SHOW REVIEW: Veronica Falls w/ Brilliant Colors

Maybe it was jet lag that led Cate le Bon and her band to end Thursday's show at Mercury Lounge at fifteen til nine, or maybe it was simply an oddity of the venue's booking.  But when I'd ventured out to that show it was with reluctance that I would miss Veronica Falls with Brilliant Colors and Grooms,  also playing that night across the East River at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Brilliant Colors

Ever one to take advantage of a good opportunity, I walked a quick fourteen blocks to hop on the L train at First Avenue, and arrived just as Brilliant Colors began to play.  I remember looking up at the stage and thinking that the lead singer was weirdly effeminate for a man, but after a while (and certainly once this person began to sing) I realized that it was actually an androgynous woman with an oddly British haircut.  Brilliant Colors had some technical difficulties in starting, claiming their instruments were frozen. I suppose this might have been the case, as it was pretty cold that evening and the band is used to the more mild climes of San Francisco. Their sunshine-infused garage jams warmed things up a bit, but in all honesty I had a difficult time discerning one song from the next, so much so that I began listening for even subtle differences but still couldn't manage find any. There's certainly something to be said for consistency, and fans of jangly surf pop might find special comfort in Brilliant Colors' repertoire though I was certainly ready for some variety.

Roxanne, Patrick & James

silhouetted Marion

Veronica Falls are cut from the same cloth as Brilliant Colors in that they also play fuzzed-out indie pop, but their music is far more catchy and varied. Their full length self-titled LP was released in September on Slumberland, but I knew very little about the band beyond the few seven-inches and some demos they'd released. I liked their cheeky lyrics and sunny sound and had assumed that they hailed from somewhere on the West Coast, but as it turns out, the four members of Veronica Falls are English. Roxanne Clifford's vocals harken back to obscure girl groups of the 50's and 60's, but she is backed by vocals from drummer Patrick Doyle and guitarist James Hoare instead of beehived jivers in sequined dresses. Marion Herbain on bass rounded out the group's energetic dynamic, though MHoW seemed less appropriate a venue for the band than a smaller, rougher space like Glasslands or even Shea Stadium or Death By Audio. Veronica Falls is the kind of band whose sound is simply better suited for the raw DIY spaces that abound in Brooklyn, which is not to say that their somewhat cutesy image is at all indicative of their sound. Elements of twee and shoegaze are certainly present, but the band is anything but shy. Their confidence pounds through every fierce beat, making them a fun band to watch on any stage.

Veronica Falls played some new jams as well as favorites “Beachy Head”, “Found Love In A Graveyard” and “Wedding Day” and closed with an excellent rendition of “Come On Over” before encoring with a cover of Roky Erikson's “Starry Eyes”. Video below.

SHOW REVIEW: Tycho w/ Beacon, live at Music Hall Of Williamsburg

I was super excited to go see Beacon last Saturday night. My exposure to them thus far had been pretty limited to their brief stint at Cameo Gallery for the Brooklyn Electronic Music Fest, at which they only played a handful of songs. But they were shockingly good songs. Especially considering what one immediately notices about this duo. They look like a couple of sartorially unassuming white kids from your hometown somewhere in the Midwest. Until they start playing music that is. Then they're magically transformed into bass-blasting R&B/electronic superstars. It was a bit surreal to hear such a cavernous, all consuming sound coming out of the two of them, actually, and it made my attitude toward them swing dramatically from skeptical to deferential in a matter of seconds.

So there I was, waiting outside Music Hall to meet the person from whom I was scalping a craigslist ticket to this sold out show (Tycho, the headliner, is pretty damn incredible as well, which I'll get to). Suddenly the building started shaking a little bit, and my chest cavity began to vibrate oh so subtly. From a distance I heard opening chords of "See Through You". And I knew immediately, that this band is as good as I remembered them to be that night three months ago.

