The best thing to happen to me in 2009:
http://creamteam.tv/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/09-vroom-go-the-cow-mew-bumruckass.mp3
Makes me smile, makes me wanna cry, makes me wanna dance, makes me wanna kill myself! Sooooo intense....
Friday, December 11, 2009
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
Thank You & Fuck You
Searing hot album from Michael J Collins, featuring hottest track I've heard in a long time - "I just wanna be your disco bitch". Courtesy of Wolf + Lamb Records.
http://wolflambmusic.com/artist.asp?artist=58#
http://wolflambmusic.com/artist.asp?artist=58#
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Simian Mobile Disco @ the Mayan Theater, Los Angeles
2 tickets (1 spare) to see Simian Mobile Disco @ the Mayan Theater downtown tomorrow night - who's game?
Sunday, November 22, 2009
U2 now officially has sexy boots
The Edge deserves to have his fingers chopped off for choosing that name - I mean srsly, how bad can his real name be?! David Evans. What's wrong with that? Anyway, apparently earlier this year they decided to jump on the Justice bandwagon. Ok, they were a little behind, or maybe they just couldn't figure out what song to have remixed. I'm not a fan of U2 if you hadn't guessed; I mean, they're just one of those bands that have been around forever and when you're sitting at a bar and one of their tunes comes on, you're like, "Oh! I like this song, what is it?" Then it sinks in - it's U2 and you're just a little embarrassed and disappointed. I think I just love to hate that band, and I totally don't own any of their stuff. A) I'm not sure most of their songs are worth trying to remix B) Do Justice not have anything better to do with their time? It's a weird remix, but I don't pretend to be familiar with the original. The track is actually pretty catchy though. I'll let you decide for yourself....
Beach House
I mentioned these guys in my little write-up of the Grizzly Bear show a few weeks back - they opened at the Hollywood Palladium. Heard this track on Pitchfork - and apparently you can just download the mp3 for free?! It's pretty sweet.
Four Tet "Love Cry"
Um, yes please. Whatever Kieran Hebden has been up to for the last few years, he is very welcome back. Thank you. And thanks to pitchfork too for bringing it to my attention.
Charlotte Gainsbourg and Beck
Pitchfork says, "Incredible new Charlotte Gainsbourg/Beck video"
http://pitchfork.com/news/37150-incredible-new-charlotte-gainsbourg-beck-video-heaven-can-wait/
What do you say?
Friendly what?
After a rather embarrassing mix-up over the dates for the show, I finally caught up with The XX who were playing to a very enthusiastic audience at The Music Box @ The Henry Fonda Theater last night, Saturday November 21st. You know those unfortunate shows where the band you actually want to see is the opener, and they play a solid but very short set, skipping the tracks you need to hear? Well, that was not how last night went down. The place was packed, people knew the words to the songs, heck, even Mischa Barton was there. Definitely not your typical LA show. I have an unnatural obsession with this band - one might go so far as to say, "That band is so hot right now!" To complete the joyful experience, I bumped into a couple of friends. What with the confusion over dates, I had tickets to see The Juan Mclean DJ at the Echoplex in Silverlake, so I skipped out before Friendly Fires took the stage. Bad form? Perhaps, but I was more than satisfied having seen The XX do their thing, and The Juan Mclean on the decks is always a good time. Anyone else think they slam the sound a little too hard at the Echoplex?
NB- there was a cameraman filming the show for NBC, not sure if it was for a TV show or what, but keep your eyes peeled...
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Jasmin Ruiz Blasco
Swing by Blasco's blog and check out all the fine work he's been doing - French-style...
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Beautiful Proportions
I've been listening to the debut album from buzz band The XX on repeat for several days now, interspersed with repeats of the song "Crystalised" (track 3 from said album). I have a healthy appetite for obsession yes, but there's just something so very special about this record. The music is not particularly complex, but it is well-written, and extremely well-crafted. It is earnest and heartfelt without being cheesy or angsty, it is beautiful and melodic, but oh so measured and restrained. There's also a hint of this thing that I often find annoying in some tunes, where a part of a melodic phrase sounds like something else, but then goes somewhere else instead of giving you what you expect. This is most likely unintentional, but it adds this absorbing quality for me. As I mentioned in a previous post, word is out that Baria Qureshi has left the band citing "exhaustion", leaving the trio to finish what looks to be a very serious tour through Spring 2010. I will endeavor to catch them supporting Friendly Fires at the Henry Fonda here in LA at the end of the week. In case I didn't make my point clearly: buy this record - buy it, own it, love it...
