Check out Bruce Springsteen’s cover of Lorde’s “Royals” at a recent show in New Zealand.
Lakker: ‘Containing a Thousand’ EP
Digital audio workstations meet the end of the world on Dublin duo Lakker’s new EP Containing A Thousand out on R&S March 11.
This EP takes the listener on a journey through a post-apocalyptic wasteland where music is made from the grinding of machines left to continue manufacturing hunks of metal without a human in sight. Dark, almost foreboding melodies swirl around hard, industrial beats, creating a sound that could only be described as coming from a cosmos with only the faint memory of human existence.
Although it is their first album released on esteemed electronic label, R&S, this techno duo is certainly not an amateur act. They have been creating electronica beats for a decade, even having the honor of being spun by Richard D James (Aphex Twin) in his live sets—a distinction coveted by much of the electronic music world.
Complex, but intense beats begin the journey through a robotic wasteland with “Counting a Thousand.” Techno vibes from a satellite far from Earth circulate the air, as machines grind and churn perpetually, having continued their course despite the absence of humanity. Perhaps, the human race has jetted off to inhabit a new planet, and left only the remnants of parties and discos floating noisily over the crackling radio waves on a used-up earth.
“Mausoleum” continues with more metal-crunching, mechanical beats. Lakker’s roots in punk, metal, and broken beats can be clearly heard, mingling with the distinctive techno sounds they have become known for. Sounds that evoke images of machines humming through long plastic tubes elicit ominous, almost eerie feelings.
The EP gets a bit more tribal with “K’antu.” This track is curious sounding, like exploring the home of a person you have never met from a culture you have yet to experience. A little bit brighter and more optimistic sounding than the preceding tracks, “K’antu” feels as if it would make the perfect background music for Alice, had she fallen down the rabbit hole in outer space.
“Thermohaline” hits the listener like a meteor, from the moment the song begins. Powerful beats boomerang as the melody builds intensity in the background. This track has the horsepower of a Ferrari, but takes quiet moments for the listener to catch their breath before pulling them back into the music—hard.
Containing a Thousand certainly distinguishes itself from all other electronic bands out there. It takes the intensity of Excision minus the screeching sounds and dub step scratches and fuses them with the spacey after-world beats of Mimosa, taken to a whole new level of brooding intensity. While the album is rather dark and ominous, techno fans will certainly be swept away to another land by this EP.
Flaming Lips perform with Miley Cyrus
This week, Miley Cyrus performed at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne and Steven Drozd joined Miley onstage as she performed a cover of “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.” Oh, and then I died a little inside.
Check it out below.
Color War streams ‘It Could Only Be This Way’
Color War are streaming their debut album, It Could Only Be This Way, and we’ve got it below!
COLOR WAR
Mar 7 – Brooklyn, NY Baby’s All Right w/ Doom Squad, Deanna Viva Garcia, Prince Rama (DJ set)
Mar 21 – Gothenburg, SE – Stora Teatern – w/ Hey Elbow, Jenny Wilson (DJ set)
Mar 23 – Copenhagen, DK – VEGA/Ideal Bar – w/ Hey Elbow
Mar 26 – Stockholm, SE – Fritz’s Corner – w/ DJ Johan Alm
Real Estate’s performance for NPR
This week, Real Estate’s new album Atlas is available for streaming on iTunes. Last night, the band performed the full album for First Listen Live, an online series for NPR.
Bombay Bicycle Club cover of Disclosure’s “F For You”
Bombay Bicycle Club recent appeared in BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge. They performed May J Blige’s version of Disclosure’s track “F For You.” Check it out below.
Preview: Savannah Stopover
Savannah in March has got to be one of the best places in time to experience. Reason number one being that it is Savannah: the river and those cobble stones and the many squares with the garden-like-ways and trees with that moss that everyone loves so much. It’s definitely the perfect place for a parade. Perhaps you think of St. Patrick’s Day when I say Savannah in March, but before that green wave of madness rolls through town, something really quite unique for Savannah happens, and that is reason number two that I love Savannah in March: Savannah Stopover Music Festival.
Savannah Stopover is coming into it’s fourth year, and until recently, I was really under the impression that Savannah Stopover was purely a product of Savannah, when in actuality, Savannah just happens to sit in a really convenient place, at interstates 95 and 10, for musicians to pull over, play some shows, and continue on their way to Austin, Texas for SXSW. But how fortunate it is! It’s such a neat place to have the opportunity to discover new music or to perhaps see one of your favorite artists. The scene just slides so nicely into place in the city that is a such a beautiful work of history and thick with gothic air and already thriving in the arts. It’s no wonder that it is becoming a music destination in its own right.
There’s a long list of bands scheduled to be at Stopover the first weekend in March, many that I don’t know a lot about, so I will definitely be exposing myself to all kinds of new music. Every time I try to get a handle on maintaining some sort of schedule while I’m there, I feel a little overwhelmed. But really, there’s no need to panic. First, there are a small number of venues officially involved (10 total, one of them being Ellis Park); next, I have never had trouble getting a taxi in Savannah when I’ve needed to; and last, it need be mentioned, you can drink on the street, making it easy to quickly hop from one venue to the next without having to finish your drink first. So I’m going to be hopping from venue to venue, listening to new music, but there are a handful of bands that I am looking forward to seeing specifically.