I finally got into the show not shortly thereafter, and settled in toward the front to be enveloped by loud bass, hot beats spun by Jacob Gossett, and Tom Mullarney's smooth reverbed-out voice singing the songs I've come to know pretty well at this point, from their EP No Body. After a few tracks, the crowd was glued. Whoever hadn't heard of them before, or had any doubts about their talent, was elevated to instant fandom, I'm sure of it. And it was then, when these guys knew they had everyone wrapped around their little fingers, that they upped the ante and performed this Ginuwine cover.





And I thought that would be the pinnacle of my experience of this show... Alas, I had no idea what Tycho had in store for us.

Tycho's set was amazing for three reasons.

First, and for those of you who aren't familiar with Tycho, this is a band that puts more effort into cultivating a spectacular audio-visual experience for their audience than anyone I've ever seen live. While the music itself is primarily a blend of ambient sounding electronic and live drum/bass/lead guitar, the video work that Scott Hanson (Tycho's founder) produces and curates to accompany the  music is really quite thoughtful, and heightens every song's sonic impact with total deliberation; each clip of video is stunningly executed, and seems to be timed to accentuate certain beats, tones, and shifts in musical phrase to an ideal degree.

Second, there isn't so much going on, even despite the crazy visuals, that you can't focus on any one musician in particular and feel captivated by their technical abilities. For Example, the bass player was so good, and stalwart (many of these tracks were over five minutes long), that it was easy to get lost in his playing and forget everything else that was happening. The band's first encore performance had Scott playing solo, and apologizing to the audience for the noticeable  absence of bandmates, with the candid admittance that he "just needed to give them a rest". 

Third, these songs are pretty mellow, generally, but they never ever bore. There was a dude standing about six feet in front of me who was breakdance-fighting/shadow boxing/going into epileptic shock for the entire set. I swear to god, he never stopped moving for the full hour and a half they played. There were also any number of fist-pumpers and of course the occasional girl who would burst into tears at the beginning of a certain song...

Anyway, please enjoy a video from the show, and hopefully get a sense for what I'm talking about here. Do trust though, that this little clip in no way does Tycho justice.

SHOW REVIEW: Dum Dum Girls w/ Widowspeak

Last night, we AudioFemmes visited Music Hall of Williamsburg to see Dum Dum Girls perform a blistering set for a packed audience.  We missed openers Punks On Mars (not too intrigued by that band name, sorry) but caught most of Widowspeak’s set. Below, our innermost thoughts and feelings regarding the spectacle we witnessed. - Eds.

dressed all in white and practically glowing

L: Annie, what did you think of Widowspeak?

A: Well. Here’s the thing: I have a hard time getting on board with singers who sound painfully derivative of someone whom I happen to love, in this case, Mazzy Star. It doesn’t help that Hope Sandoval is still around and making music. In fact, I hear there’s a forthcoming album slated for release this summer. However, independent of the issue of Molly Hamilton’s striking similarities, both sonically and aesthetically, to Mazzy, I have to admit I’m a sucker for dreamy sounding girl-pop.

Widowspeak

L:  Oooh, I had no idea Mazzy Star was putting out new material.  Yet another reason to look forward to summer.  But I digress - we were talking about Widowspeak, and I agree, it is hard not to hear Hope Sandoval when Molly Hamilton opens her mouth.  I’d actually seen them before at Glasslands when they opened for Dirty Beaches roughly a year ago.  They covered Chris Isaak.  I bought the Harsh Realm 7” (white vinyl!  I’m such a sucker for that kind of thing) and I think by now I’ve worn the grooves out.  I mean I’ve had nights where I put on that title track and just pull the needle back over when it’s done playing, and then repeat that about eighty times.  There’s something about the lines “I thought about how it was / I thought about you because / I always think about you” that just gets to me.  It’s definitely the kind of obsessive-minded song that makes playing the shit out of it feel totally appropriate...

