MIKA MIKO: WE BE XUXA
What is this? It’s Mika Miko, an underground youth punk/noise band from LA that have been turning out no-wave pony funk for the LA rave-up Smell Scene, since 2003. 4 chicks, 1 guy, 4 of whom claim to still live with their folks, who are notorious for playing rowdy free shows at random kids birthday parties in the valley. Classic post punk mixed with a little art punk, some B52’s base lines, 1970s fractured dance beats, jagged guitars, raunchy jokes and songs about late night snacks. The new album “We Be Xuxa” which is out May 5 via Post Present Medium, features not one, but two songs about wanting a turkey sandwich. Sold! “I Got A Lot( New New New)” is the first single and the band will be on tour on the east coast beginning in June. Buy the album, play it loud and annoy your neighbors.
UPCOMING ALBUM RELEASES: JULY 2009
July 7:
Son Volt: American Central Dust
The Rural Alberta Advantage- Hometowns
StellaStarr- Civilized
July 21:
Mellowdrone- Angry Bear
Portugal, The Man- The Satanic Satanist
Fiery Furnaces-I’m Going Away
Memphis May Fire- Sleepwalking
Ian Hunter- Man Overboard
July 28:
Howling Bells- Radio Wars
DISCOSALT ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: DAVID JACKOWSKI
Dave Jackowski holds an MS in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University, GSAPP and a bachelor of Architecture from Kent State University. After graduating, he spent a brief time working at Asymptote where he was highly involved in the design process of several projects- most notably the Al-Raha towers in Abu Dhabi. He then began work at Studio Daniel Libenskind. While working for Libenskind, David spent much of his time on the development of a competition/bid for the 300,000 sqm land extension to the principality of Monaco.
Davids approach towards design is combination of elegance and intensity. He has the fondness of mixing the soft curves of a woman with the brute presence of a panzer tank. He is eager to explore new ways of design and thought, through architecture, art and film and is a member of the Discosalt Artist Collective.
SPIRITUALIZED: SONGS IN A AND E
[rating:4]
Spiritualized: Songs in A and E
Label: Fontana Universal
Release Date: May 26, 2008
In “Death Take Your Fiddle,” the 3rd song on Songs In A & E, Jason Pierce buries his take on Townes Van Zandt-ian tragicountry under the syncopated push and pull of an artificial breathing machine. While this device may seem heavy handed, it helps score what the listener has previously heard and will hear on Spiritualized’s latest. This set of songs may amount to the best Spiritualized album so far, and it’s in no part due to the willingness to use unconventional techniques, and in the case of Jason Pierce, that technique is consistently stepping up to the microphone.
With 18 songs and clocking in at nearly 1 hour, Songs in A & E tries extremely hard to maintain it’s tone and direction, and for the most part, it succeeds. At times, it seems like Pierce effortlessly trying to show the kids how it’s done, be it the classic 60’s riffing on “I Gotta Fire,” the Velvets-esque “Yeah Yeah” or the better than Oasis at being Oasis “Sweet Talk.” Even when trodding ground firmly lain by Spacemen 3 and Spiritualized, that ground being the beauty in the drone, Pierce shows an unbeforeseen Ace in the hole with the 2 chords and layer upon exquisite layer built upon “Baby I’m Just a Fool.”
