Fol Chen

Yesterday (super briefly), I mentioned the Fol Chen EP, and in the past couple days it has really blown up... BUZZBAND ALERT!!!!!!!!!!

  Now, I'd like to really push it to you guys because it's great.  It's five songs, three of which are remixes of the first, the other being a cover of the first.  Right off the bat, the Fol Chen version has this deep, strange voice and heavy drum beat/bass.  Then the vocals and other instruments come on, and it turns into a catchy pop song, and finally you have a nice part where all the instruments cut out and you have a little piano riff.  Really varied song, really good... then you have the remixes and cover, which give you four completely different and new takes.    Bonus: Fol Chen is an LA band.

The first Baths remix is a house, trance take on the song, with heavily reverbed vocals and synth pads.  Then the other Baths remix is also very different.  It's got vocals that shutter in and out giving the entire song an incredibly staccato feel.  The Keepaway remix starts out with the original drumbeat, but then goes and plays with changing up the drum beat and using synths for the instrumental parts.  It may be more of a traditional remix, but it is still very different from the original and other two remixes on the album.  Finally, there is the Karin Tatoyan cover, which is the most drastically different.  It starts out with a long, drone drum intro, and then a sort of 80's/8bit synth comes in.  Next in, the vocals, which have a very, very different take on the vocals.  They are the main emphasis of the song, with the other instruments pretty much relegated (poor word choice...) to the background.  They are not sung with a poppy feel, but with a feeling of longing and melancholy that is most evident as she almost begs "All I want is to see your face" and observes "everything is in ruins."

I really recommend you guys go over to folchen.com and download the whole EP for free (and the weird video that comes with it...  it's also below).  I'll give you a track or two here.

mp3: In Ruins
mp3: In Ruins (Kerin Tatoyan Cover)


Check out the Holy Ghost! remix of LCD Soundsystem's "Drunk Girls."  The two will be touring together this summer, and they are both on LCD Soundsystem front man's label DFA Records.  Oh, I've been listening to the new LCD Soundsystem album a ton, and it's great!  With the exception of Drunk Girls, every track is fantastic.  More on it when it actually comes out in May.
mp3: Drunk Girls (Holy Ghost! Remix)

-- A Teenage Elephant

The Books + Sleigh Bells + Some Dub

Hot Stuff!  Hot Tracks, Hot Remixes... This post is hot... Almost too hot to handle.  Then I again I like to think my readers can handle it all.

The Books :: Beautiful People

The Books!  More unique stuff from them.  There's the trademark sample vocals (which here are pretty weird at times - they run backwards at times, and are also  seem to be about the sciences).  There's brass sections, some sweeping synth pads, and a steady (strangely so... you'd almost expect some strange time signature) drum beat.  Plus some acoustic guitar... it's got it all, and it's sure to get bloggers (well it already has) and critics buzzing alike.

mp3: Beautiful People

Sleigh Bells :: Tell 'Em

I talked about Sleigh Bells a couple of months ago, and since then they have really picked up some steam (both in sound and as in a following).  This is the first single from the anticipated album that will be on MIA's label (and boy do a lot of the songs sound like MIA).

Blasting the super distorted guitar and heavy bass on full volume is the way you have to listen to this (as it was with last one), and it even picks up an even dirtier quality when you play it on speakers that aren't really nice (think laptop).  Also, as a bonus, I'll put in one of the tracks from the demo that's we've been all enjoying in the wait for the album.  It's a little mellower and I actually like it a little more, but it's cool to hear the much more produced sound that comes with the new track and the use of the MIA recording studio.  You can also dl "Tell 'Em" at the Sleigh Bells website here.

mp3: Tell 'Em

mp3: Ring Ring

Rusko :: Hold On (Feat. Amber Coffman) (Sub Focus Remix)

In the words of my friend (jokingly of course...) "Life is Short. Dub. Nao."  Well, here's a mellowed (almost... chilled out, if you catch my drift) version of the just released Rusko song Hold On (which features the Dirty Projectors' Amber Coffman).  The remix definitely I think emphasizes Coffman's vocals a little more, and has a slightly more pop sound.  The part of this that has the dubstep sound gets pretty repetitive and doesn't sound all that original, but whatever.  It's still fun.  I like the original a little more, but this is the one that's heating up the interwebs so here it is.

mp3: Hold On (Feat. Amber Coffman) (Sub Focus Remix)

-- A Teenage Elephant

Also:  I command you to go download the Fol Chen EP now!!!!  Get it at folchen.com.

Foals, Here We Go Magic, Royal Bangs (Plus FlyLo)

Foals :: Spanish Sahara

"Spanish Sahara"  is off of Oxford-quintuplet Foals' sophomore album Total Life Forever, which is due out May 5th.  I love how although it for the most part is a very simple song, the vocals really connect and the turn of of the rhyme (I think that is what is called) is impeccable in the British accent: Sahara, Wanna, Horror.  The lyrics really feel like they have some impact.  Can't wait for the album!
mp3: Spanish Sahara
mp3: Spanish Sahara (Mount Kimble Remix)

Here We Go Magic :: Old World United
Check out the new track from some of my favorite lo-fi/folky-ish bands from last year.  Just like the other track I posted from this album (Pigeons, Due out in June on Secretly Canadian) a while ago, and which will also be below again, it's a lot more upbeat and synthy than their previous album.
mp3: Old World United
mp3: Collector

Royal Bangs :: War Bells
This songs got Sleigh Bells' style of guitar/drums and TV on the Radio vocals.  That's pretty much how I would sum it up.  I like this song, but I think it is the type of song I will completely forget about in two weeks.  Thought I'd share it anyways...  The second track is a little different and better.  This stuff isn't exactly new, but I just came across it so I'd figure I'd share it.
mp3: War Bells
mp3: My Car Is Haunted

As has recently been the trend, the full Flying Lotus album is now available to stream after its leak.  Check it out at his MySpace.  Other album leaks with streams: LCD Soundsystem, the National, the New Pornographers.

