New Ladyhawke Music Video: Magic

Ladyhawke is back with another visual stunner for the Depeche Mode-esque track Magic. Ladyhawke’s self-titled debut album was re-released last month with 6 Bonus tracks and can be purchased HERE. Check out our review of Ladyhawke’s NYC debut performance at Bowery Ballroom earlier this year HERE.

MP3: Ladyhawke – My Delirium or zShare

Fall – Winter 09 Concert Selections

Florence and the Machine (Press)

Now that summer and festival season is officially over, it’s time for the new round of gigs. Some of our favorite artists are coming back to town, while  for some this will be the FIRST time playing New York! Check out our short long list of  selections for the must-see gigs of the Fall – Winter season. This list is for announced non-CMJ gigs, don’t miss out!

MP3: Horrors – Scarlet Fields or zShare
MP3: Girls – Hellhole Ratrace or zShare
MP3: Florence and the Machine – My Best Dress or zShare
MP3: Soulico – Exotic on the Speaker (Feat. Rye Rye) or zShare

• Bebel Gilberto
  

September 29 at 7:30PM, 9:30PM,  The Box, $25

• The Horrors w/ Crocodiles, Black Diamond Heavies
  

October 16 8PM, Music Hall of Williamsburg, $17

• La Roux w/ Body Language
  

October 26 at 9PM, Highline Ballroom, $15

• The Gossip w/ Apache Beat, MEN
  

October 9 at 8PM, Terminal 5, $30

• Hard NYC: Crookers, Major Lazer, Rusko, Jack beats, Destructo
  

October 10 at 8PM, Terminal 5, $30

• Ravonettes w/ The Black Angels

October 14 at 8PM, Webster Hall, $22 & October 18

• Florence and the Machine
  

October 27 at 8PM,  Bowery Ballroom, $15

• Girls w/ Real Estate

  

  The Rakes at Bowery Ballroom, 4.6.09

November 6 at 8PM, Bowery Ballroom, $15

• Modeselektor

November 7 at 8PM, Music Hall of Williamsburg, $23

• Soulico

November 7 at 7:30PM, Mercury Lounge, $10

• Peter, Bjorn & John w/ Perro Del Mar
  

November 10 at 8PM, Terminal 5, $30

• The xx w/ Jon Hopkins
  

November 11 at 8PM, Bowery Ballroom, $15

• The Cribs

November 12 at 8PM, Bowery Ballroom, $20

• White Denim w/ Brazo, My Mind

November 12 at 8PM, Music Hall of Williamsburg, $15

• The Rakes w/ Free Energy

November 12 at 8PM, Highline Ballroom, $15

• Peaches w/ Amanda Blank, MEN
  

November 14 at 8PM, Terminal 5, $25

• Band of Skulls

November 15 at 8:30PM, Music Hall of Williamsburg, $15

• Art Brut
  

November 15 at 7:30PM, Bowery Ballroom, $18 & November 13

• The Big Pink w/ Crystal Antlers, Von Haze
  

December 3 at 8PM, Bowery Ballroom, $15 & December 4

• Friendly Fires w/ The xx
  

December 5  at 8PM, Webster Hall, $20

The Drums at Mercury Lounge

The Drums at Mercury Lounge, 9.22.09

I’ve been dancing around my apartment to The Drums all summer, especially after catching their gig with Ebony Bones at Bowery Ballroom. Since that show in July, the duo has since expanded their live band and released a brand new EP called Summertime!

After seeing Jennifer’s Body (a must!!) we jetted downtown to Mercury Lounge to catch the band’s 10PM set on Tuesday night. The short and sweet set included current single I Felt So Stupid, Let’s Go Surfing, Me and the Moon and others from the new EP.

Next up the band flies across the Atlantic to play some important gigs including Reykjavik’s Iceland Airwaves, 2 Manchester gigs and 2 London gigs including Koko for Club NME. Be sure to catch the band when they’re in town if you’re up for a night of great catchy pop music  delivered most enthusiastically.

MP3: The Drums – The Drums  -  Don’t Be a Jerk, Jonny or zShare

Artist Spotlight & Interview: Vuk

Who is warming up the stage for Fever Ray?

