W♥M

Minneapolis: March 1 to March 4, 2019

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from March 1 to March 4, 2019.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

Teenage Fanclub 2019 Tour Read More Teenage Fanclub Can you believe that it’s been more than six years since Teenage Fanclub last toured? Don’t miss their upcoming rare Minneapolis appearance this Saturday, October 22nd. The last time they were in Minneapolis … Love Language Who needs some Love Language? You can currently stream their new record Ruby Red on spotify. These indie rockers from North Carolina put on a show! I caught them three years ago at the Circle Bar in New Orleans. …

TEENAGE FANCLUB
+ The Love Language
Varsity Theater
Mon 03/04/2019 (7pm/$22)
varsitytheater.com

Scottish alternative band Teenage Fanclub will be back in the Minneapolis area this Monday,
03/4th.

Last year, the band announced that Gerard Love left the group, so joining the band on this 2019 tour will be Euros Childs on keyboards and vocals with Dave McGowan now playing bass and vocals.

We’ll miss McGowan, as the last time we saw the band was in October 2016 (were touring in support of their then-new 2016 album Here), we wrote about how he was the third singer: “The thing to know about Scottish band Teenage Fanclub is that they actually have three main singers and songwriters: Norman Blake, Raymond McGinley, and Gerard Love. That’s quite evident by the first three songs (‘Start Again’, ‘Sometimes I Don't Need to Believe in Anything’, and ‘Verisimilitude’), which saw three different lead vocalist.”

Teenage Fanclub will be bringing along North Carolina’s The Love Language (led by Stuart McLamb). We saw the band all the way back in April 2009 and said, “The Love Language, a six-member troop hailing from Raleigh, North Carolina, proved to be ideal openers for the somewhat more polished Headlights. Stuart McLamb, lead singer and wearer of dilapidated wife-beaters, charmed the stoic audience with his off-beat lyrics and undeniably catchy melodies. There seemed to be an endless supply of tambourines, an occasional accordion, and when Missy the keyboardist started dancing around barefoot, it seemed wholly appropriate. Their entire set gave off the vibe of an indie pop country hoedown. ”

Teenage Fanclub on tour:

Feb 25 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore ^
Feb 26 Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom^
Feb 27 Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom^
Mar 02 Denver, CO – Bluebird^
Mar 04 Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater^
Mar 05 Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre^
Mar 06 Chicago, IL – Metro^
Mar 07 Detroit, MI – El Club^
Mar 08 Toronto, ON – Phoenix Concert Theatre^
Mar 09 Montreal, QC – Petit Campus^
Mar 11 Boston, MA – Paradise Theatre^
Mar 13 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom^
Mar 14 Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall ^
Mar 15 Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer^
Mar 16 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club^
Mar 18 Saxapahaw, NC – Haw River Ballroom ^*

^ w/ The Love Language
* w/ Eric Bachmann

Other shows in the area:

Julia Holter at Turf Club Thumpasaurus at 7th Street Parcels at 7th Street Minnesota Bluegrass Winter Weekend 2019 James Blake at Palace Theatre Read More Julia Holter Julia Holter new album Loud City Song just dropped this week (August 20th) via Domino Records. You can check out the new single from the album, "In the Green Wild", right now on YouTube. .… James Blake "Joni Mitchell never lies...", so says the Janet Jackson/Q-Tip song and UK electronic-based singer-songwriter James Blake can attest to that. He met Mitchell after an L.A. show at the Troubadour …

JULIA HOLTER
+ Jessica Moss
Turf Club
Fri 03/01/2019 (8pm/$15)
turfclub.net

Julia Holter is touring in support of Aviary. We saw the singer in Sept 2013 and mentioned, “You can tell that Holter love those old orchestra/big band/jazz sound from an earlier era, as she produced that type of genre with her band, consisting of saxophone, cello, violin, keyboard, and drums. Although the music was fantastic, I only hope that Holter can take it to the next level and sing to a Benny Goodman-esq big band of 20 or more players.”

Tour dates:

Feb 24 - La Sala Rossa, Montreal *
Feb 26 - The Great Hall, Toronto *
Feb 27 - El Club, Detroit Tickets *
Feb 28 - Thalia Hall, Chicago *
Mar 1 - Turf Club, St. Paul *
Mar 4 - Imperial, Vancouver ^
Mar 5 - Doug Fir, Portland ^
Mar 6 - Neumos, Seattle ^
Mar 8 - Great American Music Hall, San Francisco ^
Mar 9 - Lodge Room, Los Angeles ^
Mar 10 – The Loft, San Diego State University, San Diego ^

* Support from Jessica Moss
^ Support from Tess Roby

THUMPASAURUS
7th St Entry
Fri 03/01/2019 (10:30pm/$12)
first-avenue.com

L.A. punk-funk outfit Thumpasaurus will be headlining the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis on Friday, March 1st. In true punk fashion, no opening band listed or showtime shows 10:30pm!

