Hi all. So this is a topic that I have really wanted to write about for some time now and I have finally found the motivation to make a blog post about it.
For as long as I can remember, my music has defined a part of who I am. My music is different than music a lot of people listen to and that's fine. A lot of people back in high school (even junior high) used to tell me that I listened to weird music. Sometimes it kind of bothered me because I didn't have very many people to share my music with and sometimes I liked that no one really knew the music that I listened to on a regular basis very well. In high school and even these days I know that I am so passionate about the music I love to listen to, that sometimes I force it onto people to listen/try and enjoy my music because they are really nice are close to me and just want to make me happy. But sometimes I know people really need that push into different types of music at a certain point in their life, some times just because they are curious, because they don't really know what they like, because what they like sucks and they kind of just realize it, and sometimes it's just that someone shows you something and you are like "wow, this is really cool, what else do you have like this/that I would like." As much as I love talking about music with people who like the same type of music as me, I have a great amount of respect for someone who tells me that they don't like something when they sincerely don't like it. I enjoy talking to these people just as much. It's what makes things interesting. If you don't like my music, then you probably don't read this blog (very much/at all). For whatever reason it is, maybe because I share very similar tastes/interest in music as a couple of my fellow 31st & Chi writers (Pistol Pete and Lightweight), this blog has become somewhat centered around this 'type' of music, which if had to be labeled would more than likely be referred to as "Indie". Now not of all our posts are about Indie music and I really love the posts that aren't. They keep this blog fresh and make it fun to read for people who aren't necessarily interested in the music.
I don't care what kind of music you listen to. You shouldn't have to care about what kind of music I (or anyone else for that matter) listens to. Listen to music that you like. If you are like me, then to a certain extent, your music defines a part of who you are. I don't like people who pose a (musical) image upon themselves because they think it makes them look cool or want to fit in or really just don't have any original style/tastes in music/anything. This goes for a lot of things, not necessarily just music. Just be yourself, don't be a fuckin' poser. No one likes posers.
For those of you who do like the music I post and are interested, I have another seasonal (not really) mixtape for you. Songs that I like that have accumulated over the last few months till this point. Some songs are older than the others. Right-click to save.
Multi-instrumentalist Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear has released his debut 7" single under the name CANT on his own label, Terrible Records, that also contains an unreleased single from Arthur Russell. Take a listen to this appropriately named, gorgeously haunting tune below. Note the many instruments played by Taylor dubbed over onto this beautiful track.
The CANT/Arthur Russell split 7" is limited to 1000 copies, and was recorded/produced by Taylor in his church/studio in Brooklyn. Look for more from both CANT and Terrible Records in the near future.
With the release of the new Twilight movie, New Moon, next month, the soundtrack is coming out as well. In case you haven't heard, there are some formidable Indie artists on this soundtrack. A few of the tracks leaked this weekend. Enjoy these file downloads!
Grizzly Bear's second single from Veckatimest is in fact "While You Wait For The Others" and this is the video that was made for it. No human faces appear in this video, but it is still very well done. The video's main character is hidden behind a fencing mask as numerous quick motion kicks convulse him to what seems to be endlessly. This illustration is inimitable for Grizzly Bear (especially this song), seeing as how the band has constant motion between convulsing transitions and unparalleled harmonies. No, (un)fortunately, Michael McDonald does not make an appearance. Pitchfork posted an interesting interview with the artist who designed Veckatimest's cover. Read it here.
Grizzly Bear appeared on David Letterman last night, after having been booted earlier in May due to the show running too long. They performed a lovely version of "Ready, Able" from the new album with the ACME orchestra blending beautifully.
For some reason, Grizzly Bear seems to be the artist of choice for a lot of rap mashes as of late. Well at least we can listen to an alternative to the original "Prom Queen" song by Lil Wayne. This mash-up of "Two Weeks" and "Prom Queen" almost justifies Lil Wayne writing it. This song comes from a 3 song mash-up EP called veckaFlyest which has two other Lil Wayne/Grizzly Bear mash-ups.
So the end of the month is basically here and I guess I thought I would sit down and reflect on the few shows I've seen thus far this summer. I really haven't been to that many shows, but the few I have been to were worth the cash. This upcoming Tuesday (6/30), a few of us are planning on catching the Japandroids show at the Slowdown as I am really looking forward to the duo's live performance and can only hope that it's as good as their debut. They are performing with Dim Light. The $8 show starts at 9PM.
