Virginia Talks » Music

Beat Meet: More Mooncircle Love

Terrible Chris — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:24:00 +0000

Seriously, if Project: Mooncircle had a face, i'd make sweet, sweet love to it. Keeping to their own Madlib-ian pace, they just hit us up with another two creeper joints to keep asses bumping and heads nodding.

First up is a killer comp piece, Finest Ego Japanese Beatmaker Compilation. If you have taken the time to check out any Japanese beat tracks, you know they have a knack for the abstract, stereotypically speaking. Point being, as a generalized rule of thumb, "they" tend to put together jamming tracks with unsuspected breaks and an ear for incorporating the off-kilter. Normally, if someone was to ask me a good starting point for breaking into the sub-genre, i'd have pointed to the Samurai Champloo series (the music, not the anime; though you can't go wrong with the anime, either). Now i'd be equally, if not more so, comfortable recommending this joint. The CD is up for free, but only for a couple more days, so move your ass and pick this one up while the price is right, kids.

mp3: Samurai Assassin (BudaMonk from Finest Ego Japanese Beatmaker Compilation)

mp3: Spotless (a.z. from Finest Ego Japanese Beatmaker Compilation)

Closer in texture to label mate Robot Koch as far as my ears are concerned, P:M is getting ready to drop the solo debut of Russian cum Ukranian up and comer Pavel Dovgal. Pavel floats on a genteel cloud of softly glitchy clank. Occasional vocal loops add a layer of depth and shading to an already chilled out ride. Keep an eye and an ear out for this sumbitch, children.

mp3: Document (Pavel Dovgal from Cassiopeia)

Webcasts Tonight: Trey Anastasio Band & Primus

Tony Jordan — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:05:00 +0000

On iClips.net tonight, they will be rebroadcasting the Trey Anastasio Band Live from the Pageant & Primus Live from Red Rocks Re-Broadcast TONIGHT. Primus to start at 7 PM EDT, TAB @ 9 PM EDT. Also, if you went to iClips looking for the webcast of Moedown this past weekend, they did not show it live but recorded it and will be broadcasting it at a later date. More details when I get 'em.

The Back-to-School Edition

Terrible Chris — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:46:00 +0000

Just last night, it sounded like uncontrollable sobbing was coming from a number of my neighbors' windows. i couldn't figure out what the problem was until this morning when i saw huddled masses of teens at the bus stop, marking the beginning of yet another school year! Since i haven't had a three month summer vacation in damn near 20 years, these things tend to not affect me much anymore. That being said, my heart goes out to you, kids. Knockers up, head down, study hard, party responsibly only on the weekends and see if you can't get some decent grades this year. It'll make your mama happy, if nothing else.

mp3: School Announcements (Bob & Doug McKenzie from Great White North)

mp3: She Drives a Speederbike to School (Sex Wing Starfighter from Same Old Hope)

mp3: Hot for Teacher (Van Halen from 1984)

mp3: We're Going to be Friends (White Stripes Cover) (Bree Sharp from Her Website)

Les Enfants Terribles 2010-09-05 04:23:00

Terrible Chris — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 08:23:00 +0000

Late. Or early. Or something.

Somebody needs to make this that.

(And it's way too late with way to get to too much. So if you have a problem...that bitch will cut you, so don't think she won't.)

mp3: Sun is Shining (Bob Marley & the Wailers from Kaya)

mp3: Grown So Ugly (The Black Keys from Rubber Factory)

mp3: I Wanna Get High (Cypress Hill from Black Sunday)

And if this ain't enough to get you kicked, well...

i'm not saying, i'm just saying. You know what i'm saying?

No matter what you are feeling this early in the early, this is the beginning of the best mix that is the best mix, so...

Late Night Free Music Friday: The After Hours, Beat the Meet Edition

Terrible Chris — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 02:58:00 +0000

It's been a looong fucking week at the office, but i ain't gots no time for none of that bullshit and various other grammatically incorrect vernacular vehemence! That being said, there was just too much good music this week not to share. As it happens, i probably could have made this a Beat Meet just as easily, but check your calendar, bitches.