You may not be entirely sure who you will be seeing onstage before Fever Ray’s set come Monday and Tuesday nights at Webster Hall. But here I am to shed some light on the artist that Karin Dreijer Andersson herself handpicked to open the Fever Ray tour, Vuk.

I discovered Vuk a few months back randomly on MySpace Music, and after some research on the elusive Fever Ray tour discovered that Emily Cheeger aka Vuk was in fact supporting the tour! As a Finnish-American artist, Vuk’s avant-garde musical melting pot of worldly influences will be a great introduction to Fever Ray’s ethereal live show. Enjoy our in-depth interview with Emily which forced me think about and break down music to it’s most simplistic form and logic. Music for the brain and for the ears, quite refreshing! Be sure to get to Webster Hall early for this rare solo set!

MP3: Vuk – The Arm of Spirits or zShare

> As a Finnish –American artist, is it hard for you to decide which route to take a song as far as language?
EC: No, not really. I do things pretty intuitively and writing in English has always come naturally, probably because many of the artists that have inspired me have written their songs in English. I tend to think of Finnish as a language that works really well for me in poetry and prose, but less so in songs. That’s just a personal preference. I’ve always had the advantage of being fully bilingual, giving me the freedom to choose without losing anything in expressive capacity as far as vocabulary is concerned.

> On your tour with Fever Ray you will be playing a solo set. How did this pairing come about and how do you anticipate being onstage without your band?
EC: The touring opportunity felt like synchronicity to be honest.  I feel very, very lucky. I had been listening to the Fever Ray album all spring and felt strongly that she was a kindred spirit. We had never met but I had singled her out in my mind as a new artist I’d like to play a show with perhaps more than anyone else. I think we approach music in a similar way. It’s as if we inhabit different parts of the same subconscious dream landscape. Last spring, out of the blue there was an email from Fever Ray’s manager in my inbox offering me the opening slot for the tour. I think Karin heard my music through her band member and producer, Van Rivers, who was given my album by a friend in the industry.

The first years I spent making music under the name “Vuk” were as a one-woman band so I’ve done plenty of playing alone in the past. Back then I had a sampler, scrap metal instruments and what I did was a whole lot more unhinged and noisy with lots of vocal acrobatics. I really love my band, we have great chemistry and bring out the best in one another but I’m excited by the challenge of having to win over a large audience all on my own. Maybe I’ll get to bring my band next time!

I want to create something original and honest in which the various elements influencing the music sort of melt together beyond direct references into something greater than the sum of its parts.

> What can we expect from your show?
EC: It’s going to be me, my portable pump organ and an autoharp with some (I hope) judiciously used effects. I opted against including any backing tracks, even if it means ditching the more obviously rhythmic elements and deeper bass frequencies of the songs, because I think the music will come across best if it’s performed completely live.

> Scandinavian artists have become so important to art/indie-pop music today with some of my favorite artists at the forefront. Why do you think this crossover has been so successful into American culture?
EC: Well, I think a lot of the Scandinavian artists that have gotten attention in the States are Swedish and they have a long tradition of making popular music in a very professional, fastidious way. They’re well-organized about it, and think their musical concepts through very carefully. They are real music fans and are good at promotion. The important thing is that they have a strong sense of the times and aren’t afraid to make true pop music that’s catchy, sophisticated and up-to-date. At the same time it has an outsider twist that gives their music an additional element you don’t always find in the US, Jenny Wilson and Fever Ray are good examples of this. From Finland, the stuff I hear talked about most is the experimental bands on the Fonal label. Their music is a good deal more DIY, but again there are elements there, a certain organic texture, a particular kind of soulfulness which may or may not spring from a  common “Nordic” mentality that people find interesting.  I’m not sure any of this applies to what I do because I’m a mutt who never really lived anywhere for more than a few years at a time.

