Just to let everyone know I’ve finished up with my studies and now I am getting back on track with listening to good tunes and going to good shows. I caught Ponytail not too long ago in my hometown of Lubbock, Texas and plan on seeing Mika Miko in the coming days — so prepare to see some stuff about that in the coming days. Until then, enjoy some Moderat tunes that I have spinning quite a lot lately and covered recently in The Llano Idea:
Back on Track
June 2nd, 2009Antony & The Johnsons // Munich // April 26, 2009
April 27th, 2009
So my European concert binge is finally coming to a close and I couldn’t think of a better ending than seeing Antony & The Johnsons performing for a massive crowd inside a circus tent. I shit you not. It was one of the most bizarre and surreal combination of artist and a venue I have ever seen — prompting Antony to quip “I expect a trapeze artist to come down from the ceiling at any moment.” Needless to say, the twenty minute “dance” introduction only heighten the absurdity the situation. However, when Antony took the stage, nothing else really mattered as I, like everyone in the audience, became hypnotized by his fluttering vocals.
Once my thesis gets turned in on Friday (YAY!), I’ll be sure to do a complete write-up of the show. Highlights had to be the new song “Hope Mountain” about Jesus’s return as a women to save humanity stuck on a mountain after a Noah-esque deluge.
WTF // Juavves
April 25th, 2009
I guess it was only a matter of time before some Wavves offshoots would stop cropping up. Needless to say Mexico’s Juavves takes the cake when it comes to mimicking the original. The name, the song, and even the damn blog are all copyright infringed upon, but if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Nathan Williams (aka the REAL Wavves) should be bowled over right now.
Right now there is only one song up on his myspace entitled “Muy Abburido” (translated: “Very Bored”) which you can stream here.
In other related news, Psychedelic Horseshit really hates Wavves and all of your favorite pansy-ass Smell lo-fi acts.
Handsome Furs // Munich // April 18, 2009
April 20th, 2009
Sorry for the brevity as I am about knee deep in thesis writing write now, but I really wanted to pass this one along.
I caught the Handsome Furs show live in Munich the other night, and man was it a great! Chock full of high energy songs for the main set (bookended by the exceptional “Legal Tender” and “Radio Kaliningrad” off of their newly released LP Face Control), they slowed it down a lot for the encore, closing with “Dead + Rural” and this new piece called “Apathy”.
As always, I have the pictures I took posted on my flickr page, so check them out! After May 1, I’ll post a more complete account of the show, I promise…
Oh yeah one more thing, the opener, Dag för Dag, was REALLY amazing. I went head an bought three of their about-to-be-release EPs so I can give them out sometime. You can check them out at their myspace, but I have to say seeing them live solidified my fandom.
EDIT // The video I took got picked up by the good guys down at iguessimfloating!
New Jens Lekman with The Sweptaways // “Happiness Will Be My Revenge”
April 19th, 2009So after surfing the websites of some of my favorite bands, I noticed that Jens Lekman’s awesome self run site is back up and running after a long hiatus. In his “small talk” section, Jens just posted a new song he wrote and performed with the Swedish indie-pop group The Sweptaways. So if you like what you hear, you can send Jens an e-mail, but be warned — the message must be interwoven with Cold War references. Jens, you are truly a character!
Sorry Guys // Site Shutdown for a Little While
April 14th, 2009As the deadline for my thesis is nearing, I’m going to have to go dark on the website for a while. The due date is set for May 1, so after that, be prepared for some new material. I have a handful of older material from artists you love, some mp3s from up and comers that I just can’t get enough of, and also a slew of concerts in my final weeks here in Germany. So to pass the time during during my absence, check out some of the superb blogs on the right and be sure to visit The Llano Idea for my weekly column!
See you in May!
NPR Articles // Blind Pilot + Amadou & Mariam
April 8th, 2009
Anyone who knows me or have quickly surveyed my website knows that I am a big fan of NPR’s All Songs Considered podcast/live concert series/blog. Blending together tried-and-true acts with some up-and-comers, All Songs is a great listen whether you are a died-hard music fan or just a casual listener. They are also closely intertwined with the NPR’s general music site and provide them with interesting feature articles.
The two most recent columns have featured two of my favorite duos: Portland’s folk-pop group Blind Pilot and Mali’s unlikely musical superstars Amadou & Mariam. Each story includes a handful of streams of their most recent material, so it’s worth to look at just to hear Amadou & Mariam’s awesome track “Sabali” — which blends the traditional Malian music with repetitive bloops ‘n bleeps reminiscent of the DeVotchKa’s “How It Ends” (aka the Little Miss Sunshine theme song).
Conor Oberst // Outer South Free Stream
April 7th, 2009
Lately for some reason I’ve been on a Conor Oberst listening spree, and just like early Christmas morning, I got a treat with an unexpected free stream of him and his Mystic Valley Band’s upcoming May release entitled Outer South. Noticeably different than any of his past works (like letting other members take the helm with songwriting and lead singing), I’ll have to go through it more than once before rendering a verdict. Regardless, it’s not often that you see a band actively distributing new material way ahead of its scheduled release date — most of the time it’s leaked like in the case of Grizzly Bear and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs — so it’s reassuring that maybe the business model is changing in the music industry. We can only hope.
So if you got some free time and want to hear what the new Oberst sounds like, you can head over to Merge Records website and check it out. It’s only for a limited time, so better make it sooner than later.
Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band // Nikorette (from Outer South)
Conor Oberst, Jim James, and M. Ward // At the Bottom of Everything (live)
HEALTH // New Tracks (+Remix)
April 6th, 2009
Seems like HEALTH has recovered fully from their SXSW adventure and have put out a new track via the awesome music site muxtape. Shedding the experimental quite a bit, “Die Slow” is more of a dance-able track than anything from You Will Love Each Other. Personally, I’m loving it — it seems like a bit of the HEALTH // Disco remix album has worn off on the original band.
Also, the Pictureplane remix is just as stellar. Cloaking the song in repetitive loops and infectious bongo drums, it’s a nice twist on the original. If you got a muxtape account (don’t worry you can sign up for free with an e-mail), you can stream the two tracks here. Enjoy!
Video Bonanza // List of 1-Take Music Videos
April 3rd, 2009One of my favorite finds of this past week was an extensive list compiled by the good people down at Videoville wiki of every one-take music video known to man.
The collection spans everything from indie-pop to Nashville country, leaving no genre untouched. So if you have a couple of hours to spare, check it out and you might find some gems.
Feist // I Feel It All (one of my favorite videos from 2008)
