W♥M (Archive)

IAN AXEL – THIS IS THE NEW YEAR

Tour Dates 04/28/11 Evanston, IL @ The Space 04/30/11 Toledo, OH @ Frankie's 05/02/11 Rochester, NY - The Club* 05/04/11 Burlington, VT - Higher Ground* 05/08/11 Philly, PA - North Star Bar * 05/09/11 Washington, DC - Red Palace * 05/10/11 Richmond, VA - Gallery 5 * 05/20/11 MA @ The Red Room @ Cafe 939 05/24/11 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom 05/28/11 Augusta, GA @ Downstairs Live * with Julia Nunes

Ian Axel, a twenty-something singer-songwriter from the Garden State, has been described as quirky and catchy.  One thing is for sure.  He will never be confused with Luther Vandross.  Take a listen to a few of his love songs from his latest release, This is the New Year:

Hangman – “Please accept my honesty.  You are not my cup of tea.”

Cannonball  - “My love is a cannonball.  Catch it as it falls… on you.”

Girl I Got a Thing for You – “I met a girl on the MTA.  I lost my balance and got in her way.”

Smoooth! 

Axel may never make a living in Soul and R&B, but that doesn’t mean he won’t have fun.  “Girl I Got a Thing for You” plays like a good feeling that sneaks up on you.  “Pacific Sun” is toe tapping and sprite.  Then there is his voice.  NPR described it as “… the sweetness of youth, the stubbornness of a teenager and the swagger of a rock star.”  To me Axel sounds like a singer still growing into his rock ‘n’ roll platform shoes.

What Axel has in abundance is clever invention. I watched “This is the New Year” on You Tube and liked how he slipped in and out of his own music video.  I really liked the fifth track, “Waltz.”  Somehow he takes a ballroom dance normally reserved for polite society and turns it into a rock anthem.  When he chants, “You can’t stop us now!” I believe him.  

 Dave

John Brodeur at Cause, Minneapolis (04/19/11)

John Brodeur: Masterpiece Tour Dates 04/21 Milwaukee, WI @ Mad Planet 04/22 Chicago, IL @ The Elbo Room 04/24 Cincinnati, OH @ Sitwell's Coffee House 04/25 Columbus, OH @ Bethel Road Pub 04/26 Pittsburgh, PA @ Brillobox 05/13 New York, NY @ The Living Room 05/21 Schenectady, NY @ The Eighth Step Read More John Brodeur John Brodeur is kicking off a huge tour in 2011 in support of his album, Tiger Pop Ten, a double-disc album that will be released April 5th, although I'm almost certain you can get the album at one of his upcoming shows.

John Brodeur continues his 50+ tour dates for 2011, stopping by Minneapolis at the Cause Soundbar. The venue is not one of my favorite venue, but it's certainly better than some others I've been to.

I do have a funny story behind the Cause bar, it was originally called Sauce. Unfortunately, there was another restaurant called Sauce at the time and the two were in legal dispute for the use of the name. Sauce had to change its name, and instead of shelling out even more money for a new logo, they just ended up switching the S and the C and now they're called Cause. The joke was, if anyone asks why they changed their name, you can say "just 'cause..."

The Farewell Circuit was a no-show. I won't go into details, but let's just say that they've failed me before - and tonight was a second strike against them.

Powerpop band, The Humbugs, was the support band. I quite like them, they had two singers, Adam and Kristin, who are actually married. I didn't know their music, but they did squeeze in a cover of The Nerves' "Hanging on the Telephone" (I have a soft spot for Paul Collins as you know).

In contrast to the full Humbugs band, John Brodeur was very minimalistic with his one-man show. It's kind of interesting to see Brodeur playing all the acoustic, loops, beat boxing, tambourine, etc., all in real-time.

The toy piano was used for "Daily Affirmation". Other songs played were "Young (Neil Young)", and "Movie of the Week". I don't know if these songs were actually released on any albums, but these songs were: "Spit it Out" (from Brodeur's other band, Maggie Mayday), "Dying For Me" from the new/old album Tiger Pop Ten and "Heartbreaker" from Get Through.

He ended the set with "Sucker", but a cappella style.

John Brodeur is wrapping up his 2011 tour. Check out the double-disc album, Tiger Pop Ten, which was recently released. You can pick up a copy at johnbrodeur.com.

