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How to upgrade your Asus ROG Strix G15

ROG Strix G15: Electro Punk Read More Asus So when I saw this ROG Strix G15: Electro Punk laptop for $899, I couldn’t pass it up. Both New Egg and Walmart are selling this same laptop for over $1,100… so getting the laptop sub-$1k is still a good price. ...

You can configure the Asus ROG Strix G15 to have 64GB RAM, 17-inch screen, and GeForce RTX 2070 Super… but the asking $2999 price was too much. Going in for sub-$1000 for the Electro Punk edition meant that some sacrifices had to be made… meaning a smaller screen, a less-powerful GPU, less storage, and RAM.

With the ROG Strix laptops, Asus made it really easy to open and access the storage and Ram, so upgrading your Ram and adding storage is a snap.

I decided to replace the Micro 8GB Ram that came with the laptop with two 16GB Corsair Vengeance DDR4 2666Mhz Unbuffered SODIMM (for a total of 32GB). While it’s true that the installed Ram is clocked at a higher 3200mhz, in my tests, it shows a slower speed of 2900mhz (I believe you may have to manually overclock it in BIOS to get the maximum clock). The new Corsair DDR4 Ram showed a much faster read/write speed (23GB a second) than the Micron DDR4 Ram (11GB a second).

As for storage, I have added two 2TB NVME PCIe. The two SSD drives I used were Inland 1TB NVME PCIe and Western Digital 1TB Blue NVME PCIe. The WD drive is rated, and tested, faster (at 1.3MB a second) than the “genetic” Inland brand (at 1.1MB a second). It’s only by a hair, so I recommend saving some money and using the generic brand.

The new parts I added were:

Corsair Vengeance 32GB DDR4 2666MHz CL18 Unbuffered SODIMM ($111)

Western Digital 1TB WD Blue NVME PCIe ($119)

Inland Professional 1TB NVME PCIe ($95)

For about $350, I was able to turn my Asus ROG Strix G15: Electro Punk into a respectable gaming laptop with enough storage (2.5TB) to store and carry around a lot of large triple A games.

Note: While some gamers might think 15 inches is too small, I think it is fine, especially because I want the lightness and portability of a laptop. In fact, I would’ve preferred a smaller screen. Since the screen can only handle 1080p, the 1650Ti GPU is perfectly fine for that screen. I was able to push 120 frames a second running Doom, and every game runs smoothly at 1080p (providing I use the power adapter).

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Flashback: Kaiser Chiefs at Enmore Theatre, Sydney (31 Mar 2009)

Setlist Spanish Metal Everyday I Love You Less and Less Everything Is Average Nowadays Na Na Na Na Naa Modern Way You Want History Ruby Never Miss a Beat Can't Say What I Mean Half the Truth Good Days Bad Days Love's Not a Competition (But I'm Winning) I Predict a Riot -- Encore -- Like It Too Much The Angry Mob Oh My God Read More Kaiser Chiefs It had been a long seven years since their last appearance in Minneapolis (the band skipped us in 2012), but Leeds, UK band Kaiser Chiefs re-stormed the city and stage for an animated, back-to-glory performance in First Avenue’s … Razorlight Razorlight were pretty much exactly what I expected they would be. Sold out show. No disappoinments. Good old Johnny Borrell... I developed a negative opinion of him around the same time I developed a negative opinion …

Sally went to see a triple billing of Kaiser Chiefs, Razorlight and Temper Trap… but unfortunately, for whatever reason, Temper Trap never showed up to the show. At $90 AUD, it sounds like a very expensive show.

>>>
After not actually planning to attend this show, thinking $90 was a bit steep for a band that will probably tour Australia a few more times before they vanish off the face of the planet, I went. But honestly... the Kaiser Chiefs with Razorlight and the Temper Trap... of course it was going to be worth it.

I had only seen Razorlight a few weeks previous (click here for review), so no surprises really. Pretty much exactly the same show. Except the drummer seemed to have morphed into a different person (with brilliant facial expressions). On that topic, interestingly enough, the internet has provided me with two interesting pieces of information:
    1. Andy Burrows, Razorlight drummer, has recently quit the band; and
    2. Andy Burrows, Razorlight drummer, has a knitting addiction.

Hmm.... i wonder if these two things are related (or true, for that matter).

Anyway, Johnny was maniacally bouncing around, not a lot of talking... or any engagement of the crowd for that matter. To tell you the truth, it was slightly boring. Specifically, I'm talking about the long, self-indulgent rendition of In The City, which went on for about 7 hours (give or take a couple of hours). It's possible though, that it was because I'd seen it all before.

Overall, despite my short attention span, Razorlight do put on an excellent and entertaining performance.

Kaiser Chiefs

The band i was actually there to see, however, were the Kaiser Chiefs. These guys never disappoint and were true to form. It's simply beautiful, the way in which young (I say young, but secretly hope he's older than me) Ricky Wilson engages the crowd; gets everyone riled up. I thought I was sure to cop a fondle this time (after missing out last time when he "crowd surfed from the stage to the back bar at the Metro theatre) after he was carried him on their shoulders as far as the barrier in the middle of the lower floor of the Enmore and proceeded to "crowd surf" back, but alas... no.

Brilliant show, completely unpretentious. Never Miss A Beat, The Angry Mob, Good Days Bad Days, Everyday I love You Less and Less, Ruby..... all sing-a-long-able tunes. Ricky getting slowly more trollied as the night went on, culminating in dragging one of the shirtless yobs up on to the stage, only to be hoisted onto his shoulders. Gold. The only unfortunate thing about it was the borderline view of the guys front bits (and the not so borederline view of his arse).... oh and that the drum stick that was aimed at his arse crack by drummer, Nick Hodgson, missed it's target.