Hunee
Doing his thing, and doing it well - Hunee's "Took My Love" for Drumpoet Community. If you don't know, now you know...
Monday, November 2, 2009
Choir Of Young Believers @ Spaceland (10/09)
Spaceland is not the venue I would choose for Choir Of Young Believers, but seeing a band as honest and warm as them in a more intimate setting was definitely no bad thing. If you're familiar with "This Is For The White In Your Eyes", you can imagine them playing an old converted theater like the Wiltern with an orchestral backing to a packed and rapt audience gently swaying to the sweet sound of Jannis Noya Makrigiannis' voice. Sure, this is Indie Pop, but it is no generic "we're young, we're angsty, check us out - we're musicians" turgid nonsense that is so ubiquitous in these times. The album itself is beautifully balanced; it's a healthy dose of light and dark, poppy and sombre. They were definitely confident on stage, but without coming across as detached or arrogant. A very sound live performance that struck a chord with me.
Grizzly Bear @ The Palladium (10/09)
An interesting lighting display adorned the stage at the Hollywood Palladium where Beach House (whom I had not heard of) opened for Grizzly Bear. The Palladium is a very large space, and it was pretty mellow when I arrived about thirty minutes before Grizzly Bear were meant to play. Needless to say, it was packed tight by the time Grizzly Bear brought their set to a close. Their music is richly textured, layered with vocal harmonies and very expansive, blending Pop/Folk/Rock/Orchestral into something very much it's own - their most recent offering (Veckatimest) is perhaps the most accessible of the three albums, definitely being the most focused material to date. I've known that these guys are talented, and enjoyed their music for some time now, so I won't tell you that I was surprised at the skillful and potent delivery of the material, but it definitely blew me away. Haunting, evocative, and quite unsettling in just how much emotion it stirred up. Anyone looking for a deeper experience along with their entertainment should make sure to catch these guys doing their thing on stage.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Friday, October 2, 2009
My Guilty Pleasure
Moonlight Dance is what I hope they will be playing when they open a Club Med on the moon - I of course will dressed up like a disco-ball on the dance-floor busting cheesy choreographed moves. This track is ridiculous - a perfectly-crafted dance-pop gem that sounds like it came back from the future of 201988, complete with slap-bass.
Behind the times
Not sure what I was doing in 2008 when Passion Pit were apparently blowing minds on the East Coast (no doubt listening to Techno), but I always say better late than never. Actually, it's kind of exciting being late to the party, because if you arrive at the same time as everyone else, you never really know whether you're just caught up in the moment - a moment that will pass - or feeling something deeper. Anyhow, their whole album is simply raucous: synth-laden poppier-than-thou songs for everyone, topped off with something much more intense than whipped cream and cherries - thoughtful lyrics delivered in a register that I dare not attempt in public by Michael Angelakos. The Reeling is a fantastic example of what's on offer here - go forth and listen.
Don't Know Till You Try...
The Postmarks - sublime. Think orchestral rock à la The Last Shadow Puppets, but with the sweetest of sweet lady vocals, courtesy of Tim Yehezkely (that's right, she's called Tim - but she definitely doesn't look like a dude). On the band's website it says, "When Tim Yehezkely sings, clocks stop, people listen, and ice cream refuses to melt" - whatever that means! Personally, I find myself melting quite rapidly as her voice emerges from the thick, textured sounds of "Memoirs At The End Of World". The song I picked out from the album is not necessarily demonstrative of the vibe of the album, but it's a belter - a driving, hypnotic piece that sends shivers up my spine. In this case, you really don't know until you try...
