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B3SCI TOP 50 ALBUMS OF 2011

Although we’ve come to the end of the road, still Adele we can’t let you go. We’ve reached 2011’s closing hour and now it is time: b3sci presents it’s Top 50 Albums of 2011. No one’s even come close to having the year Adele’s had. The most albums sold in a single year since 2004, two of the biggest singles of the year, etc, a truly international breakthrough both commercially and critically on a level we haven’t seen in a long time. Adele, our girl, the crown is yours. 21 is b3sci’s Album of the year.

So where the fuck is Adele on many of these respected-indie-press-dude best of lists? That period between Nov 2010 when “Rolling in the Deep” first broke and the lead up to the album’s release in late January, Adele ruled the blogosphere, the fold was united. Then “RITD” got overplayed to the point of absurdity, your mom bought the record, probably your grandma bought it too; those bros that listen to Foo Fighters and Deadmau5 started bumping “Someone Like You” out their trunk. Soon, the “wrong people” liked 21 and Adele’s brief moment atop the indiesphere was over. Right.

Thanks for reading this year, y’all. We’ve got some big plans for 2012. Stay tuned. Much love.

01. Adele – 21 (Buy It) (Read)

02. The Weeknd – House of Balloons (Buy It) (Read)

03. Drake – Take Care (Buy It) (Read)

04. James Blake – James Blake (Buy It) (Read)

05. Kendrick Lamar – Section.80 (Buy It) (Read)

06. Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx – We’re New Here (Buy It) (Read)

07. WU LYF – Go Tell Fire on the Mountain (Buy It) (Read)

08. Jay-Z & Kanye West – Watch the Throne (Buy It) (Read)

09. The Horrors – Skying (Buy It) (Read)

10. M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming (Buy It) (Read)

11. Wye Oak – Civilian (Buy It) (Read)

12. Girls – Father Son, Holy Ghost (Buy It) (Read)

13. Real Estate – Days (Buy It) (Read)

14. A$AP Rocky – Live Love A$AP (Buy It) (Read)

15. Sepalcure – Sepalcure (Buy It) (Read)

16. PJ Harvey – Let England Shake (Buy It) (Read)

17. The War on Drugs – Slave Ambient (Buy It) (Read)

18. Charles Bradley – No Time For Dreaming (Buy It) (Read)

19. Metronomy – The English Riviera (Buy It) (Read)

20. SBTRKT – SBTRKT (Buy It) (Read)

21. Oneohtrix Point Never – Replica (Buy It) (Read)

22. The Vaccines – What Did You Expect From the Vaccines (Buy It) (Read)

23. Destroyer – Kaputt (Buy It) (Read)

24. The Antlers – Burst Apart (Buy It) (Read)

25. tUnE-yArDs – w h o k i l l (Buy It) (Read)

26. Beyonce – 4 (Buy It) (Read)

27. Wild Flag – Wild Flag (Buy It) (Read)

28. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (Buy It) (Read)

29. Big K.R.I.T. – Return of 4eva (Buy It) (Read)

30. Clams Casino – Instrumentals (Buy It) (Read)

31. Gillian Welch – The Harrow and the Harvest (Buy It) (Read)

32. Low Roar – Low Roar (Buy It) (Read)

33. AraabMUZIK – Electronic Dream (Buy It) (Read)

34. Active Child – You Are All I See (Buy It) (Read)

35. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues (Buy It) (Read)

36. Raphael Saadiq – Stone Rollin’ (Buy It) (Read)

37. Cults – Cults (Buy It) (Read)

38. Radiohead – The King of Limbs (Buy It) (Read)

39. Florence + The Machine – Ceremonials (Buy It) (Read)

40. Alex Clare – The Lateness of the Hour (Buy It) (Read)

41. Nicolas Jaar – Space Is Only Noise (Buy It) (Read)

42. Jhene Aiko – Sailing Soul(s) (Buy It) (Read)

43. The Stepkids – The Stepkids (Buy It) (Read)

44. Freddie Gibbs – Cold Day in Hell (Buy It) (Read)

45. Gardens & Villa – Gardens & Villa (Buy It) (Read)

46. Laura Marling – A Creature I Don’t Know (Buy It) (Read)

47. Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring For My Halo (Buy It) (Read)

48. Foster the People – Torches (Buy It) (Read)

49. Explosions in the Sky – Take Care, Take Care, Take Care (Buy It) (Read)

50. Friendly Fires – Pala (Buy It) (Read)

reviewed by b3

12-27-11

B3SCI STAFF PICKS: Top 10 Albums of 2011

blahblahblahscience In the Mix

2011, it’s been real! To kick off our b3sci 2011 year end coverage, we start with Top 10 albums lists from each of b3science’s seven contributors. (We’ll detail our overall site picks in the next few days). 2011.

