"The Giving Tree" was a strong episode, both because and in spite of it's reliance on a number of callbacks to classic
FNL moments from earlier this season and the first -- we're still pretending much of season two didn't happen. Thematically, we only have to go back a few episodes (
"Keeping up Appearances") where fathers and sons was the gist, and this week it's mostly daughters that get the father's attention.
First daughter up to bat is J.D. (that's right, I called him a daughter,) as the episode begins with him attending a party, no doubt his first since the infamous one a few episodes back (
"It Ain't Easy Being J.D. McCoy"). It's here our golden boy gets a glimpse of his father's worst nightmare: A cute redhead named Madison. In a bit of foreshadowing fun, the song playing is
"Dita Dimone" by Pop Levi, featuring the refrain "Daddy daddy don't be mean to me / I'm forever hearing Dita's plea." After daddy meets Madison a bit later, the lyrics make a lot more sense, and it's quickly apparent that J.D. is treated more like a daughter that needs protection. Leave it to mommy McCoy to aid and abet young J.D. in the re-securing of his balls.
Another storyline from
"It Ain't Easy Being J.D. McCoy," that gets revisited is the one of "Matt and Julie doing it." Despite the lack of visibility over the past few episodes, the lovebirds are apparently still shaking the sheets, so to speak, as we find them clothesless in bed early in the episode, while
Joseph Arthur's "Could We Survive" plays in the background. That song begins with the telling lyric: "Hallelujah stop and stare, when will Jesus find us here? Could we survive?" Coach, fresh from doing a little savior work at the jail with Buddy, is indeed going to find them there, and the way the scene was shot was quite wonderful. Shot entirely away from the action, the camera focuses instead on the exterior of Matt's house as we only hear Julie scream and see Coach come storming out, which is really all we need. In dealing with Julie, it's Tammi who naturally ends up taking the reigns, and we're treated to a wonderful sequel to the mother-daughter conversation from season one's classic episode, "I Think We Should Have Sex."
Buddy and Lyla inhabit the final father-daughter relationship explored, and after attempting to portray him in a more positive light earlier this season, he's back to being the old unlovable scamp, losing Lyla's college savings and ending up in jail after a scuffle at the Landing Strip. Exactly how does one cause $30K in damages at a dilapidated strip joint, anyway? The only hint we get that he's willing to recognize he's wrong with Lyla is through the backing music.
"Till I Get it Right" by John Doe and the Sadies plays during the first Buddy rant, and the episode ends with him leaving a message to Lyla to the tune of
Soulsaver's "Revival." "Forgive what I have done...it means my soul's survival," the song goes, and its use also underscores Tyra's recognition that Landry is more to her than someone she takes advantage of. That ties together the title's implied theme, which Landry brings up in referencing the children's book "The Giving Tree." (And how about Crucifictorious sounding like a real band now? They might be aping
old Kings of Leon, but it actually sounded pretty promising.)
I guess there was another playoff game this week as well, right? The game again took a backseat to all that was happening, but what happened on the field did two great things. First was a callback to the troubling referees from season one's "Black Eyes & Broken Hearts" episode, where Coach Taylor turned the other cheek repeatedly, late hit after late hit. Still stinging from the Matt and Julie discovery, Taylor loses his sh*t and his voice, tearing into the referees, backed by one of the most daring music choices the show has had, the joyously angry
"adeadenemyalwayssmellsgood" from Future Of The Left. The Welsh band, who rose from the ashes of the great
mclusky, does angry very well, and, as
FNL has occasionally shown, sometimes a well-timed cathartic release can do a world of good.
Playlist:
Friday Night Lights - Episode 3.101.
"Dita Dimone" - Pop Levi - Madison's party.
2.
"Could We Survive" - Joseph Arthur - Matt & Julie talk in bed.
3.
"Till I Get It Right" - John Doe and The Sadies - Buddy rants to Eric about his money problems.
4.
"The Debtor" - Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson - Tyra tells Landry she got his band a gig; Matt arrives at the Taylors'
5.
"Remember When (B Side)" by The Black Keys - The game starts
6.
"Sound Of Madness" by Shinedown - End of the first half
7.
