Category: Features

Wild Adriatic Record Live Album in Saratoga at Putnam Den

Wild Adriatic brought its show to the Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs with a bit more hype than a typical show. The three-piece rock band, based out of Albany, announced months ago it was going to record a live album on February 20 in the Spa City. For a group that has been on a straight upward trajectory, which included an appearance at Bonnaroo last year after winning a lengthy Battle of the Bands put on by the Den, Wild Adriatic seems to have the hunger and determination to rise to the top of the rock world.

But before the near capacity crowd would be treated to two hours of in-your-face rock and roll by Wild Adriatic, Greenwich-based Let’s Be Leonard set the tone for the evening with a jazzy, up-tempo performance that lends itself somewhat to Steely Dan-meets-Herbie Hancock. The five-piece — displaying two guitars, bass, drums and a saxophone — weaved together a show reminiscent of a sunny Saturday afternoon set at a small festival. Guitarist Matt Griffin and saxophonist Connor Dunn traded solos over Karl Bertrand’s chunky rhythm and Chris Cronin’s bopping bass. Paul Gauy provided the beat.

Toward the end of Let’s Be Leonard’s set, the Den grew crowded as fans filled in to support the local boys. Wild Adriatic’s drummer, Mateo Vosganian, was darting around the venue, greeting friends and fans. There was a festive and mildly rowdy feel, as many people had undoubtedly enjoyed the Saratoga Beer Summit in the hours prior.

As soon as the trio took the stage, the energy in the room grew electric. “Never Enough,” “Letter,” “Tight Grip” and “Lonely” started the show and saw guitarist Travis Gray and bassist Rich Derbyshire hop around the stage. Gray’s voice is a solid fit for their sound, which has a classic rock with an edge feel. The crowd in the front sang along as the band kicked it up with some fiery guitar work from Gray.

After a breather, they launched into the Led Zeppelin favorite “The Ocean.” Gray again danced up and down the fret board with precision. “Can’t Be Your Man,” “Woe” and “Because of Me” continued the energetic theme. A spirited take on Neil Young’s “Keep On Rockin’ in the Free World” showcased Gray’s vocal abilities.

Derbyshire and Vosganian provide an air tight rhythmic combo that gives Wild Adriatic a sound that is unique, funky and noticeable. Add in Gray’s fret work, and the band has a winning combination, no better displayed than during the show-closing combo of “Good Times, Bad Times”>”Communication Breakdown.” The crowd hadn’t thinned out at all and judging by the satisfied look on most faces, Wild Adriatic accomplished what it set out to do. It will be exciting to see how the raw energy translates to tape.

Wild Adriatic Setlist:

Never Enough, Letter, Tight Grip, Lonely, The Ocean, Can’t Be Your Man, Woe, Because of Me, Trouble, 40 Days 40 Nights>Rockin In The Free World>40 Days 40 Nights, Heavy Soul, The Fool, The Spark, Cooperstown, Use Me, Bound To Let You Go, Lose My Mind, Strange Persuasions, Mess Around

Encore: Untitled New Song, Superstition, Good Times Bad Times>Communication Breakdown

Let’s Be Leonard Setlist:

Jumpship, Rocky Road, Open Your Eyes, Comet> High and Dry, Most Days> LGWC> Most Days> Sad Town tease> Boy Into Man> Pourdungchoo> Sad Town, TOT, Wandering Frisbee

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February 22, 2016
Lotus Rocks Terminal 5

On Saturday, February 6, Lotus played Terminal 5 in NYC and brought some serious funk and covers for this stop on their Winter tour.

Arriving at the venue, the line stretched almost the entire length to the West Side Highway. Faces of eager fans contorted and cringed at the thought of waiting in the cold to see Lotus bring the heat. Once inside, the familiar funk of “Greet the Mind” warmed things up a bit; it’s a great opener in terms of getting everyone grooving and in terms of title. Lotus continued the funk with “Philly Hit” and then laid into some heavy jamtronica grooves with “Neon Tubes.” We were only three songs in and it seemed as though the crowd were bobbing their heads and weaving their shoulders in unison. They closed out their first set with “Age of Inexperience” which had guitarist Mike Rempel laying down some fiery licks.