Tour dates:

02/27/2019 Marquis Theater Denver, CO
03/01/2019 7th St Entry Minneapolis, MN
03/08/2019 Great Scott Allston, MA
03/09/2019 Kung Fu Necktie Philadelphia, PA
06/23/2019 Firefly Music Festival

PARCELS
+ Penthouse Boys
7th St Entry
Sat 03/02/2019 (7pm/$15/Sold Out)
first-avenue.com

Berlin-based/Australian band Parcels (not to be confused with The Parcels, a Fresno band) sold out their upcoming 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis (March 2nd).... in fact, the band sold out 99% of their U.S. tour dates for 2019! Not a surprise, considering that the band’s been an overnight success since their hit single “Overnight” (co-written and produced by Daft Punk!) debut on Conan in 2017.

Parcels’ debut self-titled album is available on Kitsuné / Because Music / Caroline Records.

New York City’s Penthouse Boys to open.

Tour Dates:

02.23 Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair
02.25 Montreal, QC - Theatre Fairmount
02.26 Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
02.28 Detroit, MI - El Club
03.01 Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
03.02 Minneapolis, MN - 7th St. Entry *
03.05 Vancouver, BC - Fortune Sound Club
03.06 Seattle, WA - the Crocodile
03.07 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
03.29 Buenos Aires, Argentina - Lollapalooza
03.29 Santiago, Chile - Lollapalooza

BLUEGRASS WINTER WEEKEND
Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West
Fri 03/01/2019
Sat 03/02/2019
Sun 03/03/2019
minnesotabluegrass.org

The Minnesota Bluegrass Winter Weekend is taking place this weekend: March 1st to March 3rd at Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West in Plymouth, Minnesota.

Price varies, see tickets for details. Lots of bands playing, for full list, go to Schedule.

Below is just an overview:

Saturday night headline concert - 2018 IBMA award winners The Po' Ramblin' Boys!

Long-time Minnesota favorites, this hard working, hard touring band from East Tennessee delivers some great hard driving traditional bluegrass! Hot harmonies, fine picking, and top-notch entertainment explain why they were announced winners of IMBA's prestigious Emerging Artist of the Year in 2018. There will be one show only: 7:00 pm with doors opening at 6:30 with No Man's String Band opening.

The Old-Time Music & Dance Hall: We'll be welcoming special guests The Modock Rounders from West Virginia at this year's Winter Weekend as our featured old-time band. The Dance Hall is a busy place with concerts, workshops, square dances, honky tonk, clogging, and band showcases. Many of the dances are taught and called by professional callers.

Showcase of Bands: More than 40 Minnesota Bluegrass member bands will perform on two stages all three days. Showtimes are 6:00 PM to Midnight on Friday, 10:30 AM to 10:15 PM Saturday, and 9:45 AM to 2:00 PM on Sunday afternoon.

JAMES BLAKE
+ Khushi
Palace Theatre
Mon 03/04/2019 (7pm/$43.50)
palacestpaul.com

Grammy nominee and Mercury Prize winner James Blake is back in time, touring in support of his fourth studio album Assume Form (Republic Records). We caught the Mercury Prize winner in November 2013 and said, “For UK electronic artist James Blake, less is always more. The 25-year old, in promotion for his second and latest full-length, Overgrown (Republic Records) has never felt the need to over-embellish his works or fill in un-necessary notes in the spaces in-between; and in a very sold-out 100 min. performance at Minneapolis’ First Avenue, we saw why he was this year’s recent winner of the coveted Mercury Music Prize.”

Tour Dates:

02/24 New York, NY Terminal 5
02/25 New York, NY Terminal 5
02/27 Toronto, ON Sony Centre
02/28 Montreal, QC L’Olympia
03/02 Royal Oak, MI Royal Oak Music Theatre
03/03 Chicago, IL Riviera Theater
03/04 Saint Paul, MN Palace Theatre
03/08 Portland, OR Roseland Theater
03/09 Vancouver, BC Harbour Convention Centre
03/10 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre
03/12 Oakland, CA Fox Theater
03/15 Pomona, CA Fox Theater
03/16 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Palladium

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

The Music of Mr. Robot Season 2.0

Read More Kenny Rogers "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" is the hit song that put Kenny Rogers on the music map. His band was called The First Edition but was quickly replaced …

After resisting the television show Mr Robot on USA Network, I gave in and watched the first season. It was pretty good, it did remind me of plot from Fight Club... and despite figuring out the “twist” midway into the first season, it was still quite enjoyable.

