“I got excited by the idea of making dance music that’s liquid in the way it flows back and forth, the sounds slosh around in pitch, timbre, pan… Dance music that sounds like it’s made out of water, rather than made out of metallic stuff like most dance music does.”
I think it’s important to read that statement from Dan Snaith before diving into this new track “Odessa” from the newly announced album Swim. Snaith’s psych-pop project Caribou has primarily been known to lean towards the psychadelic (beautifully crafted, I might add), at least since I started listening with 2007’s Andorra — a fine album, as evident with it winning 2008’s Polaris Music Prize.
The one thing I’ve noticed while playing this track at work, is just how instantly replayable it is. It’s definitely a dance track from the start, and forgoes any of the current fad of going lo-fi. The sounds feel completely organic, while the production is of surperb quality. Not sure who is doing duties on vocals, but upon my initial listen I was convinced it was Erlend Øye of Kings of Convenience/The Whitest Boy Alive. Hell, upon second glance one could even mistake this track as a Junior Boys-produced KoC track.
What do you folks think? Swim is expected to be released on…ahem…4/20 here in the US on Merge.
“You need more…” are the first lyrics that you will hear from album opener and lead single, Love Etc. and by the time you get to the end of this album’s 11 tracks you do indeed feel like you need more…more of this pop music goodness to grace the ears and dance floors of the world.
Yes (out 4/21 on Astralwerks) is the 10th studio album from this brilliant pop duo that have become a dance/pop staple since finding chart success with West End Girls, back in 1984. Since then, the Pet Shop Boys have sold over 30 million records and they just recently received the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award at the Brits this year. You may have lost touch with them here and there along the way, but they have never really stopped producing quality music for the masses and this new offering is a prime example of that. Yes was produced by Xenomania and features input from Johnny Marr and some beautiful string arrangements from Owen Pallet as well.
Album highlights include the aforementioned Love Etc., which just last week peeked at #2 on the Billboard Single’s Sales chart. Track 2 and eventual single All Over the World features Tchaikovsky in the writing credits, listen to find out why and Mr. Marr shows up to contribute some harmonica on the next track, Beautiful People. A couple of the other more danceable songs on the album, Did You See Me Coming? (slated to be the 2nd single from the album, features Marr on guitar) and More Than a Dream, merely serve as a chariot to deliver us to the glorious destination that is song # 9, Pandemonium. If you have to check out one track first, let it be this one as the Boys have pulled out all of the stops and come up with one of the best songs of their career. Chaos never sounded so good! The album rounds out with another song that could easily be a single, The Way It Used To Be and Legacy, an album closer for all time, that brings it home in an uplifting, reflective manner (grandly featuring the London Metropolitan Orchestra).
There is also a special 2-disc edition of them album that features dub versions of many of the album tracks remixed by Xenomania, as well as a new song with Philip Oakey called This Used to Be the Future, which is great enough to be a single in it’s own right.
So, in closing, this album may not be for everyone as I’m sure that many of you like your indie pop with more of the former and less of the later, but if you have followed this band in the past and are looking for something refreshing and danceable along with some heartfelt meaning thrown in for good measure, this could be for you. A special “thank you” should go out to Depeche Mode, for this week also sees the steaming pie of a release that is Sounds of the Universe, making this offering from the Pet Shop Boys sound even better in the realm of the dance/pop world. (Hey, look at that, I killed two reviews with one stone.)
Thanks for reading all and for indulging me in my Pet Shop Boys/fanboy excursion, I really appreciate it…happy listening!
So I return yet again. After my sabbatical away for most of the previous seven months, I return from hiding in Brussels, Belgium. I am finishing my masters degree there, and will be stationed here for the four months. So I am back, and I wanted to do it in a kind of big way. Also, this is my way of saying that literally, The Yellow Stereo has gone international.
I have some fabulous opportunities here to see shows, and right now is the peak of the festival season here in Europe. Yesterday was my birthday, so what better way to see some great bands at a festival being held an hour and a half away from my place. This festival is Pukkelpop (poo-kuhl-pop), and is held for three days in eastern Belgium. It is one of the premier festivals in Europe (top 5 in Europe), and is probably comparable with Lollapalooza or Coachella. There are 8 stages for the festival, and roughly 140,000 people camp and attend. Bands from all over make Pukkelpop a main-stay on the festival grind through Europe.
