Daytrotter is a glorious website that is based in Rock Island, IL and through some kind of magic persuasion are able to knab a lot of good bands to record songs. The deal is that the band usually is given the bare minimum to record and the result is a more personal lo fi take on great music. Every so often, Daytrotter gets some unreleased tracks and thus the reason for this post. There has been a great influx of songs that you should have. So go to the website now and go crazy. The most recent ones that I highly recommend are Deer Tick, Fleet Foxes, White Denim, and Death Cab for Cutie. If you want to venture in the beautious archives then go for The Six Parts Seven, Sunset Rubdown, Catfish Haven, Thao Nguyen (before she had the Get Down, Stay Down Band), Grizzly Bear, Yeasayer, Alela Diane, The Bowerbirds and I could seriously go on forevez. But sometimes Daytrotter hosts some picnics, barbecues, and pizza parties with some of the bands that stop by the studio, imagine sharing a pizza and lemonade with Iron & Wine on a summer day! I might have to road trip to Rock Island one day.
Baltimore’s own Ecstatic Sunshine graced St. Louis a few nights ago with their minimalist, guitar-heavy drone at Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center. Per usual, I was bound to the brutal confines of academia. “Excuses, excuses”, you might say, but so long as Ecstatic Sunshine keeps riding the increasingly-popular wave of emerging noise acts right now, I’m sure I’ll have ample opportunities to see them again soon. Until then, I may have to attempt to stave off my creepy Baltimore obsession to the best of my abilities (See: The Death Set, Ponytail, Videohippos, Dan Deacon, etc). The list could go on for a disgustingly-long time, you know.
I am utterly sad to tell you guys that the last Billiken Club show of this spring school semester will be this Thursday, May 1st. But can I get a Kellz yeah? because it’s going to be Caribou and Fuck Buttons! Yeah, this is definitely one show that you do NOT want to miss (I know I always say this, but I’m always deadly serious). Also, it is the last show that our besties, Liz and Chris will be managing. It would be quite amazing if ya’ll could pack the house for us and for them.
Caribou’s Andorra is easily one of the tops albums of 2007 and if you haven’t heard, it’s kind of a big deal. The album was overall beautiful and features some great samples of flutes and synths. With romantic lyrics likes sometimes in her eyes I see forever/ I can’t believe what we’ve found/ I know in time we’ll be together/ and now our love will make this sound, sung in falsetto, it easily sweeps any girl off her feet. I’m pretty sure there is going to be some psychedelic video effects which I hope will stimulate any study worn brain back to normal.
Fuck Buttons are basically all the creepy tribal experimental music that a two man band could create. It is glorious. I’m wondering how they are going to perform. I’m going to assume that they are going to go crazy and it’ll be a shit show for sure.
So catch you Thursday night broskies! Remember that The Billiken Club is Doors 8PM| Show 9PM| All Ages| Open to the Public | Free.
Can I get a what what?! Not only has Mahjongg managed to put out my favorite release of 2008 thus far, brought the house down during their performance at Camp Concentration in March, but they have granted my wish of playing the Pitchfork Music Festival in July. The year is only bound to become sweeter for these Chicago Illionaires (some members by way of good old Missouri), and I couldn’t be happier. Naturally, I would like to share my love and appreciation for these tribal/electro/experimental gents, so give these remixes of “Tell The Police The Truth” a listen. The first was remixed by Brenmar, the drummer from tiiight Brooklyn band These Are Powers. The second is from Chicago-based electro outfit Clique Talk.
Also, check out Mahjongg performing “The Stubborn Horse” off of their Raydoncong EP on Chic-A-Go-Go to get a glimpse of what you might expect at Pitchfork:
Toe Taps and Spastic Claps are proud to say that we are the first to review the somewhat St. Louis locales (actually hailing from Tempora, IL but close enough), Skarekrauradio. Their newest album is releasing May 3rd on Apop Records and they will be having a cd/dvd release show at Spooky Action Palace with Ghost Ice, Brain Transplant, Joe Ragliani, Zone Cross, and Soft Serve. The extremely experimental noise rock group is definitely something you don’t want to miss.
When I first received the CD/DVD package, I have to say I was extremely excited. It was packaged like an LP and decorated with hot pink “Kuu” art. Upon opening the inside I found some beaded art, a comic about “Kuu” and a sticker. Skarekrauradio derives a lot of inspiration for their god, “Kuu” and reading the writeup about the band I still can’t say that I completely understand “Kuu” or the “Kuuvolution.” After seeing the band open up for Mahjongg in late March, I was utterly confused if the band had actually played songs or were merely noise jamming. After a thorough listen of The Iireal Me Sutura/The Iireal Me Futura, I have to say that it’s pretty good and represents the band perfectly. Also proves that the band actually have cohesive songs. Each track seems completely different from the next, but somehow all fits on the album. The first track, “Notes to Self (Shoot the Old into Space)” is a spoken track with interspersed random noises/yelling, and is the only way that Skarekrauradio should start an album. My favorite track is “Simulated Tapeworm” and with catchy spastic guitar riffs, it sounds very reminiscent to some Ecstatic Sunshine. Overall, the album features everything a noise band needs which is constant tambourine rattling, pained screaming, sporadic brass parts, and “Kuu”volutionary lyrics. The sad thing about the album is that it is extremely short, only featuring 8 tracks, but maybe that’s why they added a DVD to hold you over. Other standout tracks are “Ultrabuy” and “Kuummunication Breakdown.”
