Posted in Indie Rock

Live Review: fun. @ Boston, MA’s The Orpheum (02/01)

Bands: fun., Andrew McMahon
Location: Boston, Massachusetts’s The Orpheum
Date: February 1, 2013
All pictures by Avery Fiftal for Lost In The Sound

fun. at The Orpheum
You may know fun. simply as the band that sings “We Are Young” or maybe you know them as the band that had 3 songs in the Billboard Top 100 in 2012 and who had their second full album, Some Nights, recently go platinum, but this band has much more humble beginnings than this.

fun. was formed in February 2008 after Nate Ruess’s former band The Format split. Fun. was formed when Ruess brought in Andrew Dost and Jack Antonoff from Anathallo and Steel Train, and they released their first album, Aim and Ignite, in August 25, 2009. This album took off in the alternative music scene getting recognition as a progressive and amazingly written pop album. The next year, fun. set off on their first North American tour with the band Jack’s Mannequin.

Two years later and the song “We Are Young” started changing this band’s life. On March 7, 2012, Fun’s single “We Are Young” reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and their sophomore album, Some Nights, took off from there and they have been continuously touring since.

Now, fun.’s back on tour and this time they brought out Andrew McMahon (ex-Jack’s Mannequin and Something Corporate), and I must say; this was a show to remember.

Andrew McMahon opened the show with a mix of classic Something Corporate songs along with his soulful Jack’s Mannequin tunes. Though not many people in the crowd seemed to know many of McMahon’s songs due to the fact that he was added to the tour after it was sold out, he seemed to capture the attention of many prospective fans. As McMahon’s first solo tour the few fans in the crowd were greatly anticipating what was to come about, and I must say, as a fan myself, I was thoroughly impressed. With everything from “Dark Blue” to “I Woke Up In A Car” we were able to hear Andrew McMahon’s journey over the last 10 years. It was simply amazing to be able to see McMahon perform live for the first time as a solo artist and be able to see his growth all in one performance.

Next, it was fun’s turn to play to the full house at The Orpheum. They opened with “Out On the Town”, a bonus track from Some Nights and you could feel the excitement of the crowd completely radiate throughout the room. Dedicated fans of fun. screamed the lyrics along with Ruess and as the set progressed, you could feel the amazement and astonishment of the crowd grow as more and more well known songs were performed. “Some Nights” and “We Are Young” got screaming whoops and a rowdy singalong from every head in that crowd, while the lyrics to songs such as “Barlights” and “The Gambler” flowed out of devoted fans alike.

Fun. put on a show that was thoroughly impassioned and impressive to new and old fans alike. Their like show all in all proved why this band has taken off so well in the last year. Everything from Ruess’s extraordinary stage presence to Jack Antoff’s staggering guitar solos to Andrew Dost playing everything from piano to stealing Ruess’s famous gold microphone, it was a show to remember. And the Boston Celtics jerseys weren’t a bad touch either.

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Watch: Fall Out Boy – “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em’ Up)”

Fall Out Boy
After a huge amount of speculation and rumors that circulated over the past week, Chicago pop-punk giants Fall Out Boy have finally announced their much anticipated reunion, after a 4 year hiatus. The band has announced their new studio album, Save Rock and Roll, set to be released on the 7th of May later this year. The band has also released the first single off the album, entitled My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em’ Up), accompanied with a music video featuring the rapper 2 Chainz. You can check out the video below, along with the band’s tour dates!