> In your bio you are quoted as saying “Rules are made to be broken” and “liking to break habits when you get too comfortable.” What are some rules you feel restrain the musicians of our time?
EC: I think there are a lot of bands surfacing now that operate on a level that defies many of the rules I try to break (so I’m not alone) but mainly I’m just interested in making music that goes beyond conventional genre, song structure, instrumentation, harmony, and that doesn’t amount to meandering, self-indulgent noise. I enjoy structure but  hate predictability and music that feels like it panders to some kind of artificial image or genre expectation – at least when it’s my own music.

Why try to do something that’s been done before, probably much better than you’re doing it? I want to create something original and honest in which the various elements influencing the music sort of melt together beyond direct references into something greater than the sum of its parts. It helps to look for inspiration in unexpected places, surprise myself and create a sense of moving forward as an artist or I get bored with what I’m doing. I like to re-imagine my songs from time to time and pull myself out of my comfort zone. Sort of like what I’m doing on this tour.

I [pay] close  attention to what goes on in the world around me…but they rarely make it into my songs. If there’s one part of my life that I can keep free from contamination by all the shit that goes on, I might as well protect that.

> What are some habits in your music that tend to plague you?

EC: “Plague” is a strong word! Actually, I feel like I’m just coming into myself as a songwriter now and am pretty happy with where my music is heading. One could say my songs have a tendency to be dark and moody and sometimes I wish I could take the whole process a little more lightly instead of writing each song as if it were my last. It slows me down quite a bit. But there are good sides to that, too. It raises the bar.

> Your first record Exile! was released in 2003 and your latest album The Plains was released this year. In what ways do you feel you’ve grown since Exile?

EC: “Exile!” feels like a different lifetime by now. Between those two albums I went through some musical experiences that re-organized everything I knew about music. I’ve been making music all my life in one way or another but have been stubbornly intuitive from the start, perhaps to a fault. What I’ve learned since “Exile!” is to pick rhythm, melody and harmony apart in a way that gives me a better idea of how to get from point”A” to point “Z”.  I’ve learned to delegate some of the playing to other people! I’ve gotten more of a handle on structure and nuance, arrangement  and instrumentation. I think that’s progressed since the recording of “The Plains” in 2007 too. (It took two years to get it released because my original record label flaked out.) I’m really looking forward to making my next album, hopefully early next year.

> There have been some major changes in the world since then, what are some (if any) historical events that have affected your music?

EC: My music relates most directly to my personal experiences so I wouldn’t draw any direct lines between my music and specific events. Of course one can’t help but be affected by the fact that we live in turbulent, apocalyptic times. One can only operate from the perspective of one’s own time. I feel sickened by the general apathy towards the destruction of the environment and the bottomless well of greed and violence that feeds it – man’s stunning capacity for cruelty and selfishness. I try to make a point of paying close  attention to what goes on in the world around me and I do write down my thoughts about these things, but they rarely make it into my songs. If there’s one part of my life that I can keep free from contamination by all the shit that goes on, I might as well protect that. I’d rather write an essay on a historical event or have a meaningful discussion about it, than write a song about it.

Sometimes I wish I could take the whole process a little more lightly instead of writing each song as if it were my last.

> Are you familiar with the 1981 Hungarian animated film Vuk about the cunning fox?

EC: I’m aware of it’s existence but haven’t seen the actual film. That Vuk isn’t related to my artist name and I hadn’t heard of the film when I started using it. I stole the name from a little half-Serbian boy. It’s a common Serbo-Croatian man’s name.

> I hear a little bit of Portishead in the song Flint in the Pines, then baroque-style folk music in others. Can you name a few of the artists that have inspired your work?

EC: Hm, I’ve never considered Portishead to be a significant influence on what I do, though I do enjoy their music. Maybe it’s the theremins in that song? I also don’t think of my music as “folk.” That definition carries some connotations that I don’t really relate to.  It’s an easy label to fall back on if an artist is using a lot of acoustic instrumentation, but I’ve never had a “folk ethos”. I think of my music more or less as experimental rock music. I grew up listening obsessively to Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Einstürzende Neubauten, PJ Harvey, Björk, Diamanda Galás, Prokofjev’s ballets, Debussy’s piano pieces, classical opera and Bulgarian choir music.