I recently picked up Season 2 on Bluray, mostly because I had extra cash from the holidays and really wanted to get that Mr Robot patch, exclusive on Best Buy editions.

If you love the show, you might want to check out the original orchestral soundtrack by Mac Quayle.

Anyway, while I’m waiting for Season 3, I have started watching Season 2 again... this time with all the spoiler knowledge, and paid more attention to the music in the show. I knew most of the popular songs they used on Mr Robot, but there were a few (like that Japanese trashcore band Bleach) that I didn’t know, and, of course, none of the music were actually credit in the TV show!

So, if you’re like me and wanted to know all the songs they used in Mr Robot, I have compile the list, thanks to imdb.com:

S02E01: eps2.0_unm4sk-pt1.tc

Lupe Fiasco: Daydreamin'

Emmacy: Beneath the Flowers

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro, K. 492: Overture

S02E02: eps2.0_unm4sk-pt2.tc

Phil Collins: Take Me Home

Vernon Dalhart and Gladys Rice: Till We Meet Again (standard)

Glitterbitch: Game Set Match

The Midi Mafia: You Like Me (feat. Mucho Deniro)

Sonic Youth: Bull in the Heather

I MONSTER: Daydream In Blue

Michael Small Commission and Main Title

S02E03: eps2.1_k3rnel-pan1c.ksd

Dusty Springfield: You Don't Have to Say You Love Me (Elvis Presley cover)

Philip Glass: Opening (Mishima)

The Highwaymen: Highwayman

Jerry Townes: Just Say the Word

Holy F**k: Lovely Allen

Burl Ives: Holly Jolly Christmas

S02E04: eps2.2_init_1.asec

Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star: Basket Case (Green Day cover)

Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra Chorus & David Lloyd-Jones: The Planets, Op. 32: VII. Neptune, the Mystic - (Ed. C. Matthews)

Philharmonia Orchestra, The Ambrosian Singers, John McCarthy & Sir Simon Rattle: The Planets, Op. 32: 7. Neptune, the Mystic (Andante)

Brook Benton: Rainy Night In Georgia

Chromatics: Into the Black (Neil Young cover)

Carol Wincenc, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra & Antoni Wit: Concerto-Cantata, Op. 65: IV. Arioso e corale. Lento - Tranquillo cantabile - Dolce

London Philharmonic Orchestra, David Parry & Finghin Collins: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467: II. Andante

Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross: What Have We Done to Each Other?

S02E05: eps2.3_logic-b0mb.hc

Mac Quayle: 1.0_8-whatsyourask.m4p

Mac Quayle: 1.0_7-waitfortheQ.ogg

Mac Quayle: 1.3_5-da3monsneverstop.caf

S02E06: eps2.4_m4ster-s1ave.aes

Bennett Salvay and Jesse Frederick: Imagine A World Gone Insane

Kool & The Gang: Celebration

The Suffers: Gwan

2Pac: Dear Mama

Television: Guiding Light

Hemline Theory: Slip Me On

S02E07: eps2.5_h4ndshake.sme

Pino Donaggio: Blow Out Theme

The Cramps: Garbageman

Jack Nitzsche: Play the Game

S02E08: eps2.6_succ3ss0r.p12

Portia Doubleday: Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Tears for Fears cover)

Charles Mingus: Haitian Fight Song

The National Bolshoï Orchestra: Danse Macabre

Tears for Fears: Everybody Wants to Rule the World

The Carpenters: Rainy Days and Mondays

Cymande: Dove

Giorgio Moroder: The Apartment

S02E09: eps2.7_init_5.fve

Saint Saviour: This Ain't No Hymn

Public Image Ltd.: The Order of Death

Depeche Mode: Walking In My Shoes

Mac Quayle: DDoS Hacking Song

S02E10: eps2.8_h1dden-pr0cess.axx

Erik Satie: Gnosienne No. I

Bleach (aka Bleach03): The Head That Controls Both Right And Left Sides Eats Meats And Slobbers Even Today (右も左も支配する頭は今日も肉を食いヨダレを垂らす。)

Daft Punk: Armory

S02E11: eps2.9_pyth0n-pt1.p7z

Jimmy Forrest: Night Train

Fess Parker: The Ballad of Davy Crockett (The Wellingtons cover)

The Penguins: Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)

