Filed under: News of Note | Tags: the Raconteurs, Kanye West, Crystal Castles, sufjan stevens, Estelle, Junior Boys, Ghostface Killah, Micachu and The Shapes, Jack White, White Stripes, The Dead Weather, Daytrotter, HEALTH, Sonic Youth, Pitchfork, MTV, fabolous, My Morning Jacket, John McCauley, The BQE, Bjork, Jewellry, rough trade records, accidental records, John Legend, Lloyd, Minus the Bear, Westcott Theater, The Duke and The King, Jonny Corndawg, Cotton Jones, Holy Sons, Dolorean, Fredrik, The Kora Records, Swedish pop, CFCF, Paper Bag Records, Sally Shapiro, Hearts Revolution, CMJ Marathon, Ellen Degeneres, American Idol, Paula Abdul, Ricky Skaggs, Ashley Monroe
Ellen Degeneres just might entice us to watch American Idol
Whoa — I might ACTUALLY have to watch American Idol now. Ellen Degeneres, the oh-so-lovable, dance-crazy comic, was named the show’s fourth permanent judge just an hour ago, according to MTV. Degeneres has no legitimate music credentials that we can name, but hey, neither did Paula Adbul! And Degeneres is at least pretty funny. Katy Perry, Joe Jonas, Avril Lavigne, Mary J. Blige and Shania Twain will also serve as guest judges. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: The Bird and the Bee Play Ellen Degeneres]
Minus the Bear’s fall tour is old hat around here — the Westcott Theater has, after all, been shouting their November 17th date from the mountaintops — but the acclaimed prog-rockers officially announced the four-week tour late this afternoon. According to a press release, they’re touring in support of an upcoming fourth album, produced by Joe Chiccarelli (of White Stripes/My Morning Jacket fame), to be released in early 2010. Tickets will go on sale this Saturday, though no price is currently listen on the Westcott Theater’s site. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Jack White, Chill Out!, 20 Watts Reviews Yim Yames' Tribute To EP]
Ghostface Killah announced the track list for his September 29 album Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City. ”Baby,” the first single, is an auto-tuned love ballad that was recently released via Myspace. The album, which is primarily R&B, will have guest appearances by Estelle, Kanye West, John Legend, Lloyd and Fabolous. Ghostface will be performing at The Westcott on November 12 at 8 p.m. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Music Video Spotlight: Raekwon's "The New Wu"]
Pitchfork posted a three-minute clip from Sufjan Stevens‘ “The BQE” multimedia set, to be released October 20. ”The BQE” features a bizarre combination of footage of NY’s notoriously congested Brooklyn- Queens Expressway, with Sufjan’s music playing in the background. Click here to watch the clip. Sufjan will be performing at Castaways in Ithaca on September 23. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Editor's Pick #156: Sufjan Stevens Announces an Intimate Fall Tour]
SPIN reports that the new Micachu & the Shapes video for “Turn Me Well” premiered today, courtesy of the band’s surprisingly big fan, Bjork. The track, which juxtaposes a mechanical pop sound with more natural, organic visual layouts, is their second single off of Jewellery, which came out in March. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Editor’s Pick #79: Weird New Band ... Micachu and The Shapes, Memories and Photos from Siren 2009 (Micachu and The Shapes Live)]
Daytrotter has some fabulous new sessions up this week, including a sleazy synth dance party from electro-pop all-stars Junior Boys and a gloriously rustic folk affair from the Duke and the King. Here at 20 Watts, however, we’re most excited for the upcoming Deer Tick session, which Daytrotter announced it will tape this week. We all fell in love with the chain-smoking, raspy-voiced John McCauley at last Sunday’s Positive Jam festival — and by we, I mean all the girls on staff. His Daytrotter session will surely show why. In other news, Deer Tick also announced today that they’re extending their fall tour, which includes dates with Jonny Corndawg, Cotton Jones, Holy Sons and Dolorean. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Deer Tick Plays Ithaca, 20 Watts Reviews Deer Tick's Born on Flag Day]
