NYC

Album review: The Architects – Live in Los Angeles

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It begins with the house lights going down. Then the crowd noise builds with clamoring and cheers. Trumpets swell from nowhere and Spanish guitar fills the room. As the band plugs in the crowd grows louder. Then Brandon Phillips, front man of the Kansas City punk outfit The Architects alerts the masses at Palladium in Los Angeles “here we fucking go.” 


Kicking off their set with “Cold Hard Facts,” the opening track from their 2008 release Vice, The Architects make it clear that they do not fuck around live. With bolder and booming vocals and a more deafening drum definition, the accelerated live version of the song launches them headstrong into their straightforward, no-bullshit approach to their music. The seven song set, which features six originals and a solid AC/DC cover featuring My Chemical Romance guitarist Ray Toro, tears through a range of energy and anarchy found only in honest blue collar punk. From the stellar bass lines of “Bastards at the Gate” to the dance punk elements of “Year of the Rat” and “Don’t Call it a Ghetto,” Live in Los Angeles offers a documentary-style shot of why this band remains the hardest working collective in Kansas City. Every single note, drum beat and guitar solo is full tilt and turned up.
 
Without question, Live in Los Angeles is a must have. Stacked against the tracks pulled from Vice, The Hard Way and Revenge, the live cut allows a unique and alternative look at the structure of the band. Take for example “Year of the Rat,” the opening track from the band’s last full length release The Hard Way. With jaw-dropping solos that shred strings and minds, one can only imagine the impressions left on the sold out crowd of L.A. kids longing to see a live take of “Helena.”
 
Known for their energetic live show and theatric stage presence, My Chemical Romance is a tough and impressive band to share a stage with. However, if there were ever a local project to give them a run for their money, it would be The Architects.  You don’t have to believe me. The proof can be found in the mix.  
 
Also, just for fun, Google: The Gadjits.  

Set list:
Cold Hard Facts
Bastards at the Gate
Year of the Rat
Daddy Wore Back
Sin City (AC/DC)
Don’t Call it a Ghetto
Pills

 
 
You can download Live in Los Angeles on iTunes at the link here. Join The Architects next Saturday, December 8 at Club 906 with Story May Vary, Crush, Them Damned Young Livers, and Radkey.

–Joshua Hammond

After stints drumming for both The Afternoons and Jenny Carr and the Waiting List in the Lawrence/Kansas City music scene, Joshua Hammond found his footing as a music journalist, launching the national publication Popwreckoning. After running the show as Editor in Chief for 6 years, Hammond stepped away from the reigns to freelance for other publications like Under The Gun Review and High Voltage Magazine. This shift allowed the adequate amount of time for him to write passionately, allow the Kansas City Royals to break his heart on a daily basis and spoon his cats just enough that they don’t shred his vinyl. 

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Philadelphia

Harsh Vibes Record Release Party w/Psychic Teens at The El Bar Dec. 1

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Tonight Harsh Vibes and pals Psychic Teens celebrate the former’s record release. Psychedelic Gin Blossoms is a true chameleon; if you don’t look at the track listing, you’d be hard pressed to realize that there are actually only two songs on the album, and not, as the first listen can make it seem, a slew of songs that merely bleed seamlessly into one another. This would give the whole thing an almost theatrical feel, if Harsh Vibes were interested in belaboring the point. But no, the first track, "Side A" leads with a thundering wash of effects pedals, before settling into a soothing river of grooves. As the album progresses – or rather, stretches the first song to its breaking point before segueing into the second, they treat structure as their canvas and all stylistic expectations go out the window. Harsh Vibes might have started with acid-drenched garage rock, but the second that you start to lose yourself, they stealthily add to the edifice until the song turns into a slow-burning, epic beauty on par with Isis or Rosetta, and you’re left wondering where the transition began. Psychic Teens are there to add their dire, end-of-the-world post-punk to the mix – all for an unparalleled celebratory trip. The El Bar, 1356 N. Front St., 8pm, $5, 21+ – Alyssa Greenberg

Philadelphia

Family Vacation Debut Live Performance at The Fire Dec. 1

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Just when the cold weight of winter appears ready to hold you down, a band emerges to lighten the load. Family Vacation will celebrate the release of their self-titled debut EP tonight at The Fire. Comprised of four Temple students, Family Vacation appears to be headed in a promising direction; one that combines peaceful airy melodies with the thunderclap of percussion and guitar work that stretches out as the songs progress. This energetic yet introspective prog-pop combination is already a tight package. Silky smooth psychedelic rockers The Keepers will headline the show, which also features the pop-rock of newcomers The Reflexes. The Fire, 412 W. Girard Ave., 6pm, $8, All Ages – Michael Colavita