shows.  This will likely be one of the rare events for which I'm joined by CoolMom as we've both been fans of the English/Welsh pop collective for years.

See their announcement here.

La Sera

New Music Video From NJ's La Sera

Jersey's "Kickball" Katy Goodman (Vivian Girls), performing here as La Sera, realeased this new video last night.  La Sera's new album, Sees The Light, comes out tomorrow (digitally, today).  Last year's self-titled debut was an enjoyable set of retro-style, reverby dream pop.  From the sound of this, the new record promises more like that.

Hospitality, Hospitality, 2012

Sunday Run Album Review

Punk, noise-rock.  That's been much of my soundtrack lately.  It's been easy to find new music in that category as -- along with synth-pop like M83 and Grimes -- it seems like that's where mindie's been trending.  I've always been a pop fan at heart, though.  Death Cab For Cutie, The Shins, The New Pornographers, and, more recently, Cults and Tennis.  I especially enjoy it when a dark lyric is riding on a catchy pop tune.

After receiving some buzz from a 2008 EP, some of which is included on this full-length, Hospitality released their eagerly-anticipated Hospitality early this year.  I endangered the well-being of my iPhone and bluetooth headset by taking the band out on a drizzly run with me today.

Their name gives you a good indication of what you're in for with Hospitality.  Rooted in British pop like early Elvis Costello or Belle and Sebastian, the Brooklyn band jangles their way through ten gems on their self-titled debut.  Fronted by songwriter/vocalist, Amber Papini, Hospitality is definitely a New York band, their songs brimming with images of the city.  Papini's distinctive vocals are one of the main attractions for me here.  Her delivery fits right in with the overall British pop, tweeishness of the band's sound.

And not everything is sweetness and light in Hospitality's songs.  There are plenty of upbeat melodies, intricate arrangements, la-di-das, and ooh-ooh-oohs.  The lyrics, though, cover post-college disappointment, boredom with work, losing someone to their old flame.

If aggressive rock, electronica, or Top 40 don't do it for you, maybe some jangly hooks are just what you need.

Nicole Atkins

Sun Studio Session

So, the lucky folks in the York, PA area get to see the Sun Studio Session with Monmouth County's Nicole Atkins tonight on their local PBS affiliate.  Not sure when it will be on in my/her area, but I hope I haven't missed it.

I took Cooldaughter #1 down to brunch at Langosta Lounge in Asbury Park a couple of years ago to see Nicole do a free, solo acoustic set and was blown away.  Not only did she do a great set, but she was also nice enough to come over and sign the lid of my daughter's leftovers before we left.  CD1 still has that white, cardboard circle up on her bedroom mirror.

Nicole Atkins' latest album, Mondo Amore, is a great listen; and I think it captures her style a little more accurately than her also great, but different, debut.

Via (@nicoleatkins)

Happy Hunger Games Edition

Friday Night

Rock on...

From the Road, Barcelona

Titus Andronicus Mixtape: Free Download Featuring New Single

As I rambled on La Rambla today, Patrick Stickles announced, via Twitter (@titus_ndronicus), the availability of a new, free mixtape.  It includes the new single, "Upon Viewing Oregon's Landscape With The Flood Of Detritus," along with other gems and rarities from the band. 

I've heard some of it before as I was in the audience for the recording of the first track, "The Boys Are Back In Town."  I probably won't get to hear the rest, though, until I get home.

Go grab it at the band's tumblr.

Sharon Van Etten, Tramp, 2012

Sunday Run Album Review

The Mrs and I stopped getting discs mailed to us from Netflix a while ago.  It had gotten to the point where that earnest, Oscar-nominated biopic that we had to watch would just sit there for weeks because watching it seemed like it would be too much of a chore.  I kind of felt that way about this album when it came out at the beginning of this year.

So here it is, March, and after seeing Tramp as an “AmazonMP3 Daily Deal” about a week ago, I went for it.  I’ve been listening for a few days, and Sharon and I took a run together today.

First, there’s her voice.  The Nutley, NJ native just sucks you in with it.  I’m not an audio engineer, but it sounds like it’s doubled-up or chorused on almost every track and the effect is haunting.