I don't know about you, or anyone else, but to me, The Kaiser Chiefs transport me out of Australia, back to England, specifically the Northern half of England. Laid back... with a pint and a sausage butty (*shudder*).... or specifically a seedy student bar in Preston.... but we don't need to go there!

So next time, when you think.... "deary me, $90 for a band", if it's the Kaiser Chiefs... say "Yes, please!".

For more info and other treats, pop long to their website

Hang on! What happened to Temper Trap? Ripped off!

See you later.

Sally
sally@weheartmusic.com

Kaiser Chiefs at Enmore Theatre, Sydney (31 Mar 2009)

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Flashback: Farewell Milwaukee at the Fine Line Music Cafe, Minneapolis (20 Mar 2009)

Read More Farewell Milwaukee After tour opener, LA-based singer LP, had to pull out due to a meniscus knee injury, locals Farewell Milwaukee ably filled in with a 30 min. set of pleasant Americana rock …

Farewell Milwaukee is not actually from Milwaukee, or are they from Montreal. As usual, Lara & Kate chase this real mystery, over at the Fine Line Music Café on March 20, 2009.

>>>
I like to begin reviews with a clever anecdote to draw in my readers. It’s fun for everyone, but especially fun for me because I consistently amuse myself. When Farewell Milwaukee played the Fine Line, I knew singer Ben Lubeck looked really familiar; not in the sense that I had stalked him on Facebook or met him IRL (In Real Life) or even that I’d seen the band perform before (I had). The reason why he looked familiar is because he is Shaggy from Scooby-Doo. I kid you not, readers; Ben Lubeck is tall, lanky, shaggy-haired Shags. The resemblance is uncanny, although I sincerely hope that he doesn’t take offense by this comment (I don’t know why he would since Shaggy drove an amazing green van AND solved mind-boggling mysteries).

Farewell Milwaukee may not frequent haunted houses searching for ne’er-do-wells and secret treasure maps or whatever, but they do make sprawling roots rock, which is basically the same. The band was born “Montreal” about five years ago, released one album, briefly split to dwell and deliberate, reappearing in 2008 with a new name and a new direction. “Farewell Milwaukee” is homage to the boys’ Midwest loyalty (interestingly, I like to call Milwaukee the “Montreal of Wisconsin,” for its diversity of things to do and the fact that there are things to do). The band is comfortably settled in, going so far as to state that “while most bands are fleeing their homes for the coastal cities of New York and Los Angeles, [they embrace] the role that their Midwestern towns have played in shaping them artistically.” As artists, their music has a slight twang that could probably be attributed to that indefinable Midwestern panache. A friend of mine, who lives on the East Coast, is always quick to point out that Minnesota’s music scene is comprised of bands with a distinct, unifying sound; regardless of whether a musician labels himself as “indie rock” versus “Americana” there’s something, some common connector, that appeals to everyone.

Farewell Milwaukee has this something in spades. I’d say that their crowd-draw feature is beautiful, flawless harmonization. Seriously, these fellas know how to drop a jaw. There was a moment during the show when all five musicians took the mic, a capella style, and a sort of a collective hush grabbed the audience, as if everyone was unconsciously holding their breath (I’m 99% certain there was at least one person doing the eyes-closed-in-the-groove sway). This mass stimulation speaks highly of the band’s chemistry, not only on stage, but as technical artists. At the risk of sounding like an after school special “moral of the week,” I want to point out that even the casual music fan can tell when a band has a positive relationship—they’re either in sync or off balance; no amount of practice can mask ambivalence (obvious, right?).

It pleases me to emphasize that Shags and the gang sound every bit the handsome gentlemen that they are, even when lying to ladies (“Liar”). Dressed like average dudes, their tunes are accessible, with a comfortable, familiar base appeal (music like this is timeless; perhaps it’s called “Americana” because there will always be a place for rustic, dirty-pretty rock in American culture, East Coast naysayers be damned). I think that the climactic quality of “Liar” sticks the most, but “Make ‘Em Smile” is an equally strong track, from its stark opening to Lubeck’s wistful vocals. Lyrically, the songs don’t deviate much from love, heartbreak and life woes (the holy triptych of songwriting), but sincerity lends itself to unanimity—we can all relate to these themes—and the live presentation is what’s going to solidify the band’s talents.

Farewell Milwaukee is Ben Lubeck (vocals, guitar), Adam Lamoureux (vocals, Hammond, Wurlitzer, piano, Rhodes, mandolin), Aaron Markson (vocals, guitar, mandolin), Brad Fox (drums, percussion), and Kyle Magstadt (bass). The band has local shows this month, playing April 16 at the Hexagon Bar in Minneapolis. For more information on shows, or to stay updated on the release of their first full-length album, “Autumn Rest Easy,” visit their website.

Farewell Milwaukee at the Fine Line Music Cafe, Minneapolis (20 Mar 2009) photo by Kate

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Flashback: Eleni Mandell at Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (27 Mar 2009)

Setlist My Twin Artificial Fire Little Foot Personal Tiny Waist Cracked Bigger Burn Front Door I Love Planet Earth It Wasn't the Time (It Was the Color) Needle and Thread Pauline Two Faces Read More Eleni Mandell In stark contrast, Eleni Mandell took the stage with nothing but a blue dress and her small guitar. The last time I saw Mandell at the Cedar, she had a full band. Do I prefer a full backing band? There are pros and cons. … Haley Bonar Since 2003 The Size of Planets, Haley Bonar has been the staple Minneapolis singer/songwriter for years, even when she moved to Portland, Oregon, in 2009! … Daniel Martin Moore Golden Age is the new album from Daniel Martin Moore. The Jim James* produced album will come out October 9th via Sofaburn Records. We last saw DMM at the Cedar Cultural Center …

The Eleni Mandell show at the Cedar Cultural Center on March 27, 2009, was the first post-SXSW show… so we were still trying to recover from the massive music festival. It didn’t help that Minneapolis was very cold and expecting a bad blizzard… it’s a very different environment from perfect weather Austin, Texas.

