and leave the rest at arm's length

3 words of advice if Frightened Rabbit ever come to your town: GO GO GO

pacifico

adding some refreshing tropical fever to the jangles of 2010's breakthrough genre Surf-pop, LA band Lord Huron are young, laid-back yet punchy, and deserve much more acclaim than the timid reactions they've garnered so far. The Vampire Weekend comparisons are right around the corner, but their reverberating sound, reminiscent of El Guincho, really takes a life of its own on the few songs they have put out. Tracks like "We Went Wild" or "Mighty" are what people from the future might listen to while seeing Endless Summer for the first time, and feel that very human emotion: nostalgia for something they've never known.

ACL 2010

stay there

can.not.wait

Oh, yeah, the concerts should be good too

3+3+3

kingaspain

Reaching your goals is pretty simple really:

- download the new EP by that artist you love
- realize that you still haven't seen him live
- find out that he's playing a show next week
- book a ticket online

The rest*, as they say, is just details


*: the gig being a 3-hour drive away, working all day before going, having another full day of work the next day,...

relax, move your arms

at this point the term chillwave has become a bit stale in the hipster music world, maybe almost as tired as How I Met Your Mother's plot twists. So let's move on, call it dream pop, or super-floaty-pop or what have you, and focus on the fact that some of these bands put out some excellent stuff regardless of the labels. One such band is Memoryhouse. Yes, they seem like they've watched Virgin Suicides and Pretty In Pink a few too many times, and yes, they are awesome. In fact they followed-up on something Jeremy Larson did a few years ago, which is write a song based on one of Jon Brion's fantastic skits from the Eternal Sunshine soundtrack. For them it's Phone Call, and they like it so much they've recorded two versions (so far):






Lovely, hypnotic, and yes, so totaly chillwavey. This duo is performing next week (Aug 24) at Walter's on Washington with fellow dreamers Twin Sister. If you enjoy this sort of thing, I do suggest you come on down. Because as much fun as it is, you can't always stay home to watch vintage Cusack movies with the shades drawn.

late night

this post is not about Michael Jackson

Hyde Park
June 30, 2009

yet another chapter in the formidable story of Bon Iver. Another monumental gig to cap off two fantastic years since the release of "For Emma", with a gig full of tenderness, power, and soul. On a day so unexpectedly warm and sunny (think the organizers had planned on that? The concerts being held under a tent, so I'd wager that no, they did not, and I can't say I did either), that the deep sorrow heard in so many of those tunes did not put a damper on the mood, but rather heightened it to a dizzying degree. The band was there, the crowd was there, I was there, nothing else mattered. Near the end band leader Justin Vernon revealed this would probably be their last gig this year in London, and if that's the last performance we get to see for a while, that's perfectly fine. Fantastic even, if it means the guys get back to the studio for their sophomore effort.

ps: MJ, just kidding. You truly were the greatest

rise again

OK, I give up

I thought I had a good case for not listening to Phoenix, based for once not on an irrational hater mentality, but rather developed empirically over the past few years. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not always logical when it comes to bands I could listen to based on my general musical tastes, but choose not to. Yet for these guys the crux of my argument was pretty simple: I didn’t like the songs. I never listened to a complete album, but I kept hearing their songs here and there and nothing really struck me. It seemed to me they suffered from the same problem that affects Coldplay on its bad days, let's call it mainstreamitis. Too bland, too nice without being perfect, I figured this was a band that I’d just do without. Then I saw them play at Rock en Seine 2007 and that was the clincher: they were far from bad, just not… interesting. Which is the kiss of death when it comes to my overcrowded iTunes library. From that point on I just wrote them off, disregarding the various times I heard people around me talk them up.

When their latest album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, was released this year, I paid no mind. The clamor was pretty strong in my music circles before it came out, and only increased after, compounded once they started touring and good reviews kept streaming in. I thought to myself that I should maybe give them a quick try, just to confirm my previous impressions, but kept pushing it off. Then last week while browsing in a store they played a ditty with an unshakeable hook (you know where this is going) that made me stop and notice within seconds. After some furious iPhone querying I was able to ascertain that it was, in fact, a song from my Gallic brethren. So to recap, I was shopping at Urban Outfitters when I used my iPhone to discover the name of a Phoenix song. Yes I am a huge indie yuppie cliché. Anyway I finally did give them a proper listen soon thereafter…and have since disregarded all my previous opinions of their music.