Then, there are the words she sings with that voice.  Van Etten’s lyrics are deeply personal – all relationships gone wrong, going wrong.  “Give Out” and the album's rockiest track, “Serpents,” are standouts.  On the former, Van Etten changes prepositions to get at the difference between looking down/out, holding on/out, giving up/out in a relationship.  On the latter, she’s in an abusive relationship where she sings, “Serpents in my mind/Trying to forgive your crimes/Everyone changes in time/I hope he changes this time.”

Musically, the album is pretty spare.  Not Bon Iver spare.  Apparently, not even as spare as her earlier records; but to say Tramp isn’t a rocker is an understatement.  Think early Cat Power.

Produced by The National’s Aaron Dessner, Tramp features some nice guest appearances.  Zach Condon of Beirut lends his own distinctive voice on the beautiful “We Are Fine” and on “Magic Chords.”  Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner sings on “Serpents.”  The Dessner brothers, Aaron and Bryce, contribute musically on several tracks.

You’ll hear descriptors like introspective, downbeat, and stark to describe Tramp.  Those are all accurate.  I wouldn’t let it dissuade you from checking it out, though.  While this is probably the last time I’ll run with this album, I can definitely see myself coming back to it throughout the year.  Sharon Van Etten is a true talent.  Even with its early release, Tramp should make it near the top of several year-end lists.

Listen to / download "Serpents" here.

Business Trip

Barcelona, All Week

Heading to Barcelona tomorrow night on business.  I'm kind of looking forward to this one.  Spain is among my favorite places, and I kind of speak the language (Spanish, not Catalan).  CoolMom and I even honeymooned in Spain back in the aughts, though we never made it to Barcelona.

I’m not sure how much time I’ll have to myself while I’m there, but Monday night I’ll be on my own almost for sure.  As luck would have it, John Cale is playing at a place called Apolo that very evening.  If I can overcome the jetlag and score a ticket, I may have to check it out.

Posting may be light to non-existent.

Hasta luego.

Great Things That Are Half Irish Edition

Friday Night

Rock on…

The Decemberists, We All Raise Our Voices To The Air (Live Songs 04.11-08.11), 2012

Album Review

Apparently, the Decemberists are a polarizing band.  I’m in the “huge fan” camp, so I never realized this.  But frontman Colin Meloy’s singing voice, the band’s hyper-literate, baroque, often violent songs, the names they assign to their tours, and their prog-rock opera about a shape-shifting fawn, his love, and his mother the tree appear to rub some people the wrong way.  This record is not for them.  Like most live albums, this one is for fans.

Culled from several performances on the band’s 2011 Popes of Pendarvia World Tour, the album includes live renditions of songs spanning their entire career.  Castaways and Cutouts favorite “Leslie Anne Levine” gets the treatment right alongside recent songs like “Calamity Song” and “Down By The Water.”  In some cases, especially those including heavy audience participation, I prefer the studio versions; but there are some great performances here.  It’s especially nice to hear “The Crane Wife 1, 2, and 3” in order – all 16 minutes of it – since it was broken up on 2006’s The Crane Wife.

I saw the Decemberists twice during 2009’s A SHORT FAZED HOVEL tour for The Hazards of Love and once, early on, during the tour covered by this album.  I loved every minute of all of those shows, and this album brings some of those moments back for me.  But I can definitely see how some of Meloy’s stage banter and the audience sing-a-longs may have a “you really had to be there” quality for non-fans or for those who weren’t at the shows.

For me, the Decemberists have always been about the songs.  Album-wise, I think I’d say that I’m a Picaresque guy, but that’s only by a hair.  The Decemberists are one of the few bands whose discography I can happily put on shuffle while not feeling like I’m missing out by not listening to the album “the way the artist intended.”  We All Raise Our Voices… does a nice job of shuffling the band’s discography all on its own; and in that way, it’s really nice to have.

