don't delay! act now! this limited-time offer is only available for limited time!

i am in a mad dash out the door, and don't really have the time to remind you how good efterklang's parades was, or to tell you that, to celebrate their 5th year of being a live band, efterklang is giving away a sweet fucking live mp3 of their new song, "mirror mirror" on their website.

soo, yeah, that's what's up.

if you live in europe, you have no excuse to not see efterklang when they play in your respective city in the next month or so.

if you live in america, all i know is that they're playing new york in may, and i will fucking be there.

don't you just want to be friends with these guys?

awesome song(s) day!, courtesy of stars and sons!

awesome song day! is a spontaneous feature, when i am moved by a song's singular awesomeosity and feel the urge to share its awesomeness with all of you. the song below is awesome.

stars and sons - "if it's good for me" & "comfy now"

download the goat show ep right here, sans payment.

earlier this week, i got an email from michael lord, asking me to give his band stars and sons (uk) a listen, and if i would like a cd. so, i clicked my way over to their myspace to give them a test listen, when i saw that they were being so generous as to give away their debut, the goat show ep, for free, and asking just a pound or two through a paypal button. now, nothing piques my interest like free music, and i downloaded it right then and there.

though stars and sons is a new band, they already seemed to have their own impenetrable mystique (maybe), surrounding mike lord, who is supposedly "dead(ish)." there are pictures of the band on their myspace photo page, but they are all wearing black-and-white xeroxed masks, and they are always alone in the picture. curiouser and curiouser. maybe mike lord isn't actually dead (duh), but actually every member of the band? (although this picture is definitely of a woman.) okay, that isn't a huge stretch, but it's a pretty elaborate deception for a myspace page, and it's very intriguing. it's also quite convenient (if you're digging the mystique deal) that the band is named after a broken social scene song, which makes it not very easy to do any research on them (there are six google entries for "stars and sons" before the band). the most suspicious? the webwaves have been silent since i emailed mike back for more information. who doesn't work a little for free publicity? c'mon - he's totally dead!

all sleuthing and jokery aside, i've really been digging the goat show ep, and not because of the intrigue. stars and sons play baroque, schizoid pop in the vein of nation-mates guillemots, rife with addictive piano, arching and understated vocals, and occasional squealing guitar solos. "if it's good for me" instantly caught my ear, self-mocking and cheesy (my sister thinks it sounds like an 80s montage), and hooked my on the rest of the record. the goat show ep is so unbelievably camp, more so than anything patrick wolf or owen pallett or fyfe dangerfield could dream up, that it has just totally won it's way into my headphones...and my heart. "comfy now" is probably the other best song on the goat show ep, also driven by a manilow-on-crack piano and has one of those super guitar solos, and is lush and abrupt and really, really good. so good, in fact, that it is both free AND worth spending money on, so go download that shit, and give stars and sons some money love via their myspace.

update: ok, i have to retract my statement that stars and sons are camp-er than patrick wolf. i forgot he wore satsumas on the belt of his hot pants at connect.

let's play pretend i posted this on valentine's day

would you trust this man with your love life? apparently, some people do. like the onion a.v. club. they invited sean daley, better known as slug, atmosphere's vocal half, to answer questions about a topic he is an undisputed authority on: love & women. the 14 question piece (in honor of the dubious holiday on february 14) is sassy, a little bit rude, mostly funny, and definitely a good read. read it here. don't forget that atmosphere's new album, when life gives you lemons, you paint that shit gold is due out on rhymesayers in april, and atmosphere recently released the absolutely free strictly leakage album through that same label.

slug: "drama is a helluva drug."

"get it to get her" & "domestic dog"

download strictly leakage from

aesop rock @ southpaw, 1/22/08 (myspace secret show)

well, i couldn't feel my fingers or toes by the time we got in, but we got in. boo-fucking-yah. i won't bore you with stories about the line or the security (is it always like that in park slope? i had to prove my camera was a camera!), and cut straight to the chase: great fucking show. i'd never seen aesop rock before, and have always wanted too, especially since the moste excellent none shall pass was released last year. def jux's biggest star pulled out all the stops for the über-intimate myspace secret show at southpaw, giving love to the crowd and spitting verses til he was out of breath, bringing mad guests on...a really great show that was even sweeter because it was free.

naturally, def jux was in the house, and aes corralled labelmates hangar 18 as openers, who proclaimed themselves "rap's best interracial group" by way of an introduction. funny thing is, they might be right (also, it's not exactly a packed category). a party rap crew like the beastie boys (but with more flavor), hangar 18 is dirty, funny, and a hell of a good time. at one point during the set, mcs wind and alaska took a quiet moment to tell the crowd about some serious shit going down, and how we live in hard times, when there are two major issues we all need to take seriously - trapped in the closet and drinking. book these guys for your frat house right now. with their slick, joking rhymes, they seemed the odd man out in the def jux stable - a critically minded label known best for the acerbic rhymes of aesop rock, labelhead el-p, or whiz kid cage (when was the last time you heard some serious discourse about bitches and barhopping?) - but they were fun and definitely got the crowd going. also, they sampled "jump on it," which was pretty funny.

"baking soda"
buy sweep the leg from definitive jux.