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Bondage
Betsey Johnson just put out a black stretch dress with a zip up the front (below), but I'm sure I've seen this dress before....yes I have (kind of) - last year. Ever ahead of the curve, Amanda Benefiel designed and made this (right) for her own label: Another Happy Birthday. People need to start paying attention to these guys, or you just might miss something special happening right under your noses here in LA.Tuesday, September 29, 2009
The road so far...
You've got to love the recaps that preface the season premieres of Supernatural (The CW) - slamming hard rock with action replays of all the Winchester brothers' gruesome dispatch of supernatural freaks. So trashy, so teen-appeal, so my cup of tea apparently. Ultimately, I suppose, my fondness for this show stems from an all-encompassing fascination with ghouls and freaks of supernatural origin. They seem to have consistently provided a good balance of bad jokes, brutal supernatural violence, and enough atmosphere to give me the occasional scare, that this show continues to hold my interest. But then with my genuine appreciation for teletrash, they really don't have to work hard to tickle my fancy...
Faux-Persian no maux!
Just as an aside - I dispensed with the alter-ego that speaks English as a second language with a strong Persian accent. Actually, "dispensed" might be too strong a word - let's just say I took some grammar lessons or something. Alper Kakir is alive and well.
Close to the ground?
The Social Registry - based in Brooklyn, NY - are home to a host of brilliant artists with diverse sounds, such as Psychic Ills, Electroputas, Blood On The Wall, and Gang Gang Dance. They are one of those independent labels that I will always want to follow and it's definitely safe to assume that whatever they put out is going to sound different to the vast majority of what you will come across elsewhere, making them a must-check-this-out destination for anyone with an ear for something fresh. The track I selected from the August released Troubled, Shaken Etc. by UK act Sian Alice Group is something of an enigma. It opens with an insistent vibraphone volley that melts into a beautiful world of softly-distorted keys and a four-to-the-floor ambient bump that gallops - especially when the the afro-rhythmic percussion drops in. Sian Ahern has a haunting voice that floats above it all, and cuts to the core. But this is not music to talk about - go listen, and while you're at it, check out the video too:
“Close To the Ground”
Close to the Ground? More like close to God.
Round-up
This post is just a round-up of some tracks worth mentioning, but more importantly worth listening to. I was recently away for a month and without my laptop (oh my!), and I found myself with rather a lot of time to read. As is my custom, if I'm not able to buy new music to listen to, I'm reading about new releases and making lists of stuff to check out. The following tracks are from several albums I picked up recently, of various genres and moods, and are listed track - band - album:
Close to the Ground - Sian Alice Group - Troubled, Shaken Etc.
Don't Know Till You Try - The Postmarks - Memoirs At The End Of The World
Mirror's Image - The Horrors - Primary Colours
Love Long Distance - The Gossip - Music For Men
Eat Your Heart - Micachu - Jewellery
Quicksand - La Roux - La Roux
Sky Might Fall - Kid Cudi - Man On The Moon (The End Of Day)
The Reeling - Passion Pit - Manners
Moonlight Dance - Sally Shapiro - My Guilty Pleasure
Timebomb - The Whitest Boy Alive - Rules
The Frozen Lake (The Symmetry) - Circulatory System - Signal Morning
All Live But The Ending - Circlesquare - Songs About Dancing And Drugs
Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime - The Field - Yesterday & Today
I'll say a little something about these tracks in the following posts, but for the most part, the music really says it all.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Karin Dreijer Andersson meets the Troxler
So potent is the voice of Karin Dreijer Andersson (most popular now for both her collaborative and solo work) that I am having hard time to find words. I was hearing about this The Knife quite late (2006) by someone who was having the taste very much in question after a flippant (good word no?) remark about The Libertines are being "far superior to Babyshambles". I do not have to say to you my friends, I was not taking with seriousness his (in my opinion) uneducated and very possible to be poor advice. But then I was ending up with a copy of 2006's Silent Shout on a chance while I was making the (I am aware illegal) maneuver of "music-swapping-with-a-friend". To be like frank, the album was blowing my mind - over and over again on the long-haul flight from Los Angeles to London for that christmas. Apparently, this marvellous band was making the two albums before this one that were not having the proper reception in the world. Silent Shout was making for them a success which was then having the previous albums re-released in 2006: The Knife and Deep Cuts. These two albums, whilst not having the same brilliant complexity, nevertheless are serving as an interesting demonstration of the evolution of this group - one of the best things to come from Sweden since the meatballs (first appearing in the print of a Swedish cookbook in 1754). For those of you who have the interest and have not heard, it is perhaps a good idea to listen.
