Back in February 2011 I somehow wound up Facebook friends with Archie Powell. Fast forward three months later. I decide to trim my Facebook friends from 330-something friends to 130-something. Somehow, Mr. Powell survives my miniature holocaust despite me having no idea who the hell this schmuck is. Now that I have considerably fewer friends, Archie’s status updates begin appearing on my wall. I notice he’s in a band, the creatively titled “Archie Powell & The Exports”. Perhaps it was Archie’s complete lack of hubris, perhaps I just wanted the chance to make fun of a fellow struggling artist, or perhaps it was fate. Whatever the cause, I found myself on The Exports bandcamp page, listening to their debut LP “Skip Work”.
Skip Work opens with the very poppy and decidedly not bluesy “Milkman Blues”. From there Skip Work grabs you by the throat, worms into your heartstrings, and takes you on a bumpy ride through its twelve tracks. I won’t lie, I came into this review prepared to rip Archie and his band mates a new asshole, but I simply don’t have it in me. Skip Work is too much fun.
There aren’t any standout tracks on Skip Work. Rather, Archie and Co have a very distinctive, signature style that they maintain throughout. Archie has a twangy, nasally voice halfway between John Darnielle and Tom Petty. It floats over The Exports tightly woven pop crunch like cold milk through sugary cereal, and works surprisingly well for something you’d imagine more suitable for an alt country act. Archie’s no Bob Dylan, but he isn’t Fred Durst either. Much like his music, Archie’s lyrics are simple, sincere, and fun. None of the instruments hog or fight for the spotlight, sacrificing personal glory for the benefit of the whole. When the guitar or keyboard take a few bars to solo, 90% of time it’s a simple repetition of the melody with a grace note or two thrown in ala Weezer and/or Nirvana. Every melody is equally infectious, so that after the CD ends, instead of having one song stuck in your head various melodies and choruses chirp through your brain like a college marching band arrangement.
Remember drmanhattan? Remember how they’re awesome? Well then, you probably also remember how they broke up not too far back. The end of drmanhattan was a depressing time for me and a select few friends of mine; however, we all managed to get through this troubling time together by attending their final show and dancing our little hearts out all night!
Assuming that you did, in fact, know all of this then you probably miss d-man just as much as I do. If this is the case, then you’re in luck! Drmanhattan will be playing THIS FRIDAY (June 10th) during a cancer benefit at Crystal Lake South High School. The event begins at 6pm and continues until 6am the following morning. However, if you’re like me and mostly just interested in seeing drmanhattan, then show up around midnight, because that’s when they play.
I assume there are going to be other fun things going on during the 12 hours this event will be up and running, I just cannot for the life of me find and info on such fun things. Drmanhattan’s facebook page mentioned something about a "dunk tank" full of "toxic sludge", and that in combination with a d-man reunion is probably more than enough for me to go ahead and attend a cancer benefit.
So, now that everyone knows where I’ll be on Friday, I expect to see some of you out there as well. It’s for a damn good cause AND you get to see an awesome band that doesn’t play very often anymore. Oh, and did I mention that the event is FREE?! How could you even consider passing this opportunity up? You can’t. You just can’t.
I'm not quite sure how I originally came across Julian Lynch early last summer, but I'm really glad I did! I immediately honed in on "Winterer One" off of his Orange You Glad? LP, and never looked back! According to factual data, I've listened to it literally more than any other song IN THE WORLD in the time since. So this year's Terra is a real tranquil treat!
The gorgeous, simmering video for "Ground" reminds me of the trippy LaserDiscs my dad used to watch in the 90s. All in the Family!
ibid. is the musical output of strapping young Portlandian Gabriel Mathews. Splitting time between home, and Los Angeles, where he attends Occidental, his work bears the mark of a budding audiophile- the spacious, loose production is often as much the focus as Mathews' nocturnal crooning. It gives his songs a strange, off-kilter feel as if getting a brief, fogged glimpse into the world of someone with very different eyes than you. His EPs Bison and Missive are more industrious and pounding, but as his craft develops his physical form comes more and more into the frame- culminating in his most recent release, India Ink.