-- A Teenage Elephant

New Andrew Bird and CONTROVERSIAL (Ooooooh) Video (Plus some Porn! The New Pornographers that is!)

First up - Poetry Time!  Well not really but whatever.

Andrew Bird
Andrew Bird has a new song that is on a forthcoming tribute album to.... Shel Silverstein!  It turns Shel Silverstein was actually not just one of the greatest children's poets ever, but also a Grammy winning songwriter!  The tribute album features songs from other great artists like My Morning Jacket.  This song is really classic Andrew Bird in times of style, and Shel Silverstein's poem couldn't go better with Andrew Bird's wry way of singing rhymes.  It's also great to just hear some new Andrew Bird!
Listen to it over at PMA.

New Pornographers :: Together
New New Pornographers (oh the woes of putting a "new" in your band's name...) up for stream!  The album is orgasmic (sticking with the theme...).  It's that good.  Listen to it here at NPR.

Video Time!

M.I.A. :: Born Free
Now, this video is not for the faint of heart... i.e. not really safe for school/work.  It's got some graphic stuff in it, and I don't really know what to think of it.  If it is supposed to be about the video, than it does a good job, but if it is supposed to be for the song, it does an awful job... upon rewatching it I still barely noticed the song.  Sort of seems like a chance to get "mad blog hits" and "dirt chip publicity" with the potential for a New York Times/New York Mag write up...  The video seems like it is trying to look like it has a "message" but I don't think it really does.  Well directed I guess.... The end reminds me of the scene in the movie Scanners.  Yall know what I am talking about if you have seen it.  AGAIN THIS IS GRAPHIC/very long and not really worth the time...

PLEASE COMMENT AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK OF THE VIDEO IF YOU TOOK THE TIME TO WATCH.

M.I.A, Born Free from ROMAIN-GAVRAS on Vimeo.


--A Teenage Elephant

Coachella Day 3

The Thrilling Conclusion to a Three Part Saga!!!!

Sunday was easily my favorite day.  Although I really only saw five complete acts, they were easily the best acts of the weekend, and having them back to back made them that much better.  

Local Natives

(Not So Great) Photo by Me

I started off the day with Local Natives, one of my favorite up and coming bands.  They hail from LA, and on stage they admitted that they had dreamed of playing Coachella as teens, and that this was a fantastic experience.  The same could certainly be said for the crowd.  They absolutely packed the place, not to mention the fact that it was 2 in the afternoon and they were competing against Owen Pallett, King Khan and the Shrines, and (sort of) Rusko.  They played their set with lots of fire, which was certainly fueled by their excellent double percussionist set up.  All the songs were packed with energy.  Some of the slower songs were still sung with lots of passion, and the (on some songs) four (!) vocalists' harmonies played off each other perfectly, making them certainly reminiscent of an LA-Indie Grizzly Bear or Fleet Foxes.  My two favorites on the album ("World News" "Camera Talk") were sped up a little bit, giving them lots of pep and getting the crowd moving.  Songs like "Airplanes" had the crowd "Ooohhoohhhhing" with the band.  "Sun Hands" though, which is a very good song on the album though not the best (IMHO), was by far the largest stand out and concluded the show with a bang.  They played an extended six minute version of the song, and when they broke it down, the vocals turned into a yell  which the entire crowd picked up on.  As soon as the break was over and the guitar riff comes in, the crowd went crazy.  It was a perfect finish to a nearly flawless show.  They really showed how much potential they have with this show, packing a tent with not just LA people but people from all over.

Rusko

Although I really like dub (dubstep), I realize I have never really talked about it on the blog, and I sort of think I never really will.  I'm not quite sure why; partly because I don't really know how to describe it and partly because as much as I love it it sort of all sounds the same to me.  This show though I will write about, just because it was the first time I have seen dub live and secondly because it was plain fun.  The setting: the Sahara tent, completely packed, 3:00, hotter in the tent than out.  The music: lots of dub with some more samples/electro in between that made it go so much harder when the dub dropped.  Tons of people their to have fun.  Lots of the typical dub funky dance.  Truckloads of mindless fun.  I actually worked my way all the way up to the front, which was quite a feat considering I started all the way in the back.  It was a fight, but it was worth making it to the point where the music rumbled your clothing.  A comedic thing from the show: watching people trying to figure out how to dance to a new beat after a shift in the music.

After Rusko I saw a little bit of Deerhunter (whom I love) from afar.  I also saw a little bit of Yo La Tengo.  Unfortunately, I found them to be very disappointing.  It seemed to my like they didn't really care to be there, and I think when you perform there is a certain pride you should take in your music, and it just didn't seem to show, but that's just me.  Don't get me wrong, I love them, but I just didn't enjoy what I saw (the first three songs... I was too disappointed to stay).  

This is where the day got incredible; from here on out I was at the Outdoor Stage (not the main stage) for the next three bands, probably the best streak of bands in the whole festival (In My Opinion).

Jonsi

Jonsi and his backing band (Photo by None other than...me!)