Lindsey Buckingham: Time Bomb Town

Mac Quayle: 1.8_1-imcrazy.aiff

S02E12: eps2.9_pyth0n-pt2.p7z

Kraftwerk: The Hall of Mirrors

Aimee Mann: The Moth

Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton: We've Got Tonight (Bob Seger cover)

Les Deux Love Orchestra: The Moth & The Flame

Kenny Rogers: We've Got Tonight

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Wizard World Chicago Comic Con - Friday show re-cap (22 Aug 2014)

Photo Gallery Cosplay: Ghouls Cosplay: Daft Punk Cosplay: Red Rose Cosplay: Halo Cosplay: Venom, Moon Knight, & Spawn Cosplay: Thor, Hellboy, & Loki Chicago crowd J August Richard Read More Wizard World Comic book, movie, sci-fi, horror, and pop culture fans will again converge in the Midwest as next weekend’s Wizard World Chicago Comic Con takes over the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in suburban Rosemont, IL. …

Friday was the first full day of Wizard World Chicago Comic Con, held at the Donald J. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL, just outside Chicago, and there were plenty of onsite activities to keep busy.

Instead of last year’s two-level set-up, the right and left halves of the main floor had the retailing area, with upstairs and downstairs ballrooms being the site for Panels, Screenings, and Q+A sessions, as previous.  Given that amount of space, it seemed like the largest overall Wizard World convention at the venue, to date.

Comic book-related vendors mostly were placed on one side of the exhibit space, while other pop culture vendors (swords, cosplay accessories, autographs, licensed goods, etc) were on the other side.

Panels of the day included:

• Jason David Frank meet and greet (the original Green/White Power Ranger)
• 1939: Batman’s Beginnings
• Women in Geek Culture
• One-on-One with James Marsters (Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel)
• One-on-one with J. August Riichards (Deathlok in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D TV series)

The Marsters panel included many on-the-set stories from the shows he’s been a part of, as well as anecdotes and answering the fans’ need-to-know questions.

Richards’ panel was full of energy and insightful as well.  He entered the stage holding a pitcher of ice water, teasing the crowd that he would do the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in front of them, but then deferred.  Richards answered fan and moderator questions, including his love of comics growing up, excitement at playing the Deathlok character on TV, and being out of work as an actor for 18 months, until that role came along.

Several in the audience remembered his role on Angel as vampire hunter Charles Gunn, and convinced Richards to tweet Wizard to request an unscheduled Angel panel, to include the other cast members that were also at Wizard World Chicago.

Additionally on the show floor, speed dating sessions, a short film festival, and horror film festival curated by Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead, Army of Darkness, who is on hand as well) were ongoing.

Comic book creators in attendance included Marvel’s Stan Lee, Neal Adams (“Batman,” “Green Lantern”), Leinil Yu (“Hulk,” “Wolverine”), Salvador Larroca (“Avengers vs. X-Men,” “Captain America”), , Mike Zeck (“Spider-Man,” “Punisher”), Marv Wolfman (“DCU Online,” “Crisis on Infinite Earths”) and others, including a handful of up-and-coming Spanish-based artists, flown in to attend for the weekend.

Drummer Peter Criss from Kiss was on hand to sign autographs and meet the fans (though all the presale tickets to do so, were sold out), but unfortunately, his panel/Q+A was cancelled, as was one with Star Trek’s Jonathan Frakes, though other ST:TNG panels did take place.

Longest signing line in the Media Area that we witnessed on Friday, was for Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman in the animated series, for the last 23 years.

Stay tuned for Saturday coverage and show re-cap!

James Marsters at Wizard World Chicago Comic Con (22 Aug 2014)

john (johnc@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com

W♥M175: Europe

W♥M175 (37 mins)

Jess and Brody from W♥M stopped in to talk about their upcoming European trip and what they are expecting. I am hoping to have them cover some shows in London when they are there from May 15th to June 3rd; we'll see how that will work out or not.

Topics we discussed:

News: Daft Punk fourth studio album, Random Access Memories, out on Daft Life/Columbia Records on May 21st, 2013. Personally, I love the French dance/techno duo, been a fan since Homework in 1997. I don't know how successful their new Random Access Memories will be on their own imprint, Daft Life via Columbia Records, but millions of fans will let us know this May.


On Tour: Chicago/Minneapolis trio On an On just announced their spring tour with Savoir Adore (who we covered last year). On an On is one of those bands that got the attention of Jess, who said they look and sound amazing from their recent SXSW appearance.

On an On will kick off their tour in support of Give In this April - which I'm only listing their North American dates below. See their website for more UK and overseas dates.