>>>
It's a chilly night. Come on Minnesota, it's very late March, why am I still wearing a jacket? Even Eleni Mandell admitted that she hoped to survive her travel through the midwest due to a possible upcoming blizzard (tomorrow).

We'll get to Mandell later, first up was folkster Daniel Martin Moore with his acoustic guitar and collection of friends (including the world's quietest drums). Highlight from his set is his cover of "Smile" - originally composed by Charlie "The Tramp" Chaplin song, but made famous by Nat King Cole in the mid-50s. Moore's version features a piano, played by his brother, who apparently lives in Minnesota.

The other highlight was a secret appearance by Haley Bonar who showed up to sing backup. People may remember that I personally chose Bonar's song, "The Queen Of Everything", to represent a bunch of wonderful Minnesota bands and singers.

The thing about the Cedar Culture Center is that every time I go here, it seems the audience are all NPR members. Sometime there are young people, but not tonight. This is not a knock against the Cedar, it's just a warning for you to expect a pretty low-key, sit-down night. The benefit is that instead of a noisy bar atmosphere, the venue is perfect for actually listening to the band as they play. And every noise and note can be heard... So yeah, a wonderful place to hear the band.

Setlist

Eleni Mandell took the stage with her guitar and played two songs solo (which are actually not listed on the official set list), before being joined on stage by the rest of the band.

Half way into "Artificial Fire", Nigel had problems with his bass... which lead to about 10 minutes of awkwardness as the Cedar sound guy ran backstage to get another bass guitar. This led to Mandell talking about how they've been on the road since 7am from Chicago, Illinois.

Mandell remained talkative at certain songs, explaining how she tried to kiss this man, who pulled back and had no idea she was in love with him. She called the song "Tiny Waist", after something he had said to her.

They mostly stuck to new songs (because she loved them so much), with a few exceptions. I thought "Pauline" (from her 2000 album Thrill) sounded amazing towards the end.

It should also be noted that Jeremy Drake is a very excellent guitarist, with his wonderful guitar-playing and foot pedals and warped/spacey sounds.

Eleni Mandell at the Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (27 Mar 2009)

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Asus ROG Strix G15: Electro Punk Gaming Laptop

ROG Strix G15: Electro Punk ASUS - ROG Strix G15 15.6" Gaming Laptop The ROG Strix G15 Electro Punk embodies streamlined design, offering a formidable core experience for serious gaming and multitasking on Windows 10. Featuring up to the latest 10th Gen Intel Core CPU and a NVIDIA GeForce GPU, it offers high-FPS power that takes full advantage of up to a blazing fast display Game at Professional Speed: An ultrafast 144Hz refresh rate makes the flow of fast-paced action look impeccably smooth and reduces motion blur for precision target tracking. ROG Intelligent Cooling: ROG's Intelligent Cooling philosophy mixes the right features and system settings to ensure the best experience. Performance is boosted with cutting-edge enhancements like liquid metal compound on the CPU and a well-ventilated exterior that keeps noise levels lower than the last generation. Comprehensive Connectivity: Get blazing fast transfers at Gen 2 speeds via the USB 3.2 Type-C with DisplayPort 1.4, or connect an ROG G-SYNC monitor for silky smooth gaming. Three Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports are ready for your favorite gaming gear, while HDMI 2.0b allows you to enjoy content on a 4K monitor or TV at up to 60Hz. Reliable Wi-Fi: Ultrafast Intel Wi-Fi 6 with Gig+ (802.11ax) lets you game reliably at LAN speeds wherever compatible connections are available. Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+) enables a peak interface bandwidth up to 2.4Gbps.* Windows 10 Home Edition 15.6" Full HD display 144Hz (1920 x 1080) 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10750H mobile processor (6-core) 8GB system memory 512GB Solid State Drive (PCI-e) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 TI (4GB GDDR6) Virtual Reality Ready Weighs 5.29 lbs. and measures 1" thin HDMI output Wireless/Wired connectivity (WiFi 6 - 802.11 ax) RGB backlit keyboard Headphone/microphone combo jack. Read More MicroSoft Anyway, when I saw that the new MicroSoft’s Surface Pro 7 (with keyboard cover) on sale for $600, I couldn’t pass it up. Currently their price is $700, but MicroSoft’s website is still showing $600. ...

I’ve been quietly looking for a gaming laptop for a while now. Let’s face it, as much as I like the Surface Pro 7, that machine is not capable of playing any modern games. I wasn’t looking to spend too much money, trying to keep it under $1,000, so when I saw this ROG Strix G15: Electro Punk laptop for $899, I couldn’t pass it up. Both New Egg and Walmart are selling this same laptop for over $1,100… so getting the laptop sub-$1k is still a good price.

For those that don’t know, this the Republic of Gamers Strix (ROG Strix) is a gaming laptop brand from ASUS. The G15 or G17 refers to the screen size, at 15 inch and 17 inch, respectively. Personally speaking, for portability, I prefer smaller screens, so I don’t mind the 15 inch, as it keeps the laptop lighter.