"adeadenemyalwayssmellsgood" by Future Of The Left - Coach Taylor leaves the game
8.
"To West Texas" - Explosions In The Sky - The game ends
9.
"Revival" - Soulsavers - Tyra watches Landry perform; Buddy leaves Lyla a message.
Previously:
Man-Hatin' Music (Episode 3.09)
One Capitol Hill Block Party highlight from day two was Future of the Left ripping apart "You Need Satan More Than He Needs You." I caught a glimpse of the set list and picked this one out to video for posterity.
My second day of Capitol Hill Block Party is marked by a lack of Main Stage action, which was due to the sudden denial of a press pass. So instead, I faced my biggest fears and ventured into Neumo's to try and take some flashless photos in the hot, sweaty and (more importantly) dark venue. Since it was so hot, the stage lights were kept to a minimum, leaving a lot to be desired for photography. After Future of the Left's powerful set, I moved outside to Vera's stage and was rewarded with great stage lighting for Noisettes and Japandroids' (pictured) sets.
The Capitol Hill Block Party starts Friday, and this year's lineup is obviously a reaction to last year's frat-friendly line-up. The last couple years for CHBP have been trying. Not only has the fest been overcrowded and congested, but the audience themselves were problematic. I even swore I wouldn't come back, but three things have changed this year that has me thinking that it will work.
Related to #3, this year's lineup has some serious plums that I'm excited for. Also, for the first time in any festival going experience, I find myself parked at the main stage on my sked breakdown. There are a couple of notable exceptions, of course, namely THE BAND I MOST WANT TO SEE: The Future of the Left (playing at Neumo's, Saturday @9PM). 
When Dinosaur Jr. released Beyond two years ago, it was a pleasant surprise, like the cherry on top of the already incredulous occurance of J. Mascis and Lou Barlow buring the hatchet and reuniting. Now comes Farm and we have concrete proof this is no fluke - J, Lou and Murph are making vital music again. It's not like Lou Barlow's contributions are that great here, but there must be something to having him there, because Mascis' songwriting just seems to elevate with Barlow on the bass. Lead single "I Want You To Know" ranks right up there with "Freakscene" and "Little Fury Things" from their glorious past, and there are plenty of other songs ("Over It" and "Plans" to name two) that slide nicely into an already impressive set list. Unlike the Pixies seem to be, Dino Jr are not content to just ride their reunion out playing their greatest hits, and there's a lot to be said for that. 
Dragonslayer marks the point in my mind where Spencer Krug's Sunset Rubdown no longer seems like a side project to Wolf Parade, and appears and sounds like a real fleshed out band. Their debut was essentially a Krug solo album, and nothing against Random Spirit Lover, but compared to Wolf Parade, it still felt like Krug just letting off steam. Dragonslayer is six epic voyages plus two singles, and by singles I don't necessarily mean radio-ready. "Idiot Heart" and "Paper Lace" are as close as Sunset Rubdown come to radio, even the dance floor: "I was never much of a dancer but I knew enough to know you've got to move your idiot body around." Meanwhile, the rest of the album take the listener through various points in the musical spectrum, in epic fashion, without feeling like the point of the song has left. Like any Krug release, it's a grower... repeat listens are recommended, but there's more on first listen than previous Sunset Rubdown releases, if you're looking for an easier entry point. Whatever it takes you to give it a spin (or two, or three,) I say. 
I've been listening to this album a lot lately, and it's been hard to put down. It's as if Sam Roberts were secretly writing music for Arcade Fire, combining blue cholar pop sensibility with an ambitious, possibly even grandiose reach. Singer Matt Popieluch never sounds over indulgent, though, and the songs walk that fine line, always pulling back before they go to far. With stunning songs like "That Old Sun" and "Early Warning" it's hard to go wrong with this favorite of one Ed Droste (Grizzly Bear).
"The Giving Tree" was a strong episode, both because and in spite of it's reliance on a number of callbacks to classic FNL moments from earlier this season and the first -- we're still pretending much of season two didn't happen. Thematically, we only have to go back a few episodes ("Keeping up Appearances") where fathers and sons was the gist, and this week it's mostly daughters that get the father's attention.
