Restorations: A/B 7"

Restorations have been among my few favorite local(ish) band discoveries in the recent years. Philly has always had an enviable scene for the cinematic post-hardcore set. Luckily for us, The City That Loves You Back is close enough that the gents have made it into our fair Gotham with some regularity in recent months. There are a larger than average number of acoustic Restorations shows that I have yet to be particularly crazy about, but in their full-on electric (normal) incarnation they are more than a force to be reckoned with.

This 7" comes courtesy of your friends at Tiny Engines. Two songs, called A and B, the former sporting a little late period Chamberlain intro before simmering into so post-Hum indie rockery heavy on the reverb and glissando. The obverse starts things off with a gritty rhythm section throwdown before taking flight for six minutes of epic bliss.  You want this. I'm damn excited to see them come through and play this live.

Buy it here.

R

Live: Restorations @ Acheron 4.6.12

Regular readers know that JS-NYC loves themselves some Restorations. Man, do I wish they were from Brooklyn. The acoustic show last week was a little lacking for me, so I was pretty eager to catch the full rock band version at Acheron. I was even more pleased that it was going to be an early show. I showed up as the band were wrapping their first track and judging by the turnout, it seems like Restorations are getting themselves a bit of a buzz. There's a new 7" coming down the pike that I'm pretty excited to hear, especially if it spikes the number of shows we get here in NYC.

Restorations bring it live. They've been touring a bit, and judging by the amount of collective grinning and headstock swinging taking place on the crowded Acheron stage, seem to be firing on all cylinders. Most of the new record was covered, with some dips into the back catalog that sadly did not feature personal JS-NYC favorite Linear Notes. Save for that omission, it was a great set, sadly cut short by the second show and mildly curtailed by the archetypically not-especially-capable sound guy who sadly did not receive a Facebook posting on the phone he couldn't put down about the fact that there were no vocals in the PA for most of the set.

Keep track of the release date of the new Restorations 7" and upcoming liveage here via the Restorations web presence.

R

Live: Restorations with Sad & French @ American Trash 3.29.12

The JS-NYC love for Restoration should be of no surprise to regular readers. Word is that there is a new 7" coming and they have stepped up the touring a bit. This date was an acoustic set at an MS benefit curated by a woman who had lost her mother recently and was friends with all the players. I was in it for Restorations, obviously. I'd missed Sad & French a couple times before and was looking forward to catching the end of their and dipping out early. The acoustic portion did not bode well, but ultimately it was a pleasure not to have to ride over a bridge to see a show.

So American Trash is exactly the kind of dive bar you'd expect to find on the Upper East Side: a little Hot Topic, but with the trappings of a punk bar, for those of you that like to slum. I came in as someone who I'm pretty sure was Anthony Walker played his final note and hoped that Restorations were next. Instead, a guy in a Descendants t-shirt and another similarly scruffy gent hauled an upright into position and worked through a half hour or so of decent enough Jeff Klein-y rock mixed with a cover or two. The sound left a bit to be desired, but the guy can sing and the songs intrigued me enough that I will show up early enough to catch a Sad & French opening set sometime soon.

Restorations acoustic in this situation was Jon and Dave playing a short, if not especially remarkable, set for the good cause. The stripped down Restorations may translate better at house shows, but they suffered in a loudish bar that didn't really have bands with any regularity. I took solace in things wrapping early (for me, at least) and figure the full band Acheron show will be the one to see.

R

Jaded Scenester NYC: Best EPs of 2011

As I understand, it's in the way that you use it, or so the Michelobs are telling me. Here's the JS-NYC take on all things short format in 2011.

1.  Iron Chic – Split & Shit EP
Their crowd is getting a little wearisome to this old bastard, but when it comes to hooky LIHC with a decided post-Lifetime bent, you can't go wrong with Iron Chic or Split & Shit.

2.  Drive-By Truckers – Sometimes Late At Night EP. It's chaos as usual for Team DBT, with bassist/singer Shonna Tucker the latest to depart in the time-honored ambiguous circumstances. This EP came out before the split, featuring a handful of live tracks and a studio version of the Vic Chestnutt tune, When I Ran Off And Left Her. Be interesting to see what's next for these Sons Of The South.

3.  The Hold Steady – Live from Soho EP
I still miss Franz, but this is a pretty solid eight song showing from Team THS. I'm intrigued to see how Craig's solo record impacts things as/re: the new (non-Vagrant?) record. I'm calling ATO as the winner, unless they score themselves a too-good-to-be-true major deal with Anti.