I'm gonna get you high today, 'cause it's Friday; you ain't got no job... and you ain't got shit to do.

Old school gets a lift from the new generation, which is an excellent thing for beat music fans. Brad Laner has a new one out called Natural Selections. What caught my immediate attention, however, was the fact that Baths decided to remix the first single. The Master of the Tub adds his airy touch to an already otherworldly jam. For the helium minded, natch.

mp3: Crawl Back In (Baths Remix) (Brad Laner from Natural Selections Remix)

Ever since i saw them open for Lykke Li a couple of years back, i've been impressed by Wildbirds & Peacedrums. And every new track i hear shows growth and improvement from the last, highlighting their growth as musicians. On this new one, the percussion heavy band adds steel drums to create a breezy, slower jam that's a nice send off to the quickly fading summer.

mp3: The Drop (Wildbirds & Peacedrums from Rivers)

OK, i've dug 2010's foray into fuzz-reverb-heavy, Spector-esque chick bands as much as the next guy, but i think i'm about ready for this phase to wrap itself up. i'm well aware that Frankie Rose and the Outs comes from the highest of pedigrees within the genre, and this track isn't too shabby, but let's watch ourselves here, eh, kids? Too much of a good thing is just going to give you gas, children.

mp3: Little Brown Haired Girls (Frankie Rose and the Outs from Frankie Rose and the Outs)

i kept meaning to check out Prince Rama, but there are only so many hours in the day, right? Of course, much like with Mr. Laner above, it only took the right man to remix things to pique my interest. Enter Sun Araw and one hell of a tribal treatment to his highness' beat.

mp3: Storm Worship (Sun Araw Mix) (Prince Rama from Shadow Temple Remix)

And now a hearty thank you to the fine folks over at the Brainfeeder camp who just decided to overload us with audio riches this past week. Teebs' first single, "Arthur's Birds," for his Brainfeeder debut, Ardour, sounds like the music made by cyborg parakeets, so we've got that. The Gaslamp Killer is getting ready to drop a new one, too. To tease Death Gate, they've released a new track with Gonjasufi, which quite frankly, is the best Gonjasufi track i've ever heard; the two apparently like-minded artists just nail this Far East sounding jam. And what would Brainfeeder be without the magic of their maestro, Flying Lotus, behind it? That's conjecture for another day when we've got more weed than we do now, but you can groove along with him as he sits in with the Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble from this set, live in Los Angeles, July 23rd, 2010.

mp3: Arthur's Birds (Teebs from Adour)

mp3: When I'm in Awe (ft. Gonjasufi) (The Gaslamp Killer from Death Gate)

mp3: Drips/Take Notice (Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble ft. Flying Lotus from a live show in LA, 7-23-10)

With the weather hopefully just starting to cool off a bit, i think i'm going to have to make good on my promise to start "paying back" Levi for their incredible Pioneer Sessions with the purchase of some denim. This week, it's Nas' take on Slick Rick's classic, "Hey, Young World."

mp3: Hey, Young World (Nas from Levi's Pioneer Sessions)

Just when you think you've had enough and right after i bitched about having too much of a good thing, you don't think i'd send you off without this wafer thin offering from Low End Theory, did you? Here's Podcast 17, featuring Daddy Kev and Baths (sumbitch is everywhere lately, which is nice). Oh my.

mp3: Episode 17: Daddy Kev and Baths (Low End Theory Podcast)

Now off with you, and for my U.S. compatriots, enjoy the start of a long weekend.

Newsflash: Story/Stereo With John Davis Tonight!

Megan Terrible — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:30:00 +0000

Hey local kids! Are you hunting for something to do this evening, other than the oh-so predictable Friday night out binge drinking with the hugely regrettable Saturday hangover? Get yourself out of the gutter and up to Bethesda for some quality, wholesome entertainment at The Writer's Center. Story/Stereo is kicking off its second season with local music mainstay John Davis (Q & Not U, Georgie James, Title Tracks), who will do a short solo set as well as a set with bandmates after readings by two of the Writing Center's Emerging Writer Fellows. A night of smashing music and splendid literature is sure to ensue. If I wasn't already booked I'd be there in a heartbeat. So friends, the festivities get underway at 8 pm sharp. Get your skates on.