Troy:

01. Drake – Take Care
02. The Weeknd – House of Balloons
03. M83 – Hurry Up We’re Dreaming
04. Metronomy – The English Riviera
05. A$AP Rocky – Live Love A$AP
06. PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
07. James Blake – James Blake
08. Kendrick Lamar – Section.80
09. SBTRKT – SBTRKT
10. Active Child – You Are All I See

Mike:

01. WU LYF – Go Tell Fire to the Mountain
02. The Vaccines – What Did You Expect From…
03. Jay-Z & Kanye West – Watch the Throne
04. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
05. Low Roar – Low Roar
06. The Weeknd – House of Balloons
07. Wye Oak – Civilian
08. Explosions in the Sky – Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
09. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
10. Raphael Saadiq – Stone Rollin’

Chris:

01. WU LYF – Go Tell Fire To The Mountain
02. Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost
03. Giraffage – Comfort
04. The Vaccines – What Did You Expect From..
05. Washed Out – Within and Without
06. James Blake – James Blake
07. The War On Drugs – Slave Ambient
08. The Postelles – The Postelles
09. Harrison Hudson – American Thunder
10. Caveman – CoCo Beware

Trevor:

01. James Blake – James Blake
02. A$AP Rocky – Live Love A$AP
03. Wale – Ambition
04. Raphael Saadiq – Stone Rollin’
05. Harrison Hudson – American Thunder
06. Fiore – Fiore
07. Benjamin Francis Leftwich – Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm
08. M83 – Hurry Up We’re Dreaming
09. Mike Higbee – Secret Life
10. Chris Wollard & The Ship Thieves – Chris Wollard & The Ship Thieves

Erin:

Let’s be honest. I probably didn’t listen to ten complete LPs this year that I would somehow deem “best” – it just isn’t in me anymore, maybe. I did, however, have enough musical bests paired with actual full records I loved to complete a top ten. Let’s review my 2011 faves: there are ten, they are not ranked.

tUnE – yArDs, W H O K I L L (4AD)
If someone forced me to name my best record of the year, I’d bet this would be it. While I’ll never get over the late 90s stylization of her musical pseudonym, Merrill Garbus made songs that said things I wanted to hear couched in melodies and harmonies that push me from Africa to doo-wop to “America.” There is true joy in the music she makes, even if she’s talking about eating disorders or inner-city violence. High up on the “things I danced to alone in my room” list of this year.

turntable.fm/Spotify
While I’d consider turntable.fm mostly dead in my day to day life, it ruled my world for a few weeks over the summer. I heard more great stuff I know I would’ve never come upon on my own, but I guarantee you it wasn’t in dubstep rooms. I spent time chatting and playing jams with friends I wouldn’t see for months. Turntable gave me all of the plus factors of a 1996 chatroom backed with a way better soundtrack than I would’ve had then. Spotify swooped in a few weeks later, and now I find myself listening to nearly anything I want at any time while creating playlists with friends throughout the day. Not as immediate as turntable, but somehow less of a time suck. I don’t love the ads, but I know I can get rid of them if I want.

PJ Harvey, Let England Shake (Island/Vagrant)
Overwrought concept albums can be a drag. (Confessional: I am a long-time PJ Harvey fan, guilty of knowing all of the words to “Rid of Me” by heart at a very young age.) If someone had told me a concept album by Harvey about England, bloodshed and warfare would be one of my favorite releases this year, I might have been a bit perplexed. The melodies, language, and instrumentation around this record, however, do more to transport listeners rather than alienate them. “Inaccessible” is a word often used to describe records, and I could see how some of Harvey’s records may be that way. This, however, works magic.

Jay-Z & Kanye West, “Why I Love You” (Roc-A-Fella/Roc Nation/Def Jam)
I know this record is on everyone else’s list, and that’s fine, but only one of its tracks got repeat plays with me. The production on Watch The Throne is amazing, I can’t deny it, but nearly nothing about that record sticks for me. I revisited it months after it leaked and I still couldn’t get into it as a whole. Jay-Z and Kanye West are two of my all-time favorites and I thought this record would be my dream. It wasn’t. “Why I Love You”, though, is a jam. Great sample, great chorus, okay-enough rapping.

Iceage, New Brigade (What’s Your Rupture?)
There will never be a time in life that I don’t like channeling my inner teenage dude. I know he’s there, just waiting for me to listen to the Stooges for another few hours or cackle while watching episodes of Beavis & Butt-head. 24-ish minutes of gothy punk energy (the longest track at 3:08), Iceage are my Ramones for 2011.

Drake, Take Care (Young Money/Cash Money)
I can’t stop playing this record. Merrill Garbus and Drake might have to duke it out. I thought Thank Me Later was lackluster – too much bravado and cameo, not enough actual persona. With Take Care, though, I feel like Drake is getting back to a place where he’s comfortable: an introspective, lonely look in the mirror at fame and alienation from where he thought he was a few years ago to now. On hip-hop records I’m usually disappointed if they’re not full of bangers but this one tempers enough production with the same amount of restraint.

Willie Mae Rock Camp & Kelly Clarkson, “Since U Been Gone” (RCA)
Over the summer, I volunteered for the first time at Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls in Brooklyn. I spent an exhausting and fulfilling week making sure a bunch of 8 & 9 year olds made it to their instrument class, ate their lunches, and sort-of listened during workshops about the blues, gender, and other topics regarding women in music. Every counselor had her musical kryptonite and everyone very quickly found out Kelly’s jam was mine. I danced & sang to it all week when it played during various end-of-day dance parties, and one of the campers and I shared it as our best memory of the week from songwriting class. At the showcase wrapping up camp, the volunteer band played it as their song for soundcheck. I belted it just as I had every other day.

Party of Helicopters at Death By Audio, Williamsburg, February 13, 2011
I got my knees slammed into the stage all night long at this show, with terrible bruises to show the next day, but it was well worth it. They are my favorite band from my most formative years, the one whose album art my body will carry to my grave; every opportunity to relive that time while seeing them live is worth it. Even though they’ll never play “A New Kind of Power” for me no matter how many times I request it, I don’t care. I love them. Forever.

