We have decided to expand our small realm of influence into the Twitter sphere. In order to better befriend, support, and interact with the independent artists that we know and love (and to best find out where all the legit ass shows will be), we set up a Twitter dedicated solely to disseminating TSQ news. Do tha right thing, and follow us here for periodical micro-updates on the eternal quest for hipster art appreciation. Much love to Flashlights, Skai Nine, and Tours for the reposts, by the way. Always happy to spread the love (and hopefully, money)!
Check out these minimalistic gig posters over at Swissted, a fantastic art site I stumbled upon just last night. As outlined at the top of the portfolio, Mike Joyce, owner Stereotype Design up in NYC, created all of these out of his love for Swiss minimalism and the punk rock ethos for shows real that actually went down. Featuring blocky sans serif type and complementary retro coloring, Swissted has over 200 of these works for sale at their official shop. Do tha right thing, and check out some of my favorite samples below, and visit the site if you’re entranced enough. If you like something enough to buy it, by all means, do it.
The third and final day of the three day music festival Fun Fun Fun Fest began with Asobi Seksu’s set at the Orange Stage at 2-something in the afternoon. Hailing from NYC and featuring some pretty heavy Japanese influences, Asobi Seksu was a chance for me to get a good shot at hopefully seeing a good shoegaze show, as previous efforts had failed. There was that one time I saw The Twilight Sad after their terrible new album came out, so that didn’t count. Asobi Seksu (Japanese for “playful sex”) delivered nicely, featuring work from their newer effort Hush, plenty of offerings from their second album Citrus, and I imagine a healthy dose of tunes from their self-titled debut. I was pleasantly surprised by how many of the songs they played were familiar to me, and I also appreciated the fact that all of the instruments and vocals were mixed high and evenly. The band performed with plenty of energy, crammed as many outings into their short slot as possible, and gave me a renewed hunger and thirst for my quest to find and experience more good shoegaze shows. Though the reverb, delay, and wall of sound came through quite nicely for this iconic show, my only complaint is that fuzzbox just doesn’t seem to sound good live at all. That said, during the closer-cum-noise experiment, Yuki Chikudate put her mic down and took to the drum set, banging out a mindblowingly complex, bombastic climax. It kicked ass, but alas, Asobi Seksu’s bouncy, but dreamy set ended all to soon, and my girlfriend and I decided to skip out on Mates of State and use our stolen time to take a walk downtown for some good black and white shots with her vintage camera. Oh, and pardon the audio in the fan-made Youtube embed. Asobi Seksu shook it up that much.
Shortly after returning to the venue, we got some fantastic food courtesy of the Aquarelle booth, which was a great opportunity considering the prices at the actual French restaurant are sky high. God, was it heavenly too, but I’m definitely no gourmand. We staked out the Blue Stage with more than enough time to settle into a good spot to see Baths’ set, trying to not be allured by the final fifteen minutes of Austra’s nearby show. Austra’s entire aesthetic is kind of a turn off for me. It’s kind of a graduation from the classic “I am woman. Hear me roar.” musical movement into the more modernized “I am woman. Watch me be really weird.” musical scene. I think Austra is a witch house band, so that should be enough for you. The synth player was a bit of a siren, though, and their concluding song was pretty damn ghostly, so if any of you peeps happen to know the name of it, I just may give Austra a second go around.
The contents of the above video include more than just Baths’ performance, but whatever kind soul shot it stuck footage of him at the beginning, so thank you, kind soul. As you can see, the fellow was really getting into it. He played to a variety of different angles, mood, and tempos, all of which he played to whooping applause and knee jerk dancing. I had never seen a photo of Baths before, and I genuinely thought he was a black guy, based on the soulful depth of his vocal performance in his studio recordings. No, he has a cracker ass, and I just discovered that he’s only 21! Man, I feel like a flunky! He had a very warm stage presence, sweetly and shyly interacting with the audience between each song, sometimes instigating nostalgic games to play to the tune of his jams, other times embarrassing himself with his long-winded introductions to his favorite songs that he chose to perform for us. I have a sneaking suspicion that live electronic music shows are often little more than glorified manipulation of playback, but artists like Com Truise, Fuck Buttons, and now Baths have surely proven me wrong. This fellow turned his recordings into a veritable glitch-hop mixtape that would make any proponent of turntablism tear up, and he even danced in his own quirky way while feverishly pressing switches and twiddling knobs all throughout. The only song he played that I can name is “Maximalist”, which was a treat to see live, and his set overall was a very pleasant experience.