More Jonsi (and a guy's ear) Photo by Me

Jonsi was fortunately unaffected by the volcano eruption that occurred in none other than his homeland, Iceland.  For those of you who don't know, Jonsi is the lead singer of Sigur Ros, and this show was in support of his solo album Go, which is an excellent one just released recently.  He of course had a backing band though.  The show was eccentric and passionate, which I think are two words that completely capture the style of the album.  He of course used his invented "Hopelandic" (its not really lyrics that are givverish... it's more just to turn the vocals completely into an instrument in his words) on some songs, wore a strange tasseled (I think that's how you would describe it... take a look at the picture).  All the songs really had the slightly mystical feel that is achieved by the foreign "lyrics" (some were also in icelandic), strangely pitchshifted samples, and Jonsi's falsetto, as well as the excellent use of non traditional instruments  (I think there was a theremin in there but my friend says there wasn't...).  Anyways, I think the crowd, who seemed as if they were there early for Thom Yorke/Atoms for Peace and Phoenix was really surprised by a great show.  

Phoenix

Photo by Me

This show brought the crowd down if you will.  Of all the shows I saw (with maybe the exception of some of the shows in Sahara, the Rave tent), the crowd was probably the most into this one.  This was probably the most "sought after" show in terms of bands/celebrities... Jay-Z, Beyonce and Solange were all sitting right in front of me (I was front row for all three shows), as well as the singer from Passion Pit, Russell Simmons (although he came late and seemed to be there more for Thom), Muse (!) (They also came late though and seemed to be there for Thom) and more.  When Phoenix came on everybody went crazy.  They played through every song on Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix as well as a few older hits ("Consolation Prizes" and I think they also played "Run Run Run" sorry I didn't write down the setlist) that were some of their more rock oriented roots.  I've seen Phoenix before, and they played a great show then, but that show paled in comparison.  

This was one of the best shows I have ever seen - that's how good it was.  Part of it was because the crowd was so into it and knew virtually ever lyric to every song, part of it because they really played to what the crowd wanted I think/their strength by playing all of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, their poppiest/synthiest album.  The thing that's so great about that album is that every song on that album (except for maybe the three slower songs which are all in a row) could have opened the concert, so when they were all played, it was like a new wave of energy/joy was going through the crowd.  They of course opened with "Lisztomania" and closed with "1901."  Besides being a joyous/happy/poppy show, it was also in some ways a very humble show.  Their light/set guy was stuck on the other side of the pond because of the volcano, but instead of getting a new set design guy to do a new setup for the stage, they decided to just stick with a sparse stage and lighting; there were just a few white lights that occasionally moved over the band and once over the audience when they said "We want to see these people!"  As lead singer Thomas Mars said, "Tonight, it's just about the music."  

This was probably my favorite shot from all of Coachella.  Photo by me

Photo by Me

There were two very beautiful images in this show... the sun setting behind Phoenix and once when Thomas Mars asked the tech guy who was there to dim the lights, and when they came back up Thomas Mars was standing right over the crowd on the barricade singing to them.  Besides those two moments and all the massive sing-a-longs (so pretty much the whole concert...), my other favorite moment was probably "Love Like A Sunset, Pts. 1 & 2" which was also one of my favorites when I saw them before.  It was a long ten minute synth soundscape, that, now that I think about it, was coupled with a just finished sunset.  Pretty incredible sight.

Thom Yorke/Atoms for Peace

Photo by Me

As incredible as all the shows on Sunday were, this was hands down the best show of the weekend.  After waiting for an hour and the installment of some cool light fixtures, Thom Yorke, Flea, Nigel Godrich (Radiohead Producer), Mauro Rafosco, and Joey Waronker walked on stage to one of the largest crowds of the whole weekend despite inexplicably not being on the main stage (which resulted in me missing Spoon and Pavement, but there were absolutely zero regrets there, seeing as I got to see two incredible shows before hand and I was front row).  They started out (yes, this was just the beginning) by playing all of the Eraser straight through.  It was a completely different take though, and didn't really even feel like they were playing an album because of the style they used.  It was completely focused on the rhythm section, and with the two percussionist coupled with Flea's incredible slap bass skills, it took on a very funky/groovy (as in lots of rhythm grooves not as in "groovy baby") feel. 

Thom Yorke and Flea grooving to the rhythm based show (Photo by Me)

When they were playing through the Eraser, every song would start out as a just that, the song, but then would turn into long 5 to 10 minute jams.  Although Thom Yorke is incredible, in the Eraser part of the show it was Flea and the Rhythm section that really shined the most.  It was more of Thom Yorke's stage presence and almost his "MCing" that made him great in that part of the show.  Thom Yorke is normally very dour on stage, moaning the Radiohead lyrics, but here he was, to use a British word to describe a Brit, jolly, telling jokes and having fun on stage.  He pranced and writhed around the stage, grooving to the music just as much as the crowd was.  Flea also did his signature freak-out weird funky dance thing... very enjoyable to watch.  Oh his hair was also blue...  Nigel Godrich's synths, although not showy at all and staying mostly in the background, were played with the precision and thoughtfulness (i.e. they sounded like they were designed to perfectly complement the rest of the band's style) that could only be achieved by Radiohead's producer.

This photo illustrates how I (and most of the crowd) experienced Atoms for Peace/Thom Yorke: either grooving along to the music with my eyes closed, or having the intricate light fixtures meld with the music and the performers.
(Photo by Me)

This photNot one song in particular in the first half of the show really stood out because they were really just awesome jams.  It wasn't in stark contrast to the Phoenix concert right before; instead of tightly choreographed pop songs with 30,000 people singing, it was people closing their eyes and just entering their own world with the loose, spontaneous feeling grooves.  After playing straight through the Eraser, they took a brief leave.  Thom Yorke came back to open the encore, the rest of Atoms for Peace joining him later on.