The most unique moments, however, come when the instrumentation is sparse and the melody is carried by the vocals. Most powerfully carried out in “Don’t Hold Me Close,” a simple country song with a pretty melody and an even prettier sentiment, this willingness to not have layers of guitars be the basis of a song but letting the melody do that work, Songs in A & E lives up to it’s both modest & grandiose album title. Maybe a nod to the uber-classic Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life, or maybe just a simple declaration of the musical timbre of the songs on the album, but definitely reaching for classic album status. While not fully realizing this goal, this shortfall is simply based on the inclusion of maybe 1 or 2 too many songs, not on the lack of strength of the ones that manage to build what is surely the most interesting and diverse set of songs ever to make it onto a Spiritualized LP, regardless of the key
-John Whitaker
PHOENIX: WOLFGANG AMADEUS PHOENIX
Did anyone see the Phoenix Blimp flying around New York City this week? Yeah, we missed it too. Seems a little out of air but the band is certainly not. Phoenix is a slighty pompous French (freedom) power pop band whose music could sit comfortably on The Breakfast Club soundtrack. Their new album “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix,”released this month is getting great reviews even withstanding a seven and a half minute suite “Love Like a Sunset” that desperately wants to build like a hidden track from David Bowie’s Low and an over indulgent soft rock ballad, “Fences”, that might make Darryl Hall weep. Its still French and seems fresh in the US amidst a haze of power pop bands now that are dominating the music landscape. And the band has cred. They have been around for a while, originally backing the French power pop band Air, then moving on to release 4 albums perfecting the electro synth-pop arrangement. The band will be on tour in June, September and December.
DISCOSALT ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: PAM GLEW
Pam Glew is a contemporary British artist who uses a distinctive variety of media to produce modern paintings and is a member of the Discosalt Art Collective. Manipulating images of female icons in horror films in the current ‘Fear series’, she plays with our notion of paranoia, attraction and the American Dream. The portraits often portray vacuous beauty, within a compellingly seductive image. Her addiction to obscure horror films, dissecting images of women and her attraction to being scared has fuelled this extensive series of work. She frequently uses materials that have inherent history; vintage American flags, aged metal and antiqued books are used as a canvas and treated with ink, bleach, stitch, ammonia and spray-paint to achieve an aesthetic which pays homage to both street art and confessional art.
Fine art and street art enthusiasts have embraced Pam Glew’s work; she has exhibited in the UK and USA in over 50 national shows and regularly shows at Affordable Art Fair London. She works from her studio in Brighton, UK and her works feature in collections in Europe, USA, Canada and USSR.
SUNDAY BEST: MR. SCRUFF
What: Mr. Scruff DJ set
Where: The BKLYN Yard outdoors by the Gowanus Canal: 400 Carroll St between Bond and Nevins, Brooklyn/ Rain location: The Bell House (around the corner)
When: Sunday May 31, 2009 3pm-9pm
Damage: $10 // $8 before 4pm with rsvp OR $8 in advance RSVP rsvp@sundaynestnyc.com
This week at SUNDAY BEST , the tea-obsessed, cartoon drawing DJ and producer from Manchester,MR. SCRUFF, is playing an extended three-hour set where you can expect to hear everything from funk, Hip-Hop, Reggae, afrobeat, 70’s Funk to house in his musical melting pot. Often referred to as the Spike Jonze of the electronic muisc world, Mr. Scruff is most known for his loose lined cartoon drawings which he calls “potato style” and which earned him the name Mr. Scruff for his Scruffy lines.
Scruff is doing a special contest for the gig, and the winner will get free entrance to the party, a copy of his new CD and a free huarache for lunch. If you’re interested, check HERE.
EAMON HARKIN and DOUG SINGERwill be laying it up for Scruff, and of course Margarita will be serving tacos and huaraches,while your friendly bartenders serve up sangria and cold beers. Get your party hats on.
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PATRICK WOLF: HARD TIMES
Check out Patrick Wolf’s new video for “Hard Times” off his latest record “The Bachelor”. Wolf is a London based singer songwriter who is most notorious for combining electronic sampling with classical instruments. Bromantic Folk meets Techno pop. Wolf said the video is a homage to Elvis Presley and Klaus Nomi and it was filmed entirely on Pier 52 in New York. “Hard Times” is in the running for Discosalt’s recession anthem of the year. Let us know what you think…
DISCOSALT ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: JASON WOODSIDE
Step into Jason Woodside’s world where vampires invade Chinatown and booze rains from the sky. Fusing urban and natural influences, Jason’s creations come from a blend of modern, retro and beyond. His use of thick black lines, psychedelic colors and textures on bleached white canvas broadcasts directly to the mind’s eye. In these highly energetic paintings, Jason’s unusual characters, like the lethargic brothers Frank and Franc, possess uncanny personalities. Originally from Florida, Jason attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City. By the age of 25, Jason has exhibited his works in New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Sydney, drawing much acclaim from the underground art world.
