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Photos: Imperial China @ Inner Ear Studios (2009.04.11)

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MP3: Imperial China – Space Anthem

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MP3: Imperial China – Mortal Wombat (Live from Aural States Fest 2009)

One of DC’s finest, and one of our favorite local artists (Imperial China) were in the famed Inner Ear Studios this past weekend recording their full-length, set to drop later this year with Devin Ocampo on the boards.  We took some shots.

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One Track Mind: Title Tracks – “Found Out”

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My roommate silently stalked over to my computer and asked what I was listening to.

“The new Title Tracks single,” I replied. Looking over my shoulder at the four or five possible concepts I had sprawled out on a sheet of printer paper, he asked if I was writing about this song. “Yes,” I said, trying to quiet his apparent suspicion. He began to chuckle as he stared at my notes. I asked him what he’s laughing at, to which he responded: “Nolan, it’s a freaking pop song.  Quit analyzing it like one of your David Byrne albums or something.”

He probably walked off mumbling something about a punk band, but I wasn’t listening. He was right about one thing there: Title Tracks (and their debut single, Every Little Bit Hurts) does not attempt to revitalize pop music.  In fact, I think it’s safe to say Title Tracks do nothing but add to the already-crowded guitar pop genre.

That being said, “Found Out,” the better half of Every Little Bit Hurts, shows a lot of promise from these DC indie-poppers. It stars some extra-tense guitars working like a loaded spring, only gaining a moment’s rest during the pop-standard chorus.

The sugar-soaked tune (clocking in at a whopping 2:35) is just long enough to allow a fair amount of familiarity, but somehow feels like it could still use some trimming. The first verse introduces itself like a walk through an uncomfortable neighborhood at 3AM, and before you know any better, it transforms itself into a liberating power-chorded refrain.  It just gets a little irritating when you hear the same chorus for the third time in less than three minutes, almost as if you know they simply decided to throw in the once-delightful bit wherever they could.

Title Tracks seem to have this issue all over their single. While each individual piece of any given song is strong, their copy/paste outlook ruins much of the enjoyability that may have been possible. If they clean up their song structure a little bit, I’ll be looking forward to see what these guys do with an album.

Live Review: Asobi Seksu @ Rock and Roll Hotel (2009.03.28)

asobi-seksu-1Photo credit: Fiz

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MP3: Asobi Seksu – Familiar Light from Hush (2009)

A few weeks ago, I loaded Hush into my media player and the delicate voice of Japanese Yuki Chicudate began to fill my bedroom with dreamy trailing synth and modest ruptures of rhythmic drum. Her lyrics were intricate and poetic—uttered in angelic speech, dominant but not overbearing. Tracks fluctuated between sedated, down-tempo melodies to avant-garde like that of Chairlift’s indie pop.

I pictured delicate rendition with composed deliverance, anticipating a show that could, quite possibly, trigger tears. Finally, I’m standing face to face with the foursome in a packed Rock and Roll Hotel in DC, but what’s to come in the live performance I am not prepared for in the least.

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Contest: Taxlo 7 Year Anniversary Kick-off feat. Simian Mobile Disco, Tittsworth, Feadz, Triobelisk

smdEnter to win 2 free tickets to the show at Sonar, Sat Apr 25th.  Just comment this post (or email us here if you’re net-shy) to join our contest mailing list and enter for a chance to win!

Winner will be drawn at random next Wednesday Apr 22!

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MP3: Simian Mobile Disco – Sleep Deprivation from Attack Decay Sustain Release

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MP3: Justice v. Simian – We Are Your Friends from We Are Your Friends vinyl

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MP3: Tittsworth – WTF (featuring Kid Sister, Pase Rock) from 12 Steps

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MP3: Triobelisk – Xrystal Eye from 1

Resident Baltimore super-promoters Taxlo score another big-name coup de grace for one of their flagship events: their 7th anniversary kick-off at Sonar featuring UK electro-fiends Simian Mobile Disco. Skyrocketed into notoriety by a flurry of blog-friendly remixes of indie-rock hype tracks and standards, as well as themselves being remixed.  Their track,  ”Never Be Alone” (recorded under their more rock-oriented incarnation Simian), was redone to much fanfare by a little French duo known as Justice.

SMD unabashedly take the typically dense and self-insulating genre of electronica, and reconstruct it from the ground up with a bit of much needed populist humility and a noticeably more focused goal: digestable and interesting dance music.

Almost all of their tracks orbit a single, often simple hook, sometimes accented by an ultra-catchy vocal chorus, and they proceed to grow and develop the hell out of it for, on average, the span of a lengthy pop song.  And they are one of the few who can successfully do so, essentially abbreviating the tenets of electronica into something that isn’t so imposing to the average non-circuit head. But they manage to do so while leaving intact aspects of merit to appeal to those discerning aficionados, weaving in influences and nuggets from electronic icons like Daft Punk and Aphex Twin and utilizing all manner of analog-electro gear that would make suitable fodder for any electro-nerd’s wet dream.

Add in their opening support Feadz, Tittsworth and Triobelisk, and you’ve got a guaranteed party that commences the commingling of populism and quality into one big sweaty former parking garage.

Big flier after the jump.

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Sound Off!: Southeast Engine journeys From Forest to Sea

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MP3: Southeast Engine – Black Gold

What if Ray Davies had come of age attending a black Baptist church in middle America? Well, he might have made an album like From the Forest to the Sea, the latest from Athens, Ohio’s Southeast Engine on Misra Records. Informed by concept albums like Davies’ Kinks klassic Arthur and shaped by his own less-than-conventional religious upbringing, SEE’s Adam Remnant has concocted the most ambitious, and perhaps the most beautiful, of his band’s four albums. The songs track a spiritual search while skipping stylistically from roots to indie-rock to numbers owing a plain debt to the gospel influences of Remnant’s youth.

