Archive for November 2010
Evan Voytas: Our Thing
It’s time for another post on Evan Voytas. In a league of constantly releasing new music in a feverish (but genius) manner along with artists such as Blackbird Blackbird, Voytas is blooming into the multi-instrumentalist and pop prodigy of Los Angeles. It should go without saying that if he releases something new, I will be talking about it on here.
Although I had always been a fan of his dreamy electropop soundscapes, I was recently very impressed with a live set from Voytas’ residency at The Echo during October. He and his band (which now includes The Sweet Hurt’s Wendy Wang) sounded so much tighter and fuller than the last time I had seen them. When they opened for Dragonette, it seemed as if they were still a bit shy when it came to stage presence but this time around, there was an obvious maturity and growth in confidence. The change in demeanor was definitely a positive turn around because with the talent, Voytas and his live band are bound to dazzle concert goers for a long time if they keep this up.
Pride is something some musicians try to avoid showing because everyone in the music industry aims to deal with talented people but they also favor the down to earth guy or gal. Being humble is nice but when you’ve got the goods, you should be happy to flaunt them a bit more than you think you can. So, I’m very glad Voytas and company have finally embraced their accomplishments.
Speaking of new releases, Voytas has just released a new EP titled “Tomorrow Night We’ll Go Anywhere” with the recent key tracks being “Our Thing” and the track which shares the EP name. With the former track offering another solid combination of Voytas’ smooth falsettos over some crisp beats, the latter sounds like it got a heavy dose of disco – which sounds great! It’s definitely a fun one to dance to.
Check both tracks out below. Also, if you haven’t checked the latest Wild Tonic mixtape out yet, Voytas’ “I Run With You, Spirit Animal” is just one of the many great tracks included.
MNDR: Caligula (The Cold Mix)
MNDR (aka Amanda Warner + the help of Peter Wade) arrived on my radar far too late. I started hearing about her during the summer of 2010 but the sassy, inventive, electropop artist has been making her rounds of approval for quite some time before that. You may now know her as the vocalist on Mark Ronson & The Business Intl‘s “Bang Bang Bang,” (one of the most infectious tunes on that album) but MNDR is a name that has become synonymous with “crowd pleaser” in regards to her own live shows.
Although her signature look with those large glasses may leave you skeptical about another hipster fashionista, take a listen to those beats (she’s a gearhead who knows her production) and especially her vocals. I don’t know about you, but I find them very reminiscent to Santigold’s bright tone. She’s got style and creativity in all the right areas to become an even more successful electropop star than she already is.
Proof? MNDR recently announced that she will be headlining some shows over in London and to celebrate this milestone, she has offered a new mix of her track, “Caligula,” for free. You can get it from her site in exchange for your e-mail address or you can stream it after the jump. Thanks to the rad Sheena Beaston for spotting this one. You can also grab her track “I Go Away” and check the video out for “Bang Bang Bang” if you haven’t already done so.
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart: Heart In Your Heartbreak
If you know me, then you know I absolutely adore The Pains of Being Pure At Heart. Not only did they put out my #1 album of 2009 but they may possibly be my favorite indie pop band to form within the last five years. As a big fan of The Field Mice, it’s quite difficult not to feel smitten with this Brooklyn-based four piece. Boy-girl harmonies singing about teenagers in love with Christ and heroin on top of fuzzy guitars just kind of get to me.
I’ve previously shared the tracks, “Say No To Love” and “Lost Saint” earlier in the year from their split single. To tease us even more in regards to their sophomore effort, Belong, (which is due in March this coming year), they’ve released another new single, “Heart In Your Heartbreak.” It will be dropping on December 14th with “The One” as a B-side. These kids make me giddy.
Take a listen to the new single below!
Jail Weddings Music Video: What Did You Do With My Gun?
The Starvations may have called it quits back in 2005 but singer-songwriter Gabe Hart has been keeping busy since then. Not only is he in the wild and local group Dante Vs. Zombies, but he is also fronting a 10-person band who has just put out a full-length album. Five years may seem like a long time when you’re looking ahead but if you’re one like Hart who has kept his heels dug deep in the music scene, it can come by pretty quick and an album (along with a couple of videos) can serve much more than a nice pick me up.
