Filed under: News of Note | Tags: Air, Beach House, Billy Corgan, Brand New, Courtney Love, Dave Grohl, Grizzly Bear, Guitar Hero 5, Jennifer's Body, Joe's Pub, Kings of Leon, Krist Novoselic, Kurt Cobain, Matt Bellamy, muse, New York City, nyc, Pitchfork, Princeton, Ra Ra Riot, Smashing Pumpkins, Stereogum, subpop, sufjan stevens, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Two Dancers, White Lies, Wild Beasts
Muse decided to stream their new album The Resistance for 24 hours
PREVIEW: DOWNLOAD Muse’s “United States of Eurasia” MP3
Hype for The Resistance has practically reached the point of parody. Filter reported on how Muse streamed The Resistance in full, for a full 24 hours. The fact that they had fans piece together a song before they could hear it just goes to show that this band will stage any stunt get more exposure — redundant when you’re in one of the biggest acts in the world. What else can you do, Matt Bellamy, streak in a performance art display singing the lyrics to “Uprising”? [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Editor's Pick #157: Muse's United States of Eurasia]
As many probably knew, Jay-Z is going all out to promote his latest effort, The Blueprint 3, which dropped Tuesday. To kick off the world tour, he played a secret show at NYC’s Gramercy Theater last night which apparently also included a fire alarm. SPIN’s got photos and additional details for those so inclined. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Editor’s Pick #173: Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” (Alicia Keys, Blueprint 3), 20 Watts Reviews Jay-Z's Blueprint 3]
Stereogum reported on Wild Beasts‘ live NYC debut, held two nights ago downtown at Joe’s Pub. Considering the quality of Wild Beasts’ two albums, particularly the recent Two Dancers, one would expect them to play in a dedicated rock venue. Not the case with this sit-down establishment, but that’s all right when you take into account that many popular indie acts — including Brand New, Sufjan Stevens, and The Rural Alberta Advantage — prefer smaller venues. Rock club or not, Wild Beasts played a great show by all accounts. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: 20 Watts Reviews Two Dancers]
NME.com reports that British alternative rock band White Lies released a rare track for download today. The song “Taxidermy” is a live favorite and was only available before on the band’s 7″ single “To Lose My Life.” White Lies will be touring the U.S. soon along with shows supporting Kings of Leon from September 25 through October 16. Close dates include New York City and Toronto on September 25 and September 26 respectively. White Lies also have their track “Death” on the Jennifer’s Body soundtrack. The film, starring Megan Fox, hits theatres September 18. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Lykke Li Covers Kings Of Leon ]
In preparation for their latest album Air have released a music video for the song “Sing Sang Sung,” and it’s featured on Pitchfork today. ”Sing Sang Sung” is the first single off the French electropopper’s forthcoming album Love 2. The album, which drops October 6, was entirely produced at the band’s own studio.[Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Air Releases a Studio Recording of "Do the Joy"]
Pitchfork also reports that Smashing Pumpkins‘ Billy Corgan has launched a website today called Everything From Here to There. According to the site, which is likely to be a blog about Corgan’s personal beliefs, “If you are drawn to the Hidden Truths, drawn to God as something beyond limitation, and drawn to Love as the greatest force in the Universe, then you have come to the right place at the right time. This is a place of Love.” [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Industry News, Week 4]
Subpop has just added Beach House to it’s already unrivaled indie roster. Beach House are the gorgeous, sleepy, dream-pop duo that brought you Beach House and Devotion, and they announced their move to the Seattle-based label today. They’ll release their third album in early 2010 after completing a tour with Grizzly Bear. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Jay-Z Endorses Indie Rock, Grizzly Bear's "While You Wait for the Other"]
Filed under: Editor Picks | Tags: All Points West, Dirty Projectors, Fleet Foxes, Girl Talk, Grizzly Bear, hip-hop, indie rock, Jay-Z, Ra Ra Riot, Seasick Steve, The National, Vampire Weekend, Williamsburg Waterfront, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Jay-Z is apparently a huge fan of Grizzly Bear
PREVIEW: Download Jay-Z’s “Run This Town” (Ft. Rihanna and Kanye West) MP3
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 20 Watts Reviews Jay-Z’s “Run This Town”
With Jay-Z prepping the release of his ridiculously hyped new album, The Blueprint 3, it’s surprising that he would have time to go to any concerts — much less Grizzly Bear’s free appearance on the Williamsburg Waterfront (previously graced by Girl Talk and Dirty Projectors this summer) this past Sunday, Aug. 30. However, the rapper did the 12,000 hipsters at the waterfront one better, by giving the indie rock scene one of the most notable stamps of approval it’s ever received:
“The thing I want to say to everyone — I hope this happens because it will push rap, it will push hip-hop to go even further — what the indie rock movement is doing right now is very inspiring. It felt like us in the beginning. These concerts, they’re not on the radio, no one hears about them, and there’s 12,000 people in attendance. And the music that they’re making and the connection they’re making to people is really inspiring. So, I hope that they have a run where they push hip-hop back a little bit, so it will force hip-hop to fight to make better music, because it can happen, because that’s what rap did to rock.” (MTV) (more…)
Filed under: Releases of the Week | Tags: 31 Knots, Barsuk Records, Brent Knopf, Danny Seim, Death Cab for Cutie, Intuit, Loch Lomond, Menomena, Mirah's band, Ra Ra Riot, Ramona Falls, The Helio Sequence, They might be Giants
Brent Knopf of Menomena releases a “solo” side-project Ramona Falls’ Intuit
PREVIEW: Download Ramona Falls “Melectric”
WE GIVE IT: 17/20 Watts
Barsuk Records, responsible for such acts as Death Cab for Cutie, They Might Be Giants and Syracuse’s own Ra Ra Riot, has another memorable venture to add to its hall of fame. Brent Knopf of Menomena, following in the footsteps of his fellow band member Danny Seim, has embarked on a “solo” side-project of his own — if you can call a collaboration with 35 different musicians as a solo-project, that is. Knopf teamed up with members of The Helio Sequence, Mirah’s band, Loch Lomond and 31 Knots, to name a few, for his new endeavor Ramona Falls’ Intuit.
