The Fix

Don’t have time to search out this week’s essential MP3s, streams and viral videos? That’s why we’re here.

Devendra Banhart “Don’t Look Back In Anger” (Oasis cover)
Yes, a bunch of new Oasis demos leaked all over the place this week. But just like the band’s last five albums or so, they’re horrible. Luckily, the same isn’t true of this beautifully wobbly cover of the Brit-pop group’s classic “Don’t Look Back In Anger” as reinterpreted by the blessedly cosmic Devendra Banhart.

(via I Guess I’m Floating)

Bart Davenport “Beg Steal Borrow”
Just in time for his new album, this East Bay singer-songwriter’s under-appreciated self-titled release is getting reissued. Luxuriate in this standout cut’s summer-breeze melody and the ex-Loved Ones frontman’s satin-smooth harmonies.
(via Antenna Farm Records)

The Last Shadow Puppets “The Age of Understatement (Acoustic)”
The Arctic Monkey’s frontman’s side project with Miles Kane is so good we kind of wouldn’t mind if Alex Turner never went back to his day job with the leading lights of British guitar rock. Here, the title track of the duo’s sweeping debut album gets the unplugged treatment.
MP3: “The Age of Understatement (Acoustic)”
(via Domino Records)

Shy Child “Astronaut”
With the Killers on a break, why not invest a little time into their slightly more punky keytar-slinging cousins? One listen to this slice of trendy, ’80s inspired mayhem and you’ll understand why Stella McCartney recruited them to soundtrack her line at last year’s Fashion Rocks.
(via Terror Bird)

The Dandy Warhols “The World The People Together (Come On)”
Dumped by Capitol, these Portland rockers have lost none of their pop sheen of affection for unwieldy song titles as they re-enter indiedom. This propulsive preview track from their self-released sixth album, Earth to the Dandy Warhols, has a bit of a Chemical Brothers vibe, which so does not surprise us.
(via Stereogum)

Calvin Harris isn’t your typical 24-year old. When this Dumfries, Scotland native isn’t helping to resurrect the once passé electro genre (asymmetrical haircuts and electro-clash, anyone?) or racking up infectious top-ten singles in the UK, he’s busy basking in the sunshine of success, writing and producing tracks for mini-pop princess Kylie Minogue’s latest effort X (in addition to a slew of other UK pop sensations). On his debut album I Created Disco, Harris mixes his signature sonic aesthetic–think bombastic beats, videogame-influenced effects and synth tones that sound like they are being played from the depths of the ocean–with lyrics about smoking flourescent-colored rocks, pill-popping in Vegas, and a fictional man who created disco after World War II. Fuzz recently discussed with the electro prodigy via-email the unlikely influence of food on music, Ms. Minogue, and who really created disco.

Fuzz: So, I know the Kylie question is played out at the moment, but what was it like working with her? Were you always a fan?
Calvin Harris: It was a really great experience, and a fascinating insight into the world of making pop music at the highest level. It was a door that I previously didn’t even consider knocking on, let alone jamming my foot in.

Did you have her in mind when you come up with the song “In My Arms” or was it a more collaborative process?
I wrote the music and the hook sometime before a collaboration was suggested, but when it was, I knew the track would suit her.

Is there any other mega starlet or man-star you’re dying to work with?
Yeah loads, in fact too many to mention. T-Pain, R. Kelly and Beyoncé are pretty high on the list.

What has been your best remixing or production experience and why?
I enjoyed the Dizzee Rascal track I made recently. It was a lot of fun and very rewarding.

What musical and non-musical things influence your sound?
Food influences most aspects of my life, including music. My beats are like a rump steak cooked rare with peppercorn sauce and a good side of mash and runner beans. Good, uncomplicated flavor in your earhole.

If your music were an animal, which one would it be?
Maybe a frog.

Had you even been to Las Vegas before when you wrote the song “Vegas”?
No and I still haven’t.

What is your favorite song on I Created Disco and why?
I like all of them equally.

In “Girls” you come off as an equal-opportunity dater. Is there anything about the opposite sex that really turns you off?
Broad shoulders?

As a fellow child of the ’80s, I know we’re a pretty magical breed. Were you afraid of alienating the elder music lovers?
No I couldn’t care less, if you like it you like it.

How did you start playing music? Were you always interested in making electro, or did you have a moody music period too?
I get the moody periods out of my system when doing interviews.