"take no chances"

there was virtually no between-set downtime, which was awesome - aesop rock, rob sonic, and dj big wiz hit the stage maybe ten minutes after the departure of hangar 18 to deafening cheers, opening with none shall pass's first track, "keep off the lawn." though his eyes were half closed, aes was fucking spot on, nailing verses and really bringing his songs alive, adding callbacks and chants that kept the crowd involved. rob sonic, aes rock's compatriot and producer of "dark heart news," was his cheerleader, adding another voice to his raps and finishing his verses, and the two working in perfect tandem. in a myspace blog post written right after the show, aesop rock said "rob sonic and wiz, of course, were on point. we're like 3 massive peas in an even larger pod at this point. a hip hop pod."

unsurprisingly, aes performed most of the tracks from none shall pass, including killer versions of "39 thieves," "dark heart news," and "bring back pluto." the biggest applause, however, was reserved for his older work - a reworked version of "no regrets," from labor days, which cut its normal running length of 5+ minutes to under 3, and encore "daylight" were probably his biggest hits of the night. not one to hog the mic, aes gave rob sonic two turns in the spotlight, who busted two joints from last year's sabotage gigante. dj big wiz also had a solo turn, building a beat from scratch as aes and rob took a breather. throughout the night, the two mcs teased us, telling us about the special guests waiting backstage, but i don't think anyone guessed how many there were. el-producto came out with a brand new mustache to do a track from i'll sleep when you're dead, battling through the flu to deliver the goods, which was fucking awesome, but the best hadn't come yet. asking "does anyone here like freestyles?," aes dropped a few verses before slug (from atmosphere) walked out. then el-p returned, followed by yak ballz and despot ("world's tallest rapper"), who is one of def jux's most recent signees. they all busted dope rhymes and despot climbed on rob sonic's shoulders, and it was clear they were having as much fun as we were. aesop rock finished with "coffee," which the crowd had been hollering for all night, a fitting end to a great (free) night of music. thanks myspace!

"dark heart news (feat. and prod. by rob sonic)"
buy none shall pass from definitive jux.

"no regrets (remix)"

halcyon

"The story goes that in the old days, during the winter solstice, all the oceans in the world would lay calm and the bad weather would subside. It was then that the kingfisher bird would fly out into the open sea to build its nest and lay its eggs, believing they would hatch in time before the waves began to rise again. This time came to be known as the halcyon days.

The Halcyon EP was recorded in my bedroom during the month of November, 2007. Winter always seems to be a more creative time for me, and the sudden cold and slower pace that was settling in over Nashville provided a welcome excuse to stay inside and work. A few friends came by as well, each with their own special sounds from cellos to horns to live drums, adding new colors to the mix.

This EP, for me, is a way to reflect on yet another year quietly slipping by, enjoying the present stillness of a tennessee winter, and looking forward to what is coming up over those yon there hills. I hope you are to able find something in it too. thanks for listening...


- daniel james (sunday december 9th, 2007)

- myspace.com/canonblue"

"halcyon" & "avatar furr"

download halcyon from rumraket.

the brunettes @ the delancey, 10/17/07 (cmj)

i was happy to catch the brunettes at the delancey earlier, since i've been grooving to structure & cosmetics, the new zealand band's third LP, pretty much since it was released. their brand of post-modern pop is particularly appealing, the sugar-coated melodies a delicious antidote to an overabundance of lo-fi rock. drawing much of their inspiration from brill building stars and spector assembly-line groups, the brunettes are sweet and overpoweringly schizophrenic. "her hairagami set," one of the songs in the brunettes' five song set (and an outstanding cut on structure & cosmetics), is probably the most obvious example of this; here, the brunettes abruptly switch from a bouncy piano and angular beat to shimmering vocals and effervescent white noise. "her hairagami set" is perhaps one of the most telling points of departure between jonathan bree and heather mansfield, the brunettes' founders and songwriters, though not the only one. the two often combine their disparate songwriting styles into the same tune, creating the schizophrenic effect that characterizes their music.

without a doubt, "brunettes against bubblegum youth" is the best song on structure & cosmetics, breezy prog-pop that builds from its wind and brass foundation, adding a guitar and chorus part so infectious that it practically dares you not to dance. for their u.s. tour, bree and mansfield have recruited four additional bandmates, all of whom multitasked, like when the bassist did double duty on triangle or the drummer broke out the occasional saxophone riff. one of the brunettes' strongest points is their instrumental diversity; between the six people on stage, there must have been at least eighteen instruments, from the mundane (guitar) to the unique (maracas). one thing that sets the brunettes apart is their inimitable supply of noisemakers, props that many bands would leave in the studio. but the brunettes are clearly devoted to replicating their sound as honestly as possible in a live environment.

you can catch the brunettes at soundfix tomorrow or opening for band of horses @ bowery ballroom as part of a sub pop showcase.

i should also mention that i'm 99% sure daytrotter was at the show, since i saw a guy sketching in the distinctive daytrotter style, and the set was being recorded. so look for that whenever it goes up.

the brunettes - buy structure & cosmetics from sub pop.

"brunettes against bubblegum youth"

st. vincent @ other music, 10/16/07 (cmj)

i wasn't really in love with what i heard of marry me, st. vincent's debut album, released over the summer, but i decided to stick to my strict "free music" regimen and catch her instore at other music. good thing i went straight there from soundfix; by 8 pm, the line was around the block, and some people even got turned away at the door. annie clark, whose "superhero name is st. vincent," took the block (stage would be too generous of a word) for an acoustic performance that clark likened to a campfire ring. explaining that she usually performs with "a ton of pedals," as she did for the national show recently, clark decided to go acoustic for this instore and create an intimate, homey vibe. and she did. her songs were each intensely different, borrowing from genres as diverse as southwestern folk and jazz, concluding her set with a husky ballad, a tribute to john coltrane, instantly evoking images of smoke-filled bars of the 50s.

the best word to describe st. vincent is quirky, in both her music and persona. she chatted up the crowd, telling stories about her sister's recent wedding and making lighthearted banter between songs, all of it tinged with a distinctly odd vibe. not in a bad way, but in a sincere and honest way; you know clark is being herself. no stranger to the stage, clark repeatedly called the performance "superfun," and appeared to have a great time. her music is still not something i find particularly appealing, but the show was pleasant (and free), and who needs more than that?

st. vincent - buy marry me from beggars.