Here is a list of the shows that I was able to see, the time (24 hour clock style) and length of the set, and a review of them. Pictures will follow in another post with just pictures!!
Lykke Li – 11:20 (35min)
The Whip – 12:35 (25 min)
Black Kids – 13:40 (40 min)
The National – 14:55 (50 min)
Anti-Flag – 16:25 (50 min)
MGMT – 17:55 (50 min)
Hercules and Love Affair – 19:35 (35 min)
Bloc Party – 20:25 (60 min)
Chrome Hoof – 21:20 (50 min)
M83 – 22:45 (55 min)
Crystal Castles – 0:10 (40 min)
Lykke Li – (Myspace)
She opened up my festival day with a nice bit of energy for late morning. The crowd was somewhat sparse due to the time, but Lykke Li definitely impressed me with her solid set, and ability to put some spunk into the morning. The sensual Swedish voice blared such favorites as ”I’m good Im gone” and “Little Bit”, and they sounded great transferred into the live setting. Some tracks were down tempo, others dancy, and naturally this is the nature with her music. She even COVERED Vampire Weekend’s M79, during which she then looked at the crowd and pleaded “Do you wanna fuck, like you know I do?” Everyone proceeded to blush, and look at the ground. I definitely recommend seeing her live.
The Whip – (Myspace)
I had heard of this band prior, but really could not tell you much about them. These UK four-piece play electro-dance synth-poppy music that is very catchy and definitely good on a late Friday night. But I was somewhat bored overall by their set, as there was nothing that I really had not heard before. The band itself really did not have much stage presence and so after about 25 minutes I decided to move on in order to get a prime spot for the Black Kids.
The Black Kids – (Myspace)
The other day I was in the supermarket here in Brussels, and The Black Kids came over the stereo system singing “I’m not gonna teach your boyfriend…” I was quite pleased to have this on my mandatory grocery soundtrack. So I assumed that this show would be busy with people trying to get a prime spot. Luckily (as with all shows but Anti-Flag and Bloc Party) I ended up in the front row. I have wanted to see these guys since I found out about them, and I had really high expectations. Overall, the band did not disappoint me, and they slammed through their hits and put on a solid set. It was interesting to watch the ladies (Dawn Watley and Ali Youngblood) of the band singing backup and dancing. It reminded me of the olden days when a band would have back-up singers just dancing and singing. However, both the ladies had Synths as well. I would definitely see them again, but it would be nice to get a solid opener with them or vice-versa (depending on who they are with).
The National – (Myspace)
The National followed The Black Kids, and I was unsure if I wanted to see them again, or see a new band, but I had been talking with a local Belgian during the Black Kids set about music, so I decided to stay and see these guys, knowing that they really do not disappoint. They are from my hometown (Cincinnati), and I have also had the opportunity to meet them. The cruised through such awesome hits as “Mistaken For Strangers”, and “Abel”, and ended with “Fake Empire” (They would have done “Mr. November”, but ran out of time). It is much much different seeing them in festival format, after seeing them in ultra-intimate settings back home. I really enjoyed their set, and they looked quite tired after being on the road for so long (near the end of their tour). The crowd was also quite large, so that made me happy.
Anti-Flag – (Myspace)
Let it be known, I did not expect to willingly see a punk band during my day at Pukkelpop. But, after seeing the National, I tried to see Yelle, but the dance hall stage was excessively crowded (she is French, and very known in Belgium), so I went back to the stage where The National played in order to try to set up for a prime spot at the MGMT show. So yes, I saw Anti-Flag, and YES YES YES, they did play right in-between The National and MGMT. I didn’t understand how this happened, as there was another stage for the metal/punk bands. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed their set, and was quite impressed. They livened the crowd that came up (as if they really needed it), and made crowd-surfing, mosh-pits, and punk circles the norm. I love lively crowds, and after going to so so many indie shows where people just fold their arms and act half-disgusted (even if they like it), it was an awesome spectacle to see. The music was your standard punk music, nothing more, or nothing less. I was surprised, and I really enjoyed watching the crowd. (PS. It has been a while since a warped tour for me)
MGMT – (Myspace)
Seeing Anti-Flag allowed me to be in the front for MGMT (barely). This show was incredibly crowded, and it certainly shows that MGMT are noted for good live shows and their music has gained masses of fans during the past year. I had not seen them before, and I was very impressed. The music is very psychedelic at times in rock format way, but they also have the massive favorites “Electric Feel” and “Kids.” They certainly played those, and the quality of music was quick nice. Frontman Andrew VanWyngarden looked like he had just woken up, threw on a t-shirt and jean shorts and tennis shoes, and brought a guitar. He was incredibly laid-back, and nonchalant about everything. They had a few technical difficulties, but ended their set with VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser singing to a backing track for “Kids” and then a guitar solo by one of the touring folks. I definitely would see them again, and it was quite the crowd.
