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MSTRKRFT hit Holocene

So was last Saturday at Holocene a battle of the laptops? Not so much. Things got started with just a solo DJ in the foyer area in front of the bar. There wasn't a laptop in sight as he just spun with decks and there really weren't many people in sight either, let alone people dancing. Already open and going on for over an hour at that point, people sat at tables against the walls in conversation as a lone dancer took to the dance-floor. It was awkward.

Then Copy took to the stage. He who is "Portland's Best Band" according to Willamette Week played a set slightly under an hour in the regular portion of Holocene which hadn't been open prior. Breaking out his keytar and with the assistance of his laptop and some bright and lively logoed projections his set was fairly energetic, but sounded like a less-involved Metronomy. So much of the energy of his recorded output was lost on the dance-floor that was very near vacant, but also very near full. Full of all the people there, but because it was a less than half capacity crowd there were still many gaps, which on the upside allowed for some people to reach their dancing potential by being able to use the extra space in the process.

Very near midnight I spied Mr. Brace Paine, who introduced himself as Nathan, and talked to him a bit.

Finally MSTRKRFT took to the stage and eased into the sound that defines their debut album The Looks. Lyric-less dance music that instantly moved the masses. The crowd had filled out a bit more and now the only gaps on the dance-floor were those against the wall, spots previously littered with onlookers who had now joined in.

They were more house and club, rather than the electro that their myspace profile also pegs them as. Aside from a set heavy on lyric-less tunes, they also didn't communicate too much with the crowd, but it didn't too much matter either way. They certainly and undisputedly brought the cool.
After their set they headed over to Dunes to play their after-show party alongside Mr. Brace Paine from 2:30 on. I didn't end up going unfortunately as I was too cheap to shell out for a cab and caught the last bus home instead.

'Fist' Copy MP3

'Woman' MSTRKFT Wolfmother Remix MP3

Homework to seek and download:
1. Why did they form a DJ trio with Brace Paine?
2. What is that song I keep hearing on that commercial that sounds like DFA1979, but not quite?
3. Wait someone has remixed a MSTRKRFT song?

Homework hints:
1. What band is he who is Paine in?
2. Duh
3. The answer is in their myspace top 16 or 24 or whatever. . .

So behind the times in so many ways

(Taken when I saw them at Roskilde¹ in Denmark in 2004)

So I have about a million and one things to post, but this is my last week at my current job so I've been going on overdrive in that field right now tieing up all loose ends.

But the very first thing I need to post is the fact that I need to buy TV on the Radio's new(-ish) album! I'm listening to track one 'I Was a Lover' right now and it's killing everything I've heard in the past month, if not more. Well maybe not killing (since they are poetically unagressive) so much as it's an awakening.

I'm well aware of the leaks, but they are one of those bands that I can't download. I've read all the blog postings about Return to Cookie Mountain's greatness, gawked at the HORRIFIC DIW cover² (and accompanying article), and basically held my breath of whether or not I truly wanted to hear it beyond the tracks on their myspace as I'm always so nervous about newer albums after I've fallen so in love with the ones previous. Basement Jaxx buck the trend every time and so far, now on to track four, so have TV on the Radio.

This album is a statement of their invincibility.

So I could go on to describe how amazing their lyrics are and the fantastical images they inspire. Talk about the rhythm, the hum of life in the tracks, and it's absolute dancable-ness or I could create a tale of analogy:

Imagine if you were a sock in a public laundry mat. All your life you've been hearing about this other world where solo socks go on their journey of self-discovery and because your wearer is afraid of being left with single socks as everytime she goes to the laundry mat a sock disappears, she saves you away; worn, but still unwashed. You are the last of her remaining pairs; especially special since you're argyle and above all you're her lucky socks.
Finally she can't hold out any longer and must take you and your doppelganger to the laundry mat and upon entering the tumble dryer it's not so much of an escape as it is a return to a home you never knew, but always felt inside.

That's this album.

Every song from 'Playhouses' to 'Dirtywhirl' and beyond.

'Dirtywhirl' TV on the Radio MP3

Got it as a review disc and will be buying a copy on the asap.

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/tvotr

Flickr: David Sitek's holgaroid-centric flickr

¹Second item

² It was a million times darker after being printed (as opposed to a digital file) so the members basically became indistinguishable

Umm. . . I love him?

I heart Tim Harrington!

Especially beginning around 3:30. I wish he'd host a show called Homes Fabulous for cable acess and tour musician's homes and talk about architecture and also have between 3 and 5 costume changes per episode. And maybe host annual specials on festival sites and concert venues. Tim and porta potties? That would be priceless! Maybe he could also re-enact the dodge ball game at McCarren Pool, but provide serious commentary about the site while doing so.