04/04 - Washington, DC - Rock 'n Roll Hotel
04/05 - Harrisonburg, VA - MacRock Fest
04/06 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
04/08 - Athens, GA - Georgia Theatre Rooftop
04/09 - Atlanta, GA - The Drunken Unicorn
04/11 - Columbus, OH - Rumba Café
04/12 - Toronto, ON - The Drake
04/13 - Montreal, QC - Club Lambi
04/14 - Boston, MA - Church of Boston
04/16 - Burlington, VT - Signal Kitchen
04/18 - New York, NY - Knitting Factory
04/26 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry

Also on tour is Caveman. I've already listed Caveman's tour dates yesterday, so I won't list it here. Jess is excited to see the band this week (Thursday at the Troubadour).

Also, Vu recounts his tragic Caveman story around the time they were on tour for Koko B. Ware.

New Albums: Johnny Marr's The Messenger. See previous article on his tour dates. We all love the Smiths, but can a guitarist make it as a solo artist (note: Johnny Marr + Healers tour and album didn't go too well, but I saw them in 2003). The Stokes's Come Down Machine is coming out tomorrow (March 26th). No one's heard the new album yet, but if you're a fan, you'll definitely want to pick up the Best Buy exclusive which comes with a bonus T-Shirt. Shout Out Louds' new album Optica came out last month on Merge Records.

Palma Violets' 180, according to Brody is the "best album so far." Hey, guess what? It just so happens that Palma Violet is doing a North American tour (and they are stopping by Minneapolis!)

04/12/13 – Indio, CA – Coachella Music and Arts Festival
04/17/13 – Los Angeles, CA – The Echo *
04/19/13 – Indio, CA – Coachella Music and Arts Festival
04/23/13 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
04/30/13 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry
05/01/13 – Chicago, IL – Schuba’s Tavern
05/02/13 – Cleveland Heights, OH – The Grog
05/06/13 – Allston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
05/07/13 – Washington, D.C. – Rock & Roll Hotel
05/08/13 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
05/09/13 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg

Song of the Show: "Only Heather" by Virginia's Wild Nothing, taken from their second album Nocturne (August 28, 2012) via Captured Tracks.

Wild Nothing came highly recommended by both Jess and Brody, so it's a good song to end the show.

The band is currently on tour.

Mar 07 Brisbane - Alhambra Lounge Mar 08 Sydney, NSW - The Oxford Art Factory Mar 09 Meredith, Victoria - Golden Plains Festival Mar 11 Melbourne - The Tote Mar 12 Melbourne - The Toff in Town Mar 15 Tokyo - Astro Hall Mar 18 Liverpool - The Kazimier Mar 19 Manchester - Sound Control Mar 20 Birmingham - Hare & Hounds Mar 21 London - Scala

Mar 23 Paris - Nouveau Casino Mar 24 Lille - L’Aeronef Mar 26 Antwerpen - Muziekcentrum Trix Mar 27 Amsterdam - Bitterzoet Mar 28 Istanbul - Babylon Istanbul Apr 13 + Apr 20 Indio, CA - Coachella May 23 Barcelona - Primavera Sound May 25 London - Field Day May 30 Porto - Optimus Primavera Sound Jun 08 New York, NY - Governor’s Ball

BONUS: Family of the Year, Free Energy, and Dedicate Steve. Fun British terms. Supergrass' "Late in the Day".

Corrections: Bonnet is the car's hood, while the boot is the car's trunk. The Strokes' debut album is called Is This It, not self-titled. Blur and Oasis were rivals, not Blur and Pulp.

--
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Archive of this show at archive.org. More information on podomatic.com

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

UltraChorus – Words Kept Talking (single)

DISCLAIMER:  I’m not fluent in electro-speak.  I can, however, write about a topic that makes no sense to me and it will magically make sense.  Much like how an ambiguously buoyant electrobeat causes legs to move in a crazy way, there is no logical explanation for this gift.

Ultrachorus - Words Kept Talking Ultrachorus See Also Daft Punk http://weheartmus... Have you had a chance to watch this infectious video called Daft Hands - "Harder, Better, Faster...

UltraChorus is Chris Heidman and Jeff Lorentzen, Minneapolis producers with backgrounds in indie rock and old school hip-hop/R&B, respectively.  The pair met in 2005 while working for an artistically-minded billionaire (they exist), made a musical love connection, and formed UltraChorus, a worthy addition to Minnesota’s electro-pop music scene.  Unfortunately, Minnesota’s electro-pop music scene exists mostly in theory and in the minds of the sweat-banded minors that populate First Ave.’s techno/electro dance night.  In a city that favors guitar-driven rock, laidback college jams, and twee art school boy/girl harmonies, is there room for sleek robot jams? 