Once commissioned by the legendary Absolut Vodka marketing master, Michel Roux, Jason designed and painted ads for the Absente Refined advertising campaign. This association as a showcase artist with Roux’s international campaign has undoubtedly acted as a catalyst to Jason’s career as it did for legends like Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Romero Britto. Britto, a notable Brazilian pop artist, collaborated with Jason on many projects in his home base of Miami, including a soccer ball design for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Jason currently lives outside of Los Angeles pursuing a dual career in painting and fashion design. The fashion opportunities advanced as he began designing clothes for Milla Jovovich’s high-end women’s line, Jovovich-Hawk. Through this connection, Jason booked art exhibits at fashion shows and expos throughout Southern California, exposing his paintings to a new demographic. On a relentless pursuit to expand his artistic capabilities, Jason transforms his ideas and characters in each new piece, while maintaining his signature style. Jason has also dipped his paintbrush into the world of commercial art, designing logos and displaying large-scaled pieces in business settings.
Like what you see? Check out more of Jasons work on his webs or in the Discosalt Artist Section.
METRIC:FANTASIES
THE LOOM: LIVE AT CRASH MANSION
I know what you are thinking: The Loom? I though you were going to see Emanuel and the Fear. A more dedicated, organized and aggressive girl would have seen Emanuel. I apparently lack any of those characteristics…I got really caught up in the beautiful weather, and then really, really caught up in traffic. By the time I got to Crash Mansion I was in a mood, to say the least…and have I mentioned how I feel about Crash Mansion? Let me reiterate: not good. I get it, its a small venue that sort of clean, has a good sound system, and isn’t full of pretentious hipsters. I guess that’s nice, except that I like all of those things about the other equal sized venues. Crash Mansion is an attempt to bring a little tiny dab of indie culture to people who absolutely couldn’t find it on their own. The kind of people who think The Fray are indie. So needless to say, I don’t like the venue. However, I was on an open tab, and this brightened up my mood considerably, allowing me to get to business with The Loom.
So the first song they played was AMAZING. It involved two drummers sharing one drum set, and the lead singer was playing a ukulele. He had sort of a gravelly, speaky way of singing. I think it may have been “Song for the Winter Sun” which is on their myspace page. I had HIGH hopes for them, as I couldn’t really relate them to another band too closely, and they had their own sound. Very percussive, and very strong. Unfortunately, that was sort of the end of my awe. The rest of their songs were all significantly more main stream sounding: catchy, beatuiful and soulful. There is a heavy bluegrass influence, but also a lot of incontinuity. They are very clearly talented musicians, but they lack direction and cohesion. I would put “True Believers All” with “Song for the Winter Sun” together on an album, and “Of Vegas and Vanity” with “Patience for Books”. This is not to say that the two sets of songs aren’t strong and worth a good listen, because they are, but unfortunately I don’t think they are attracting the same crowds. I genuinely felt like The Loom has a lot going for them, but they need to decide where they are taking it. I hope they take the path with all of those brambles, without the ease of the bluegrass carrying them through. I feel guilty being so judgey and harsh, since this isn’t a band thats just trying to be cool or weird, they seem pretty genuinely like s group of people who derive joy from music. I would absolutely go see them again in a year. I want to know what they are doing, because I do believe that they have a lot of potential, and that they will follow through. They do have a lot of gigs scheduled in the New York area, so hopefully we will be seeing more of them in the better venue circuit (i.e Union Hall, Union Pool, Mercury Lounge). I actually wish these guys a lot of success, and hope that they prove me wrong, by becoming one of the break out acts of 2009.
Listen to them, tell me what you think.