The Boss

Bruce Springsteen Gives SXSW Keynote Address

I never intended to make this a Bruce Springsteen blog; and, hopefully, after the Wrecking Ball album cycle starts to wind down I’ll be able to talk about something else.   Bruce’s funny, moving, profanity-laden keynote at this year’s South by Southwest Conference, though, deserves a mention.  He gave shoutouts to his old Monmouth County stomping grounds and he discouraged us from taking a rockist approach to our music appreciation.

Personally, I just loved listening to the guy ramble on about his musical influences.  He did a bit of that preacher schtick that he does on stage sometimes, but he toned it down quite a bit here for the much smaller crowd.

My favorite part has to be the section during which he discusses his love for the Animals.  I’ve always loved them, too; and I made it a point to steal all of my dad’s Animals albums after I got my turntable up and running.   And the bit where he reveals that the opening riff in “Badlands” is taken from “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” is just my kind of pop-musical geekery.

Thanks to his talk, on my trip out to the record store today, I’ll see if I can’t find some Charlie Rich.

Go watch the speech here.

Heavy Blanket

J Mascis Instrumental, Psych Rock, Guitar Shred Album

Veddy interesting.  Over at freakscene.net, there’s an announcement that “J and his stoner buddies” are set to release an instrumental album on May 8^th under the name Heavy Blanket.  This should be hitting stores soon after I receive the J Mascis bobblehead I ordered earlier this year, so I ‘ll be primed and ready for it when it comes out.

Promo video looks not embeddable, so go here to check it out.

It’s Back!

A.V. Undercover, Sharon Van Etten/Shearwater Do Petty

One of my most favorite things on the Internets is back: A.V. Undercover over at A.V. Club.  Here we have current indie-obsession (totally justified), Sharon Van Etten, covering Stevie Nicks/Tom Petty with Shearwater.  I love Petty’s delivery on the original, but this one definitely works.  Nice kickoff to the new season.

Sharon Van Etten and Shearwater cover “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” 

Springtime Vibin’

Jersey Style

Great Tiny Desk Concert from New Jersey’s own Real Estate at All Songs Considered on this warm March day.  Gotta say, the Gibson hollow body surprised me a little bit.

The Men, Open Your Heart, 2012

Sunday Run Album Review

I had a pretty happy childhood.  Got along well with my parents.  Still get along well with my parents.  I wasn’t one of the popular kids in school, but I wasn’t one of the outcasts either.  Just average.   My teen years went by relatively uneventfully, save for the normal, teenage stupidity that I like to believe afflicts everyone.  My grades were good.  I always had a job, and I even played football until my junior year of high school.  In other words, I never felt the need to rebel against anything.

It wasn’t until I got married, bought a house, had kids, and had a corporate job that I started to feel the need to really let off a little steam.  Yeah, The Clash, The Replacements, The Pogues, The Ramones were always there.  I went through a pretty heavy Mats phase, as a matter of fact, but that was all post Pleased to Meet Me really.  Something about today’s punk and lo-fi – music made by twenty-somethings – speaks to me on a level that I don’t think it’s really supposed to as a cooldad.

Today I went for a run with Brooklyn’s The Men.  Their latest is Open Your Heart, and I’ve officially placed it into heavy rotation.  They’re a big part of the recent punk revival that’s captured much of my attention as I seek out stuff, like running, to get my blood pumping.

On album opener “Turn It Around” and on “Animal,” an almost Stones-y twang complements the power chords.  “Oscillation,” “Please Don’t Go Away,” and “Ex-Dreams” make me think of shoegaze, especially the style of Yo La Tengo; though, I don’t picture The Men doing much shoegazing.  There is plenty of hard-driving punk rock to be found here, but this album is about much more than that.  Probably unsurprisingly for a cooldad, the Richards/Jagger (and Westerberg?)-inspired “Candy” may be my favorite track on the record.

Open Your Heart has a huge guitar sound.  The hardcore elements are all there, but The Men are obviously students of rock music from The Rolling Stones and The Velvet Underground up through My Bloody Valentine and Yo La Tengo to Fucked  Up.  It’s going to be fun going through their back catalog to see their evolution to this point.