Second set opened with “Eats the Light,” a newly released single which is a Lotus track in every way, shape and layer. Keeping the flow with “Kodiak,” “Spaghetti,” and “Nematode,” Lotus jumped into an excellent vocoder-laden cover of Tame Impala’s “Elephant.” For their encore, Lotus played “Behind Midwest Storefronts” and then busted out an amazing rendition of Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime.”

Set 1: Greet The Mind> Philly Hit> Neon Tubes, Molluskunk, Travel> Greet The Mind, Marisol, Age Of Inexperience

Set 2: Eats the Light, Kodiak, Spaghetti> Nematode, Elephant*, In An Outline, 128

Encore: Behind Midwest Storefronts, Once in a Lifetime**

* – Tame Impala Cover

** – Talking Heads Cover

February 19, 2016
Bryan Adams Romances Central New York on Valentine’s Night

Negative temperatures in Central New York couldn’t keep Bryan Adams from heating up the Event Center at Turning Stone on Valentine’s night.

A nearly sold-out crowd in the town of Verona, NY warmed up quickly as the band took stage shortly after 8pm and the Get Up! tour got underway. Thrusting into a lofty single set, the band consistently churned up the big hits from the past three decades like “Run To You,” “Summer of ’69,” “Somebody,” and made sure the audience was dancing and singing along to “Cuts Like A Knife.” The first encore of the evening was a three-song mix of new tracks “Brand New Day” and “That’s Rock and Roll,” sprinkled with a cover, titled “C’mon Everybody” by Eddie Cochran. The second and last encore was a romantic send-off, featuring 2 solo-acoustic love ballads by Adams and a full band power end with “All For Love.”

Set: Do What Ya Gotta Do, Can’t Stop This Thing We Started, She’s Only Happy When She’s Dancin’, Run To You, Go Down Rockin’, Heaven, Kids Wanna Rock, It’s Only Love, This Time, You Belong To Me, Summer Of ’69, When You’re Gone (Acoustic), (Everything I Do) I Do It For You, If Ya Wanna Be Bad Ya Gotta Be Good, Here I Am, Somebody, I’ll Always Be Right There, Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman?, Cuts Like A Knife, 18 Til I Die, The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You

Encore: Brand New Day, That’s Rock and Roll, C’mon Everybody (Eddie Cochran cover)

Encore 2: She Knows Me (Solo Acoustic), Straight From The Heart (Solo Acoustic), All For Love (Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart & Sting cover)

February 19, 2016
Hearing Aide: tai free ‘Journals’ EP

If you’re on a searching for some smooth and soulful hip hop music, you might consider listening to tai free’s new EP Journals. Each track has a calm, relaxed feel that puts listeners at ease and provides the opportunity to assess the musicality. The selections aren’t aggressive or fueled by overwhelming rage like some hip hop tracks. This EP wouldn’t be what most would consider dance music, but rather music you can vibe along to.

The Brooklyn artist has been making music for a while, but only started getting serious about two years ago. tai free writes and performs his own songs, and the EP is appropriately titled as it provides snapshot of his thoughts and experiences. He describes the collection as “a sketchbook of colors, moods, and self-actualizations.”

In “I’m Not Here,” it’s clear he’s talking to someone close to him saying that he doesn’t want to be lied to any longer and that he is “not here for games.” Whoever he’s addressing was making him wait and reveals that he’s not going to wait around because he’s too focused on bettering his personal situation to be involved. At the end of “Bite Your Tongue,” he repeats the lines “Baby don’t bite your tongue, baby don’t lie…” seemingly trying to reinforce the idea that he desires honesty. Rap artists frequently draw on personal experiences for lyrical substance and he does so too by subtly depicting his thoughts and goals.

