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Did you get the memo? I'm not impressed. Really (via TONY)
On a more interesting note, Bourgeois upholders of class privilege New York Magazine ask if post neo-situationism is the new capitalism. Or maybe they are just writing about graf in Soho, dudes. (via New York Magazine)
Redemption: This cat has an amazing Velvet Underground documentary from 1986. Watch the whole thing. It's awesome.
When I first tried to crack the Man Man code a few years back for a print magazine feature, I kept coming back to a few central themes. First, the band inhales musical styles (rhumba, thrash, Calypso, Nor'leans jazz and psych rock all come to mind) at a breakneck speed. Second, they also know how to find the best, most unexpected hooks at the stop of a dime. After seeing them perform at a Chinese Restaurant as the musical dessert to a vegan dinner sponsored by New York Magazine (yeah, read that line again), I added one more theme to the shortlist.
If Man Man were a different sort of band, their music and performances would be about balancing/confronting/managing their chaos while still being poppy (an area in which they triumph over their oft-name checked Philly buds Need New Body) but I don't really think they think about their music in those terms. Instead, their music is about Man Man's members doing exactly what the fuck they want without any concern for it making sense. But it does. The fact that they are all insanely talented and diverse musicians is the only thing that makes this possible. That and maybe a few tabs every now and then. I keed, I keed!
I jotted a few notes in my PDA but after looking at phrases like "Continuous", "Warbley trumpet", "Surf Overtones", "Quirky Sentimentality" and "Ain't Got Nobody" this AM, I think I'd be doing both of us a service by just saying that they were fucking awesome, not at all crazy and totally one of a kind.
Today, my favorite new band in all of NYC and most of the greater United States, White Rabbits dropped their long-awaited debut LP Fort Nightly on the ever-excellent Say Hey Records. If you've read this site at least once a week over the past nine months, you've probably read my gushing praise of this band and thought I was on the Kool Aid. Fuck it, I'm a fan and I ride hard for these dudes.
The Rabbits are white boys who love black music, old souls who packed up their shit to live together in a loft in Bushwick and be in a band together, broke dudes who always look sharp and mean what they say. They're a real band.
Their music is a collision of blue eyed soul, chaotic afro-influenced poly-rhythms, emotional peaks, crashing drums and plain old great songwriting. This album captures all that—plus more thanks to some stellar production from Chris Zane (Les Savy Fav, Asobi Seksu, Shy Child) and I can't recommend it enough.
You can order Fort Nightly from Insound and Amazon starting right now. I can't guarantee that your life will be drastically improved by experiencing White Rabbits' music, but I know that mine has and I know real music when I hear it.
End communique. And boys, I don't really do liner notes, but if you're offering....
-Young Elz
Word from the wise, try to avoid seeing Lady Sov live. Or at least keep your guard up and come strapped with some low expectations. Word is MC midget stalled her performance at Studio B last Friday until 3AM and then couldn't even get through a 25 minute promo set. Sorry kids, that shit is just weak. I dunno about you, but if my major label debut on one of the biggest hip hip labels barely moved 100K and people like Fader ain't putting you on their cover anymore, I'd work pretty fucking hard to make sure I kept it real with my core audience. Nothing personal, but that type of shit really bums me out, especially on multiple occasions (anyone remember her being "sick on McDonald's" at her first US show at the Knitting Factory two years ago? Or this little caper from Philly?)
On a way more positive note, despite some sound problems (their words), the Glass offered up a quick and dirty set featuring some of their latest dance-infused Black Strobe/JAMC-influenced jams. Check "Mad At You" over at their Myspace. I've been feeling that song.
Top honors for the eve went to Professor Murder, who propelled the crowd to get a little wild with their syncopated, percussive neo-dub/punk/mindfuck attack. The band dropped a few new soundbombs and also hipped the crowd to a few new songs from their excellent new mixtape with my bros Caps and Jones. You can grab that here, compliments of Discobelle. Always a pleasure to hear some new treats from all these dudes.
This photo was shot during a song where they stole some awesome Crass lyrics for a bridge. Do they owe us a living? /Of course they fucking do!
Then these weird teenagers got up on stage and started dancing. For about 15 minutes. While they were knocking into the band's equipment and not giving a shit. Boo!
Still, everyone had fun! Without Lad Sov.
Holy shit it's been a really crazy week. I'll leave it at that, but what you need to know is that all hope is not lost. There's some amazing reasons to get out there this weekend. See below for all the guilty parties involved. Nice to see strong flyer artwork making a comeback!
First up, my boys P Murder and the Glass warm it up for Lady Sov. "Warm It Up" is not exactly the right term since I bet both of these bands will play better live shows. Just sayin'.
And then there's this jump off. Just read the names and recognize the realness. Fuck a rainy night!
Last night, I did something I haven't done in a minute. I went to a full-on rock show (the kind that would have made A&Rs circa 2002 drool) at Bowery Ballroom. Kicking off the eve were the Affair, who powered through a forty minute set of power pop spiked nu wave tunes and set a great tone for the night. Led by singer Kali Holloway, they hit the perfect register between retro and urgent.
They covered the Undertones' "Teenage Kicks" and I think it's a perfect song to explain where they're coming from as a band. Like other great neo-wave bands (the Long Blondes come to mind) the Affair have some undeniable abilities to put power and back beat to every boy/girl storytelling and make proclamations out of conversations. Keep an ear out for them.
Next up were Stylofone, who people seemed to like. I didn't know any of those people and all I can say is that the band is sorta like Jet if Jet ripped off T Rex rather than AC/DC. Definitely NOT my thing. Keep it!
Fortunately, Sam Champion hit the stage next and straight up killed it. A few years ago, they were finding their way around Neil Young-ish jams but last night, they were snarling and sharp. A few "woah Pavement" -type comments were heard from the crowd and I wouldn't disagree. They were great. And I don't even like Pavement all that much. Whether they were drunk (perhaps) or stoned (more likely), they played loose and raw and I left feeling like it was totally cool for five bros to play guitars and sing songs about girls (or whatever) in 2007. The classics never go out of style—when they're channeled the right way.
ROLL THRU!
SURFACE TO AIR SAMPLE SALE
FEATURING
SURFACE TO AIR BLACK LABEL
SURFACE TO AIR PARIS
ESTUAY
AS WELL AS
SHOES
BAGS AND WALLETS
JEWELRY
EXCLUSIVE ONE-OFF TEES AND SWEATS
FRIDAY MAY 11- SUNDAY MAY 13
11AM - 6PM
5 CROSBY STREET BETWEEN HOWARD AND GRAND
SUITE 6D- NEW SHOWROOM LOCATION!!!!!
CASH ONLY!
HOORAY!!!!
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