Coming around to She & Him

Though I readily admit I have a bit of a crush on Zooey Deschanel, I didn’t really take to her foray into music with M. Ward in 2008. Her voice simply didn’t sound strong enough to pull off the sound she seemed to be going for. I was also never really a big M. Ward fan (his music was always a bit too dull for me), but I decided to head over to WNYC today to watch She & Him perform a few songs live in the studio. I came with an open mind, and let me just say that I was pleasantly surprised… not bowled over, but certainly not turned off either.

As the song title suggests, the video of their single “In the Sun” is summer-y and light… kind of the equivalent of a beach read. Sure, Zooey Deschanel is no Laura Marling, but we can’t all be Dostoevsky or Günter Grass either, can we?

So she’s no exactly loquacious (just take a listen to the interview from today’s episode of Soundcheck), but her singing voice was stronger than I thought it would be in a live setting. Oh yeah, and her defense of the grammatical integrity and complexity of their band name is pretty funny.

She & Him on Soundcheck

My big regret is that I didn’t get to ride on the elevator with Zooey. When I was walking out of the studio, for a second she was following me, and I thought we could maybe have a moment. It’s probably for the best though. I don’t think I could have resisted the urge to ask her if she liked the Smiths.

She & Him’s second album, Volume Two, came out last week on Merge.

Seabear and friends

Seabear + Via Tania – The Mercury Lounge – March 25

I may not have attended SXSW this year, but I think I got at least a taste of it this week since a number of the bands swung up to NY to play shows. For my third night in a row of music, I caught an early show at the Mercury Lounge with Via Tania and the delightful Icelandic outfit Seabear.

Via Tania (Photo - Joe Wigdahl)

I had never heard of Via Tania, so I didn’t really know what to expect going into the set, but I was pleasantly surprised. Though it appears that Via Tania is predominately the solo act of one Tania Bowers, for the live version, she was flanked by musicians on stage. She admitted to not having toured in a while, but you wouldn’t be able to tell from the performance tonight. It was tight, well-crafted, and seemingly effortless.

Take a listen to the song “Fields”

When I was looking for a picture of Seabear to post here, I found so many sweet ones that I’m tempted to forgo the review and just post photos, but I think I’ll have to settle for a couple of recent ones.

Seabear (Photo - Lilja Birgisdóttir)

Seabear is another one of those sweet Scandinavian bands. They may have been dressed like hipsters, but they are so humble and seem so genuinely happy to be on stage. They also project this air of innocence that I love. One girl in the band (far left in the above photo) wore something resembling a Little House on the Prairie dress – with a couple of modern twists (it didn’t go beneath her knees and she paired it with leggings). Usually a sign of toughness, the tattoos up and down lead singer Sindri Már Sigfússon’s arms (antlers, stars, a hand, and many other indecipherable things) were kind of a funny juxtaposition to his calm demeanor.

After a fight broke out right in front of the stage at Sindri’s solo show (1) during CMJ last year, he seemed surprised by our good behavior last night: You’re very quiet. That’s nice. Sometimes, I’m very quiet, too, so that’s something we both share, he carefully said through a thick Icelandic accent.

Seabear again (Photo - Lilja Birgisdóttir)

For the last song in the set, “Seashell,” there was a built-in sing-a-long. Often, sing-a-longs can flop with a crowd that is too talkative or apathetic, but the small but packed crowd at the Mercury Lounge last night humored the band.

Thank you so much, Sindri said in closing. You made us feel very welcome and because we like you so much, we’ll ask you to sing. You know how to sing, right? [Crowd starts singing as per instruction to try out the part] Well I could listen to that all night. It’s beautiful.

I mean how could you not participate after that, right? We were rewarded by smiles all around, and the spirits were high for “Seashell,” which also contained a lot of clapping parts.

Since the Mercury Lounge had another show following Seabear’s set, there wasn’t much time for a formal encore, but we got at least one song anyway. We have time for an encore, but we’re not going to leave the stage. With that, they launched into “I Sing I Swim,” from their debut album, Ghost that Carried Us Away.

Their latest album, We Built a Fire, came out a couple of weeks ago on Morr Music.

