February 21st, 2008 r8e8rcom
Thanks to everyone for coming out to ‘The Blue Album Group’ debut on Tuesday. I know I complained about there being too many people, but it really meant a lot to have you all there to support us. It doesn’t seem to matter how many times I’ve taken the stage, it certainly never will be like riding a bike. Having not been on a stage for well over a year has siphoned every last bit of confidence I had ever imagined I possessed. The days prior to the projects debut were spent making mental provisions for the show, but never once did it occur to me that a Tuesday night show at Trash bar, at 8pm no less, should garner very much mental confidence training. But as I hesitated to start the guitar part that would kick off the entire show that night I suddenly felt like a kid playing his first show ever. And as much agitation as a first show can create, nervous shaky vocals, out of tune guitars, forgotten parts, and broken equipment, there’s still something magical about it.
Kaki King (born August 24, 1979 as Katherine Elizabeth King) is an American Guitar Player and Vocalist from Atlanta, Georgia who moved to New York in 1998 to attend New York University. She got her start busking in the subway where her dexterous playing style attracted the attention of Velour Music Group, which signed her to a management/recording deal and released her debut album Everybody Loves You in 2003. The following year, she released her second album, Legs to Make Us Longer on Epic Records. In 2007, King branched out into film work, composing original music for several scenes in the Sean Penn-directed film Into the Wild, which also features two of her previously released songs. Her work for this film has garnered her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score. In addition, she recorded two tracks for the film August Rush, in which she appears as a guitar-playing hand double. Aside from Penn, King also has a fan in Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, who asked her to duet with him on “Ballad of The Beaconsfield Miners” from the Foos’ current album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace.
-mark
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February 14th, 2008 r8e8rcom
Winter has proved yet again to be a tease, taunting us with a blustery snow day only to slap us in the face with rain the next day. This week has been no exception, but the lack of significant accumulation this year made Tuesday’s light snow a welcome affair. Precipitation has never excited anyone more than elementary school children. Watching snow flakes fall from a night sky in the glow of street lamps with butterflies in your stomach has been a pastime for kids for generations. The building anticipation of a school closing announcement is enough to drive any kid into a frenzy. Such was the case for my ever hopeful daughter this Wednesday morning. She awoke an hour early to find the streets blanketed with a layer of snow and slush and could hardly contain herself when she burst into my room, phone in hand, begging me to call the school to find out if it was cancelled. Funny how kids are more likely to wake early on a potential day off.
I didn’t blame her at first for being frustrated when we found out school would start on time, not even a delay. But the constant complaining on the walk to school was wearing me thin. After about the 20th time I heard her say, “This is so dangerous. I can’t believe they are making me go to school in this!” while walking over a patch of slush I finally broke down and yelled, “Come on, you are being ridiculous. There’s a little slush on ground, its hardly dangerous, suck it up and stop complaining.” I felt bad about it after dropping her off and thought about apologizing after work. As I was working out the phrasing for my apology in my head my feet abandoned me on a small patch of ice and I came crashing down on my back right in front of a bunch of Hasidic school girls. They giggled a bit, and I think I caught a glance of one of my daughters teachers hovering around the group, although I was too embarrassed to look anyone in the face to find out. I struggled to pick myself up from the frozen ground now knowing exactly how I would apologize to Casey. Justice can be a bitch sometimes.
‘Pronounced ee-poks, this band has created a sprawling record from bombastic electronics to seething orchestration to playful rhythms. It never stops in one place long enough to be pigeonholed. It’s this diversity that has allowed them to share the stage with such artists as The Walkmen and Tokyo Police Club to Lady Sovereign and Spank Rock. RIYL: Spank Rock, TV On The Radio, Klaxons, The Avalanches.’ -insound.com.
These tracks are from their upcoming self-titled debut LP, which drops Feb. 19 via the Rebel Group. Buy it here.
giving tree
mouths to feed
opposite sides
NY’ers, come out to Trash bar this Tuesday at 8pm to see the triumphant return of Mark Lewis brandishing six-strings and pretending to be a rockstar. It will be a sight, but if that’s not enough its also an open bar. Here’s the deets: http://www.bluealbumgroup.com/
-mark
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February 8th, 2008 r8e8rcom
I had an entire review written today and then my laptop crashed and I lost it. So now I’m just gonna bitch about it.