Thom Yorke harmonizing with himself
Photo by Me

He started off with a brand new Atoms for Peace song, although this one was really just a brand new Thom Yorke song.  This song, if you didn't like the funk/rhythm style of the Eraser portion of the show, would certainly make you love the show even if you didn't like anything else in it.  It was Thom Yorke, an acoustic guitar, and a layering pedal.  It was an incredibly beautiful song, and it really showed why Thom Yorke is such an incredible and talented musician.  He harmonized with himself many times over in real time by using the layering pedals, all while crooning over a slow acoustic guitar piece.  It was truly beautiful.  Oh and it's called "Giving Up the Ghost," and let me tell you, it is a bit better than the similarly titled "Giving Up the Gun" (that was sarcastic because the Thom Yorke song is about a thousand times better than the Vampire Weekend one). 

 I will embed the video below, but I did not actually take it (I was actually a lot closer).  My only hesitation in embedding the video is that because it is from youtube, you won't get to experience it in its full glory/sound quality, but oh well it is worth it, and the AV quality is really good anyways. 

T

he person who took this video actually has great videos of every song in the show, which if you are like me and are a diehard Radiohead/Thom Yorke fan and want to experience all over again/for the first time, they are worth watching.

He than went on top lay some Radiohead tunes, namely the ballad "Airbag" (which they actually didn't play when I saw Radiohead at the Hollywood Bowl), and one of the great/"shocking" (when it first came out) opening songs for an album of all time, Kid A's "Everything In Its Right Place."  Then the band came back out for a rendition of Radiohead's "Paperbag Writer," returning to some of the more bass oriented roots of the first half of the show.  They finished up with "Judge Jury and Executioner" (it wasn't the Radiohead song though Myxamatosis, which has that in the name), and then the two songs from Thom Yorke's Twilight single, "The Hollow Earth" and "Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses" (which are both excellent songs despite being associated with Twilight).  They went out with a bang (more like a sonic boom...) with those two songs, getting really down and funky.  The whole show was really one of the best shows I've seen, but it was sort of hard to write about because of the fact that it was composed of long, funky grooves/jams.  

Afterwards, we walked over to see the Gorillaz, but we were just so blown away (as one of the people befriended at the show said "I can now die happily.")  by Atoms that we knew Gorillaz would sort of feel like  a letdown, which as much as I love them they did.  They just seemed a little boring from what we saw (a few songs).  We then went over to see Sly Stone (after his 5 hour delay), but it was just awful.  He just seemed so messed up.  Not that I ever would anyways, but it makes me not want to ever do cocaine...

And  so we went home without seeing all of the Gorillaz, but we had an incredible weekend and had just seen an incredible show.  Plus I had school the next day... 

To sum up my Coachella experience (I was thinking of doing a "People of the Coach" picture gallery, but I think it would be a little cheesy...): 75,000 people without a care in the world, just there to have fun and experience good music.  Lots of diverse people... if you can imagine or conjure up any strange style, I guarantee there was somebody like that there.  I was thinking of writing something like "I've never seen more... multicolored rayband wayfarers, bros without a shirt on, rave finger light gloves, fat men with ponytails, skinny men with ponytails, folk beards, etc." but I realized I could put absolutely anything in that spot because there were so many different types of people.  

In Six Words: 

The Best Weekend of My Life

-- A Teenage Elephant

Coachella Day 2

So, Day 2!
I started off Day 2 with two of my friend's choices, but both were enjoyable.  The first was RX Bandits, a sort of metal band with ska/reggae influences from Long Beach California.  Not really something I would ever listen to on its own, but at a concert it was pretty fun.  They drew a very large crowd for a noon show, as did the next band, Porcupine Tree, a pretty famous prog/psych rock band from the ?80s?.  This one I just sort of laid down on the field not to far from the stage and just took in Coachella as a whole plus some sort of trippy music from the band.  Nothing too special I thought, but I do think everybody should check them out because I do think they have a very interesting style.

Camera Obscura

Photo by Me

Camera Obscura played of course a lively show, but they were definitely dwarfed by Girls, who were playing the next tent over.  I opted to see Camera Obscura as I have seen Girls already (review here), and I got a front row spot for Camera Obscura which set me up for front row for Beach House.  The band meshed well together, playing to the crowd's pep on an early Saturday afternoon with songs like "French Navy," their ultra poppy/happy tune that got everybody singing.





Beach House

Photo by Me

Photo by Me

 Beach House finally realized their potential with Teen Dream, and it really showed in their performance.  The place was jam packed, with hundreds of people spilling out of the tent and into the sun.  Victoria Legrand's deep vocals echoed out across the tent over the crowd, putting everybody into what I like to call "the Grizzly Bear Trance"... everybody sort of closes their eyes and just sways to the music.  They were one of the few day bands that had set design, which consisted of these strange different sized pinata looking things dangling from the ceiling behind them.  Not quite sure what I thought of them, but whatever.  The music itself sounded straight off the record; lots of reverb and soaring vocals.  The most interesting part of the show I thought was how the music was actually played.  The guitarist had something that he was playing with his feet, which I am embarrassed to say i didn't what it was, although it looked/sounded like a "foot organ" if you will.  It created a very interesting performance aesthetic; Victoria Legrand with her wild tousled hair moaning out to the crowd, the relaxed, smiling with the eyes closed drummer, and the focused, sitting guitarist/samplist/foot organist.  Songs like "10 Mile Stereo" and "Gila" really seemed to move the crowd.  They even did one "new" song, a cover of Gucci.  Unfortunately I missed Temper Trap at Beach House, but it was definitely worth it.