Sindri actually announced every song, so I hobbled together an approximate setlist:

Arms
Lion Face Boy
Cat Piano
Singing Arc
Fire Dies Down
I’ll Build You a Fire
Wooden Teeth
Leafmask
Softship
Cold Summer
Wolf Boy
Seashell

Encore
I Sing I Swim

—
(1) Sindri’s excellent solo project is Sin Fang Bous. Highly recommended.

SXSW wrap

To try to get a grasp on what SXSW was like this year, I asked a few attendees how they felt about the week.

Matt Solomon – drummer for the Brooklyn band Darlings

Over the past year, The Darlings have been written up in a number of eye-catching publications, including L Magazine and The New York Times.

There were more bands at SXSW this year than ever before. What did you think? Was it too much to take in? Did the quality suffer due to the quantity?

SXSW is absolutely overwhelming–both as a musician playing multiple shows and as a show-goer. But in a good way, I think. It was my first
trip down to Austin and I had no real expectations. I was thinking, maybe sorta like CMJ but bigger, and in Texas. But they are nothing alike.

At SXSW there are literally thousands of bands playing everyday, mostly within walking distance from one another. It’s madness. If you’re trying to see a bunch of bands, you have to have realistic expectations. To see a really big show (like I dunno, the Hole reunion or the big blog showcases) you need to plan your whole day around it. Because you will wait in line for a long time. I didn’t want to do that (or see Hole) so I mostly stuck to smaller bands and venues. I also spent a lot of time just walking around, stopping into random bars if it sounded cool from the street. Most of the bands playing come to NYC often enough, if they’re not FROM here, but it’s still cool to see them play for free in a room much smaller than they’d normally play. That being said, I saw Broken Social Scene by accident. That definitely wouldn’t happen at CMJ or anywhere else. But to answer one of your questions simply: there were a million good bands and a million bad bands. That will always be the case. Because of the overwhelming scale, you just have to make a slightly greater effort to seek out the shows worth seeing.

How was your experience as a musician?

Playing SXSW was an interesting experience. My band played four shows, three of which were pretty demoralizing. We played at a bar, an auto-repair shop, a tattoo parlor and a thrift store. For some of the smaller shows there simply wasn’t a big enough crowd to fill the venues, and that’s to be expected. The buzz bands get the crowds, and the remaining 97% have to rely on free beer to entice the passersby. My band is not really riding a wave of indie-hype (our album got a good review from The New York Times and Spin, but nothing from Pitchfork–the real paper of record for the indie set), and most of our shows didn’t have free beer. So there you go.

What were your favorite shows/bands? Were they new to you or ones you already knew you liked?

Thee Oh Sees/Woods/The Fresh and Onlys/others @ the Impose Magazine showcase at the Longbranch Inn on Thursday
Thee Oh Sees/JEFF the Brotherhood/YellowFever/lots of others @ the Panache showcase at the Mohawk on Saturday

I’d already seen all of these bands except for the Fresh and Onlys

and of the shows we played: Darlings/JEFF the Brotherhood/Turbo Fruits/Grooms/Sisters/Tony Castles/The Beets @ the Famous Class/Impose showcase at the Longbranch Inn on Wednesday

Dominick Mastrangelo – photographer for Brooklyn Vegan and Stereogum

On Saturday alone, Dominick saw 18 artists perform. Here’s what he had to say about the festival:

What were some of your favorite shows/bands? (Feel free to list both new and ones you already knew).

The biggest surprise for me was Fitz & The Tantrums. I had heard their name once and stumbled upon them at the KCRW Showcase which was running way behind (I was actually there for Miike Snow.)

I saw The Antlers twice in less than 24 hours. Which makes it four times in less than six weeks. Their live show is something else.

Standard Fare from England were great and definitely one of my favorite bands right now.

The Middle East I was excited to see and I caught them twice in less than 24 hours, too. Their live show is phenomenal.

Sharon Van Etten was heartachingly beautiful. Best Coast were excellent. The Black Keys blew me away and Broken Bells were surprisingly tight for only being a full band for a couple of months.

Fanfarlo, Band Of Horses, Miss Li, You Say Party! We Say Die! were all highlights as well.

So many more I’m forgetting right now.

Given the sheer number of bands at SXSW this year (more than ever before), did you think it was too much to take in? Did the quality suffer due to the quantity or is more always better?