The syncopated percussion part in “Complications” is slightly unpredictable and bolsters the title and uncertainty of the situation with the girl expressed throughout. “Drive” incorporates female vocals by Francesca in the beginning which lay down the poignant foundation for the track.

tai free seems to have a lot of raw talent and knows how to write lyrics that can easily fit into a song structure. The dynamic range of his vocal delivery however, could be broader throughout to show more expression and emotion behind the words. The mixes of each track are relatively simple, and more production elements could be added to his music to enhance the texture. As a newer artist, more consideration for creative direction and collaboration with other songwriters can only benefit his music moving forward. Overall, tai free has taken the right steps and could have a reputable future in music.

Key Tracks: I’m Not Here, Drive, Bite Your Tongue

February 18, 2016
Brad Paisley Crushes It At Oncenter with Eric Paslay & Cam

As the Crushin’ It Tour rolled through Central NY, Brad Paisley together with Eric Paslay and Cam certainly did ‘crush it’. This mutitalented country music superstar redefines the persona of a country music star. Yes, he wears a cowboy hat, cowboy boots and a plaid ensemble, but with his quick wit, stage presence, and musical talent he wins over the most skeptical rock fan to this new age genre of country.

His show at the Oncenter was a perfect example of this. As a music journalist/photographer, I often find myself visiting with security guards at these events who perhaps may not know the artists they are “securing”. After a few moments conversing about who will be performing, I happily informed them that they were in for treat as these three artists would take the stage and absolutely win them over, while also pointing out the need to pay attention to Paisley’s guitar playing and less to their preconceived notion of what country music is or sounds like.

First up was Cam. This beautiful young lady, with a sunny disposition and attire to match, has exploded onto the country music charts with her song “Burning House.” Up for several Grammy and ACM awards this year, this young artist, who writes from the heart and performs the same, is bound to be walking away with several armfuls in 2016 and rightly so. This song, written about a past relationship, comes from the heart, speaks to fans, and what really stands out is it’s unique folky sound which is refreshing and retro. She was a joy to see perform, and will be headlining a tour one day soon.

Next up was Eric Paslay, a great interview and one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. His down to earth personality, together with honest lyrics, and playful stage persona has earned him scores of fans along the way, including moi. Referred to by Brad as his ‘red headed step brother’, Eric’s musical talent extends far beyond the stage as his knowledge of the music business includes behind the scenes talents of producing and writing as well. A graduate of MTSU (go Middle Tennesee State Univerity Blue Raiders) with a degree in Music Business, this young man is a force to be reckoned with and is making a name in and around Nashville. In fact, this young newcomer has been nominated this year for a Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance along with Charles Kelley and Dierks Bentley. Songs written by Paslay have hit number one for several artists and his song “She Don’t Love You” was one of the best songs in 2015. As he played hit after hit, it was his final song, a new one, “High Class” that grabbed attention as the band donned Ray Bans to rock out.

As Paisley took the stage, the energy surrounding his show explodes visually and audibly. He is a presence, an undoubted superstar and puts on one of the best visual shows I’ve seen recently. The kaleidoscope of colors, animation (some penned by the man himself), music videos, and cameos engage the audience from the start. Paisley plays for the crowd too. He enjoys moving around; he’s not a sedentary musician. He plays front and center, out on the catwalk, in the back of the auditorium on another stage, and throughout the crowd as he meanders around giving out high fives. Paisley makes sure no matter which seat you purchased, you had a great opportunity to see him up close and personal and not just on a video screen.

As Brad played hit after hit, several moments stand out throughout evening worth mentioning. First, “Country Nation.” The video featuring college football mascots, released in 2015, unfortunately omitted our beloved Otto. As the song began and the video began playing, the omission was corrected as the new video that graced the jumbotron featured not only the one and only Otto, but also panoramic views of the Syracuse University campus, the Oncenter War Memorial, and the SU basketball team taking it to the hoop. The crowd exploded in joy and cheers every time they graced the screen. Always curious how they chose the original mascots for that original video, I learned the video made last year featured the cities in which he visited during that tour, while the new one features this years mascots from cities he is currently touring. Okay Paisley, you’re forgiven, you absolutely have redeemed yourself.