Recorded primarily live to analog in a 19th century schoolhouse in rural southern Ohio, Forest/Sea is a warm and intimate sounding record and transfers well to the stage, where only the echoey acoustic piano is missed a bit. The band’s deftness and fervor remains in spades. On disc or in person, Southeast Engine is one of the most capable and inventive bands out there today, and should not be missed in either medium.

Southeast Engine performs at Golden West Café in Baltimore April 17 and at The Red and the Black in D.C. April 18.

Sound Off!: François Virot

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MP3: François Virot – Not the one

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MP3: François Virot – Cascade Kisses

Buglike.

That’s how you describe François Virot’s vocals. The dude sounds like the product of an insect and a well-refined microphone. Aside from the presentation of an almost exact replica of Marty Anderson’s (Okay) vocal style, François Virot’s Yes or No is a laid-back-yet-tense-in-every-way piece of mostly-acoustic glory. His voice is at once breathy and full of life, a rare quality usually reserved for the well-established indie masterminds. It’s as if it’s everywhere at once, the words are distinguishable but somehow last for longer than you expect.

He doesn’t really ever “strum” his guitar, rather he opts to simply smash it with his artsy French hands. Maybe that’s a trendy new European thing. It takes on an unnatural crunch in its tone, like a glass of cold water from a rusted sink. Likewise, his percussion is of the found-variety: handclaps, stomping, hitting his guitar with a soft mallet, it’s all fair game. You’ll find the nearly-twee drumming on every beat, far enough in the background for it to be out of your mind, but just loud enough to carry the rhythm.

Yes or No is ancient in terms of blogosphere time, released way back in September 2008. I’m not sure if I’m just behind the times or it’s just finding its way to the United States now. I pulled it, by chance, out of the radio station library one especially underprepared day. I was overwhelmed by “Where O Where A.” How the percussion sits around and somehow never ceases stop, how the guitar sounds like it may either be played by a person or by a thousand tiny bugs working together in near-perfect harmony. There’s just enough wiggle-room to make the occasional imperfections add to the music. Then, the vocals. François Virot’s weak-yet-potent delivery adds to the almost-nonsense backing music to complete something altogether heartfelt and, at times, joyful.

Yes Or No is a far-overlooked acoustic indie album comprised of consistently fantastic songs, and I give it my highest recommendation.

Video: Thank You, Mi Ami @ Floristree (2009.03.09)

Welcome newest contributor, audio-visual wizard Guy Werner!  Guy will be providing us with video and audio from shows around town.  His first volley: clips from the Thank You/Mi Ami show at Floristree a few weeks ago.  Check after the jump for videos from Katherine Fahey’s The Birdwatcher’s Companion opening at the Metro Gallery, Jenn  and Andy of Wye Oak and Caleb Stine.

Clip from Mi Ami’s Set (click here for longer, higher-res)

Clip from Thank You’s Set (click here for longer, higher-res)

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Top U.S. Orchestras 2009: Boston’s natural and effortless modernism (2009.03.28)

charles-dutoitContinuing our Top US Orchestras 2009 series, I headed up to Boston last weekend to catch a program that bridged the gap between more traditional narrative and phrasing with elements of 20th century modernism.  Guest conducted by Swiss talent Charles Dutoit, the program of Stravinsky, Ravel and Prokofiev made perfect sense considering his proclivity towards French and Russian 20th century music.

The Boston Symphony more than proved its chops as one of America’s top orchestras, displaying an ability to play challenging modern works in a natural and effortless fashion (something the Baltimore Symphony seems to struggle with off and on).  Too often, symphonies or orchestras feel too shoe-horned into modern works, far out of their comfort zone and never quite locking discordant, arrhytmic or irregular voices into the cohesive whole.  The BSO nimbly navigated the syncopated and dissonant aspects of the program, emulating the beauty, grace and dexterity of the finest class of danseur.

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Transmodern Festival 2009: Interview/Preview – Wobbly

Matmos Live at Echoplex

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MP3: Wobbly vs Matmos – Little Whip from KZSU’s 8th Day of Noise, improvised live

Speaking for myself, the highlight of last year’s Transmodern Festival was the reunion of Blectum from Blechdom. In a similar vein, this year I am eagerly anticipating the performance of Freddy McGuire, a duo comprised of San Fran residents Ann McGuire, and Jon Leidecker (aka Wobbly [wiki]). This takes place at the H&H building Saturday, April 4th.

The Dan Deacon Bromst release performance (which will also take place at Transmodern Festival that night) I can take or leave, but I suspect this performance will be more captivating, for the more discerning.

I caught Wobbly’s performance at the Red Room this past fall, and was immensely impressed. The first half of his set was performed solo, while the second half was a collaboration with the-now-Baltimore resident (formerly San Fran local) Martin Schmidt of Matmos. Together they made pure improvisational electronic music bliss.

I recently sent Wobbly some question via email (I try to conduct interviews in person, or on the phone when possible, but the time zone difference lent itself to email). Here are his enlightening responses: Read the rest…

Audio: The Thermals – “When We Were Alive”

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MP3: The Thermals – When We Were Alive

The Thermals just green-lit fake-out, that was a PR mistake! another track to be released off their upcoming album, Now We Can See (to be released Apr 7 on Kill Rock Stars).  ”When We Were Alive” is perhaps the most rollicking, fun track on the album with some great verses.

I thought it was a grand effort, enough to make it a recommended album.  Do check it out and enjoy life after death.  Also, for more reading, check out an oldish interview I did with Hutch a few years ago when they were still rife with outrage, touring behind The Body The Blood The Machine.