The DVD, I will say, is pretty scary. Definitely not recommended for children nor suitable for work. But I did enjoy watching their recorded live performances which I thought could never translate well, but in fact does when done correctly. Other tips for watching the DVD are don’t watch it by yourself and be wary of what drugs you take (you don’t want to be on any bad trips for this guy.) Skarekrauradio is definitely taking live and recorded performance art to levels never seen before.
Due to lack of productivity this weekend (my mom visited and we went to see Barry Manilow, no joke. She cried tears of joy upwards of five times during his performance) and insane amounts of homework looming over my head, I am unable to see Portland’s New Bloods tonight at the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center. The all-girl trio is playing with Worm Hands and Karthik Karakala at 8 pm sharp (which was 30 minutes ago, oopsies).
So tonight, I will be listening to their album The Secret Life on repeat while crying about missing their show. If you have the means, go see them, I promise you will not regret your decision. If you’re as much of a busy-bee as I, listen to their track “Oh, Deadly Nightshade!” and join me in my spite.
The first time I heard Philadelphia’s Tickley Feather (or, Annie Sachs), I was seeing her open for Animal Collective in St. Louis this past September. I was really intrigued by the simplicity of her set and her overall ability to present experimental yet catchy tunes. Her self-titled debut album off of the Paw Tracks label perfectly translates what her live sound is composed of. Looping samples, keyboards, and drum machines piece together perfectly in combination with TF’s raw emotion expressed through her vocals. With 20 tracks–the vast majority under the 3:00 mark–Tickley Feather’s album is like a fucking charming, whimsical storybook or something. It makes me wonder if she deliberately crafted the perfect album to echo amazingly through my apartment. Her sound is out there, in the most beautiful way possible. Eerie nursery rhyme melodies and toy synths soar on tracks like “Nothing 2 B Sad About” and “Night Train”. There are times when I’m listening to her album that all of a sudden, a phat lo-fi beat blasts through my ears (see “Tonight Is The Night”), and my mind jumps to Madonna circa 1988 had she taken lots of acid instead of club drugs. Touted as the “Next Ariel Pink”, it seems that she indeed shares a lot in common with her Paw Tracks label-mate (who I am obsessed with, by the way) in terms of lo-fi production and tons of reverb in her vocals. Interpret that as you will, but I know this album is going to be a favorite of mine for quite a while.
Enon is a band that hasn’t received the recognition they totally deserve. I’ve been hooked ever since hearing 1999’s Believo! and have always wondered why they never reached “Next Big Thing” status. I mean, sheesh! They’ve been around for about 15 years. Either way, they brought their sassy selves to the Billiken Club along with Singer and Victoria on April 23rd and I think all in attendance were pleased with what they had to offer.
St. Louis’ own Victoria took the stage rather late and played for roughly 20 minutes. Let me tell you something, they are all about the rock. Their straight-forward, guitar-heavy sound was well-received by their fans in the crowd–enough to encourage a certain lady in the audience to take the stage and pour her beer all over lead-singer David Moore’s head (he didn’t look too into it, though.) Instead of basking in all of the Rock Star glory of that situation, Moore simply shrugged it off with a “thanks”, which made the situation awkward. Didn’t he know he was supposed to rub the spilt beer all over himself, stick out his tongue maniacally, and give the crowd his best “rock on” fingers? With lines like “I need a fix, ’cause I’m goin’ down”, they sang about hotties at parties and checking out your sister. Word.
Next up was Singer from Chicago, IL. Their psychedelic sound was a bit much for the Enon audience to handle, and at times I felt like they were draining the energy from the crowd with their interpretive, drawn-out compositions. They had an interesting sound, however it was difficult to wrap my head around, especially within the context which they were placed. At times they would get into an amazing groove, but 5 seconds later they would lose it. Bummer. I know I would have enjoyed it much more if I were on acid, or if I hadn’t waken up at 7:00 am that morning. Singer/bassist Robert Lowe’s on-stage antics were mildly entertaining–rolling his eyes back into his head and squirming around the stage on his tip-toes while singing in falsetto–as well as his kick-ass mustache. (Wow, I’ve mentioned mustaches twice in this review already…)
Enon was faced with an ever-so-anxious crowd by the time they took the stage around midnight. I was informed by the drummer (ex-Brainiac member Tyler Trent) that they were experiencing technical problems with their laptop, likely explaining why they left out audience favorites such as “Disposable Parts”, which I heard them rehearsing during sound-check. Singer/guitarist John Schmersal was wild-eyed and crazy as always, storming through songs such as “Mr. Ratatatatat” and “Sabina” from their latest album Grass Geysers…Carbon Clouds. Schmersal and singer/bassist Toko Yasuda also treated the audience to older songs, such as “Natural Distasters” and “Pleasure and Privilege” from High Society. It was quite evident that Toko’s high-pitched vocals were strong enough to hold their own during the set and I mean, c’mon–she is a fiend on the bass. I’m sure she made every girl in the audience–including myself–waaay jealous with her awesome skills and effortless style.