You can get the ROG Strix in a variety of colors, for example “Glacier Blue” or Black. This “Electro Punk” version (Black with Neon Pink trims) may actually be part of a bigger rollout of Electro Punk-related products… such as a Cherry Mechanical Keyboard, mouse, and headphones (and headphone stand?). Personally speaking, I probably won’t be buying any of those accessories, simply because I’m not a fan of the color scheme and I already own great products from Razer or Corsair, and they serve their purpose.

In order to keep costs down for the Electro Punk, there are some subpar or missing features. I’ll address some of these things, so you know what or what not to expect.

The laptop is all (or mostly) made out of plastic. It still looks good, but doesn’t have a “premium” look that some aluminum or metal laptops. The plastic looks durable to me, and I like the weird vents and cyberpunk look, so it looks fine to me.

The Electro Punk edition also has only 8GB Ram. The Strix G15 normally has 16GB, so I feel this is a stepdown. The good news is that you can always upgrade the RAM with one of their open Ram slot. I may eventually upgrade the RAM down the road, but for now, it’s not that important to me.

It also a lack of built-in webcam. This is a problem for game streamers, so if you’re one of those, you probably need to avoid this laptop. You can always buy an external USB webcam if you really need one. Most built-in webcam aren’t great anyway, it’s just a matter of convenience.

It doesn’t have a SD card reader, which really sucks… but again, you can always use an external USB dongle. Same goes for DVD/CD-Rom drive… if you need it, you’ll have to buy an external USB drive. That is not a problem for me, simply because I don’t want moving parts in a mobile device.

Keep in mind that not including those things above keeps the retail price to $999, so I think they made the right decision. If they offer a built-in SD Card Reader for $50 more, I would personally pay for the upgrade.

Let’s highlight some of the main features of the Electro Punk.

The best part about this laptop is that it has a 144Hz screen, which is unheard of for a sub-$1000 laptop. What that means is smoother gameplay. For example, it doesn’t matter if your game is outputting 120 frames per seconds if your screen can only show 60Hz (60 frames). You can only take advantage of the fast refresh screen natively on the laptop. If you output to a 4k monitor using the HDMI-out, it can only display 60Hz. I think 60 is fine.

We’re also getting an i7 with 6-core chip. Again, almost unheard of for a budget laptop. Most budget laptops or desktop uses an i5 chip (or i3). The last few computers I’ve had, I have used i5 and never thought it was lacking anything. The i5 chip is fast, so I feel i7 is just going to be better.

You also won’t find this in other laptops, but the 2020 edition of the ROG Strix comes with “Liquid Metal”, which was intended to keep the laptop cool. They use this technology on their high-end laptops, so I’m very happy to see it on their cheapest laptop as well.

I think a lot of people might scoff at the built-in 512GB SSD PCI Express, saying there’s not enough storage. You have to remember that you’re getting this in a budget gaming laptop, so it’s not a surprise that they are cutting corners on storage. The good news is that there are TWO NVME slots on the motherboard. This is amazing. Most modern desktop or laptops only offers one slot. I have already put in a 1TB NVME and plan on putting in another 1TB (for a total of 2.5TB of storage) soon.

That’s not all. We also get a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti graphic card (4GB GDDR6). It’s a mobile version, but it’s still very fast and can handle all my games. In addition, it’s powerful enough to fuel Virtual Reality headsets, like Oculus Rift or HTC Vive. Unfortunately, this is budget Graphic Card, so it’s not going to have the latest “Ray Tracing” technology that all the new GPU cards are touting.

What is funny is that one of the main features that Asus is promoting is that the Electro Punk laptop weighs 5.29 lbs. I feel this is very heavy, but compared to other gaming laptops, 5.29lbs is actually reasonable. The 1" thinness (when closed), is pretty compact for a gaming laptop.

We also get the latest WiFi6 (802.11ax). They could’ve kept it cheap and used an older (and more common) WiFi chip, so I appreciate the latest wireless technology. Unfortunately, my current router does not support the latest 802.11ax, but I like the idea that the laptop can take advantage of a faster WiFi… for future proofing.

You typically don’t see extra RGB light strips in a budget laptop, so what’s nice about the Electro Punk is that there are underlighting in sync with your keyboard RGB lights. It uses the ASUS’ Aura software to control the lights. For example, you can have the light display red when it hits 60 degree Celcius, as a visual indicator that the laptop is hot. There are also games that will take advantage of Aura, maybe flashing lights when you’re low in health or when it spots an enemy.

I do have some minor nitpicks on the laptop. I think the Neon Pink accents might actually discourage this for boys. I mean, why not go for Neon Green or Orange? I think any color would go great with the black. If you ignore the pink, and maybe think of this as a Cyberpunk design, it sort of make sense.

The other annoying thing is that venting fans are loud. They run all the time. I don’t think you can turn these off (even on “Silent Mode”). In a quiet room, you can definitely hear the laptop running.

It’s also expected, but I should reiterate, that you should not run games on this laptop on battery. Not only do games drain the battery incredibly fast (a 30-min session cut the battery by 50%), but games are choppy and doesn’t run very well. If you do light browsing and email, the laptop will probably run for less than three hours… so you’ll always want to bring the power adapter with you.

I definitely recommend the Electro Punk laptop, if you’re in the market for an all-in-one gaming PC solution. You can use it as a laptop, or you can always get an external monitor and workstation dock and treat the laptop as a desktop.

If money is no object to you, Asus advertised an Electro Punk with GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER version, but I’m assuming it will be a lot more expensive than $1,000. Overall, I’ve been very impressed with my Electro Punk and its capabilities.