The benefit of possessing progressive instincts is that the bar for innovation is set comically low.  Any Daft Punk goof with a keyboard can create something appropriate for 17 minutes of uninterrupted epileptic thrashing.  I think one of the reasons why electronic music can feel cold and detached is because of this “homogeny effect,” where one song blends seamlessly into the next and neither have audible distinctions.  This uniformity makes for good dancing, good tripping, suspect fashion decisions, and little else.  It’s encouraging, then, that UltraChorus have shaped a brand of club music that remains relevant off the dance floor.  Listening to their super secret unreleased tracks (tentatively compiled under the just-for-fun moniker Ultra-Def) has been…enlightening, to say the least; while it’s obvious that the duo is rooted in electro-pop traditions, there’s a humanistic element that suggests a man behind the curtain operating the big mechanical beast.

As a band, Heidman and Lorentzen pull from their experiences in the production studio to create smart, complex sound collages that break the fourth wall of electronica by engaging their audience with more than a meticulous beat.  Their debut single, “Words Kept Talking” is equally futuristic as it is pop-accessible, which makes sense, as both musicians cite mainstream influences like Outkast and Ghostface, along with “indie” favorites Velvet Underground and Magnetic Fields.  Both “Words” and its B-side, “Planetman,” generate an oddly nostalgic mood, like watching an old home movie through the wrong end of a telescope (the details are hazy but familiar).  I attribute this ‘shroomy statement to the hint of R&B flavor nestled in with the obligatory blips and bleeps (a deliberate (?) choice that reminds me of junior high “dance offs” in the school gym and also of being young and foolishly smug).  UltraChorus may very well be intellectual, adult electronic artists, but they certainly satiate those googly-eyed youthful cravings.  I imagine that somewhere, in a parallel dimension, where teens gather to groove on moon rocks and touch each other inappropriately, “Words” is playing full blast and the kids are actually paying attention.

“Words Kept Talking” is available on iTunes and limited edition 7” vinyl (to order the 7” visit the band’s Myspace for a direct link).  As of now, UltraChorus is busy, busy, busy recording, but keep posted for news.

 04/01/2009 09:50:08 ♥ lara (/lara206.vox.com) ♥ myspace.com/ultrachorus 

Pass the tongs, would ya?

Triple J Triple J's Hottest 100 1 Muse - Knights of Cydonia  2 Silverchair - Straight Lines  3 Kings Of Leon - On Call  4 John Butler Trio - Better Than  5 Faker - This Heart Attack  6 Foo Fighters - The Pretender  7 Daft Punk - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (live)  8 Cold War Kids - Hang Me Up To Dry  9 Soko - I'll Kill Her  10 The Panics - Don't Fight It  11 Bluejuice - Vitriol  12 The Wombats - Let's Dance To Joy Division  13 Kaiser Chiefs - Ruby  14 Muscles - Ice Cream  15 Powderfinger - Lost And Running  16 Gyroscope - Snakeskin  17 M.I.A - Paper Planes  18 The Presets - The My People  19 Architecture In Helsinki - Heart It Races  20 Kanye West - Stronger  21 Chemical Brothers - The Salmon Dance  22 John Butler Trio - Used To Get High  23 White Stripes - Icky Thump  24 Bloc Party - Hunting For Witches  25 Urthboy - We Get Around  26 Hilltop Hoods - Recapturing The Vibe (Restrung)  27 Operator Please - Just A Song About Ping Pong  28 Silversun Pickups - Lazy Eye  29 Regina Spektor - Real Love (Like A Version) 30 Silverchair - If You Keep Losing Sleep  31 Angus & Julia Stone - Wasted  32 Kisschasy - Opinions Won't Keep You Warm At Night  33 Kings Of Leon - Fans  34 Feist - 1234  35 Justice - D.A.N.C.E  36 Architecture In Helsinki - Hold Music  37 Cold War Kids - Hospital Beds  38 Beautiful Girls - I Thought About You  39 Cut Copy - Hearts On Fire  40 Bloc Party - I Still Remember  41 Modest Mouse - Dashboard  42 Tegan And Sara - Back In Your Head  43 Lupe Fiasco (Feat. Matthew Santos) - Superstar  44 My Chemical Romance - Teenagers  45 Angus & Julia Stone - The Beast    46 British India - Tie Up My Hands  47 Cog - What If  48 Bloc Party - Flux  49 Arctic Monkeys - Fluorescent Adolescent  50 Cat Empire - So Many Nights  51 Missy Higgins - Peachy  52 Kisschasy - Spray On Pants  53 Missy Higgins - Steer  54 Klaxons - Golden Skans  55 John Butler Trio - Good Excuse  56 Xavier Rudd - Better People  57 Midnight Juggernauts - Into The Galaxy  58 Muse - Invincible  59 Fratellis - Chelsea Dagger  60 Kings Of Leon - Charmer  61 Birds Of Tokyo - Wayside  62 Cat Empire - No Longer There  63 Karnivool - The Only Way  64 The Shins - Australia  65 Editors - Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors  66 Powderfinger - I Don't Remember  67 Amy Winehouse - Rehab (feat. Jay-Z) 68 Ben Kweller - Penny On The Train Track  69 Digitalism - Pogo  70 Tegan And Sara - The Con  71 Butterfly Effect - Reach  72 Jose Gonzalez - Down The Line  73 Grinspoon - Black Tattoo  74 British India - Run The Red Light  75 Kasabian - Shoot the Runner  76 Muscles - Sweaty  77 Operator Please - Get What You Want  78 Arctic Monkeys - Brianstorm  79 Josh Pyke - Lines On Palms  80 Silverchair - Reflections Of A Sound  81 Arcade Fire  -No Cars Go  82 Foo Fighters - Long Road To Ruin  83 Wolfmother - Pleased To Meet You  84 Chemical Brothers - Do It Again  85 Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Down Boy  86 Midnight Juggernauts - Tombstone  87 Jackson Jackson - Eliza  88 The Cops - Message  89 Queens Of The Stone Age - Sick, Sick, Sick  90 Clare Bowditch & The Feeding Set - When The Lights Went Down  91 Josh Pyke - Sew My Name  92 The Waifs - Sun Dirt Water  93 Bumblebeez - Dr Love  94 Radiohead - Jigsaw Falling Into Place  95 Regina Spektor - Samson  96 Ben Lee - Love Me Like The World Is Ending  97 Josh Pyke - Forever Song  98 Interpol - The Heinrich Maneuver  99 The Hives - Tick Tick Boom  100 Pnau - Wild Strawberries