... Seeing that live and knowing to expect it was a highlight for me, but I think that’s where the band excels - in the quieter, more contemplative moments.  I could have sworn they had far fewer members the last time I saw them, and so it was a bit off-putting to have three guys backing her up.  But I understand the need to amp up the performance as they are going out on tour with Dum Dum Girls.Speaking of which.....

A: Yeah, real quick: I would definitely give them another chance, and I often feel differently about a band’s sound in general when I hear the studio recording. You can lend me the 7” next time I come over. Anyway, moving on to the Dum Dum girls.

For me, a band’s first impression often sets the tone of the show, so to speak. And when the Dum Dum girls descended the stairs onto the stage of Music Hall of Williamsburg, decked out in white Grecian drapery and a myriad of fishnet-patterned stockings, I knew immediately, that we were in for a good time. Not to mention we were standing a stone’s throw from the hot new bass player, whose name thus far is unknown to us.

L: This bass player. Woah.  One of the most gorgeous women I think I’ve ever seen.  I was kind of disappointed when I heard their former bass player had been replaced; I thought she was a good representation of someone who isn’t super skinny and is totally sexy and kick ass, and I think it’s nice to see that, especially for people with similar body types.  Not that the new bass player was a twig; she did have some booty.  Whatever girl crushes I might have had on the band before were cemented when they emerged from backstage - every single one of them looked amazing.  I want to go shopping for tights and vintage jewelry with them.  Even if they had sucked, I would have been nearly content to watch them bop around on stage for 45 minutes.  But then they proceeded to totally melt faces.

A: Before I go on about how hard they rocked out, I must say, there’s something novel, in a heavy kind of way, about seeing a band comprised exclusively of women, play so competently and so beautifully. So many bands out there have one or two female members, who are often just eye-candy more than anything else; Or there are female-led groups who have the requisite enigmatic male bass player, or crazy drummer, etc. It’s really rare to see an all chick band like that who fully embrace their femininity and are completely unapologetic for their girliness, and who write songs about falling in and out of love that aren’t sappy and quaint sounding.



L: I agree. I wish it wasn’t such a novelty, but I don’t know if I’ve seen an all female band own a stage like that since Sleater-Kinney.  Maybe Warpaint. Honestly though, with all the bands trying to make it big in Brooklyn you don’t often see anyone, male OR female, playing their instruments as well as the Dums did.  I’d heard their shows were remarkable but I was floored by how good they sounded, how energetic they were, and how cohesively they jammed as a whole.  And I was also in love with their superfans who mouthed along with every word, including a middle-aged dude who was holding a library book the entire time!  I want to know what he was reading.

A: Hmmm. I’m gonna guess some sort of self-help book. Maybe something like, “How to change your life in 5 simple steps”

L: Step One - See the Dum Dum Girls. Life-changing for sure.Step Two - Get an e-reader so you don't have to carry around heavy volumes to rock concerts.It looked pretty thick, though... I bet it was Game of Thrones or something like that.  He was adorably geeky.

A: Yeah, you’re probably right. That shit is insanely popular right now. I also liked that guy who was scribbling things down on his teeny tiny notepad like his life depended on it.

L: Maybe he was taking notes for his cool blog.

A: Not as cool as our blog.

L: Never!  Although it would be cooler if we could stay on topic.

A: Yeah, we really need to get it together here.

L: Admittedly, I’ve never quite understood the hype surrounding Dum Dum Girls.  Their albums are entertaining for a listen or two, but not usually ones I play over and over again.  That changed for me with the release of the first few singles from Only In Dreams.  Only In Dreams is, in part, a raw chronicle of the emotions lead singer Dee Dee experienced after the passing of her mother.  While their previous material was carefree and and even a bit frivolous, Only In Dreams has fathoms more depth, and that thoughtfulness and truth put it over the edge for me in terms of my admiration for the band.  I even went back to some of their old material, discovering “Take Care of My Baby” from the “He Gets Me High” single and falling absolutely in love with it.