India Ink is spare and beautiful, often featuring only Gabriel, a piano, and a whole lot of room to muse or lament at your leisure. The difference between the reverbed-out layered vocals of a song like "Two Years," (from Bison) and the softened creaking of Mathews' voice on India Ink opener "No Bones" makes it all the more affecting. Even a more bizarre and kinetic piece like "Worth" seems an inch a way from breakdown on an album this introverse.
There's a ramshackled focus running high through this one-man project that's supes intriguing soooo we recently had a digital sit-down (no relationnnn!) with ibid./Gabriel Mathews!
Like with Conor Oberst's more recent output, it was initially pretty difficult for me to get into the older, more mature and spiritual TV on the Radio. I mean, I liked 2008's Dear Science. I liked it a whole lot- it's great! But compared to the darker, more despotic heights of past triumphs Return to Cookie Mountain and the Young Liars EP, I was unsure of their future. When I saw them at the Metro in 2007 (with the absolutely extaordinary Subtle), they were already giving of a kind of "chill dad" vibe that was a little unsettling in light of how brilliantly unsettling their formative years were. What would an album called Nine Types of Light have to offer?
Well, I thought first single "Will Do" was sorta wack. It seemed pleasantly romantic, and of course well-produced (Dave Sitek will never let your ears down!), but felt weirdly slight in light of the emotional mountains that TVOTR have deconstructed throughout their career. Then, I saw the video:
Holdfast, a band that RFC Thinks You Should Know... if nothing else but because they make us feel real damn good, are playing at the Beat Kitchen June 12 with fellow local power poppers Warm Ones. Tickets are $8 and are already on sale! To make the deal even sweeter, Reckless Records will be doing a ticket giveaway the week of the show. You can stream/buy their EP Like The Sun at their bandcamp page.
Warm Ones, a band I was previously unfamiliar with, appear to be a pretty interesting crew. Their debut album Sprezzatura (!) holds dynamic, emotive guitar pop as its center but inhabits a number of rock/pop tropes pretty well (the opener is a sweet proto-punk type rager)! Male+female vocals are utilized pretty irresistably on "Small Spies," and perhaps most importantly there is a song called "Get Shit Set." It doesn't have to be an awesome song, but it is. I'm listening to this album while I type this! And I'm way into it! You can stream the whole thing, via Soundcloud module, here on their official site. Pick a song! I dare you! It'll probably sound sweet!
Here's live footage of Warm Ones performing their song "Busy All Day," at the Empty Bottle last September:
Hold fast, warm ones: it should be a pretty rad show! (did you see...what i did...there?)
I want to make this perfectly clear, right from the get-go: The Rentals’s 1995 debut, Return of the Rentals, is a small masterpiece of power pop. It’s a record that easily stands on its own, to the point that its utterly unavoidable association with the early releases of bandleader Matt Sharp’s other band--you know, the one with the songs about Buddy Holly and sweaters and butterflies--is very much a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it’s really too bad that Return of the Rentals has never been allowed to exist by itself--you really can’t even talk about it without delving into ancient Weezer lore. On the other, its inextricability from Weezer history provides a sense of time and place in which Return can both exist and shine.
Listening to Return of the Rentals, it’s very easy to attribute Weezer’s less-than-credible current position to the absence of Matt Sharp. Whether that’s fair to say is impossible to know for anyone outside of the band. What we do know is this: Sharp was Weezer’s founding bassist, and played with them from the band’s founding in 1992 until 1998. He appears, then, on two of the band’s albums--the classics Weezer (The Blue Album) and Pinkerton. Watching some of the Pinkerton-era videos, he can be seen--usually accompanied by drummer Patrick Wilson--being kind of hilarious:
Records Are For Lovers Co-Owner and good friend Mylynda Nellermoe contacted me to write a review of Brandon Sidney’s (stage name Kid Sid) new EP Rule The World. My task is simple: listen to the EP, write about it, and be honest. I’ve been forewarned that Brandon writes R&B/Electronica fusion music. This is relevant because whenever I listen to good music intended to make people dance, regardless of how sober or alone I am I dance (badly) like nobody is watching. At the moment, I’m typing this in a library surrounded by several onlookers. So this is bound to be interesting, or at the very least embarrassing.
