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?
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
st. vincent @ other music, 10/16/07 (cmj)
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.
"outside of this car, the end of the world!"
"i had a dream i died"
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
the postal service on live week!
on may 6, 2003, the boys (and girl) of the postal service took a trip to the kcrw studio to record some songs and an interview with nic harcourt, dj of morning becomes eclectic. the bootleg of that performance has been traded and retraded, winding its way around the internet, and made its most recent appearance on the music slut on sunday, though that was only one track. well, lost treasure no more - here is the full performance, including harcourt's introduction and interview with the band, who performed with jenny lewis. the postal service has a follow up to give up in the works.
intro
the district sleeps alone tonight
we will become silhouettes
nothing better
interview
clark gable
this place is a prison
such great heights
brand new colony (radio mess up)
brand new colony
download the entire broadcast here.
mr. mammoth's free guide to a nearly free cmj - day one!
this day is rather low-key, what with it being the beginning and all. most of the serious bands won't have arrived yet, but things are off to a good start around 6 pm. that's when amorphous d.c. experimento-rockers le loup take the stage at soundfix records, 110 bedford ave. in williamsburg. then you gotta hop back on the L, transfer to the F/V at 6th ave and take it to 4th street to see st. vincent at other music at 8 pm. other music is located at 15 east 4th street. you can also get there by taking the L to union square and transferring to the 6, getting off as astor place. from other music, it's just a short walk to the lion's den, where OM records is having their early showcase, featuring zion i and the grouch. from other music, simply walk west to sullivan street, and a block and a half down. if you hit bleecker, you've gone too far. the OM showcase is free with an rsvp at going.com. that starts at 10 pm. if OM ain't your thing, james murphy (of lcd soundsystem) and dj annie mac (of radio 1) are spinning at the hiro ballroom come 10.30 pm, located at 363 west 16th street. if you're in the mood for a walk, you can stroll up to 16th street and over to 8th (hiro is between 8th and 9th avenues); otherwise, hop on the A, C, or E at west 4th and take it one stop to 14th and 8th, then walk two blocks up and one over. this show is free with a going.com rsvp before midnight, including a bass ale open bar from 10.30 -11.30 pm. after midnight, the show is $5.
so here's the schedule:
6 pm - le loup @ soundfix
8 pm - st. vincent @ other music
10 pm - OM showcase @ the lion's den
10.30 pm (doors) - james murphy @ hiro
total cost: free, or $5 if you arrive at hiro after midnight
Monday, October 15, 2007
welcome to live week! starring built to spill!
to celebrate cmj, which i am mostly not attending since i didn't care to blow x-hundred dollars on a pass (more on this here), we here at mr. mammoth are bringing you a collection of great live recordings all this week. it's as simple as that. now, since i am either a) practical or b) a heathen, i've crossed the line that live show purists live by, and converted all the files to mp3, to make it easier to download. all week, we're gonna be running the gamut from live show to radio sessions (i suppose that's less of a gamut and more of just two options), so buckle your seatbelts and keep your ears peeled.
note: if you are a frustrated live music purist who wants this show in .flac or .wav, get in touch with me, and we can work something out.
three years ago today
the source
kicked it in the sun (part 2)
one thing
the plan
when not being stupid is not enough
linus and lucy
stab
joyride
virginia reel around the fountain
you were right
twin falls -> some
randy described eternity
distopian dream girl
nowhere nothin' fuckup
download the whole concert as a .zip here.
mr. mammoth's free guide to avoiding cmj and seeing tons of nearly free music
cmj: who needs it? all it means is that a million billion people with these fancy badges will be strutting their thing on the streets of new york, flashing their pass and getting into any show they want. bastards. but it's okay - i'm really not bitter, because i happen to think that the cmj lineup is mostly crap. don't care about m.i.a., band of horses are crap, don't like deerhunter. but what cmj is doing for me (and my fellow cheapskates), is creating a sub-culture of free shows that cop off cmj's popularity, of which there are, approximately, a whole fucking lot of every day. my goal for this week is too see as much as i can without paying more than $50 (not counting an unlimited metrocard), which shouldn't be a problem at all. using the handy show calendar to your right and a walking map of new york (and brooklyn), you should be able to see at least 3 shows a day. obviously, mr. mammoth is interested in some bands more than others (o'death, cadence weapon, the brunettes), partially cuz they rock!, but also because they are among the bands that are going full fucking throttle, and playing at least 6 times over the week, often for free/cheap. cmj proper starts tomorrow, but that isn't stopping o'death, who kick the week off in style tonight at death by audio. keep checking mr. mammoth daily for a best way to see cmj fo' cheep, including directions from show to show.
tomorrow, let the games begin!