4.  Restorations – The Key Studios EP
Restorations have been a big deal for me over the last year ago and I was glad they sweetened the top with this live recording. Five great takes, with a little studio banter to remind you its not all glowering and dynamic shifts with these nice young men.

5.  Chixdiggit – Safeways Here We Come EP
Chixdiggit pretty much redeemed their last half-hearted junket through town with a fun EP and a great set with Kepi Ghoulie on an East River Rocks Off death barge. On Fat Wreck again, as well. While Hot n' Horny is embarassing for guys as old as these dudes, Since You Got A Dog continues to be an anthem for our times.

6.  Armalite – Humongous 7”
The eight year locusts of hardcore re-emerge from dormancy to drop three jolts of post-D4 Philly punkcore. Boo-ya. And Go! for that matter.

7.  Jon Snodgrass – Tri-State Record
I wish Jon would pull a Wedding Present and release a song a month and then offer a catch-up comp release at the end of the year, as he's almost prolific to a fault. Tri-State Record is the best cumilitive record this year, although the Scorpios record is quite a little delight as well.

8.  Superchunk/Coliseum - Record Store Day 7”

C'mon: The Chunk and Coliseum togther doing Misfits covers. That's worth a spin.

9.  Bobby Bare Jr. – a storm, a tree, an acoustic ep EP
The companion EP to A Storm, A Tree, My Mother's Head gave nerds and completists a shot at the demos that fostered the full-length.

10.  Trash Talk – Awake EP
Blaaaah! Blaah-Blaah-Blaah-Blaah! Circle Pit. Mosh-mosh-mosh. Chug.

Jaded Scenester NYC: Top 11 Records of 2011

Ok All:

The TBs are back in full effect, courtesy of Time Machine, so without further ado, let's start the recappery for 2011.

Day One: 


Top 11 Records Of 2011

1.  Banner Pilot – Heart Beats Pacific

Longtime readers know that Banner Pilot gets much love at JS-NYC HQ, but even I was a little surprised that they took the top honors for 2011.  I think the CMJ live shows sealed the deal for me, The Fat Wreck deal getting the gents to the East Coast more than in years previously. The gents tore up the Reload store and followed up with a pretty aces set in Brooklyn later that night. Heart Beats Pacific has the same relentless amount of hooks, changing things up on the vocals but still with the bass mixed up front. Eleven songs, and not a bad track on the record. I'm pretty sure the gents are already in pre-production for the next one, plus they are letting the punters pick the set list for the spring tour, so get on over to the Banner Pilot web presence and ruin the spring for me. Get Heart Beats Pacific here.

2.  Centro-Matic – Candidate Waltz

Said it the first time and am now saying it again: Why Centro-matic aren't gargantuanally huge boggles what little faculties I still maintain. Centro-matic are everything that I don't see why people like about My Morning Jacket and The National (who, truth be told, seem like fine people, exclusive of their profoundly unremarkable records). I dare not contemplate what a four hour MMJ set would be like, but every time I see Centro-matic live I wish it would never end. The last show at Mercury was no exception, unsurprising as Candidate Waltz is the finest record to date from a band that continually releases amazing records. Bookmark their web presence here.

3.  Tenement – Napalm Dream

The fact that 2011 brought a new Tenement record was a personal high point. They were top fucking notch a couple years ago in Greenpoint and I've been salivating at the prospect at seeing them again ever since. There are only two solid members in the line-up, which hampers the whole touring thing. It's a shame, as Napalm Dream has some of the best indie rock tracks you'll hear this year. Shades of 90s Boston and America's Finest Rock BandTM The Figgs abound, with the breakdown of Stupid World ranking as perhaps my favorite recorded moment of this year. Keep track of Wisconsin's finest and all things Napalm Dream here.

4.   Restorations – s/t

Restorations are definitely my favorite new discovery of 2011, although sadly my favorite track is from their first EP. Lack of Linear Notes aside, and despite a curious tendency toward black metal in their artwork choices, this fearsome Philly fivesome get high marks from JS-NYC. Now lets see a lot more NYC shows please.

5.  Glossary – Long Live All Of Us

My review is coming up at PopMatters soon, but much like Centro-matic, you cannot go wrong with any release with the Glossary name on it. I generally loathe bands with singers who both live and rock together (see the utterly execrable Mates Of State), but Joey and Kelly make it more than worth your while with Long Live All Of Us.