JOHN BRODEUR

vu () ♥ www.johnbrodeur.com ♥ www.thehumbugs.com

Minneapolis

You remember That Dog's song, "Minneapolis"? I love it. Anyway, here are some local Minneapolis/St Paul albums. Sorry for the short reviews. I know you will understand that I have a lot of music to shift through.

Arron Dean: Minneapolis ARRON DEAN arrondean.com Arron Dean is from Minneapolis, by the way of South Africa. His biography reads like a patchwork of things: raised in a farming area near Johannesburg, playing jazz in Boston, living the punk-rock lifestyle in New York, and now settled down in the tundra that is Minnesota. I did listen to his debut album, MPLS, I can tell that clearly the city (Minneapolis) is at the center of his album. Songs like "St. Paul On Mississippi", "Buffalo, South Dakota", and, of course, "Minneapolis" paints the picture of the midwest. I can relate to the stories of staying out late, feeling cold, kissing on the mouth, wishing you weren't here, and beautiful lakes and rivers. MPLS is a sweet little acoustic album that's written from the heart, about the heart of America. Nice for a quiet afternoon to chill with your tea. FREE: The song "Minneapolis" is available as a free download from arrondean.com.		Blue Sky Blackout: The Universe Is Expanding BLUE SKY BLACKOUT blueskyblackout.com Maybe it's the name of their EP, entitled John Hughes, but I do sense a bit of an 80s vibe in this rock band. Blue Sky Blackout is a project from songwriter/guitarist Jon Hunt with Christian Erickson on vocals, guitarists Brandon Dalida (from Mercurial Rage) and Mykl Westbrooks, drummer Marc Iwanin, and bassist Tim Ritter (from Bella Koshka). A very large band right? That's no surprise, because I have seen the band live before and I wrote "this was a full band, three guitarists and one bassist". Do you need three guitarists? I guess Blue Sky Blackout does. Of the six songs on the EP, I thought "Figurehead" and "The Great Divide" were the best of the bunch. Their chosen song of choice, available as a free download on susstones.com, is for "The Universe Is Expanding". The song is upbeat so it's a natural choice for a song pick, but I just thought the lyrics sounded like it was copied from a science book: "the universe is expanding at an alarming rate".
Claps: Fold CLAPS myspace.com/clapsUS They actually never submitted any music for review, but I did liked what I saw a few days ago that I bought their two EPs, No Party and New Science at the show. Formed only two years ago, Claps is a trio from St Paul. What's interesting about them is that only two members actually play synthesizers or bass, while the lead concentrate on the lyrics and dance moves. On the two EPs, I thought their studio recording sounded excellently produced, making them sound more new wave pop than anything else. I do think of New Romantic every now and then when I hear their songs. The downside: the remixes. Not. a. fan.		GHOST TOWN OF THE WEST facebook.com/ghosttownsofthewest You know what's cool is that I was shopping at Down in the Valley the other day and saw the Ghost Towns of the West EP displayed. I've already mentioned the band a few times, but to refresh your memories, this Ed Ackerson-produced EP is out now on Chase Bliss Records. The band consists of Dan Crowe (Guitars), Andy Dwyer (Bass), Joel Korte (Guitars), Ryan Jansen (Saxophone, Keyboard), and Calahash (Drums). The three guitarists and bassists all sings, depending on the song. It's hard to write about this EP, without referring and remembering the songs sung live. I hear "Pilot's License" and it reminds me of singer Joel Korte talking about getting a license. My favorite songs are the "Soulweaver" and "That Cold Wind", which uses a bit of saxophones.

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

Sao Paulo 2 Vancouver

Read More Ceu From just looking at her short nine national dates, I was happy to see Céu (pronounced "say-you" by the announcer) had chosen to stop by Minneapolis at the Dakota Jazz Club to play her Brazilian jazzy, samba music.

I had this great Brazilian post idea in my head that was meant to go up over the weekend - but you know how it is. Anyway, instead, this are just a couple of "World Music" items for you.

>>>
CEU
www.ceumusic.com

I'm excited to let you know that Ceu is coming back to Minneapolis to play two nights at the Dakota Jazz Club. You know the legend, I once spent $76 on dinner at the Dakota restaurant. It is fantastic food, but for those on budget - I suggest getting a giant basket of fries (with dipping sauce) and a beer on tap, this should set you back about $12.