I’ve got several multi-hour conference calls scheduled this week.  As each ends, I’ll be putting my headphones on to slog through the neighborhood as The Men help me work out my issues.

Hey Hey My My

Chromatics Cover Neil Young

Love a good cover.

(via @jennylsq)

Guitar Hero Edition

Friday Night

Rock on…

Internet Fame

We Were There

Some lovely person posted this video of Titus Andronicus doing some new songs at the Stone Pony show.  If you know what to look for, you can spot one of the cooldads off to the left just down front of the bass player, right in the thick of things.

(via @titus_ndronicus)

Dent May

Fun

I guess this track has been out for a while, but this is the first time I’m hearing it.  2009’s The Good Feeling Music of Dent May and His Magnificent Ukulele introduced May and his crooner-y, retro sound with songs like “Meet me in the Garden” and “Oh Paris!”  "Fun," which will be on his new album, Do Things, hits what’s become one of the sweet spots for me over the last year – laid back, beachy, with reverby vocals.  If this is any indication, it should be a fun album.

New Beach House Track

Myth

Baltimore’s Beach House, a band I’ve never really been able get into, released this new track on their website yesterday.  Their upcoming Bloom will probably be the big mindie album of 2012.  All Songs Considered will be all over this until the release on May 15, and my prediction is that Bloom will top both the editor and listener lists at the end of this year.  I’ve got nothing against Beach House, and this track is pretty great.  Just make sure you bone up on this stuff if you want to keep your mindie street cred this year.

Bruce Springsteen, Wrecking Ball, 2012

Album Review.  Oh yeah, Hello World!

I probably should have done this earlier, but I’d like to point out some of the things I think I’m going to be doing here.  There will be a heavy selection bias in the things I choose to review.  It will rarely be the case that I purchase a record or go to a show that I’m predisposed to dislike.  So, when I review something, the focus will likely be on why I like it, what it means to me.

Music is a big part of my life, like it is for most people, I think.  I’ve almost always got something playing unless it would be considered rude.  Often, a particular song will come to mind when I witness or participate in some major event – elections, professional football games, family road trips, the first of the month.  Over the last year or so, I’ve taken a major cooldad step and finally decided to learn the guitar; so if I’m not listening to music in my free time, I’m attempting to play it.  And, while I may be guilty of a bit of “rockism,” I try to keep an open mind about the things I hear.  Even the auto-tuned, corporate stuff the cooldaughters so enjoy.

So there will probably be few if any “bad” reviews here.  Most will probably be of the “if you like this sort of thing, then this is the sort of thing you’ll like” category.  But I’ll tell you how something made me feel or what it made me think about; and if you think you think like me, then maybe that will give you some insight.

Bruce Springsteen is a great artist for my first review.  I don’t think it’s possible for me to write a bad review of a Springsteen record.  I will never tire of his first four albums, and I consider Darkness on the Edge of Town his masterpiece.  That’s the album where he started to morph from “Urban Springsteen” – the kid from Jersey who sang about his state and the big city across the river – to “Americana Springsteen,” or something else that conveys his widening focus.  On Darkness he blended both of those superbly in a series of angry, beautiful songs.  The cover of that album is an example of how Springsteen has always made himself part of the current conversation.  He’s leaning against that wall wearing his leather jacket like a 1970’s punk, with an expression on his face that calls to mind Patti Smith on the cover of Horses.

When I mentioned that I don’t think that Wrecking Ball is close to Springsteen’s best, this is what I meant.  I don’t think there are many records that, for me, approach Darkness on the Edge of Town, Born to Run, or even The Wild The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle.  But this is the best album Springsteen has made in a long time.  There are some great songs on The Rising (“My City in Ruins” comes immediately to mind) and Magic (“Long Walk Home,” “Magic,” “Gypsy Biker”), but as whole albums they were weighed down a bit by Springsteen’s new approach to universal themes.

Wrecking Ball deals with issues of the same scale.  America’s Great Recession is as heavy a topic as September 11^th or war.  He just gets the balance right this time, I think.