Björk, Biophilia (One Little Indian/Polydor)
There was a time growing up that I spent most hours lying on the floor in my room listening to records. Bjork was always a part of this ritual, and listening to this record sends me back to that time in my life (I am full of memories this year). “Crystalline” is a perfect hybrid of Telegram-style remixes and Vespertine vocals. “Cosmogony” hearkens back to the antics of Medulla. Everything is nostalgic, but everything is new. The David Attenborough-narrated companion iPhone app is an excellent companion if you can’t make up your own visuals in your mind.

Sharon Van Etten, “Serpents” (Jagjaguwar)
Seeing her play this live last Tuesday only further got me stoked for her record next year. Her voice is the most haunting to me, and this is that quality at its finest. Percussion and expansion of her sound into what it is on this track alone (I hear you, Aaron Dessner) bode well for the rest of Tramp. Can’t wait.

Bruce:

01. The Kills – Blood Pressures
02. Elbow – Build A Rocket Boys
03. The Airborne Toxic Event – All At Once
04. The Vaccines – What Did You Expect…
05. Foster The People – Torches
06. TV on the Radio – Nine Types of Light
07. The Black Keys – El Camino
08. Sleeper Agent – Celabrasion
09. The Rapture – In The Grace Of Your Love
10. The Wombats – This Modern Glitch

11. Honorable mention to My Morning Jacket and Teddybears

Elliott:

01. Alex Clare – The Lateness of the Hour
02. Nero – Welcome Reality
03. Thievery Corporation – Culture of Fear
04. SBTRKT – SBTRKT
05. Tyler, the Creator – Goblin
06. Bassnectar – Divergent Spectrum
07. Dave Nada – Blow Your Head Presents: Moombahton
08. James Blake – James Blake
09. M83 – Hurry up, We’re Dreaming
10. Crookers – Dr. Gonzo

reviewed by b3

12-21-11

Stone Darling – You’ve Been On My Mind

Rock Track Reviews

Love 50’s and 60’s pop as much as we do? Love Patsy Cline and Linda Ronstadt? Love 90’s Weezer? Yeah, you’re gonna love this. We love it too. Stone Darling is four girls out of L.A. and “You’ve Been On My Mind” is excerpted from their s/t EP, which is out today.

Stone Darling – You’ve Been On My Mind

Stone Darling (Facebook) (Bandcamp)

Rating 8.1

reviewed by b3

12-13-11

LIVE SHOW REVIEWS: Minus the Bear / The Velvet Teen @ Metro, Chicago 10/11/11

Live Show Reviews

Chicago: home of hot dogs, mediocre sports teams, and malort. Oh, and lots and lots of hipsters. Minus the Bear and the Velvet Teen managed to show up at the Metro and sufficiently killed it. Got to the venue a touch late and missed a few of the Velvet Teen’s songs, however they played a good variety from their discography. Old school jams like “Radiapathy” and :”Tokyoto” with newer jams like “No Star”. Judah Nagler sounded awesome and switched from guitar to keyboard a few times as well. VT’s new quartet line up really stepped their live show up since the last time I’ve seen them. It’s a shame their set wasn’t longer, easily one of the best live bands there is.

Minus the Bear started off with a few songs from “This is What I Know About Being Gigantic”. Pretty awesome and probably one of the last times they’ll play this many songs from that LP. They also mixed in a few songs from other albums but the crown jewel was “Highly Refined Pirates” in it’s entirety. Crowd was really into it, lots of bros and girls dancing and singing along. Ended with an encore of some songs from their new album “OMNI” as well as “Pachuca Sunrise”. The touches of nostalgia really made this show pretty special. VT and MTB always kill it when they tour together and hopefully this isn’t the last time it happens. Contributed by Wyatt Routson

Minus the Bear (Official) (Myspace)
The Velvet Teen (Official) (Myspace)

reviewed by b3

10-15-11

Girl Crisis – The Sign (Ace of Base)

Track Reviews

A bunch of BK rock and roll girls (including Class Actress’ Elizabeth Harper and Chairlift’s Caroline Polachek) got together recently to whisper to each other this sweet take on Ace of Base’s worldwide smash.

Girl Crisis – The Sign (Ace of Base)

Girl Crisis

Rating 8.0

reviewed by b3

09-13-11

PAPA – I Am the Lion King

Track Reviews

PAPA are an LA band that have just released their debut single “I Am the Lion King”. The track knocked us out straight away. Big rhythms, counterrhythms, cool hooky rock and roll, sunshine. PAPA are a band to watch. They’re just about to head out on tour to support Girls (maybe you’ve heard of them). Tour dates are on their FB, check out if they’re headed to your city.

PAPA – I Am the Lion King

PAPA (Facebook) (Twitter)

Rating 8.2

reviewed by b3

08-18-11

That Time Beyonce Quoted Goodfellas

blahblahblahscience In the Mix

I once said to my ex that the most empowered I ever felt at Get Right (a testosterone-laden club night we’d go to in Columbus, Ohio) was the time the DJ played “Single Ladies.” While the playlist for the night ranged from Pac & Dre’s “California Love,” an inexplicable favorite for a place extremely far from its setting, to Pharoahe Monch’s “Simon Says” to 8ball & MJG’s “Alcohol Pussy Weed”, Beyonce’s kiss off to a dude who didn’t realize how good he had it was an anomaly.

Until it reached its saturation point (Liza Minelli’s cover in Sex and the City 2 being my own personal node), I loved that song. It said everything about being an unattached woman in the 21st Century that is capable of being said in a pop song, and it came from a long line of Beyonce-penned anthems that sought to do the same thing. While I don’t include “Single Ladies” in my trinity of Beyonce empowerment, it sets the tone.