"paris is burning"

le loup @ soundifx, 10/16/07 (cmj)

though the d.c. scene is often a little too hardcore for my taste, it does have an overarching and commendable DIY ethic that virtually every band that emerges from d.c. shares. le loup, one of the district's newest exports, certainly has that in spades. the seven person army (any band with more than six members if henceforth an army) wielded three guitars, a french horn/keyboardist, and a banjo/singer/programmer, in addition to bass and drums. le loup's origins are as true to the d.c. DIY ethic as anything; frontman sam simkoff recorded a collection of songs solo, then posted on craigslist, looking for bandmates. the full band coming together less than a year ago, yet the cohesion they displayed was remarkable. with the kind of sweetness shared by fellow armies los campesinos and you say party! we say die!, le loup played songs from their impressively titled debut album, throne of the third heaven of the nations' millenium general assembly. le loup was energetic and infectious, four out of their five songs rambunctious and exhilarating, causing near-universal toe-tapping (a serious dance move in a sit-down venue). too ramshackle and fast-paced to worry about anything as pedestrian as harmonies, all seven members sing (loudly) and in boisterous unison, bellowing into their mics with joyous abandon.

highly hyped, le loup has been tipped for five additional cmj shows this week, including a brooklynvegan party tomorrow afternoon at 1.30 pm (at pianos), two separate sets at galapagos, and a highly exposed spot as openers for band of horses at bowery ballroom. you would do well to catch them there, or on their upcoming tour with georgie james. this is a band that beats expectations.

le loup - buy throne of the third heaven etc. from hardly art.
"outside of this car, the end of the world!"

"i had a dream i died"

land of talk @ soundfix, 7/15/07

land of talk two times in two days! a dream come true. after hearing my fave new distortion rockers at citysol on saturday, i found out about their instore appearance at soundfix, so i hustled on over there to see them again (why not, eh?). though the sound was not so good this time around, one can't really complain - after all, the bar/soundfix lounge probably wasn't built for bands with the kind of big sound that LoT has. however, land of talk amazed and pleased me again, and i'm now doubly anxious for their full-length, which has no announced details yet (with all their touring, i doubt they've even hit the studio yet). the set was shorter than at citysol, with fewer "hits" (i.e. songs off applause cheer boo hiss, which fucking rocks) and more new songs. i was a little sad not to get another kick-ass rendition of "all my friends," but we got what i believe is a rare performance of "street wheels," in addition to "yuppie flu" and "young bridge," like the day previous. a special treat was the set closer, "death by fire," the b-side to their recently released 7", and guaranteed to be on their next album. unfortunately, my camera died just as "death by fire" started, so there are no movies of that to share, but i've uploaded a version from the lullabyes show for your listening pleasure. i did get some movies, which i'm in the process of uploading to my youtube account, and i've put "breaxxbaxx" below for your viewing pleasure. as always, your pleasure is our foremost concern, here at mammoth HQ.

i got a chance to talk (read: ask for autographs) from the band after the show, and i learned that the present drummer, eric, only joined LoT some three months ago, but that he's here to stay. for my part, i thought eric was an excellent drummer, and really led the band in being a little more relaxed and organic at the soundfix show, laughing and changing beats mid-song, mindful of the heat and the just-there-for-a-good-time crowd. both land of talk performances have been great, and i won't get tired of their music anytime soon.

land of talk - "death by fire." it's a live version, so there's some (understandable) dead air at the end of the track, but don't let that deter you.

land of talk - "breaxxbaxx." buy applause cheer boo hiss here.

citysol @ stuyvesant cove park, 7/14/07

first off, citysol itself was a really great time. it was a beautiful day (as o'death's greg jamie commented about three or four times) and solarone (the sponsoring organization) had set up some cool things. there was this really neat semi-enclosed food/beer space which seemed to be made solely of prefabricated wood pieces and zipties, an art exhibit (maybe?) with lots of white shirts flapping in the wind, lots of earth friendly retailers, including a lady who only made bicycle art that i wanted to buy but was too expensive, and an action booth where you could sign petitions and write letters to your assemblyperson about congestion pricing.

by the way, if you're reading this and it isn't july 16 yet, and you live in new york, please please please call your local representative and urge them to vote for congestion pricing. it is a super critical issue, especially for those of us who bike, and will bring a lot of needed tax dollars to new york, as well as cut out a lot of the smog. if you have an email address that ends with an .edu, you can sign up to read the new york times for free online, and read this article by ken livingstone, mayor of london, who imposed congestion pricing on an unwilling public some years ago, and now the measure is supported by over 2/3 of all londoners. here is a link to a photo of the flyer transportation alternatives is handing out, with all the benefits of congestion pricing, and the phone number of sheldon silver, speaker of the new york state assembly, is (212) 312-1420. i sincerely urge everyone to call him to urge him to vote for congestion pricing. thanks.