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Xbox Series vs PlayStation 5

Xbox Series vs PlayStation 5 Read More Xbox One As a weekend gamer, I’ve been following the Xbox One X (formerly known as Xbox Scorpio) for a while. Over the E3 gaming expo weekend, Microsoft … Playstation 4 Last week my PlayStation Network account got hacked/compromised. The person removed my email and added his or her email and took $50 from my bank account (that is tied to my account …

With the console war coming up this Holiday 2020. Let’s talk about the new Xbox Series and PS5… and possibly the dark horse in the race, Nintendo Switch.

The exciting news is that both MicroSoft and Sony have unveiled their pricing: Xbox Series X is $499, Xbox Series S is $299, PS5 is $499, and PS5 (Digital Edition) is $399.

Breaking it down, and looking at the specs on paper, it clearly looks like the Xbox Series X is the winner. There are some major things to consider: it promises backward compatibility with previous software and previous controllers and accessories. That means, if you already own the Xbox One controller and want to use it as a second player controller, you can do that with the S and the X.

The other secret weapon is that Xbox has Xbox Game Pass, which is the “Netflix of Gaming”, where you pay $10 a month and can play over 100 games on its service (including new games). For the price-conscious, particularly with the $299 S model, it’s worth looking into if you’re on a budget.

While the S model does not keep up with its more powerful big brother X, I feel the $299 will be fine for any gamers. For serious players, you’ll probably need to look at the X or PS5, because their games will supposedly run on 4k.

As for storage, believe me, 1TB is not enough for me (experiencing this on my laptop). If you install 10 games, you’re tapped out. I’ve compared speed between NVME and standard Harddrive (USB or IDE) on my computer, and I can, without a doubt, say that NVME is much, much faster (and more reliable).

The only advantage that PS5 will have is that they’ll have exclusive games only playable on their devices. With Xbox, because of its relationship with the PC, their games will always be available on computers (which I appreciate).

There is no news on the Nintendo front, but there’s rumors that they’ll come out with the Nintendo Switch Pro in early 2021. The more powerful portable console will support 4K (I’ll believe it when I see it).

Personally speaking, I will not be buying any “next generation” consoles. I think they all look ugly, particularly the PS5’s design with the fat belly of a disc drive. I hate the name “Xbox Series X or S”. It sounds stupid. Games for these new consoles will also cost $69.99 each ($10 more than previous generation). Plus, I barely touch my Xbox One or PS4 for over a year, since I’ve gotten a great gaming PC and laptop. That doesn’t mean that I won’t be following and seeing who will win this console war this Holiday 2020.

Here’s the breakdown - green is good:

Compare	Xbox Series S	Xbox Series X	PS5 (Disc/Digital)
Price:	$299.99	$499	$399/$499
Release Date:	10 Nov 2020	10 Nov 2020	12 Nov 2020
Optical Disc	None	Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD, CD	None / Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD
CPU/GPU	AMD 8-core Zen 2; 3.6 GHz, 3.4 GHz with SMT	AMD 8-core Zen 2; 3.8 GHz, 3.6 GHz with SMT	AMD 8-core Zen 2, variable frequency, up to 3.5 GHz
Memory	10GB of GDDR6 SDRAM	16GB of GDDR6 SDRAM	16 GB GDDR6 SDRAM
Storage	512 GB NVMe SSD (with Storage Expansion Card option)	1 TB NVMe SSD (with Storage Expansion Card option)	825 GB SSD (with upgradeable NVMe M.2 SSD, or external USB-based HDD)
Resolution	Up to 1440p	Up to 4K	Up to 4K
Backward Compatible	Games (limited), works with previous controllers and accessories	Games, works with previous controllers and accessories	Games (limited), does not work with previous controllers

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Flashback: Resplandor / BELL / Asobi Seksu at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (07 Mar 2009)

Read More Asobi Seksu I’m sure I don’t need to remind Asobi Seksu fans that the band’s name roughly translates as “fun sex,” so I won’t, even though I did. Teeny tiny Yuki (small singer night!) is Asian (obvious) and they all call New York home. Olga Bell This Thursday welcomes Moscow-born, Brooklyn-based composer/performer Olga Bell (best known for her work with Dirty Projectors) as she world premieres Krai, a nine-movement song cycle described as a sonic love letter …

Besides from the Yellow Fever that Asobi Seksu brought to the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis on March 7, 2009, it should be noted that this was Olga Bell’s first tour. She’s billed simply as BELL, but that name was quickly dropped (probably because it’s just a common name and hard to look up).

As usual, Lara & Kate do their best to send the most wonderful concert review.

>>>
Hey ya’ll (that’s an homage to Vu’s travels down south). I’m sorry, this review is grossly overdue, please don’t be a hater. Fortunately, this was an interesting night, and besides the wealth of minors that obstructed my view, the music was pretty good. Let’s talk about the music.

Openers Resplandor are from Peru, not Beirut*.

Hopefully this doesn’t sound like I’m making a cultural stereotype, but all five members of Resplandor had that dark, brooding elegance that I associate with South America. Similarly, their music was also dark, brooding, and slightly off-putting. Singer Aracelli Fernandez is just a wee thing up on stage; all crazy with the hair and the New Age hand movements. The band lists a lot of shoegaze influences, like My Bloody Valentine and the Stone Roses, but if I were to belittle their artistic merit with inane categorization I’d call it “Innocuous Art Rock,” meaning they lacked that careful balance between humdrum drone and ephemeral brilliance that My Bloody Valentine, for example, achieved in aces.

