Megan's Top 70 of 2010: #13 - Die! Die! Die!

Why I Decree it to Be So:

Those of you who have been around the old LET block a few times are familiar with my love for the New Zealand trio Die! Die! Die!. For years now their visceral, cutting angularity and savage brand of brash art punk have been firm favorites of mine, so it's only natural that I greeted the arrival of their latest record, FORM, almost like a national holiday. On the surface, perhaps, the record is slightly less seething with aggressive vitriol than its' predecessors. But after a few spins round the turntable (or, in my case, incessant listening, because I just couldn't stop myself), the old familiar menacing attitude is there in all its' angsty glory. "We Built Our Own Oppressors" is raucousness personified, choked with vicious guitar, unrelenting basslines, and ridiculously tenacious drums. My favorite track, "Pacquin," has possibly my favorite guitar play of the entire year, a fiery slide into darkness so very beautiful. Alternating between favored themes of social commentaries and personal disappointments, FORM is one hell of a record. It shows a continued maturation in the band's sound, without losing that unhinged, hellraiser feel which first drew me in.

mp3: We Built Our Own Oppressors (Die! Die! Die! from FORM) (via Einstein Music Journal)

Best Live Band of 2008: Nine Inch Nails

This one was pretty much the hardest category to choose. I was fortunate enough to see dozens of amazing bands this year, and they sure did make this one big ole bastard of a tough choice, which is why I have about a billion Honorable Mentions. But in the end, I'm pretty happy with my final decision.

I can officially state, for the record, that Nine Inch Nails just might be the best live band out there these days.

This year I saw Mr. Reznor and co. twice, one at the Virgin Festival in Baltimore in August, and again in Charlottesville last month.

I've never been a huge NIN fan (which I'm working on correcting), but each time I've seen them I've been totally blown away. They're incredible live. As in, jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring, ass-kicking incredible. It's not just that the music sounds so perfect, which it most certainly does. It's more than that. When you go to an NIN show, you're getting a total concert experience. The Charlottesville show was especially elaborate, a bonanza of fancy lighting and unique stage settings. Nearly every couple of songs, the stage setup and lighting would be rejigged to totally chage things up. And when it comes to showmanship, there are few people out there who can match the intensity of Trent Reznor.

Honorable Mention: The Stooges, Dead Confederate, These United States, Die! Die! Die! the Verve, the National, the Black Angels, Fleet Foxes, Spiritualized, My Bloody Valentine, Brian Wilson





[Photo by Megan Petty]

Megan's Top 18 of 2008 - #8 - Die! Die! Die!

Despite certain evidence to the contrary, I'm desperately in love with noise. I frequently drive long distances with my car's stereo turned up as loud as it'll go, and my iPod is constantly at unsafe levels (doubtlessly). My ears hate me, but I've gotta have my noise.

Both instances are especially true when I'm in the mood for dissonant, angular punkish behavior, this year kindly provided by the delightful New Zealanders known as Die! Die! Die!.

My favorite purveyors of punctuation hit the ground running this year, releasing album #2 Promises, Promises, and touring it across the States for months in the early part of the year (a tour that included a gig opening for Wire in NYC, not bad!).

Like their insanely good debut, Promises, Promises is obnoxiously loud, gritty, and brash. And like their debut, it's killer. The band's belligerent sound deviated slightly, with a bit of the edge taken off, but thankfully the album is still a bitter pill (and trust me when I tell you that's a good thing).

"Blinding", "A.T.T.I.T.U.D", and "Throw a Fit" are all in the super short, super loud, and super in-your-face style I first fell for listening to their self-titled debut. "Whitehorses" is a welcome addition, perhaps as close to a ballad as Die! Die! Die! will ever come, and proof of some, dare I say, maturation in their sound.

The band seems more cohesive these days, with Andrew's oft-snarling vocals and fierce guitar riffs anchored by Lachlan's pulsating bass and Mikey's fearfully violent drumming. Together, the trio makes one unholy racket, and goddamned if it's not fucking fantastic. My favorites (as of right now) are "People Talk", "Blinding", and "Hold Me", but believe you me, the entire album is worthy of your attention on a regular basis.

Live Review: Die! Die! Die! @ DC9, March 25

If you’ve been paying attention, you already know that Die! Die! Die! is one of my current pet bands. It is bearing this in mind that for my review of their gig at DC9, I’m going to refrain from saying too much and just post a bunch of pictures that I took from smack dab in front. As with every other D! D! D! show I’ve seen, there was much writhing around (courtesy Andrew), much jumping (courtesy Lachlan’s bunny-esque hops), and much deafening (courtesy all three boys), despite my use of earplugs. Also included in the fun was Lachlan’s invitation to invade the stage, which he was eventually taken up on. I’d like to go ahead and state that I consider this band’s shows not-to-be-missed affairs, and encourage you to go see them whenever possible. Even if it requires several hours of driving and multiple cans of Red Bull to get you there and back. And yes, I do in fact speak from personal experience.

A photo of the set list is below, but it served more as a recommendation than anything else. It was amended, shall we say, as the show went on, most notably with an actual encore (despite protestations from Andrew), featuring the excellent older song “Ashtray! Ashtray!”. And as an added bonus, three tracks are down below, an old version of "Blue Skies" and the aforementioned "Ashtray! Ashtray!", along with the excellent "Britomart Sunset" from new release Promises, Promises.