I don't know if Ceu has a new album out, but she seems to be all over the place: on various Putayamo compilations and, recently, on Herbie Hancock's last album, The Imagine Project.

She is doing a number of limited US and Brazil appearances this Summer, so if you're interested, here are the dates I've seen:

04/27/11 Las Cruces, New Mexico State
04/29/11 Transatlantic Festival
05/01/11 Highline Ballroom, New York
05/03/11 Dakota Jazz Club, Minneapolis
05/04/11 Dakota Jazz Club, Minneapolis
05/06/11 SF Jazz Festival, San Francisco
05/07/11 El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles
05/14/11 Virada Cultural, Brazil
05/15/11 Virada Cultural, Brazil
05/30/11 Feira do Livro, Brazil

Delhi 2 Dublin: S.O.S.

DELHI 2 DUBLIN
www.delhi2dublin.com

Delhi 2 Dublin, aka D2D, looks like quite an interesting bunch of people. They are a world music band from Canada, fusing Bhangra/Hindi sound and Celtic music together, hence "Delhi, India to Dublin, Ireland", but what struck me is their influence of Asian Dub Foundation (ADF), a band that had more in common with Rage Against the Machine and basically more hardcore than "world music", you know? I can kind of see it because ADF are Asians (Indians to Americans) and they are very political.

I guess I'll find out when I see them when they come around to Minneapolis at the Cedar Cultural Center (fast becoming my favorite venue) on May 1^st (the same night as Hunx and His Punx).

They are currently on tour to promote their latest album, Planet Electric, released March 1^st. I have not had a chance to preview the album, but the free song "S.O.S." is pretty good. Should be fun to see how they manage to play that song live.

04/28/11 – Indianapolis, IN @ White Rabbit Cabaret 04/29/11 – Chicago, IL @ The Darkroom 04/30/11 – Milwaukee, WI @ Club Garibaldi 05/01/11 – Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center 05/02/11 – Madison, WI @ The Annex 05/04/11 – Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East 05/05/11 – New York, NY @ SOB’s w/DJ Rekha 05/06/11 – Victoria, BC @ Sugar 05/07/11 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore		05/28/11 – Port Angeles, WA @ Juan de Fuca Fest 05/30/11 – Boise, ID @ The Reef 06/01/11 – Denver, CO @ Hi Dive 06/03/11 – Ozark, AK @ Wakarusa Music Festival 06/18/11 – Eugene, OR @ Faerieworlds 06/24/11 – Concow, CA @ Wild Mountain Fair 07/08/11 – Harbor Springs, MI @ Blissfest 07/14/11 – Grass Valley, CA @ Ca World Music Fest 07/15/11 – Grass Valley, CA @ Ca World Music Fest 07/16/11 – Crystal Bay, NV @ Crystal Bay Club

vu () ♥ ceumusic.com ♥ delhi2dublin.com

Experience the music- Shapers at The Triple Rock

Shapers: When I Was A Zygote Tour Dates 04/18/11 Fargo, ND @ The Aquarium 04/20/11 Missoula, MT @ Top Hat 04/22/11 Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey 04/23/11 Portland, OR @ Holocene 04/25/11 Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge 04/26/11 Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge * with Tobacco & Beans

The Chicago band Shapers, on tour after completing their debut album Little, Big, played an 18+ show at The Triple Rock on April 17^th.

Heartbeats synchronized with their deeply loud, trippy techno-psychedelic prog-rocky flambé kind of sound. The movie screen background played kaleidoscope-like imagery, snatching the eyes of the audience as everyone fell into a gaze (…or maybe that was just me). Facing each other rather than outward, the band themselves had little crowd interaction, giving credit to the sound more than the people who play it.

Shapers music was lyric light and sound heavy. The classic guitar/ bass/ drums/ keyboard were their instrument combination, altogether creating music that was uniquely un-standard. The drums were heavy on cymbals and everything was twisted and manipulated with soundboards. The guitarist had even grabbed a hand-held plastic fan using it to strum, creating a sound like a helicopter chopping to the beat of their music. Underneath the computer generated sound styling, classical rock talent can be heard playing on the instruments. It was hard to tell when one song ended and another began so everything seemed to blend into one long, fantastic performance piece.