For the genesis of her triple threat, I have to go back to 2000. Destiny’s Child’s “Independent Women (Part I),” while a shill for the Charlie’s Angels sequel, was a more succinct version of ideas bandied about in “Survivor” and “Bills Bills Bills”. Not only could women get over some lame dude who wasn’t worth trashing on the internet, she could also pay all the bills and profit, buy her own rings and her own home. “It ain’t easy bein’ independent,” Beyonce confesses, but that struggle was way more worth it than the flip side of being beholden to a man. While Destiny’s Child were in their early 20s at the time, they shed the idea of being girls for full-fledged womanhood; this becomes peculiar as later songs revert to the diminutive.

In 2008, having launched her solo career, Beyonce released “Diva” as a single following the proliferating success of “Single Ladies.” because Beyonce and Jay-Z are inextricably linked in my mind, I always think of this track as the companion to “Dirt Off Your Shoulders.” ladies aren’t pimps, Jay – “a diva is the female version of a hustler.” While this song commands in a way her other tracks don’t, the message is the same: “I did this myself and I didn’t need a man for it.” (He better not show up without a six pack though.) While I wouldn’t necessarily want to be called a diva in the way that is punishing for women, the point is made.

That’s what I find so puzzling about 2011’s “Run the World (Girls).” In a way, this escalates the tone of “Diva”; it implies that women are not only running shit, but the invocation of the Goodfellas classic “fuck you pay me” adds an attitude she hasn’t copped really ever. In a decade, Beyonce has gone from celebrating her ability to profit dollars to demanding you respect her or she’ll come at your neck. I don’t blame her; for as much as I hear the term “post-feminism” bandied about I know that isn’t the world Im living in, and apparently B knows that too.

The true conundrum to me is the use of the world “Girls” – if this were a song meant for tweens (who will undoubtedly really enjoy that version lacking Ray Liotta’s famed quote), I’d get it, but that’s not where she is now. She’s cursing. She’s a livewire. Even today, the hairpin discusses the use of the world girls when referring to women. I understand the pop sensibility behind using “Girls” – it’s less syllables, it vaguely rhymes with “world”, and maybe using “babes” was out of the question. I just can’t get behind “Run the World” in the way i could with “Independent Women” and even “Diva”; I don’t want to be in an army of girls. I’m a grown-ass woman, and so is Beyonce.

Obviously, this is no gross misstep on B’s part. It could be so much worse than deference to the world “Girls” over “Women.” I’m not trying to start any infighting among a group that needs solidarity to fight for equality, not splintering. Her message has been consistent the whole time; it is only the language around it that shifts. If “Run the World” helps advance what the former two singles laid the groundwork for, namely the respect and autonomy of women, I can’t be held up in being put off by the usage of “Girls.” If I heard it on the dance floor in between any of the songs at get right or any other male-dominated club night, I’d be just as empowered.

Contributed by Erin Routson

Destiny’s Child – Independent Women, Part I

Beyonce – Diva

Beyonce – Run the World (Girls)

Beyonce : (Official) (Myspace) (Twitter)

reviewed by b3

06-23-11

Brother / Useless Keys, Live @ The Satellite, Los Angeles 04/26/11

Live Show Reviews

Contributed by Christopher Gedos

Brother and Useless Keys played The Satellite Tuesday night to roughly 110 people. Airborne Toxic Event played here Monday night to a sold out crowd (check out August Brown’s thorough review here). I’m afraid many concert-goers were too burnt out for double duty. Moreover, Brother only has 3 (or 4) songs online at the moment, which I’m sure factored into the modest turnout. But those in attendance were generously rewarded for their curiosity with a playfully confident 45 minute performance.

I arrived about two songs into Useless Keys’ post-psychedelic performance. I didn’t even know it was them for another three songs. I had to ask the girls at the merch table. I mean it in the best possible way when I say that Useless Keys are all over the place sonically. It’s fun seeing a band this talented still trying to define their sound. Or maybe they don’t want to be defined. The volume is near-deafening as fog envelops the stage. Everybody digs the paranoiac ambiance. Their sound is schizophrenic: Replacements on roids, My Bloody Valentine at prom, Nirvana in LaLa land, early Pink Floyd meets Trout Mask Replica. Only through the marriage of cacophony will such eccentric euphony ever ferment.

Brother hasn’t basked in the “second coming” musical deification bestowed upon The Vaccines and WU LYF, possibly because they’re from Slough as opposed to London or Manchester. Their self-described style, grit-pop, isn’t quite as apt as WU LYF’s “heavy pop”. A more fitting branding for Brother is “hard-jangle”, in honor of XTC and The La’s.

As Brother prepares to take stage, I’m not quite sure what to expect. It’s a battle of cognition versus perception: I know the group to be a very promising foursome, but is my concert-going frequency having an adverse affect on the appreciation value? Am I becoming a part of the creative and jaded LA cross-section I’ve lamented in the past?

My doubt dissipates once Brother takes stage and launches into “Still Here”, which was featured in an April 9th post. The pitch-perfect harmonies have a tinge of adolescent abandon, as in, “We know we sound good and we still don’t give a fuck!” The singer mentions something about his guitar strap breaking and how “half a million people in England might care to know that right now.” (I’m paraphrasing.) I can forgive a healthy level of conceit for a band with this much talent. After all, Rock n’ Roll is a game designed for the young and the precocious, those who understand that each passing moment is the oldest we’ve ever been and the younger we’ll ever be. And Brother, with their charming blend of youthfulness and insouciance, perfectly captures that ineffable spirit.