The onstage bar was a sight for envious eyes. From the moment I spied that lovely set, I wanted an invite. How fun is that to join the show onstage while being served by the Brad Paisley Mascot? Whether is was lucky fans invited up, or tour partners, the fun times had at the bar were a highlight for all.

One of Paisley’s best loved songs is “Whiskey Lullaby” where he is joined in the original duet by the lovely and amazingly talented Alison Krauss. Never part of his sets at the past shows I’ve attended, on this tour, he is joined by Cam on stage for this song, and they completely blew my mind as she nailed it. This beautiful rendition was one of a highlights to the evening. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention his ability to skype in Carrie Underwood to join us all chatting and singing along. We all knew this was pre-recorded but it still was way cool and needs a shoutout.

I’ve never met Brad personally, but I am a pretty good judge of character and I’ve formed this opinion of him: I think he’s an all around “good guy” who loves his family, wife, fans, and what he does for a living. Each time I hear “She’s Everything” or “Perfect Storm” I know he wrote those about his wife. His sense of humor is also one of his admirable qualities. He has no problem busting chops on a co-star, calling Carrie Underwood “too stuck up to come to the show” or his agent for booking him in New York in the dead of winter.

His sincerity is genuine too. As he speaks with the audience he asks, “How you doin’ tonight?”, explaining, “That wasn’t one of those gratuitous artist things, where I go, ‘How you doin’?’ Seriously, how you doin’? How’s it goin’ at your job? How’s it goin’ at school? “I really want to know”. His graciousness is another quality that speaks volumes. He took every opporutnity to thank us for buying tickets and coming to see him. This fan oriented artist collected kudos as he gave away a signed guitar to a little girl in one of the front rows and his hat at the end of the evening to cute little adoring fan who caught his eye. He does this every show. He adores his fans, and they certainly adore him, rightly so.

This artist is much more than a country singer singing about beer, back roads, and ticks (okay he does sing about ticks, just another example of his sense of humor.). But in all seriousness, this guy can play a guitar. His ability to play is what constantly wins over those unsure of country music after seeing him. As one of my colleagues wrote, “he sticks out like a sore thumb” in country music. Perhaps it’s the fact he can play the guitar like a rock star. With his musical ability, he never needs to sing about beer, even as he played the guitar with a beer bottle. Come on? Who needs to sing about beer when he can use it as a musical tool.

As the evening came to an end, I approached the security team to find out their final take away. I believe they had been converted. They were surprised and pleased with the evening’s performances. Proof once again that good music, is just that, good music no matter what genre.

Set List: Eric Paslay – Song About A Girl, Like A Song, Never Really Wanted, Barefoot Blue Jean Night, She Don’t Love You, Even If It Breaks Your Heart, High Class, Less Than Whole, Keep On Fallin’, Friday Night.

Set List: Brad Paisley – River Bank, Water, Moonshine in the Trunk, Celebrity (joined by Eric Paslay), Country Nation, This is Country Music, I’m Stilla Guy, She’s Everything, Ticks, American Saturday Night, Wiskey Lullaby (joined by Cam), Beat This Summer, Perfect Storm, Old Alabama, Waitin’ on A Woman, You Remind Me, Southern Comfort Zone, I’m Gonna Miss Her, Crushin’ It, Mud on the Tires, Encore: Online, Then, Alcohol

February 17, 2016
Hearing Aide: Wray ‘Hypatia’

Upon first listen, it would be easy to mistake Birmingham, Alabama’s Wray for a band from Birmingham, England. The initial chords of Wray‘s sophomore release, Hypatia start the listener on a shoegazing journey back to the London scene of the early 1990s.