It was definitely way too much to take in. That was the meme among my photog and writer friends down there. I kept saying that I wish I could clone myself. I did the next best thing and saw 18 bands on the last day.

Everyone I saw were excellent musicians. Sometimes the music didn’t grab me or the performances were unimpressive but I don’t think it was for lack of musicianship. There were a lot of talented people down there.

How were things for you as a photographer? Do you think it affected your perception of the week?

I was surprised at how easy it was to get in to shows and move around. People were accommodating if you squeezed in to try and get a shot (I always try and be as nice as possible when winding my way to the front.) It’s not like that at CMJ.

As a photographer you never enjoy it as much as you would if you were just hanging out watching the show, drink in hand. That said, I made sure I tried to take at least a couple songs to just watch the show and not make a picture. It’s hard though. It was my first SXSW but I knew from covering CMJ kind of how it would be. It was fun to be there and be a part of documenting it all. Or as much as my uncloned self could get to.

*Be sure to check out Brooklyn Vegan for photos and a taste of the madness.

Robin Hilton – NPR Music producer, host of Second Stage

Robin is actually paid to be an expert on music. Here’s his take on this year’s SXSW:

What were some of your favorite shows/bands?

The Bewitched Hands On The Top Of Our Heads, Sharon Van Etten, Malachai (duo from Bristol England), Villagers, mini mansions, Admiral Radley, Sleigh Bells, Smith Westerns, Broken Bells, Spoon, Local Natives.

Given the sheer number of bands at SXSW this year (more than ever before), did you think it was too much to take in? Did the quality suffer due to the quantity or is more always better?

It’s always too much to take in. But SXSW isn’t about an evening’s worth or afternoon’s worth of entertainment; it’s about discovery. It’s amazing and wonderful to be able to bounce from venue to venue, all day and all night, and find something new at every stop.

How were things for you as a radio guy/producer (as opposed to say as a regular attendee)?

Well… being a producer got me a badge which got me into more shows more easily, so I suppose I could see more in a shorter period of time. Can’t really think of anything special about my job… just that I had to take notes and be ready to talk about everything at 3 in the morning. SXSW is for music lovers so I guess that’s all I had to be.

Thanks to all those who participated in the survey. I’ll be checking out the recommended bands in the next couple of days, and I suggest that you do, too!

God save the Clientele

The Clientele + Field Music + The Mad Scene – Bowery Ballroom – March 23

After hearing the track “No Place Called Home” by the opening band, The Mad Scene, I decided to head over to the Bowery Ballroom early to check them out. After all, I’m a sucker for male/female vocals as I’ve mentioned countless times. Let’s just say I was in for a bit of a disappointment. Not only were most of the songs sung by a guy, they were also surprisingly generic. Tracking down info on The Mad Scene has proved difficult. It seems that a number of bands go by the same name, including an early 90s group from New Zealand, which I don’t think is who played last night.

The Mad Scene that I saw was made up of 7-8 people on stage, depending on whether they were joined by Gary of the Ladybug Transistor on trumpet. With the exception of Gary and perhaps one other member – Josh, the band looked considerably older than the majority of the groups I see, which kind of made me expect them to be better than they were. The highlight of their set was definitely when the female bass player took over the microphone to play a song about Shamu. Her voice led more levity to the music, and the whimsical lyrics gonna catch a whale and ride a tiger were pretty delightful (at least if you could manage to not think about the recent tragedy surrounding orcas).

Up next were the British group Field Music. They may have only had four members (yes, they added a member recently), but their music seemed much more complex than that of The Mad Scene. Oh boy! They knew what time changes were! Their songs contained major tonal shifts and intriguing intros! And yes, more than one person sang at a time.

Field Music (before they were four people)

Field Music played a mix of old and new songs, but they started with the old before getting into a few from their recently released album, Field Music (Measure).  Brothers Peter and David took a bit of a hiatus following their 2007 release, and I’m glad to see them back in the game.

In typical form, they played a number of songs from their older albums and almost apologized for playing new songs. They opened with “Since K Got Over Me,” the opening track from their 2005 album Strange Geometry.

The Clientele (need to take more press photos!)

Coming off the last night of a 15 million night tour (according to Alasdair), the group was a bit disoriented. After playing a song or two, Alasdair casually said, I actually have no idea what day it is, but thank you for coming out.