The songs besides “Still Here”, “Darling Buds of May”, and “Time Machine” were catchy as well, but I’m still not sure if Brother will maintain the uniform quality of their initial public offerings. They could’ve played louder but I won’t nitpick. “Just download the album for free,” the singer quipped. I don’t know how happy Geffen will be if Brother dissuades CD purchases come July, but it doesn’t really matter if the lads from Slough deliver like they did at The Satellite on Tuesday. All interested parties will receive their spoils, creative and monetary, at year-end.

Brother – New Year’s Day

Brother: (Official) (Myspace)

RATING: 8.88 – A score suggesting great auspiciousness, even infinity.

reviewed by b3

04-28-11

Jamaica / The Chain Gang Of 1974 / White Sea @ Echoplex, LA. April 23rd, 2011

Track Reviews Videos!

Contributed by Chris Gedos

Jamaica played a 50 minute set Saturday, April 23rd at Echoplex, their second show in just over six months at the Glendale, Ave. venue. Their debut LP, No Problem, co-produced by Xavier de Rosnay of Justice and Peter J. Franco, was touted in The Guardian as “pop perfection.” The Parisian trio dissects the three minute pop song Continental style on an album surprisingly more American than British in terms of genomic structure. Britt Daniel would be proud. I’ve listened to this album many times while pumping petrol, (which has quietly surpassed the $4 per gallon mark here on the left coast in recent months), so I attended anticipating an energized performance from Jamaica, but I left impressed with components of all three performances.

White Sea, the Morgan Kibby solo project, is really a democracy of 3 guys and 2 girls, 3+2 makes a quintessential L.A. coed five-piece! Kibby is well known as frontwoman for The Romanovs, so I knew a certain level of quality could be expected. However, I enjoyed White Sea’s set considerably more so than Kibby’s previous work. With a Cold War aesthetic real-time video of the band in the background, White Sea unleashed a barrage of quality songs. I’m a big fan of British histrionics and detected contagious levels of epic melodrama! There’s definitely some Chameleons UK in the instrumentation and some Mamas & Papas in the harmonies. But White Sea sounds cutting edge, so 2011, so 1967, looking toward past and future simultaneously, understanding that permanence is achieved through admittance of temporality.

(DJ cuts between sets: Rip It Up by Orange Juice, Digital by Joy Division.)

The scattered audience becomes impatient as The Chain Gang Of 1974 meticulously test the sound levels. Their indulgence is a performance in itself. I have no problem with a band wanting to sound right, but I think a certain level of expediency isn’t too much to ask for; either that or stumble on stage without giving a shit. But don’t fiddle around with your chemistry set! Anywize, I found the first half of their set almost equally indulgent, My Bloody Valentine meets Bowie but lacking the underlying joyousness of an MBV. The real-time video continued on the backdrop, but it’s lost its novelty by this point. Datarock does this shtick 100 times better. The issue is that The Chain Gang Of 1974 (lugubrious name) has a sound so ubiquitous; you have to play really exceptional songs to be remembered. I will admit, Matter of Time is hot. But they continued to request level adjustments in-song! It ruined the serendipity of the moment. One song sounded a bit like MGMT, which I think is generally a good thing, but I’m not sure if that’s what the band was going for. I think nerves were involved, as this was their first show of a weeklong jaunt with Jamaica, with gigs in SF (26th), Portlandia (28th), Seattle (29th) and Vancouver (30th). I will admit that their songs have solid arrangement and production values with boatloads of commercial potential.

(DJ cut between sets: Sumday by Hurts.)

Jamaica took the stage at approximately 11:40 PM. They waved to the audience and spoke a few pleasantries before ripping up Cross the Fader, the first song from the EP of the same name in addition to the No Problems LP. It sounds impeccably close to the recorded version. I never appreciated Jamaica’s 90s vibe before seeing them live. They just do a really good job of incorporating their various influences and making them their own. They’ve sort of assumed the designation electro-pop, but they are in essence and execution a live band playing American pop music surprisingly stripped of snazzy production values. They aren’t afraid to simply have fun and rock out.

There was a small technical snafu when Antoine’s guitar went mute, but the drummer improvised a kick-ass solo. The issue was quickly resolved and they were able to transition into their next song without losing momentum, a testament to the band’s professionalism, which even created a nice interlude between the first and second halves of their set. My personal fav is Jericho, with its nod to Sweet Jane by Velvet Underground. The roughly 250 people in attendance got crazy for the last three songs: Short and Entertaining, I Think I Like U2 and When Do You Wanna Stop Working?, each song better than the one before. I wish there’d been an encore or more than a couple new songs, but Jamaica’s showing Saturday night was top notch!

____

Jamaica has stuck around L.A. for a few days after the show and will be spinning tonight (Monday 4/25) with DJ Kid Lightning at Harvard and Stone (5221 Hollywood Blvd). Doors @ 8pm, it’s free… be there!

Jamaica – Cross the Fader

Jamaica Facebook

reviewed by b3

04-25-11

SXSW Saturday Night Wrap 03/19/11: Jeremy Messersmith, Sweet Jane, Black Milk, Curren$y, Eliza Doolittle, Ty Segall, Funeral Party, Death From Above 1979

Live Show Reviews

Jeremy Messersmith @ The Ale House

Jeremy Messersmith was a treat. “Tatooine” is a gem that made our top 50 list last year and we couldn’t wait to have the experience live. Pleasantly surprised. Jeremy’s set proved more quirky than expected. Concluding with “Violets”, his band helped carry a sound reminiscent of The Turtles and other late 60’s West Coast bands. Messersmith has talent and just seems to radiate longevity.