Bands such as Lush, Ride, My Bloody Valentine and Jesus and Mary Chain were the prominent purveyors of the scene then and are obvious influences for Wray today. But while many of those earlier bands dealt in the drone of dark introspection, one can easily see the members of Wray (lead singer/bass player David Brown, guitarist David Swatzell, and drummer Blake Wimberly) pogoing along with the audience, especially during songs like “Regular.”

Reverb-drenched guitars are at the forefront here, recalling Link Wray’s surf style guitar in several spots throughout the album.

The title song is a song where one could imagine the audience singing along with Brown. The song opens with a heavy steady drum beat that is maintained throughout with a chord structure reminiscent of The Cure‘s “Just Like Heaven” with a slight Feelies sway.

All earlier references aside, Wray is surely a band that will resonate with fans of The National, My Morning Jacket and Silversun Pickups. While deeply rooted in the sounds of 90s London, Wray distinguishes itself with an American take on the shoegazer sound by mixing in a bit of southern jangle pop, establishing a unique sound in today’s indie rock scene. Wray is currently touring in support of Hypatia.

Key Tracks: Hypatia, May 23rd, Regular

https://vimeo.com/144731589

February 17, 2016
March Fourth! & Diego’s Umbrella Blaze Boulder’s Fox Theatre

Last year about this time, March Fourth! played a show so raucous that the capacity crowd started chanting, “Holy Shit!” for several minutes. Moments before their return to the Fox Theatre in Boulder, CO last week, another capacity crowd greeted M4 band members with the same chant. It’s all that the band needed to deliver another explosive carnie steamfunk performance that included stilt walkers, acrobatics, and some of the brawniest, live music ever in the state.

Before March Fourth! took the stage, one of their percussionists lit the audience as a member of a gypsy punk band called Diego’s Umbrella. Their lively, “ants-in-their-pants” style lit up the cold, Colorado crowd with bonfire intensity. Their performance was just a precursor of things to come.

In part, the March Fourth! act has always been part vaudeville/burlesque stage show. To their benefit, however, this time around, when the band took the stage, they focused more on blistering melodies and percussive jams that launched the crowd into a booty-shaking frenzy. During the encore, members of M4 could barely contain themselves, and the entire band jumped and body surfed their way into the crowd. The Fox show marked their first stop in their winter tour, and they performed with unbridled passion and energy. In the words of one concert-goer, “That was one hellava spicy meatball of a show!”

February 17, 2016
RAQ Stuffs the Hollow on Reunion Run

RAQ is baq. Let’s hope they continue this upward trajectory.

The four-piece band has not played much in recent years due to members being tied up in a cavalcade of other projects. A somewhat perfect storm recently paved way for the band to start playing shows again, and let’s just say the group’s performance in Albany, N.Y. at the Hollow proved these guys are quite well-oiled.

Guitarist Chris Michetti and keyboardist Todd Stoops seem to have a connection that goes beyond what might happen between confident and talented band mates, as displayed by the opening pairing of “Premium”> “Hannah,” which saw virtuous playing from both. Drummer Neal Evans and bassist Jay Burwick held down the rhythm section, which settled nicely into the background.

“Push the Lil Daises”>”Late Night”>”Will Run” kept the show at a sprinter’s pace, before “Momamoth”>”Dance Hall Days”>”Momamoth”>”Wax” did nothing to put anyone to sleep. Michetti is a guitar player who can shift from trance to metal to jazz to chunky rhythm and back around again without missing a measure. I don’t know how else to describe him.

“Transcontinental,” “Shirley,” “Donkey Show” and a “Late Night” reprise closed out the rocking set. The encore consisted of “Tequila All Day”, “Nationwide”, and the ever elusive “Sweet Cream Butter”. The packed crowd exited the Hollow content, from what I could tell.

Let’s hope that RAQ decides to keep this train rolling so that everyone who wasn’t there last week can experience this group for years to come.