High on Baths’ laid back set, we once again decided to opt to skip out on someone. This time, we passed on Architecture in Helsinki, partly so we could get one last lap around the grounds in, and also because pretty much everything they’ve released since their debut has been shit. Once nightfall came, we parted ways, my girlfriend heading to see Boris, and me sticking around at the Blue Stage for Flying Lotus’ show.
As luck would have it, locating some footage of Flying Lotus performing “Massage Situation” was a walk in the park. What you see is the apex of the set, which was quite long, by the way, and we had to suffer through some Del the Funky Homosapien before Flylo even took the stage. Ugh. Flying Lotus cranked out some good jams, but after a while, they all started sounding the same. In addition to that, I didn’t have a good spot, due to the sheer numbers in attendance that speak to his level of popularity. Based on interviews I’ve watched and read, I’ve deduced that either the guy wants to create an aura of mystery about himself, he’s unequivocally shy, or he just has little to no personality. Whichever rings true, his stage presence was nonexistent, which could very well have been an albeit odd form of stage presence, granted. All he could seem to get out between sloppy beats was either the word “Austin” or “Flylo”, paired with some curse word over and over and over. It was good to catch the highlights of his set, but it was even better to call it a night early.
We wrapped up our fun fun fun filled weekend by stopping by the merch tent one last time (at which we had previously gone halfsies on a Dan Deacon shirt) and getting out of Dodge. I was tired and dirty, and I may have had my fill of the ever-growing and ever-corporatizing independent music festival, but I also have since felt enlightened, and my lust for life has been renewed. Here’s to good times, and here’s to Fun Fun Fun Fest 2011!
(Disclaimer: Let it be known that none of the above shots or shoot belong to me. They were borrowed, and all credit goes to the respective intrepid souls that captured said images and video.)
On the second day of Fun Fun Fun Fest, we got up early so we could make Keep Shelly in Athens’ early set at 12:45. That morning, the streets were flooded with UT fans, who had deluged to the Austin downtown area for some big game (of which I will never understand the value). After finally finding a shady Jack in the Box at which to get a bite to eat, we grabbed a friend and headed to Auditorium Shores.
Keep Shelly in Athens was, by and large, the reason I attended Fun Fun Fun Fest on Saturday. This show was their very first ever show in the United States of America. Ever! It was really exciting to be able to show up and represent at the very front of the (albeit small) crowd for an independent chillwave band that had come all the way from austerity-torn Greece to play in America. Unfortunately, while enjoyable, their set was pretty humdrum. The lead vocalist was this cute, tiny little thing that spoke in very broken English and smiled every time I whooped. Her vocals sounded fine and fresh, but apparently most of the songs played were from their forthcoming LP via Planet Mu, so it was rather strange to hear vocals in every song. Among others, they played “Hauntin’ Me” and “Cremona Memories”, to the latter of which they apparently added lyrics after getting a full-time vocalist. The guitarist was fantastic, and the sounds were pleasant, but it just didn’t translate too well to the live venue, partially because the electronics were just mixed too low. All in all, though, I’m really glad I got to see them.
After seeing Keep Shelly in Athens, we fucked around for a little while, among other things, seeing a Saharan band that had been playing since 1979 called Tinariwen and trying and totally failing to enjoy tUnE-YarDs’ set. Really just kinda went for a friend, but, cute as the lead vocalist was, the band was pretty much a joke, in my opinion. I’m glad some legit hipster out there likes them. We made it to the Blue Stage just in time to hear Active Child wrapping up with “Playing House”, which was really awesome to see live.