back to citysol. just a quick disclaimer - if you're looking for a les savy fav review, i can't help you. i arrived just as OCDJ was ending, so i can't tell you much about his set, except that he wore some strange muppet-esque mask over his face. but o'death - o'death was fucking awesome. i'd been waiting to see them again after the art brut show they opened, and they've only gotten better since then. frontman greg jamie told us they had just returned from europe (where one assumes they did fairly well), and they had a brand new bunch of stompers for us. now, i'll be honest - i haven't bought head home yet, but it's not because o'death doesn't kick ass - i think the production is really lousy, so i'll stick with seeing them live until their next album. as a result, i don't know most of the song titles, beyond what i've been able to glean from the hype machine. but names are neither here nor there, especially because you can hardly understand a word from greg jamie's lips. the songs are straight-up country stomp/appalachian death blues, and all of o'death looks the part, from drummer davd rb's wild eyed devil glare (especially with chain wrapped around his neck) to bassist newman's proudly displayed beer belly and armpit tattoo ("rats get fat while brave men die"). everyone has some bit of facial hair, and every one looks as if they could be carted into town to be hanged for some egregious offense when the sheriff comes to town. i was in west virginia once, when i was younger, and i was actually rather disappointed that all of its inhabitants didn't look one lick like o'death. maybe i was in the wrong (or right) part of town.
o'death's sound, so tame on the album, is blistering live. all five band members turn red in the face as they all yell into whatever microphone is nearby and kick their heels up in the middle of songs. a cup of whiskey was being passed around, which no doubt aided their performance. their entire set was outstanding. what was ostensibly their set closer, "nathaniel," started off as a slow dirge, jamie's vocals fleshed out by four riotous others bellowing sounds that weren't quite words, yet the song quickly sped up into a rampaging anthem that would not have sounded out of place in 1933 campfires, sung by men preparing to shoot it out with g-men. each and every o'death song is like having a bottle broken on your face, or feeling the white-hotness of a bullet in your side, or some human sacrificial ceremony, a raw, unblinking look at the grim actualities of life, where the first person to blinks loses. o'death is raw, desperate - they call their own sound "blackgrass" - the sound of men who have nothing to lose, singing about the things they've lost.

each time i've seen o'death, i've been struck by the simple, yet potent, d.i.y. punk aesthetic they proudly wear. greg jamie's guitar is 100% acoustic (you can see the mic cord running into it in the photo), fiddler bob pycior's bow was in tatters before the set ended, and drummer dave's kit consisted of a bass drum, two floor toms, a plastic bucket, and a ragged, jagged cymbal with pieces carved out of it. on more than one song, he used a chain to coax the right sounds out of his drums. greg jamie did not wear shoes at all during the set.

o'death's sound is one of carefully calculated anxiety - playing in minor keys; quick, nervous fiddle parts; arbitrary wails, as from a dying man, inserted in the middle of songs - the speed of their songs alone would create a deep feeling of unease in anyone, except that they are all so joyful in their performing. on songs like "adelita," they all stood up for a mid-song stompfest onstage, to bellow with equal parts of joy an sorrow for what has been and what could have been. the real set closer was an acapella rendition of a folk hymn, the name of which i (stupidly) neglected to write down. i know, shame on me. anyway, during said folk hymn, the four in the front - jamie, newman, pycior, and banjo/ukelele-ist gabe darling - dropped their instruments to caterwaul around the stage and belt out the lyrics at the top of their voices. however loud they were, it would not surprise me to learn that the only member of the band to lose his voice yesterday was davd rb, the drummer, who let out more than intermittent woops, as was most noticeable in "down to rest." o'death played one of the new songs from their daytrotter session (still untitled, as far as i know), and you can download all four songs here, and i would definitely recommend that you do.

in short, an o'death performance is not to be missed, no matter what. fortunately, they have some shows coming up, including an in-store at soundfix a week from today (the 22nd) and they're playing spiegeltent for the second year in a row on august 29. you can buy head home from ernest jennings here. there's also a video of "only daughter" below, and all of my videos from yesterday here.

the besnard lakes sucked. i don't like their music at all. what kind of band actually NEEDS three guitarists? also, it was like 4 times too loud. let's move on.

land of talk. good god, i've been waiting to see land of talk pretty much since brooklynvegan called applause cheer boo hiss, their 2006 ep, one of his favorites of the year. i just found out that they are playing soundfix later today (3pm), so i'm gonna put the pedal to the metal, so to speak, and kick the ass out of this post so i can make it down there.

land of talk fucking rocks. until i saw a video for "sea foam" they recorded for aol last week, i had no idea they were only three people - they sound much louder than that. they lived up to everything i had hoped for yesterday, and with only a seven song ep to their name, they played all my favorites (check the video for "all my friends" below and five (jeez) others at my youtube page). writing about land of talk reminds me that i may have spoken too soon in my built to spill post about the death of distortion, because land of talk has it in spades.

frontwoman/guitarist elizabeth powell masterminds every song, skillfully alternating between burrowing heavy chords and sharp individual notes, all while singing huskily into the mic. what sets land of talk apart from all the other canadian bands (seriously, they're like a plague!) is how fucking hard they rock (that, and they don't have 12-15 members). powell's voice is dynamic, able to sound entreating, commanding, naive, and ancient all at once. but in addition to powell's obvious singing/lyricist skills, she is quite the songwriter. no land of talk song is complete without jarring, frantic chords played against quick bursts of needled melodies, or off-tempo crashes followed by darting notes.
in addition to basically every song from applause cheer boo hiss, land of talk favored us with some new songs, which you can download at lullabyes. the new "some are lakes" was, as powell disclosed, was virtually written by her father, with the lyrics taken from a letter he had written to her mother. "yuppie flu" was another strong new one, as was "young bridges," a song about misheard lyrics. and speaking of misheard lyrics, i was able to clearly hear some in "speak to me bones" that had been mixing me up - a slight mistake, to confuse "stop spitting on girls you love" with "stop hitting on girls you love," especially because they're sung back-to-back, but i was pleased to hear the difference at last.