A: Yeah, I never really got heavily into them. Aside from hearing their songs on random playlists here and there I never listened to much. And although I always liked what I did hear, seeing them live really changed my perception of what they are and what they do. Before I feel like my impression was that they’re kind of like a more pop-y iteration of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. And while Dee Dee does sound an awful lot like Karen O. in many ways, the songs themselves are decidedly more straightforward--but in a refreshing way--especially to hear live.

L:  I don't know if I hear the Karen O. thing. In terms of performance and in-your-faceness, I'd say they are certainly of the same ilk. But the confessional nature of Dum Dum's newer tunes is not a place even Karen would dare go. The live rendition of “Hold Your Hand” was particularly moving.  Knowing where Dee Dee’s coming from when she sings the words “I wish it wasn’t true but there’s nothing I can do except hold your hand” makes them that much more powerful, but its a sentiment that hits deep with anyone who has lost someone close to them.  After playing those last chords Dee Dee kind of looked down at her guitar and swallowed hard and I remember being amazed that she had the courage to write the song in the first place, let alone play it before a huge crowd.  It was very poignant. 
A: I think I actually started crying a little bit during that song, because you could tell she was working so hard to keep it together. My heart really goes out to her, and I’m stunningly impressed with her fortitude and self-composure in the face of such recent adversity. Seeing her perform it was one of the many highlights. The most memorable highlight, however, for me, was the encore, for which they played “Coming Down”.  It’s a quieter song, and more sophisticated then some of the upbeat pop-rock stuff they do that seems to be their signature style. I guess I like to be surprised sometimes, even if it comes at the very end of a set. And the added effect of the disco ball lent it a dream-like ambiance that made the encore actually feel like a send-off--which is to me, what encores are all about. In any case, I would definitely go see them live again.

L: I loved “Coming Down” as well.  It was perfect as a set closer lyrically and melodically; like watching the last embers of a fire die before it goes out.  And I love me some disco ball - it burst to life at the perfect moment, just after the bridge when Dee Dee was really belting it out .  My only disappointment of the evening was the realization that I left the records I bought at the show in a booth at Lovin' Cup, where we stopped to grab a bite afterward. I called the place today but some jerk must have snapped them up. Can't say I blame him or her, I'd probably do the same thing.

Dum Dum Girls are touring the Northeast through most of February and then head to Europe in March.  These ladies are not to be missed. For additional proof of such, check out the video Annie shot of them performing "Rest of Our Lives" from their 2010 debut LP I Will Be.

An introduction to me and the music I love

Before I start describing to you my impression of the past year in music and what I'm looking forward to in the coming months (a succinct way to give you a glimpse into what you, our reader, can expect from me), I'll tell you a wee bit about myself.

I was born and raised in a small Midwestern town like so many other Brooklyn transplants. My parents placed my hands on the keys of a piano at the age of three, and the bow of a cello in my fingers at the age of nine. I'd like to think that music is in my blood, but I know better—for instance, that the early influence of Handel’s “Water Music” in shaping my perception of the world, or the memory of watching, atop shoulders, my dad play reggae at a local summertime concert, has more to do with my love for music than what my blood may contain. Still, I get a funny feeling in my heart when I hear certain songs, as if something might be waking up...

Though I never became a spectacular musician, by anyone's standard, I still play occasionally. More importantly, however, I learned in playing music for my whole life, to keep open ears to whatever might waft through the airwaves. Subsequently, music has become sine qua non to the diversity of my experience in the world, especially as a young city dweller. Without live music (even if the sound sucks, or the venue is sub par), without the excitement of anticipating the newest album from one of my current favorites, and without the joy of stumbling upon some undiscovered new treasure of a band (or DJ, or subway busker for that matter), life would just sparkle so much less vibrantly. New York would be such a drag.

What you can expect from me, with that said, is straightforward descriptive musings about the things that move me, namely good music (and sometimes not so good music too). If what you want though, is pretentious self-impressed sounding pseudo-journalism, then, well, I can direct you toward a few good music blogs for that too. Oh, and I have a degree in International Economics...So you may get a few tangential rants here and there about the security of oil supplies pumped throughout the Caucasus and Middle East, blah blah blah...