Why is it that you never hear cool pop songs from Denmark? Or Finland? Norway, even? Anyway, Fredrik — yet another sick electro act from Sweden, that mecca of Scandinavian pop — released a preview from their second album Trilogi on Stereogum today. All layered synth films and moody introspection, “Locked in the Basement” takes some surprising Baroque pop and electro-glitch turns. We can only hope that Trilogi does the same when it drops November 17 on The Kora Records. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Swedish Meatballs 1: Familijen, Swedish Meatballs 2: Kleerup]
The atmospheric electro jams of Quebec’s Michael Silver, alias CFCF, will soon have an album to call home. Silver announced today that his debut full-length, Continent, will drop October 27 on Paper Bag Records, preceeded by an October 6 EP, The Explorers, with Swedish synth-pop darling Sally Shapiro. You may recognize CFCF from his official remixes of dance greats like Crystal Castles, HEALTH and Hearts Revolution; the plaid-shirted party god will also be playing an October 1 show in Toronto, and DJing several sets at the CMJ Marathon in New York. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Crystal Castles Start Drama, HEALTH Play Myrtle Avenue]
Jack White and the Raconteurs have been nominated for a Country Music Award, according to Rolling Stone. The group was nominated for Best Musical Event after teaming up with country artists Ricky Skaggs and Ashley Monroe on “Old Enough,” off the group’s second album, Consolers of the Lonely. White is currently gearing up for a tour with his other side project, The Dead Weather. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: 20 Watts Interviews Tiny Masters of Today, Editor's Pick #134: Jack White, Chill Out!]
RS also reports that Sonic Youth has had to postpone its performance at the Austin City Limits festival after an injury to guitarist Lee Ranaldo. The alt-rock legends had to move several dates back to January 2010 after Ranaldo fractured his wrist while playing tennis. The band released its 16th studio album, The Eternal, in June. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: 20 Watts Review's YACHT's See Mystery Lights]
– 20 Watts Staff
Filed under: Editor Picks, Scene Around Town | Tags: Beach House, Cake, Dan Deacon, Deerhunter, Dirty Projectors, Girl Talk, Grizzly Bear, HEALTH, Max Tundra, No Age, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
I swear this is my last mentioning of Dirty Projectors. I apologize for the cluster of posts about them, but this is important. This will be the last one for a while.
The Dirty Projectors show at the Williamsburg Waterfront on July 19th in Brooklyn is FREE!! The opening act is a band called Magnolia Electric Co.
I was going to go to this anyway, but hey, all the more reasons to go now.
This venue is apparently new this summer and has a stacked schedule full of free concerts:
-HEALTH, July 26th
-Dan Deacon, No Age + Deerhunter, Aug. 2
-Girl Talk + Max Tundra, Aug. 23rd
-Grizzly Bear + Beach House, Aug. 30th
The venue is the East River Park between North Eighth and North Ninth Streets.
If you’re in the city for the summer, these shows have to be a must. This is blowing my mind! Read up!
The best free shows I’ve ever seen are: Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Cake.
–Jett Wells
HEALTH's John Famiglietti
Here’s my review for MTV News.
“Make no mistake about it: HEALTH, the Los Angeles noise-rock quartet, are utterly insane in concert. But it’s an artfully-crafted brand of insane. On stage, they send out torrents of explosive, violent sound that leaves you numb and foggy-headed and soaked in liters of your own sweat. Those were my first few thoughts during their Saturday (June 20) night assault at Brooklyn art-dive the Market Hotel. Then I hit on another: John Famiglietti is the most dynamic and ferocious bassist in indie rock right now.
Here’s why: Minutes before kicking off the show, Famiglietti stepped up to the front of the Market Hotel’s tiny, construction-paper covered stage, strapped on his long, red electric bass and plugged in his plethora of effect pedals. How many pedals could a bassist possibly need? Apparently Famiglietti needed a lot, and only moments later it was clear why.
Within seconds, HEALTH launched into a pile-up of slamming drums and singer Jake Duzsik’s hypnotizing howl. There was no melody or rhythm — just organized chaos. Even though the music was startling and maddening, the band’s energy was undeniably entrancing as Famiglietti swung his own body like rag doll.