Photo by Me

Photo by Me

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes

Before we go any further, there is a funny (and embarrassing) story to be told, involving me and a faux pas (committed by none other than yours truly).  So as I have said before (I think), I was front row for Camera Obscura and Beach House.  As you can see from my photos, there is an area in between front row and the stage where photographers/band members can enjoy shows.  In between Camera Obscura and Beach House, a pretty girl who was clearly from a band by her look/a person taking a photo with her sat down right in front of me in the area for bands/photographers.  I knew she was in a band and she looked a lot like one of the girls from Camera Obscura, but I wasn't sure.  My friend said "Yeah that's her," so I say to her "You guys were great!"  She gives me this incredibly strange look as if I am tripping or something and says after a long pause "I like your glasses."  It was a pretty strange response and I didn't know what to say so I just sort of said "Um, thank you" and she kept on looking at me and laughed.  A few minutes later I heard someone say to her "You guys are on next right?"  and she responded "Yeah, but I am so excited for Beach House and I just have to see a few songs."  And wham! it dawns on me... she was looking at me funny because she hadn't played yet!  Now, fast-forward an hour or two and switch locations to the Outdoor Stage (not the mainstage though).  You may be asking "What does this have to do with Ed Sharpe?"  Well here's the kicker.  I am a big Ed Sharpe fan, but had never seen a picture of them.  My friend and I get to the Ed Sharpe stage just as they are starting and look who is on stage... none other than the girl from my faux pas!  It was Jane of Ed Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, who just about every Ed Sharpe fan/male Ed Sharpe fan worships!  I thought it was fairly funny, so I figured I'd include, but looking back on it I realize just how awful a story teller I am...

Photo by Me (I can put another shot up with Jane if you like)

So, back to the concert itself.  This concert was about as close to a Summer of Love concert as I think you are going to get from any contemporary band.  Lots of long hair, songs about love, lots and lots of people on stage, kids on stage, a singing, joyful crowd, etc.  It was a very hippie crowd, but also a very dedicated crowd.  Every song the entire crowd seemed to know the lyrics, and when Alexander (the lead male for those of you who think the lead is Edward Sharpe) and other members (including Jane) ventured out into the crowd, it seemed as if everybody swayed in to embrace them.  "Home" of course brought the house down.  Comedically, the crowd replaced the classic whistling with humming... I don't think the crowd was quite skilled/sober enough to whistle.

The xx

As much as I love The xx and as much as the crowd seemed to love them (it was mobbed), it wasn't really a thrilling show.  The music is enjoyable live just because it is good music, but slightly static and pretty much different in no way whatsoever from the album.  This wouldn't be a problem, except for the fact that it is not really interesting music to play live in my opinion.  There was one very interesting thing in an otherwise boring show (In My Opinion...) they didn't wear all black for what must be the first time!  Instead... they wore white!  

Photo by Me

Well I left the show after just a few songs, partly because it wasn't wonderful and partly because my friend (and I) had some plans for the rest of the day... unfortunately they did not involve that stage, which had an incredible lineup that day: The Temper Trap, Edward Sharpe, The xx, Hot Chip, MGMT.  This meant that I would miss Hot Chip and MGMT, as well as the Dirty Projectors who were on another stage.

So what are these plans we had that made me miss three bands that were all supposed to have had amazing shows?  To understand, we must first... TAKE ANOTHER TRIP TO STORYLAND.... (and this one will definitely get my friend mad... he hates this one).

Rewind three years.  2007.  I am twelve years old, have never been to a concert.  My friend and I are both obsessed with Muse.  We have tickets to go see Muse at the Forum in Inglewood.  His brother is taking us, along with one of his friends.  Make a long story short, we get there and as we are going in, we realize there are only three tickets, and four of us.  My friend gets the boot.  For the past three years, my friend has been dying to see Muse.  Muse at Coachella is a chance to fulfill his dream.  So how would we make up for not getting to see the concert three years ago (almost to the day)?  Getting front row for Muse at Coachella.

Muse

Now, I would like to say one thing real quickly.  I'm not as obsessed with Muse anymore, especially there new album which for the most part is awful (with the exception of the symphony), but they are still a fantastic band, in particular their early material and their live show.  They aren't really this blog's type of band though, but I still had to see this show.

So how did we get front row?  We got there straight after leaving the xx and stocking up on water... we were two and half+ hours early.  This meant we had to sit through Coheed and Cambria, who were awful in my opinion, and Faith No More, who I knew nothing about and put on one of the stranger shows I have seen (which was still pretty bad, and included Danny DeVito running half naked across the stage... writing that sentence was very enjoyable, seeing it was not).  What it also meant though was that we were front row for Muse.  And Muse is the type of band were front row is synonymous with epic.

Matt Bellamy rocking out on his Kaoss Pad-embedded guitar.
Photo by Me

Matt Bellamy on a Beautiful Piano.  Clear Cover, Light Up Keys
Photo by Me

Muse, as usual, put on an extremely rockin' show that managed to pull off things like green rave lasers, a keytar, light up shuttershades (!?), and weird robot animations (which they actually had the first time I saw them) without making it seemed over produced or cheesy.  Well maybe the robots/some of the other images on that were a little cheesy but whatever.  They really are a stadium/arena rock band.  The show featured some ballads (the always beautiful piano/megaphone piece "Feeling Good" - possibly my favorite song of the night), some rockers ("Uprising", which as bad as it is on the album is pretty fun live, and "Knights of Cydonia") and some tortured love love songs ("Time Is Running Out" "Hysteria").  Every synth sounded perfect, every riff sounded tight, every solo sounded creative and epic... all in all it was a Muse show.  One more thing that demonstrates just how cool Matt Belamy is... he is cool enough to pull off a change from neon pink pants to neon blue pants mid show.... The song "New Born" really demonstrated their range; it started off with the frantic keyboards, and then it changes to the dirty guitar sound midway through the song seamlessly.  There was some great jamming in between songs thanks to Matt Bellamy's Kaoss-Pad-Guitar, but not as much as at one of their own shows.  The only real disappointment was that they didn't get to play as much stuff as I would have liked because it was not their own show (which generally would last about 3 hours and two encores), although they did enjoy an encore.