21-year old Lykke Li (real name = Lykke Zahrisson) is a Swedish songstress. She was recently featured on the Shout Out Louds record, Our Ill Wills, which was produced by Björn Yttling (of Peter Bjorn and John fame). Lots of peeps have been gushing over ‘Little Bit’, and with good reason. Its hyper-catchy sugar-pop, but its a song about obession and infatuation. Reminds me a bit of Annie, Victoria Bergsman (The Concretes/Taken By Trees), and maybe Fiest. Shes also been compared to Lilly Allen and The Blow. Anyway, it’s good, you should check it out.
-mark
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February 7th, 2008 r8e8rcom
As I attended my first fashion show the other day, I was struck by how completely insane Bryant Park appears during fashion week. I would never have guessed being inside one of the monstrous heated tents that I was actually standing above a vibrant green lawn as long as a football field. The parks tree lined promenades overshadowed by the enormity of the maze of tents. I felt a bit like a fish out of water with everyone dressed to the 9s as photographers whizzed around snapping photos of random people with interesting outfits, their subjects breaking whatever they were doing to strike a perfect pose on cue like Ford models……and perhaps many were. Meanwhile, I’m wearing tattered jeans I haven’t worn in 5 years because its laundry day, and the guy I’m with is wearing a pair of jeans he bought that morning because he got wasted and vomited on his only clean pair the night before.
The other thing that struck me were the various levels of privilege in this institution. There are the fortunate few lucky enough just to get invites to be allowed into the tents, not even guaranteed to get in to see the show. Then there are the invitees with actual seat assignments, the priority invites, the B-list celebs, the A-listers, and the super stars with their entourages. It’s pretty easy to separate the privileged from the over-privileged in this crowd. You see the juxtaposition of the “I can’t believe they are making me wait in line” people and the smiles of the “I can’t believe I’m waiting in line!” people. However, the truly privileged, it would seem, are the ones not waiting in line at all. And it’s crazy how the rest of us are willing to wait over an hour to see a show that lasts roughly ten minutes.
Kates and Ags - you guys did an amazing job, the show and the party were amazing!!!!
Die! Die! Die! is a 3-piece punk/indie band from Auckland, New Zealand. Since their formation in November 2003, they have solidified their reputation as one of New Zealand’s most popular bands. With an emphasis on rhythm and volume, Die! Die! Die! create a driving sound that is immediate and visceral, while retaining enough melody to keep their songs in your head long after their short set has come to a close. The band has gotten support slots for bands such as Wire and Franz Ferdinand, and also two large-scale national tour supports already this year for the reformed Straitjacket Fits and the renamed Shihad, and numerous shows in the USA and UK. These tracks are from ‘Promises, Promises’ which was released this week on SAF.
Sideways Here We Come
People Talk
Blinding
buy it here
-mark
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February 4th, 2008 r8e8rcom
Justin Vernon, the primary force behind “Bon Iver” (pronounced: bohn eevair; French for “good winter” and spelled wrong on purpose), is no stranger to the world of indie-folk. His endeavors with former band DeYarmond Edison and his contributions to the Rosebuds and Ticonderoga have earned him the respect, if not attention, of indie-folk fans. I’ve never considered myself a fan of folk music, be it indie or otherwise. That is not to say that I think every folk song is bad, I can appriciate a good troubadour as much as the next guy, but I’ve always felt the genre itself drew too heavily on lyrical story telling alone, often dulling an otherwise tantalizing story with repetitive guitar parts and unimaginative song structures, trying to make up for it by offering some kind of proverbial message. But Justin has managed to create a folk record that’s more passion than proverb. With lyrics that are minimalist, and at times perhaps enigmatic, Justin paints a visceral image from his subconscious rather than telling us a story. These are songs about doubt, dissolution, and helplessness. There are the ‘Iron and Wine’ comparisons floating out there amuck the barrage of reviews. Then there are the obvious ‘TV on the Radio’ comparisons due to Vernon’s heavy use of layered vocals, which can ultimately be thrown back to Peter Gabriel. But I was glad to see the genre listed as “Neo Soul” on Bon Iver’s myspace page, which tells me either a) he has a sense of humor; b) he doesn’t care to concern himself with genres; or c) he prefers to think of his music as soul rather than folk.