<3 The Elephant
HEDI SLIMANE: 2009 COACHELLA PHOTO DIARY
Hedi Slimane, Tunisan/Italian/Brazilian-French Fashion designer and cultural photographer has a new collection of some really compelling black and white portraits taken at Coachella 2009. Slimane whose diverse background includes studying Political Science and Art History also worked on the centenary exhibition of Louis Viton”s “LV” monogramme label in the mid nineties. His most recent photo-diary includes spontaneous shots, stark, intimate portraits and some scattered still life photographs that are worth checking out.
YEAH YEAH YEAHS: IT’S BLITZ
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs latest video for the forthcoming new single “Heads Will Roll” off their new album “Its Blitz!” features a thriller-esc dancing wolfman who dismembers the band in the end. The video was directed by Discosalt favorite, Richard Ayoade (shaman Saboo), from “The Mighty Boosh” which just began airing on Adult Swim and whom is also famed for directing videos for the Arctic Monkeys, Kasbian, Super Furry Animals and Vampire Weekend. While, I was a bit leery about the new album, its really starting to draw me in like their last one and this single is even more fun and dance-y than the last. And as always, Karen O looks amazing… even in peices. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are on tour all summer and drop back in our area on July 31 for the All Points West Festival .
DARK TOONS AT ROOFTOP FILMS
What: Dark Toons
Where: on the roof of the Open Road Rooftop
350 Grand Street @ Essex (Lower East Side, Manhattan)
When: 8:00PM: Doors open
8:30PM: Sound Fix presents live music by Javelin
9:00PM: Films
11:30PM – 1:00AM: Open Bar at Fontana’s (105 Eldridge St), courtesy of Radeberger beer
Damage: $9 at the door or online at going.com
This Friday May 29, Rooftop Films features “DARK TOONS” Animated short films that bring the still to life with an Open Bar After Party! The official breakdown of animated shorts hasnt been posted, but expect some seriously twisted cartoons to warp your mind and get under your skin. Not quite as dark as the toons the bike shop owner in Different Strokes made Arnold and his friend watch but last years films featured a dead dog, a band of vengeful headless f#ck toys, and refigerator lights vs. magic broomsticks. Things got weird. In the odd chance the toons cant get you in a rummy mood, the opening band Javelin should scratch your itch. I dont really even know how to describe them. They call their sound “tropical crunk” influenced by chaka demus,tom tom club,kraftwerk,dollar bin dance records,transcendent amateurs, providence, regional dance music, local partying, new edition, smokey robinson, junk shops, flea markets, endless loop tapes and… cousinship. mmmm k.
For more of the Rooftop films schedule click HERE
SIGUR ROS: LIVE AT MOMA
On Tuesday evening, myself and several friends joined the lucky swarm of hipsters invading the Museum of Modern art on 53rd st. I’m going to come right out and say it: MoMA isn’t an ideal setting for a concert, as there was no stage, although there was free beer. The show was unusually long (maybe two hours?) but I had no sense of the length until I got outside and it was past 11. The concert was in conjunction with the exhibition Take your time: Olafur Eliasson, an exhibition which featured works of this Icelandic contemporary artist. Sigur Ros and Olafur Eliasson are an interesting parallel to draw in the art/music consortium. Sigur Ros’ music creatures textures and landscapes primarily using instrumentation and rhythm, forcing the listeners to draw conclusions without verbal cues. Eliasson similarly creates environments and space using lights, spacial relations and mirrors. His compositions don’t contain any symbolic or concrete imagery that the viewer can identify as scenery, rather he alters one’s inner sense of space creating a fantasy environment of space and time.
One thing that really set this apart from a regular show (although having no history with SR, I can’t compare to their usual sets) was an absolutely exceptional light show. I have virtually no idea how lighting design works, but I was very impressed. Without theatrical lighting, SR can create create suspense and longing, with the visual cues, it was an all encompassing experience. The lighting was primarily composed of several lantern like orbs that were behind a glass wall in an exterior courtyard. The orbs were a soft, warm light at their “home state” and as the mood of the music called for, the quality of the light would change. Ranging from a very yellow soft tone to an industrial, harsh blue. There were also gels that looked like moonlight through a summer forest, creating moving shadows that imitating the rustling leaves. They were absolutely beautiful. At one point, they employed a green back light that brought the whole courtyard to an emerald glow.