Hercules and Love Affair – (Myspace)
The self titled release by these guys have been one of my favorites this year. I was hoping that their show would be really great, and in fact I had heard some good things. I was satisfied with the set, but I guess I was expecting more. However, Nomi, who is quite the good looking gal, took off a few clothes, and it was funny to see the photographers in front of me taking all sorts of photos. The music was much like their album, but I felt like I was listening to an old jock jams album mixed with a disco flair when it transferred live. However, It was really cool to see the variation of Nomi and Kim Ann Foxman along with Andy Butler. There were a number of backup people on synth, trombone, trumpet, and bass guitar.
Bloc Party – (Myspace)
Bloc Party was by far the biggest show I saw during my day, and arguably the biggest of the festival. If you have never seen Bloc Party, DO IT! They are always worth seeing, and for this being my third time, I love them each time. My personal live favorite is “This Modern Love”. I somewhat dislike where I think they are taking their new music, in the two tracks I have heard, but I love their shows. Needless to say so do a lot of other people. So I watched it from what seemed to be a half mile away behind thousands and thousands of people. It is always a great show. I wanted to set myself up for the night shows, because I knew they would be busy.
Chrome Hoof – (Myspace)
This show was the extreme oddball show of the day. Imagine a band that brings funk and jungle with disco, electro and death metal, and you have Chrome Hoof. The Essex, UK based group merges all of these genres together, and I honestly have never heard anything like it. It was also very artistic and experimental. Their front lady Lola Olafisoye was quite sassy, and really put on a good show. I imagined someone like Aretha Franklin and Santogold and Macy Gray all coming together as one, then quickly going to the dark side. It was just great to see, and she was spot on musically. There are altogether about 9 folks in this group, from interpretive dancers to bassoon player to sax player to guitar players and drummers. Musically, I enjoyed some, but I disliked some. Death Metal is not my thing, so it got a little loud and nasty at times.
M83 – (Myspace)
M83 (along with Crystal Castles) was the reason I saw Chrome Hoof. This was arguably my favorite set of the night. This show was also busy, partly due to the band coming from France, and they are well known by the local Belgian crowd (and all of the French people there as well). Their most recent release “Saturdays=Youth” is just brilliant, and front-man Anthony Gonzalez is equally brilliant as well. The group had all sorts of problems with one of their synths, but fellow member Morgan Kibby was slightly frazzled by it all, and it created an emotional atmosphere that ended up being focused into turning out some stunning music. Put all of that together with the visuals, and it made for a spectacular set. Please try to catch these folks on tour somewhere soon.
Crystal Castles – (Myspace)
Girl Talk, Dan Deacon, and now Crystal Castles. I have heard mostly great things about live shows from this Canadian Duo, and after loving their music, I had to see for myself. This was the final show in the tent I was in (Belgian DJ’s Soulwax closed the festival concurrently). The show was packed like sardines into a relatively small tent. I was in the front, and wanted to hear the glitchy music and see the thrashing about of Alice Glass. Here is how it went. Take a set up for the keyboards and effects etc. for Ethan Kath, a random drummer, and then a microphone and two huge strobe lights for Alice, and you have it. All the lights are off except the strobes, and Alice dances around and screams onstage, comes into the crowd to say hello after laying on the floor, hitting the drum kit with the microphone, and unplugging the wires for the strobes (Accidentally). It was quite the sight. All of this is occurring while glitchy dance music is playing, and people are dancing everywhere. I put it in the same category as my Girl Talk and Dan Deacon shows, because of the hype and nature of it. It was so different, and I felt like Alice had real issues and just took them all out on stage. Ethan Kath is amazing at what he does producing all the of the music and putting the effects in as well.