Anyway please read-on and (hopefully) enjoy a few personal highlights from the past year in music along with forthcoming shows and albums that I'm anticipating will be amazing. Organized categorically of course--because who doesn't love lists?

Best new band of 2011: Beacon

My favorite newbie from 2011 is by far the band Beacon, whom I discovered at the Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival thanks to my friend Jakub, who runs the label Moodgadget, to which they are signed. Comprised of Thomas Mullarney and Jacob Gossett, Beacon sounds like an amalgam of what I consider to be the best elements of R&B and electronic, respectively, with mellow, synthy keys, smooth falsetto vocals and layers upon layers of textured beats. Before you check out their newest EP, No Body--a luscious soundscape of tunes about life and love--, listen to their cover of "The Rip", by Portishead. You can find it Here. And if you like it, check them out live on February 4th with Tycho, at Music Hall. Ms. Rhoades and I would love to see you there.

The album of 2011 I was most surprised I like: Suck It and See

When I heard the first song off the album Suck It and See, I thought to myself "I really like this. It must be some sort of new wave I don't know of...Yeah, definitely from the 80's...Is it House Of Love? Hmmm...No...". I then glanced over the album cover, nearly falling off my chair in surprise, to find that it was the irascible gang of drunken, juvenile Brits themselves: The Arctic Monkeys.  They seem to have inexorably matured about ten years since, say, Favourite Worst Nightmare in 2007 (we all remember "Fluorescent Adolescent's" jabby opening chorus line "you used to get it in your fishnets/ now you only get it in your nightdress"). And I like what they've become: still raucous, but a bit less self-pitying and a bit more circumspect, both sonically and emotionally (if the two can even be disentangled when it comes to music). Self-possession really does suit them, for instance in the "Black Treacle" lyric "now I'm out of place, and I'm not getting any wiser/ I feel like the Sundance Kid behind a synthesizer". It sounds like a conundrum I've found myself in too, these days. And bravo, Arctic Monkeys, for being all the more perspicacious in actually admitting to it.

Best girl anthem of 2011 that feels like a throwback: "Sadness Is A Blessing"

Lykke Li's "Sadness Is A Blessing", from Wounded Rhymes pretty much sums up my teenage years. And I'm sure had she been around in the 90's, I would have most certainly been dressing and acting just like her. The opening chords are an immediate reference to all the 60's girl groups whom I love, with a catchy I-IV-V key progression. Then comes Lykke's raspy, unapologetic plea to some heartbreaker out there, to come back to her, in spite of her . Alas to no avail, she resolves herself to the infinite sorrow that awaits her in his absence. It's a  beautifully haunting song that seems to capture every decade of pop since the 50's. It shows that women creating incredible music about how much it sucks to be love-sick is a motif that transcends space and time.

Best Album of 2011 by a girl-led band, that can even begin to compete with Body Talk by Robyn: Ritual Union, Little Dragon

All of those who know me know that I would cross the street to tell a stranger how much I love Robyn. Body Talk may actually be one of my favorite albums of all time. With that said, when I heard Ritual Union--the newest  from Little Dragon, I was pretty damn excited to have found what I consider to be a futuristic iteration of everything I like about everything Robyn's ever done. Whew. Ok, enough hyperbole for you? Yeah, me too. Anyway, Ritual Union is an album full of pulsating dance beats featuring heavy snare, combined with smooth synthetic bass lines and of course, Yukimi Nagano's beautiful, sultry voice. And while I don't have it on repeat or anything, it's perfect to play at the end of the night, when all your dinner guests have had a bit too much to drink, and some of them want to get stoned at sit on the couch while others just really need to have a freaky dance party .

