Posted on 12 February 2009
When you go to see Simian Mobile Disco live, make sure you are seeing the “proper set” as opposed to the DJ set. You’ll likely get SMD tunes either way, but only one comes with a massive light rig and a billion knobs spread across towering audio equipment to provide you with visual comfort that there is actually something more involved than clicking mouses. (There is.) The video for new single “Synthesise” that’s floating around today gets a title card calling it a “live performance,” but here that means the clip’s directors (Kate Moross & Alex Sushon) have constructed a live visual performance to synchronize with “Synthesise”’s synthetic keyboard house. In other words if you see this one live it won’t necessarily look like this, which is for the best because SMD crowds are already doing perfectly great in the so-close-to-having-a-seizure department.
Continue reading New Simian Mobile Disco Video - “Synthesise”…
Posted on 12 February 2009
It’s unclear what’s happening just yet, but photos of Trent hanging out in his studio with Eric Avery, Stephen Perkins, and Dave Navarro have surfaced at nin.com (one with Reznor and a shadowy Perry Farrell is on the main page as we speak). Rolling Stone’s Smoking Section has the pic of Trent and Navarro. Chances are they’re not working on Niggy Tardust! II.
Posted on 12 February 2009
Elvis Costello’s Sundance Channel show really is a perfectly packaged hour for music nerds. EC is an adept interviewer, and never shy about joining in the jam during his guest’s performance segments. As at the wrap party, last night’s Spectacle had Costello perform with Jenny Lewis on her Acid Tongue cut “Carpetbaggers.” Only this time Zooey Gibbard was there to side-step and to sing and to guarantee that you click to watch the videos below. The whole hour had nice overlapping themes: Elvis started with a spin through “Show Biz Kids,” explaining the evening’s guests had familial industry roots (Jenny, Zooey, Jakob Dylan), later discussing Matt Ward’s Acid Tongue guitar solos during a cute interview with She & Him. They talk favorite records and guitar playing; Matt mentions John Fahey’s work as having a revelatory effect on his right-hand technique, and earlier today we mentioned Fahey for having created the new Sonic Youth album cover. (If you’re new, I’ll save you the Wiki search.) You really should have this show on your DVR, so go set a season pass. And then watch the clips:
Continue reading Elvis Costello Fleshes Out His Spectacle With She & Him & Jenny Lewis …
Posted on 12 February 2009
Hospitality are a minimalist Brooklyn indie-pop trio fronted by Kansas City ex-patriot Amber Papini, who also handles guitar and piano. Her voice is immediate and unique, at times like a Mo Tucker but with stately Jesy Fortino/Tiny Viper intonations. Or Amelia Fletcher, fronting a super spare NY-based Heavenly or Talulah Gosh. She’s backed by drummer (and flautist and harmonica player) Nathan Michel and singing bassist Brian Betancourt. They’ve been together for a couple of years, but in Betancourt’s words “only recently started to get serious.” If you’re into electronic music, you may already know that Michel’s released idiosyncratic, enjoyable records on Tigerbeat 6, Tomlab, and Sonig. Makes sense: There’s a surprising (and refreshing), at times non-linearity to Hospitality’s compositions — it’s pop music that doesn’t take an easy way to a hook. Sometimes it feels like Michel is drumming to some jazz piece in his head. In many cases silence and space are as important as the sounds they make. On top of it all, Papini writes liyrics worth listening to and decoding. So far Hospitality’s just self-released a six-song EP, produced by Karl Blau. Betancourt explains how it happened.
We met Karl Blau at a show we both happened to be playing at the Cake Shop. He heard our soundcheck and asked if he could record us in exchange for being his backing band sometime in the future. Naturally, we agreed! He recorded a few of our songs on 4 track (which became the EP) and he wrote a few songs specifically for us to play live with him, which only happened once…
No worries, they sound plenty great on their own. Take a listen for yourself: We have “Betty Wang,” an instant and mysterious twee classic, and the fragile, flute-lined “Argonauts,” the first two tracks from the EP.
Continue reading Band To Watch: Hospitality…