It's basically an Australian tradition, a relatively new one, I grant you, but if an Australia Day passed that I, at least, wasn't sitting next to the radio (or had one blaring loudly so that I could hear it in my beer drinking position), I would feel somewhat dirty! 

A little explanation behind the whole principle... Triple J, Australias government funded "youth" radio station, each year holds an election of sort, for the top 100 songs released in the previous year. This is thoughtfully names the "Hottest 100". Each January 26th, we sit down and intently listen from about 10am to about 6pm as Triple J plays the songs one by one, starting at #100 and slowly working their way to #1

Whether you are working (unfortunate for you being a public holiday and all), driving, eating, playing Yahtzee, jelly wresting in an inflatable pool down at the local beach, plying boule whilst someone supplies you with beverages and cooks a BBQ... it's somewhat blasphemous (in my eyes) not to have the radio tuned in.

I must admit, that this year, having recently started a new job and not being able to have the radio blaring all day every day, I have fallen behind when it comes to new music. So i was a little lost, in fact many of the songs that made it up there this year, i had never heard before.

Now, if you'll kindly cast your eyes to the left, you'll see the final list and because I'm biased, I have highlighted the Australian artists in bold.

It's quite interesting to actually look at what makes it in each year, because basically, it's the favourite songs of a large proportion of Australia's "youth". For instance, but looking at the list, you see that more than half of the songs are by Australian artists. This is frankly, quite awesome to see. But at the same time reflects the fact that Triple J does a great job of promoting local artists.

Focusing on the top 10. I guess you could say that the songs were pretty much all expected to be up there.

The Panics - winners of a JJJ award for their album "Cruel Guards" another of the volumous brilliant bands that come out of Perth (my theory is because there's not a great deal else to do there).... *ahem*

Daft Punk have had a massive come back this year just passed (not that they really ever completely went away). I too agree that they're quite awesome in the realms of electronica, but another case of "i like your old stuff better than your new stuff" exists in my heart for these guys.

Faker - well... i've said all I need to say about Faker. but i admit, appealing to the vast masses by giving them that standard brand of rock that is by no means, bad.... just boring.

Both Silverchair and the John Butler Trio made several appearances throughout the day. And deservadly so.

The only similarities between these two bands is that they are based in Australia, pump out some crazily catchy tunes and have singers who could well be mistaken for hippies. Although I must say that anyone who grows up in the Australian coastal city of Newcastle, as is the case for young Daniel Johns (and myself) and doesn't turn out as a surfy wanker, it's thumbs up from me. It was easier for me being a hater of sun, sand and also being female.