Overall:
I was able to see so many bands, and meet some pretty sweet people throughout the day. This was the largest festival I had been too, and with 8 stages, there were so many more bands I wish I could have seen in that day and the two previous days I missed. Bands I missed that I hope to see soon are Sigur Ros, Yelle, Soulwax, Jamie Lidell, and We are Scientists. There were a number of DJ’s I wanted to see, especially because I am one myself, but at a festival, bands are the way to go!
Although we’re hardly one of the blogs out here on the interwebs that specializes in remixes, but we have our favorite DJs and we’re not afraid to post about them. So, we’re feeling extremely privileged and lucky to premiere this remixtape from Atlanta DJ Black Dominoes. (Well, I feel privileged and lucky…the guys had no idea that I had this up my sleeve.) I got an opportunity during SXSW to see him at work in the most intimate setting I encountered at the entire festival…a diminutive smoky motel room. He had to leave the festival early (which was truly sad because he’d become our de facto SXSW guide) but I watched him and Rachael (who also appears on one of the remixes featured here) tinker with the little nuances that make a mix powerful. Naive as this sounds, I hadn’t realized the level of artistry and detail that goes into a good DJ set (well…not of this variety…college radio = not the same thing.) Still, it was easy to see just from those couple of hours in the Rodeway Inn…this guy was good.
Since then, I’ve seen his remix of Vampire Weekend’s “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” show up everywhere from the BBC to NPR and I’ve sold the music snobs at my second job on his remix of Yeasayer’s “Sunrise.” This, however, is a little more. He’s described it as like a Hollertronix mixtape on steroids which, honestly, isn’t a bad comparison. He pulls in songs as disparate as Sergio Mendes and Santogold and can make artists Diplo and Spoon blend seamlessly. Besides, when was the last time you heard The Magnetic Fields at a DJ set? Despite all of these eclectic sources, the mix never loses focus. Try playing it for your next summer party or four. I’ve listed the full tracklist below.
Intro/Boarding
Shawty Lo- Dey Know
Shawty Lo- Dey Know (Ross Hogg remix)
Natasja Saad- Calabria
Hall and Oates- Private Eyes (Black Dominoes BuffetLibre remix)
Holy Ghost- Hold On!
Sergio Mendes- Magdalenha
Fujiya and Miyagi- Collarbone
War- Me and Baby Brother
Crystal Castles vs Health- Crimewave
Santogold- L.E.S. Artistes (XXXchange remix)
Mavado- Wah Dem I Do (Biggie Nasty Girl/Wamp Wamp acapella)
Samim- Heater
Eurythmics- Sweet Dreams (Pretty Titty edit)
Dizzee Rascal- Cringeworthy (acapella)
Everyone Nose- Pharrell/N.E.R.D. (Scotty B remix)
Photek- Love And War (LA Riots remix)
DJ Tameil- Shake Yr Body Like A Tamborine/Body Bodied
Magnetic Fields- Strange Powers
Otis Redding- Shout Bamalama
Bag Raiders- Nil By Mouth (Black Dominoes refix)
Roy Ward- Horse With A Freeze
Herve- I Can Get Down
Diplo- Scrappy Chief
Spoon- Take The Fifth
Digitalism- Idealistic (A-Trak remix)
Yeasayer- Sunrise (Black Dominoes remix)
AutoKratz- Pardon Garcon
Wiley- Wearing My Rolex
Burial- Archangel
Burial- Archangel (8-Bit Boy remix)
Matt & Kim- No More Long Years (radioclit remix)
Lil Wayne- Lollipop
Surkin- White Night Two (Black Dominoes Atlanta Version)
Scotty B- Hood Nigga
The Rapture- No Sex For Ben
Vampire Weekend- Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa (Black Dominoes remix)
Dizzee Rascal- Fix Up Look Sharp
Grandmaster Flash- The Message (Rachael and Kellen remix)
DSL- Invaders (Busy P remix)
13th Floor Elevators- You’re Gonna Miss Me
Outro/Deplane
As I sit down at my computer today to start off this new week, I feel somewhat invigorated, as my little disappearing act from the blog has brought on a newfound energy to get back into the swing of things (at least I hope so…). After seeing some good shows, being around familiar faces, and just having a good time altogether – it’s easy to forget sometimes that I do run this blog.