I’d say Resplandor has potential, which isn’t meant to be condescending in the way you might call something bland “nice,” just a courteous suggestion to push forward (after all, this is certainly the genre to challenge conventions). Resplandor has a few summer dates in Toronto (NXNE music festival).

The crowd had probably doubled by the time BELL came on, an irrelevant statistic (nobody ever shows up early) that, in the moment, seemed odd, since I assumed BELL’s following would be minimal. I guess I was wrong (and also not cool).

Fellas: Olga Bell is a cutie.

Half-way through BELL’s set Kate admitted that the smiley singer’s stage persona was sort of unsettling (because she seemed happy and to be enjoying herself), a sad statement on today’s bitter frown-y music scene. Why do we find comfort in vulgarity and self-loathing? Why are pleasant, well-adjusted artists turn-offs? Something to explore in therapy, I suppose. But since music can be therapy, I will freely disclose that Bell’s smiling made me smile. So what if her clear, soaring vocals channeled early Bjork? So what, We Heart Music. BELL’s thing (her je ne sais quoi) was so charming that every snide aside I felt obligated to share just went “poof” when she pulled out that cute little mini-keytar! And, you know, the girl kind of kicked ass.

Despite this being their first tour, the band sounded sharp—Bell on keyboard, doing her samples and loop-de-looping and blippity blipping, her two drummers adding a necessary and impressive rhythmic oomph—the result was effective. I know BELL inspired at least one dude in the room to shake his groove thang because he did so right behind me. If a band can make the whitest white man gyrate his hips in such an alarming, graceless, amazing way, while simultaneously drinking a pint of beer, then that band can probably say “we’ve made it.”

BELL will be starting the East Coast leg of her tour at the end of April.

Asobi Seksu sex you

I’m sure I don’t need to remind Asobi Seksu fans that the band’s name roughly translates as “fun sex,” so I won’t, even though I did. Teeny tiny Yuki (small singer night!) is Asian (obvious) and they all call New York home. So, sexy name + Asian singer + New York ÷ Minnesota = A LOT of underage Asian girls + their white boyfriends. Seriously, Asian invasion.

Resplandor and BELL may have brought the young and hip, but Asobi Seksu brought the fever: YELLOW FEVER. And let me tell you, Yuki rocked it. Right away the audience was treated to a full dose of pint-size fury, as Yuki thrashed about on stage, barely visible over the top of the microphone stand. The combination of her dreamy, albeit often indecipherable voice and the forceful instrumentation was impressive live (studio polish really doesn’t befit these noisy bands). It’s hard not to get wrapped up in the wave of sound, as it basically crushes that small part of your brain that responds to creative stimulation; conversely, the same effect makes it difficult to consciously distinguish one sound wave from another. A few times during the night I lost my train of listening and drifted (something that is neither good nor bad).

Happily, Asobi Seksu played favorites from Citrus (i.e. “Strawberries,” “Thursday”) along with selections from their new album Hush, including the first single “Me & Mary.” The band is currently on tour.

* When the band introduced themselves I thought they said ‘Beirut’ instead of ‘Peru,’ so I loudly remarked “Beirut! Zach Condon eat your heart out!” or something equally tactless. Now I am embarrassed for myself.

Bell at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (07 Mar 2009) photo by Kate

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Flashback: AA Bondy / Dent May at the 400 Bar, Minneapolis (05 Mar 2009)

Read More AA Bondy I was kind of surprise to see that AA Bondy was the opening act. Clearly his Americana/folksy/rootsy music sounds nothing like CWK's sound of energetic youth indie rock! Still, playing in front of several sold-out shows, might help spread words around - even though the audience wasn't there for him. Dent May Dent May knows he sorta-kinda-maybe sounds like Jens Lekman, thank you very much. He also gets the Stephen Merritt reference, and although the mild-mannered Mississippi native is flattered by the association, … Joe January This Thursday, Feb. 5, Joe January (formerly of Planes for Spaces) is kicking off a month-long residency at the 400 Bar in anticipation of the release of Broken Record, his debut solo album. Joe’s niche seems to be rooted in the classics: classic rock, a little folk-y, a little East Village troubadour …

Joe January photo by Brody

Lara and Kate didn't mentioned it, but Joe January opened this show. This wasn't a surprise, considering that January had a month-long residency at the 400 Bar, and was probably available well into March. All photos by Brody.

As for the rest of the show on March 5, 2009, we were mostly there to cover Dent May (billed as Dent May and His Magnificent Ukulele). The headliner was AA Bondy, who previously opened up for Cold War Kids (a very odd pairing). And speaking of odd pairing, it would seem that May and Bondy are truly the 21st century odd couple. Read on!

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Dent May knows he sorta-kinda-maybe sounds like Jens Lekman, thank you very much. He also gets the Stephen Merritt reference, and although the mild-mannered Mississippi native is flattered by the association, it’s obvious he wants to distance himself just enough to establish his own niche. It makes sense, though, the comparisons; all three artists share a tongue-in-cheek humor that glorifies a very specific eccentricity—a silly reverence for serious subject matter and an almost-cutesy collection of cultural references. On top of that, May plays a ukulele, one of four instruments that are funny simply by existing (the other three are the kazoo, the recorder and the rain stick; the keytar was also hilarious until hipsters embraced it).

Dent May opened for A.A. Bondy on Thursday at the 400 Bar. It’s an interesting pairing: May with his magnificent ukulele and songs about Michael Chang; Bondy with his average-sized guitar and songs about heroin. When May stepped on stage he looked like a used bookstore employee/lover of Tron; when Bondy stepped on stage he looked like maybe he’d had a rough night. A 21^st century odd couple, wherein May’s neurotically specific prose complements Bondy’s sloppy-sad loner blues, and the rest is beautiful history.

