Sigur Rós @ MoMA - Tue Jun 17, 2008

I don't own any Sigur Rós album. I don't even have any of their music on my computer. I wasn't dying to go to this show either. But I ended up going and thank god I did. I was blown away. I have no idea how many songs they played, which ones were new or old (except the very new one that sounds like Animal Collective). I didn't pay attention to those details. I just grabbed some free vodka, a free bottle of water, found a spot, and closed my eyes. Sigur Rós provided the soundtrack to the almost two hour trip I made during the time they played. This is some of what I saw:

[more photos of the show]

Time has come... it is finally time to buy some Sigur Rós albums to catch up, starting with the new Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust.

♫♫♫♫♫

Were you at the show? How did you like it?

Sigur Rós Links: Stream Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust, Official website, Wikipedia, MySpace

Jamie Lidell @ Bowery Ballroom - Sun/Mon Jun 08/09, 2008

I was afraid of you, because you know... I love you

Jamie Lidell wants to be Jim, but I want to be Jamie Lidell! Last time I saw Jamie, he came out solo wearing a sparkling jacket under a blazer, like hiding his true self, looking very very funky. Almost a week ago now, he came out this time with five people to join him on stage, wearing a similar looking jacket, but no blazer this time. No need of showing who he has become, the ultimate soul revitalizer.


Things have changed quite a bit on stage for Lidell. He doesn't have a sampler and a mic only anymore. He has guys taking care of keyboards, drums, bass guitar, saxophones and vocoders, and one guy processing live video as the show happens. He also has one small TV with a turntable where he fake-plays records as he goes from song to song, and one hilarious use you will see at the end of the show.

Not only the stage has changed, but also Jamie's approach to his music live. Multiply is one of my ten favorite albums of 2005 (yeah I already started thinking about my fave albums of the decade), I loved it instantly, and loved it even more after seeing the man doing his tricks live with that album for the first time. He totally re-interpreted his songs by using samples, pre-recorded tracks and manipulating his own truly awesome voice. That futuristic show of soul influenced music seems to be being left in the past. Lidell went back old school having a proper band sound and it fits him exceptionally well. I haven't seen Sharon Jones, Amy Winehouse or any other people working these music genres, but I doubt any of them would make me smile and feel like I was at a show sometime between the 70's and 80's, thinking that I was seeing the future of the soul in front of my eyes.


There was not much difference between Sunday's and Monday's set list, but only one song, The City. Lots from Jim, crazy improvisation with some Multiply songs, and one of my favorite encores of recent memory. Here it is the set list for both shows:

Another Day
Figured Me Out
Out of My System
When I Come Back Around
A Little Bit More
The City (on Monday only)
Little Bit of Feelgood
Green Light
Where D’You Go?
Wait For Me
--
Game For Fools
Multiply

Lidell hasn't transformed all of his songs to this old school approach. All of his new songs, from Jim, are already much more straightforward than the ones on Multiply, and they all sound very alive in the new live setting, but almost all of his Multiply era songs remain intact to their other original electronic essence, being his song Multiply itself the only song I have seen he has transformed.


There are two shows to be part of at a Jamie Lidell concert these days: one featuring Jim, the Stevie Wonder like singer with a full live band, and one featuring Jamie Lidell, the crazy beat boxer and electronic music experimentalist. Like I did/do, you are gonna love them both. [photos of Sunday's show][photos of Monday's show]

♫♫♫♫♫

Were you at the show? How did you like it?

Jamie Lidell links: Stream Multiply, Official Website, MySpace, Wikipedia, YouTube, at Warp Records, on Pitchfork Media, a video interview on P4k.tv

The Field @ Studio B - Fri Jun 06, 2008

Four Tet wasn't there and it was great

I have been listening to Four Tet's music for a while now and so I was very excited of finally seeing him live, but I got an email during the week telling me that the guy was sick, or one of his relatives, and that he decided to cancel the show. He cancelled his show but the night was not cancelled. The Field was opening and even though I had already been dissapointed with his live show I went to see him again. I went mainly because I read online that he actually was going to play with a band, and if you have heard the great From Here We Go Sublime, then that at least should make you curious.