The album is sequenced wonderfully, and you should really listen to it in one sitting to appreciate the care that Springsteen took here.  The first half is angry about the fact that America, both its politicians and its people, has brought itself to this point.  The second half of the album, starting with the fantastic title track, is more hopeful and a call to fight for something if you want it.

This could be really corny, but Springsteen has taken what he learned during his sojourn through the American Songbook and from some of the recent acts upon whom he’s an obvious influence to make it work.  You can hear the Seeger Sessions in songs like “Death to my Hometown” and “Shackled and Drawn.”  Wrecking Ball contains the most overt use of religious imagery that I’ve ever heard on a Springsteen album, calling to mind Craig Finn and the Hold Steady.  The female voices, strings, and the army of musicians in the credits draw on the approach taken by Arcade Fire.  Finally, the tool that Springsteen best uses to overcome the bombast and the corn-factor of his other “Big Issue” records is humor: musical humor like the Johnny Cash riff in “We Are Alive,” and lyrical humor like telling us all that things that appear to have outlived their usefulness still have a lot to give from the point of view of an anthropomorphic football stadium.

And I can be a corny guy.  Wrecking Ball more than once gives me a lump in my throat.  It’s Bruce Springsteen again making himself part of the conversation, and he’s trying some new things.  Most of them work.  I don’t even think the rap break is that bad.

If you’re a casual fan, and you haven’t paid much attention to his last several albums, then give this a try.  You’ll find that, like an old structure out in the swamps of Jersey, even though he’s grown older, he’s just as tough as he ever was.

Bring on Your Wrecking Ball

Midnight Record Release Sale at Jack’s Music Shoppe in Red Bank, NJ, March 6, 2012

So, I did this.  Got dressed and headed over to Jack's Music Shoppe in Red Bank to buy Bruce Springsteen’s new album, Wrecking Ball, the moment it was released at midnight.  I’m not sure what brought me out there.  I really didn’t believe that Springsteen would show up to personally thank us all for our fandom like he did back in 2001.  Wrecking Ball really isn’t close to Springsteen’s best, though it’s his best in ages.  I'm pretty sure I'd be able to walk in there today and pick up the album like a normal person.

An exchange I heard as I browsed the used CD’s in front of the register, though, I think may sum it up for me.

“Do any other record stores do anything like this?”

“What other record stores are there?”

I’ve never been someone who’s into nostalgia for its own sake, but Jack’s has been in Red Bank my whole life.  I used to wait there for concert tickets way back when they had a Ticketron machine in the back at the old location across the street.  In recent years, it’s become a Friday afternoon tradition for me to grab lunch in Red Bank and then spend some time browsing at Jack’s.

Is it the world’s greatest record store?  Probably not.  Can you find a wider selection of obscure titles online? Depends on what you’re looking for, but generally yes.  Isn’t all of this music cheaper at Amazon?  Usually.  But I still enjoy searching for stuff while some record store employee’s choice of music is piped over the sound system.  And I still enjoy walking out of there with my orange and white striped paper bag.

As he lay comfortably in his bed in Rumson or Colts Neck or wherever he was during last night’s sub-30’s temperatures, I’m sure Bruce was satisfied that a bunch of fools were out supporting him and another local business.

Oh, and I bought the vinyl. 

Punk Pops’ Night of Pop Punk in Asbury Park

Titus Andronicus, Screaming Females, Diarrhea Planet at the Stone Pony, March 4, 2012

I love Asbury Park.  The boardwalk area between Convention Hall and the Casino has changed a bit in recent years, adding some new restaurants and stores, but Asbury still retains that contrast between the run-down, almost ruined, old structures and the beauty of the beach that gives it its charm.  I’ve come to view my proximity to this place as a real gift, and I try to take advantage of it whenever I can see music at the Convention Hall, the Paramount, or the Stone Pony.

Last night, three other cooldads and I headed out to the Stone Pony to see Titus Andronicus.  This was the opening night of what Titus Andronicus frontman, Patrick Stickles, has called the Screaming on Planet Titus tour with Screaming Females and Nashville’s Diarrhea Planet.  It was an all-ages show, so cooldads were the outliers demographically.