February 17, 2016
Catey Shaw Ends Tour at Knitting Factory

For those hardy enough to brace for the biting cold wind blowing through the streets and alleys of Brooklyn on Saturday February 13, the Knitting Factory was one haven where one could duck in and enjoy some quality homegrown live music in an intimate atmosphere. Locally based rising pop star Catey Shaw was the headlining entertainer, but openers Gillian and Memoryy were just as much a part of the experience for anyone present early enough to catch them.

Gillian is a band that sounds like it came together as the result of getting just the right alt-rock junkies with just the right record collections together at just the right time in just the right place. They unabashedly own the stage, the band members emphatically traversing in every direction while projecting their tight and polished riff and vocal hook driven pop rock to an attentive audience. Despite all this confidence and cohesion, they don’t come across as trying to be anything more than what they are: a Brooklyn band well worth seeing. Over the course of their 45-minute set, Gillian demonstrated impressive versatility, nimbly navigating tempo changes and dynamic shifts and integrating a guest two-piece horn section into their lineup. The switching off between male and female lead vocals and use of rough-and-ready harmonies kept one guessing at just where this band draws its inspiration but indicated that these fun loving musicians are more than schooled in rock and roll history and infused with the spirit of the same. Gillian’s primary goal in performing music seems to be to have a great time. Warming up the Knitting Factory stage on Saturday, they took several dozen folks along for the ride and set the tone for an engaging evening of rocking and dancing, holed up out of the cold in this cozy little hole-in-the-wall club.

Next up the curly haired synth-pop maestro Shaun Hettinger, a.k.a. Memoryy, stepped onstage with his 5-piece band. Hettinger’s unassuming demeanor and almost self-deprecating nonchalance as he introduced his band and bantered throughout their set may have allowed one to overlook his understated passion for warm electronic pop if one wasn’t paying close attention. A sense of ’80s nostalgia pervaded Memoryy’s music, but there was also kid-in-a-candy-shop innocence and the plainly personal sentimentality of a 21^st century workaday musician who hasn’t been able to help writing songs as a reflexive habit since childhood. Working in his preferred medium with a band he put together years ago under another name and just now reassembled for the first time in a while, Hettinger could barely contain his passion for this project enough to keep his fingers in contact with the keys as his body jerked about in much the same way as some of his more enthusiastic fans on the floor. This particular Memoryy set had an added layer of significance as it marked Hettinger’s final performance as a Brooklyn resident, and he made sure to point out just how special it felt to be playing again with the same four guys he first played with in New York City. The packed room showed Memoryy a lot of love.

At 11 PM the lights dimmed for the third time, and a trio of clean-cut fellows clad in mod suits ambled on to the stage. After situating themselves behind instruments and striking up a punchy rhythm, Catey Shaw appeared at the back corner of the stage dressed for the weather in a full-length off-white fur coat. Shuffling up to the microphone without much pomp, it was clear from the get-go where the artist wanted the audience’s attention to be focused: on the songs. No distracting choreography, props or other visuals were provided that could have taken away from the raw presentation of the songs that Shaw clearly takes a lot of pride in. The hour-long set consisted of all but one of the tracks from The Brooklyn EP plus a few more recently released singles. The still-small repertoire of this budding pop chanteuse holds together pleasingly onstage as it spans from folksy to bubblegum to synthpop revival.

The energy was ratcheted up early in the set with the fiery “Walks All Over You,” a pre-Valentine’s warning to all those prone to being played for fools by a blazing beauty. The anthemic “Brooklyn Girls,” which was met with some criticism upon its release in 2014, was nonetheless delivered with confidence and zest by Shaw after she announced that this hometown gig was also the culmination of her seven-date east coast tour. Coasting off the pep of the preceding party-starter tunes, the crowd swayed to the dreamily optimistic “Revolution” and continued to ride the decreasing tempos until Shaw put on a slightly more earnest face and sang the poignant ballad “Show Up,” with the studio track’s piano replaced by gentle, clean electric guitar.