I can't say i'm a big John Butler Trio fan, but talentless they are not. Their songs are well constructed and meaningful.

In the case of Silverchairs' 'Straight lines', more than one person had picked this as being the number 1 song for the day. I was inclined to agree. In my opinion, there were not obvious stand out songs of 2006.

So when i came time to huddling round the radio, beer in hand, to find out what that number one song was, we were all in quite a state of confusion. What other bands had released albums in 2007?

No idea.

And I must say, the fact that Muse came in at #1 was a huge surprise. Considering that their latest album, Black Holes and revalations, was relased in 2006.

Oh well.... another year over.
You can listen to it here, if you so desire.

So remember, no matter where you are in the world you are this coming December, voting is open to everyone! So start writing down the names of those catchy songs now.

Have a good one!  Sal
p.s. you ca listen to JJJ online... just pop in here.

The Panics - 'Don't Fight It'

Straight Lines - Silverchair

 

Daft Punk - Alive 2007

Daft Punk - Around The World/Harder Better Daft Punk Further Reading Daft Punk http://weheartmus... Have you had a chance to watch this infectious video called Daft Hands - "Harder, Better, Faster...

Daft Punk's Alive 2007 album was released domestically, from Virgin Records, last month (December 4th), although it was available to Europe in November.

Since we've previously mentioned them a few times now (see Further Reading), I'll only talk about this album.

This is their official second live album (their previous live album is called Alive 1997) and was recorded at Bercy in Paris, France (June 14, 2007).

 

Tracklisting

Looking at the tracklisting on the CD, you'd think that over 20 tracks, but in reality there's only 12 songs. All of the 12 songs are medley of their best house mix, including: "Da Funk" with "Daftendirekt", "Touch It" with "Technologic", etc.

My favorite is the irresistible "Around The World" with "Harder Better Faster Stronger". Listen as you hear the crowd cheer when the familar "Around the World" beats in.

To read about the origin of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger", I suggest you check out my previous article: Daft Hands.

Alive 2007's artwork as represented here is actually not correct. I suspect that was the digital cover art version (features brighter lines). The real printed artwork is a bit darker (and thinner lines). See the scan for comparison.

 01/03/2008 18:38:07  vu my♥posts www.daftpunk.com

Daft Hands - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

 

 

Edwin Birdsong - Cola Bottle Baby

 

Daft Hands - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

Have you had a chance to watch this infectious video called Daft Hands - "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger"? You must wait until the fingers starts coming out. It's pretty amazing. I think towards the end, she started messing up, but it is okay because it's so awesome.

If you were curious, the song is by Daft Punk off their Discovery (2001), and heavily used samples from "Cola Bottle Baby" by Edwin Birdsong.

There's not a whole lot of information on Birdsong on the internet. The only thing I can piece together is that it seems that Birdsong is a funk and soul artist from the late 70s, who's career spans into the mid-80s.

 

Update: Thanks to connectionsuisse.vox.com:

 

 

Groovy
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vu esotericexpress.blogspot.com youtube.com/user/FrEckleStudios

Daft Punk - Da Funk

My neighbor had been playing Daft Punk really loudly today. I could hear it through my window, where it was coming in through his open own. And then he put Da Funk on, and then I realized how old it was.

Da_funk__daft_punk

Apparently it came out in '97, but it probably had some club play before then. But it's roughly a decade old. So is it one of the classics, then? It's floorfiller in a club, but recognizable in the general public. It's sort of the Blue Monday of this generation - one of those generation defining tracks you could kill to, with either a baseball bat or a battle axe or a tank. But it's also better to dance to, preferably when aggressively pursing some tail. There's an intrinsic sense of fun and life in the song that's quite remarkable. And because of those qualities, this song was the sort of material that helped to broaden the appeal of dance/techno music, especially in the United States. Before Daft Punk, only raver kids and DJ's in places like New York would ever have records like this. Disco died in the U.S., and as a result only within the recent decade has it come into its own as a consumer of records like Da Funk.

And how does this song fit in with the rest of what Daft Punk has done? Da Funk dominates the album it's on, Homework. As great as it is, I can't help but have the feeling that there's some filler here, paticularly on the tracks that try to hit as hard as Da Funk, like Rollin' & Scratchin', which is the sort of thing that probably is best enjoyed with a DJ fooling around with it in his set. But Da Funk needs no adulteration. It's real ear candy. I don't know if it sounds dated to any of you, but it doesn't to me. It's the kind of record that's stuck with me ever since I really started listening to music, and I know I haven't noticed it's age until today. But maybe it's ageless.