We were really excited about seeing Dan Deacon. Though we were mostly only familiar with “Spiderman of the Rings”, his debut album, who hasn’t seen the viral video for “Crystal Cat”? His sound and aesthetic are so evocative and colorful that he was easily a shoe-in on our itinerary. He started with a fantastic little splurge of noise-joy, reminiscent of a cross between Fantômas and Gangpol und Mit. Two or three tracks in, though, he started having technical issues and started playing these bullshit crowd-pleaser games that a friend in attendance mentioned that he does at every show, nearly down to the word. That seemed a little trite to me, and it surely didn’t help that he elected to be on level with the crowd, as opposed to on stage, where the short folks like us could see him, so that was little anticlimactic. The final straw, however, came when some probably X’ed out dumbfuck decided to start crowdsurfing all over the place and just had to sail our way. We were not in the mood for antics. We just wanted to see a good show. My kickass girlfriend just let the jackass fall on the ground, but on his way down, he knocked my glasses off. For a split second, I realized that if someone stepped on my glasses, my entire weekend would be over, so I grabbed them up before that happened, grabbed my friend, and got outta there. Thank god nothing happened, or I probably woulda been kicked out for violent assault. Afterwards, Dan started having even more sound problems, so we blew his godawful set. Oh, by the way, in the above embedded Youtube video, you can see the little shit that couldn’t just take his Ritalin and enjoy the show. Seriously, fuck that guy.
After skipping town on the biggest failure of the weekend, we geared up for good spots for M83’s show. Gracing our presence all the way from France, M83 was an act none of us were about to miss. In fact, for some of us, it was the entire reason they got up that day. We made sure we were relatively close and waited for the set to start.
Utilizing mostly work from their new double album Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, M83 put on a show charged with energy and triumph. The sound of their new LP is very distinctive, in comparison to older work, in that Anthony uses a different method of vocalization. Gone are the largely whispered vocals in the vein of “Don’t Save Us From the Flames”, being mostly replaced with an 80s-esque shout and the occasional harmonization with his new female vocalist. The guitarist kicked it on stage like it was the only show he would ever play in his lifetime. The drummer battled it out for their nearly hour-long set to excellent effect. Anthony alternated between guitar and synth, crying out the refrains of his new magnum opus the entire time, joined often by the female singer, who too was glued to a keyboard. They played a plethora of songs from Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, but in addition to that, “Teen Angst”, “Kim & Jessie”, and “Skin of the Night”, three that I was very, very happy to hear. All told, M83 was the best set that entire day, and my only complaint was that a couple of tall, rude French bitches stood right in front of us for the majority of the show after we kindly moved to let them get by. Le hmmph.
We rounded out the night by stopping by Neon Indian’s set, at which we couldn’t see shit, because he is massively popular in Austin.
Though I’m not as big of a fan of “Era Extraña” as I am of “Psychic Chasms”, the tunes from Alan Palomo’s new record certainly translate better to the live realm than do his earlier efforts. It has come to my attention that the debut album was never really meant to be reproduced live, which makes sense to me, due to how carefully crafted it was, what with all the audio mangling and tailoring going on all up in here. With that in mind, however, the few jams we did manage to catch were enjoyable. It was at the very least fun to hear Neon Indian perform, among others, “Deadbeat Summer”, “Psychic Chasms”, and “Polish Girl”.
Alas, though, we dreamt of attending Tera Melos’ Fun Fun Fun Fest Nites performance at Red 7 with Boris and Russian Circles, we were tired and filthy, so we ended the day early and on a good note, preferring to save our energy for the third and final day.
I must mention that if any reader knows the name of Dan Deacon’s first song, I would love to note it, so I can download it later. I cannot find a set list ANYWHERE
(Disclaimer: None of the above photos or video shoots are by my hand.)