Intuit, due this Tuesday, is charming, melodic and full of sentimental nostalgia that immediately captures the soul. Knopf creates an unexpectedly impeccable harmony by exploring a range of sounds we rarely have the pleasure of hearing. Rather than relying on mechanical jingles, he finds bliss in seemingly basic instrumentals. (more…)
Filed under: Features, XCLUS!VES | Tags: All Points West, Jay-Z, Ra Ra Riot, The Knux, Vampire Weekend, Yeah Yeahs Yeahs
–Jett Wells
Filed under: Emerging Artists, Free 4 All | Tags: Beach Boys, Bloomsbury-EP, Calypso Gold, Cocoon of Love, Crash Test Dummies, Princeton, Ra Ra Riot
Princeton are a three-piece from LA, not Jersey
PREVIEW: Princeton songs streamed free on imeem
Don’t let the name fool you! Princeton may not be from Princeton, NJ, or even go to Princeton University, but their EP Bloomsbury is filled with nerdy analogies and euphemisms. Unlike the EP’s title reference, the band’s first album Cocoon of Love, which drops September 29, show no signs of Victorian England.
“Calypso Gold,” the band’s first single off Cocoon of Love, starts off with a fresh opening sound of maracas comparable to The Beach Boys‘ “Kokomo,” the song quickly takes a turn toward electric and new wave. There is a definite indie influence in the band’s sound, but there is something refreshing about Princeton’s lead singer’s deep voice, reminiscent of that of Crash Test Dummies‘ Brad Roberts. (more…)
Vampire Weekend and Ra Ra Riot colab falls short
PREVIEW: Download Discovery’s “Orange Shirt” MP3
PREVIOUS DISCOVERY COVERAGE: Interview with Wes Miles of Discovery/Ra Ra Riot, Wes and Rostam in Discovery, Summer Playlist
If you’re looking for Vampire Weekend or Ra Ra Riot, trust me, this isn’t the place. Not to say that fans of either band will be completely lost when first wandering into Discovery’s LP, but it’s a far cry from the breakout debut albums both artists produced in 2008. Encouraged by their respective successes of the past year or so, Ra Ra Riot’s Wes Miles and Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij embarked on an electronic pop side project. The results are Discovery, a quirky, if not hip, tribute to everyone’s inner auto-tuner.
If there’s one thing LP does not do without, it’s energy. With the help of a few (and by a few, I mean a lot) of synths, Miles and Batmanglij harness each of their respective bands’ finer and more valiant moments, and channel it into coherent, downright giddy pop. And that’s what I can appreciate. The guys didn’t try to reinvent the wheel here. They just tried to take something they separately enjoyed and excelled at, and collectively apply it to a new, yet slightly similar medium. They know they’re not DJs, nor are they rap artists, pop superstars or synth demigods. Simply put, they’re just Wes and Rostam, and they enjoy making electronic music on the side (stressing the side, of course). (more…)
Filed under: Features, XCLUS!VES | Tags: Discovery, Ra Ra Riot, Vampire Weekend, Wes Miles
Wes Miles, famously known as the lead the singer of Ra Ra Riot and member of experimental-pop group Discovery, took time to talk with 20 Watts about his career and future ventures. Discovery’s debut album LP releases on July 7th (XL).
20W: How long have you and Rostam (from Vampire Weekend) been working on this album?
Wes: We started working on the album in 2005. We wanted to explore more pop music. It took four years to make it. It took so much time because when our other bands picked up the pace, there was less and less time to work on it.
20W: How did you two hook up?
Wes: Ezra Koenig from Vampire Weekend introduced us. We met on New Years going into 2004. We bonded over our love for vocal harmonies.
20W: Discovery’s sound is so much different than that of Ra Ra Riot or Vampire Weekend. How did this sound come about?