“For Emma, Forever Ago” was initially self-released in July of 2007. A culmination of four months time spent writing and recording in isolation in his father’s hunting cabin in the woods of Northwestern Wisconsin. A blitz of blog buzz and media hype followed with both sides of the industry fence gushing with accolades, from pitchfork to the New York Times. The unexpected surge fueled interest from a slew of indie labels as the initial run of self-released albums ran out of print. A re-release is now scheduled on 2/19/08 on Jagjaguar records.
Skinny Love
The Wolves (Act I And II)
Re_Stacks
buy it here
-mark
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January 31st, 2008 r8e8rcom
I, my friends, back in the mid to late 90’s was all things chick rock. Perhaps it was their sultry style, maybe their alluring voice, or it could have been, just maybe…that fact that I couldn’t get a chick to talk to me to save my life. So at least they could sing to me. There was Tori Amos (But then quickly realizing I didnt believe in Fairies.) Bjork (Soon after, realizing I forgot to wear my swan suit), Fionna Apple (I eat, therefore we would never get along.), and Ani Difranco (anyone woman who births albums faster than she can birth babies is over compensating for something.) There were others too, god so many others. The Mummers, Syble Vein, Throwing Muses, Belly, etc. etc.. And I listened to them all. Somehow between then and now the magic is gone. I just dont have the connection I once did with the female singer. Thats not to say that they aren’t still good for the most part, or that there arent other new talents out there that are even better. But I guess I just don’t care for it anymore. Although from time to time I run across a female that brings me back to those days of old.
Coal Beautiere, is not that band.
Personal opinions aside, they really should be said band. Droning piano lines, ghostly vocals, ambient noise. Whats not to like? If this was 1994 I’d have seen them ten times already. but its not. If Alice in Wonderland was performed in play form in my high school gym by girls with too many cats and boys who love dragons, this would be the soundtrack.
Wow I’m not good and keeping my opinion to myself on this one, sorry about that. Try it out for yourself. Maybe you’ll dig it.
This is from the release Fight Your Broken Heart and Fly.
I’d put their little diatribe from their page on here to give you a “what they’re about” but what they’re about sounds like a whole bunch of poppycock to me. You can find it here
Oh and here’s some songs…
Modern Dayz.mp3
Slow Death.mp3
Waitress Graveyard Floor.mp3
-Dave
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January 30th, 2008 r8e8rcom
Friends and Colleaques:
Vampire Weekend is an indie rock band from New York City signed to XL
Recordings. They came to public attention via a variety of music blogs,
first on New York’s EAR FARM and then four months later on Stereogum,
leading many to cite them as another example of the “blog band”
phenomenon. The band is influenced by both African popular music and
Western Classical Music. They describe their genre of music as “Upper
West Side Soweto”, performing such songs as “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa,”
which references Congolese soukous music.
The members of the band — Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij, Chris Tomson,
and Chris Baio — met while attending Columbia University.
http://www.vampireweekend.com/
I am going to try and include at least one video link with all my posts
from here on out…
Here’s the first one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XC2mqcMMGQ&eurl=http://7.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://www.google.com/ig/modules/youtube_videos.xml&nocache=0&up_prefs_version=
A-Punk
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
Campus
Bryn
Sincerely,
Trevor
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January 28th, 2008 r8e8rcom
I was first introduced to The Teenagers by a serendipitous visit to hype machine (www.hypem.com) last summer. What attracted me to them was not blog hype or buzz as I had never heard of the band, but rather a suspiciously all too appropriate song title. It would be ungentlemanly of me to elaborate. While the track was a remix it put a smile on my face in a bleak time in my life and I’ve been a fan of The Teenagers ever since. This month saw the release of their debut full length, Reality Check, on Merok. Sardonic electro pop from 3 Parisian 20 somethings, lead singer Quentin Delafon, guitarist / synth man Dorian Dumont and bassist Michael Szpiner. From what I’ve been able to gather the record is only available digitally until its physical release date on March 18th.