The Field sounded very very good. What a difference with last time I saw him. Really, there was good energy floating in the air. On stage he had something that looked like a very complicated mixer and sequencer, a guy on real drums, bass guitar played by the same guy and sometimes by Axel himself, and a guy on what seemed to be a Rolland.

He played pretty much the same stuff as last time I saw him. Some songs off From Here, some songs of a new EP he recently put out, and the moving remix of Annie's Heartbeat. The best moment of the show was reached when he played The Little Heart Beats So Fast and Everday... I couldn't keep the excitement those two songs were giving me and join the few people dancing on the next to the floor. The Field's music is ambiguous to me... I don't know if I want to chill with it or dance it like in a rave. Last Friday I did both and it felt good. I hope he keeps touring with a band and develop his sound around it. [photos of the show]

♫♫♫♫

Were you at the show? How did you like it?

The Field Links: Official Website, Wikipedia, MySpace, at Kompakt Records

M.I.A. @ McCarren Pool - Fri Jun 06, 2008

I fly like paper I get high like planes

M.I.A. is more than ready to take over the world. She can headline Madison Square Garden any day now and I am sure the show would sell out. Move over Madonna, there is a new queen in town.


Madonna is a suitable icon to compare M.I.A. to, merely because of her audience. Lots of gays were out in Brooklyn on Friday night having a great time. I was one of them even though I was not 100% into the show. At the moment I had a nice reason for not losing all my shit, like I did last time I saw her, but right now I kind of regret it. I should have got closer to the stage, dance as I always do without paying attention who was around me, and being more myself. M.I.A. gave almost everything of her it was just fair I had done the same, but I didn't. It seems I should not go out in a date to see one of my favorite artists. I wasn't paying enough attention to her to enjoy her fully and it seems things went wrong with the guy I went out with cause there's no sign of a second date. Bad luck, I wish I could change both because both are pretty nice.

In Madonna style, M.I.A. dresses up nicely, wears a white hair wig (thanks!), and now has a lot of people on stage, although not all of them are experienced dancers. She keeps having one backup singer, inviting people on stage to dance (which is getting kind of bad for the flow of the show), and a DJ to play her beats and samples. I do not really know how much M.I.A. actually does on stage besides singing, which she is doing perfectly fine anyway, but I was wondering. Is she still using the famous Rolland 505 she started with for Arular?

The stage looked like the stage of a play telling a story of a modern queen in Ghana. Tropical palms, everybody wearing multicolored clothes, and visuals on three big screens made me feel that way. The show once again started with the one and only Bamboo Banga, the track that made me fall in love instantly with Kala, the best song to start an album, and now a show. M.I.A. played all of her hits, that is almost all of her songs, but little details were missing for me. It's not that she has to play the same tricks for every show, but last time I saw her she played snippets of New Order's Blue Monday and Eurythmics's Sweet Dreams before and/or during a couple of her own songs and it was so much fun that I was expecting that kind of game on Friday too. Never happened, besides the known sample of Pixies' Where is My Mind she has in $20. Instead she blended her own songs like in a mixtape and sometimes it sounded disconnected.

For the encore Afrikan Boy showed up to sing Hussel with Maya and the show was over with Paper Planes. Something cool that happened for that song was that lots of people on stage were given actual paper planes and they started throwing them to the crowd. It was a fun way to end the show... why hadn't she done it before? [photos of the show]

♫♫♫♫

Were you at the show? How did you like it?

M.I.A. Links: Stream Kala, Official Website, MySpace, Wikipedia, YouTube, Pitchfork interviews M.I.A. (2007), Pitchfork interviews M.I.A. (2005)

Quiet Village @ Cielo - Mon Jun 02, 2008

Quiet

I didn't take pictures at this show because it was not necessary. Quiet Village gave me past Monday the most boring show I have ever been to in my life. In fact, it wasn't a show. The two guys just pressed play on an iTunes in their computer and on dvd player, chatted behind the decks, and once in a while checked whether the volume was right or not. I was lucky of finding a place where to sit without having to order a bottle (I was at Cielo), where to close my eyes and at least try to enjoy the music I like from their debut album Silent Movie. I would have been more comfortable in my apartment with my stereo on. Good album and very poor live show, if that is to be called like that.

