This is srsly OTT, but you gotta love it...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUhu9dGXcX0
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.
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