The EP opens with the title song “Rule The World." Immediately, a piercing guitar riff catches your attention while two background synths duel it out for harmony and rhythm dominance. Thirty seconds into the song the drum beat kicks in, and despite that I’m writing this from a laptop connected to a pair of headphones (my laptop sucks, the speakers don’t work) I can’t seem to keep myself from awkwardly chair dancing.
Fortunately for any onlookers “Rule The World” quickly leads into “Intoxicated”, a heartfelt rhythm and blues ballad about alcohol and it’s strange ability to get even the ugliest duckling laid provided said duckling drinks enough beverages with ethanol content. Now, we both know the market is saturated with songs like these, but what separates Kid Sid from the competition is instead of reveling in the hedonism of it all, he admits his faults in a way that manages to be depressing, empathetic, and masculine all at the same time: “I’m gonna chug shot after shot/so I can reach you/You’re the fuel to my addiction, hun/I’ve got to have you”. Unfortunately for my library audience (I’ve had several people stare at me already, including a cute girl I have no hope of seducing now), “Intoxicated” is just as danceable as “Rule The World”. It’s far slower though, so instead of jerking around like someone suffering from a seizure ala Thom Yorke, my audience has to suffer watching me rhythmically sway my body in that awkward way only really white people can move in perfect rhythm and still look retarded.
Normally, I don’t go to shows just to see one specific band. I like to know at least two of the bands performing on any given night just because then I feel like it was really worth the trip. However, The Dear Hunter is one of few bands that I would go see no matter who they are playing with. Hell, they could be playing a show with Insane Clown Posse for all I care, and I’d probably still attend. Alright, maybe not, but yes, yes I would. That being said, I hope The Dear Hunter never lowers themselves to playing anywhere near ICP let alone the same show. This is all irrelevant aside, TDH performed at The Bottom Lounge in Chicago on Saturday May 14th and it was far better than just about anything else I have ever been a part of.
After spending about 20 minutes driving around the venue trying to find a parking spot, my BFF and photographer, Hailey Williams, and I finally arrived at The Bottom Lounge; however, not before asking a man with a strikingly wonderful mustache where we could leave my car for the evening. We were a little late, so we only caught about the last 3-4 songs of The Trophy Fire’s set. However, I must say that what I heard was pretty impressive. The band had really solid vocals and the crowd really seemed to enjoy what they were hearing.
Balance and Composure took the stage next. It was immediately clear that a decent amount of the crowd had attended specifically to see this band. Almost everywhere I turned I saw at least one person singing their heart out. All in all I would definitely recommend checking these guys out at some point. These guys really did impress me and that’s hard to do when I’m internally bouncing off the walls waiting for The Dear Hunter to perform.
Fortunately for me, I didn’t have to wait too terribly long before The Dear Hunter began setting up. As soon as they began bringing equipment onto the stage I was taken over by anticipation. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, but I knew it was going to blow my mind. SPOILER ALERT: I was correct in this assumption.
TDH opened their set with “In Cauda Venemum”, the second track on their 3rd full length album, Act III: Life and Death. Upon playing just the first few notes my jaw instantly dropped. Everything about the song was flawless from beginning to end. So much so that if this had been the only song TDH performed that night, I probably would have left just as satisfied as I did.
I wasn’t really positive what to expect in terms of the set list, but I was not at all disappointed. The set continued mostly with songs from Acts II and III including, “The Procession”, “The Church and the Dime”, and “The Thief”. Each and every song was performed so remarkably well that I actually had goose bumps throughout most of the set.
One song I was particularly excited to hear was “Mustard Gas”. This song became one of my favorites very quickly when I first started listening to TDH and hearing it live just made me love it that much more. Lead singer, Casey Crescenzo, holds back absolutely nothing when he performs and his voice is just as incredible live as it is on any of their albums.