Matt Bellamy.  Plus some lasers.  And a keytar.
Photo by Me

Unfortunately, also had to miss Major Lazer and Flying Lotus (whose new album is coming out... it's fantastic.).  We did stay for Tiesto, which featured some awesome bass drops and great trance/house music, but not much else.  Oh and bass that could be felt for miles.

All in All, Day 2 was a day were I got to see some great bands in the morning, and despite missing some great bands in the evening, still had a great concert experience.

-- A Teenage Elephant.

Coachella Day 1

 Hey Yall--
First of all you can check out all my photos from this and the coming posts here (I took over 300 but most of them weren't that great).
Yeasayer
So I arrived at the Empire Polo Club (the grounds that Coachella is on) at around 3:30, and after cutting about two and a half hours of line and avoiding the logistics nightmare, I made it to the Mojave tent just before Yeasayer started playing (they started at 4:20), so I was towards the back.  They packed the tent commanded the stage well and definitely got the crowd in a trance by starting with the slow, distorted opener from Odd Blood, "The Children."  At times, the synths didn't quite come through and the vocals sounded a little overwhelmed by the drums, but overall they played a crowd pleasing psych show, my personal favorites being their tried and true songs "2080" and "Ambling Alp."  Unfortunately, it was during the day and at Coachella, so the crowd wasn't treated to their signature light show, but it was still a very enjoyable first concert, even if it wasn't a perfect show.

Photo by Yours Truly

 Afterwards, I wandered into the Sahara Tent (the electro/rave/dub tent) for a few minutes of Aeroplane, which was essential just some good DJ-ing, but the tent wasn't packed as it would be for the rest of the weekend and the crowd wasn't as into it, so it just sort of felt like any other set by an electro/DJ artist.  When they did their remix of Friendly Fire's "Paris" they did get the energy levels up.

I saw one song by Ra Ra Riot, so I don't really have too much to say, except they looked like they were 16!

Then I saw the Specials, a really big ska band from the 80's (I did not know that, my friend told me that... I don't know if you guys knew or not so I included it...).  They had lots of energy and they were very danceable (I mean they are a ska band come on), but it didn't stand out to me in particular to write about on this blog, just because I don't love to listen to ska when it's not live.

Unfortunately, after that I had to miss two bands I would have loved to write about on here, Passion Pit and Grizzly Bear.  Over the course of the weekend I saw lots of bands that my friend didn't want to see, so I saw some bands he wanted to see.  We each tried some new stuff.  In this case it was Them Crooked Vultures.  It wasn't my style of music (harder rock), but it was certainly fun to see just because the crowd was really into it, plus John Paul Jones (of Led Zeppelin for my less musically educated readers) can rip it up on any instrument whatsoever, and Dave Grohl (of Nirvana) is such a rocker that it was still pretty fun, despite the loss.

LCD Soundsystem

Photo by Sam Wolk (the Teenage Elephant)

This was a show I was dying to see for pretty much ever, as LCD Soundsystem was one of the first bands that I liked when I started liking the music I like now when I got the album Sound of Silver when it first came out.  The show featured some of James Murphy's goofy antics, an all white getup and some excellent music.  The songs really emphasized the band's style of using repetitive drum beats for minutes on end and vocals that are usually essentially just spoken and then repeated in a shout.  If you dig LCD's style than the show was awesome; the music grooved like no other and everybody was dancing under a massive disco ball that hung over an otherwise sparsely lit stage.  At the back of the stage, Jay-Z's equipment loomed in the background, and when James Murphy was told he only had time for one more song when he still had three left, he went into a nearly 15 minute long rendition of "Yeah" that to me seemed essentially like a big "Fuck You Jay-Z" as people in the crowd either starting throwing up the Jay-Z diamond or dancing like there was no tomorrow.  After that he played yet another song, "New York I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down" before yielding the stage to Jay-Z's roadies.  The best songs were definitely "Yeah" and the always moving "All My Friends."  Other favorites were the new song "I Can Change" and the long, comedic "Losing My Edge."  Unfortunately he didn't play "Someone Great," the first song I ever heard by him and one of my all time favorite songs.

After that, unfortunately I didn't get to see Vampire Weekend (my friend really dislikes them, so we didn't see them), but hearing them from afar they did sound like they put on a good live show.

Sahara Tent
After we went to LCD we went to Sahara.  This is when the tent starting heating up, both literally and figuratively (even though it was 11 at night).  The tent was absolutely packed when we got there with Benny Benassi mid way through his set; there must have been about 20,000 people there.  Lemme tell you (it's hard to say that without sounding pretty stupid...) this tent is all about partying and nailing the bass drops.  It was very fun, though nothing in particular to write about, besides the fact that you get REALLY tired.  We left at around 11:30, which was before Deadmau5 went on, which we would have liked to have seen but we were just too tired and we knew we would have a big day on Saturday.  We then saw a couple of Jay-Z songs and left.