What’s the craziest thing a fan has done to get your attention?
Stolen my chips, and it worked.

Who are your musical heroes?
Timbaland, The Neptunes, ?uestlove, Roy Ayres and Outkast. There are too many.

If you could only take five albums on a trip to the moon, what would they be?
D’Angelo Voodoo, Raphael Saadiq Instant Vintage, Michael Jackson Off the Wall, Outkast Aquemini and probably some Lee Scratch Perry.

If you weren’t playing music right now what would you be doing?
Right now, aged 24, I’d be in a pretty bad place, mentally.

Fuzz: Describe your hometown Dumfries, Scotland in three words.
Green, Grey, Drinking.

If you didn’t really create disco, then who did?
Barry fucking Gibb.

Above all, Portishead are about context. Call it ambiance, or texture, or concept: regardless of the term you use, at their root they are a band who exist as a framework and can call a framework forth. The symbiosis between these two seeming opposites is at the very heart of their sound and appeal, for theirs is music that envelops you as you envelop it, that creates what you were feeling and feels when and what you are creating. This has always been true of Portishead, even when they were producing curious pop morsels like “Sour Times,” or when their eponymous second album was the soundtrack for every chill-out and make-out party of 1998. They’re undeniably heavy, even if they haven’t always been remembered as such.

I say all of this as a preface to Third, which seems to have been treated thus far as a betrayal to fans that have been waiting a decade for new material from the UK trip-hop trio. It’s true enough, in a way: Third is their least amenable album to date, and their least friendly. The eerie melancholy that has always been a kernel of their sound has grown up into full-blown fright and panic, the shy sexuality abandoned for something muscular, aggressive, even psychotic. Put another way, you will not be chillin’ nor hookin’ up to Third. In fact, Third requires and brings into being a particularly poignant brand of solitude.

Yet despite the work it requires, Third is far and away Portishead’s most accomplished, mature, and gratifying album, its marriage between dystopia and fragile hope so thoroughly of this moment that I almost can’t imagine listening to anything else these days. “Machine Gun” mixes incessant thrusts of violence–synthesizers that march, well, like machine guns–with Beth Gibbons’ inimitable wounded vocals, which are no match for the cacophony that surrounds them yet still somehow manage to survive through the war. The odd howling of “Small,” the alien pleading of “Threads”: these songs are sculptures, rendered from the problems of modern humanity and pulling you, forcefully, into existential contemplation. Sour times, indeed.

KIT hails from Oakland, CA–the name stands for “Keep It Together” or perhaps “Kill Interested Traitors,” but you’ll have to ask them if you want to know for sure. Short bursts of action seem to be the group’s M.O.; since their inception, they’ve all but limited themselves to appearances on split vinyl singles with bands like Deerhoof, Wives, and Mirror/Dash, Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon’s side project. Active mainly on the West Coast, theirs is an under-the-radar sound: a blend of no-wave guitar windmillery, chirping female vocals, and storming rhythms, as much a product of the Bay Area’s nascent art/rock/noise scene as it is the enlightened politics and do-it-yourself charm of operations like Kill Rock Stars and K Records. Moreover, KIT has survived two generations of said SF bands, from an early ’00s coterie of acts like Numbers and the Coachwhips to current thrillers like Sic Alps.

KIT’s two offerings on their Fuzz page acutely telegraph the group’s condition. “Tethered Wing” trades broken guitar strings for a panoply of small, cute electronic effects, as vocalist Kristy G shouts missives to the animal in question: “Get away!/Fly away!” The track itself revels in the struggle of this trapped beast via high-velocity drumming and restless energy, crumpling itself into a paper bag and throwing itself away by the time its brief runtime clocks out. “Star Sign” delivers the melody as promised, vacillating between single-note needlings and stuttering beds of thumping percussion for the vocals to ascend. Again, it’s over before you know it (KIT’s reputation as a live act is also one for brevity, understanding the audience’s inability to process such signals for longer than 10 to 15 minutes at a stretch), but still you come back for more.

KIT’s next performance takes place at a “mixtape exchange party” on May 3rd in San Francisco at ArtSF, 110 Capp St. Get your tape decks rolling once again, slap 90 minutes of music together and bring it on down.