Best album of 2011 that almost makes me like Bob Dylan: Slave Ambient, The War On Drugs

I had heard Slave Ambient several times over the past months and didn't think too much of it, considering all the attendant hype. However, after listening to a few of their terrific live performances on NPR's "Sound Check", I decided to revisit it and see if there was something I had been missing. And ok, fair enough, they're pretty damn good. The songs do accompany arcane, poetic lyrics sung by a raspy-voiced front man, with a shit-ton of folky guitar melodies. This in and of itself makes them (to me) start to sound an awful lot like Bob Dylan tunes. I can't really help it. And for those of you who know me know I would cross the street to tell some girl's expensively-groomed chihuahua that I don't like Bob Dylan.  But here's the difference: each instrument including the vocals has reverb applied, as well as any handful of cool effects. This little aspect manages to transform each track from derivative (at best) into luscious, ambient and original. Amazing what a bit of creative thinking can do, no?

Best Album of 2011, Period: Year of Hibernation, (Youth Lagoon), tied with  Father, Son, Holy Ghost, (Girls)

So this was really, really challenging. It's basically like having to choose your favorite kid (not that I have any, but I imagine it would be an equally difficult task ). Anyway, upon much deliberation I decided to narrow it down to two. And I challenge any music lover to try and do better than that.

Ok, so first, Youth Lagoon: Who knew that some kid making songs in his bedroom would have such a substantial impact on the world of indie rock. And what makes these songs great is not that they are innovative, as is the case with much of the incredible Garage Band-made music these days, but rather the ways in which they sound like something you've heard a million times but can't quite pin down. They're nostalgically psychedelic, but simple and quiet at the same time. Trevor Powers' voice is thin but powerfully resonate. The melodies are pedestrian but unique. The lyrics are about a childhood we can all relate to; yet somehow his words still give me pause. Every time I listen to Year Of Hibernation, I discover something new about the songs. They will put me simultaneously in a good and bad mood. And that, my dear friends, is one illustrious feat.

It's rare that a band's sophomore album actually surpasses their debut, but Father, Son, Holy Ghost manages it somehow, although I'm sure there are plenty of folks out there who would disagree with me. The songs range from excruciatingly slow guitar ballads to Beatles-esque jingles, which is a wide spectrum to cover, and speaks loudly to the band's versatility. Christopher Owens is a pretty self-aware dude (being a Children Of God escapee and all), and he wears is heart on his sleeve, evident in lyrics such as "They don't like my boney body/ They don't like my dirty hair/ Or the stuff that I say, or the stuff that I'm on", from "Honey Bunny", which is a track that perfectly encapsulates the band's sound: upbeat classic rock 'n roll, underpinned by dark moody intimations (think Beck's "Sun Eyed Girl").  And this little fact alone will keep me coming back to these songs again and again, probably forever.

Runners up: Unluck (James Blake),  Hurry Up We're Dreaming (M83)

 

Well, clearly I could go on ad infinitum about  2011, but I figured I should leave the past where it belongs, and instead look toward what awaits us right around the proverbial corner. I'll list a few albums about which I'm "stoked" (as they say in left coast vernacular), and then sign off, for now, with a lineup of shows I hope to attend. Who knows, maybe we can catch a few together...
xxo
Annie

Albums I can't wait for:
Mark Lanegan Band, February 6

Die Antwoord, February 7

Sleigh Bells, February 21

School Of Seven Bells, February 28

Bruce Springsteen, March 5

Spiritualized, March 19

Choir of Young Believers, March 20

Where to track us down these days:

01.25 Lucinda Black Bear, Union Pool
01.31 Blouse, 285 Kent
02.02 Thurston Moore, Lincoln Center, Allen Room
02.04 Tycho, Beacon, Music Hall Of Williamsburg
02.07 Mark Lanegan Band, Bowery Ballroom
02.11 Dum Dum Girls, Maxwell's
02.11 The Kills, Terminal 5
02.14 Lily and the Parlour Tricks, The Bowery Electric
02.25 Sharon Van Etten, Bowery Ballroom