It was terrifying and disorienting, but also raw and loud and amazing. The venue — chosen at the last minute because rain had prevented the show from being in its original outdoor state — was also somewhat terrifying: Rickety steel staircases held together by duct tape, tiny triangle-shaped rooms and a toilet lifted directly from ‘Trainspotting.’ It was the best possible place to catch HEALTH’s brand of sonic terrorism.
I left the club soaked and winded, and I wasn’t even sure what I had experienced. It was completely out of control, but entirely worth it. That’s the mark of a killer rock show.”
–Jett Wells
Filed under: Editor Picks, Features | Tags: Girl Talk, HEALTH, MGMT, Ra Ra Riot, We Are Scientists, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Girl Talk
That HEALTH show was so nuts it got me thinking about my entire concert-watching career. What are the craziest, most intense shows I’ve ever been to? I’m not talking about music quality, but just energy. I’ve been going to shows since I was 13-years-old, so the list should be credible.
1) Girl Talk
-Greg Gillis’ show at Cornell last Spring was absolutely insane, mostly because the crowd was more violent and electric than I’ve ever seen before. I nearly got into a fist fight with a guy because the crowd was so intense. Girl Talk is famous for it’s live performances, and the Cornell show lived up to his reputation. It was so intense, it was uncomfortable, but the crowd moved like one body. It was a religious experience, musically.
2) HEALTH
-HEALTH makes the cut because it’s still so fresh in my mind. I had never sweated so much in my life–mostly because The Market Hotel has zero AC. This show’s intensity was more about the band than the crowd even though I jumped into the mosh pit like a mad man. John Famiglietti is the craziest bassist I’ve ever seen perform live. He looks animalistic and possessed as he bends his body all the while keeping a straight face with maddening eyes.
3) Ra Ra Riot
-This is coming from a homer, but seeing Ra Ra Riot never gets old. Their energy isn’t so much intense, but is energetic and full of life. It’s not a threatening kind of crazy show, but the kind of crazy show that compells you to dance your ass off even though you’re bumping into everyone around you. It’s so upbeat and soulful,and yet it still manages to rock hard.
Honorable Notables: We Are Scientists, MGMT and Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Editor’s Note about MGMT concert in Boston: The crowd was full of blitzed 16-year-old girls high on LSD and X. This one girl high on something started stroking my hair. Yeah, it was one of those shows.
–Jett Wells
Filed under: Editor Picks | Tags: bloc party, HEALTH, Litzomania, Now Now Every Children, O+S, Phoenix, St. Vincent
After finishing my finals last Friday, and I had to shed my skin, and buy some new music to start my summer off right. Some of the tracks aren’t new-new, but new enough. I usually do this by buying the tracks off iTunes to make it official. I know, I know. I’m old-fashioned. I buy music. Get over it.
Here are the tracks:
1. “Permanent Scar,” by O+S
-I love this song, because I’m a sucker for an awesome bass beat. This shakes you hard, and grooves with you. It’s got cool hip-hop elements but also has an indie guitar riff to go along with it. Thanks Stereogum.
2. “Everyone You Know,” Now Now Every Children
-This band has to have one of the awkwardest names I’ve ever heard, but I really like the singer’s voice. It’s soft and steady.
3. “Liztomania,” by Phoenix
-Everyone and their mother knows about this song, but I love it. Phoenix really hit a home run with their new album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.
4. “Strangers” and “Actor Out of Work,” by St. Vincent.
-This girl is getting bigger by the hour, and I really like what she does. She has great range without overdoing it, but what really sells me is her experimentation with electronic soundbites.
5. “Signs (Armand Van Helden Remix),” by Bloc Party
-I wrote about this remix a while back, but it just went on sale on iTunes yesterday. It’s about time! This is a fantastic remix by Bloc Party that always gets me jacked up. This song is a pain in the ass to play off YouTube since it has that lips-for-a-vagina sequence.
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P.S…Does anyone know why HEALTH’s new album isn’t available on iTunes yet? I really want to buy “Die Slow.”
–Jett Wells, Reviews Editor