Jeremy Messersmith – Tatooine

Sweet Jane @ B.D. Riley’s

One of the best things about SXSW is that you can just walk down a street and your ears can bring you to something you’ve never heard before. In preparing some post-festival coverage, I recalled one of those bands that drew me in. If you’re a fan of Noel Gallagher (like we are) and his guitar playing (guilty again), you won’t be able to resist listening to Sweet Jane. Lydia Des Dolles lead vocals add a fresh compliment to a fantastic British sound. Into it.

Sweet Jane – Close Your Eyes (Single Version)

Black Milk @ Billboard Bungalow

The line was around the block on E 6th street during peak freak hour Saturday night. Passing through three layers of security was necessary to enter Billboard Bungalow (patdowns included) I felt like I was going upstairs to see Obama. Black Milk is a pro. His killer on stage presence gets the crowd moving and into it. This man loves to perform. The live band was an….interesting touch. The sound was cool, the band was unique but somehow came off a bit flat, amateurish. The drums were set up in an odd, “less than traditional way”. The keys didn’t seem to be working. The bass was lose. It felt pretty backyard. “Dead Medley” was a highlight. Black Milk, the MC (minus his band), proved worthy of a long performance career, Common-style

Black Milk – Overdose

Curren$y @ Billboard Bungalow

Curren$y enters late and totally high. He’s completely non-chalant as he commands the stage. Basically the opposite of what we just saw from Black Milk. The stage show went something as follows: he first came out, then a second MC joined him, then like four 19 year old looking dudes came up on stage to stand behind him, and they were stoned. As is Spitta’s M.O., the raps were smooth and the track were short. His rambles between tracks were actually pretty tight. As he did a solid job hyping the crowd between songs.

Curren$y – Address (Feat. Stalley)

Eliza Doolittle @ Cedar Street Courtyard

Earlier in the day, deep in the underbelly of Austin, we crossed paths with our girl Eliza Doolittle. One look at the b3sci posse, and at least one member of our crew got prob the hottest demand of the weekend, “Take off Your Skinny Jeans! You!” We were caught. Eliza had us. Of course, what to do when an adorable British girls calls at you to remove yer trousers, well never tell. But we did make it back over to Cedar Street, pants and all, to catch Eliza’s Saturday night set. We’ll drop this in again, just once more, to be, you know, official about it. Eliza Doolittle is adorable. And that sort of defined her set. “Money Box” was sunshine-y, feel good, glad in all the right places. Part of Eliza’s charm is her ability to connect. She could be looking into the audience at a 90 degree angle to you, or at her band, or up into space, and still all the while, you feel like she’s singing to you and only you. “I want to go back to a time when I was young. No not when I was 16 or something like that. No, I’m talking really young. I want to go back to when I was three.” And you stand there, as she smiles at you delivering that line, and you’re like, “Yeah, Eliza, that sounds like a pretty nice idea.”

Eliza’s secret weapon is her band. Her bassist, playing a stand up double bass, was ridiculously good. Her drummer, likely more at home in a different genre of music, was ace. The energy in the rhythm section, pitch perfect harmonies, and wisely placed guitar/uke make for a great stripped down feel good vibe. Eliza’s songs are uptempo, kinetic and they move with her. Where does an artist like Eliza go from here? How will she manage in the states? Can she be as big as Adele.. Lily Allen, Kate Nash? Take note.

Eliza Doolittle – Skinny Genes

Ty Segall @ Mohawk

If you love what made Grunge great, big guitar sound, rock and roll attitude. In the year 2K11, Ty Segall is about as close you can get. The packed house for Ty was brimming with all sorts of arrogant attitude. Like it came with admission. Segall and his youthful angst-driven bandmates delivered their sound heavy and intense, reminiscent of live Nirvana. Ty Seagall is prob a bit of an acquired taste, an acquired taste we just so happen to love. Long live the 90’s.

Ty Segall – Standing at the Station

Funeral Party @ Cedar Street Courtyard

Just when I thought I’d had enough; so many bands, so much music, so much that it started become noise; I still trudged back to the Cedar Street Courtyard, I had one last band to see, east Los Angeles act Funeral Party. The Steve Madden/Grooveshark Party had nearly emptied out. The few sticking around were mainly press congregated near the front of the stage with large cameras. The band brought with them to the stage a lot of energy, maybe the most energy- packed performance I’d seen all SXSW. A guitarist flying there, a bassist there. The guitarist’s acrobatics at one point caused him to trip, causing frontman Chad to wisely state ” Steve Madden shoes look great, but they still need a few days to break in.” This was the sort of band Victory Records should have signed 5 years ago, Funeral Party have a great new alternative sound, with great songs and great arrangements. The band’s live chops were obvious and when lead vocalist Chad Elliott is in key they are borderline unstoppable. During the breakdown of “NYC Sound Goes To LA…” a lyrical cameo from “Champagne Supernova” found it’s place “how many special people change, how many lives were living strange”. Where were you while we were getting high? This guys are that kind of band. Camera flashes were plenty and the venue had nearly filled back up by end of set. Funeral Party definitely helped wrap SXSW on a high. Take notes, rock and rollers, this band plays like they have nothing to prove, it’s real. They don’t give a fuck about what else is happening in indie rock or alternative music or anything like that, and really, why should they?

