Crystal Castles Remix the Little Ones

Such different bands, such a happy combo!

Concert Review: Crystal Castles w/ Fujiya and Miyagi at Webster Hall

Sold out show's are always interesting because you can really gauge how popular a band is. Is everyone here a die hard fan? Or are these all people who scan the blogosphere vapidly, waiting with trepidation to disagree with the various acclaimed music bloggers? If not disagree, then to drool in amazement, because this band is going to blow their socks off.

Crystal Castles sold out shortly after tickets went on sale. In the two weeks prior to the show, people were asking $150 a ticket on Craigslist. Thats a lot of hype for two kids from Canada. I was tired, so I didn't stand in the crowd for Fujiya and Miyagi, but I kept getting up to see if it was actually a live performance, because from my seated position, they sounded dead on like the recording. It was freakish. I was in the balcony lounging on the sofas, so I can't give them any sort of solid review, other than to say that I was really impressed with their set. It was intensely well rehearsed and clean. They had these awesome graphics involving dice that really blew me away too.

The crowd was really there to see Crystal Castles, and it was obvious. The band is made up of Ethan Kath who is the musical talent, and performer Alice Glass. Kath gets the audience warmed up with a bit of an intro. Searingly bright strobes come on. And then there is Alice. She basically gets on stage and starts wailing into the vocoder. She doesn't stand still for the whole show. She is just there for antics, and she knows what she is doing. From pouring booze onto the audience to crowd surfing, she doesn't stop from the minute the set starts.

Alice isn't contributing much musically to the act, but the audience loves her with a burning passion. Her wild on-stage voodoo creates a trance akin to tweens at a Backstreet Boys concert. Everyone is going wild merely because she is there. Crystal Castles doesn't create pleasing sounds either, so it is definitely the beats that draw the crowd.

If you get the chance to see them don't miss it. Wear your dancing shoes, and have a few drinks. Life is short, and this is something to write home about.

Shearwater is Secret Guest at BV CMJ Showcase

SWEET. How lucky are we? Check out "Red Sea Black Sea" which isn't particularly quiet. For those of you who are unfamiliar with them, they are two members from Okkervil River Jonathan Meiburg and Will Sheff. They started a little side project because Okkervil River wasn't folk-y enough. Ok guys. Maybe we are listening to two different bands. Dunno. I think that Shearwater is a bit more rock-y than O. R., although the Wiki page for them claims that they wanted to play quiter songs. You be the judge.

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Midnight Dan Deacon Show Saturday

Picture via Love to Hate? Maybe?

At le Poisson Rouge...Part of the Baltimore Round Robin. Its $8. We are going.

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Shugo Tokumaru is upbeat pop

Japan pop music: Japop. Exit, Tokumaru's latest US release has flavors of The Dodos, Final Fantasy, The Little Ones and Sufjan Stevens. I could write a long description of the album, but I think PopMatters did a great job here which I originally saw here.

The one major downfall for me is that the lyrics are entirely in Japanese, despite some english titles. I am a girl who loves lyrics, particularly cheeky and winding lyrics. That said, I will never fall painfully in love with this album because I can't quite relate to it (read: sing along). Nonetheless, its an interesting departure from the american and european pop scene right now. Check it out.

The Little Ones: a few quick words

They are totally this smiley on stage too. And they sound like a modern Partridge Family

I saw The Little Ones twice during the summer of 2006, the first time they opened for The Figurines, and the second time....I can't remember. All I can tell you is that they played Mercury lounge twice, and they were so good the first time, that I went again that week to see them.

Live they are smiling, boisterous and happy. It was such a pleasant departure from the sullen nyc bands that I had been seeing all summer (alone, I might add, I had only been in the city for a few weeks when I saw them). I just have a bunch of random songs by them on my iTunes, but they released "Morning Tide" yesterday. Its probably some really happy, calming pop. Check them out at Mercury Lounge 10/16.

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More Department of Eagles: In Ear Park

The first time I heard (or more accurately, saw) department of eagles was probably about a year ago, when they had a Take Away Video of them walking through chinatown. I haven't ever been a die hard Grizzly Bear fan (read: I only like about 2 songs off of Yellow House) so I saw Department of Eagles, and was sort of underwhelmed by the video, and wrote them off as not for me. Very occasionally I am wrong. This is so clearly one of those occasions.

My first pass at the album revealed it to be a vintage Eliot Smith sound, with more complicated guitar and a tendency toward dissonance. The songs are eerie and haunting. I am going to assume that you saw the NYTimes article posted below, because lets face it, they are far better writers than I am. I don't want to say too much about it, other than saying that it going to be one of my obsessions this winter. What is the lesson to be learned here? Just because I don't necessarily like what i hear at first, doesn't mean that I should abandon said band. In fact, I like bands that have had some time to steep and marinade, bands that can put on a legit live show. Long story short, listen to "In Ear Park".

side note: department of Eagles played last night at the 826nyc benefit last night. I didn't make it (i went to a hysterical amateur singing night). Clearly, I should have considered supporting a Dave Eggers charity and seen DoE.

New York Times Hits up Daniel Rossen

Here

Also, have you heard the Jojo "Too Little Too Late" Daniel Rossen Cover? Its hysterical!!!

Iceland Airwaves feels the Credit Crunch

Some interesting stuff about the current situation in Iceland right now.

2008 Albums

Cough, cough. You should check out this site. seriously, do it now. Preferably when you are going to be at your computer for a loooong time, with looooots of available bandwidth.

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