Can I get that band to go?
March 21, 2009
Pre-recorded music videos are for your grandpa. Unless your grandpa knows how to use the internet, in which case maybe he noticed that music-on-the-go videos are the new web trend. It all started when one hipster Parisien with a camera and a pseudonym teamed up with another hipster Parisien with an indie music weblog…et voilà! You have Vincent Moon posting Take Away Shows on La Blogothèque. Moon seems to ascribe to a no-bells-or-whistles philosophy of filmmaking. Actually, scratch that, bells and whistles are a go. Just no lighting, editing, or tripod. The novelty is the simplicity.
Moon filmed the first Take Away Show (Concert À Emporter in French) with The Spinto Band in 2006. Since then there have been over 90 shows which include the biggest indie rock stars of the last couple years. Chill, indie rockosphere, you know you have “stars.” And you know they all hang out in Paris.
If not Paris, then London. London is the home to a second successful music-on-the-go budget video innovation called Black Cab Sessions. BCS was started as a partnership project between brother/sister duo Gen and Jono Stevens to create some buzz for their other (sweet) jobs: director of a music promo company and co-director of a film production company, respectively. It worked. They started with Johnny Flynn over 50 sessions ago and now all the cool kids are doing it. Literally—The Cool Kids have a Black Cab Session. (They also have an interview about cereal. Amazing dudes.)
Call me misanthropic, but part of what I like about these videos is seeing how much some of them suck. And when they don’t suck it really blows you away because it’s one take, no electricity, shitty sound quality and they’re in a friggin’ taxi…or elevator… or subway train…or boat…
Some highlights…
Sunset Rubdown Black Cab Session
The New Pornographers – All the Old Showstoppers
Grizzly Bear – The Knife (a capella)
Beirut – Nantes (they did the entire The Flying Cub Cup album “à emporter”)
SXSW
March 18, 2009
If you’re reading this you’re probably not there. But worry not, here are some links to help you pretend you are.
Here you can find NPR.org’s extensive coverage of the concert including a 100-song stream called the “Austin 100″ as well as a 10-song sampler for download which features some decent tracks from The Avett Brothers, Heartless Bastards, and The Decemberists.
Here’s another sampler put together by IODA. Thanks to Scott for the heads-up.
Here’s the official SXSW site.
Dig.
Pitchfork Music Festival 2009
March 16, 2009
I’m going. Wanna come?
Built to Spill (setlist by request), The National, The Walkmen, The Flaming Lips (setlist by request)…
Deerhoof
February 5, 2009
A lot of music-y posts in a row, but this has to go up here. I just got my hands on Deerhoof’s newest album Offend Maggie. This is the opening track called “The Tears and Music of Love.” Hold on to your socks.
mixuddamonth
February 5, 2009
Happy early Valentine’s Day, lovers.
1. A-Punk by Vampire Weekend; Vampire Weekend (2008).
2. There She Goes Again by The Velvet Underground; The Velvet Underground and Nico (1967).
3. Postcards from Tiny Islands by The Walkmen; You & Me (2008).
4. Crushed Bones by Why?; Elephant Eyelash (2005). Rap for alternative kids. The group members hail from Cincy but have all relocated to Oakland, CA.
5. The Mending of the Gown by Sunset Rubdown; Random Spirit Lover (2007). Anything Spencer Krug touches becomes pure gold.
6. The Heinrich Maneuver by Interpol; Our Love To Admire (2007)
7. Skew it on the Bar-B by Outkast; Aquemini (1998). Most of my hip-hop albums were lost with the death of my external hard drive last year. So it’s back to the basics.
8. Young Bride by Midlake; The Trials of Van Occupanther (2006).
9. Kids by MGMT; Oracular Spectacular (2007)
10. Ha Ha by Mates of State; Team Boo (2003)
11. Who By Fire by Leonard Cohen; New Skin For the Old Ceremony (1974)
12. Pobre Papá by El Cuarteto de Nos; Raro (2006). Uraguayan sing-along rock.
13. Have a Cuppa Tea by The Kinks; Muswell Hillbillies (1971)
14. Vesoul by Jacques Brel; J’arrive (1968). Belgian singer-songwriter who helped popularize post WWII French chanson. This is the kind of stuff that inspired Beirut’s The Flying Cub Cup. (See below.)
15. Mind Contorted by Daniel Johnston; Fun (1994). Recently saw The Devil and Daniel Johnston which inspired me to rediscover this album. His albums are just one big blur of raw art and total madness. It takes a little bit of patience to become a fan, but if you stick around long enough you’re sure to get sucked in.
16. Nantes by Beirut; The Flying Cub Cup (2007).
17. Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective; Merriweather Post Pavillion (2009). Hot off the press.
18. Skinny Love by Bon Iver; For Emma Forever Ago (2008). Couldn’t help jumping on this bandwagon but I am finally getting sick of this album.
19. The Barber by Tim Fite; Fair Ain’t Fair (2007). Hard to represent Tim Fite’s “style”. Better to check out the whole album. No nonsense songwriting with a bunch of sounds and not so much singing as just talking at you. Almost offensively. I guess that’s his hip-hop side coming through?
20. Baby, We’ll Be Fine by The National; Alligator (2005). Really just added this to make it an even 20, but honestly I am still listening to this album regularly. It’s one of the few albums I’ve ever encountered where every single song has been my favorite at some point. These guys are also Cincinnati-born.
Download the mix here.
Hey kids! Leave YOUR latest favorite tunes in the comments section! Isn’t sharing FUN?
Beirut
February 3, 2009
Beirut is one of my favorite bands of the last few years. At 23, frontman Zach Condon is already a globetrotter and multi-instrumentalist. Add to that a boy choir voice and a knack for musical composition and you’ve got some of the fullest, most satisfying tunes coming out of the American indie scene. Beirut is releasing a new double EP on February 17th. Here’s the lowdown from the band’s website:
Entitled March of the Zapotec, the first EP consists of songs written by Beirut and recorded in Mexico with the help of Oaxacan march masters The Jimenez Band. The second EP, Holland, showcases Zach’s latest bedroom-style recordings under his former moniker Realpeople.
Below is the video for the song Elephant Gun (off of the 2007 EP of the same name). The video is as rich and strange visually as you would want anything accompanying this band’s music to be. Some of the choreography–yep, there’s dancing– is pretty inventive as well.