Funeral Party – Carwars

Death From Above 1979 @ Beauty Bar

Your Miranda Rights are all that you got. Pretty much. As you’ve likely heard by now there was a riot at Death From Above’s reunion gig @ Beauty Bar. Being there in that moment. There’s a feeling, a certain sensation at your insides (not that $7 burrito we grabbed on the street on the way over) that experience when you were among a crowd that’s beginning to lose control. And there, there’s a feeling like anything can happen. The next bit of your life, those events, are not quite in your control anymore. The show, itself, was terribly handled by the venue. The location of the line was not clear, where the line started and ended was not clear, whether anyone was actually getting in was not clear. A definite vacuum of information existed. (Riot criteria 1). What is Beauty Bar? Beauty Bar is a venue that maybe holds 200 people. It’s essentially a piece of a larger asphalt lot with a tent on top of it. “In line” or probably more appropriately mobbed about there venue there were maybe 600-800 people “on the outside”. A large throng of people in a tight space (Riot criteria 2).

The band starts. Immediately, (and obviously any chance of getting in the venue dashed) the crowd turns violent. Beers fly, stones, garbage they fly too. Someone throws a chair. The chainlink fence that divdes the outside from the inside is under siege. The kids are intent in bringing it down. They shake, they climb, they kick. The fence lasts maybe 10 minutes. It’s down. By this time the venue has circled several bouncers to where the fence once stood. They’re holding the crowd back now. They’re the final bit of defense between the current situation and total mayhem (the latter quickly becoming more and more the former). Then suddenly, the fence is boosted back up. The kids are trying to help. They’re trying to keep some bit of order. The overall crowd, though, grows angrier. The fence is almost now in a state of volley. Bouncers to Crowd. Crowd to Bouncers. Mace sprays from the venue. The mob is pushed back. Time for us to check the fuck out with mounted riot police, arrests, and all that reality TV stuff pending. It was certainly one hell of moment.

p.s. The band was awesome. Seeing Jesse and Sebastien on stage together performing DFA 79 songs fucking ruled.

Death From Above 1979 – Romantic Rights

Catch all of b3sci’s SXSW 2011 coverage HERE

Photography by Genevieve Sheehan

reviewed by b3

03-20-11

SXSW Saturday Afternoon Wrap 03/19/11: Theophilus London, Scars on 45, The Republic Tigers, Joy Formidable, Oberhofer, Little Dragon, Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger

Live Show Reviews

Theophilus London @ Mohawk

Theophilus London packed the downstairs room of the Mohawk as part of the Mog/Lexus Party. Theo did an A+ job at engaging not only a kinetic swath of fans but a room, perhaps not so familiar with his music. “Flying Overseas”, “Why Even Try”, “Strange Love”, all the best examples of his unique Electro Hip Hop, hyped the crowd. His brief 30 minute set flew by, with multiple instances of girls-in-attendance brought on stage, numerous hilarious back-and-forths with the audience, and a few indie celeb-in-the-crowd shouts (TVOTR’s Dave Sitek, for one).

Theophilus London – Oops! (Tweet Cover)

Scars on 45 @ Brush Street Park

On our way to catch The Republic Tigers and Joy Formidable at the Chop Shop/Atlantic day showcase we caught the tail end of Scars on 45’s set. On point as they were with their set at Hotel Cafe in LA a month or so earlier, the band played with a hunger and energy that caught me off guard. We were into it. And it seemed that energy set the tone for the following two acts.

Scars on 45 – Loudest Alarm

The Republic Tigers @ Brush Street Park

Having caught The Republic Tigers last with Travis at the Wiltern in LA, we were impressed with their presence. A much more comfortable and confident band than remembered. Previewing material from their forthcoming “No Land’s Man” EP, we believed their songs and style of up-tempo and listener-friendly indie rock and roll. A few songs had a unmistakable Chop Shop tint to them, primed for mainstream TV.

The Republic Tigers – Buildings and Mountains

Joy Formidable @ Brush Street Park

Joy Formidable were one of the most talked about bands of SXSW. Again it proves what a great live show, star quality and some serious work can do for a band. The UK based, female fronted trio, plays with a profound intensity and passion. Their sound has an aggressive character to it, as one would expect from any rock trio, but when complimented with Ritzy Bryan’s vocals and a slick performance quality both confident and intense, the band is a force to be reckoned with. Pending hit songs, these guys have, dare we say, Muse-type potential. (Oh we just did.)

Joy Formidable – I Don’t Want to See You Like This

Oberhofer @ Virgin Mobile Live House

Virgin Mobile Live Host Abbey Braden was rightfully psyched to watch Oberhofer rock a bass and glock during their exclusive acoustic VML House session during SXSW. Their sound is fresh and evolving with a clear direction. Hear the session here.

Oberhofer – Away From You

Little Dragon @ Cedar Street Courtyard

Yukimi’s dances moves are adorable. Well, they’re less like moves and more like poses. Stop motion. Hold the frame. Hit all the angles. Make the next pose. Yukimi’s moves were adorable. The band’s performance was really not. The band seemed tired, bored, disinterested. The venue (Cedar Street Courtyard) was wrong. It’s outdoor stage doesn’t work for a band so dependent on atmosphere. Yukimi’s voice got lost. Much of the cool ambient synth work that make the band’s songs got lost too. Machine Dreams highlights like “Blinking Pigs” and “Feather” both never really worked. The crowd, too, seemed, at times, disinterested. The band did run through a new song or two. Showing off a sound that seemed to be more spread out, more engaged in space. Almost a more deep electro kind of sound. The songs centered on repetition of a few simple rhythmic figures with Yukimi’s vocal acting more as a frame to the rhythm than as the carrier of a tune. The new songs seemed to work better for the band in the outdoor setting. The band also seemed more interested. Little Dragon’s Cedar Street performance was not the worst thing we saw at SXSW but it certainly was a disappointment. We still you guys though! And the next gig in Boston or LA, we’ll still be there! We got you!