The Dear Hunter closed their far too short set with what is possibly my new favorite song, “This Body”. This song was just released a couple of weeks ago and is the 4th track on the up and coming Black EP due to release in June. “This Body” is, in my opinion, quite probably one of the best songs TDH has ever recorded and one that I was very much hoping to hear that night. This song was absolutely the perfect way to end the set. It was performed with such natural ease it was almost as though it was being played directly off of the album.
Needless to say, The Dear Hunter did not disappoint. After hearing how completely amazing they are live, I pretty much never want to hear anything else ever again. That’s a lie, obviously, but it was fantastic. The only songs I would not have minded hearing were “What it Means to Be Alone” and “Where the Road Parts”. However, I’m really not complaining because they could have played just about anything and I would have been okay with it.
The Dear Hunter will be back in Chicago sometime in July and their newest album, “The Color Spectrum”, drops on June 14th. There will be a standard version for those of you who don’t feel like sifting through 36 songs to figure out which ones you like and for us hardcore fans, there will be a deluxe edition. I have no doubt in my mind that this album is going to completely blow listeners away.
Now that I have rambled on about how great I think The Dear Hunter is for probably way too long, I should probably talk about how Dredg is pretty sweet too. Though to be honest, after TDH I wasn’t really paying much attention to anything else. Also, it seems as though the notes I did take during Dredg’s set are not even kind of helpful! I seem to have made it a point to note that the super babe standing in front of me started playing the air drums at one point and that bros seem to really enjoy Dredg. All that aside, they actually performed really well. The lead singer’s voice was very different, and I that’s something that always grabs my attention. Their songs were catchy and they were a lot of fun to watch.
In the immortal words of my favorite gay, Collin VanBuren, “They dun gewd”. Thank you Collin, your help has been greatly appreciated. All that aside, if you are ever given the chance to see The Dear Hunter live I highly recommend it. Trust me on this one, this is a band you will not regret seeing.
Today we bring a special guest blogger on over from Mezzic, Dave of In The Black Box. I originally met him while studying abroad years ago, and his electronic music knowledge astounds as evidenced by his writing and music endeavors (check his EP here). He's sharing his review of Kitsuné's latest compilation, which is released May 16th, with Radio Free Chicago. Welcome to RFC! - John
Six years after the first Kitsuné Maison Compilation the Paris based fashion and electronic music label have reached their 11th instalment of the indie inspired club music collection… or is that club inspired indie music?
This is a question which has followed the label around the past decade. They feel that this, “the Indie-Dance issue” of the series speaks for itself and sits “right at the crossroads” of the two genres which have been at the heart of their label.
Whatever the ingredients that make up this fresh musical soup, it is sure to be the perfect recipe for the Summer, as one sun drenched tune gives way to another in a 17 track barrage of the newest and most cutting edge Indie-Dance music being created on the planet right now. According to the label, these tracks have been carefully selected from artists all around the world; some are so new the band doesn’t even have a name yet. So if anything Kitsuné is providing a cross-section on the global indie-dance music scene as it exists right now… A reflection perhaps on how much the music world has been opened up by the internet, it seems that now not only music listeners, but also the labels themselves are scouring the World Wide Web for the next best thing since sliced bread.
This is certainly a compilation to bring to your next house party. There is not one downer in the bunch and every track is packed full of that ridiculous sense of optimism and positivity that one feels as they crack into their first beer, and chat busily to friends about the club, the music, the possibilities of the night ahead, and the “hottie-in-the-corner” who just keeps checking you out.
“Roman” from Housse De Racket is exactly what you need to loosen those dancing limbs, with that combination of guitar and synth that seems to be the common factor that runs through this whole collection. Polarsets’ “Sunshine Eyes” with its percussion and kalimba like melodies places you at a rooftop party, at dusk on a summer’s evening, watching the sun set behind skyscrapers and the city lights illuminate the way to the dancefloor.