To start off this week in the best way possible, i’ve got a track that has been completely dominating my listening time over the past week or so. It’s a remix of one of my all-time favourite Chemical Brothers songs, actually, just one of my favourite songs period. This remix of “Star Guitar” is by Japanese producer Shinichi Osawa, who’s remix of Digitalism’s “Pogo” was featured in the last edition of The Sunday Shuffle. Apparently, the guy is huge over in Japan – as he’s formerly of jazz/dance band Mondo Grosso who formed in the early 90s, and has recently released an album called The One towards the end of last year.
I’ve yet to hear that entire album, but the couple of tracks i’ve managed to hear are absolutely killer. I’ve heard plenty of “Star Guitar” remixes/covers in my time, but this one managed to command my attention. It’s simple enough, and most importantly, retains everything that makes that such a good song in the first place. Plus, the guest vocals from indie-pop cuties Au Revoir Simone just seals the deal for me. You really just can’t say no to this one folks.
It seems we may hear more from him in 2008, as I think there will be a remix LP of his debut at some point, though i’m not entirely certain.
The Teenagers, a trio of French-born Indie/Electro/Lo-Fi rockers from London have finally come to the states on their first ever North American Tour. So Last Weekend, I went to Chicago because I had set up an interview with this band that has been one of the more talked about in the blogosphere throughout the previous year.
During the interview we talked about their First LP out “Reality Check” on the XL label, their remixes, their reaction to the States, and what some of their plans are in the coming months.
A note about the interview. It was transcribed as accurate as possible from the recording. The recording occurred about an hour to them going onstage. It was difficult to transcribe because it was all of The Teenagers answering the questions in no particular order, so it was a good conversation with them. The Teenagers are (See picture above) Quentin (Left), Michael (Middle), and Dorian (Right). I use their first letters through the interview, along with mine. (I am Eric).
E: So your album is titled “Reality Check”, why the specific title?
Q: We looked for a name, and its one of the biggest differences we have had. Everyone came up with his own little names and then we just came up with “Reality Check”, and we like, it just sounds good.
D: It wasn’t even the same day, it was like two weeks after.
Q: Its funny, because everyone asks us if the songs are autobiographical, and apart from “Streets of Paris” they are not, so reality check is cool because our songs are about a fantasy world when you are teenage person.
E: And how have the digital sales on the album been so far?
Q,M,D: We don’t know yet.
Q: You have to wait a little before you can get all the figures
D: Yeah, you have to wait a month, and then you get the results for the first week or something.
Q: I hope its doing well though.
E: I had heard a couple of demos before, and You changed a couple of the lyrics from the original demos, why the change?
Q: Oh my god, you are a hardcore fan! (they all laugh)
M: We’ve changed on ‘Feeling Better’, it was like, “and buy our CD”, and now its like “And buy our T-Shirt”, and also it was like “and take a pen, grab your ass”, and now it is like “take a pen, write it down” (Dorian and Quentin have a laugh)
M: Maybe you see why now we changed the lyrics now.
E: I see why you changed it now, to make it more radio-friendly?
Q: No, I felt like when we heard the afterwards, it was pretty lame, and I think we asked people to take their shirts, grab their ass.
M: I think we asked the girls to write their names on their bodies, but we stopped that and so we were like yeah lets change the lyrics
Q: On ‘Homecoming’ its pretty cool to be a bit passive aggressive about the “cunt” thing, but after (on Feeling Better) we realized it was stupid and could say it in a normal way. But we were not thinking that we wanted to have it more radio-friendly.
M: So buy are T-Shirts is a sort of subliminal message, and we want people to buy our T-Shirts
Q: Yeah, cause they don’t buy CD’s anymore.
M: and we changed something on “Sunset Beach” but it was just a mistake in the English.
E: Yeah I noticed that
Q: So you checked all the songs then?
M: So that means you like the album?
E: Yeah, I liked it.
M: and did you buy it legally?
E: Yeah
M: So at least we have one! Thanks! (All Laugh)
Q: We should download it since we are here, since it is gonna work.
D: I am going to buy it tomorrow.
E: You didn’t use some of the other tracks on the album itself?
M: We had to save some for the B-Sides (Tiger), and some of the tracks were sticking out. There were like 4 or 5 tracks that were sticking out. And we used the ones we preferred for the album
Q,M,D (in combo): Trouble, Sleeping Bag, Secret Crush, Tiger
Q: Secret Crush is just really bad (different)
E: And tell me about “Sleeping Bag”…?