Enon blazed through their set with loud intensity and a punk-rock attitude. I found it to be more straight-forward and less dancier than their previous performances, but their new sound was great nonetheless. Overcoming a few minor annoyances (i.e. drunk women screaming about how awesome their friend Dani was because it was her birthday), they kept their cool and proceeded to rock us all. Let us hope that they continue to keep it loud, weird, and fast for future performances to come.
BJ Warsaw is God Warrior of the Week for April 27th
Picture taken at the Billiken Club by Sanita Saengvilay
Mr. Warsaw is single-handedly supporting the beautiful noise rock movement by fronting the Shooting Spires as well as being a contributing member of Parts & Labor . He also helps run independent label Cardboard Records. Currently BJ is divulged in a world tour with Parts & Labor, who are looking for music samples for their next album. You can read more information about it on their blog. But basically, they want a short clip of less than 10 seconds of either sounds or even you speaking about your fears and favorite sounds. I don’t know, but being featured on a new Part & Labor album sounds pretty sweet to me. Maybe I’ll record a clip of myself saying that I’m afraid of motion activated doors not opening for me. Let’s thank BJ for keeping demons off this beautiful planet earth.
I really don’t know what my life would be like if I hadn’t discover Grizzly Bear. Ever since Yellow House, their sophomore album release, I’ve been gobbling up anything that they have been releasing. Picked up the fun, Friend EP and now I’ve just been waiting for their next release. Luckily, I’ve been held over with various Grizzly Bear covers and solo projects, but recently the guys have performed new track “While You Wait for Others” at the KRCW studios. I have to say that I seriously think I have heard the voice of angels. Grizzly Bear never fails to disappoint me. The boys will be opening up for Radiohead in the upcoming touring season. They also will be performing at Lollapalooza this summer. So let’s hope some info about their next album is released soon! Pretty pretty please.
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Daytrotter is a glorious website that is based in Rock Island, IL and through some kind of magic persuasion are able to knab a lot of good bands to record songs. The deal is that the band usually is given the bare minimum to record and the result is a more personal lo fi take on great music. Every so often, Daytrotter gets some unreleased tracks and thus the reason for this post. There has been a great influx of songs that you should have. So go to the website now and go crazy. The most recent ones that I highly recommend are Deer Tick, Fleet Foxes, White Denim, and Death Cab for Cutie. If you want to venture in the beautious archives then go for The Six Parts Seven, Sunset Rubdown, Catfish Haven, Thao Nguyen (before she had the Get Down, Stay Down Band), Grizzly Bear, Yeasayer, Alela Diane, The Bowerbirds and I could seriously go on forevez. But sometimes Daytrotter hosts some picnics, barbecues, and pizza parties with some of the bands that stop by the studio, imagine sharing a pizza and lemonade with Iron & Wine on a summer day! I might have to road trip to Rock Island one day.
Next up was Singer from Chicago, IL. Their psychedelic sound was a bit much for the Enon audience to handle, and at times I felt like they were draining the energy from the crowd with their interpretive, drawn-out compositions. They had an interesting sound, however it was difficult to wrap my head around, especially within the context which they were placed. At times they would get into an amazing groove, but 5 seconds later they would lose it. Bummer. I know I would have enjoyed it much more if I were on acid, or if I hadn’t waken up at 7:00 am that morning. Singer/bassist Robert Lowe’s on-stage antics were mildly entertaining–rolling his eyes back into his head and squirming around the stage on his tip-toes while singing in falsetto–as well as his kick-ass mustache. (Wow, I’ve mentioned mustaches twice in this review already…)
Enon was faced with an ever-so-anxious crowd by the time they took the stage around midnight. I was informed by the drummer (ex-Brainiac member Tyler Trent) that they were experiencing technical problems with their laptop, likely explaining why they left out audience favorites such as “Disposable Parts”, which I heard them rehearsing during sound-check. Singer/guitarist John Schmersal was wild-eyed and crazy as always, storming through songs such as “Mr. Ratatatatat” and “Sabina” from their latest album Grass Geysers…Carbon Clouds. Schmersal and singer/bassist Toko Yasuda also treated the audience to older songs, such as “Natural Distasters” and “Pleasure and Privilege” from High Society. It was quite evident that Toko’s high-pitched vocals were strong enough to hold their own during the set and I mean, c’mon–she is a fiend on the bass. I’m sure she made every girl in the audience–including myself–waaay jealous with her awesome skills and effortless style.
Enon blazed through their set with loud intensity and a punk-rock attitude. I found it to be more straight-forward and less dancier than their previous performances, but their new sound was great nonetheless. Overcoming a few minor annoyances (i.e. drunk women screaming about how awesome their friend Dani was because it was her birthday), they kept their cool and proceeded to rock us all. Let us hope that they continue to keep it loud, weird, and fast for future performances to come.
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