[photo by Shervin Lainez]

100 Shows of 2010 – #57: Birdnote Records Showcase, BiMA @ Wind-Up Space, 8/27/10

Megan Terrible — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:03:00 +0000

Y’all. I’ve gotta tell you, I’ve been in festival withdrawal something terrible over the past year and a half. But just when I was totally down in the festival-lacking dumps, up pops this great, great new festival, the Baltimore Independent Music & Arts Festival, better known (and heretofore known) as BiMA. Not only did BiMA manage to rope in over 100 artists from far and wide (i.e. Baltimore and beyond) to take part in the festivities, but it was localish (i.e. a mere 60-some miles), which was one of the best things about it. For a fledgling festival, it was pretty darned entertaining. My first taste of BiMA was the Birdnote Records showcase, and it was a rather fine time.

MINI RECAP: Well done, everyone! Overall score: B.

After circling around for what seemed like ages trying to park, I arrived at the Wind-Up Space just as DC’s own Bellflur was getting underway. Now, despite having wanted to see them live for quite some time now, it was a feat I hadn’t accomplished until BiMA. The venue appealed to me right away, as did the band. I definitely haven’t heard anything (at least, not that I can think of at the moment) come out of DC before, their sound being a very interesting mix of gentle rhythms with some subtle grooves and synthy goodness. In my notes I compared them sonically to a much, much less gloomy and non-Scottish Arab Strap. They used sound bytes in several songs, adding to the cinematic feel of the music. It was rather atmospheric and a touch dramatic, and I was pretty impressed with the boys of Bellflur. Their set was way too short for my liking, which I suppose just means I’ll have to work hard to make another Bellflur sighting happen. They were definitely my favorite band of this particular showcase.

Next up was Solar Temple Suicides. Their name made me think of a 60s stoner band, and their sound tended to trend that way. It’s perhaps what might happen had The Young Sinclairs been more into Phish than The Rolling Stones, in that their sound was very loud and very swirly and very expansive, with more straight-up noise than song structure. I preferred them sans vocals, but found their set to be rather entertaining. Stoner drone seems to be their forte, and the sound of the Wind-Up Space enhanced their vibe.

Milwaukeeans Brief Candles were the third band of the showcase, and I was curious to see what their sound would be like after the two vastly different preceding bands. They turned out to be a little dark and sinister, which I loved. They concocted a big ole wall of sound through the guitar and the bass, which made me quite happy. My only question about their set was the vocals. When Jen Boniger was doing vocal duty, I couldn’t ever quite tell how I felt about her voice, and preferred when guitarist Kevin Dixon took over. Their overall sound was pretty good, though, and I’m glad to have seen them, my reservations about vocals notwithstanding.

I paid a little more attention to the hot pink narwhal on the wall than I did to Baltimore’s Avec, which is probably not their fault. I just became fixated. However, the band was almost as awesome as that narwhal. They were super loud, and their boy-girl vocals worked really well off each other. They all had serious stage presence, which goes a long way in winning me over, and their sound was polished.

By the time Thrushes played I was well and truly distracted by the narwhal and friends that had rolled into town. But on the whole, I must say the showcase was fantastic. It got my BiMA experience off on the right foot, and proved that a newbie festival doesn’t have to suck while going through inevitable growing pains.

mp3: Insect Politics (Bellflur from asleep.asleep)

HzCollective + Holy Smokes copresent: GREG DAVIS & BEN VIDA w/ Myceum & Jackfruit Experiment, 9/12

wh — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:58:00 +0000

Event link for more details

Facebook Event page

:-:-: HOLY SMOKES AND HZ COLLECTIVE PRESENT :-:-:

The Tea Bazaar will specially open it's doors on Sunday the Twelfth, for a visit by a couple of the experimental music's finest, as they manipulate analog synths to pleasing effect. With special guests Myceum and Jackfruit Experiment.