It’s an ambitious undertaking to make music that simulates the visceral surreality of a night out in Manhattan, encapsulating the flash, the freaks and the overwhelming stimulus in aural form. How can you conjure the smoky, sweaty clubs, the writhing lust-inducing hip gyrations, or capture the pumping fist-in-the-air-fury with the twist of a knob or the perfectly calculated punctuation of a growling bass line? Leave it up to aging club kid and house music enthusiast Moby to take on this tall order; serving up crazed dance fans a big slice of ’90s pastiche pie packed full with all of the makings of a tantalizing rave-ready album.

On his ninth CD Last Night, Moby–the shiny domed and bespectacled unassuming club-fiend–goes back to his shimmering house roots complete with twinkling disco allusions, diva-worthy guest-vocalists and haunting cryptic samples that are sure to make sense after a proper inebriation session. Very much like an eventful night out in the big city or a steamy heavy-petting rendezvous, Last Night ebbs and flows with instinctual timing that mimics the natural progression of dance or the buildup, climax and release of a hookup with moments of excitement, lulls and seamless transitions that make for lasting momentum.

The disc commences with the robotic chant of “Ooh Yeah,” a layered synth-driven track that manages to be both ethereal and dreamy as well as addictively rhythmic thanks to a steady, pulsating beat. “Move in Here” is a slinky jam with heartbeat-like percussion and a lazy Caribbean groove. Rounding out the song are airy vocals provided by R&B singer Chrissi Poland and some verses from legendary rapper Grandmaster Caz, who lends Moby his old skool-style street prose. “Everyday it’s 1989” is a seething mash-up of ’90s house must-haves: soulful yet shrieking guest vocals, exhilarating and cinematic keyboards and slightly discernible but inspirational lyrics.

I guess you could say that Moby got his groove back. By channeling the heart of the New York dance experience and time-traveling back to a musical time and place he helped to define, Last Night is not only a dance album, but a strangely transcendent sonic experience that would definitely make Larry Levan, the father of house music, feel proud.

Don’t have time to search out this week’s essential MP3s, streams and viral videos? That’s why we’re here.

Lily Allen “I Don’t Know”
The British pop tart gets serious on this leaked demo, contemplating her place in the world over a not-too-solemn synth score: “And I am a weapon of massive consumption/ It’s not my fault, it’s how I’m programmed to function.”

(via Fabulist)

Nine Inch Nails “Discipline”
After getting something like 17 albums of instrumental music out of his system, Trent Reznor returns to making manic electro-noise-pop on this track. The best part is that he’s giving it away for free.
(via Nine Inch Nails)

Scarlett Johansson “Anywhere I Lay My Head”
Produced by TV on the Radio’s David Sitek, featuring cameos by David Bowie and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and comprised entirely of songs written by Tom Waits, actress Scarlett Johannson makes what is possibly the first credible album by an actor. Ever. Here’s a taste.
(via Bring Me Up)

No Age “Eraser”
Sub Pop continues on its quest to sign on all the world’s most interesting bands. This Los Angeles fuzz-rock duo’s stratospheric tune must be the reason why.
(via Pop Head Wound)

Santogold “L.E.S. Artistes”
This week’s totally awesome ’80s throwback comes via Santi White, a sartorially savvy Brooklyn musician that records under the name Santogold. With M.I.A. producer Diplo at her side, she blasts hipsters while simultaneously offering them a wicked future anthem.
(via Captain Obvious)

Vampire Weekend: “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa (Black Dominoes Remix)”
It seems like we weren’t the only ones thinking Vampire Weekend’s take on Paul Simon’s Graceland album would sound a lot better with a twist of random noise and dash of Latin space.
(via Pretty Much Amazing)

Shinichi Osawa: “Star Guitar (ft. Au Revoir Simone)”
The Chemical Brothers’ best song gets a rough-hewn remake and becomes even better. Well, almost.
(via The Yellow Stereo)

Months after New Order announced their split, Cut Copy swooped in from Australia to fill the vacancy. That may sound like a backhanded compliment, but it isn’t, because the Melbourne trio doesn’t sound exactly like their Mancunian forebears. They do, however, scratch a similar itch for super-catchy synth-pop. Radio stations, dance clubs, and music critics have taken notice, and the group’s follow-up to 2004’s Bright Like Neon Love looks set to be their most successful effort yet. It certainly doesn’t hurt that DFA domo Andy Goldsworthy (associate of LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy) offers his production and mixing moxie. Listen closely, and you can also hear a little ELO, Brian Eno, and Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark. Further, vocalist/keyboard player Dan Whitford has the perfect singing style for this kind of thing. Like New Order’s Bernard Sumner, it’s smooth, but not slick; yearning, but never desperate. In “Midnight Runner,” when he whispers, “There’s a secret I’ve been keeping from you,” it’s hard to resist leaning towards the speakers–or cranking up the headphones–for some insight, but Whitford isn’t telling, lending the romantic proceedings a dash of mystery.

