The Naked and Famous

This has a similar initial affect I can {unashamedly} say Lisztomania had nearly a year ago. Call it the season, call it the humidity, call it a fervent belief that I'll always be 19.

I'm not even positive I LIKED 19 all that much at the time, but it seems pretty romantic from this side of 27.

New Zealand's The Naked and Famous have heavy hints of some of our American sweaty dance favorites - Passion Pit, M83, Yeasayer, Temper Trap. The kiwi's electro-pop single from late 2010's "Passive Me, Agressive You" gets a breathless remix from lacy muse White Sea.



The Week's Once Over

Sultry dirge from Circle Pit
Recent release from City and Colour
Illmatic reincarnation from Elzhi {Dustin Artz}
Under the Covers Tuesday. Just this once. Courtesy of Radiohead.

I'm slipping into this weekend on swift hourglass sands towards big change, and a massive adventure. More on that soon. Kiss on that ol' fox of a father; I'll be out with mine doing unpaid child labor in his "garden." The fact that he used to pay me a dime for each 5 gallon bucket of sticks I picked up on his canadian-natl.-park-maintained property simply endears him to me. Now.

xx,
chirgo

The Naked and Famous // Young Blood (White Sea remix)

The Cave Singers

{front and center at red palace DC}

I bought tickets to see Lia Ices at the Red Palace DC the very day I posted about her. I knew she was the opener for The Cave Singers, who I wasn't familiar with but figured a.) I like caves, b.) I was gonna dig the overall aesthetic, c.) if I wasn't wild for them we had all the more reason to leave early and get back to RVA before the kind of hour I'd keep on the odd upper weekend.

Today I got bags under my eyes, 32oz of coffee and came in to work 30 min late. Whoopsies. F*ck yeah, Cave Singers.

Playing to a pretty packed house, this WA-based trio clearly already have an established fan base with the neo-hippie sect. Cuz they wuz dancin'. So I danced too, duh. Hard not to when the seated Derek Fudesco, {whom my bestmate Andi and I renamed Animal}, heavy picking the electric while playing a distortion pedal with such gusto that he nearly comes out of his chair with every sway into the bass line. Can't deny it when Pete Quirk is doing crazymanlegs dancing punctuated by occasional wild screams. You're a soulless robot if you can ignore Marty Lund's stomp-inspiring floor tom. They're deconstructed gritty folk rockers, and they'll be yowling into your town soon.

track1 off their new release on jagjaguwar, track2 because i spilled my beer when it was played due to enthused shimmying.

and p.s., Lia? Thrashing-lovely set. We're going to be seeing more of her, guar-on-teed.

The Cave Singers // No Prosecution If We Bail
The Cave Singers // At the Cut

Archie Bronson Outfit

On first listen to "Shark's Tooth," I felt like my brain was involuntarily jangled from earhole to earhole. Lots of reverb, lots of steel serration, lots of shaking a sheet of tin. My head nearly exploded, no joke! I had to turn that shit down, son!
Then I realized I was drumming on my desk and robotically shimmying my shoulders. Maybe even having a daydream about riding a stag armored with uzis, shooting down enemy cyclopses. Hey-o, Bronco!

The good stuff comes from a trio that became mates at Kingswood School, Bath. Just look at the guys, you know reverb comes easy when you have that kind of lavish beard to help with the acoustics.

Their most recent LP, Coconut, came after a four year hiatus post Derdang Derdang. If you'd like nothing more but to have your ears ringing with sound heavy on ferocious, primal squalling from these lads - you'll have to cross the Pond to catch them on tour.
Nbd, you can take my battle stag.

Archie Bronson Outfit // Shark's Tooth

Sean Bones

Not to be confused with Mike Bones or Skeleton Bones, Sean Bones is a collective of three quiet guys and the somewhat douchey frontman, Sean Bones. Ha I'm joking, stop taking me so seriously. Douchey is a relative term. See for yourself in the IFC behind-the-scenes SXSW clip below.



Sean Bones // Dancehall

Junior Boys

These Ontarians blew up, whatever that means these days, right off the bat in 2003, when they released something good enough for Christian Fennesz to remix.

The song Fennesz really liked.