Little Dragon – Twice (Freddie Joachim Remix)

Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger @ Elysium

Ghost of a Saber Tooth tiger unfortunately lived up to expectations. I hoped that we would experience glimpses of Sean’s 2006 solo record, Friendly Fire, but instead we got a heavy dosage of maybe the Lennon family’s worst enemy… love. Kemp Muhl just doesn’t hold ground with a Lennon. Really, how many do?

Granted Sean said that the extra stage musician had one day to learn the entire set… it became increasingly clear that that may have been true for the entire band. Just Sean and his guitar would have sufficed. But then again, we wouldn’t be stretching the truth to say that we’d hoped to catch maybe a glimpse of Yoko Ono (also performing on that night’s bill) on stage with her son. In any event, the crowd was treated to large doses of Lennon wit. Sean got jokes. That’s genuine wit, folks, in the blood.

The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger – Jardin du Luxembourg

Catch all of b3sci’s SXSW 2011 coverage HERE

Photography contributed by Genevieve Sheehan

reviewed by b3

03-20-11

SXSW Wednesday Night Wrap 03/16/11: James Blake, Mona, Belle Brigade, Chapel Club, Ellie Goulding

blahblahblahscience In the Mix Live Show Reviews

James Blake @ Stubb’s:

There was definitely an air of anticipation (and weed) for James Blake’s first SXSW performance. After an approx. 30 minute delay due to technical problems the superstar of the Indieverse took the stage. First things, we noticed were 1) James Blake is really fucking tall. Like dude towers over everyone else on stage. 2) His band is very young. The other lads in the band were maybe 22-23. Blake started the set with “What Was It You Said About Luck”, immediately we’re struck by how strong the vocals come off live. The R&B influences are particularly palpable as Blake smooths in and out of each syrupy melodic line. The bass was really loud; windpipe shaking, back of your mouth rattling loud. The interplay between the physical intensity of the bass, the sweetness of the vocal, and the detached withdrawn quality of much of James Blake’s songs was quite powerful. “Limit to Your Love” was a highlight that included an excellent 4-5 minute dub reggae-styled section.

James Blake – Wilhelm Scream

Mona @ Antone’s:

Dressed in plain t-shirts and styled in pompadour-esque haircuts, Nashville’s Mona ripped into set opener “Trouble on the Way”. Despite some tepid early interactions with Antone’s house soundguy, the band blazed through an approx. 30 minute set with an absolute confidence and strong focus. Second song “Teenager” soared, “Listen to Your Love” filled the room. The venue was maybe 3/4’s full but those there were really feeling it and the band seemed to (almost unbelievably) level up with each song. Mona were great, a band truly in top form. Later in the set, they played some newer more Nashville, sort of Gospel-influenced material. What we heard sounded solid, with frontman Nick Brown sounding almost Joshua Tree-era Bono-esque (in a good way) at times. Mona are stars and primed to blow the fuck up on both sides of the Atlantic, and with sets like Wednesday Night’s at Antone’s (a favorite of SXSW thusfar) they’ve got the live performance chops to back up the hype.

Mona – Teenager

Belle Brigade @ The Phoenix:

We made it over to the KCRW showcase at The Phoenix just in time to catch the later half of Belle Brigade’s set. What we experienced was a well crafted, energetic set of tunes that showcased the band’s excellent harmonizing and onstage performance skills. Set closer “Losers” really cut the room well with the LA brother-sister duo’s backing band doing great work to really lift the song’s best moments.

Belle Brigade – Losers

Chapel Club @ The Phoenix:

Anticipation was high at the capacity filled Phoenix for Chapel Club’s up-to-this-date rare U.S. performance. The band opened with “Surfacing” and, at times, seemed tenuous, as if the weightiness of the moment caught the band a bit off guard. “Roads”, from the “Wintering” EP, was next and showed off the band’s newer more atmospheric sound. The chemistry onstage between guitarists Michael Hibbert and Alex Parry is really phenomenal. Their performances were definitely the highlight of the set. Singles “O Maybe I” and “All the Eastern Girls” engaged the crowd. Singer Lewis Bowman commented several times during the set to the effect that, the band were “suprised to be there”. We weren’t. Despite a few dodgier edges, Chapel Club certainly played as if they belonged on a stage like the Phoenix… or larger.

Chapel Club – After the Flood

Ellie Goulding @ Bat Bar:

The Bat Bar was packed for Ellie Goulding’s midnight set. A significant overflow crowd filled the street outside the small venue. Ellie and her fans seemed totally captivated with each other. That interaction was great. The kid’s knew and sang back the lyric to every song. What wasn’t good: The venue. Ellie and her band were jammed into a corner of a long brick corridor. The basic space and acoustics of the room made for some poor sound. We had difficulty hearing the band, hearing Ellie. From what we could hear, the band sounded small, too small for her sound. Set closer “Starry Eyed” ended the night on a positive note as the oblong room went brick discotheque, arms flailing wildly, bodies in motion, post-adolescent girl to aging hipster dude.

Tinie Tempah – Wonderman (feat. Ellie Goulding)

Contributed by Alex Sheehan
Photography contributed by Genevieve Sheehan

reviewed by b3

03-17-11

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