It’s is clear that Kitsuné have strove to develop a soundtrack to your night out this summer. Whether you like it or not, each tune documents those specific, unforgettable moments on everyone’s night out; you will be humming along Alexander Dexter Jones’ “Phantastic Phone Call” as you pile into your wardrobe for the perfect outfit; Polarsets and Housse De Racket bring you the pre-drinks while Cosmonaut and Creep pump menacingly out of the doors of the club while you lose yourself in the collective happiness of the dancefloor. Sermon “The Touch” is for that moment when you dip deep into the groove late on in the night, pounding house grooves and chanting vocals power you through until the sunrise. Before you know it you’re halfway out of a car sunroof, feeling the wind in your hair as you breeze down empty city streets at 5am singing at the top of your lungs to Guards’ “Resolution of One”.
As a fashion label their idea must be that if you feel good listening to this music you will most certainly look good. Even at 7am as you munch on some cold pizza on the floor of some guys apartment with only one shoe and a banana skin that you acquired from some other drunken reveller only hours earlier… by this stage you are singing along to “Big Things” by Fiction and haven’t a care in the world… you feel great so you must look like a million dollars… right?
There are definitely some stand-out tracks on this compilation. I took the time to catch up with Gallops, a Welsh outfit whose killer tune “Miami Spider” has been turning heads and bending ears all around the world. After completing two cracking headline gigs this past weekend at Camden Crawl, it is clear that the band love the stage and this track reflects that with a clear live sound, a natural groove and progression that is driven through by a killer repeating guitar line. When I asked them about their live sound Mark, one of four members in the band, had this to say.
“To be fair I would say we are a live band first and foremost. That’s not to say our recordings don’t do us justice, but I do think we are best experienced in the flesh. Our music is probably best when as loud as possible.”
And on their track “Miami Spider” Mark explained
“Miami Spider was the final track on our debut EP that was released at the end of last summer through Holy Roar/Blood and Biscuits and it seems to be the most popular track from that EP. I guess it is the most catchy and immediate so we can see why. It’s quite strange and bad timing that this compilation is getting released so long after the EP, as it almost feels like we have put that track to bed and are moving on with new sounds etc. Perhaps we would of sold millions if the compilation had been released before the EP! Perhaps not. It’s definitely great to be featured though, regardless of the timing factor!”
Gallops have a distinctive sound that really stands out over the rest of the compilation, however they fit right into the overall vibe of the collection which looks set to hit home at parties and clubs when it is released on the 16th of May. It is a party album, a celebration of the best bits of indie-dance, designed to get you moving your feet and nodding your head. It is the soundtrack to your nights out, your one night stands, your drunk and disorderly-s, your early morning after parties, your sunsets and sunrises. Come September each track will have a memory, and be firmly engraved on your brain bringing back a little ray of summer sunshine every time you think of it.
It took a little longer than initially expected, but Ann Arbor quartet Gun Lake has finally released their debut album, Balfour, to the eager ears that fell in love with lead single “Cliffhanger” last November. And it was definitely worth the wait.
Since I last wrote here about Gun Lake, the band retooled its lineup a bit to include bassist Ben Collins along with the roster of lead singer/guitarist Mark Fain, guitarist/keyboardist Ryan O’Reilly and drummer Max Monson (the bass tracks heard on the album remain by former bassist Matt Roney). Together they infuse a magnificent richness into Fain’s songs, their vocal harmonies carrying the music just as strongly as the instrumentation. It speaks to their combined skills that of all the artists I’ve ever mass-recommended to people I know, I’ve never seen so many actually take my advice as they have for Gun Lake. Not only does Fain write music that is effectively flawless, but there’s a stunning diversity in its reach. All types of music fans can’t seem to resist sipping from this folk-pop grail.
“Cliffhanger” has been refined for the album, ushering in softer vocal layers than what we heard in November. Balfour’s minor notes combine for light melodies, bittersweet, like a field of brilliantly hued flowers blooming beneath a gray sky. Fain’s lyrics are fraught with drama, emotionally deep and at times cutting. In the nimble woodland waltz, “Trees,” he sings “Spring was just a lie/ the warmth never came” followed in a later verse with “My wishes a waste/ And you don’t want a taste/ Of what we promised ourselves.” The pain of romance is aptly conveyed in Fain’s words. It reaches the pinnacle of clarity during “Backwards” (which showcases perhaps the album’s most stunning bass line) as he cries out simply “I can’t do this anymore.”