Before launching into “I Wonder Who We Are,” the following exchange took place:

Alasdair: This is from our new album…
Random guy: which is awesome!
Alasdair: It’s ok I know none of you have it.

The Clientele then preceded to nail the song. Admittedly, the lyrics are not very substantive (especially during the chorus), but the song is undeniably catchy and upbeat and even got the crowd dancing.

Despite the fact that The Clientele were as self-deprecating as ever, they put on a great show and finished the night off strong with a three-song encore that concluded with “Reflections After Jane.”

Surrender to summers

I’m so used to hearing Sigur Rós vocalist Jónsi Birgisson sing in Icelandic that I didn’t even initially realize that this song is actually in English.

Take a listen to Jónsi’s new single “Go Do” from the upcoming album Go. The video is a bit weird, but there’s no denying that it is pretty.

SXSW winding down

A couple of weeks ago, I was looking at my concert calendar and was surprised to see this entire week and weekend nearly blank – then I realized that everyone would be in Austin. Yep, SXSW has been happening the last few days, and once again, I find myself thousands of miles away from the action.

If you, like me find yourself a little bit out of the loop, here are some fun sources for everything SXSW:

NPR Music - For photos, short video clips of bands, streaming music, and increasingly loopy late-night podcasts from the music team to re-cap the action.

Paste Magazine – For lengthier articles and YouTube videos.

Brooklyn Vegan – For posts, pretty pictures, and interviews.

Coming soon… a look at some of the buzz-worthy bands and more.

An overdue review

Standard Fare – Death By Audio - March 15 

Three-piece Sheffield band Standard Fare just played their first American show about a week ago at the Cake Shop. It’s strange to think that they came so far to play at venues like Cake Shop (1) and Death by Audio, but their sound fits these small DIY spaces well, and I suppose we were just stops on the way to SXSW in Austin anyway. 

Standard Fare

 Standard Fare exudes a humble kind of confidence. They play what may be classified as  garage rock, but with quite a bit of heart and a dash of twee and punk for good measure. The set-up is simple: just a guitar, a bass, and a drum kit, but their music is fresh and spirited. Take a listen to my current favorite song, “Philadelphia.”

The majority of the vocal responsibility falls on Emma Kupa, but Danny How occasionally joins in. The band’s lyrics cover the usual topics: love, heartbreak, growing up, and the lyrics are confessional and raw – to the extent that I felt like I was in a mumblecore movie where problems can be solved by gut-wrenching honesty… and a little bit of dancing.

 

 It’s rare that a show with no more than 30 people command an encore, but that’s just what happened on Sunday night. Ok. Enough of the clapping! they exclaimed before breaking into “Wow,” the final song on The Noyelle Beat, which just dropped on Tuesday. 

 hmm… this could really lead somewhere, Standard Fare.   

–
(1) Check out some sweet photos of the Standard Fare show at the Cake Shop on March 11th. 

Forget the main act

Arp + Scout Niblett – 92Y Tribeca – March 13

Saturday night’s show may have been headlined by Vetiver, but the action took place before they took the stage.

The evening started with a performance by the impressive one-man act, Arp. Named after a famed analog keyboard, Arp is Alexis Georgopoulos and his fuzzy layers of guitars and synthesizers. After a warm introduction by the coordinator at 92Y, Alexis unceremoniously walked on stage without so much as uttering a word.

Arp's Alexis Georgopoulos

As he began to play, a series of videos were projected onto the screen behind him: a sunset gave way to a misty mountain, followed by clouds and the rolling waves of the ocean. Initially, I thought the images were merely there to help invoke a trance-like state, but eventually I realized that they sometimes corresponded with the songs. Suddenly when the video of cars driving down a freeway flashed onto the screen, the beat and the guitar drops out, and I realized that the sounds we were listening to did in fact sound like traffic noise.

Forget stage banter. Alexis hardly paused in between songs, and his vow of silence was not broken even as he motioned to someone to dim the stage lights. Now, barely a silhouette, he faded into the swirling images in the background.  The large parka and hat he wore further obscured his presence.

To create the sound that might otherwise be produced by a handful of musicians, Alexis methodically loops different instrumental segments together, gradually building up his songs over time until the combination of all his tracks crescendos into a melodic cacophony of sound.