♫♪

Were you at the show? How did you like it?

Quiet Village Links: Official Website, MySpace

Apparat @ Knitting Factory - Sun May 25, 2008

We are from Germany, btw

Apparently this was the concert to be at for the "in the known" German community living in NYC. They did not go to listen to Apparat, they went to be seen (and scene) and to annoy me. From what I heard, when people shut the f*ck up, Apparat put on a good show bringing some of his contributions to Orchestra of Bubbles and his own Walls to life.


Apparat's live show this time comprised three people: Mr. Sascha Ring, most of the time on guitar and synths, and two German guys, one pretty good at the drums and the other one on keyboards and helping with vocals.

Everything Apparat played off Walls sounded on point, especially its stand out Arcadia, but their best moment that night was definitely when they played Orchestra of Bubbles' Rotary. I gotta say that I am loving those Bubbles way too much. I though The Knife was the best electronica release of 2006, but I have been having a lot of doubts lately about that. Seriously. Anyway, yeah, that song was the best.


Sometimes the show sounded like a rock show with plenty of guitar distortion, something I was not expecting for a dance act. Sascha seemed to enjoy those solo moments tho. Maybe Apparat live is not a dance act. His sound live is definitely much closer to the warm Walls, than to the boombastic Orchestra of Bubbles. I gotta admit I was expecting more of the latter, but once the show got shape I fully realized it was not going to be an Ellen Allien & Apparat show and took the best out of it, despite of the annoying German audience. [photos of the show]

♫♫♫♫

Were you at the show? How did you like it?

Apparat Links: Stream Walls, Stream Orchestra of Bubbles, Official Website, MySpace, Wikipedia

Black Moth Super Rainbow / Subtle @ Knitting Factory - Fri May 23, 2008

Black Moth Super Subtle

I usually do not review the opening bands of the shows I attend, but this time, having the hard work of opening for the very alive band Subtle, it would be stupid to deny how mind blowing Black Moth Super Rainbow were.

[Black Moth Super Rainbow][Subtle]

These two bands are not characterized for playing pleasant music for everybody. Black Moth Super Rainbow plays something I like to call electronic folk, with plenty of vocoder, and Subtle a very original mix of hip-hop and rock, let's say hip rock. To my ears, their best albums are their new ones, Dandelion Gum and Exiting Arm, respectively, and some of the most underrated recent releases that come to my mind (although Subtle's is very very new, but as with their previous albums I am sure it will be ignored by mostly everybody). But I guess if you are reading this you probably have heard of them already, maybe own some of their albums, and want to know how the tour is going. I am going to be brief cause I have another show tonight. In short words: It is going great, you gotta see BMSR asap and I think I missed one rapper in Subtle's lineup.

BMSR got on stage with a lot of equipment, this time with a couple of girls, one playing drums and the other one playing synthesizers, and four guys, one on bass, one on guitar (and a huge metal plate), one on keyboards, and the singer on the vocoder. It was seriously good. Most of the time I just closed my eyes and let myself travel in a gigantic gum bubble. I think their forthcoming free show at McCarren Pool, under the sun with a cool Brooklyn lager, will be one of the best shows of the summer.


Subtle was very good too, although not as moving to me as the opener, even tho they don't lack of energy and sweat . On stage they were a guy on manual drum machines, a drummer, a guy with an electric cello and Doseone, their frontman, on keyboards, samples and the craziest vocals you are to hear this year. Man, the guy has the sickest tongue around. Ah I almost forgot, Tunde (of TV on the Radio) showed up to back Doseone on vocals for one song, and "Hour Hero Yes" was present too. I have recently had on repeat their awesome Exiting Arm and comparing to that I think on record there is one more person rapping back and forth sometimes with Doseone, but that persone was not two days ago there. I heard about a van accident a couple of years ago, which left one of the Subtle guys quadriplegic... maybe that is that guy.


This gotta be the worst review I have ever writtien, especially for such a good show, but I gotta go to see Apparat (and Telefon Tel Aviv). [photos of the show]

♫♫♫♫♪

Were you at the show? How did you like it?