So despite missing a few bands and not seeing too many shows, Friday was an enjoyable day and served as great warmup for the front row madness that would be Saturday and Sunday.

--A Teenage Elephant

PS Yall should check out the Antlers cover of The xx... very interesting.

Quick Coachella Report

Hey Everybody...

Photo by Sam Wolk... The Teenage Elephant

Photo By Me

So I got back from Coachella this morning, and needless to say it was incredible/one of the best weekends of my life.  Also needless to say, I am really REALLY REALLY tired right now, so I'm going to give a quick report now and then put a long post up (hopefully) later tonight, which should include pictures and, if they came out ok, videos.  Also, I am sorry I didn't get to post at all while there, I just didn't have any internet access and using my friend's BlackBerry would be waaaaaaay too much of a hassle.  Also, any of the people who I met while at Coachella, if you want you can send me an email (wolk.sam@gmail.com or teenageelephant@gmail.com)/comment below and leave your email address etc. if you like.

I didn't get to see all the bands I wanted, partly due to times and partly because I was with my friend and there were some bands I sacrificed for his bands and vice versa, but I did try some new styles (i.e. some harder rock and electro/rave/dub... my friend is more of the fist pumper type) and still got to see some amazing (and one or two not so amazing) shows.

Highlights of Everything... Briefly.
The best day for shows was easily Sunday - I saw Local Natives, Rusko, Jonsi, Phoenix, and Thom Yorke.  All five of them played incredible shows, and I was front row for each.  Unfortunately I missed Spoon and Pavement to get front row for those last three shows, which were all in a row on the same stage, but sacrifices must be made.  I'll write loads about it all in the full post.  The Phoenix and Thom Yorke/Atoms for Peace concerts were two of the best concerts I have ever seen.  Period.

Biggest let down:  Yo La Tengo.  I love them (although I realize I have never written about them on here), but the show (at least the first 3 songs... I walked out) was horrendous.  More later.

Other highlights: Beach House, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes (and my faux pas with Jane), LCD Soundsystem, Muse (unfortunately I missed Hot Chip, Dirty Projectors, and MGMT on account of Muse and my friend, but we did end up front row for Muse which is pretty unreal.), (Missed Grizzly Bear).

Much more in the coming post (might take a day or two to put together though...)

--A Teenage Elephant

Quick shout out.

I'd just like to give a quick shout out to my friends who helped design the sick new banner/logo.  I hope you all like the new look (and the catchphrase... yes, no, maybe so? tell me what you think).  Also, IF YOU LIKE MY BLOG START SPREADING THE WORD!!!!!!!!  TELL YOUR FRIENDS.  THAT'S THE BEST THING.  BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOK NOW HERE.  FOLLOW ME ON GOOGLE IF YOU HAVE AN ACCOUNT.  Also start commenting!  I love that.  Coachella coverage coming up...

--A Teenage Elephant

This Is Happening Right Now (Get it?)

Hey yall --

SUPER quick post.

Not too much going on, except LCD Soundsystem's third album is now available to listen to!  Head over to his site HERE.  I suggest you click over right away!  I'm really digging Dance Yrself Clean, I Can Change, and You Wanted a Hit right now.  Also the new MGMT album is AWESOME.  More on it later.

Also, I will be attending Coachella this weekend... yeah.  More on that soon!!!!!

Mates of State

Sorry if it has been a little longer between posts, but nothing has really been of that much interest to me.  The only things that I can think of are that a little while the first cut from the upcoming Band of Horses album was released interestingly as a free music video; unfortunately it didn't make a great impression on me even though I am big fan, so I'm not going to put it here, but it is worth checking out if you like them.  Also, the MGMT album comes out in a couple of days, and one more thing below.  Also, their is an off chance that I have no posts this week, but there is some big news... I'M GOING TO COACHELLA THIS COMING WEEKEND!!!  I'll be blogging from my first festival, so I hope yall enjoy that...

Mates of State
Married couple and indie rock duo Mates of State will be releasing a cover album over the sum featuring some very eclectic choices, ranging from Girls to Tom Waits to the Mars Volta.  They just released the first track on the album, their new take on Girls' "Laura."  It's more electronic, and perhaps a bit more upbeat and happy in its tone.  I enjoyed it thoroughly and am looking forward to the album, so here you go!

  

The Notorious B.I.G. vs. The xx.... One of the the most creative mash-ups I've ever seen and definitely one of my favorites

I know rap isn't really this blog's style, but this is so goddamn epic I have to post it.  I personally loved last year's debut album from the xx, xx, and I am a huge xx fan now.  I'm not really a rap guy, with the exception of Del the Funkee Homosapien, who actually used to rap in the Gorillaz - check out the album Deltron 3030 by Deltron (Del and Dan the Automator), but I guess Biggie is pretty classic, and you gotta like him right, even if you don't listen to him.  They are clearly two very different artists; The xx are the type of artist that you often listen to on your own, when you enter your own solitary shell.  It seems to me that a classic image of somebody listening to the xx is the person using some sort of public transit and surrounded by other people, yet completely in their own world that consists of only them and the music.  On the other hand, you have Biggie, which instantly evokes a party with everybody dancing; it's a communal experience.