In Grizzly Bear's Den

So I missed half of Grizzly Bear's set due to the LONGEST line EVER at the box office. The woman who runs it, aside from being slow, is also incredibly rude.
In front of me the girl from Wet Confetti stood with her partner of the night. Had I actually said to her "Hey you-girl who carries an axe in Wet Confetti!" I wonder if it would've been the first time she was recognized on the street by someone who has never seen them or heard a song of theirs.
Anyway-luckily I didn't miss my favorite two songs, as they were launching into 'Knife' the moment I propelled myself to the front of the stage. I was the only one singing along from what I could hear.

They closed the set with 'On a Neck, On a Spit' to which you could hear a few more voices from the audience chiming in. Their version that night was a treat! They added many more lyrics in the beginning-almost turning it into a new song. Basically a 'Good Night' version of the song as that's what many of their new lyrics had to do with.

Lead singer Ed Droste mentioned he had a cousin in Portland who often tried to convince him to move to Portland. He also remarked that Portland and New York are the best cities in the US. I would agree and also tack on San Francisco.
In the end I desperately wanted to pursue graphic novels so that I could draft a tale of kidnapping all four and having them live with me from then on. And singing renditions of the old-skool version of 'Marla' since my voice sounds a lot like hers.
Please someone file a restraining order against me before they have to!

John Peel Day 2005

On this Day. . . October 13th 2005
I landed in London around noon on the 13th after my 10 day trip back to Portland and for once didn't immediately pass out from the time difference-though I couldn't afford to either as I didn't have a tenner for a hostel. So of course I booked it to Bayswater, ate, then got on the internet. I did some other stuff, then got on the internet again and saw a myspace bulletin about a free Test Icicles show.
So I logged off and headed for the east end and couldn't find the show for about a half hour-Shoreditch my ass-it was almost in Hackney (well not quite, but...) Finally I heard all of Sam's screaming and found the place after asking multiple police for directions. The store's manager let me around back so I wouldn't have to fight my way through the jam packed street and door way.

It was the best they've ever played-it could've almost been another band. They did four songs, cut most of their usual crap which I'm not sure I liked- I mean I LOVED when they were ear splitting bad- and then ended their JPD set with a cover. Channel 4 was there, NME was there, and so was this guy.
I booked it out immediately after this crazy creepy guy would not leave me alone and started singing MC5 songs to me because of my shirt and then started harassing the band.

'Circle Square Triangle' Test Icicles MP3

Patrick Wolf tie in

Here is Patrick Wolf, in a clip for Channel 4, playing the song 'Bluebells' off his forth-coming album The Magic Position. The clip sings for itself.

And ties into yesterday's post on Lightspeed Champion, Klaxons, and Acid Slutz through the photo below

And ties into the post the day before because Patrick is singing with sister Jo Apps in the clip above who gets love from Grizzly Bear on their blog (coincidentlly alongside Jitset-member of Acid Slutz).

The tie in comes full circle

Go listen to a clip of Patrick's latest single 'Accidents and Emergencies'
As a fan, I was a bit paranoid after hearing it that everything on the new album would be happy and he's oh so good when not always happy, but after hearing 'Bluebells' it has made it even easier to embrace 'Accidents and Emergencies'.

Lightspeed Champion sure gets around

So immediately after watching this I had a dream where a supposed friend of mine planned a horrendous birthday party for me. Both in the dream and real life she is a supposed friend and in the dream she asked what I wanted. I gave a precise list and then she goes and arranges a slumber party in my former elementary school Edwards. That would be great, only it's her plan to show horror movies-which is the opposite of great. The second the guy comes out in the ski mask on screen I am screaming and screaming, so the party immediately switches to live entertainment. Only it's my least favorite band (I can't remember who, but it surprisingly wasn't Weezer).
Anyway, with enough protest, I get my way and Klaxons come out to close out my party at midnight. Mind you in my dream this is all occuring in Portland. Yeah. . . so close to reality.

So here is Dev, ex-Test Icicles as he's so frequently billed on every DJing flyer known to man in London (Nambucca, People Are Germs, Cyrille Regis, Spiel Club). He's performing above with Klaxons, in which resides one of his good friends Simon.

Here he is with Whirlwind Heat. They toured with Test Icicles earlier this year in the UK.