5/14/13 – Milwaukee, WI @ Rave
5/16/13 – Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
5/17/13 – Columbus, OH @ LC Pavilion
5/21/13 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
5/22/13 – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore
5/24/13 – Toronto, ON @ Sound Academy
5/25/13 – Montreal QC @ Metropolis
5/26/13 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues
5/28/13 – Niagara Falls, NY @ Rapids Theatre
5/29/13 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
5/30/13 – Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
5/31/13 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
6/01/13 – Charlotte, NC @ Fillmore Charlotte
6/02/13 – Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle
6/04/13 – Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues
6/05/13 – Miami Beach, FL @ Fillmore
6/07/13 – Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center
6/08/13 – Dallas, TX @ Palladium Ballroom
6/09/13 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheatre
6/11/13 – Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
6/13/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
6/15/13 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
6/16/13 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
6/18/13 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theatre
6/19/13 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo
6/20/13 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
6/22/13 – Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue
6/23/13 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
6/25/13 – Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theatre
6/26/13 – St Paul, MN @ Myth
6/28/13 – St Louis, MO @ The Pageant
6/29/13 – Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room at Old National
6/30/13 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium

Fall Out Boy has also been confirmed to play the Reading and Leeds Festival in August.

8/23/13 – Leeds, UK @ Leeds Festival (Tickets)
8/25/13 – Reading, UK @ Reading Festival

Listen: Wildlife – “Born To Ruin”

Wildlife
Wildlife, Canadian five-piece indie rock band have released their first single Born To Ruin from their upcoming sophomore album …On The Heart set to be released on March 5, 2013. Wildlife consists of five friends who put their hearts into the music they make, with all the violence and romance they can muster. With this shared goal the result is songs with passion and emotion portrayed so evidently.

In Dean Povinsky’s own words about the album, “We recorded a bunch of the songs with brilliant producer and audiophile Peter Katis (Interpol, The National), someone we’ve had our ears on for a very long time. We lived in his home, ate his soup, petted his cats and made music with our minds wide open. We recorded the other bunch with producers Gus Van Go and Werner F (The Stills, Hollerado), two extremely talented guys that opened up a completely different set of doors. Then we took it back to Peter and hunkered down to mix.”

You can listen to Born To Ruin below, and check out their Facebook and Bandcamp pages for more information and to listen to their first album.

Review: Castlecomer – “Danny’s Den”

Castlecomer – Danny’s Den

Castlecomer Album

Released: March 30, 2012
Purchase: iTunes

Forming in late 2010, Castlecomer finally unveiled their debut release on March 30th, 2012 and did not disappoint. Armed with their high-energy shows, combined with their flawless five part harmonies, Castlecomer are one of the most exciting indie bands that Australia has to offer.

Castlecomer began their journey as a band by posting videos of both original songs and covers on YouTube including Mumford and Son’s The Cave, and Passion Pit’s Take A Walk. These fantastic videos led to fans around wondering, and near begging them to release an album.

On March 30th Castlecomer finally released their six song EP entitled, Danny’s Den. Tracks include songs that are found on their YouTube channel, as well as songs that have not been heard before. The EP is not what was first expected, as on YouTube all of the songs were played acoustically with a strong focus on the harmonies, however on the album there is a lot more use of electric guitars and drums, but this does not take away from their harmonic melodies. Even though it was different to what I was accustomed to, it was still successful, selling 1,200 hard copies, and 1000 digital copies. These five boys from Sydney are starting to make a name for themselves.

Fans, much like me, are eagerly waiting the next EP to be released, as they have only posted more covers such as Coldplay’s Till Kingdom Come and The Lumineers‘ Ho Hey. But they haven’t released any new material, so no one knows what to expect. Luckily there shouldn’t be a long wait as they have already finished the recording for the second EP, and it is due for release sometime in early 2013. If you enjoy indie folk bands with spot on harmonies, Castlecomer is a band to look out for. Check out their Facebook and YouTube pages!

8.5

Listen: The Strokes – “One Way Trigger”

The Strokes
The Strokes, garage rock indie band from New York, have released a new song called One Way Trigger from their upcoming fifth album. This synth filled song reminds me of an 80’s pop song combined with frontman Casablancas trying a new approach to his vocals. The track features his familiar distorted vocals alongside a falsetto approach, which he surprisingly pulls off. This release creates a lot of anticipation for what their new album will sound like and if they will stray farther away from their original garage rock sound like they did with their last release Angles. You can listen to the track below, and download it for free from their website.