Q: It was like “Fuck Nicole”, but with different lyrics you know, but kind of the same. I personally love it, but no one wanted to have it on the album.
D: It was too different I believe from the album (the Yo version of sleeping bag).
E: I know you guys have done a bunch of remixes, do you have any plans to do more remixes?
Q: Right now, we think it is better to focus on our own stuff, and get the remixes more rare and valuable. You know how some bands remix everything, and then nobody wants to hear a remix by them. So you need to save them so they become more valuable
M: And we think it would be more funny to remix big acts. So if we want to have them someday we have to wait
E: Like Who would you want to remix?
M: Mainstream acts, like Kylie.
Q: We said Britney before
M: But Britney is so lame now.
Q: There was some light when the album came out, and all this stuff is still going on.
M: Like Britney “The Rehab Remix” and “The Trainwreck One”
Q: But no, that’s not happening… Kylie would be good, and her album is good.
E: Who would you want to remix your own material?
M: Daft Punk, Soulwax,
D: Soulwax would be good… Justice
Q: I don’t know whoever sells records
M: Jacques Lu Cont (Thin White Duke)
Q: Stuart Price, if he would do it I am having a tear.
M: Maybe Someday
E: What has it been like so far in the States?
Q: Crazy. We are going to write a song about California. Even Vancouver was really good. The Three Dates we had in a row in California were just crazy. But we are having a bit of pressure here, because in LA the show went really smooth.
D: It was great in San Francisco, and LA was really good too. All the cities have been good.
M: The hardest was
Seattle. It was our first show in the states and we had to really rock.
E: So how many of you had been to the States before?
Q: I have been for like three weeks.
D: I had been to the states with my parents for tourism. (California,
New York)
Q: Yeah, Me too. (Philadelphia)
M: First Time
E: So in your short time in America, what sorts of things specific to
America have stuck out?
M: The car thing, and you have to take a car for everything.
D: And you have big cars.
Q: The food portions are like twice the size of the food portions in
Europe… You get so much more food.
D: Your cakes are like that! (Holds out arms to show size)
M: It’s like eating a brick.
E: How has the reception been so far in the states?
Q: Honestly, so far the reception has been good, and the people we have met have been awesome. The vibe has been good; it’s like such a different world. Like from Europe, it’s hard to explain, but you can tell. If you make me sleep and take me somewhere, I can tell if it is Europe or USA straight away.
E: So after this Tour is over, what all do you have in the works? I know you are playing Coachella?
M: We have a couple of gigs to do in London and in Europe, and then promo for the album.
D: We play with Justice in London for NME.
Q: Its Valentine’s Day so it is sweet.
D: We play in Paris once as well.
Q: In March
D: A bit in England, a bit in Europe after.
M: Mexico in March.
D: And then Coachella.
E: So you don’t know if you are playing SXSW?
Q: XL used to have a tent, and they cancelled the tent, so maybe if someone else wants to book us, you can do it (leans in towards the Mic, laughs)… It would be cool. But Coachella is cool because we learned about it here.
D: I saw it on their website after I received an email from Coachella (about the bands being announced, and I knew we might be playing, so I went to their website.
Q: I didn’t even know that (about us playing Coachella)
E: On Tour, who have you gotten along well with and meshed with?
Q: Crystal Castles, we really bound with them even though they are so different, and we bound with them really quickly.
M: I really Like Dev from Lightspeed Champion
Q: Metronomy are nice as well.
E: What sort of influences did you have growing up in Paris?
M: There weren’t really that many in Paris, and right now if Justice could be an influence ONLY for the success they have had, not for the music.
Q: Maybe some French pop-artists that my parents were listening to but I don’t know. Maybe some Danish Music Tour Limited, Dr. Alban, and this kind of stuff.
E: I have read in other interviews that you like to be lumped into the British Indie scene?
Q,M,D: No, we didn’t say that.
M: We are just pop-rock, and we don’t pigeon-hole ourselves.
D: I think they put us in the English scene because we live in
London and we play with English Bands.
Q: But I think we are really in-between many different things. We are not really French but not really English in terms of music. We are not really pop but we are not Indie, we are not really Justice, but we are kind of unique and special. (All Laugh)
Q: Tonight we are playing in a club, but it is going to sound Indie, because we don’t have our backing synths, so it will sound rough (like indie- rock music).