After all, who writes about Michael Chang (“God Loves You, Michael Chang”)? Obviously, the same person who bemoans the banality of being an understimulated intellectual stuck in a small town (and stuck in apathy): “college town boy get off your ass and do something / college town boy, how does it feel to be nothing?” It hurts in a familiar way, doesn’t it? I remember when I graduated college with a stupid art degree and was forced to get a “real job” and, as a result, essentially wasted four years of private education to collate paper. This must be why May’s music is appealing to us average, middle-class Midwesterners: we’re the new breed of Benjamin Braddock—dissatisfied with life for no valid reason; bored because we have too many options, none of which require much effort or struggle (the idea of blood, sweat and tears is romantic, but getting our hands dirty is gross). When May sings “I’m over, being sober / I’m an alcoholic / I think I’ll get drunk tonight” (“I’m An Alcoholic”) it doesn’t have the same weight as when Bondy sings “Sweet, sweet heroin / won’t you be all mine / I don’t want to feel a thing / want nothing on my mind” (“Vice Rag”). This is my one criticism of May: occasionally his kitschy wit borders on tacky; and while satire is always a little derisive, it’s more effective if the satirist is truly a part of the group he’s mocking, and May seems just on the outskirts of authenticity.

However, believability aside, May certainly charmed the crowd, what with his adorable smallness, dorky-cool spectacles, crazy stage antics (jumping! While holding his ukulele!), and a genuinely feel-good aura. By the time Bondy took the stage and strummed his first bleak note, the small standing room was full and the overall mood had changed.

I was immediately reminded of that period in my life when I would drive around the lakes late at night—one continuous loop around and around, chain smoking, listening to Dusty in Memphis, and doing a lot of non-thinking thinking (you know, when your brain totally mellows but you still feel anxious); watching Bondy brought back those feelings, which sounds far too emo to take seriously, but I’m serious. I was there, man. I think this explains my current infatuation with “new” Americana/gothic alt-country folk (some day I’m going to find a perfectly succinct term for “new Americana gothic alt-country folk”; not this day). Although lyrically Bondy describes a world-weariness that comes with painful experience, the honesty and blunt poetics are capable of tugging even the purest heart. Ignoring the fact that Bondy used to front the Nirvana-esque grunge band Verbena, I’ll say this too: where May lacked some hard-luck legitimacy, Bondy completely pulled off the “I caught my wife cheating on me, my truck broke down, I have $2 in change, how much for a swill of the cheap stuff?” look. Perhaps it was the disjointed between-song rambling; rambling never implies a confident, sober, emotionally sound psyche (I wish I could remember, verbatim, the unintentionally amusing things that came out of his mouth). Whatever the reason, thank you A.A. (and also thank you, Dent) for helping me to confront cheerless self-realizations and loserish tendencies. It’s like discount therapy (with beer).

Dent May + magnificent ukulele are currently on tour with AC Newman (through mid-March) followed by SXSW and a mini-tour with Animal Collective (!). Unfortunately, for Bondy fans, it seems his only upcoming show is Bonnaroo in June. For more information on either musician, see links to their respective websites and Myspace below.

Addendum: my concert date, Kate, would like it to be known, throughout the e-world, that she would not refuse sex from any of Dent May’s band members, if they offer.

Dent May and His Magnificent Ukulele at the 400 Bar, Minneapolis (05 Mar 2009) photo by Brody

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Flashback: Blitzen Trapper at First Avenue, Minneapolis (18 Feb 2009)

Read More Blitzen Trapper Blitzen Trapper will be taking over the First Avenue main room on Sunday, October 4th and you will definitely want to be there. I have never been able to see these …

I have seen Blitzen Trapper at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis on July 29, 2007.

Blitzen Trapper at Triple Rock Club, Minneapolis (29 July 2007)

I can say it now, but when I saw them at the Triple Rock, it wasn’t a very good turnout, due to the fact it was a Sunday night. The band was really late to the venue because of roadwork on Highway 61. It wasn’t the band’s finest hour, especially going on cold without a soundcheck.

Fortunately, for Lara’s show, at First Avenue, on February 18, 2009, the show was “packed”...

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Originally scheduled to perform at the Varsity Theatre in Minneapolis, Blitzen Trapper outdid themselves with fan-age and the show was moved to the much larger First Ave. “Danceteria.” Even so, the club was packed—not packed in the fun way, when a girl can casually rub against a sweaty young hipster and still play coy, but packed like a big awkward sardine tin, with the majority of the crowd standing, immobile, clutching Red Stripes and sort of doing the head bob. Weird, huh. I mean, Blitzen Trapper are certainly no Dance Band, but you’d think they’ve earned a few arm thrusts, maybe some leg spasms, at least a pogo or two (the shit’s going to rain on me for that comment; pogo = bad)*.

Blitzen Trapper have been described as “experimental folk,” but I say this with a smirk, as it seems these days, any band that writes lyrics concerning farms or hills or serial killers is deemed “folk-y”**. Similarly, any band that uses synth as a garnish (and not as a main course, a la New Wave/proponents of New Wave), gets a broad ‘experimental’ tagged onto their name. Thus, “experimental folk” is born; though, I have some problems with calling a band whose frontman occasionally enters the Tom Petty sing-talk-groove territory “experimental.” 2008’s Furr may have folk-ish tendencies, but it also rocks (kinda) hard (“Sleepytime in the Western World” sounds positively 70s and makes me think of being inside some dive and throwing a drink in a man’s face).