land of talk are studious performers, as is evinced from powell's fastidious tuning between each song, and it paid off. their energy was high and their personal enjoyment was obvious. powell seemed to go into a trance when she played, her eyes focused on some point in the distance, and when land of talk gathered in front of the drum kit during instrumental sections, she rarely turned towards the audience, but i don't think it's stage fright. it seems more like that miss powell gets into the zone when she plays, and nothing is going to take her away from that special place she goes to. land of talk's set was rock-solid, and i'm thrilled as fuck that i have another chance to see them today. i encourage you all to go out and see them (again) at soundfix at 3, and pick up a copy of applause cheer boo hiss while you're there. i bought my copy last night.

land of talk's sound is a descendant of dinosaur jr. or sleater-kinney, but powell adds a new level of dynamism that neither of those bands (love them as i do) have. land of talk are simply master songwriters who know their sound dynamics, the power of abrupt changes in sound levels, though they certainly know a thing or three about the importance of tempo and key versatility - in short, all the elements of songwriting that keeps music alive and fresh even after listening to it for month after month. having learned much from punk and grunge, land of talk has improved on it. their future will be bright, and, hopefully, i will be standing in the front of the crowd to see as much of it as possible.

buy applause cheer boo hiss, released by the rebel group, here.

o'death - "only daughter"


land of talk - "all my friends"

menomena - south street seaport - 7/13/07

were i a superstitious mammoth, i might not have gone to this show tonight. but, thankfully, i do not suffer from paraskavedekatriaphobia (stump your friends! amaze your enemies! define that word!). the show tonight, simply put, was AWESOME. rarely have i been to any show, free or not, that has matched their acts with such foresight and aural appreciation. i have gone, in the span of a few mere hours, from not knowing beat the devil in the slightest to cursing myself for not being in the country for their july 26 show at the cake shop - that's how good they were.

this week's show was infinitely better than last week's, on basically every level. i made sure to arrive early, as i was super psyched to see menomena live for the first time, and i was sure it would be crowded (it was. menomena themselves declared it was the largest crowd they had ever played to). though there was some jostling and repositioning from behind annoyingly tall people, by and large, it was a comfortable show, physically. when i was younger, i had the conceit that, no matter what gig i went to, i would know someone there. well, i gave that idea up ages ago, though it still sticks in my mind every time i go to a big/free show (i.e., last week's bts, any river to river gig), and, wonder of wonders, i ended up knowing a girl standing directly behind me. will wonders never cease. anyway, enough chit chat. on to beat the devil.

from the moment singer shilpa ray took the stage with a large snow shovel in her hand, i figured we were in for something good. my excitement only mounted as bassist mishka shubaly marched through the crowd with what is presumably beat the devil's mascot - a marching bass drum with beelzebub's unholy gob painted on it, beating the thing with maracas, no less. despite the song's lack of a melody, or anything besides ray's voice, her snow shovel, and mitchell key's drums, it spoke volumes about the potential for beat the devil's set - potential they lived up to and surpassed.

beat the devil's sound reminded me most of the dresden dolls (albeit with a serious blues bent), and was driven by ray, who did double duty as vocalist and harmonium player. unfamiliar with a harmonium as i was (i only learned its name from the press on beat the devil's site), i can only say that it looks like an accordion, cut in half, and lain down on a table (is lain the correct past participle of lay?). she pumped away on the harmonium throughout the show, creating a sound that seems repetitive at first - a regular drone, very similar to the sound of an accordion - that would give beat the devil an almost folky sound, were it not for the regularly scheduled breakdowns that make their live show a hit. ray's voice alternates between raw vocal chords-inducing screaming and dark bluesy suggestiveness with total unpredictability, especially for one unfamiliar with the beat the devil sound. though key and shubaly are important to the band, it is obviously ray who drives it, whether endlessly pumping the harmonium, screaming herself hoarse, or dancing around on stage. the best song came in the middle of the set, blissfully heavy, that had two kids in the audience raising the traditional metal salute in honor and rocking out. ray thrashed about, her hair a virtual halo from the movement, all while keeping her left hand pumping the harmonium's bellows and her right pressing the keys, a study in musical multitasking.

beat the devil was a perfect precursor to menomena, as both bands take great joy in their vitality and the importance of musical surprises. though beat the devil operated with far fewer instruments than menomena, they kept their sound fresh throughout the set by taking each song in a different direction. i wish i could see them again on the 26th - it will definitely be worth it. i'm going to stay tuned to beat the devil, because whatever they do next will be worth paying attention to.

ah, menomena. how i was looking forward to your set, and how was i rewarded. i'm going to list my grievances now, and get them out of the way. 1. why was there no "airaid"? what the fuck, menomena. that's like the 2nd or 3rd best song off friend and foe - how could you have overlooked it? 2. where the fuck was the encore? it wasn't river to river's fault - fujiya & miyagi went until 10 last week, and your set ended at 9.30. are you like tool, do you not play encores? cuz that's fucked up. everyone wanted to hear more songs - i would've liked "airaid" (obviously) or "running." i disapprove, especially because you mentioned how much you liked this crowd several times, and new york. new york would've liked you more, had you encored.