It is with no qualms that I can say this album is a mix of some of the best pop moments I’ve heard in recent years. It’s sweet, it’s fast, it’s cheery. I kept hearing people describe them as “Air rocking out” which is pretty ridiculous , but it is actually undeniable at times, and this often sounds like Air jamming with the Strokes. Songs like Lasso, Rome or Girlfriend just latch on to your cranium and refuse to leave. These aren’t perfect 3 minute pop songs, but they never overstay their welcome, either. There’s an instrumental portion that might be the weakest part of the album, but even that is far from the cringe-fest it could be. The lyrics are pretty much what you’d expect (“I never loved you/ And if I loved you /I wouldn’t say I’m sorry oh no”), but the singer’s belts them out w/ a sure confidence that washes away any nagging doubts about their authenticity. In fact confidence is probably the best word to describe this entire effort, from the songwriting to the instrumentation.
To be fair I’ve since gone back and listened to some of their previous output, and feel like I was almost justified in my non-interest. But on this album the effort feels complete, organic, and entirely satisfying. So it might’ve taken them four LPs to corral me in their camp, but from now on I will definitely pay them the interest they deserve.

2008 mid-year top 10 albums

1. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

2. Vampire Weekend - S/T

3. Sigur Ros - Me Su I Eyrum Vi Spilum Endalaust

4. Sun Kil Moon - April

5. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III

6. Cute Is What We Aim For - Rotation

7. Fuck Buttons - Street Horrsing

8. Drive By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark

9. M83 - Saturdays=Youth

10. Hammock - Maybe They Will Sing For Us

Coldplay - Viva la whatever

Describing a new band's record as "just on the safe side of edgy" might sound more like a backhanded compliment than an actual endorsement, but when it comes to heirs to the U2-throne Coldplay, such a statement is actually a good one. Having achieved things in terms of commercial and critical success that 99% of their counterparts will never get close to, Coldplay could have played it either way: a decidedly pop-sounding effort, completely geared toward total radio domination, or a weird artsy release, in a bid to reclaim their future-Radiohead title of yore. Of course, either would not have been truthful to the ethos that has guided this band since their beginnings, which has seen them compose some of the most memorable pop songs (Yellow, The Scientist) of the past decade, while staying away from the saccharine excesses displayed in most radio hits. Coldplay have always been about honesty, but also about keeping it (somewhat) real.
Ever since word got out that their new album would be released this summer, anticipation has been sky-high, contrasting with the relatively low-key profile the band had managed to keep these past few years. At least as low-key as you can get when your singer is married to a Hollywood star. When details about the album started leaking out, most notably that U2 producer and ambient master Brian Eno would be producing their opus, even some of the more jaded members of the MP3 blogosphere took notice. Already the album is the most pre-ordered album in the history of the iTunes music store. And sales are sure to be astronomical when compared to the sad state of music sales in 2008 (down 10% this year according to an industry institute. Those damn kids and their Myspace!).

So what gives? Is the album a tepid retread of past success, kind of like many songs on previous effort X&Y were pretty much copy/paste versions of previous hit? Or is this the sound of a band going for fresh ideas, embarking on a groundbreaking journey where only few survive? The answer, as is hinted above, is a bit of both. While Eno's influence is unmistakable and very appreciable on some of the album's forays into sprawling epic (Death And All His Friends, with its quasi-electronic piano loops and ambient-y ending; Viva La Vida and its urgent pace that refuses to go up-down-up-down like all well-behaved pop songs should), there are a few duds that betray the band's still evolving musical bagage, where one gets the idea the guys still have some automatisms from their past they've got trouble shaking off (Violet Hill, Cemetaries Of London). Though not bad, these songs commit the ultimate sin of being kind of boring and not memorable. Yet there is enough material here for repeat listens of some of the highlights (DAAIF, Life In Technicolor, Viva La Vida) which are able to sound as though they would be as well-suited for an arena concert or a road trip to the coast on a warm September day.
With so much new music now available at one's fingertips, it is hard to pay attention to any album that sounds less than stellar over the first few listens. But music is not just an intellectual pursuit, it is also very much a common human experience, one that is shared with friends, family, coworkers and strangers. Coldplay seems to understand this, striving to compose songs that are sound different yet are immediately relateable. Time will tell whether their output will manage to stand the test of the years, but they at least deserve credit for not selling themselves or their audience short.

Official Myspace

northern lights

10 reasons why Shout Out Louds are possibly the coolest band in the world:

1. they're Swedish
2. consistently play at London's hippest venues. Last year it was the Institute of Contemporary Art, and this past week they were at Bush Hall (where the overall vibe is prom night at Nijni Novgorod dance hall)
3. had several songs featured on the indie-tastic soundtrack of The OC
4. take on the synth-driven pop sound made famous by the Cure and manage to make it sound as fresh and modern as ever
5. sole-female bandmember Bebban Stenborg plays all sorts of instruments, from the accordion to the glockenspiel
6. 5 bandmates, 5 different hairdos
7. have a track on their new record called Meat Is Murder (even if it isn't a cover of the Smiths song)
8. always seem happy to be up on-stage, even after doing so much of it.
9. sell band logo-emblazoned tote bags for their eco-conscious fans to carry their groceries from Tesco
10. only make the audience wait for a couple of minutes before going back onstage for their encore

Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

so, Vampire Weekend. What to say that hasn't been said 36 789 times in the past few weeks on music blogs around the world? Actually, it's pretty simple: this is fantastic music. Beyond the "new Strokes" labels being banded about, at the heart of their debut album is a desire to give it their all, to meld their influences (afro-beat and indie rock with a varnish of Ivy League preppiness) in a way that is neither overbearing nor self-indulgent, and to basically make music that is fun to listen to, yet rewarding after continuous listens. A lot of what's on this record has been heard in various forms before (Paul Simon's Graceland, Talk Talk), but the freshness and sheer exhbuberance of the songs makes worrying about the orginality of this work a moot point. What's most satisfying is that the songs on here bounce around, yet never have that sticky-candy attribute that many pop songs seem to acquire so fast.

In a year where winter has never really happened, it seems fitting that January would see the release of a great summer album. There are songs to drive to Hyannisport to, to reminisce about your college days and to wish for the weekend to last forever. And if the summer never really comes around (see: last year), what better way to tide us over to the next one than this pretty little gem of a album?

who goes out on Friday nights anymore?

When you've got back pains, a mosh pit is probably not the smartest place to hang out. Matter of fact, if you've got a backache, you're possibly too old to even be loitering there. But shortness of breath and achy spine aside, yesterday's Queens of the Stone Age show at the Hammersmith Appolo was a great reminder of how brilliant this band is on stage. They might sound a tad less "heavy" since bassist Nick Oliveri was fired from the band, but they still RAWK, no doubt about it, especially with Joey "the Hulk" Castillo manning the drum kit.

With that said, having today off from work was a most welcome respite from the corporate grind. As far as I'm concerned rock n roll might not be dead, but it does need a day to recover.

hip hip

Well it was bound to happen eventually: I've started up the (meager) vinyl collection again. Now I need to figure out how to get my stuff that's in Paris. And possibly get a turntable too, so I can, you know, listen to the records and stuff.

2007 - the year in music

After a terrific start to the year with some fantastic releases from the likes of The Shins, Bloc Party and The Arcade Fire, some observers (ahem) were noting that 2007 could end up being a banner year, at least for rock. In the end it didn't quite reach that status, but overall most year-end top ten lists were still among the most quality-laden of recent years.
So without further ado, here are my top 20 albums for 2007:

20. Bloc Party - A Weekend In The City
19. Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger
18. Patrick Watson - Close To Paradise
17. The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
16. Band of Horses - Cease To Begin
15. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Boat Even Sank
14. Kevin Drew - Spirit If...
13. Holy Fuck - LP
12. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
11. Radiohead - In Rainbows

10. Justice - Cross

Initially I was gonna put Holy Fuck's debut album here, but after listening to Justice's again over the holiday, and recalling their sweatily fantastic gig at Koko, I had no choice but to include the guys from le Tryptique in my top 10. Thanks to them and Daft Punk's summer tour, electro is back in the mainstream, and everyone seems to be having fun.

9. Kanye West - Graduation

The biggest ego in hip-hop (if not the universe) decides to step beyond his patented production style, and comes out with one of the most refreshing albums in years, in a genre that sorely needs it.

8. Bright Eyes - Cassagada

Conor Oberst is a man of many talents, who never seems to stay too long in a single direction. For this one he played up to his strengths, though, coming up with a very solid collection of folk-rock and soul influenced tracks that confirm how close he is to his much-noted Springsteen heritage.

7. The National - Boxer

With the so-called rock revival in the past 5 years, much has been made of the influence of 80s bands like The Cure and Joy Division. And not many bands have managed to reuse the influence of JD like these guys, while still maintaining a modern and fresh-sounding outlook

6. Jeremy Larson - Jeremy Larson
Great songs and a fresh sound from this promising new talent

5. The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

Did they manage to top the brilliance of their debut Funeral? Tough to say, but sophomore slump this was definitely not

4. Explosions In The Sky - All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone
It's amazing how much the best post-rock bands manage to express, without uttering a single word

3. Ola Podrida - Ola Podrida

Let's be honest, there was no way I was going to be able to resist the debut album from the guy who scored David Gordon Green's All The Real Girls. Very delicate, but never boring, he deserves to be heard by a lot more people. Quick, somebody get one of his songs on an episode of Grey's Anatomy

2. Loney, Dear - Loney, Noir

2007 was the year when everything seemed to go right for Loney, Dear's Emil Svanangen, and he didn't even need to have his music in an ad for a television to do so