On Wednesday, I managed to arrive at First Ave. just as opener Alela Diane was finishing her set (unreliable public transportation; cigarette). Unfortunately for me (and also for Alela Diane fans), the crowd chatter was so obnoxiously loud that instead of music, I heard entire conversations about bangin’ chicks (classy crowd chatter). The talking might not have seemed so obvious had Diane’s vocals and instrumentation been more suited to the large venue (the Varsity would fit her perfectly). It wasn’t her fault, and it wasn’t the crowd’s fault (maybe it was the crowd’s fault a little—give children more space and they feel the need to be unruly); still, the lukewarm beginning did not bode well for the rest of the evening.

By the time Blitzen Trapper took the stage most of the chatter had dissipated. This was the first time I’d seen BT live, but from what I’ve heard, they have a reputation as an inconsistent live act. General consensus within the blogging community has been ambivalence—this was not one of their stellar performances. Still, I would hardly call the show bad. For now I’ll give them the benefit of doubt: switching to a big, dirty historic concert hall from a smaller, curtain-festooned, lounge setting could potentially be vexing. I enjoyed live versions of “Not Your Lover,” “Black River Killer” (my favorite strange little gothic country narrative), and the abovementioned “Sleepytime in the Western World.” The band looked good (I made a comment about how singer Eric Earley sort of looks like Jeff Tweedy from a great, great, great distance), sounded good, played good. It was one of those “good” shows: no surprises, no special energy, no funny in-between song jokes, no extra credit. A solid B show (B- if you factor in the apathetic crowd).

Blitzen Trapper is currently on tour with Alela Diane supporting. The next few dates are East Coast shows; for more information, visit their Myspace or Website.

*At one point during the show I did notice that somewhere in the horizon, near the stage, far from our standing place, a small group of girls were doing something that resembled dancing!

**I’ve done it. More than once.

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Flashback: Fujiya and Miyagi at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (11 Feb 2009)

Read More School of Seven Bells School of Seven Bells (aka SVIIB) got their name from some PBS program about some "mythical South American pick-pocket academy", as mentioned on their their interview/music session on KCRW (incidentally, check out KCRW's vox page). Although Alejandra have admitted to not being able to verify the name…

It’s really a shame that I missed this show, as I am a big fan of School of Seven Bells… but I was under obligation to cover K’Naan on this same night over at the Varsity Theater, as a favor to Lara (who probably went to the SO7B show this night).

If you didn’t know, Fujiya & Miyagi came out of Brighton, England, and is an all-male British band (they’re not Japanese). They are named after a record player maker, Fujiya and Mister Miyagi from The Karate Kid.

Oddly enough, in a “Flashback” article… F&M’s last album Flashback came out in 2019.

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After a long day of schmoozing and being obnoxiously charming, I couldn’t have looked forward to Fujiya & Miyagi’s show any more than I did. (My real job involves niceness.) Turning F&M way, way up on the drive into Minneapolis, I was itching to dance and be in the company of friends. And luckily, in this case, the build-up made the delivery deliciously satisfying.

School of Seven Bells opened up the sold-out show. I’d heard them on the radio a few times before and was entertained but not intrigued. Never had that urge to Wikipedia them or play hooky in order to pick up their album. And, for me, that feeling carried over to their live performance. Identical twins, Alejandra and Claudia Dehez, are gorgeous and have the voices to match; guitarist Benjamin Curtis is obviously very talented (and under-utilized, in my opinion) but their set, on the whole, left me with a general feeling of indifference. If I can say this without sounding like an after-school special, I think SoSB has enormous potential and just doesn’t realize it yet. Keep your eye on them, though.

Surprisingly, the crowd thinned out a little after School, which was alright with me since I couldn’t see nor breathe.

Let’s move on to shakin’ it.

Fujiya & Miyagi. Yes, yes, yes. The fine English gentlemen opened with “Sore Thumb,” a scene-setting song from their most recent release, “Lightbulbs.” A song that says, “You’re going to need your sexy dance pants for us.” And that crazy talkin’ song speaks the truth. Next up was “Ankle Injuries” from 2007’s Transparent Things, featuring (gasp!) a real, live drummer! Prior to this tour, F&M were a trio with a drum machine. The addition of said drummer, Lee Adams, was a wise choice, resulting in fuller, cruder sound (there is such a thing as too precisely perfect, you know).

With that excellent and promising start, the boys led us through an evening of spellbinding entertainment, perfectly transitioning from high energy crowd-pleasers to stare-off-into-space soundtracks to your silly little daydreams. Both Lightbulbs and Transparent Things were well represented. And with the crowd being so tight, the sound being so together and my hips having a mind of their own, I felt like I had invited all of my friends (and their friends and their friends) into my living room for a spontaneous drunken dance party. Something about this show felt more intimate, more comfortable than most. I guess that’s what happens when everything comes together perfectly: David Best’s sultry whispers and complex guitar work, Steve Lewis’ hard beats and fancypants technological skills, Matt Hainsby’s hot bass grooves, and an overcrowded room of eager hipsters. Damn.

Fujiya & Miyagi are not the guys to listen to when you want to relive your most recent break-up or explore your sensitive side. I don’t think most people could say they feel an ‘emotional connection’ to this noise but I prefer it that way. Sometimes you need to turn your head off and move.

This is music you feel in your tailbone; these are songs that dare you to stand still; this rhythm is seriously going to get you (yeah, I just said that).

Fujiya and Miyagi are on tour in support of 2008’s Lightbulbs. Don’t miss them if you can help it.

Tour dates can be found on their Myspace page at: myspace.com/fujiyaandmiyagi.

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