Sutble Links: Stream For Hero: For Fool, Official Website, MySpace, Wiki
Black Moth Super Rainbow Links: Stream Dandelion Gum, Official Website, MySpace, Wiki

Hercules & Love Affair @ Studio B - Sat May 17, 2008

You Belong

If you follow dance music in NYC, then we were sometime in the same place, Studio B, on Saturday night, or you got sick drunk at the GBH anniversary party at Webster Hall and didn't make it to Greenpoint. Hercules & Love Affair played their first official show in support of their self-titled (awesome) debut album and it wasn't bad for a beginning.


After a painful waiting until 1:10 am or so, the band took the stage wearing oversized hercules tees with the word "banjee" stamped across in the middle, with a couple of trumpets, couple of synthesizers, drums, bass, H&LA's mastermind Andrew Butler behind synthesizers, keyboards and who knows what else, and two of the three H&LA's cool singers: Kim Ann and Nomi (no, Antony was not there). It's pretty funny tho, H&LA features a mix of cool homosexuals, or at least they look like them: Andy has the looks of a gay bear type, Kim is a girl in need of some dancing classes, who probably likes girls, and Nomi, well, she is the hottest transsexual I've seen in a long time. Ah yeah, she sings pretty well, and amazingly, she can pull Antony's vocals off when he is not on board, which is both not an easy job at all and will happen a lot.


Show started slow with True False/Fake Real, which closes Hercules & Love Affair (have I mentioned already how good this album is?). It was clear that the band hadn't been playing live. Both Kim and Nomi sang here. Kim initially looked timid and dancing awkwardly, asking permission to one leg to move the other one, but I guess it all was understandable nervousism. Her moves won me over shortly after though. Next Kim gave so much of her in Shadows, Blind's B-side, that her moves then looked cute to me. Her singing was great. I hadn't heard that song before, like mostly everybody else in the room because no one was really dancing or singing yet, just staring at the good interpretation, but it was so good that I am so buying that single when it comes out here, if ever.

The very sensual Nomi was a different story... she knows how to dance in short sexy outfits. It wasn't until hints of Blind, the best dance track of this 2008, were played that excitement was all over the club. Definitely, the decidable moment of the show. It was meant to make the statement of whether Nomi was going to suck taking over Antony's vocals or not. She surely did not suck tho, she was fantastic and looked great at it. Look, she even changed her dress along the show... very old style. She's a diva:


Later, when she sang Belong I fully realized she was indeed the voice behind that track on H&LA. Like her looks, she definitely sounds like a man with a soft voice or a girl with a thicker one... a really good one for disco style.

I thought the show was too short, but now that I look at the set list it wasn't really that short for a band with just one album... maybe I feel that way because the album is so good that you want to hear live all of it. This is what they played:

True False/Fake Real
Shadows
Blind
I'm Telling You
Athene
Classique #2 (really good!)
Precious Little Diamond (a cover of Fox the Fox's?)
You Belong
Raise Me Up
--
Hercules Theme

There were two new songs to my ears, two songs that are not on H&LA: I'm Telling You and Precious Little Diamond. I don't remember how good Precious was, and in fact whether it was a cover or not (?), but I'm telling you, I'm Telling You was excellent. So, where can I find that song?

Overall it was a good show with some weak moments. Sound was not the best, there were several technical problems in between songs, Kim didn't do a great job singing Raise Me Up (understandable too because no one else has Antony's tubes!), Hercules Theme was too slow for my groove and sounded like if it were being dragged to be played (although the brass section was excellent and was more notable here), and well, Antony was not there.


I am sure next time they play their city again after their extensive European tour, they will sound much more tight and hopefully we will have all my three new favorite queers on stage. [photos of the show]

♫♫♫♫

Were you at the show? How did you like it?

Hercules & Love Affair Links: Stream Hercules & Love Affair, Official Website, MySpace, YouTube, Wikipedia

The Long Blondes @ Bowery Ballroom - Fri May 16, 2008

Guilt

I wanted to blame Elron Alkan for how weak The Long Blondes' second album sounds, by coming to their show on support of Couples and seeing how they would rock the new songs out live. Unfortunately, it seems it wasn't Elron's fault.