that being said, new york liked you pretty fucking plenty - you played a great set, menomena. i can't remember what you opened with, but your second song was "the pelican," the first song i liked off friend and foe, the song that made me think that my initial disapproval was selling you short. and, man, did you guys nail it! i had no idea all three of you were vocalists, and when danny seim started singing, while pounding on his drum kit, i was totally shocked. but it made perfect sense - i had always assumed the full, strong vocals on the record were a result of great production, when it should have been obvious that other people were singing along with you, justin harris. brent knopf's guitar was just as jarring and angular as i had hoped, and the vocals were much richer in a live setting.

menomena, you played songs from i am the fun blame monster as well as friend and foe, bringing a new depth to all of them. i was more familiar with your friend and foe material, but "strongest man in the world," with its a.d.d. instrumental beginning, captured (in a nutshell) the essence of menomena, a restlessness that clearly comes through with the spastic drums, the abrupt fade-ins and -outs, the lazy arrogance of the guitar lines, the determined and resolute piano. no two menomena songs sound the same, because you can barely hear the connections within one song - it's almost as each section of the song is cut and pasted from an arbitrary elsewhere. i know a lot of fuss has been made about your "deeler," the digital looping recorder that you yourselves invented, but i couldn't really tell which parts were looped and which weren't, except, of course, when none of you were playing. your instrumental versatility - justin, how you switched seamlessly between bass, guitar, and baritone sax, and brent, how you would play keyboards with your guitar swung around your back. your set, though not as long as some would have preferred, was jam-packed with everything that makes you my favorite band of the moment, and that has kept friend and foe on constant rotation since march. "rotten hell" was superb, "my my" was great. "the monkey's back," the set closer, was amazing. but what made me happiest was "evil bee," my standout favorite off friend and foe. how touchingly did brent sing "oh, to be a machine / oh, to be wanted, to be useful" - i taped it, and you can see the video below, along with another for "strongest man in the world." you can see all of my videos from the show here, including two from beat the devil and two others from menomena.

in short, menomena was outstanding live. danny seim especially impressed me the whole set through with his energy and enthusiasm on the drums, but the whole band was fantastic. i can't wait to see them again, and maybe with an encore this time?

buy friend and foe here.

menomena - "evil bee"



menomena - "strongest man in the world"

fujiya & miyagi, south street seaport, 7/6/07

as even the most casual reader of this site (or resident of new york city) will know, the number one thing that makes new york habitable over the summer (list of grievances begins with the stifling humidity and tourists with a fourth grade reading level) is its inestimably awesome collection of free live music. the list of artists runs the gamut from battles and dan deacon (and similarly new/unheard names) to old standards like joan armatrading. but, as awesome as all this free live music is (and it's pretty awesome), it's not my favorite thing about new york in the summertime. my favorite thing is being able to bike to and from these shows, as i did tonight for the fujiya & miyagi/black moth super rainbow show at south street seaport. biking, even on the specially designated bike path on the hudson river, has become the most dangerous activity in new york, having claimed the lives of at least 18 people last year, so now i always wear a helmet and miss the feeling of wind in my hair, but i still love it. the knowledge that i get to ride home at the end of the night, no matter whether the show was good or bad, is always a great feeling, and keeps me in a good mood, even when a bunch of prepubescent chain smokers burn me with their cigarettes and hoist each other onto their shoulders during the concert (not that i'm bitter or anything). anyway, enough of my drivel. here's the dirt on fujiya & miyagi and black moth super rainbow.

black moth super rainbow. i was automatically prejudiced against this band because of their absurdly unnecessarily stupid name, and the fact that pitchfork likes them. and, to be honest, i think my preordained shoulder chip was justified. here's a photo of the band:


i kid you not. i got off my bike, waded through the crowd, and realized that it seemed the band was missing. either that, or that bass player had some strange shit coming through his amp. well, shiver me timbers, but the whole band was sitting on the stage. what were they doing? i have no idea. why couldn't they get tables? who knows. i'm okay with the fact that i missed the first half of their set, and, while the last song wasn't too bad, rivertoriver's claim that they sound like an early pink floyd is way off the mark. the sound was heavily layered, with occasional vocals coming through, though i couldn't see anyone singing (to be fair, i couldn't see three-quarters of the band). with standard crescendos and climaxes, glitchy electronic swells and sinks, and the occasional too-loud sounds (that were also the best part of their set), black moth super rainbow is definitely NOT worth spending money on, in any context. what kind of band can't stay vertical for their set? further proof of their sedentary laziness ->

dude couldn't even stand up for half an hour.

