Recently I joined some friends at The Bottom Lounge in Chicago to catch Friendly Fires. The Fires were right on target but the band that opened for them, called The xx blew me away. They incorporate heavy bass, trippy flanged out atmospheric guitar and a drum machine to back it up. Very cool sound. Immediately I found similarities to early Cure mixed with an almost Brian Eno style. Check out these two songs:
Black Metallic
I was listening to Sirius satellite's Lithium channel the other day when a tune came on that I hadn't heard in a long time. Way back in 1992 when I was a unkept and often mind altered college "student", an English band called Catherine Wheel was puttin out some kick ass tunes with plenty of distortion and reverb. When Black Metallic came on I found myself driving faster with an ear to ear grin. Whether it's your first time hearing it or a blast from the past, I know you'll enjoy it.
Wouter De Backer. Aka Gotye. How did I miss this? Born in Bruges, Belgium (everyone should see In Bruges by the way!!) but raised in Australia, this cat's won many awards and was praised since 2006 in Aussie circles for "Like Drawing Blood". And yet, only now, have I stumbled upon this phenom thanks to "Learnalilgivinanlovin" which happens to be the kick-off track on this month's indie playlist (what is he like a cooler version of Phil Collins?! Check this live video too for The Only Thing I Know). Did I mention his video for "Hearts A Mess" is too cool for school?! I simply cannot wait to find some Gotye music and if you've got some send it my way!! I'm ashamed to have missed out on something this great for this long. Forgive me.
~ Josher
Post Scriptage- Here's some more vids from our boy Wouter...
Post Punk...
Post-punk is a genre that's not discussed much anymore but it's the root of a lot of current music. Bands like Interpol, the Editors, White Lies and The National all owe a piece of their sound to the Post Punk era. Wedged between punk in the Mid 70's and the New Wave push in the early 80's, post-punk was a fundamental musical genre that hosted a number of great bands. Ever since I was a kid, I liked the dark undertones of bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain, Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Cure. But one of the most influential, and sometimes overlooked post-punk bands is Joy Division. Because of the untimely death of lead singer Ian Curtis, Joy Division never reached it's full potential, which is really disappointing. Fortunately we have their Unknown Pleasures and Closer albums to hold on to.
It's really interesting to go back and listen Joy Division again and think about bands like White Lies and the Editors. While they're different in a lot of ways, it's not hard to hear the influence Joy Division had on the current neo-post-punk movement. Listen to songs like Disorder, Twenty Four Hours and Shadowplay to get an idea of what I'm getting at.
Even raw and unpolished, Joy Division's music is still very powerful. I included a clip of them preforming one of my favorites called Transmission. Enjoy.
-ESL
Miike Snow
We've talked about how much we like Passion Pit and Phoenix. We're into Friendly Fires, Cut Copy and Peter, Bjorn and John too. And even Empire of the Sun. So here's another one. I'm going to catagorize them as indiesynthelectropop. (I'm trademarking that.)Miike Snow are a Swedish trio formed in 2007. Their self titled debut album was released in May of this year but I'm just getting around to it now. Thats par for the course with me.
After listening to this album, I really like what I've heard so far. Some of my favorites: A Horse Is Not A Home, Silvia, Burial. The KMan and I are going to check them out this Friday at The Empty Bottle.
I recommend you check this band out too. You can find them on their Myspace page or on last.fm.
-ESL
There are times when I literally get into my car or to my café and have no idea what I’m in the mood to listen to on my Ipod. I know this may surprise some of you who know me but its true none-the-less. Sometimes I simply draw a blank or will just not be in the mood for what’s currently playing and must do something immediately.
It is in these dire emergencies that I have a go-to. A reliable fall-back option that works every single time. Something I can put on at any moment on any day and be transformed into a happier version of myself almost instantly. If you don't have one of these I suggest you try mine on for size and see what happens.Jamiroquai. I know you may have some misplaced idea of what Jamiroquai is to you but believe me when I tell you that the first two albums from this glorious pothead and his ensemble are untouchable masterpieces on every level. (Roll up a cigarillo with your finest ganja and give these a once over and tell me I'm wrong!)
I could throw Traveling Without Moving into this discussion as well but I'm not going to. It's a marvelous album and most of you are at least familiar with a few tunes off of it but it also marks Jamiroquai's descent into club music and away from the jazz-inspired funk that oozes from these two gems...Emergency On Planet Earth and The Return Of The Space Cowboy.
To be honest with you, as I sit here and write this now, I can't think of two albums that have been played more by me in my life than these two and that's a huge statement coming from me. They're quite simply....timeless. And effortless. And rewarding. A careful blend of soul, funk, reggae, blues, disco, jazz, and rock all set behind Jay-K's incredibly flexible and soothing vocals. I know no other albums like these two and have been convinced over the last decade or so that Jason Kay and his well-tuned orchestra will never again reach the heights obtained on Jamiroquai's first two albums. But nothing in this world would make me happier than to be proven wrong! I have every album they've ever done in the assumption that one day I will be proven wrong.
~ Josher
Fall is in the Air...
Sorry peeps, it's been a while since last coming to you. Fall is in the air and with that brings in a whirl wind of Great shows. So I wanted to take a quick minute to point out some upcoming shows I (we here are bands we like) recommend you check out.
For starters, Wed Sept 23rd brings one of our fav's back into Chicago. That being Phoenix. The show was originally billed at the Riviera but due to popular demand was moved to it's sister venue the Aragon Ballroom. If you have read any of our previous posts you know how we feel about this band. AMAZING! Not to be missed. The show is sold out but there are ways to get in so make it happen!
Next up Sept 25th (two days later mind you) brings Owl City to Chicago at the Metro. Josher recently posted about Owl City. What can I tell you about Owl City? They take off where Postal Service ended. What more can I say than that!
You know I am excited about this next one... Tue Sept 29th brings back White Lies to the Metro! These Britts from Brighton do not come to his side of the pond often so take advantage of it and watch them bring it!
Lastly, and I am giving you all a little advanced notice on this one, brings back Friendly Fires! They will be coming to the Bottom Lounge Dec 1st. Don't wait on tix as this will sell out.
That my friends is my friendly upcoming concert heads up. Try making it to one if not all and come back and gimmie your feedback.
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