From start to finish, In Ghost Colours goes down easy, but it’s hard to predict how much staying power it’ll have outside the club scene. Unlike New Order’s “Blue Monday” or LCD’s “All My Friends,” to name two gloriously insistent examples, there’s no sonic or lyrical edge here–nothing even resembling an edge. Fortunately, Cut Copy are too bouyant to qualify as bland, but there’s no reason synth-based dance music purveyors shouldn’t dig deeper, push harder. Resonance awaits those willing to take the chance.

“Never judge a book by its cover” is an adage so beaten into our collective consciousness that it’s hardly up for debate any more, but if Saturday=Youth is any indication, it clearly has no bearing on album covers. An immaculately tailored Brat Pack of models poses sullenly in the orange glow of an autumn afternoon. It’s no accident that front-and-center sits a young Molly Ringwald look-alike, but the shot’s polish belies the carefully crafted throwback aesthetic. Instead of a 1986 John Hughes set, it comes across as a self-consciously nostalgic 2008 Vogue shoot, and the music follows suit.

The word “cinematic” has all but defined Anthony Gonzalez’s work as M83 and Saturday=Youth is perhaps his most literally film-inspired album to date. Instead of the layered synth-driven soundscapes of Before the Dawn Heals Us, Gonzales presents a more pop-inspired approach on his latest effort that comes across more “soundtrack” than “score.” Fittingly so; Gonzales is candid with his intention to pay homage to ’80s teen movies. “The soundtracks were perfect and the characters were so optimistic,” he tells XLR8R magazine, and unsurprisingly, the album’s sound palette leans heavily on sounds not heard since he was in high school. With Ewan Pearson (of Cocteau Twins fame) on board to assist with production duties, the warped electric drums and echoing keyboards on tracks like “Skin of the Night” are spot-on. However, the perfectionist, halcyon-sounding studio polish keeps the whole effort grounded in the present, leaving the VHS blur of its inspirational material conspicuously neglected.

Admittedly, it’s refreshing to hear a contemporary tribute to the ’80s without the smug and witless “irony” prevalent in today’s music and culture. The wistful buildup of the opener, “You, Appearing,” and even the thick shoegaze of “Dark Moves of Love” are beautifully crafted songs, but the highlight remains the underwater bass-kicks smothered in waves of synths near the end of “Couleurs”–a track that stands out like a sore thumb against the throwback pop that pervades the rest of the album. Ultimately M83 isn’t riding the crest of any cultural breakthrough here; an ’80s-inspired concept album in 2008 is hardly an original idea, ironic or not. If a slickly produced and idealistically nostalgic tribute to Breakfast Club-inspired teenage melodramas of yesteryear is what you’ve been pining for, then you’re in for a treat; otherwise you might just want to keep your head in the present and cherry-pick your favorite tracks from iTunes.

Don’t have time to search out this week’s essential MP3s, streams and viral videos? That’s why we’re here.

Radiohead: “All I Need (Live at the BBC)”
The best track from In Rainbows gets a faithful makeover in front of a reverent BBC audience. But listen closely and you can quietly hear Thom Yorke baring his soul on the lyric, “I’m an animal/ Trapped in your hot car.”
(via Six Eyes Media)

Dizzee Rascal “Sirens (Acid Girls Can Hear It Too Remix)”
As if this British rapper’s thick-accented rhymes weren’t mind-blowing enough, someone has gone and turned this song into full-tilt old school rave anthem. Anybody have a glo-stick we can borrow?
(via Online Home)


Flight of the Conchords “Business Time”
The funniest HBO singing comedy duo since Tenacious D delivers the least sexy slow-jam ever, plucked from its forthcoming Sub Pop album. We so want to hear R. Kelly cover this.
(via Julio Enriquez)


The Kooks “Always Where I Need”
The only flop-haired U.K. band worth keeping around, The Kooks return with another deceptively scrappy rock tune featuring chugging guitars and a shout-it-from-the-rooftops chorus.
(via Done Waiting)