I come from a family of classical musicians and the things I was exposed to culturally when I was young were mostly not in the realm of popular culture. I had to discover it on my own, which opened up a whole new world for me. I think I was desperately looking for an alternative to the prim, pious world of concert halls where you’re supposed to take everything really seriously and keep your mouth shut in the presence of artistic genius. With the music that initially inspired me, there was always an element  of breaking the mold, of rebellion, of looking for something new and creating an all-encompassing experience that explores new kinds of instrumentation. Lyrically I’ve been inspired by Modernist authors such as Nabokov, Joyce, Bulgakov and Beckett. Their willingness to re-mold language and grammar in order to speak more directly in the language of the mind really hits home for me. Incidentally one influence Fever Ray and I seem to have in common is the film “Dead Man,” by Jim Jarmusch.

> If you could choose your dream tour of favorite artists on one stage, who would you choose (alive or dead)?

EC: Oh dear. How can I take this and run without sounding totally ridiculous and confusing? There is so much music I love to death out there. Screw it, here goes nothin’. It would have to be a festival with different bands playing in different spaces at different times of the day, à la ATP.

I’d invite a special ensemble to open the evening performing a kind of cantata with Antony Hegarty, Diamanda Galás, Farid el Atrache, Fairouz, Roy Orbison, Blind Willie Johnson, accompanied by an Egyptian musical orchestra and a  late-80’s Bad Seeds. My friend Larkin Grimm, swinging from a trapeze, could alternately breathe fire over the whole scene and sing plaintive arias in a shimmery gown. Björk would perform in a natural cave accompanied by a Kodo drum ensemble, a large gamelan orchestra and the Bulgarian State Radio and Television Women’s Choir with ceiling projections by Pippilotti Rist. On a seashore in the dead of night Dälek, Circle and Cleaning Women would perform, followed by a wild drunken dance party accompanied by the Kocani Orkestar and a terrific ramshackle blues band from Finland called Cosmo Jones Beat Machine. The Velvet Underground and a Fatherfucker-era Peaches would play separately in hot, dark, sticky rooms of their own.

On the seashore in the wee hours, a band from Brooklyn called Preacher and The Knife would lead a percussion performance with Chris Corsano. Then everyone could pass out and be lulled to sleep by Fong Naam, which is a Siamese court music ensemble. The next day, after being woken up to a bright new day by Final Fantasy and Fleet Foxes, the entire man-made part of the festival site would be destroyed by Einstürzende Neubauten in a most glorious and noisy fashion. Then we’d move on to the next town and repeat the whole circus. Sure, why not?

The New Moon Soundtrack Doesn’t Suck

This past Monday the much buzzed-about tracklisting for the new installment in The Twilight series, New Moon was revealed! It’s pretty much every blogger’s wet dream to say the least.  Major kudos to whoever pulled this together! The film is in theatres on November 20th, but the soundtrack will hit stores  on October 20th. I’m probably most excited about the brand new song by Lykke Li who shared the following yesterday on her website:

“It’s true, I’m on the new New Moon Soundtrack with a completely new and exclusive song called ‘Possibility’… I’m really proud of it and hope you will love it and need it. It’s kind of hard talking about it, cause it’s so open and obvious so my best tip is to actually listen to it when you get a chance…. Lay down on a bed and just listen my love.”

New Moon Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Death Cab for Cutie – Meet Me On the Equinox
Band of Skulls – Friends
Thom Yorke – Hearing Damage
Lykke Li – Possibility
The Killers – A White Demon Love Song
Anya Marina – Satellite Heart
Muse – I Belong To You (New Moon Remix)
Bon Iver & St. Vincent – Rosyln
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Done All Wrong
Hurricane Bells – Monsters
Sea Wolf - The Violet Hour
OK Go – Shooting the Moon
Grizzly Bear With Victoria Legrand– Slow Life
Editors – No Sound But the Wind
Alexandre Desplat – New Moon (The Meadow)

MP3: Death Cab for Cutie – All is Full of Love (Bjork Cover) or zShare

TLC vs. Trouble Andrew: Trouble at Terminal 5

Trouble Andrew Backstage at Terminal 5, 6.9.09

Last June I chatted with Trouble Andrew after his set supporting Santigold and Amanda Blank at Terminal 5. It was a scene I’m not entirely used to, but it was cool hanging around with huge entourages backstage that even included Lil’ Jon. Trouble Andrew candidly opened up about touring with Santigold, classifying his music, social networking and keeping up with the blogs.