Couples does indeed have several weak songs, and they sound even weaker next to their older stuff live. Long Blondes started ironically (or not?) with an almost non energetic Here It Comes the Serious Bit. Too serious perhaps guys? That song is one my favorite songs on Couples but live didn't translate as expected. Guilt, I Liked the Boys, Too Clever By Half, and Erin O'Connor are my other favorite ones and thankfully had better luck. Actually the very simple and interesting Too Clever By Half kicked ass.

Their old stuff still sounds fresh and as you can see below, there were plenty of good songs to help assimilate the other ones:

Here Comes The Serious Bit
Weekend Without Makeup
Autonomy Boy
Round The Hairpin
Erin O'Connor
Separated By Motorways
I Liked The Boys
Century
Too Clever By Half
You Could Have Both
The Couples
Once And Never Again
Guilt
I'm Going To Hell
Giddy Stratospheres
--
Lust In The Movies

but overall it was just OK. Are the Long Blondes let down? maybe disappointed that people are not responding the way they want to their new material? I hope the low sales don't discourage them of keep it going because even tho Couples is/was not a successful second album, at least it shows us they don't want to get stuck and keep evolving. See you next time for your third album... hopefully. [photos of the show]


Ah I almost forgot. The asshole that Long Blondes have as a keyboard guy/guitarist ate a banana on stage in the middle of a song and threw the peel to us. Some of it got sticked to my friend's glasses. What was that supposed to mean? that he rocks? that he is the most stupid fan of Velvet Underground? He apologized a bit later, but it was already too late... you suck big time dude.

♫♫♫♪

Were you at the show? How did you like it?

The Long Blondes Links: Stream Couples, Stream a sampler of Someone to Drive You Home, Official Website, MySpace, Wikipedia, YouTube

Animal Collective @ Electric Factory (Philly) - Wed Apr 23, 2008

Grass

Animal Collective has seven studio albums and one live album. That comprises quite a lot of songs. However, out of thirteen (or fifteen, depending on how you count them) songs they played to a very young crowd in their only (indoors) east coast show of their 2008, only five of them have seen the light on a CD or vinyl. The other eight are some of the songs they are rightfully creating right now for some to be part of another future masterpiece.


This show had a "special show" sign all over the place. Seriously, it was ridiculous. First, as a Collective, these Animals surprised us all by playing an edited version of the beautiful Pandar Bear's Comfy in Nautica as their second song into the set. Second, they showed all the kids in the audience why Leaf House is remembered (and will be) by many older ones as one of the best songs ever. Third, these geniuses smoothly mixed a reinterpretation of Essplode in the middle of Fireworks, giving a lot of sense to both song titles, and Fourth, and my personal favorite during the night, they finally played Grass again!

I am not a single kind of guy but after downloading one day Leaf House and Grass some three years ago I had to go out to the store to buy a couple of, nowadays, my favorite records of this decade, Sung Tongs and Feels. I've got to hear Leaf House live several times now, but it was a quite a treat to finally hear Grass as the last song in their encore. Avey was turning 29 years old that same night and instead of getting a gift from us I think he gave us one. Thanks.


Strawberry Jam came out last year, topped my two favorite AC albums, but after the last three times I have had the pleasure of seeing this band live, it is clear that the Jam is now part of an old past. All those four moments I mentioned above happened in between eight new songs, eight excellent new songs from which some will make it to thenew album, which I hope comes out sooner than expected. I can confidently say that at least on my books, and I am usually not too wrong about predictions, that album is gonna be their best one yet.

I recognized six of those eight songs and they have found their way to the internet, as a video or an MP3. Man, they are so fresh and genuine to me that whoever is still reading this really needs to spend some more time listening to them, the future: Bearhug (or Walk Around), House (or Material Things), Song For Ariel (via Funeral Pudding), Daily Routine (Via Funeral Pudding), Brother Sport and Grace.


Animal Collective is not only writing the present but making scratches of the future too. Go out and see them, go out and see one of (my) the best bands of this decade. [photos of the show]

♫♫♫♫♫

Were you at the show? How did you like it?

Animal Collective Links: Stream Water Curses EP, Stream Strawberry Jam, Stream/Download this show (10/01/07), Stream Animal Collective in Concert (Washington D.C.), Stream Feels, MySpace, Domino Records, YouTube, Pitchfork interviews the Collective.