why? @ knitting factory, 10/14/07
with cmj coming up (and all the trappings of free music that go with it), frugality is definitely in vogue. but why?, the oakland folk-hop trio, played their hand wisely: instead of getting lumped in with the torrent of music that commences on tuesday, the shot their load early, playing a surprise show just for new yorkers. the nearly free ($1) show had been announced late on friday, but word got around - why? played to a full house earlier, an interesting mix of stingy voyeurs, hardcore fans, and, yes, every blogger in nyc (or so it seemed with all the flashbulbs exploding). a one-off show to build excitement for their new ep, the hollows, why? rocked, soothed, and then rocked again in what turned out to be a bummer of a short set, though the trio played many old favorites as well as exciting new songs.
opening for why? was the parisian quarter neimo. the post-wave imitators sounded more like their age-old enemies from across the channel than they might comfortably admit (especially with france's home-turf upset over the weekend) as they postured and strutted through their set. in town for cmj and clearly out to make an impression, neimo played with universal dance-punk energy, singer brunojoedallesandro (probably not his real name) throwing himself on the floor of the stage at every possible opportunity. even though they sounded like every other band on radio 1, neimo played well, cranking fans at the foot of the stage into what could pass as a frenzy in new york. sounding dreadfully alike, most of neimo's set blurred into sounding like one long song, though single "hot girl" stood out for two reasons, the most notable being its abysmal lyrics (the chorus was "hot girl hot girl!"), but also because neimo dropped a couplet from "daft punk is playing at my house" right into the middle of the song, jerking me out of my rather vacant daydreams. unfortunately, neimo's set dragged on and on, hitting at least the forty minute mark, but seemed to take much longer, thanks to brunojoewhatever's penchant for talking way too much. obviously, neimo isn't for me, but, hey, if you like athlete - take note.
half an hour after neimo left the stage, full of gallic cheer and thanks, why? was barely halfway into their setup. as frontman yoni wolf joked once their set had gotten underway, we had gotten the chance to see the behind the scenes footage - fifty five minutes of shifting drums, keyboards, mics, and all of why?'s other gadgets, of which there seemed to be at least four hundred thousand. by the time they were finally set up, utility fielder doug mcdiarmid's station was cluttered with an array of indescribable music thingys, with just enough wires and antennas to broadcast the entire concert on a ham frequency. despite the mess, the men of why? played with a happy efficiency, though they never ventured out of the few feet of space they had cleared around them.
highly idiosyncratic, why? were just as stylized as subtle had been a week ago, albeit in entirely different ways. doseone and yoni, brothers in cLOUDDEAD, obviously used wildly different tools to forge their individual sounds. incarnated as a three-piece just two years ago (why? operated as a solo yoni wolf project for two albums), mcdiarmid and the two wolf brothers performed together flawlessly, and (more commendably) equitably. while there is no doubt that yoni fronts this band, why? shared vocals, both harmonies and melodies, across the board. they worked together with an almost unrivaled fluidity, each man sticking to his own instruments, but drawing no such lines musically. i was often impressed by the license josiah wolf took on the drums - his crashing assault of skins and cymbals, to say nothing of the dexterity with which wolf intertwined his xylophone parts with his regular kit, frequently upstaged his brother on vocals. yoni was the only contributor of the raps that blur why?'s definition, but both mcdiarmid and the other wolf occasionally took lead vocals on choruses, and yoni and mcdiarmid traded leads on keyboards, bass, and guitar with a casualness that belied its uniqueness.
why? is firmly an anticon band, but their music frequently strays from the collective's mold. only a few new songs reflected the anticon aesthetic of sinister monotonic verses and eerie harmonic choruses, backed by offbeat drums; why?'s general attitude was one of positivity. wolf's lyrics rarely communicated emotion, but the group's music often sounded nearly twee, though without the cutesy connotations. the mind-boggling number of gadgets why? employed were used to make their sound cheerful, like a roomful of r2d2s whistling with pleasure, instead of thundering with anxiety.
why?'s set was nearly perfect - yoni candidly joked and interacted with the crowd, but never at the expense of the music, which was succinct without feeling quick. i found the new songs to be more appealing than why?'s older ones - more dramatic climaxes and electronics - but both were performed, and received, well. the night's probable highlight was a guest spot from james mcnew, who is probably more famous for his work with yo la tengo than as a why? coverer. credited as dump, mcnew's cover of "yoyo bye bye," from 2005's elephant eyelash, is set to appear on november's the hollows, and we were treated to a sneak peek of what it would sound like. basically, it's why? without yoni rapping. but mcnew did the song justice and the crowd was obviously thrilled to have him there, though his introduction by yoni was nearly drowned out by repeated calls for "stockholm syndrome."
there's no publicity like $1 publicity, and why? definitely earned themselves some earlier tonight. they delivered a solid, to the point set, to a crowd that came to hear something new. not an avowed why? fan before tonight, i will certainly pay more attention to this band in the future, and why bother with anything more than that?
buy all why? releases directly from anticon.