fujiya & miyagi, on the other hand, delivered everything that was expected of them. i'm not a huge lover of electronic music, but their songs (both the studio and live versions) have the thoughtfulness and precision that makes the genre (occasionally) listenable. i'd played transparent things through once or twice, in preparation for the show, and, as far as i could tell, their live set was virtually indistinguishable from the studio. just to clarify, that's not a bad thing. the measured rhythms and whispered onomatopoeias got the crowd to sway, but not to dance outright, which wouldn't have suited the music anyway. their stage presence was calm and professional, with only "thank yous" being spoken - i liked their reticence. i was also impressed with the abundance of "real" instruments in a electronic band - the only programmed sounds were that of the drum machine. and with the exception of the encore, the 6 minute instrumental "cassettesingle," where all three members rocked out and imbued the song with a rawness unheard on the album, the band's physical presence spoke to the simultaneous activity and stillness of their work, the duality of the songs that can make a crowd of new yorkers dance and make me want to go to sleep as i write this post. the gentle repetition of the vocals and melody soothes and calms, while the bass and drums keep up the beat and inspire booty-shaking (albeit subdued). my favorite part of the show were the multiple times that frontman david best (alias miyagi) sputtered, clicked, or made sounds that wouldn't be out of place at a rahzel show into the mic, best heard on tracks like "collarbone," posted below. now that i re-listen to transparent things, it is obvious that the studio and live tracks are not identical...for one thing, the live versions were significantly longer, though just as meticulously rehearsed, so that not one iota of the performance seemed improvised or unexpected. also, in the live version of "collarbone,"
fujiya & miyagi whisper-sung "the foot bone is connected to the anklebone" etc. in the middle of the song, which i was disappointed to find out is not on the album. all in all, i was soothed by fujiya & miyagi - i wouldn't have paid to see them, nor for the album, but as a free show, it was really good. the whole time i couldn't stop thinking about how much it reminded me of massive attack - another band that i can't really justify spending money on, but whom i enjoy nonetheless. i hope you like the photos.


black moth super rainbow - "forever heavy" if you need to, buy dandelion gum here.
fukiya & miyagi - "collarbone" purchase transparent things here.

man man @ mccarren pool, 7/1/07

after a week of sweltering heat and the more-than-occasional thunderstorm, i was REALLY happy to see the sun shining brightly on sunday, with only a few clouds in the sky, because i had a date with man man that afternoon. to sweeten the already-sweet deal (i.e., free show), illinois was opening for the cabaret-stomp sextet, and i was all hot and bothered to see them live, having been (mostly) impressed with their debut ep, what the hell do i know?


it seems that blog-world success doesn't really translate into the real-world variety, for, despite the eps' critical success, the crowd was thin and most people were playing dodgeball (awesome!) or slip-and-sliding (awesomer!). still, illinois rocked pretty steadily, opening their set with two new songs (one of which was "oh asia," which you can download at their daytrotter session) before slipping into the familiar "nosebleed." i was pleased to see that the banjo in the press photo is real, though not the coolest trick illinois had up their sleeve. for "nosebleed," chris archibald (lead singer/ songwriter) pulled out a phone headset that seemed to have been reconfigured into a mic, and wailed into that for the whole song. the fact that i've been too busy the past few days to post this means that i can't remember exactly which songs where played and which weren't, but i'm pretty sure that all three daytrotter songs were played in the 8- or 9-song set, and we can hopefully expect a long playing illinois album by 2009. i was very pleased with their set, and the crowd especially liked "headphones" and "bad day" (i took a video; you can watch it here), though they seemed a little daunted by the big stage, and i don't think they're ready to headline any tours quite yet. despite that, i maintain that illinois is going to be producing some solid straight rock for a while, so keep your ears open.

dengue fever, a world-fusion sextet for los angeles, was next up, and i, having never heard of them, had no expectations, and i was not unhappy with their set. the singer was cambodian, and sang in that language, and the music was very much like most other world artists - slightly jam-like, jazzy, and a bit repetitive after about half an hour. despite that, dengue fever will now always hold a special place in my heart, because of these guys ->

(there's nothing better than a pair of big beards.)

the white guy on the right spoke some cambodian (one would assume), as he sang backup vocals more than once, and dengue fever's stage presence was really strong. they were obviously very comfortable and visibly enjoyed their set, and while that doesn't mean the music was outstanding (it wasn't), there are several worse things i could've been doing than listening to some decent world jams.

there are not a lot of dengue fever mp3s floating around, but motel de moka has three; if you're located in brooklyn, they did an in-store at soundfix right after the set, and they'll definitely have albums for sale.

and now, man man. there's pretty much nothing i can add to what the comments section of brooklyn vegan's report on this show hasn't said (about 3/4s of all the posts are about either band of horses and darren mabee, the fat semi-nude guy who is at every man man show in new york), so i'm going to pretend like that page doesn't exist and tell you about how much i enjoyed their show. it was the second time i've seen them, after their january 5 show at bowery ballroom, and, while the crowd was not as gung-ho this time as it was then, there were probably more spectators and fewer fans.

clad in their trademark white head-to-toe and face makeup (except for honus honus's white daisy dukes), man man took the stage to epic applause and started right in with "black mission goggles" off last year's six demon bag. i was surprised to see six guys onstage, as they only had five in january, but their performance was seamless. the fluidity of their show always impresses me, because they pack so many things in; six drummers, a marimba, a saxophone, two keyboards, a bowl of spoons, a trumpet, guitar, bass, two air keyboards (you know, the ones you breathe into), some kazoos, and who the hell knows what else. yet they never seem to waver or be overwhelmed by the sheer absurdity of their own actions, which are pretty fucking absurd. honus honus was in fine voice, bellowing at the microphone like some diseased gypsy and thrashing his feet around, when he wasn't walking around on stage, twitching spastically. i'm not 100% familiar with the man man catalog, but i'm sure they played a bunch of new songs from the album they started recording in february (pitchfork has a "special feature" video on it). their set was practically crackling with energy as they stomped, clattered, and generally insanely rocked through much of the man in the blue turban with a face and six demon bag, playing "english bwudd," "10 lb. mustache," "young einstein on the beach," "zebra," and a moving, tender version of "van helsing boombox," along with several other songs. they encored with "hot bat," featuring the ever-popular synchronized jumping. their rigs, bedecked in hard-to-see christmas lights, shuddered with their fanatic energy, and assured their spot (in my mind) as one of the best live bands around today.