First and foremost is Small Black, four guys that just released their second full length, Limits of Desire, in 2013. Limits of Desire is one of my favorite albums of 2013, and I am so stoked to get to hear this music live. I think their sound would be labeled as electro-indie pop, but Lo fi Synthpop is more accurate to my ears. Check it out. The first track is Free At Dawn, and all I can think about is how big that sound is going to be and how fast it’s going to fill me up with all the wavy notes and chest reaching lyrics. It’s deep breathing, chest opening sky music. I’m expecting a moving experience as part of their audience at Stopover. It’ll be at the end of a long winded three day weekend! You can catch their show Saturday night, one o’clock a.m. at Knights of Columbus.
The next two bands I specifically want to experience are Those Darlins and Future Islands. I mention them together, because they are scheduled at the same time at two different venues. That is unfortunate. I have decided where I will be at 12:30 a.m. on Saturday the 6th, and that is at Club One with Future Islands. I know this is a good decision, but it still makes me cringe to be missing Those Darlins!
I’ve already had the pleasure of being an audience member to Those Darlins at The Green Room In Athens, Georgia. They’re an interesting foursome, two guys and two gals from Tennessee. You can hear the concrete country in the accent of their words. And they know how to make a scene. Just check out the cover of their latest album, Blur the Line. They caused a big scene back home when they had that blown up and hung in town. I’m sure they’ll put on a worthy show at Knights of Columbus, and I’m really sorry to be missing them, but perhaps I’ll catch up to them at SXSW.
Future Islands, I’ve never seen before. They’re performing at Club One, which really just nailed the decision down. I don’t know if I’m more excited about the venue or the band?! I used to go to Club One, Savannah’s gay club, when I was in college. There are three levels, the top in which I saw many drag performances, but I’ve never seen a band take the stage. I like the idea of being in such a familiar old place with music that may not be so new, but is new to my ears. I’m hoping I’ll hear some of my favorites, such as Beach Foam from their 2008 album, Wave Like Home. But I expect I’m more likely to hear popular songs from their most recent album, On The Water, released in 2011. The music from this album makes me feel like dancing in a swaying kind of fashion. Songs like Balance and Before the Bridge have a way of being upbeat with full meaning in that special way that electro-pop presents itself. I’m looking forward to reporting back my experience at this Future Islands performance.
So there you have it, I’m magic markered in for Small Black and Future Islands with a side of longing for Those Darlins! I’m sure the other bands on the roster (Whiskey Dick, The Black Cadillacs, and Christopher Paul Stelling, just to name a few that caught my eye) will fill that void until my musical cup is flowing over with brand new sounds, and I’m sure the city of Savannah will be just as beautiful and full of life as ever.
A Style Monarch: Why London Ruled Fall Fashion Week
My typical favorite Fashion Week cities are as follows: Milan, New York and Paris tied for second, and finally, London. But this season, British designers from Tom Ford to Christopher Kane brought some serious sequins, lace and a dash of quintessential Brit humor. So, even with Paris Fashion Week before us, I’m declaring London this season’s best. Here’s why it simply can’t get any better than the city of tea, grunge, and Big Ben for Fall 2014.
It’s undeniable: London’s designers did everything those in New York and Milan did, but better. Love Marchesa’s sheer, lacy looks? Upgrade to Temperley London, where you’ll find the same delicate florals, but with a gilded baroque flair. Or if you’re more magnetized by bold sheer designs, House of Holland is your go-to. Its show featured rainbow tops and skirts with sexy chiffon cutouts – not for the faint of heart, but certainly for the attention-seeker.
One of New York Fashion Week’s highlights was Rodarte’s gowns printed with Star Wars characters and scenes. Besides making us pray for celebrities to walk the red carpet donning images of C-3PO or the Death Star, we love the nerd-chic humor of it all. But might we argue that Tom Ford did wit just a little better in London? Taking a cue from Jay-Z’s song “Tom Ford” – “I don’t pop molly, I rock Tom Ford” – Ford sent models down the runway in glittery, numbered dresses with the word “molly” crossed out near the waist. No doubt Hova was in the audience having a good hearty laugh.
Finally, there’s the battle of the art punks: New York’s Jeremy Scott versus London’s Christopher Kane. While Scott is usually one of my all-time favorites, this year he went a tad too far for me. Call me a girly girl, but I’m not one in favor of seeing kneepads on high fashion runways. But while Scott was sporting it up, Kane went in a more sophisticated direction, albeit still totally artsy. Continuing his love of graphic flowers, he placed blown-up images of them behind boxy panels on an otherwise basic skirt suit, and then proceeded to create chiffon dresses with dozens of book-like pages. The piece’s movement was, in a word, unreal.
We salute you, London, and Paris? Good luck.
New Franz Ferdinand track
To go along with the release of “Fresh Strawberries,” a new single from Franz Ferdinand’s most recent album Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Actions, they are now sharing the B-side track, “Erdbeer Mund,” which is sung in German.
CHVRCHES remix SOAK track
Check out a remix of SOAK’s debut track, “Blud,” by CHVRCHES. The electronic effects put an interesting and awesome twist on this soft singer-songwriter track.