'How Do You Do' Lightspeed Heat MP3

Oh god-and Acid Slutz too. Best give up while ahead. I'd be here all day listing all his collaborations and projects, all of which sadly no longer includes Naked Babes.

Myspace: www.myspace.com/lightspeedchampion

Dreaming of a Yellow House

Photo Courtesy of Benny Post

The other night I had a dream about Grizzly Bear. While in reality their album steam was available for preview at many sites, my subconscious dreamt a whole new way to listen before it's release.
Influenced in part by their album cover, in my dream, Grizzly Bear all lived together in a house on Cannon Beach. Just before the release of their album Yellow House (named for their Cannon Beach retreat) they left the house unlocked and set their album up to play 24 hours a day for a full month and people could just walk in and stay there and listen to it and leave on their own accord. The thought behind it was to do something different and also since the house had such an impact on their recording if the album, it would bring listeners more in tune with their objective.
Well me being poor, I ended up staying there the whole month being the only one to do so and slept in the bedroom. Few people came in and the night I had a friend sleep over we got robbed. The burglar took all of my friends' expired film that he was using for a special project and we didn't mention my polaroid film because I couldn't afford for it to be taken.
Later came a call that I had to get all my belongings out of my former house mates basement, so I rode in a washed up refrigerator that I found on the beach all the way to Portland to collect it. After telling her about the ride, she joined me back to Cannon Beach in it, and then I used it to go back to Portland to go to a Scissor Sister's concert.
Only when I got there, each time I took a photo, it erased the last photo I had taken, so I came away with no photos of the show.
How this kinda relates to reality:
When I saw Grizzly Bear support TV on the Radio last week I was surprised by how few people knew them prior to the show. Like I am aware that not everyone in the world knows who they are, but I really expected the TVotR crowd to know them-similar audience, and very few people sang along to 'On a Spit, on a Neck' and after the show people were singing their praises and talking about how they had never heard of them. That kinda plays in with very few people visiting the house in my dream to listen to the album.
My friend in the dream was the guy from Goodbye Lenin, which I had just finished watching that night.
The polaroids because I am doing a polaroid project and I am too poor to replace any film after that.
Then last week I had one of my most horrendous concert going experiences attempting to see Scissor Sisters, and even though I was supposed to be able to take photos, I left with three away from none at all.

Anyway-it took along time, but here is the track:
'On a Neck, On a Spit' Grizzly Bear MP3
Chosen because while I'd LOVE to post 'Plans' this is the only track they've given away for free and I don't quite feel in the mood for redistributing Grizzly Bear's other music for free without consent. Them and Patrick Wolf.

More Cowbell: Scissor Sister's Throw Back Out (Serves them right)

Myspace: Grizzly Bear
Hint Hint: Listen to 'Plans'

Grown and Sexy Podcast: I'm 21 today!

So I have a million and one posts to do/back date, but I thought I could almost be on schedule for this one-my birthday podcast.

Tracklisting:
'Mary Jane' - Jitset
'Sexy Results' - Death From Above 1979
'Pop the Glock' - Uffie (of course :)
'NY Excuse' - Justice Remix
'Born of a Star' - Holy Hail
'Gold Lion' - Yeah Yeah Yeahs Diplo Remix
'Sexy Back' - Justin vs. Metronomy Tyler Fedchuk Mix
'Golden Skans' - Klaxons
'Tight Fit' - New Young Pony Club

Download Podcast (in MP3 format)

I started compiling it forever ago then realized today it was my birthday and ran it through GarageBand, though I would've liked to take a lot more time to add other tracks that fit with it, the title, my birthday, and favorite songs period. Oh well-that's procrastination.
So I lost my passport and birth certificate so I have nothing that proves I'm 21, so I won't be going out to any bars. Of course it would happen to me. I don't even drink, but there are quite a few over 21 shows I was expecting to go to!! Both tomorrow and later in the month. So long Beirut and MSTRKRFT. Maybe fate will intervene and it won't take four weeks for my new birth certificate as California State's website says. Well, first I have to send off for one. . .
Art Brut are playing-woulda been my sixth time seeing them, but alas birthdays SUCK and I'm not going, though I may catch the show in Seattle this Saturday. Staying in to watch Grey's Anatomy which I've recently started obsessing over and spending the night with John Stamos care of ER. My life is not sad.
Also, I'm throwing this one out on it's own cos it didn't fit, but needs to be there:

'Still Take You Home' Arctic Monkeys MP3

My other favorite birthday podcast:
Smashed Robot: Congratulating myself on turning 26
I heart that 'Hanging on the Telephone' was included.

October 5th is America's Most Popular Birthday!