Cut Copy “Lights and Music”
With its dizzying beats and driving bassline, this New Order-ish track is capable of transporting you to a booming nightclub without ever having to leave your couch. What are you going to do with the 15 bucks you just saved?
(via Sean Ryan Online)


Hayes Carll “I Got a Gig”
While Ryan Adams busies himself trying to win his model ex-girlfriend back with sniveling blog posts, the rest of the world can move on this Texan songwriter whose Townes Van Zandt style of barroom rock sounds so authentic it’s kind of freaking us out.
(via Left Over Cheese)


Tina Dico “On the Run”
The occasional Zero 7 collaborator and full-time Danish pop star breaks out of her down-tempo shell, convincingly rocking out on this burly new track from her latest solo album, Count To Ten.
(via box.net)

On their shaky fourth album Seventh Tree, Goldfrapp have abandoned their cheeky-yet-sensual subtle dance tracks, replacing the former playlist-ready jams for adult contemporary-esque ballads that are easily forgettable. The worst part? You want to forget them–they are that bad. The London-based electronic duo, composed of synth-pop sexpot Allison Goldfrapp and production wiz Will Gregory, adopt a mellow, faux-bohemian vibe that might do better at a retirement facility then at an uber-hip nightclub. Whether or not this pop outfit is trying to mix things up musically to surprise fans and shock rock critics, their attempt at electric boho-folk leaves much to be desired.

With songs like the reduced-fat Kylie Minogue-style ballad “Happiness,” a drowsy meditation on love, or the moody “Cologne Cerone Houdini,” with babyish vocals and a cinematic Air-meets-elevator music quality, it’s hard to understand what would motivate this solid duo to stage such a drastic–and unsuccessful–genre transition. After the smashing success of dance-driven albums Black Cherry (2003) and Supernature (2005), the mediocrity of Seventh Tree makes this critic and (former) fan feel angsty and duped for being under-stimulated. Until Goldfrapp come to their senses and go back to their sexy synth roots, I’ll be blasting Black Cherry while partying like it’s 2003.

Don’t have time to search out this week’s essential MP3s, streams and viral videos? That’s why we’re here.

Ladytron “Black Cat”
As if the matching black turtlenecks and eerie Vulcan features weren’t intimidating enough, the Liverpudlian electro-pop quartet returns after a four year sabbatical with a cold glam racket that features vocalist Mira Aroyo rapping in her native Portuguese. We’ll never be cool enough to listen to them now.
(via Done Waiting)

Beyonce “Beautiful Nitemare”
The chartbusting R&B singer goes underground on this streamlined attempt at reconnecting with the dancefloor. It’s not up to her usual platinum standards but an exciting break from routine nonetheless.
(Mixtape Maestro)

Mystery Jets “Young Love (Shoes Remix)”
If you can tolerate the tie-dye and deliberately messy hair, this group presents a respectable substitute to Vampire Weekend’s sea breeze pop.
(Be Kind and Remind)

Peter Moren “Social Competence”
There’s a bit of early Robyn Hitchcock in this clever Swedish singer-songwriter, especially in this song’s heartbreaking kicker: “Leave me out of it.”
(via The Line of Best Fit)


Hot Chip “Sensual Seduction (Snoop Dogg Cover)”
The bookish men of Hot Chip are serious about their slow-jams, giving this Snoop Dogg hit a sexy yet tranquil dance-pop remake.
(Mixtape Maestro)

Neon Neon “Raquel”
Cowbells, synthesizers, oozing soul vocals. How can so many wrong things fit together so right?
(via The Line of Best Fit)


Stereogum Presents Enjoyed: A Tribute To Bjork’s Post
These leftfield takes on the songs from Bjork’s second album are so strange we’re not sure whether they’re amazing or amazingly awful. Start with Bell’s “It’s Oh So Quiet” and Xiu Xiu’s “Isobel” to find out for yourself.
(Stereogum)

Don’t have time to search out this week’s essential MP3s, streams and viral videos? That’s why we’re here.