The remainder of the set was a string of Shaw’s danciest and most satisfying material. A cover of Drake’s spacey R&B jam “Hold On, We’re Going Home,” was received with a surge of enthusiasm from all the dancers on the floor. Shaw’s two newest singles, the Maroon-5-esque “Tell Everyone” and the deep and bouncy “The Ransom,” came up next. These sleek and heavily ’80s-influenced ragers were full of glistening, icy guitar, but the triggered synth lines that make these tunes so fresh on record added a sense of incongruity in the concert setting where a live keyboardist could have achieved more depth and balance. The band did play these songs for all they were worth, the guitarist and bassist breaking away from their rigidly held positions onstage to feed off of each other and rock out, leaning back with knees in the air and fingers working their instruments so as to squeeze as much excitement out of them as possible in these penultimate moments of the performance. Shaw picked up her ukulele and brought the set to a close with “Human Contact,” the most reliable tune in her arsenal. Not quite ready to let the show end there, she quickly reemerged with uke still in hand after the band quit the stage to give a solo encore performance of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,” hearkening back to her days busking on the subway. Catey Shaw was happy to be back home in Brooklyn, and well over 200 Brooklyners were happy to be there with her at the Knitting Factory.

Setlist: Walks All Over You, Brooklyn Girls, Revolution, Night Go Slow, Show Up, Outerspace, Hold On We’re Going Home (Drake cover), Tell Everyone, The Ransom, Human Contact

Encore: Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin cover)

February 16, 2016
Hearing Aide: Future Rock “Daft Rock Live”

Fans of the French electronic duo Daft Punk, rejoice! Err…perhaps clap energetically. While Daft Punk rarely performs in the United States, one group that covers them, Future Rock, has recently released Daft Rock Live, a full, 13-track song featuring the very best of their live Daft Punk covers. Album releases go hand-in-hand with tours, meaning American fans can get taste of the interstellar sounds of Daft Punk right here in the United States including performances at Euphoria Fest and Electronic Forest.

Have a dance party in your living room. Future Rock’s latest release covers songs from a variety of albums spanning from Daft Punk’s debut album, Homework, released in 1997, to their most recent and Grammy-winning album, Random Access Memories.

The cover album is spot on. Future Rock loops their live drums, keys and bass to create an electronic astronomical audio journey that precisely parallels the originals of their muse. One can’t help but picture themselves with a futuristic helmet and spandex suit hurtling through space as the songs aggressively crescendo and then subside with dance-mandatory grooves.

The album begins with covers like “Robot Rock” and the frequently sampled “Technologic” from the 2005 album Human After All. Future Rock provides their own flavor to “Technologic,” the first of three Future Rock mixes on the album. “Around the World,” perhaps one Daft Punk’s more popular songs, is the fourth song on the album and covered true to original form.

The rest of the album is heavily focused on the 2001 Daft Punk release, Discovery. This album was featured in the animated film, “Interstella 555.” This includes “Crescendolls,” named after the film’s fictional protagonist band, which is teased in later songs as well as “One More Time,” although this song is not listed as a full track.

Other tracks include teases of “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger,” made famous to non-fans by Kanye West’s sampling in 2009. The tracks weave songs from different albums into one, as Daft Punk themselves often do during live performances. Several of the tracks include sounds of a crowd cheering and singing, reminding the listener that these are indeed live recordings.

The album ends with “Contact,” from Random Access Memories, which is uplifting, fun and the perfect ending to the audio space odyssey the listener has engaged in throughout the album. It again teases “One More Time,” reminding the listener of where they’ve been.

With repetition, intense crescendos and high-energy rhythms, Future Rock covers Daft Punk with precision that so closely resembles the real thing, it’s hard to decipher the difference when listening to the songs at parallel. Even when adding their own mix, it only adds to the thrill. Daft Rock Live leaves a craving for a live performance. If their live performances sound like this, it certainly wouldn’t feel like settling to see these guys instead of the real thing.

Key Tracks: Aerodynamic – Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger, Around the World, The Prime Time Of Your Life – The Brainwasher – Rollin’ & Scratchin’

February 16, 2016