Jail Weddings is a lot to take in and although much of it can seem theatrical, oddly enough, none of it is pretentious. Slamming garage rock into doo wop music is a small niche but Hart and company manage to make it come off very casual and easy. Live, they’re a band who doesn’t mind dressing up or going crazy with each other on stage. On record, there is a collection full of wonderfully melodic tantrums and explosive heart on the sleeve, booze-induced tales. With that many people, how could it not become one big party?
The new album, Love Is Lawless – an appropriate title for their style that rocks with abandon – is now available. I highly suggest picking it up because there are definitely tracks that croon honesty in ways one wouldn’t expect. Along with the release of their album, they also released a brand new video (directed by Nick Corirossi) for the song, “What Did You Do With My Gun?” Does the title foreshadow the plot a bit? Yes, but it’s a fun watch.
Check it out below and also grab their track, “I Thought You Were Someone I Knew.”
Holy Ghost!: Static On The Wire (RAC Remix)
One band who I still haven’t seen live yet is Holy Ghost!, a fantastic dance duo from NYC. I keep missing them when they come anywhere near Los Angeles and it’s really starting to bum me out. The first time was when they opened up for LCD Soundsystem (founder of their label DFA) because I had just seen James Murphy and the gang up at Sasquatch. The next time they came near by was actually San Diego for the Chromeo tour. I should have just driven the two hours and suffered a massive hangover the next day because I have no doubt that this band would have had me dancing all night long in pure bliss.
You may remember a track of theirs titled “I Will Come Back” which I put on May’s mixtape. I still bump that song in the car every once in a while. Another track of theirs which I love is “Static On The Wire” and it’s recently been remixed by one of my favorites: RAC (aka founder/coordinator, Andre Allen Anjos). I love everything the Remix Artist Collective does. This Holy Ghost! track was already stellar yet somehow the RAC managed to enhance it with their mad talent.
You can get the original track on the same-titled EP which is out now but the duo is also great at doing remixes on their own. Holy Ghost! recently did a remix of the ever-catchy Mark Ronson and The Business Intl tune, “Somebody To Love Me.” Check both remixes out below!
Dax Riggs: Let Me Be Your Cigarette
As I was reflecting on the last couple of months packed with some incredible shows and my decision to even choose shows over parties this Halloween, I began to recall some of the musicians who like it dark. I’m not talking about lighting – although I would always prefer it not be dark for the sake of my photographer. I’m speaking of artists who have a gritty, haunting and gripping sound. A great example of what I’m trying to describe is embodied in Dax Riggs.
Formerly known for being a part of the underground metal scene during his time in Acid Bath, but also well-liked in other projects such as Agents of Oblivion in addition to Deadboy & The Elephantmen, his solo material now takes on a southern blues rock sound. However, you can still hear older influences slip in because nothing of Riggs’ is for the weak. It’s harsh and intriguing with some spooky undertones as those strong vocals wrestle with his manic yet impressive guitar skills.
I was lucky enough to attend one of his two back to back LA shows in September. You can read about that night if you are so inclined. Afterward, take a look after the jump and listen to his tracks, “Let Me Be Your Cigarette” and “Say Goodnight To The World” (with the latter sharing the title of his latest solo album.)
November Recommendations
I know, I know. It’s already November 2nd and I’m just posting the show calendar. My sincere apologies again but I do hope you were still somehow in the loop for some amazing shows last night. I would have highly suggested Deerhunter or The Duke Spirit. However, with it only being 10pm, there may be some shows you can still catch the headliner at tonight considering the fact that many of them go on 11pm. Just hurry!
October was a rough but extremely fun one with all the great bands coming through Los Angeles, but as I was making this month’s calendar, I realized… this city is always going to have a ton of great shows – every single night. I feel very blessed to be living in a city with such a wealth in music.
