#2. Xiu Xiu – FTW
#1. Xiu Xiu – I do what i want when i want
“The type of minimalism employed by Xiu Xiu creates masterpieces of avant-garde restraint that truly haunt the mind”
after a while, the sentence makes perfect sense. it doesn’t get any better than this.
both songs are from Xiu Xiu’s latest album, Women as Lovers. it’s mighty good.
Me being in Denmark certainly helped me discover some of the good things Scandinavia has to offer. and well, by Scandinavia, i mostly mean Sweden…
Lykke Li would probably be #2 in my Top 5 Best Things from Sweden (if i had one), but that is only because El perro del Mar secured the #1 spot (probably forever) when i saw her live in Copenhagen. and because Lykke Li cancelled her part of the very same show the day before. had she been there that night, i might have a whole different ranking. we’ll never know..
Facts:
Said artist is from Stockholm, 22 and not even that blonde. but hey, neither is El perro del Mar. Her debut effort is called Youth Novels and it looks like that:
And i should also mention that it’s quite lovely. it will flow effortlessly in your ears, should they have some good taste in music. and if you need a litlle visual, here’s her first video, Little Bit:
she can pretty much put you in a reflective mood, with track such as Time Flies (which is so Tori Amos), Hanging High or Tonight, but she will probably get you dancing as well, with her I’m Good I’m Gone or Breaking it up.
in my opinion she so deserves all the hype. one of the best thing 2008 brought us so far. and maybe #1 thing 2008 AND Sweden brought us so far.
This morning i came across the new video by Justice “Stress“. One of the most disturbing videos i’ve seen, and it’s already generating quite a buzz on the internet, with references ranging from “Clockwork Orange” to Mathieu Kassovitz’s “La Haine”.
i think it’s a pretty good illustration of the word “stress”, if that’s what it’s all about. whether or not it is a good idea to have your song related to such feelings of uneasiness and anxiety, i’m not so sure. but overall it’s probably going to attract enough attention for the band not to worry too much about that.
On a wholly different note, canadian singer/songwriter Feist was the guest of The Colbert Report (best. show. ever) on April 28. She performed a very nice live version of I Feel it all from The Reminder.
(Stephen Colbert is THE funniest guy in the US by the way, just watch him wearing Feist’s very outfit from her 1 2 3 4 video…)
I’m aware it’s quite a long review title! Indeed my first concert in Loppen, the venue located in Christiania, the self-governing community in the heart of Copenhagen. Feel free to check Wikipedia for some more background, it’s quite interesting (and way too long and complicated to explain)!
I was quite surprised, when i showed up at 9 pm sharp (alleged start time of the show) to be almost the only one there, apart from a couple of other people. the room slowly became more crowded, but surprisingly the atmosphere was quite relaxed for a pre-gig moment. at some point a single man came on stage, in lieu of the supporting band which never showed up. He turned out to be a part of the Brunettes, and played 4 or 5 of his own songs, warming up the crowd with some funny comments about how he didn’t have any cd to sell, but he would be glad to burn a cd for whoever had one. he played his last song running back and forth between 2 microphones, on the suddenly huge scene of Loppen, this way being able to address the whole audience.
and then around 10:30 pm the whole Brunettes finally showed up on stage to open with Structure & Cosmetics. it was hard not to be seduced right from the start by singer/guitarist Jonathan Bree and co-core member Heather Mansfield, multi-tasking behind her keyboard, sometimes playing the harmonica, then the clarinet on some other songs, her glockenspiel never too far. the band seemed so at ease on stage, it was hard not to be charmed by everything they did. and the witty banter in between songs was just irresistible. it’s refreshing to see a band which makes a point of introducing most of their songs.
(best outfit.ever.)
as for the music, the energetic twee pop they offered was quite flawless throughout the show. even though they had to deal with the crash of their computer, they managed a well rounded set-list. they are indeed the “flexible” band, as Heather pointed out.
One of the highlight of the show was B.A.B.Y. (Brunettes Against Bubblegum Youth). Modest Bree introducing the song: “If we had a hit, this would probably be the one (…) if you know the song, feel free to make the shapes with us”:
it’s quite hard to pinpoint the best moment, the night was packed with enjoyable bits, such as when the band came up with a dance contest, or their song about the Olsen twins, Mary Kate & Ashley. Another highlight was my personal favourite Her Hairagami Set:
they also played a very nice cover of Buddy Holly’s Dearest, according to Mansfield’s words “the music they found most inspiring”.
Without a doubt one of the best show i’ve seen in Copenhagen. even though they started the show quite late, they still took the time to go and talk to the people afterwards, all the while selling some of their merchandise. it’s very nice once in a while to see a band this down-to-earth. the toughest part of the night came afterwards, and consisted of trying to get home by foot at 2am under the rain. but it just added some fun to a one of a kind night…
#1#2.
i’ve been listening to this today. the soundtrack of the Icelandic film of the same name (obviously). most of the tracks are short compositions by Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, and Sigur Rós contributed with 2 amazing tracks.
the whole thing is dreamlike, timeless and needs to be heard!!
Sigur Rós – bíum bíum bambaló & dánarfregnir og jarðarfarir
#3. Cajun Dance Party – The Race
i first listened to the album because of their name. with a name like Cajun Dance Party, you gotta be good people making good music. my favourite track so far.
#4. The Brunettes – Her Hairagami Set
quite an interesting band from New Zealand.. i haven’t been that excited about a song in a long time! the video is pretty funny. and the lyrics.. OMG the lyrics!!
“doesn’t she look a million with her hairagami set
hair kisses ‘n’ hair architecture yes she’s a beautiful brunette”
and wouldn’t it be swell to see them live? oh wait, i’m seeing them this wednesday.