Album Review: Die! Die! Die! – Promises, Promises

New Zealand is a far-away land that has made vastly under-appreciated contributions to good music, both past and present. One of my favorite Kiwi bands, Die! Die! Die!, has been making inroads in the States over the past two years, and their fantastic sophomore album Promises, Promises should help them break on through to the other side.

What drew me to Die! Die! Die! initially was the band’s brash, recklessly brazen post post-punk sound, so loud that even listening to the debut album at a respectable volume probably goes against healthy decibel levels. The combination of singer Andrew Wilson’s howl and the thrashing guitar, bass, and drums came together to form the perfect storm of jarring resplendence. I loved the debut album to pieces, and when I discovered that album #2 was out and about, I tracked it down for immediate consumption.

There is much of the familiar Die! Die! Die! noise on Promises, Promises. But it bears mentioning that the production is much glossier, smoothing away many of the rough edges I grew fond of while getting to know the band’s music. Despite the more obvious production, though, the band is just about as abrasive and razor-sharp as ever.

Opener “Blinding” is typical Die! Die! Die!; Wilson in full brat vocal mode, ripping the hell out of his guitar in the process, and Michael Prain beating the life out of his drums. You’ll find this to be a recurring theme throughout the album. The songs on Promises, Promises run longer than on the debut, which allows for more time to notice how awesome everything sounds. Say, for example, that one particularly scathing riff at the near halfway point and near end of “Britomart Sunset,” and Lachlan Anderson’s wicked bassline that acts as a nice foil to the cutting guitar. “Sideways Here We Come” makes me smile for its’ Smiths-ian title, but it’s also fairly unlike previous Die! Die! Die! songs. Its’ slower tempo and sense of control signal maturation, but the presence of Wilson’s shouts reminds you who exactly who you’re listening to. “Whitehorses” is one of my favorites, planets aligning for a bittersweet, almost pretty sound, which you won’t often hear about a Die! Die! Die! song. Like much of their material, it deals with the shitty side of relationships. Anderson’s bass is the star of the show here, steady and taut. The title track is another standout, given a solid backbone by the slightly sinister bass, and Wilson’s almost plaintive refrain “I just want what I was promised/just what I was promised.” The end of the album, “Blue Skies,” is a familiar song to folks who have seen the band live over the past couple years. It’s been chopped down to just under four minutes, and given a good scrubbing, but it’s still as strident as ever.

After listening to Promises, Promises many times now, I can heartily endorse it as a worthy purchase. Though really, it'll only take one listen to get hooked. If you, like me, sometimes find yourself craving bands that are unabashedly noisy and fucking rock, you can’t go wrong with Die! Die! Die!.

The Untitled Interview #2: Starring Andrew Wilson (Die! Die! Die!)

It's no secret that I like my music loud, on occasion obnoxiously so. As far as I'm concerned, there are few better bands to blast at ridiculous and potentially harmful decibel levels than my dear Die! Die! Die!. I've been smitten with them ever since I saw the brash and brazen New Zealanders warming up crowds with their vitriolic post post punk for Wolfmother a few years ago. They won me over with their ability to grab you by the throat and not let go until they were good and ready. Aurally speaking, of course. The shatteringly shouty trio will be making yet another trek to the States to tour their sophomore album Promises, Promises later this month (album review forthcoming). For local readers, the tour stops in DC on March 25th. I hope to see you there. To tide you over, I corralled the voice of Die! Die! Die!, Mister Andrew Wilson, into answering some questions. Bon appetit.

Les Enfants Terribles: How the hell are you?
Andrew Wilson: I am very good. I am excited to leave NZ again and go back to the USA!!!!

LET: What was the last song you listened to?
AW: "What Kind of Monster Are You," by Slant 6.

LET: For your money, who is/was the best New Zealand band ever?
AW: Probably the Clean or the Skeptics or the Gordons or the Coolies.

LET: Playing music is _________.
AW: Annoying.

LET: What album most made you realize that you wanted to make music?
AW: Nirvana – Nevermind.

LET: Beatles or Stones?
AW: BEATLES BY A MILLION MILES.

LET: What're your top 5 albums?
AW: I can’t answer this.

LET: Favorite music-related movie?
AW: True stories.

LET: What city or venue would you like to play, but haven't yet been to?
AW: Moscow.

LET: Half full or half empty?
AW: Half full.

LET: Apart from your band, which of your peers do you think is making the best music these days?
AW: Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm HDU, the Coolies, Sets of 57, Tapeman.

LET: The greatest record store in the world is:
AW: Records Records in Dunedin.

LET: How many people have you injured with your mic stand? Or, how often do you injure yourself onstage?
AW: I have never injured anyone. I never injure myself.

LET: Please explain scarfies (either the 1999 movie Scarfies or the phenomenon itself):
AW: The movie is better than scarfies in real life. Dunedin students are horrible pieces of work on a whole. Real rugbyhead munters. I was back for 2 days yesterday and got called all manners of names.

LET: What's the longest flight you've ever been on?
AW: 49 hours to space.

LET: Shaken or stirred?
AW: Shaken.

LET: Best song ever written?
AW: Most songs by the Beatles.