Wes: It’s always been an interest of mine. We wanted a different set of parameters, musically. We just wanted to record a album and not worry about going live. Before Rostam and I hooked up, I wanted to start a synth-pop band and Rostam wanted to start a hand-clap band. Those two were very inclusive of each other.
20W: Did you guys ever think ahead: what if this thing got really big?
Wes: We never thought about getting big. We want the best for the album, but we never thought about it.
20W: Is there a tour on the horizon?
Wes: We probably wouldn’t tour. If it got big enough, we’d work on a second album before that.
20W: Dirty Projector’s Angel Deradoorian guest performs on the album. What was your reaction when the band got in that car accident recently?
Wes: They what? I didn’t hear about that. I’m good friends with those guys.
20W: Is there a new Ra Ra Riot album coming up?
Wes: We are just starting to think about that. We’ll probably start at the end of the year and hopefully make a Spring 2010 release.
20W: What’s with the remix of Ra Ra Riot’s “Can You Tell” on the Discovery album?
Wes: It’s not really a remix or a cover. It’s just the second path of the same song. Rostam and I worked on that song before it became Ra Ra Riot’s song.
20W: Is this the first of many sideprojects for you?
Wes: It’s always fun to make music with new people. Maybe. There aren’t any other projects coming up, in particular.
20W: One last Ra Ra Riot question. Your new Fall tour is going to hit Ithaca, NY, but not Syracuse. What’s up?
Wes: We had a big show there in the spring. We didn’t want to overstay our welcome.
20W: You could never do that.
–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, Industry News | Tags: Animal Collective, Passion Pit, Ra Ra Riot, Vampire Weekend
I feel like the biggest loser and don’t deserve to bare the honor of writing for 20 Watts because I totally missed this amazing turn of events. Wes from Ra Ra Riot and Rostam from Vampire Weekend are Discovery?! I noticed Discovery on the Stereogum playlist a month ago, and didn’t even realize it. I thought it was just some new electo pop duo with decent psyadelic rhythm, but now I’m absolutely shocked Wes and Rostam are behind this.
I only found out today after I recieved the record in my email box.
Despite my cluelessness, I’m more than happy to say that LP by Discovery is absolutely and and undeniably awesome. I’m biased being a Cuse alum and a total Ra Ra Riot fanatic, but LP kicks major ass. I’m on track 5 as I write this rave review, and it’s laced with Passion Pit-esque pop hits. Wes sings in all of them, including the remixed “Can You Tell,” which is magical at the very least. Except the track is renamed “Can You Discover?”
The sound is really similar to Passion Pit’s Reeling, which is also a great album, but LP shows a whole different side to Wes. There were rumors that Ra Ra Riot was eventually going to fizzle out with no new album in sight, but Discovery proves that Wes has an undying heart for playing music, and Wes is much more talented and versatile than I ever thought.
The songs have the same upbeat nature that Vampire Weekend and Ra Ra Riot are known for. Discovery is way better than Vampire Weekend, because I don’t really care for light-weight afro-pop. Each song has a great bubbly dance beat and great synth-pop mixes with lots of Animal Collective sound experimentation, except Discovery is way more accessible and tangible. I’m not saying Discovery is better than Animal Collective…at least not yet.
The album comes out July 7th, and is destined to make more noise than Ra Ra Riot down the road. I’m saying it right now, Discovery could go farther if they stick to it. They can equally spar with Passion Pit in the ring, and Discovery has a much more marketable sound than Ra Ra Riot’s classical influence. Something tells me that this might be just a side project that Wes is just playing around with. Let’s hope he keeps it up.
Jett Wells, Reviews Editor
Filed under: Editor Picks, Features, On-Campus Artists, Scene Around Town, XCLUS!VES | Tags: bloc party, Girl Talk, Handsome Furs, Katy Perry, Kings of Leon, Lily Allen, M.I.A., MGMT, Phantogram, Ra Ra Riot, Vampire Weekend
Could M.I.A. perform at SU next year?
My buddy Nathan Mattise forwarded me this survey, formed by University Union, that might decide next year’s music headliners at SU. The list of possible headliners is ridiculous–it can’t be real.
As for possible headlining acts, it asks you to grade the following: MGMT, M.I.A., Kings of Leon, Vampire Weekend and others. It would be utterly amazing to land MGMT or M.I.A. for next year’s Juice Jam, but how could this be true? University Union has less money than ever and still falls short on SU concerts every year, despite getting Bloc Party and Ra Ra Riot for last year’s Juice Jam (which I missed because I was in London! God!).
It gets even more ridiculous when it asks us to grade the possible supporting acts. Hold your breath, because these are headlining-quality acts: Lily Allen, Handsome Furs, Girl Talk, Katy Perry, and others. Girl Talk, a supporting act???!! Are these guys nuts?! This alone slashes the credibility of the survey.
It’d be a miracle to land any of these names for next year, but don’t give your hopes up.
Just to be annoying, I added a request for Phantogram next year. Hey, you never know!!!
–Jett Wells, Reviews Editor