Last Friday night, my girlfriend and I headed to The Mohawk, a venue right off of the infamous 6th Street in Austin, Texas. A month or so before, I had gotten wind of an elite CD release party for Neon Indian’s upcoming “Era Extraña” album, featuring Com Truise as his opening act. Elated, I hurriedly snatched up two tickets, because they were rumored to be limited and going quickly. Sure enough. They were sold out pretty soon, but we got them in time to be guaranteed a spot at The Mohawk (which subsequently moved the show outside and sold more tickets, thereby packing the place out).
I hadn’t been to a show since February, when I saw Broken Social Scene at La Zona Rosa in the same city, so I had gotten cold feet and was very happy to be able to see one of my top three favorite bands/musicians at the time. I don’t know if that has happened since I saw Broken Social Scene back in 2006. So anyways, the doors opened at 8:00 PM, and we were there at 8:30 PM, so we could get good spots but not have to stand for hours to get them. I usually am a pretty lazy show-goer. I’ll stand in the back or even sit if I can still see alright, but for Com Truise I stood right in the motherfucking front.
He came on pretty promptly, and my girlfriend took hundreds of great shots of the guy, utilizing a range of different lenses and effects on her Pentax K-X. He played for about forty-five funky minutes, obviously getting into what he was doing. He was constantly tweaking, twiddling, and attenuating the various tracks that were being blasted across the venue, all while doing this smarmy little head bob. He had a live drummer to help out with the bombastic effect of the sharp stabbing beats, and he took a minimum amount of liberty with the songs, but simultaneously warping them on scene in a really kickass way. He played an eight- or nine-song setlist, including tunes from the Cyanide Sisters EP, like “Sundriped”, “BASF Ace”, and “Slow Peels”. These classics were interspersed by the more heavily represented Galactic Melt, from which he performed “VHS Sex”, “Cathode Girls”, “Air Cal”, “Glawio”, and “Futureworld”. He may or may not have introduced an unreleased song, but I am not entirely sure about that, but I was particularly pleased when he played “Glawio” as the closer. That’s probably my favorite jam of his, and it definitely ended his half of the show with a bang.
After slapping me a five on stage, I tracked Seth Haley (Com Truise) down to compliment his live performance and studio aesthetic. I was wearing a Ghostly International T-shirt, and he liked that, and I asked him if he did all of the artwork for his releases. One of the things I love about Com Truise’s work is how evocative it is, and the graphic art really complements the sound well, and of course, he already knew this. When I told him I appreciated his closing the show with “Glawio”, he excitedly told me that it is his favorite track to play live. After getting a couple photos with the guy, he introduced himself and fist bumped me on my way out. Really nice guy.
So, yah, I totally ignored the Neon Indian part LAWL
Prior to having the hipster scene ruined for him at a Fleet Foxes show and subsequently reverting into another classic rock phase, my brother plied me—nay, barraged me—with Star Slinger songs. This fellow loved Star Slinger’s music, and he wasn’t afraid to show it, and for that I am thankful. Yesterday, after hearing yet another good’n by the UK producer, I frantically searched for Star Slinger’s Bandcamp and then immediately downloaded the first album I saw: the appropriately titled “Volume 1”, featuring a song I was familiar with: the also appropriately-titled “Copulate”. For only $5 (though, there is of course the option to give more), Star Slinger’s surprisingly hi-fi debut mixtape was mine!
Immediately cuing it up and turning it up to 11, I was blown away by how funky fresh it sounded, the multitude of different tones whirling around throughout the short duration of each track, the variety of sounds featured throughout the mini-album, and how soulful and emotional the whole outing was. Integrating lo-fi samples, like Pogo, and sassy classic jams, like Teengirl Fantasy, Star Slinger then slings these two components through a carefully crafted recipe comprised of well placed Gold Panda-esque dancefloor beats and vocal cut montages straight out of a Lusine album. Exotic, saucy, energetic, and boasting a prolific library of work, I can tell you for a fact that I will inevitably end up collecting the entirety of Star Slinger’s fun and interesting discography, no matter the cost. Do tha right thing and do the same over at his Bandcamp, for a more than reasonable price, considering the quality of da tunez!