6.   Bridge & Tunnel – Rebuilding Year

The time Bridge & Tunnel lay fallow has fostered a bumper crop of great music. Rebuilding Year features great J. Robbins-y vocals from Jeff and top-fucking-notch guitar work from Rachel. Along with Iron Chic, there is rarely a safer bet in a local show.

7.  Frank Turner – England Keep My Bones

A close second behind Restorations in the new discovery queue, Frank Turner grabbed my attention on Kimmel and England Keep My Bones quickly racked up neighbor maddening levels of rotation at JS-NYC HQ. I Am Disappeared ranks just as high in singles of the year. FT is going to be a very big deal, very soon.

8.  Samiam - Trips

I think Samiam may have actually deposed the mighty Jawbreaker as my all-time favorite East Bay band. They have made pretty regular appearances out East Coast way this year and been pretty damn great every time. Trips has a gang of great songs and hopefully will usher in a new era of Samiam dominance.

9.  Gateway District – Perfect’s Gonna Fail

Without disparaging Maren and Carrie's significant contributions to Gateway, the idea that Nate could write two amazing records worth of music (see #1) deserves notice. I really need to get to Minneapolis.

10.  Direct Hit! – Domesplitter

Got this one cold in the mail, maybe through the good folk of Southern Lovin' and the terrible cover art kept me off listening for a bit, but once I did I was more that stoked at what I heard. Obvious D4 and Screeching Weasel earmarks, but with enough personality to not get lost in the shuffle. 

11.  Money Making Jam Boys – The Prestige
2011 has been a terrible year for hip-hop, but this Philly all-star team fucking kills it on their debut mix tape. P.O.R.N, Truck North, Dice Raw and STS rhyme hard but MC juggernaut Black Thought is the hero here, asserting himself as one of the pre-eminent mic stylists of our generation and saving this year from being over-saturarted with Odd Future fomented Asbergers Rap.

Live: Restorations at Fifth Estate 10.21.11

This was night three of an unprecedented-in-recent-history JS-NYC CMJ run, with Friday night's proceedings featuring current JS-NYC obsession Restorations playing the Aquatic People CMJ showcase on the second night of an East Coast tour. I had built this show up to the point where it seemed like it could be nothing less than a disappointment, especially when I passed up dinner with a hot chick to barrel ass out Brooklyn way. Twitter had tipped me off to a later start. I locked up and rolled in to a room where the band outnumbered me (the crowd) markedly.

The first song had the room fill up a bit, but I would have liked a crowd that befit my repeated playing. Despite being crammed into a ridiculously small space for a five-piece, the gents soldiered on with the shockingly posi- demeanor that newer Philly bands display. Too short of a set, but one that featured a couple of the high points from their most recent eponymous release. No Linear Notes, but pretty tight. Good show, chaps. Here's hoping we get them back in NYC very, very soon. East Coasters should check for the tour dates Team Restorations are undertaking currently.

R

Restorations - The Key Studios Recordings

I first saw Restorations Thanksgiving weekend of 2008 when they opened for one of the 'secret' Thorns Of Life shows at Disgraceland at Philly. I liked what I heard and a bit of investigating turned up the fact that these gents were ex-members of Jena Berlin, who I also remember seeing accidentally and liking. It was a fair bit, at least a couple years, until the split with Rosetta rolled through, then an EP I totally missed, and most recently the self-titled black metal looking EP that came through this spring to much spinnage at JS-NYC HQ.

Internet trawling turned up this live session that Restorations recorded a couple weeks ago for Philly XPN2 radio presence. It's pretty amazing and seems to show that while the records are pretty aces, them boys can bring it to a pronounced degree live, as well.

Check it out here via this link.

R

Restorations - Restorations

I saw Restorations play the Thorns Of Life show at the now-defunct? Disgraceland in Philly a couple years ago. They had a raspy Weakerthans kind of thing going on and featured 3/4 of Jena Berlin in their ranks, all of which was promising. Post that initial sighting, I missed them in Brooklyn a couple times and there have been a couple splits that I've heard in passing, but I've been generally bummed that I haven't been able to investigate Restorations properly. Luckily there's now a self-titled EP to be had for JS-NYC to sink its ears into. Had I been looking for this on the racks, I would have missed it, given the black metal meets emo logo and all, but all bitchiness aside Restorations is a nice 2011 Philly take on the midwestern emo scene of the mid 90s, with a dose of The Hold Steady for good measure. That works for me. It should for you, too. Get Restorations here from the Restorations web presence.

R