Death Cab For Cutie “I Will Possess Your Heart”
The first single from Death Cab For Cutie’s forthcoming album, Narrow Stairs, clocks in at nearly nine minutes and sounds far more frightening than anything the band has done before.
(Sixeyes)

The Breeders “Bang On”
Next month the Breeders return with another Steve Albini produced gem, Mountain Battles. The second track is stark, fuzzy and features the Deal sisters harmonizing over lopsided club beats, “I love no one/ No one loves me.” Genius.
(Stereogum)

The Stooges “Ray of Light (Live at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2008 Induction Ceremony)”
Even though The Stooges have yet to earn a plaque on the wall, Iggy and his old band mates were more than happy to pay tribute to the decidedly un-rock and roll Madonna at this year’s induction ceremony. It’s as shirtless and surreal as you might expect.
(YouTube)

Dave Grohl and Will Ferrell “Leather and Lace”
Not the first two names that come to mind when casting the Don Henley and Stevie Nicks story, the Foo Fighters’ frontman and the “SNL” alum nearly make it through this tender cover without completely cracking each other up. The best part is that this expletive laced performance was for a benefit concert for kids.
(YouTube)

The Kooks “Young Folks”
To get fully psyched for the second album by the young British rockers, immerse yourself in this satisfyingly messy cover of Peter Bjorn and John’s ubiquitous hit with guest vocals by Canadian singer Simon Wilcox.
(I Am Fuel, You Are Friends)

Portishead “Silence”
How does the first new Portishead song in 11 years sound? A bit like scanning the radio dial in South America while watching a chase scene in one of the more recent James Bond movies. Dark and scary.
(I Am Fuel, You Are Friends)

The Ting Tings “Great DJ”
An excellent shouty electro-pop track from hyperactive Brit boy-girl duo made even better with this sleek club makeover courtesy of Mr. Harris. “The drums, the drums, the drums. . .”
(Check The Availability)

R.E.M. “I’m Gonna DJ”
The second leaked track from R.E.M.’s Accelerate hits even harder than the first, with Michael Stipe once again alluding to past glories: “I’m gonna DJ at the end of the world.” And he’ll feel fine.
(The Swill Merchant)

The Rolling Stones “You Can’t Always Get What You Want (Soulwax Remix)”
An incredible reworking of the Stones classic that surgically removes the original rhythm section and replaces it with some seriously messed up robot rock. It sounds like a mistake, but only in a good way.
(Digital Eargasm)

Frank Tovey: A Retrospective in Sound and Vision

To describe Frank Tovey, aka Fad Gadget, it’s best to start with the things the musical explorer wasn’t. Born in 1956, Tovey began his career in the late-1970s and remained active through the ’90s (passing away suddenly in 2002). Though he kicked around London during the heyday of punk and post-punk, his 10 albums–four as Fad Gadget, six as Tovey–aren’t quite angry or angular enough to fit inside those categories (not neatly, at any rate). More often, he’s presented as a synth-pop pioneer, even as he turned towards folk and trip-hop in his final years. Compared to label mates Depeche Mode and Mute founder Daniel Miller’s The Normal, Tovey is a trickier figure–a trickster, if you will. Some selections may be dark or experimental, but they’re unusually warm for such synthetic creations. They’re not quite gloomy enough for the goth crowd, and not quite slick enough for commercial radio–though signature number “Collapsing New People” deserved to conquer the airwaves. Tovey also collaborated with Non’s Boyd Rice and Wire’s Robert Gotobed and developed a reputation for highly theatrical performances.

Ultimately, his new four-disc compilation, A Retrospective in Sound and Vision, is as accessible as it is eclectic. It’s also a model retrospective in that Mute compiled the set with affection and an unprecedented degree of archival access. On the two CDs, singles mix with demos, side projects, and fan favorites, while the DVDs feature videos, a pair of concerts, and a documentary (the booklet includes liner notes from Marc Almond and photographer/filmmaker Anton Corbijn). By dodging every designation around, Fad Gadget may be difficult to describe, but Frank Tovey’s music has hardly aged a day. Highly recommended.