STARLETT JOHANSSON
FEELING BETTER
HOMECOMING
this one’s not on Reality Check, but the original version is:
Fuck Nicole (SLUTTTKetateen Remix)
-mark
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January 25th, 2008 r8e8rcom
When I was a kid I was fascinated by infomercials. There was something about them, the simplicity of the products, the exuberant delivery of the sales pitch, the urgency of the offer, despite the frivolity and inevitable return the following night. They always seemed to be able to align their products benefits with my needs and somehow convince me that everything would be alright if I just ordered the product right away. “If only I had that deluxe breakfast shake mixer maybe I could save enough time to fit in that morning jog. And maybe then I would loss that extra 20 pounds, then maybe I would have more self esteem, and maybe then I’d have the courage to ask for that promotion at work, and then maybe I’d make enough money to buy Jane that engagement ring, and then maybe we’d live happily ever after.”
It was an alarmingly comfortable feeling to be convinced that the solutions to my problems could be a simple commodity. That was the scary part, that and the cultish audience participation of course. As I got older though nostalgia for that sick false sense of security morphed into the idea that I could somehow find the answers to all life’s problems on an internet search engine. A more contemporary, but not altogether different adaptation of the same feeling I got watching those infomercials at 2 AM. A quick click with the right keywords and you’re set. Problems with your job, links to job listings. Relationship problems, here’s some dating sites. Don’t have any friends, try some social networking sites. Don’t know where to live, real estate listing, and hell there’s even a wiki on how to be a bum (I’m not kidding). Problems solved, right? Ok, maybe not, and to be honest it’s not even that I want the answers to all my problems, but rather that I just want to be reassured that the answers are out there somewhere.
<–insert witty segue into candian orchestral indie pop here–>
The Luyas are Jessie Stein’s (SS Cardiacs, Miracle Fortress) new musical project. I just can’t get enough of her lately. This lineup includes Pietro Amato (Bell Orchestre, Torngat and formally a horn player for Arcade Fire) and Stefan Schneider (Bell Orchestre), like I said, it’s a tight little group they run up there. I can’t say I like this more than SS Cardiacs, but I like it. Their first album, “Faker Death” came out in August 2007 but with limited availability. A Re-release is scheduled for early 2008 on Pome Records (FUSION 3 distributing) until then to get the record you’ve got to either live Montreal or Toronto or send $13 here:
5392 de L’ESPLANADE
MONTRÉAL, QUEBEC
CANADA
H2T 2Z7
for updates on the release check here: http://www.theluyas.com/music.html
Dumb Blood
Flickering Lights (will Likely Fail You)
Cats in a Bag
-mark
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January 24th, 2008 r8e8rcom
Silje Nes is a little known Norwegian artist. Although an accomplished classical pianist and percussionist, Silje decided to work primarily with her laptop and a host of instruments she had no previous experience playing for this recording. The sounds and arrangements often lack formula and convention, adding to the delicate whisper of her beautiful voice a simplicity and frailty. But there’s also a playfulness there as Silje lightly tugs us by the hand enchanting us with the sounds of tiny squeaks, clicks and clacks, static, and tinkling electronics. Everything on this record sounds so tiny, but somehow the sum of the parts manage to create a sprawling soundscape that bear hugs you. Everything is weaved together with a vast array of instruments including cello, electronics, drums, guitar, bass, keyboards, recorder, glockenspiel, xylophone, melodica, and trumpet, as well as percussion played on all manner of found objects. Her debut-album, Ames Room, will be released Feb. 19th on Fat Cat Records, home of bands like The Twilight Sad, Mice Parade, and Panda Bear name a few.
Ames_Room
Drown
Melt
-mark
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