Alexis may not have directly revealed anything about himself over the course of his performance, but his evocative music and carefully chosen images invited audience members to project their own opinions and memories into the mix. Arp’s music is so hypnotic that I  forgot about the miserable trek through the rain and gale force winds that left my soaked.

If Alexis’ tacit persona complimented his music, Scout Niblett’s candid banter emphasized hers. Scout’s music feeds on her emotional output. At times, she sings demurely, but then in the very same song, she cranks up the volume on her guitar and rocks out. It truly is a sight to behold. I initially attempted to see Scout about two years ago, but the show ended rather disastrously when, in a Cat Power-like breakdown, Scout admitted that she was ‘too wasted’ to play and stumbled off stage without so much as getting through a single song. Though I was sorely disappointed at the time,  I also resolved to give her another shot, and I’m glad I did.

Scout Nibblet (aka Emma Louise Niblett)

With just drums and a guitar, the music may be minimal, but it is far from dull. Scout’s lyrics are surprisingly blunt, and her delivery is almost primal in its sheer intensity. Scout is absolutely mesmerizing on stage.  She is who Joanna Newsom would be for Halloween: a strange mix of bewitching, sweet, scary, and aggressive. She is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. She may start singing quietly, but more often than not, she works herself into a fury. As her voice becomes increasingly raw and desperate, the music mirrors her sudden outpouring of emotion. The drums start furiously crashing along and Scout’s riffs become more pronounced and aggressive.

Take a listen to “Calcination,” one of the songs from her new album, The Calcination of Scout Niblett.

After playing a number of songs on the guitar, Scout switched to drums for a while and gave her drummer a break.

Upon sitting down at the kit, Scout broke into “Your Beat Kicks Back Like Death,” which to the delight and shock of the crowd,  went a little something like this:

We’re all going to die.
We’re all going to die.

We don’t know when.
We don’t know how.

We’re all going to die.

Here is a particularly creepy (and somewhat graphic) video on YouTube that effectively deals with the subject matter at hand:

After a few minutes on drums, Scout switches back to the guitar, and then it begins. After playing a new song – “Duke of Anxiety” – for about twenty seconds, she suddenly stops and – slightly off mic – says, It doesn’t sound right! Let me start over. When she then proceeded to forget the lyrics to the same song, I started to worry that this would be a repeat non-performance, but luckily, she pulled herself together and pressed on. Ironically, the song opens with the lines: Why would you think, that you make me drink? I’m a drunk … Reasons I don’t need Just like you.

Scout concluded her set with “Nevada,” a particularly rocking song from her 2007 release This Fool Can Die Now.

Following the rousing performance, the old man beside me turned to another girl and said, Wow! That was great, right? She really rocks! She’s really PJ Harvey meets Nirvana.” The whole evening, I had watched him with curiosity, trying to gauge his reaction to her. Here I thought he had come to see Vetiver, but he adamantly proclaimed that he had come to see Scout and knew nothing of the main act.

After two satisfying performances, I decided to call it an early night. Vetiver may be a solid band, but their live show is a bit too sleepy and predictable for my taste. (1) Thanks to Scout’s killer performance, my adrenaline gave me the strength necessary to head back out into the elements.

–
(1) I’ve also already seen Vetiver 2-3 times, so I didn’t feel guilty for skipping out.

Catching up with The National

The National – The Bell House – March 13

Sometimes, it’s nice to plan for shows in advance so as to avoid last minute conflicts, but other times, it’s best to make plans as you go. Three days ago, I didn’t know that the National were playing a couple of shows at the Bell House (conveniently located 7 blocks away from my apartment). Last night, I found myself not at Union Pool seeing Scout Niblett as I had initially planned, but sitting outside the Bell House in the rain, hoping to find a way into the sold-out show. Luckily, I was approached almost right away by a well-dressed man who asked me for my name and phone number. Ten minutes later, I got the call that my name had made it onto the guest list. Success.

I admit I hadn’t heard a thing about the opening band, Buke and Gass. Part of me was worried that they’d be terrible. That happens sometimes. Someone owes someone a favor, someone’s friend wants to play. It gets messy. That said, I was pleasantly surprised. Buke and Gass is just two people – Arone Dyer on vocals and ukulele and Aron Sanchez on bass and percussion.