you need to ask yourself why, if you live in new york, you weren't there last sunday for illinois, dengue fever, and man man. one of the more promising bands in the indie canon, and one of its live heavyweights put on an excellent show. i took a couple man man movies, including one of their six-person drum-off, which i've posted below. you can see the other one here (honus honus dons some black fabric and a gold crown for this marimba-heavy jam). my excellent day didn't end here, fortunately; i saw the polyphonic spree later that night at warsaw, which i'll be posting on later today (nothing like the 4th of july to give you an excuse to catch up on blogging). and now, some mp3s, a photo, and a movie. enjoy.





illinois - "bad day" buy what the hell do i know? here.
man man - "van helsing boombox" "i, manface" buy all your man man stuff here.

free music / you never had it so good

here is a list of all the upcoming free (or nearly free) nyc concerts this summer that i would consider going to (the ones with * i would consider going to only because they're free), and links to the four organizations that sponsor them.

june 1: animal collective, south street seaport
june 2-3: bang on a can marathon, world financial center
june 13: booker t. & the mg's with guest sharon jones, rockefeller park
june 16: television w/ the apples in stereo, dragons of zynth, central park summerstage
june 20: poetic city with musical guest taylor mcferrin, rockefeller park*
june 22: ralph stanley & the clinch mountain boys, prospect park bandshell ($3)*
june 24: superchunk w/ oakley hall, dj todd-o phonic todd, mccarren pool*
june 24: sloan w/ apostle of hustle, duhks, central park summerstage*
june 26: the living room feat. martha wainwright, world financial center*
june 27: john pizzarelli and paula west, rockefeller park
june 30: ozomatli w/ babylon circus, dj joro boro, central park summerstage*
june 30: the stills w/ sam roberts band, malajube, prospect park bandshell ($3)
july 1: man man w/ illinois, dengue fever, mccarren pool
july 1: rodrigo y gabriela w/ vietnam, jdh and dave p, central park summerstage
july 4: the new pornographers w/ midlake, battery park (reserve tickets online june 20)*
july 5: shearwater, castle clinton*
july 6: fujiya & miyagi, south street seaport
july 7: cinematic orchestra w/ ramp, el michels affair, kevin michael, dj spinna, central park summerstage
july 8: dan deacon w/ erase errata, octopus project, mccarren pool
july 11: spoon, rockefeller park*
july 12: brooklyn philharmonic: 8 seasons, south street seaport
july 13: menomena w/ beat the devil, south street seaport pier 17
july 15: frank london's yiddish carnival, prospect park bandshell ($3)
july 17: marc ribot, world financial center*
july 19: drive by truckers, castle clinton*
july 20: neko case w/ eric bachman, central park summerstage*
july 20: bishop allen w/ rock plaza central, south street seaport pier 17
july 21: village voice siren festival feat. new york dolls, we are scientists, coney island
july 22: brazilian girls w/ cat empire, himalayas, central park summerstage*
july 26: sharon jones & the dap kings, castle clinton
august 3: krs-one w/ ladybug mecca, prospect park bandshell ($3)
august 5: blonde redhead w/ i'm from barcelona, mccarren pool
august 9: the hold steady w/ the big sleep, the teenage prayers, prospect park bandshell ($3)
august 10: au revoir simone w/ metronomy, south street seaport pier 17
august 12: ted leo and the pharmacists, the thermals, birds of avalon, mccarren pool
august 17: the national w/ the forms, takka takka, south street seaport pier 17*
august 19: ghostland observatory, mccarren pool*
august 24: camera obscura, south street seaport
august 31: battles, south street seaport pier 17

river to river nyc, central park summerstage, celebrate brooklyn!, the pool parties

bang on a can with a stick so it makes a sound

summer in new york: what says it better than a bajillion free concerts?

animal collective is kicking things (read: river to river) off at south street seaport on june 1, which is old news. but i am like hyped 4x for the following day's event, the bang on a can marathon. it will be my second summer in attendance, since it became free, thanks to river to river (read: corporate sponsors), and i am super duper pleased to say that the schedule has FINALLY been announced! last year, i saw amiina, gutbucket, glenn kotche, matmos, and a 100-person tuba army. it was on the front page of the times' art section, which i kept as a sweet memento. anyway, the full schedule is here, and the artists im most psyched about are below, with accompanying mp3s.

whereas last year the marathon only went for 12 or so hours, this year's is supposed to be 26, 26 jam-packed hours of free fucking music. i love new york.

6/2:

bagpipe orchestra 8:00 pm

the books 10:11 pm
"be good to them always" lost and safe

juana molina 2:05 am "rio seco" son

6/3:

dalek 12:08 pm "bricks crumble" abandoned language

yo la tengo 7:07 pm "beanbag chair" i am not afraid of you and i will beat your ass

obviously, there are tons of other bands that i've never heard of, and these are, basically, the most familiar names (to me). there is a bang on a can band, the bang on a can all-stars, who are performing several works, among them thurston moore's "stroking piece #1." there are also many post-classical orchestras (sure, post-classical is a music genre), notably TACTUS, consisting entirely of students at the manhattan school of music. there's an uzbek artist, several percussive ensembles, and a chorus, performing works by composers, both original and canonical. i won't be there for all 26 hours (i'm going to canada partway through), but i'm definitely staying until juana molina plays. i saw her last year at another river to river event, and was really taken aback by her work, which i'm sure has been improved on in the past year.


it doesn't get better than this.