E: So a year from now what do you think you will be doing?
Q: Promoting the second album
M: Playing in Birmingham, England
D: Maybe everyone can have his own hotel room.
E: My one final question is this… if you had anything to say to the teenagers of the world, what would it be?
Q: Don’t Drink and Drive Guys.
D: Protect yourself when you are having sex.
Q: War is really bad.
M: Go to school
Q: Yeah, go to school a little bit
D: Our album comes out March 18th, but you can download the digital now!
So I went to Chicago this past weekend because I had set up an interview with The Teenagers and to see their live set (article to come soonish!). However, I was fortunate to also catch the Dan Deacon Ultimate Reality Tour on Friday night. I have wanted to see Deacon since hearing about his awesome set at Pitchfork, and this was a perfect opportunity.
For those of you that have no background about Dan Deacon’s Ultimate Reality Tour, I will do my best to describe it. First and foremost, its artistic. I think that is what turns some people off to Deacon and his Wham City! crowd, but for those out there that didn’t know it, Deacon has been university trained in electronic music at SUNY Purchase.
Im not sure who the first guy was that came onto the stage, but he played a bass violin, and used various “alternative” ways of playing it, for instance, he would take xylophone mallets and raise the strings up on the neck, and beat the strings with a couple more mallots. Oh and did I mention that his intent for the sound was to give the impression of being INSIDE the bass, and so it was dominating, and the vocals he used seemed far away and echo-ish. With that being what he wanted to get across, he did a good job at it. The Audience had no idea what to think, and they were good about it though. The only comparable opener I have seen to this was ironically Spencer Yeh, the opener for Girl Talk when I saw him perform.
The next set was just impressive. Jimmy Joe Roche, a part of Wham City (Baltimore, MD) is a videographer who made a montage of many of Arnold Schwarenegger’s films, making them very psychadelic and symmetrical. On top of that, there was electronic music playing over the video, along with two impressive drummers drumming the same beats the entire time. It was humorous how Roche made the movie storylines intermingle, and the way the entire act came together was just plain Artistic. While I don’t really dig psychadelica, I came away impressed.
PS. the guys next to me were loving it (prolly cause of they told me they were tripping.)
It was right at the end of Roche’s set that people got up and filled the pit area (this is a full fledged auditorium/theater). They knew Deacon was up next and they wanted to be right there. Being lucky enough to snag the only open front row seat, I jumped right up as well.
Deacon was practically everything I thought it would be. I go through times where I absolutely love his music, other times it is just plain annoying. So I didn’t expect to be blown away, and I was interested in watching him perform with his set up of equipment and lights. I am beginning to produce my own music right now so its nice to see various effects being used by someone trained in the field.
Dan Deacon equals moving and dancing and crashing into one another, and for me it meant sore ribs, because I was the buffer between dancing and stage. Well worth it though, and hearing favorites like “Crystal Cat”, and “Silence like the Wind overtakes me” was great. The setup was a bit odd, and I think that Deacon got upset about people being pushed into him. It was such a small space in the pit, and everyone wanted in on the action.
Overall I was very artistically impressed by the Ultimate Reality Tour and Dan Deacon, and I really recommend seeing them/him once. Its just a good intense show.
The Teenagers love to have a good time. For those who didn’t know, these guys have been busy recording their debut LP from Merok Records in the UK, and Beggars/XL in the US. The title of their debut is called “Reality Check”, and it is due out for digital download on January 15th, a mere four days from now. The hard copy isn’t set to be out until March 18th in the US (March 17th in the UK).
BUT… if you hurry over to their Myspace page anytime in the next 4 days, you are able to listen to the album in its entirety UNTIL January the 14th. See Below for the link.
Over the last year these guys jumped on the scene with their raunchy and vulgar “Homecoming”, and most recently with “Starlett Johannson”, along with some pretty rocking remixes that have been hopefully rocking a indie-dance floor near you (I know I spin them where I play).
The album is twelve tracks long, half of which I had yet to hear before today (I had heard some of the demos for other tracks that have been floating around and on their myspace page, and hadn’t heard the mastered versions).
Listening to the album all the way through, its obvious to hear the new-wave and 80’s synth pop influence on these guys’ sound. Most tracks on the album have pretty catchy refrains and get stuck in your head. A number of them also make you want to move your feet and Dance Dance Dance Dance.