Buke and Gass

Despite their modest appearance, their sound is surprisingly big and heavier than you might expect from a woman who exudes little kid charm. Arone wore her hair in two messy buns and seemed positively elated to be playing – to the extent that she giggled between nearly every song. If all this is sounding a bit too twee for you, you’ve got the wrong impression. Buke and Gass exert just the right amount of sass, thanks largely to Arone assertive vocals and the duo’s carefully texturized sound. Suffice it to say that I’m looking forward to hearing more from these guys.

As you probably already know, The National’s previous album, Boxer, garnered a considerable amount of praise when it was released in 2007. It made the coveted number one spot on many end-of-the-year lists. Just knowing that the National were about to release a new album had me excited, but an intimate show at the Bell House? How fortuitous.

The National (Photo: Keith Klenowski)

As promised, The National played a number of songs from their upcoming album, High Violet, which officially drops May 11th.

alleged High Violet cover

Though it was the first time I heard any of their new songs, many of the themes expressed in earlier albums (madness, brains, melancholia) seem to crop up in their new material as well, as was evidenced by the very first song.

This is the happiest song on our new record. It’s called “Sorrow,” joked singer Matt Berninger. In between sips of his chilled white wine, Berninger continued, Last night we were nervous, so we came out and had an awesome show. Tonight we’re confident and usually when that happens we take a dive, so we’ll see…

The band followed up “Sorrow” with two additional new songs before breaking into a string of older songs, including “Mistaken For Strangers” and “Secret Meeting, which elicited enthusiastic responses from the crowd.

Compared to the older songs (especially those on Alligator), the newer songs seem more toned down, which is probably for the best – at least for the time being. Though he was able to conceal it for the most part, Berninger is in the process of finding his voice again following his recent decision to give up smoking.  I quit smoking a couple of months ago, so if I coughed on you, it’s not a disease. It’s my lungs regenerating. Sorry.

Despite Matt’s difficulty nailing some of the more aggressive parts of the songs, he certainly did not lack energy. He frenetically paced around the stage and certainly made the encore memorable by rushing into the audience during “Mr. November” and singing the desperate chorus with anyone and everyone he could grab with a good pair of lungs. As he stood on top of first an amp and then a dividing wall, towering over everybody, it was clear that he certainly had the rock star act down. But the thing I love about Matt is that he still manages to be self-deprecating and soft-spoken when he speaks between the songs. I love this discrepancy between his softer side and his sheer recklessness. It’s as if he takes on another persona once he starts singing – especially with songs like “Mr. November,” “Abel,” and the end of “Secret Meeting.”

With as many as ten people playing along at times, the sheer sound produced on stage was impressive, and the addition of the trumpet and trombone pack a special punch.

With a playtime that clocked in at around an hour and forty minutes, this is what a concert should be, and hopefully more will be in the works. After all, they do live in Brooklyn.

Set List
*Sorrow
*Anyone’s Ghost
*Little Faith (Chrome Horse)
Mistaken for Strangers
Secret Meeting
*Afraid of Everyone
*Bloodbuzz Ohio
*Lemonworld
Brainy
All The Wine
Apartment Story
*Runaway
*Conversation 16
Abel
Daughters of the Soho Riots
*England
Fake Empire

Encore:
*Vanderlye Crybaby Geeks
Mr. November
*Terrible Love

*asterisks designate new tracks to the best of my knowledge.

For a great set of photos from the first night’s show, go here.

Also, check out a recent live performance of the new song “Terrible Love:”

Fifth graders re-do Phoenix

What were you singing in fifth grade chorus class? Well, the fifth grade chorus from PS22 on Staten Island sings a range of popular songs, including some by Lady Gaga, Journey,  Coldplay, and more. Their most recent video on Youtube is a rendition of Phoneix’s hit song “Lisztomania.”

Man. I mean I enjoyed singing songs from Disney’s The Lion King when I was in fifth grade, but I kind of feel like I missed out now. The chorus is directed by Gregg Breinberg.  As of February, the group’s vidoes had over 13,000,000 views on Youtube. Apparently, Passion Pit also had the chorus sing backing vocals on three of the tracks from their debut album, Manners. Quite impressive for a group of ten and eleven year-olds.