If I had a better position at the front, near the stairs, I would have had the pleasure of watching the marching band approach, in full white uniforms. There were four of them, that comprised the horn section and they entered with such theatrical grace, the whole audience was completely overtaken with thrill. It was a nice, ironic touch. Here is the BV link with lots of great pictures.
I am overwhelmingly excited to see them again in mid september at the church in Harlem. Yeah, you know, the ornate one, with no windows. On the corner.
<3 The Elephant
FLEET FOXES: LIVE AT UNION HALL
Seattle quintet Fleet Foxes graced New York with their presence at two venues this week: Bowery Ballroom, capacity 498, Union Hall, capacity 100. The decision there was not a tough one. I, being high and mighty, didn’t buy a UH ticket the second they went on sale because it’s Union Hall. Then suddenly, they were all gone. As I just found out today, after the fact, Sub Pop bought themselves 40 of those tickets. Whether it was intentional or not, by selling out the Brooklyn show, they got a huge hype in a very short period of time and Bowery sold out too. I was pissed that I wasn’t going, particularly since I had only myself to blame.
So on Thursday at 10 am when they announced an additional midnight show, Dave was right on his game, reading BV. He tried to get them, and of course they sold out. We got nothing. When I checked Craigslist later, people were offering $160 for two tickets. Sick. I had already realized that this show wasn’t in my future. So when my boss asked me to go fabric sourcing in midtown at 8 or 8:30 the next morning I didn’t sweat it. Until 2 seconds later when Dave texted me that he had gotten tickets. In the land of irresponsibility, I am queen.
Every ounce of doubt dissolved in the first 3 seconds after FF started playing. I had heard that they really rocked when they played Bowery in March, so I was reasonably confidant that they would be good. Good doesn’t begin to do justice to they way that they performed. A lot of their music is dependent upon graceful harmonies and dissonance in their chorus. Whenever this is the case, I always fear that they are just working really hard for their studio takes, but in reality they will not be able to hit those notes live. Every pitch was executed, every rhythm was nailed, and every pause was suspenseful. They played a tight, ridiculously tight show. I was floored. I read a bunch of bitching on BV about the quality of the audiences, and a lot of criticism of the photogs, but that must have been for the first show of the night. At the second show everyone was respectful and the photographers were fine. People just look for a reason to complain about shit. Seriously, they should be so lucky to have been at that show. They have a flexibility on stage that allows them to push and pull throughout each song and they can remain in control. They are a band that is so much better live than in recording that I only hope to see them again, since listening to the record allows a faint nostalgia to linger.
The other thing that I really liked was the band’s random on stage banter. I know it annoys some people, but they were funny and witty. They seemed to think that they were playing pretty well, and so did I. They were clearly enjoying themselves and the crowd. A band that is at ease with themselves and having fun always performs better. Anyway, if you know what’s good for you, you will go see Fleet Foxes in any context possible. Also, buy their album and EP on insound.
<3 The Elephant
CHAIRLIFT: LIVE AT THE KNITTING FACTORY
For a number of reasons, mostly involving bitchy firewalls, I didn’t get a chance to listen to Brooklyn based Chairlift before I went to Knitting Factory on Wednesday. Turns out that it was for the better, because they were pretty awesome live. I was actually there to see LA crazy man Ariel Pink, but you all know how I feel about getting my beauty rest, and I wasn’t about to hang around for hours waiting for his set to start. After Chairlift finished their set, I was satiated musically.
At work on Thursday, I listened to Chairlift on hypem, and was sort of disappointed. They didn’t seem nearly as exciting in recording as they did live. It essentially sounded like Au Revoir Simone occasionally mixed with Stars.
In concert, it was surprisingly ethereal, there was something about the way that they performed, even their slower, spacier sounds made us want to dance. The lead singer was very powerful live, her voice sounded sweet and confidant, and not at all dependent upon her background music. The synthy sound wasn’t overpowering either, it wasn’t just some chick with a casio, there was solid music making happening.