Contrary to convention I’ve decided to start this at the end and work my way back to the beginning, hopefully by the end (beginning?) my rationale will become clear. I left Bottom of the Hill on February 29th thoroughly thankful for the discrepancy between the Gregorian calendar and the Earth’s orbit that allowed this day to exist. I wasn’t sure what exactly to expect when Holy Fuck took the stage behind a formidable tangle of cables and effects boxes that all but hid their keyboards. I mean, granted I think that their album is a brilliantly refreshing twist on the electronic loops and beeps that have become a staple of modern music, but as ‘electronic’ music it’s still pretty damn repetitive. Fortunately, the band’s exaggerated but perfectly synced head bobbing proved every bit as infectious as the driving beats and eclectic effects that make their sound so unique. Before long they had a solid crowd of dancers in front of the stage, and an even more solid army of head-bobbers backing them up. I was impressed with their accuracy in re-creating the sounds on their album, and it was fascinating to see how toy ray guns and mini-organs worked their way into the music through the maze of effects. To me, the element that makes this band stand out is the human drummer. The palpably organic sound of the driving drum beat–recreating the generally soulless repetition of electronic music–is what really drives the songs and makes this band work so well live. Verdict: Impressive.

A Place to Bury Strangers is a band that I am going to need to give a second chance. I really enjoyed most of the recorded material I’ve heard by them, but at the show it just wasn’t clicking for me. The distortion was earsplitting and the volume overwhelming and before too long I found myself watching from the relative quiet of the patio through the cracked window behind the drummer (a very cool venue design feature if you’ve never checked out Bottom of the Hill). I must have been in the minority on this, as most others seemed to be enjoying them just fine, so I’m planning on catching them on another night to see if my opinion changes. Verdict: Unimpressed, but reserving final judgment.

I think that White Denim may have had something to do with my disappointment with A Place to Bury Strangers. Getting upstaged by your openers is never a recipe for a good show, and White Denim are a very tough act to follow. Tough enough for me to reverse the order of my review to put them where I think they should have been on Friday: Last; closing out the show to a roaring ovation. Call it personal bias if you will (I have a noted soft spot for blues rock), but these guys completely blew me away. It was the first time I’d ever heard them, and their instrumental “Migration Wind” provided a solid intro, but it wasn’t until I witnessed the ferocity with which singer/guitarist James Petralli attacked the microphone that I truly realized that I was in for something special. The sheer energy of their performance sucks you in, chews you up, and swallows. There is no escaping the driving intensity of the musicians on the stage, it washes out like a riptide either drawing the crowd into the action or forcing one to take a step back to witness the spectacle. In either case, ear and eyes are held rapt. Despite a relatively shy demeanor between songs, and some unnecessary mumbled apologies to the crowd (I’m still not sure what he was apologizing for exactly), once the music begins the trio is unswervingly captivating. They made my night. (They’ll be in SF again @ The Fillmore 5/10). Verdict: Holy shit, these guys rock.

Don’t have time to search out this week’s essential MP3s, streams and viral videos? That’s why we’re here.

Vampire Weekend, “A-Punk” on “Saturday Night Live”
See what happened when the overhyped, vaguely ’80s Paul Simon-loving collegiate rock band appeared on NBC’s overhyped, vaguely ’80s Paul Simon-loving collegiate sketch comedy show. Hint: The world did not implode.
(RedLasso)

Nine Inch Nails, Ghosts I-IV
Trent Reznor is giving away the first quarter of Nine Inch Nails’ new instrumental album, aka Ghosts I, for free on his website. Unless you’re a fan of moody instrumental music with plinky piano melodies and random bursts of white noise, you might very well be getting what you pay for.
(Nine Inch Nails)

Cat Power, Black Session
The new covers album might be a bit on the dull side, but this slow-burning live set from France is a revelation, showcasing the return of Chan Marshall’s incredible voice and her new nice and easy live persona.
(Sixeyes)

Hercules and Love Affair, Hercules and Love Affair
The latest project by mournful, gender-bending torch singer Antony Hegarty is not what you might expect. It’s a horn heavy electro-pop seemingly made for Project Runway finales and flashback parties.
(MySpace)

Whiskeytown, “16 Days”
Hear what Ryan Adams sounded like before the ego took over. This sweet, country-flavored tune comes from the excellent reissue of his former band’s album, Stranger’s Almanac.
(Aquarium Drunkard)

Liam Finn, “Second Chance”
Dad was the lead singer of Crowded House. Liam Finn inherited the sweet voice and knack for knockout melodies, but on this track from his debut album he shows a wild inventive streak that’s clearly all his own.
(Spin)

R.E.M., “Supernatural Superserious”
A return to form? Not quite, but better than anything the veteran Georgia rock band has done since at least the time Michael Stipe started wearing that blue streak across his eyes, complete with roaring guitars and classic harmonies courtesy of Mike Mills.
(Sell the Lie)