Tickets available at http://www.holysmokesbooking.com/.
...

:-: GREG DAVIS & BEN VIDA :-:
Greg Davis is a musician from Vermont who creates lush, textured soundscapes using a wide range of acoustic and analog instruments, as well as samples from field recordings.

Chicagoan Ben Vida is perhaps better known for his work with the bands Town & Country, Joan of Arc, and has written and recorded for years under the name 'Bird Show'.

:-: MYCEUM :-:
Gorgeous ambient sound sculptures by Mr. Scott Ritchie.

:-: JACKFRUIT EXPERIMENT :-:
Members of The Grapefruit Experiment, Dzian!, Pinko Communoids, etc. offer up this variation on the theme (which is creating fascinating sounds in astounding ways).

Show Review: HzCollective members at Strange Matter

wh — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:53:00 +0000

Kenny Yates, Wendy Hsu, and Carey Sargent played as Grapefruit Experiment (GFX) at Strange Matter on August 25, 2010, along with a number of other really fun bands. RVA magazine did a review of the show. Here's a highlight:

"For The Grapefruit Experiment, though, this was the desired effect, and it mingled well with the deliberately arrhythmic percussion and oscillating bursts of treated noise. It wasn't a conventionally musical set by any means, but nonetheless The Grapefruit Experiment gave a fascinating performance."

Read the entire article: http://rvamag.com/articles/full/8891/show-review-purple-rhinestone-eagle-the-catnip-dreams-etc

Live Review: Autloux, Black Cat, 9-1-10

Terrible Chris — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 03:05:00 +0000

The stars have aligned yet again, and Megan and i found ourselves enjoying the same concert together in one another's company. As such, expect her take on things shortly. In the meantime, i'm guessing mine will be the only one of the two that admits to a troubling fascination with Carla Azar's drumming, but who knows? Maybe Meg will surprise us both.

i try not to get too effusive about Autolux, as i invariably focus in on my own infatuation with Ms. Azar, who, as far as i'm concerned, is the greatest female drummer out there today, and probably in the top ten drummers over all, if i can be both honest and sexist at the same time. i'm not sure what it is about the band, but every time i see them (and this was at least my fifth show, if not more), i find myself uncontrollably bobbing my head. While George Clinton or Prince might get my booty shaking more, or House of Pain might make me jump more, no other band i've ever seen has that same hypnotic effect on me that Autolux does. And this time around at the Black Cat, things were no different.

The band played pretty equally from both albums, but the clear winners of the night were from debut album, Future Perfect. And it's easy to see why, as the band has had the time to make them anthemic and intimate at the same time, truly mastering the tracks in a live setting. Tracks like "Blanket" and "Robots in the Garden" had the house swaying. In an obviously crowd pleasing mood, Azar not only rocked the skins all night, she was given more vocal duties than i can recall her ever being given at any of the past shows i've attended.

If there was any complaint to be had, i'd argue bandmates Eugene Goreshter (lead vocals, bass) and Greg Edwards (guitar, vocals) both went a tad overboard on the reverb. What i couldn't tell is if that was their doing or the Cat's older speakers simply not having the juice left to handle the boys' desired effect. The sad part is these guys write killer hooks, and according to my brother, "if you didn't know those songs, you could hardly tell what they were playing." Except, of course, for the steady, almost robotic hand of Azar. No matter how far afield the boys might wander, she was there to anchor each song methodically. In a fitting gesture, as the band closed the set, each member walked off stage without saying a word. The boys left first, leaving Azar to hold the fort and soak up the last of the well deserved applause as the appreciative audience clapped and stomped and hollered.

i can't say it enough--if you're lucky enough to have Autolux blow through your burg, go. And thank me later.

mp3: Capital Kind of Strain (Autolux from Future Perfect)

mp3: Persons and Machinery (ft. Autolux) (U.N.K.L.E. from War Stories)