Their new album is Begone Dull Care, on Domino. It is named for the short film by animator Norman McLaren.

As usual, it was difficult for me to choose just one new track to share. One I really like called "Work" was recorded in Berlin and sounds like DJ Hell a bit-- I didn't want to beat you over the head with Hell any more-- and another is basically electro RnB ("Sneak a Picture"). The song I choose is like neither of those.

Junior Boys // Dull to Pause

The Ettes - Empty Skeleton Interview

Take 50 bobble heads of your choice, put a spring on their little plastic feet, bounce them up and down, put them in front of an amp with three (fashionable) action figures on top labeled Coco, Poni and Jem, and video tape for 120- 180 seconds. You now have the video for a miniature Ettes show. That’s just one way to go, but after listening to their new EP, Danger Is, on repeat for the past few days, that’s what I feel like — A springy bobble head (Mr. T). When your band ingredients are 60s Beat, 80s punk, and driving, ultra sonic bass vibrations, I think that’s the desired reaction. I could be wrong.

I begged and pleaded with the band for an interview and it turns out it’s much easier to answer a few questions than secure a restraining order. Here’s how it went down with the Ettes sassy front woman, Coco.

ES: First things first, I hear you all live together in a small house in Nashville. Two girls and one guy. Does the seat stay up or down?

Coco: The seat stays down. We make Jem piss outside, which is also where he sleeps, in a ragged pup tent he picked up at the local Army/Navy.

ES: Where do you guys hang out in Nash Vegas? I'm sort of partial to Robert's Western World, but I have a fondness for boot walls.

Coco: We go to Robert's when our parents visit...

ES: Zing!

Coco: But we've been partial to the Villager, what with the darts and the smoking. The changes you will soon notice in the juke box have everything to do with me, and if you've got a problem with it, you can come tell me. I'll be at the end of the bar, watching Tim and Eric, talking to Kevin, ranting about audio books.

ES: You were recently on tour with Kings of Leon. Any fiery sex orgies? Kidding, don't answer that. But seriously, were there?

Coco: I was advised to say something to the effect of "Oh, I couldn't possibly answer that!" They're really good guys. Sooners, but pretty as hell. I can attest that a lot of sex was indeed set on fire. At 6000 capacity venues. 6000 sexes being set on fire at once is really a sight to see. I recommend it.

ES: Musically, who and what turns you on?

Coco: A great beat, honest and threatening lyrics, rhythm and melodies that stick in your head. Now tell modern bands that and have them get to work so I have someone to mention.

ES: How much did Liam Watson influence your sound, if at all?

Coco: Liam tightened us up and really taught us a lot about the history that influenced the sounds we love. He's a gentleman and a scholar, and a musical historian of the highest order, in the least pretentious way.

ES: How did you guys hook up?

Coco: We asked him if he would record us and he said yes.

ES: He also produced Wild Billy Childish whom you've been compared to. Is that a fair comparison? His mustache scares me.

Coco: You should be afraid of Billy.

ES: How do you feel about rainbows? I have this tatt...

Coco: They're pretty gay.

ES: Oh. So, what made you decide to self-release Look At Life Again Soon?

Coco: We were tired of waiting for someone to come along and do it for us. We're very impatient.

ES: How does one go about doing such a thing without breaking the bank?

Coco: Oh, the bank is plenty broken.

ES: The new EP, Danger Is, hints at a slightly evolving sound with the bass-driven "No Home." Is that a bad observation?

Coco: Maybe it's a good one. I'm lazy as hell, and Jem picks up a lot of my musical slack. He's a guitar player first, so he's got an interesting approach to playing bass for the Ettes. Hopefully our sound will evolve so much that I can just sit in a recliner on stage and tap my foot. That will truly be the day.

ES: Is this a preview of something in the works?

Coco: We're recording our third album this month with Greg Cartwright.

ES: You guys toured with the Black Keys last year in Europe. Is Dan Auerbach really the second coming of Christ? Because he really seems
like he might be.

Coco: There's no real reason he couldn't be, but if the Bible and the Left Behind series are to be believed, you would notice some people missing about now, and a charming incarnation of the antichrist named Nikolai Carpathia would soon appear on CNN. Or Fox.