Gun Lake’s music is so uniformly beautiful, it’s hard to pick a favorite song. One moment, you’re finding yourself enamored with the imagery of “Stormy Country,” the next, you’re dying over every sweet note of “I Gave Enough,” and later still you may reel over the delectable drums thudding through “June.” This is why Balfour succeeds so strongly as an album.
But you’ll probably find me getting lost in “Time Again” more than anything. The multiple vocals become an orchestra in themselves, adorned elegantly by their instruments. “Time Again” rises gradually, from a gentle opening to a brisk end, imploring “Don’t you remember who I am?/ I remember you.” At the very least, it’s clear Fain’s made a record that no one will be forgetting anytime soon ever.
I’m not usually too keen on attending shows where I only know one of the bands performing. However, when Craig Owens is involved, it’s a completely different story. That’s why when I found out that Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows was playing this year’s AP Tour with a bunch of other bands I’ve never listened to; I had to make an appearance. Plus, the show was at one of my favorite venues, Mojoe’s in Joliet, IL, so clearly I had to go! I actually ended up being pleasantly surprised because most of the bands who were on the tour this year put on a semi-unexpected “hell of a show.”
The opening band, Conditions, surprised me the most. For whatever reason, I chose not to listen to this band prior to the show, and I’m almost glad that I didn’t. I feel as though this band’s amazing harmonies could not have fully been appreciated unless heard live first. Although Conditions performed remarkably well, the participation from the crowd was very disappointing. It was obvious that not many people in attendance knew who this band was, but I have no doubt in my mind that if we had been at one of their headlining shows, the crowd would have been going insane.
Once Conditions had finished their set, VersaEmerge took the stage. I’m going to admit right here and now that I am not a VersaEmerge fan by any means. I honestly think she sounds exactly like the lead singer of Paramore and that annoys me. However, I’m able to appreciate what she’s doing. Unfortunately, I was not impressed with their performance on this particular night. Lead singer, Sierra Kusterbeck, was off key for almost the entire set making it almost unbearable to listen to. I will admit; however, that she does have fantastic stage presence and she did get her voice back toward the end of the set. Like I said though, I was not a VersaEmerge fan to begin with, so my opinion on their overall performance is probably not one that actual fans of the band want to hear.
I See Stars was the next to perform. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect from this particular group, but I was definitely not disappointed. I had only heard one song by I See Stars before seeing them live and I can easily say that one song was performed incredibly well. These guys were a lot of fun to watch, actually. The entire crowd turned into one great big dance party, and, as we all know, I love a good dance party! It’s unfortunate that most of the guys in the band are around 18 though; I’m not sure which ones I can say are hot without sounding creepy. Good thing that’s not the point at all!
After I See Stars left the stage, the crowd almost immediately began chanting for DRUGS and after what seemed like the longest set up ever, the guys took their places one by one. They began their set with one of my personal favorite songs, “The Only Thing You Talk About”. Right from the very beginning, Owens commanded the crowd with his outstanding knack for performance, flawless vocals, and I can only assume that his ridiculous good looks probably have something to do with it as well.
The set continued with “Stop Reading, Start Doing Pushups”, followed by “My Swagger Has a First Name”. Each and every song was performed with amazing skill. It was almost difficult to hear Craig over the roar of the crowd singing every word to every song. It was when they performed “Laminated E.T. Animal” that I realized how amazing this experience really was. Each member of DRUGS performs with such natural ease; it’s as if this is what they were born to do. Every time I see them I am more and more astounded at the obvious passion that they have for what they are doing.