Going back to mid-April, I saw Bonnie "Prince" Billy play at the Waiting Room in Omaha, NE. I kind of feel like the Waiting Room was an ideal venue for someone like BPB. Regardless if you listen to his music or not, he is an excellent entertainer and definitely worth the $10-15 you will most likely pay to see him. I will say his music isn't necessarily what I always like to listen to, but he is a talented artist and I very much enjoyed his show.
At the beginning of this month I saw St. Vincent play at the Slowdown here in Omaha. This again was a really entertaining show. Right away from the beginning, I was blown away at how talented of a guitarist she is. Her set started off with "Marry Me", which surprised me, but got the show off to a great start. Right after she played this, she had everyone's attention for the rest of the night. Obviously her vocals sounded amazing and I expected that, but her skill of guitar play was impressive. "Actor Out of Work" really seemed to get the crowd going and moving a round a bit. They really jammed on this song and sax part sounded great live. "Laughing With A Mouth Of Blood" (my personal favorite from the new album) was especially great guitar play by Ms. Clark where she showed off with intricate strums and amazing ad lib in the middle of the song. The show had a lot of energy and kept me on my toes all night. The show was really intimate as well since it was on the stage up front by the bar. Overall the show was very good and I would recommend attending if given the chance. A solid show, but their really isn't much else to be said about it.
The last show I have seen thus far here in June is when I traveled up to Minneapolis with my girlfriend and met up with a couple friends to see Grizzly Bear at the Cedar Cultural Center. Here We Go Magic performed before Grizzly Bear. The Cedar Cultural Center is a cool little venue near the University of Minnesota's campus. It was an intimate venue that really didn't a have bad place to stand in the whole place. Here We Go Magic took the stage after a long wait and maybe that was part of their detraction, but I really never got into their set. I really like some of their tunes on their self-titled album, but even the songs of theirs that I like didn't really stand out much. The set just didn't seem to have a lot of energy to me. Immediately following Here We Go Magic's set, Chris Taylor came out onto the stage and started fiddling with shit for about 10 minutes. It was amazing to see how much care and handling they put into their set and equipment. Taylor is obviously an expert and the brains behind bringing their stage show together. Once their set began, it was evident that all the care and handling that went into setting beforehand would definitely pay off. The set started with "Southern Point" and never looked back. Southern Point has a lot of energy on the album, but not nearly as much as it had it during their set. It was a great way to start off the show. During their set, I noticed them trying out quite a few different electronic effects on different songs, whether it be vocally or just with the different soundboards that Taylor and Droste had next to them. Most of the effects I really enjoyed and some were quite different. From there, they went right into "Cheerleader", which they just played this past Friday night on Jimmy Fallon. Next they played a couple of favorites from Yellow House, "Little Brother" and "Knife" which were both fantastic. They really rocked out on "Little Brother" and "Knife" just blew me away with Taylor's background vocals and the cool effects he used on them. They next played a hidden gem off Veckatimest, "Fine For Now" and without completely ending their sound, Rossen set his guitar down and sat in front of the keyboard and played the always warmly welcomed and long-awaited "Two Weeks" where Droste used some more cool electronic effects near the end during the chorus. This song was definitely a show-off moment for drummer Chris Bear, who was absolutely fantastic the whole night. The band mellowed things out a bit with a tranquil rendering of “Colorado” that was carried by Droste’s mesmerizing vocals and Taylor’s constant tinkering with the sound, layering radio jams and a muted saxophone over the lulling melody. Each song was met with warm, appreciative applause, causing Droste to riff a bit on a “Sunday night feels right in Minneapolis” improv, and led the band to thank the audience repeatedly during the set. But their stately and ornate songs were thanks enough for the crowd, none more so than on the pure bliss sound of “Ready, Able,” which was simply stunning and stood out as a very dignified pop moment. That was quickly followed by the harmonizing medley of “I Live With You” and “Foreground” that was a shining example of the simmering atmospherics the band can create with their music, which can be as much about mood as it is about melody at times. “Foreground” was especially diaphanous, with Droste’s delicate vocals easing the fragile timbre of the song gently onwards. Another beloved track from Veckatimest, "While You Wait For The Others" was really one of my favorite moments of the night where everything seemed to come together and was kind of the climax of the set. The subtle vocals of Rossen were complimented so nicely by his impressive guitar play while blending so well with the rest of the band and all the harmonizing "Ahhs" in the background of the song. It was pure sublime. Following this, there was a special treat of a cover, while Rossen again led the band in a Department of Eagles cover, "No One Does It Like You". Grizzly Bear closed their set with the faster half of “On A Neck, On A Spit,” (another Yellow House tune) which played as kind of a 'thank you' to the appreciative audience, and found the band really rocking out to the finish line in classic manner. It was an exuberant exclamation on a set filled with countless highlights. This was one of the best shows I have seen. Recommended (to say the least).