1. Eluvium - Copia

Ambient can be a tricky genre to make a mark in, as so much of it lies in slow progressions. But Eluvium's Matthew Cooper manages to stay within the confines of the style while coming up with fantastically beautiful and heartbreaking sonic landscapes. If Terrence Malick ever makes a sci-fi movie, we've got the ideal composer right here.

best songs:
The Arcade Fire - (Antichrist Television Blues)
Band Of Horses - Marry Song
Andrew Bird - Scythian Empires

Boys Noize - &Down
Bright Eyes - No One Would Riot For Less

Eluvium - Ostinato
Explosiong In The Sky - It's Natural To Be Afraid
Feist - 1234
fennesz+sakamoto - haru
Jeremy Larson - More Than You
Justice - Phantom pt. II
Kanye West - Flashing Lights
Kevin Drew - Tbtf
Kings Of Leon - Knocked Up
LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends
Lil' Wayne - Ride For My N***

Los Camposinos - You! Me! Dancing!
Loney, Dear - Saturday Waits
Lovedrug - Everything Starts Where It Ends
Modest Mouse - Missed The Boat
The National - Fake Empire
Ola Podrida - The New Science
Paramore - When It Rains
Phosphorescent - Cocaine Lights
Radiohead - Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Rogue Wave - Chicago X12
Sea Wolf - I Made A Resolution
The Shins - Sleeping Lessons
Stars - The Night Starts Here
Valerie Leulliot - Caldeira

Playing catch-up: Havergal-Electricita

Operating within the so-called trend of glitch, Havergal released one of the more interesting offerings of the genre in 2004 with their second album Elettricita. Fusing traditional indie pop songwriting with decidedly electro aesthetics, the album was part of a wave of slickly- produced pop that illustrated the undeniable influence of electro on this music style. Three years later, dozens of magazines and music blogs have picked LCD Soundsystem's Sound of Silver as their album of the year, and no one is discussing whether it's pop, electro, both, or something else.

Like a (much more) laid-back Tom Vek, one-man-band Ryan Murphy builds groovy tracks out of nothing, always letting the songs progress naturally, without trying to force them down the listener's ear. Witness Drowned Men, which starts off with overlapping guitars and subtle sound effects, then introduces a hypnotic piano riff and other varied synth layers . When the subdued beat casually drops more than 3 minutes in, you're already tapping your toes and nodding your head, willing for the beat to start, like an acoustic version to a fantastic Soulwax remix. But this album is actually much more quiet than the pulsating rythms on the first two tracks might have one believe, and exhibits a pronounced post-rock influence, with many languid tracks that feature Murphy's contemplative side (Lamafrequency, Slugs In The Sun).

One of the most particular aspects of the records is that the singing is often slowed down to a clipped drawl in tune with the beats. This could make the resulting songs sound robotic, but one-man-band Ryan Murphy has an intriguing up-and-down voice that highlights his emotions and thus, his humanity. Likewise the tracks are mostly filled with loops and feature electronic beats, but by using acoustic instruments the songs never feel programmed. Indeed many of them use the traditional intro-verse-chorus-verse structure like the most classic of pop songs. A lot of the melodies heard on these songs are simple, but the way the organic and the electronic are melded together creates an impressive work that stays with you long after the music has stopped playing.

Jeremy Larson - Jeremy Larson

no, this post title isn't some sort of facetious tribute to John Malkovich, it's actually the title of sound advice alumnus Jeremy Larson's debut album, released to little fanfare last month. The pride of Springfield, MO, he has taken the modern pop sound that had been introduced on a couple of EPs last year to an even more ambitious brand of pop with hints of electronics and classical music. In a genre that has seen its share of repetitiveness and lack of innovation over the years (Keane and Coldplay: I used to kinda like you guys, what happened??), this album feels like a harbinger of very good things to come. It's far from perfect, but it succeeds where so many fail by being fresh and assertive.

Most of the songs are piano-based, yet there is as much emphasis on the additional layers to give it a very modern sound. For sure, this is no electronic music, but there is a clear influence by the laptop-pop scene that has developed recently (DNTEL, The Album Leaf...). As a result many of the tracks create a mood that can feel cold and aloof, but also yearning for warmth. Consequently a lot of the material is about alienating distance and loneliness (Make Believe), but, equally importantly, about not giving up (Swim).
Yes, the music on this record is pretty, but thankfully on songs life More Than You or The Sound Of Snow Larson exhibits a modicum of desperation that is so often lacking in the genre. When you notice how innocuous the subject of love has become in mainstream pop songs, that is refreshing to hear.

Naturally not all is perfect on here, there are still a couple of skippers that, though not bad, aren't particularly memorable either (A Neutral Conclusion, Martyr). But consistency can always come later, what we have here right now is an artist unafraid to take chances to try to come up with an original take on a tired cliche, and that is most definitely a good thing.

listen to songs from the album here