#5. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Darkwave Driver / Big Drill Car
the video is quite useless, so just close your eyes and listen. it seems the song could go on and on. and on.
and listen to My Bloody Underground, it’s a pretty good album. preeetty, preeeetty good. (especially Automatic Faggot for the People, but that might just be me)
here comes the first installment of my weekly (in theory) top 5- most listened songs. according to last.fm (which never lies. because scrobbling can’t lie). so here is the result of my first week of scrobbling!
#5. (yeah i’ll do it the reverse way for the suspense)
Uh Huh Her – Wait Another Day
i was a bit disappointed after finally listening to Los Angeles based Uh Huh Her’s upcoming album Common Reaction, but i need to listen to it a few more times before having an opinion about it. and i need to see them live first and foremost (somewhere between #1 and 3 of my top 5 – gigs i really really want to see) and i can’t really hate anything Leisha Hailey does. so i’ll give their album another shot. and because i need to like it when my autographed copy arrive in the mail this summer. and obviously there are some good things in the album, like Wait Another Day (last.fm says i listened to it 3 times, but they gotta lie, because i know the bip bips by heart already). and also, i *adore* the album artwork.
not the same song, but i couldn’t find any live performance of Wait Another Day. this one is Not a Love Song, and you can listen to it on their myspace, together with a couple of other songs from Common Reaction.
#4. Au Revoir Simone – Fallen Snow
(click on the title for some magic)
isn’t it the coolest band name ever?
i got stuck in The Bird Of Music this week. my first venture in the music of Au Revoir Simone. and so far the journey is more than nice. i like almost anything with a keyboard, plus their songs are light and beautiful, and that’s just what you need for spring time. a couple of tracks really got my attention (this one obviously and #2). 4 times.
#3. Ladytron – Black Cat
actually, it should have been #2, but at first the song had a bad tag that said “black car” and that pretty much messed with the great counts of songs.
pretty much the same than with Au Revoir Simone. i’ve been reading a lot about Ladytron, but never had the chance to listen to anything from them. and i gotta say it’s quite mindblowing when the first track you hear from them is the opener for Velocifero “Black Cat”. you don’t even mind that the lyrics are in bulgarian, you have this weird urge to perform a tribal dance. oh come on, you get it, it’s a damn good electro track. 5 times (actually 8).
#2. Au Revoir Simone – Night Majestic
i just love the name of this song. and the song is so addictive. keyboard on caffeine. with a quite simple melody, but it will for sure be stuck in your head for some time.
not that you’re going to complain. 6 times.
#1. Clovis - Detrás de las puertas
a totally unknown band for me until this week. the band is from Madrid and plays nice pop/indie music, easy to listen to, and perfect for those sunny days outside. and i like spanish lyrics. this song is very nice, i’m drawn to it for some reason. 9 times, we have a winner!!
back to April 16, DeVotchKa was playing at Lille Vega, for sure one of the best venues for live music in Copenhagen. the place is never too crowded, and you can easily be at the front row, even though you arrived 10 minutes before the beginning, just like i did!
the week before, i went to see swedish wonder El Perro del Mar in this very same venue, and i trully enjoyed the show, one of the best i ever saw. it was so intense and intimate, with genius Sarah Assbring lighting candles and incense sticks as though she was in her/our living room.
whenever i go to a concert, i’m always torn between the compulsive need to film the show, or to just live it. and with El Perro del Mar, i wish i had it on tape, because it was sheer beauty.
so that’s how i ended up filming the whole DeVotchKa show, just in case i would have been the witness of another truly magic gig.
in my opinion it was not the case, but i still enjoyed the show very much.
i’m just gonna put the highlight of the show for me, and the rest of it you can find here.
for starters, here is the set list of the show (i even took Nick Urata’s one, but i still had some trouble putting it together since they made some small variations):
1. Head Honcho
2. Devotchka!
3. Twenty-Six Temptations
4. Queen of the Surface Streets*
5. Along the Way
6. Venus in Furs
7. How it Ends*
8. We’re Leaving
9. Transliterator*
10. Basso Profundo
11. Commerce City Sister
12. Enemy Guns
13. The Last Beat of my Heart*
14. The Clockwise Witness*
15. Undone
16. I Cried like a Silly Boy*
(the little * being the best songs of the night for me..)
at some point, the band came back on stage with flowers, which they gave to the audience. it was a very cool thing and one of the reasons why i love small venues so much. anyway, most of the people just throw the flowers back at the band, and for sure they deserved some for this good show.
Now the good stuff:
Queen of the Surface Streets
i gotta admit i wasn’t familiar with this song beforehand, and i kinda fell in love with it. the melody is just so sweet and innocent.
the other good parts were my 2 favourite songs from “A Mad & Faithful Telling” Transliterator and The Clockwise Witness, and the the last one really did it for me.
go here to see the whole thing.
See you next time DeVotchKa!
so here it goes. another music blog. the thing is, this one is mine. so it’ll be MY concerts, MY songs, MY favourite albums. you get it.
for now, i’m in Copenhagen, Denmark, and the place is amazing when it comes to live music. i had the chance to see some amazing bands, and it’s not over!
i want this blog to be about these live experiences, and the music coming to my hears everyday thanks to the oh so great internet. i really don’t know yet what form it’ll take.. i figure i’ll just do it, and see how it goes.
and oh, one more thing, english is not my first language, so be kind!
to celebrate this first post of mine, i spent the day (okay, i did some other things meanwhile, i just love to multi-task) uploading the DeVotchKa concert i went to last week. and yes, i taped the whole thing. and i’m glad i did. it wasn’t the best concert ever, but it’s still nice to be able to look back sometimes..
the whole thing will be on my youtube channel. the uploading isn’t over yet, but it will soon be. and i’ll probably upload some things from past concerts here in Copenhagen.