Setlists:
St. Vincent
1. Marry Me 2. The Strangers 3. Save Me From What I Want 4. Happy Birthday [Traditional] 5. Now, Now 6. Actor Out of Work 7. Paris Is Burning 8. The Bed 9. Laughing With a Mouth of Blood 10. Black Rainbow 11. Marrow 12. Just the Same but Brand New Encore: 13. The Party 14. Your Lips Are Red
Grizzly Bear
1. Southern Point 2. Cheerleader 3. Little Brother (Electric) 4. Knife 5. Fine For Now 6. Two Weeks 7. Colorado 8. Ready, Able 9. I Live With You/Foreground 10. While You Wait For The Others 11. No One Does It Like You (DoE cover) 12. On A Neck, On A Spit
(Sorry couldn't find a setlist of Bonnie "Prince" Billy show)
To begin with, sorry we have not had as many posts lately. I am trying to play catch up as I move into my new place so thanks for bearing with us. Covalt just got back from grizzly land and Peter is in the D.R., the other two have no excuse. Yeah, with all this stuff being released by Grizzly Bear and about Grizzly Bear lately, you would swear they have a new album coming out or something. First off, we'll start with the new video for the single "Two Weeks". Patrick Daughters took Grizzly Bear to church for "Two Weeks." True. But the video for the Veckatimest standout (though, some would argue all of it's a standout) is not what we were expecting. Don't wanna give too much away, but 'heads-up' on an 'explosion' of a video.
The band played a short acoustic set for WNYC last night and host David Garland sent us the photos from it that accompany this post. Here's how "Two Weeks" sounded with piano instead of omnichord: Grizzly Bear - "Two Weeks" (Live On WNYC) (MP3) You can hear the rest ("All We Ask," "While You Wait for the Others," "Foreground," "Dory," "Too Little Too Late") at NPR.org.
And there's a new Black Cab Session performance of "All We Ask" here.
Grizzly Bear made their UK television debut last week on Jools Holland. Though known for usually being quite spectacular live, they seem a bit nervous here in their performance of "Two Weeks", but eventually they shake off the butterflies and end strong with "While You Wait For The Others". We found out about the performance via Ed Droste's Twitter. Ed also noted that Grizzly Bear will also be appearing on David Letterman next week. The single for "Two Weeks" will be released tomorrow via iTunes and on 12" May 18th and it has been confirmed that Fred Falke's remix of "Two Weeks" will also be a part of the single. Fred Falke has made some great remixes in the past, so look forward to this one as well. Grizzly Bear also confirmed that a video has been shot for the single "Two Weeks" as well. Anticipation builds for the release of Veckatimest and all it has to offer, but will it live up to the hype? We sure hope so.
This past Thursday night, Animal Collective played on The Late Show with David Letterman. The performance of the season appropriate Summertime Clothes was excellent to say the least. Dave really seems to like bringing in those hometown Brooklyn bands. Oh, Grizzly Bear will also be partaking in the Brooklyn Indie Band Show with David Letterman as well, on the 20th of May. Start prepping for the next round of AC vs. GB in the indie music blog world. And no, I wasn't going to mention anything about the masqueraded people dancing obscurely in the background. It's cool man, finals are over...
Grizzly Bear have announced the details for their release of the lead single of the upcoming "Veckatimest". 'Two Weeks' will be released on May 18 before the album is released on May 26. No tracklisting has been given for the single but it is safe to assume the Fred Falke remix will be one of the formats. 'Two Weeks' has been remixed by The Hood Internet but that was unofficial. Grizzly Bear will be also be playing on Jools Holland. The artwork for the single is above.
Grizzly Bear have revealed the title, cover, and tracklist for their upcoming album, Veckatimest, to be released May 26th on Warp Records. The title, pronounced [VECK ah TIMM est], is after a small, uninhabited island off the coast of Massachusetts. Here is the tracklist:
1. Southern Point Two Weeks 3. All We Ask 4. Fine for Now 5. Cheerleader 6. Dory 7. Ready, Able 8. About Face 9. Hold Still 10. While You Wait for the Others 11. I Live With You 12. Foreground
Look for more to come on Grizzly Bear in the near future.
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