DRUGS kept the set going with their most recent single “Sex Life”. This was obviously a crowd favorite as you literally could not hear Craig’s voice over the sound of the entire room singing along. The song was naturally performed with an amazing energy that radiated throughout every inch of Mojoe’s. After “Sex Life”, it would appear that I made it a point to note that Craig removed his button up because I have issues and can’t help throwing just a little bit of fan-girling into everything I do. I’m seriously pathetic aside, “Mr. Owl Ate My Metal Worm” was the next song performed, followed by a pretty intense wall of death. I think someone may have legitimately died. Just kidding. I hope.
The band ended their short set with the first single off of their debut album, “If You Think This Song is About You, It Probably Is”. Once again, DRUGS did not disappoint. The only thing about their set that upset me was the fact that they didn’t play my favorite song, “Graveyard Dancing”. They played the intro several times to test the sound, so I actually expected them to open with it. I was very thrown off when the song was not actually performed.
Overall, I ended up being rather pleased with my AP Tour experience. I feel inclined to mention that Black Veil Brides actually headlined the show, but I was there specifically to see DRUGS, so I left immediately after their set. That and I am really not a fan of BVB in any way so I was not about to spend the next hour or so of my life listening to them. It was definitely a tour worth attending and I am very much looking forward not only to next year’s AP Tour, but also to seeing DRUGS for the third time on the Van’s Warped Tour this Summer.
The story of how I "discovered" this two piece from NYC was through a friend who, in every sense of the word, has devoted his life to music. So when I asked him what he was listening to blaring in the background his response was an intense mixture of pure exhilaration and panic.
He told me he had a single track, but could not find anything else by this mystery band ... although there was a bartender who apparently held to coveted copy of the album. I boldly ventured into Swig (the bar) and snatched up what could be perhaps the most precious kept secret this city - nay, this country - has to know.
WOOM, formerly members Fertal Crescent, are led by Sara on vocals and percussion and Evan on guitar. They have toured with such bands as Xiu Xiu and Deerhoof ... and recently released their album and Badabing records in July of 2010.
THIS YOU MUST HEAR!- But before you do, you should know a bit about the lovely and darling Sara, who I spoke to on a mid-winter dreary afternoon.
Sara is a percussionist and vocalist.
Evan plays guitar.
Sara resides in New York City, where I spoke with her via the telephone. She has a cathartic voice, lovely and inviting.
Safe word?
Sara: Bologna.
So how did Woom come about?
Sara: Before Woom, I was in a band, Fertile Crescent. And after meeting and playing with Evan, we became Woom.
This is a signature question I like to ask all of my interviewees. What is your favorite kind of cheese?
Sara: I really enjoy those small, perfectly wrapped processed cheeses enveloped in wax. (Babybel) Their texture is really fascinating and the entire process of peeling and eating the delicious cheese is an experience like no other. There is something about the tactile nature, it is like a fetish object ... it's sexy.
Robots Vs. Dinosaurs?
Sara: Lately, I've been a brontosaurus with my four-year-old friend. So we have been eating leaves from trees and stretching our necks out, it has been a lot of fun. So I am going with dinosaurs.
Strangest Venue you've ever played?
Sara: We dont have a booking agent, so many of our shows have been pretty strange. One of the upsides is getting to play some interesting shows, one example is a show we played in Oakland, CA. We cave made out of paper; at the end of the night we all tore down the house and had a dance party with the paper structure crumbling all around. No one got hurt despite all the potential for paper cuts.
If you had to carry 50 pounds of one thing for the rest of your life what would it be?
I would probably carry cotton candy. Light yet delicious.
Any records from childhood that inspired you?
My parents were school teachers, so our music collection was sort of small. But I would have to say Kraftwerk, Computer Love.
If you were to write a book, what would it be called and what would it be about?
Sara: Well, I wrote a book of short stories when I was in school called "Stories to Read In-Transit." But I do enjoy to write.
You have toured with several bands, namely Pit Er Pat, Xiu Xiu and Deerhoof. How was that?
Sara: It is great to play with friends, because you really learn a lot from them, and the experiences that you have differ and add a certain flavor unique from the others. We played with Pit Er Pat in Chicago, and recorded at their house in Los Angeles.
When you go on tour, what is one thing you don't leave home with out?