Since our interview Trouble Andrew has gone on to complete the successful tour with Santigold and Amanda Blank and lend vocals to Mick Boogie’s Peter Bjorn and John mashup album Re-Living Thing. Trouble Andrew’s debut album is available now in a Remastered and Remixed format, be sure to follow him on Twitter.

MP3: Trouble Andrew – Bang Bang (ft. Santogold) or zShare
MP3: Trouble Andrew & GLC: Lay It Down (remixed by The Kickdrums) or zShare

> I just saw your set but in your own words, how would describe your music and live show –
TA: How would you describe it? (laughs)

>How would you describe your own music and your set –
TA: (Laughs) I don’t know man it’s like a combination of early influences of punk rock, pop music and hip hop. I don’t know how to — that really is the fucking toughest question when people ask me that because I really don’t know what to say except that it’s music and I make it. It’s always different and it’s not consistent.

> That’s a good answer. So how has –
TA: …punk rock or douche wave!

> There ya go, ha! How has life been on the road with Amanda Blank and Santigold?
TA: It’s amazing man, it’s been like The Love Tour. Everybody gets along, all of our crews get along. It’s not like being on tour with a band that nobody talks to, you know what I mean? No weird vibes, everyone’s hanging out and going to the club afterward. It’s awesome for me to be able to travel with my girl, you know?

> I first heard you on Santigold’s I’m a Lady and here you are with your first record. How has that journey been?
TA: It’s been interesting. I didn’t plan it, it wasn’t my dream to get into music. It’s been amazing to have something new in my life that I love and with which I can support my friends. It’s great to just continue the ride of being on the road and being creative.

> I read that you were a pro-snowboarder, how did that come about? Did you get a lot of flack when you started to do the music thing?
TA: I think for sure people assume that it’s some kind of gimmick shit but that comes from not really understanding the culture of skateboarding and snowboarding and how it breeds art. It is an art. It’s not like I’m a pro-tennis player or something that was like ‘I have a  fan base and I can do music!’ I just happened to hurt myself snowboarding and the guitar, the interest, and need to occupy my time was there.

I was bored and Santi got me a little 4-track recorder, so I just made all these little songs to kill time. She snuck the tapes out, gave them to producers and they called me and said ‘let’s make this happen.’ I figured I’d make this record and that would it it, I would maybe release this record and give it to the pro-snowboarding community and  friends to use it for video segments. I figured that would be it and I was fine with that.  From there it kinda just turned it what it is.

> I’m just curious as a blogger, do you keep up with what’s hot on the blogs – elbo.ws, Hype Machine. Do you read –
TA: Oh yeah I’ve been to the blogs. I always just go check them out and see what people are saying, it’s funny.

> Was that something you always did before you got into music or did you just –
TA: No never. Even with MySpace, I didn’t understand it at first but once I got it going it was the foundation of music as far as the kids being able to reach me. I try to keep up with what’s cool, I don’t know I’m busy right now…

> I saw your Twitter updates, you’re doing something!
TA: Yeah? You see that, dude that’s good put that down on the record because the label’s always like you need to Twitter! I didn’t really ‘get it’ until a couple of weeks ago. They put it on my phone so I’d be like ‘Yeah I’m doing a show or whatever.’ I didn’t really get how it all worked and didn’t know how to check my messages.

> I didn’t realize ’til months later that you just click the “@”
TA: Exactly, my friends were like ‘Dude you’re wack, I’m going to stop following you because you don’t ever respond!’ But now I’m just getting all this shit figured out. But like I said that stuff is extra, I just wanna be creative and I wish someone else would do it for me

> That’s always secondary, but you should definitely I’m just saying as a –
TA: No I feel you man, and you’re right you have to.  That’s like what I was saying with MySpace, I’m reaching all these kids and they can reach me and now.  I’m getting how the Twitter things works now, at first I was hating on it like who gives a fuck that I’m at lunch with so and so?

