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Just listen to “Pussy Bow” and tell me you’re not blown away by the raw power in such a stripped-down song. That is where Coasting thrives, in the in-between space between punk and rock, between feminism and politics. This duo is fervent and rapid and fast becoming one of the best acts in Brooklyn.
Fiona Campbell plays drums like her life will end if she doesn’t hit them as hard as she can. Madison Farmer sings in a sweet voice, but when you see her perform you’ll be shocked at her boldness. And the fact that Campbell is from New Zealand and Farmer is from Arkansas, well… let’s just say uniqueness comes to them naturally.
“Pussy Bow” is off the band’s debut 7″ out on M’lady’s Records next month and available for pre-order NOW. Get it!
Coasting plays tonight at the Chris Knox benefit at Le Poisson Rouge and tomorrow with the Clean and Dimmer at the Bell House.
Coasting: Pussy Bow
Universe is the work of Hunter John of California. “I” sounds like a beautiful, epic dream. The synthesizer and aching keyboard notes delicately tap out melody with dramatic swells. But it’s John’s sweet tenor above the music, gracefully ringing out clearly, that gives this song a heart.
“I believed what you told me, that everything might be ok. We’ll try to live longer, and we can be stronger!”
Universe thrives on clarity, in a world where it’s hard to come by, and is something artists shy away from in a quest to be deep. The music and especially the lyrics here are completely positive.
“I” is off the soon to be released album, “Gazing, Gazing.” Get more info, order a record and check out more songs at Friendly Ghost Recordings or muxtape.
Universe: I
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, but especially Mr. Pink, had tongues wagging last night at the Mercury Lounge. The very, very sold-out and highly anticipated performance delivered on all promises: Pink’s swagger and stage persona were intact, his vocals perfectly tweaked out and his songs just as manic as you want them to be.
With the exception of an abbreviated “Round and Round,” (WTF?), the show was a real pleaser. People were screaming, jumping up and down, etc. One person, if memory serves me well, shouted “I just pissed myself!” when Pink walked on stage.
Watch full screen (recommended) at Flickr.
Eardrum has a video of “Bright Lit Blue Skies.“
pic: richard gin
Sleepies music is punk’s rough-edge to the max. They sound like a raw cheeseburger that you wanna eat.
Formed in 2004 though made proper in 2008, Sleepies is Thomas Seely, Josh Intrator and Max Tremblay. They self release all their music, including a 7-song CDEP called “Join the Shark” and the upcoming debut self-titled full length, on their label Doom Song. Ben Greenberg of Zs/Pygmy Shrews has been producing them from the beginning.
“Good Hunting” is a catchy song. Guitar hooks and classic drum fills compliment singer Seeley’s attitude filled snarl. Get up and jump/thrash songs are so infectious. Play this one over and over again.
The LP is out May 29 and the band plays a release show at Dead Herring that night.
Sleepies: Good Hunting
TONIGHT
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti at Mercury Lounge, 11
Horse Feathers, Lay Low at Union Hall, Mercury Lounge, 6:30
Golden Triangle at Sound Fix Records, 8
Yeasayer, Seagull, Sleigh Bells at Webster Hall, 8ish
WEDNESDAY
Dan Friel, Adult Themes, Food Stamps, Imaginary Weapons at Bruar Falls, 8ish
Washed Out and Small Black, The Bell House, 8ish
Walter Schreifels, Atlantic / Pacific at the Studio at Webster Hall, 8ish
THURSDAY
Grasshopper Vs. Guardian Alien, Nonhorse, Philip Seymour Hoffman and more, 8
Chris Knox Benefit: Jeff Mangum (short acoustic set!), Yo La Tengo, Kyp Malone (of TV on the Radio), The Clean, Sharon Van Etten, Portastatic, Coasting, Claudia Gonson (of Magnetic Fields) at Le Poisson Rouge, 8
Suzanne Vega, Yuka Honda, Spooky Ghost at City Winery, 9
Beach House, Washed Out at Webster Hall, 8ish
FRIDAY
Alex Bleeker and the Freaks, Sore Eros, Big Troubles, The Procedure Club at Cake Shop, 8ish
The Clean, Dimmer, Coasting at the Bell House, 8ish
Sleigh Bells, Mr. Dream at Coco66, 10ish
Caribou, Toro y Moi, Hounds Of Hate at Music Hall of Williamsburg, 8ish (and Saturday at Bowery Ballroom)
Broken Social Scene at Webster Hall, 7 (and Saturday at Music Hall of Williamsburg)
MONDAY
Future Shuttle and La Big Vic (cassingle release) at K&M, 9
Phosphorescent at Union Pool, 9
Oddsac, the “Animal Collective movie,” is really horrifying. As in, it’s like, really scary! There are scenes in the just over 50-minute piece (I’ll call it that for lack of a better word) that had me shuddering.
Everyone in the audience last night at the Crosby Hotel in SoHo appeared to be squeamish. The faces in the crowd were as turned up and twisted as my own.
There is no story line, no narrative arc, in Oddsac, which was created by Animal Collective and Danny Perez. The frightfulness you feel comes from eye and ear stimulation. There is one scene at the end which has a pretty clear cut subject matter- a Nosferatu creature lurks in the woods while a family cooks marshmallows over a campfire and then, you guessed it, attacks them.
But what Oddsac lacks in context, continuity and structure, it makes up for in sheer shock value aided by disorienting insanity.
My film going partner was irritated by the piece: “Who’s going to watch that?” “Why make something that nobody will want to see?” But that wasn’t the point.
Avant-garde or experimental art, and i’d like to think art in general, is about the artists necessity to create for themselves, and not about creating something to be consumed by others. Had Animal Collective and Perez made something for the fans, it would have been a wholly different piece.
I don’t think Oddsac is something that people will want to watch again and again, though Perez told the Village Voice that he hopes they will. Animal Collective fans and experimental types will be turned on, surely, but this is not a “fun” music movie. Sections of the film were just psychedelic images, the swirly colors you see behind your eyes when you’re on drugs. (By the way, don’t watch this on drugs, you WILL freak out.)
Perez also told the Voice what he thinks Oddsac does: “It’s a hodge-podge approach that reflects the level of cultural saturation we’re in in the world.”
So, if we live in a confusing hodgepodge of a time, NOT making sense of it is the answer? It’s an interesting and very artsy perspective.
I’m glad I experienced Oddsac, but I’m not sure I can go for it again.
Trailer:
DVD is out June 29.
Woods posted this great video of Real Estate on TV live. Huh? You’ll see.
Why I can’t place this song is beyond me. I think it’s a new one. At first it sounds like “Rebel, Rebel.”
“The frequency of your inner debate, it was all out of tune.”
“You play along to songs written for you, but you’re all out of tune.”
Beautiful lyrics…
Live in Lawrence, Kansas, March 17.
Twin Sister shows are something to experience, and then hold on to, near and dear to your heart. The performances are visceral, you feel like you’re in the groove, you’re riding that bass line like it was yours. Each song signifies lust, fever and growth. You’ll go through all those feelings, and in that order.
NYC Taper captured, in fine form as always, the band at Mercury Lounge last week. As Merc shows often are, it was likely an industry heavy audience. The band played a short set, giving their sexier and poppier tracks preference, skipping my fav: “The Other Side of Your Face.”
Get the whole show at Taper, and “Other Side” below.
Twin Sister: The Other Side of Your Face
Also, the band has issued a challenge: REMIX them.