ES: I mean seriously, how great is he?

Coco: Great in the best of ways. He knows his shit, is talented and fun, and is a good friend. His studio ain't half bad either.

ES: Dan Auerbach.

Coco: You said it.

ES: Your name is a suffix. Care to elaborate?

Coco: Not really.

ES: Pffft. Well, what's with the nicknames?

Coco: Poni and I pretending we were in the Switchblade Sisters. Jem is a common abbreviation for Jeremy, at least where I come from, in the south. Jem Finch's name is actually Jeremy Finch. And as we and Scout and Atticus know, he is a very important little man.

ES: I guess. I've seen/read you talking about boozing it up a lot. Should we be worried?

Coco: Probably. I mean, probably. I'll think about it.

From the new EP, here’s No Home, recorded with Christ Almighty himself, Mr. Auerbach.

The Ettes // No Home

Say Hi (at a bowling alley)

Wednesday 3/25 2:49AM Plaza Duckpin Bowl

What the Shasta? Who plans a show with four bands on a Wednesday night to start at 10P? At a duckpin bowling alley. The first band called...hmmm, beats the hell out of me... went on at 10:53. Long night to say the least, but it wasn't bad. Just bizarre.

When we arrived there were roughly 45 people in attendance and it only dwindled from there. So you can imagine what the show was like when Say Hi went on at 1:10A. They played for about 30 minutes, a practice really, and I don't blame them. When your opening band and the janitor are your only observers, you don't feel bad about phoning it in. But despite the shitty PA and small crowd, they weren't disappointing.

Telekinesis who played right before them, also from Seattle, kicked some duckpin ass. They were great and I'll write about them later, but this post is exclusive to SH. Shhhhh.

Since the place wasn't crawling with maggots, I asked Eric Elbogen (the creator and only real member of Say Hi) a few questions. Then later on, we had an interview in my dream that picked up in exactly the same place. Above is a photo of me taking a photo of him plus the photo I took of him. Brilliant!

Here's how the whole thing went down. Remember, I was already destroyed at this point.

ES: Love all your cover art, who does it, you?
Eric: No, there are a group of guys in Seattle that do it.
ES: That's cool, so do you do the art?
Eric: What?
ES: I noticed you have a shitload of tour dates.
Eric: Yeah, I...
ES: Have you ever performed at a place like this?
Eric: Well we've never played at a duckpin bowling alley before, but I'm kind of digging it.
ES: This place is weird. Did you see the guy at the bar with no teeth?
Eric: Oh the guy...
ES: Is it ok if I put one of your songs on my blog?
Eric: Sure.
ES: Great. Thanks.

This is how the interview continued in my dream:

ES: Would you perform a private concert on my blog?
Eric: Yeah.
ES: Really?
Eric: Yeah man, it's really hard to be heard these days, so we'll do it.
ES: I really like dolphins, do you like dolphins?
Eric: I don't have a car.
ES: I'm a lawnmower.

That's when Eric turned into a woman and we danced outside by the empty pool.

Thanks for the dance Eric. It meant a lot to me.

The new album Oohs & Aahs is a nice mature evolution of his previous albums. If you like his more popular tracks like Northwestern Girls, These Fangs and Sweet Sweet Heartkiller, then you'll appreciate this collection of songs. If you don't, you're a dick. Every track is titillating, so tit it today. I mean get it. I'm 8 years old, sorry.

Say Hi // One, Two ... One

Handsome Furs Like To Travel

Husband and wife duo, Alexei Perry and Wolf Parade’s Dan Boeckner, have an inspiring story. They travel and then write music based on what they’ve absorbed. And what they’ve absorbed is a tightly nit ball of electronic beats and quiet rage. According to them, they’d both love to be foreign correspondents. Just a bit of advice, stick to the music. And to the fucking. It’s good for all of us. They’re currently touring in France, Italy, and Canada before hitting up Iowa and Kansas.

Handsome Furs' sophomore album, Face Control, out today, promises to be dance-worthy and soulful at the same time. Soul dancing is not advisable. Here’s a taste.

I’m Confused

Did I mention Alexei is hot? Or did you not see the photo?