For November, the three core residencies include Chasing Kings at Silverlake Lounge, The Black Apples at The Echo and Dirt Dress at Spaceland – all bands worth checking out. Although you may not want to go all the way out to Glendale, another band worth your time is The Californian, who has a Tuesday night residency at LaBrie’s Lounge. Remember: Residencies are free! As for a few other free shows, I’ve also remembered to add the bands who will be playing the School Night Monday shows which happen at Bardot (above The Avalon). They often have some incredible after parties with encore performances and killer DJ sets. Another place to always check in for free shows is one of my favorite places in Echo Park – Origami Vinyl. Not only do they have a rad record store but they have a nifty loft upstairs for intimate performances to boot!
Big names coming through LA this month include Florence + The Machine (who will be playing multiple shows), Devo and Blonde Redhead. Robyn returns to the City of Angels once again as well. Check out all the wonderful artists coming through town after the jump!
Wild Tonic Monthly Mixer: October 2010
It’s the first of the month and you know what the means! You get a brand new mixtape with tracks I’ve been especially obsessing over during October! I may or not always dedicate a post to one particular track but in case I don’t, your best bet is to look in these mixtapes because there are always some outstanding tracks that still deserve your attention.
This month’s mixtape has a pretty great mixture of old and new as well as dance and rock. As I have been saying all month, October was the busiest month I have ever had in my life since I moved out to LA and fell in love with the music scene here. There have been so many great local acts as well as larger than life headliners coming through town. I believe there was even a span of time where I had been going out every single night for about three weeks with the exception of one night my poor body told me to take a desperately needed rest.
So with that said, October’s mixtape is truly a reflection of what I have been able to experience live this past month. French Horn Rebellion was a fun electronic brother duo I got to see open for Delphic. To continue the topic of opening acts, I finally got to experience Young The Giant play when they shared a bill with The Futureheads at the Troubadour. As for Eastern Conference Champions – they had one amazing Spaceland residency during September – but I also fell hard for them all over again when they opened for Shadow Shadow Shade’s record release party a few weeks ago. Evan Voytas also had a successful Echo residency during October so I’ve been digging his old and new stuff lately as well.
Bigger acts I was lucky enough to see included The Vaselines, Superchunk, MNDR (with Mark Ronson and The Business Intl) and Phantogram. However, one act I am still grieving over is White Sea aka Morgan Kibby. Mostly known for being the kyeboardist for M83, she just launched her solo career with a show at the Hotel Cafe last week. Of course, this was the night I stayed in so I will forever be hearing about this phenomenal show I missed out on. At least she’ll be playing LA again in November, so I am definitely planning ahead for that show.
November’s show calendar is coming up but for now, enjoy October’s mixtape below!
Tame Impala Music Video: Lucidity
This summer, I was one of the many people obsessed with Tame Impala‘s album, Innerspeaker. These baby-faced Australian boys definitely put out one of the best albums of 2010 and then a couple of months ago they put out a music video like this for their song, “Lucidity.” The camera they let loose into the stratosphere perfectly match the exponential wilderness in the track and that’s all I have to say.
Just watch the video for yourself. There are also behind the scenes provided afterward. Also, if you haven’t heard their cover of Midnight Juggernauts’ “Vital Signs” yet, you can grab that below.
The Vaselines Music Video: Sex With An X
I have to admit that it was a little odd to see The Vaselines open up for Superchunk last month. Although I love me some Superchunk and all the greatness they have brought to the indie music realm, Frances McKee and Eugene Kelly hold some classic enchantment over Laura Ballance, Mac McCaughan and their band for me. It was a comeback year for both bands and Superchunk put on a fantastic show (two encores!) but I was elated to finally see The Vaselines after their extremely long hiatus.
I about died when they played “Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam” and “Molly’s Lips” and even though McKee’s banter was rather PG rated when it came to her crazy stories told in that adorable Scottish accent, hearing the new album live was great as well. There will always be something entertaining about older musicians making an hour-long set of indie pop as dirty as possible.
If you were unaware of the fact that “Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam” served as a parody for the children’s hymnal, “I’ll Be A Sunbeam” then you may not like their video for “Sex With An Ex” which is sacrilegious in numerous ways… It’s fun in the wrong kind of way. At their age, The Vaselines are still on top of their game. Check the video out below and grab the mp3!