Sara: Well this is not one thing I leave with, but I always get a bag of spinach while on the road. Since it is so difficult to eat healthy, it really comes in handy.
What is the worst advice you've ever been given?
Can I tell you good advice? I am paraphrasing my friend Gregg from Deerhoof. He said basically, "As an artist, you should really just show up and it would dissolve all that initial shame you may feel." So his advice has given me a lot of courage as an artist to just go with that initial creative impulse.
The Weeknd is one of those artists that seemingly came out of nowhere and in the blink of an eye was running the blogosphere. And in this particular case, I think that anything less would have been a crime. The Weeknd's sparse, creeping "What You Need" is a great intro to the artist, twenty year old Abel Tesfaye. The song sounds at first like it's gonna be a post-Burial dubstep ballad, but turns into something more along the lines of Drake's oeuvre. Indeed, The Weeknd and the current prince of pop rap are buddies! Which makes sense, because Tesfaye takes many of Drake's hallmarks and elevates them to the next level. House of Balloons is full of moody explorations of young wealth and love (or rather, a staggering lackthereof). All of Tesfaye's come-ons have an element of darkness to them- he's a much badder boy than Drake. And a better singer!
The production here too reaches heights that are largely unprecedented in R&B. The Siouxsie & the Banshees sampling title track feels as deliriously high as it intends to be, "The Morning" is dreamy and decadent, and "Coming Down" feels in mood and texture like a genuine heir to Timbaland's late-90s R&B perfection. Much of it reads as a continuation of the style that Drake's in-house producer 40 has been nourishing the past few years, a passing of the baton. It retains the airy futuristic synths of 40's work, but with a discernible affection toward the past (as Tesfaye moans the refrain "bring the 707 out" toward the end of "Glass Table Girls," referencing the old school drum machine prevalent throughout the mixtape). "Wicked Games" is an anthemic reverbed out dirge that sounds like it could have snuggled up brilliantly between En Vogue and Tevin Campbell on the soundtrack for some movie that probably has a mid-twenties Vivica Fox in it*. It feels uncannily like appreciating the entirety of the last 30 years of soul music at once.
Oh, except with a higher than normal amount of (possibly self-aware?) post-modern dread and decadence. Did I say decadent yet? This mixtape is decadent as fuck.
*and at least one cast member of A Different World
If you’re anything like me, (and I sincerely hope you’re not because I’m terrible), you’ve been waiting a long time to hear from The Strokes again. Seriously, it feels like it’s been forever since their most recent album, First Impressions of the Earth, was released. Oh, right, that’s because it HAS been forever! It’s okay though because after a lengthy five year hiatus The Strokes are finally back and better than ever!
The band’s newest album, Angles, was released just a couple of weeks ago and is definitely worth checking into. Angles adds a little bit of an upbeat energy to the bands usual brand of grungy garage rock coupled with Julian Casablancas’ distinct, shadowy vocals. It becomes clear very early in the album that the band has made a few changes.
The album begins on a very strong note with, “Machu Picchu”, a song that possesses a vaguely reggae sound mixed with The Strokes’ unique rock style. This is the perfect opening track because it draws the listener in and essentially forces them to listen to the rest of the album.
From “Machu Picchu”, we transition into the album’s first single, “Under the Cover of Darkness”. This is one of those tracks that you cannot help but dance to. It has a fun, cheerful sort of rhythm, and a beat that makes it almost impossible to stand still. It’s one of those unbelievably catchy songs that can get stuck in your head for days no matter how hard you try to replace it with something else.
Video: Julian Lynch - Terra
I'm not quite sure how I originally came across Julian Lynch early last summer, but I'm really glad I did! I immediately honed in on "Winterer One" off of his Orange You Glad? LP, and never looked back! According to factual data, I've listened to it literally more than any other song IN THE WORLD in the time since. So this year's Terra is a real tranquil treat!
The gorgeous, simmering video for "Ground" reminds me of the trippy LaserDiscs my dad used to watch in the 90s. All in the Family!
Julian Lynch - Terra
Jun 4, 2011 5:51:45 PM | Commentary, Downloads