The idea of bringing the two artists together certainly may not come to mind when you think of the two, but Wait What marries (Well, if you read the press release for it you'll find out that it's not really a marriage between the two artists but instead "a solid connection between two people trying to feel something" - you should read the press release if you get a chance it's pretty funny/interesting) the sublime and utterly laid back music of The xx with, as my friends would say, the fresh rhymes of B.I.G in a way that makes them sound like they were made for eachother.  The xx's music brings about a whole new side to Biggie's vocals, making them seem perhaps more heartfelt and sincere.  I can't quite place why it seems that way to me, but it does and it's awesome.  Whenever the intros for each song finish and the verse parts start and Biggie's vocals come in, it seems like the xx's music has more of a direction than it normally does, which certainly helps it.  When the xx's vocals come in, it seems like the perfect chorus to round out the songs to make them very balanced.  But enough about what I'm saying!  I got to ask Wait What a few questions, and here's what he had to say.  Also, you can listen to the whole thing below UPDATE: You can only download each song individually now because inevitably the record labels asked him to take it down, but you can download each song from the embedded player below by clicking download.  If you like his stuff go become a fan of him on facebook!  This is definitely the best LP length mash up since Jadiohead (Jay-Z + Radiohead) and Danger Mouse's Grey Album (Jay-Z's The Black Album + the Beatles The White Album).  I hope you enjoy!

1)  I know "Juicy-r" was the inspiration for the rest of the album, but when did you first think of mixing Biggie and the xx in the first place/what inspired you to do that?

I was kind of late to the xx party -- I started listening to them a lot in December, and was pretty intrigued when I saw that they listed artists like Aaliyah as their main influence. I started trying to listen for the R&B influence, and as a hip-hop fan, tried to think what it'd be like to hear a rapper on their instrumentals. From there, I thought of the Juicy/VCR mashup, and really liked how Biggie sounded on a minimalist beat.

2)  From reading the post and the main page of your website, it seems like everything happened really quickly once you realized the potential for the full album, and it came together really all over the world.  Could you maybe describe what the process was like doing it in so many places, etc., and if maybe the different locations influenced the songs at all (i.e. the songs from one place have more of one sound, and the songs from another have a different)?

Yeah, absolutely. So creating the album all over the world was mostly a result of circumstance rather than an intentional decision made in making the record. I happened to be traveling a lot at the beginning of the year -- I work for a tech company that sent me to Switzerland for a little bit, and then was going on trips four or five  weekends in a row: Williamstown, Mass, Aspen, New Orleans, Switzerland, London -- I got see some really cool places. It's hard to say, as a mashup album, how much location was an influence, but I do feel the most creative when I'm around friends or out of my standard day-to-day life, so being able to work on it in different locales definitely made the creation of it a lot more fun for me.

3) You mention in the press release how the xx are often listened to in your earbuds when you enter your solitary shell, even if it is on a commute when you're surrounded by people, you are still alone in some way, whereas when you listen to Biggie it's usually a "communal"experience; what is your take on how this album "should" be listened to/it's impact on people (i.e. how it makes them feel)?

Great question! So I actually am really into this concept of music matching a specific situation, and I thought a lot about where I liked listening to this record. I included this note at the end of the liner notes, suggesting three places it's worked well for me:

1) rainy days in your apartment after you've overslept but aren't going to let the asymmetry of your day disrupt your mood

2) driving during that time between when the bars close and the newspaper routes haven't started when no one's out and the city looks abandoned

3) walking alone and thinking about everyone you know and imagining what they might be doing right then.

4) Does the album/the making of the album have any special significance to you?

Yeah, the album has absolutely held special significance to me -- despite it being a mashup, it does feel personal to construct something in headphones and away from where you live, and it makes it feel like it only exists in your head. I was more anxious than I thought I'd be before it came out, and was just hoping a couple friends would listen to it and be digging it. The response has been pretty overwhelming, but I do feel like I'm listening to something different than everyone else -- I think of airports and late nights and playing demos for my best friend to see what he thought about it.

5) Was there any sort of message, whether it was a feeling, idea, etc that you were trying to convey?

I'm not sure about a specific feeling, but generally I want people to hear about it and think 'that'll never work,' and then check it out and enjoy it. A lot of mashups I find to be a little obvious -- I've certainly been guilty of this -- and I think challenging listeners a little bit is really the most fun part of the genre. Also, my favorite emails are from people who say 'I usually hate rap, but really liked hearing Biggie on your record' or 'I had no idea who The xx were, but they're awesome -- where do I get their CD?' The album's free, I'm not trying to exploit any other artists, and I'm most happy when I can play a small part in spreading good music to people who otherwise maybe wouldn't have checked it out.

6) What's your favorite track from the album, or do you think it is best listened to as a whole?

I would say I hope the record is best listened to as a whole, but my favorite track is probably 'one more chance for a heart to skip a beat' or 'the curious incident of big poppa in the nighttime.' The first one because, thematically, I think it's the strongest, and I really liked how the chorus turned out. Big Poppa/Nighttime has a pretty eerie beat, and I thought was a cool transformation of the Biggie track. 

7) Do you have any other mixes/anything else in the works? (Just an idea maybe it's stupid but... Animal Collective's "Guy's Eyes" vs. the Dirty Projector's "Remade Horizon")

Yes, absolutely! I'm exploring a couple possibilities now, and am a couple demos into one project that I'm excited about. My hope is to have some individual tracks coming out in the next couple weeks, and hopefully a new album this summer. Also, I've been getting some inquiries about a string of college shows, and would love to go on a short tour -- I think that'd be a lot of fun. If anyone's booking at colleges, get at me! Also, I've got a facebook page where you can follow all the action: www.facebook.com/pages/wait-what/90344887283

Hope y'all enjoyed my first real interview (the Animal Collective one doesn't really count because it was more of just a conversation that I remembered the salient points from...) and this awesome mixtape.

-- A Teenage Elephant (Be Seeing You...)