As an overall album, I feel like it is split into halves (for the most part) with most of the upbeat tracks in the first half. This includes the singles currently released (Homecoming and Starlett Johannson), and the 3rd single titled “Love No” (Out 3/10/08). On the second half of the album, the dancy vibe changes into more of a storytelling mode, something The Teenagers do a pretty good job at (in a humorous way of course, just as a Teenager should do!)
Listen for yourself, and preorder the album RIGHT HERE! Below is the tracklist. Personal favorites for me after the first few run throughs are “Streets of Paris” (totally new to me), and “Feeling Better” (Heard demo prior to album version).
The Teenagers – Reality Check 1. Homecoming
2. Love No
3. Feeling Better
4. Starlett Johannson
5. Streets of Paris
6. Make It Happen
7. Wheel Of Fortune
8. Fuck Nicole
9. French Kiss
10. Sunset Beach
11. III
12. The End of the Road
These Guys are also touring through the States in about a week or so. I plan on seeing them in Chi-City myself. Dates Below:
Jan. 18th – Vancouver, BC – Richards
Jan. 19th – Seattle – Neumos
Jan. 22nd – Los Angeles – Echo
Jan. 23rd – Los Angeles – Spaceland
Jan. 24th – San Francisco – Pop Scene @330 Ritch
Jan. 26th – Chicago – Sonotheque (with Dark Wave Disco)
Jan. 27th – Toronto – Social
Jan. 29th – Montreal – Just For Laughs
Jan. 30th – New York – Mercury Lounge
Jan. 31st – New York – Hiro Ballroom
Feb. 1st -Philadelphia – Making Time @ Pure
Feb. 2nd -New York – Studio B
This week in my mail I received the upcoming album from the Australian artist Muscles. I couldn’t dig up a whole lot of information, but here is what I’ve got. Based out of Melbourne, Austrailia, Muscles is signed to the Aussie based Modular records. His debut album “Guns, Babes, and Lemonade” comes out here in the states on Oct. 23rd. You should definitely give it a listen.
The album fits comfortably into the electronica genre, and brings in the synth background with what I would call semi-sung lyrics. As any good electronic music should, it gets you up and moving. The track I am really digging right now is “Chocolate Lemon and Lime”. Other notable tracks include “Ice Cream” where Muscles proclaims “Ice Cream is going to save the day, again”. I have to admit that the lyrics to the track are kind of silly in a way. But at the same time it makes me want to dance.
So give Muscles a listen, and hopefully your local dance DJ will be spinning a few of these tracks.
Bunny Lake is an band out of Vienna, Austria. This band fuses the sounds of disco with Post-Punk and electro-clash, along with some new wave. That said, I have totally been digging “The Church of Bunny Lake” recently, and you should be too. “The Church of Bunny Lake” comes out on September 30th on the Klein Records label of Austria.
The album opens with the track “Got the Fever”. One of my first thoughts is that the vocals with the disco background remind me slightly of Debbie Harry (Blondie). “She’s on the Run” is reminiscent of Depeche Mode. I think that this should give you a general idea of the musical style of Bunny Lake.
Overall, the album flows well for the most part from track to track, like a good dance album should. One highlight of the album for me is the track “Twisted forever.” The backing synth line for the vocals is just damn catchy, and the line “When black turns into grey, when the music fades away, is this the time to play twisted forever” is dark and dreamy.
While I dig the album, the transition between “Twisted Forever” and “Disco Demons remix” doesn’t make sense. I felt like it was a misplaced in the order. Along those lines, the front half of the album is focused more on a new wave sound, while the back half is more post-punk and electro-clash.
As I said above, this album has a dark Depeche Mode new wave sort of kick to it. This is evident in the vocals of both Suzy on the Rocks, and Christian Fuchs. The other member of the band is Dr. Nachstrom, who does a lot of the composing for this band.
The first single off of this album is “Strobe Love”, and it is sure to get some spins in the club in. Other song will definitely get the same treatment. I also think that there is the potential for many tracks on the album to have rockin’ remixes. Check it out below, and check out Bunny Lake’s website. The album “The Church of Bunny Lake” hits on September 30th.
“You need more…” are the first lyrics that you will hear from album opener and lead single, Love Etc. and by the time you get to the end of this album’s 11 tracks you do indeed feel like you need more…more of this pop music goodness to grace the ears and dance floors of the world.
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