Since it was a Sunday, the show came at the end of a busy day of swim meets, birthday parties, and typical weekend work for all of us.  We managed, though, to meet for a pre-show meal and drinks.  We all pretended to be joking when we started yawning at around 7:15.  Turning down an after-dinner coffee may not have been the best idea.  For my part, I was happy to let the fact that Titus Andronicus are a band I’ve attempted, and failed, to see live over the last two years carry me through the night.  We made the short walk over to the Stone Pony in time to catch the first set from Diarrhea Planet.

On Sunday night, Diarrhea Planet were a five-piece band featuring three guitarists.  Ironically, they were down one guitarist because their drummer had been overcome by digestive problems and couldn’t make the gig.  Guitarist number four took over drumming duties and did a fine job.  Even with just the three guitars, the band created a wall of impressive, hooky noise.

Diarrhea Planet, with their brand of pop punk that focused mostly on drinking beer, provided an interesting contrast to the emo, multi-movement songs of Titus Andronicus.  Songs were short.  Most had to have clocked in at under two minutes and, as one of my companions suggested, “got really good and then ended.”  Diarrhea Planet brought a youthful energy to the not-really-that-crowded room and proved a good start to the night.

New Brunswick’s Screaming Females were next and outperformed my high expectations.  Their brand of 90’s-inflected noise rock hit home for all of the cooldads.  Guitarist, vocalist, and sole female, Marissa Paternoster, is a tiny package containing a huge voice and some serious guitar chops.  The rhythm section of the power trio, while somewhat overshadowed by Paternoster’s fronting, were also exceptional.  The band ripped through a set of tight, well-crafted rock and roll complete with several examples of Paternoster’s guitar heroics.

With the renewed interest in Carrie Brownstein through Portlandia and her new band, Wild Flag, the timing of Screaming Females upcoming album, scheduled for release in April, couldn’t be better.  The Females also draw heavily on the music of J Mascis, Doug Martsch, and even Billy Corgan in getting to their sound; but they bring a personality and energy all their own.  Don’t be surprised if their new album is a breakout for them.

Titus Andronicus took the stage at about 10 p.m.  After dinner and two solid sets from the openers, some of the cooldads clearly had Monday morning on their minds at this point. 

Now five members that, according to Stickles, had only been together for the last six days, the Glen Rock, NJ band acknowledged their return home to Jersey with a punkish cover of “The Boys Are Back In Town.”  They followed that with a couple of songs from their debut, The Airing of Grievances, and then brought out the new material.  Stickles alluded to the fact that one of those new songs, standout “Upon Viewing Oregon’s Landscape With The Flood of Detritus,” would soon be available via the Internet.  We’ll see.

Halfway through the set, Stickles broke a guitar string.  He answered audience questions and bantered while the rest of the band vamped behind him as he struggled with the change.  As he pointed out, it was a “real” moment for a band with few if any roadies or “slaves” to do these types of things for them.  The episode briefly drained some energy from the room, but the band got back on track and finished strong, tearing through several highlights from 2010’s excellent, The Monitor, including that album’s 14 minute closer, “The Battle of Hampton Roads.”

Despite admitting to knowing only thirteen songs, this incarnation of Titus Andronicus played a one and a half hour set (including string change) and sounded better than I’ve heard them in live recordings.  They also left everything on the stage.  Stickles’ father was in the crowd.  I’m not sure where the high school principal’s musical tastes run, but he had to be pleased with his son’s work ethic if nothing else.

A quick word about the venue:  The Stone Pony is iconic, of course, in the annals of Jersey rock.  Even Patrick Stickles couldn’t get through the night without mentioning The Boss on stage.  Signed guitars and old show posters line the walls.  On Sunday, though, it struck me as a little staid.  While, as a cooldad, I appreciated the strictly enforced “no mosh” policy, watching security break up the action time after time was kind of a downer.

Asbury Park and rock music:  the night was a great change-up to the usual Sunday routine.  I missed the Mrs.  She would have loved it, but someone had to stay with the kids.  Next time.