Getting to the point: one of the most exciting releases for me of the 2009 - Karin Dreijer Andersson's solo project Fever Ray debut - the self-titled "Fever Ray". Upon first listen, it is not so different from some of the more ethereal tracks from Silent Shout, but further listening reveals more. The songs from the album are not having the common structure and form of the pop songs, and her words are not really having the clear meaning (at least for me to understand). This is making for the surreal experience, and for this I was listening many times over to the whole album (really until I couldn't listen anymore). Then, as is custom with such things, they are releasing the remix EP of the track "Seven". Featuring such dance music luminaries as Marcel Dettman and Seth Troxler (two of my most favorites), this EP is an absolute must-buy. I was most pleased to hear the somewhat unusual combination of Fever Ray and Seth Troxler; some of his releases this past year have been so dark and minimal, one might expect such an approach to this remix. It is not so here. This track is hypnotic, atmospheric, and kind of an analog disco gem from the future. I invite you listen to it on repeat for a while!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
To Be "In The Know"
Hello my friends! My name is Alper Kakir - I am a London-born Persian, and I have spent most of the 26 years of my life so far having so much interest in the worlds of the fashion and the music. I would like to be able to share with you some of my insight, and to hear from you also the opinions of the persons of the world.
For me, to know what they are selling on the most fashionable shopping stores in your city is not to be "in the know". To be "in the know" is not an understanding of what is fashion to the normal persons - it is a state of the mind. The persons that are "in the know" are already wearing what they will be selling in the fashion stores in 1 or 2 years time, and they are listening to the music that is not today playing on the radio and on the television. Unfortunately I am not one of these persons, although I am lucky to know a few persons like this. For the purpose of this blog then, I have chosen the name "Au Courant". The meaning of this very wonderful expression that the English language is borrowing from the French, is up-to-date or with the times.
It is possible for people like you and I to have great style and be very trendy (to be au courant!) by the thinking carefully and the being selective: the fashion industry is taking many ideas from many places and showing it all to us everywhere - on the buses in London, on the large poster-boards in American cities of Los Angeles and New York, and in the beautiful shop displays in Paris, as well as on the television and movie screens across the world. It is up to us to decide what from all this we would like to have for ourselves. I ask of myself and for you too if you like, to be thinking, "What does this shoes say about me? Which color and fabric of scarf will look nice to my shirt? Should I roll up the legs of my new jeans? Why does that person wear such loose-fitting clothes when they are looking like they are having a good body?" When we are using conscious of our appearance, the world is being a more beautiful place, and we can be happy.
To be happy for me is also very important the music, because I like to say the "music is food for the soul". It is not important if one music is fashion or not - there are many musician in this time, and there is something for every person. The most important is for you to feel that this music is somehow giving the nourishment of life to you. I listen to many different styles of music, just as I am liking to wear many different styles of clothing. I like to enjoy the full life, and there are always many occasions for many expressions through the fashion and the music.
That is enough talk of these things for now, but I would let you know what I am thinking for the upcoming months. I would like this blog to be a place that we can share in the love for music and fashion from many places in the world - I will share for you my experiences with such things as the live music, the music from the record shops and internet, and the clothes I am seeing (and wearing!) in the magazines, and on the persons of the cities I am going to. I am now visiting with family in Monte Carlo - it is very fortunate to have my mother living in such a place! We have been spending days by the beach, and taking the car with the roof down along the coast to many beautiful places. I will be visiting Paris for fashion week (ooh la la!), and perhaps taking a week in London before returning to the place I am for this time calling home - Los Angeles. I will leave now for you this quote to think about...
"The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud."
- Coco Chanel
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