> I wonder what will be next! That’s all I’ve got, thanks for your time and enjoy the rest of your night!

NYC2LON Picks Your New Obsession: The Rifles

I’ve known the NYC2LON girls a very very long time. We’ve been going to the same shows since we were youthful whippersnappers and became friends over our shared extreme Anglophilia. Nowawadays they’ve joined the transatlantic cause in the blogosphere as well.  Check out their obsession, The Rifles, a Britpop/mod-revival band from London making their US live debut at 3 NYC shows this week (Mercury Lounge 9/24-9/25, Union Hall 9/26).

Name: Sarah and Rachel, or The Sisters.
Blog: NYC2LON
NYC2LON’s favorite artist: The Rifles
Where they’re from: Chingford, London
Sounds like: Everything you want good music to sound like — rock ‘n’ roll that moves your soul, The Jam before Paul Weller went off and started making boring music…
Why we should be obsessed: Because, after 4+ years of being overly obsessed with them, they seem to finally be trying to break America! We don’t understand why they’re not the biggest band in both the UK and US, and we’re making it our personal mission to change this.
Choice tracks: Every track they’ve ever released, but if we have to be specific: “She’s Got Standards”, “Science Is Violence”, “The Great Escape.”

MP3: The Rifles – Science is Violence or zShare

Lykke Li & Bjorn Spin at Le Poisson Rouge

Thursday night after Esser’s gig at Highline, Lykke Li and Bjorn from Peter Bjorn and John played a special Vice Magazine Fashion Week DJ set at the West Village’s Le Poisson Rouge for Swedish denim brand, Nudie Jeans.

So what if Lykke used CD’s and an iPod, the set was a solid selection of sing-along tunes ranging from Salt & Pepa, M.I.A., The Knife, Missy Elliott and transitioned DJ duties to Bjorn with Madonna’s Vogue.

MP3: Lykke Li – Dance, Dance, Dance (Christian Flores’ Phones Edit) or zShare
MP3: Peter Bjorn & John – Nothing To Worry About (Woodhands Remix) or zShare

Esser at Highline Ballroom

Esser at Highline Ballroom, 9.17.09

We were lucky enough to see Esser’s US debut performance in June at the now defunct New York club Le Royale.  Last week he came back around playing Highline Ballroom for a proper US tour with Datarock, but first we met up before the show for a quick interview (check back soon.) My animated caricature-like perception based on his stage persona was quickly humbled by the soft-spoken, sweatpants and sneakers-wearing Ben Esser.

Karin Park kicked off the night (we unfortunately missed her set but heard it was GREAT) before Esser took the stage at about 10PM.

Highline Ballroom is obviously a much bigger venue than Le Royale but Esser rocked the 30 minute set and worked the somewhat unfamiliar crowd.

This time around it was obvious that Ben was under at lot less pressure, dressing down onstage and having more fun doing so. At one point during the show he joined the crowd with a Heineken (seemingly his drink of choice) in hand and watched his band jam out. Although short and sweet Esser delivered another great set. Hopefully time will give us a much longer set next time.

MP3: Esser – Headlock (The Big Pink Remix) or zShare
MP3: Thecocknbullkid – Kiss Kiss Kill (Esser Remix) or zShare

Goldfrapp Score for Lennon

Yesterday Allison Goldfrapp officially announced via the Goldfrapp blog that they have written the score for the John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy. The film is based on the book Imagine This: Growing Up With My Brother John Lennon written by his half sister Julia Baird.

In the blog, Allison had this to share:
“We are all really excited about going to AbbeyRoad Studios soon to record  the strings with the full orchestra.  The film is closing the London film festival and is premiered on 29th October at Odeon Leicester Square.  Now our work on the film is almost finished, we will carry on writing the  Goldfrapp album.”

Anxiously looking forward to it, and their work on the upcoming Christina Aguilera record! Special thanks to NME and Sheena Beaston for the heads up on this. Check out our review of Goldfrapp last year at Radio City Music Hall HERE.

MP3: John Lennon – Mind Games or zShare
MP3: Goldfrapp -Black Cherry (M83 Remix) or zShare