Chairlift’s album releases on Kanine sometime this summer….although I doubt that I will buy it, they are more of a live band anyway. We’ll see if I’m eating my words in a few weeks, but for now, I’m holding off on home listening.
<3 The Elephant
DANKS: IN ALRIGHT
The Danks are yet another Canadian indie band export that has jumped on our radar aye. Three Toronto bar vets who have been friends since 6th grade and are a boot playing power pop garage rock with a fun party vibe. Lots of hooks and fast drums with some Julian Casablanca’s drawl. Its a Canadian version of the Strokes but with more power pop harmonies. What makes it good is that its still indie and raw and hasnt been cleaned up by a major label yet. The new EP is “In Alright” and this is the first video for the album. A catchy track you might be humming later but not the best on the album. “Squealor” and “Little ’94” are much more interesting songs to check out. The Danks gear up for a month-long national tour with Two Hours Traffic and Hey Rosetta! this Fall.
GREEN DAY: LIVE AT CENTRAL PARK SUMMER STAGE
The strangely iconic Green Day has been one of the more important musical influences of mine growing up, from the first time I heard Dookie, investigating their back catalog, and later loving Insomniac (although the others not so much). Today, as part of Green Day’s insane publicity schedule, I managed to catch them performing on Good Morning America to kick off the Central Park Summer Stage series. I have to thank @PopTarts of Pop Tarts Suck Toasted for turning me attention to this show. Arriving at just before 6am to Rumsey Playfield at the corner of 69th & 5th, the line was already well over a block long.
By the time Green Day actually came on, it was around 7 o’clock and they “warmed up” with the new single, Know Your enemy, as well as an “At the Library” interlude, “Desperate” which GJ performed solo, 21st Century Breakdown, American Idiot, a Surfin USA & Longview. It was officially the longest and loudest sound check I’ve witnessed.
Following the sound check, the crowd began to get incredibly antsy as the band didn’t come on again until 8:30 and began with a Longview teaser by playing half the song before going into an interview. The bulk of the performance came from American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown, the two albums that I am least familiar with. I recall in the days shortly after Dookie was released and brought to national attention, I instantly fell in love with them and the 2 albums of back catalog they had at the time seemed to speak to the young dreamer in me and listening to them now is reserved for the most nostalgic of days.
Although the park was madly packed, a circle pit ended up opening a lot of space for those of us so regularly determined to make it to the front of the stage only to get crushed. While New York is the place to have many “firsts”, I can easily say this was my first morning-time mosh pit that I’ve been in before going to work.
Early in the set was one of my favorite Green Day songs, “She” which I recently. Recently Pop Tarts Suck Toasted listed their 10 most influential songs which makes for an interesting read and you can see my choices (HERE) The rest of the set consisted of the megahits for the casual fans like America Idiot, 21st Century Breakdown, Jesus of Suburbia, St. Jimmi, Know Your Enemy, and a few others totaling I believe around 8 or 9. Although the set consisted of the reinvention of the band, their energy remains an impressive constant and they’re such a part of who I am that I will likely always cherish any performance I have the opportunity to catch (although the High School gym in Indiana where BJ played a song while wearing the shirt I’d thrown on stage will forever be among the top concerts of my life). As always, Green Day makes for a great crossover band as they’re so interactive with the audience, bringing Tolly, a little girl around 9 yrs old from New York on stage to dance along with them, as well as bringing Angie on stage who managed to sing the song just as well as Billie did. All-around, the long wait was well worth the short but intense performance and were I not having to carry my laptop to work, I’d have spent the rest of the show in the pit rather than the few songs in which I did. Ultimately though, catching this performance just makes me regret not catching the Webster Hall fan club performance (in which I learned after the event I had a pass to attend) where they played tons of old tracks. More inspired than ever to grab the back catalog of albums recently reissued on vinyl!
Want some more pics and vids? Check out Backseatsandbar