The only thing that could have made their concert better is had they worn the masks from the music video for their song “Jar”. All in all I left the concert feeling kind of like I had just taken an acid trip through the twilight zone.

megan ♥ www.shapers.es

W♥M107: Cover Lover Special

W♥M107 (57min: archive )

Part of the Cover Lover series: this week is Cristina's choices.

This show is pretty epic. We planned on five cover songs and maybe 30 minutes of talk-time. Unfortunately, we derailed. As usual. We spent a lot of time talking about the Runaways. Well maybe it was mostly Cristina talking about the movie, since I haven't seen it. But it was good, the whole thing reminds me of The Fabulous Stains. Incidentally, we kept referring to the punk band as The Professionals, but, in fact, the band was called The Looters (which I have misheard as The Losers when I first saw the movie - which on retrospect, that is a better name).

Grace Jones' version of "She's Lost Control", changing the meaning of the song from the original Joy Division version.

Bimbo Jet's "El Bimbo", which is based on an obscure Afghan song, "Tanha Shudham Tanha" by Ahmad Zahir. According to Wikipedia, it is Paul Mauriat's version that appears on Police Academy.

"Falling in Love" is an old German song, and was covered by many bands, including: Kevin Ayers, The Beatles, Christina Aguilera (dance version), Nina Simone, and Claudine Longet. But the version Cristina loves is the Adicts' version.

Song of the week is Adicts' "Falling in Love".

"Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)" is a classic punk song from The Buzzcocks. The cover version by Fine Young Cannibals is pretty awesome too. Mostly because Roland Gift brings his own element to it with his vocals.

Luna was a 90s dreampop band from New York, who was probably most famous for that revenge-song “Slash Your Tires” off their debut album, Lunapark. After several years and dropping off their major Warner Brothers label, they released The Days of Our Nights under an indie label. Obviously, the album didn’t do that well, but on the album, they closed out with Guns n Roses cover “Sweet Child o’ Mine”. What I generally like about covers is that they try something different, and what’s different here is Dean Wareham’s calm, sad, dreamy vocals over the screamy metal quality of Axl Rose. Other covers we mentioned was Sheryl Crow and Ruby Isle's version. You can read the Ruby Isle/Mark Mallman details and free download here.

Bonus material includes:
Vu remembers man/woman Jane Child. Upon listening to her nowadays, she reminds me of La Roux. No seriously.
The Fighter movie and The Heavy band, "How Do You Like Me Now?"
Richard Cheese's "Ice Ice Baby". Yeahhhh baby.

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____
Archive of this show at archive.org. More information on mypodcast.com

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

Peelander-Z at Turf Club, St Paul (04/15/11)

Tour Dates 04/16/11 Milwaukee, WI @ Turner* 04/17/11 Pontiac, MI @ Pike Room * 04/18/11 Cleveland,OH@ Beachland * 04/19/11 Newport, KY @ Southgate* 04/20/11 Knoxville,TN@Cider House* 04/21/11 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade* 04/22/11 Nashville, TN @ The End* 04/23/11 Tallahassee,FL@Engine R* 04/24/11 Mobile, AL @ Music Box* 04/26/11 N Orleans, LA @ 1 Eyed J* 04/27/11 Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald's* 04/28/11 Austin, TX @ The Parish* 04/29/11 Dallas, TX @ The Loft* 04/30/11 Norman, OK @ Norman Festival 05/07/11 New York, NY @ The Studio* 05/14/11 Tampa, FL @ Tropical Heatwave 06/05/11 Ozark, AR @ Wakarusa Fest* 07/20/11 Cleveland, OH @ Time W Amph+ 07/21/11 Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna+ 07/22/11 Burgettstown,PA@1st Niagra+ 07/23/11 Uniondale,NY@Nassau Veterans+ 07/24/11 Oceanport,NJ@Monmouth Park+ 07/26/11 Columbia, MD@Merriweather+ 07/27/11 V Beach, VA@Verizon Amph+ 07/28/11 Charlotte, NC@Verizon Amph+ 07/29/11 Orlando, FL@Firestone Amph+ * with Anamanaguchi + Vans Warped Tour Read More Peelander-Z I had the intention of doing a tour announcement for Peelander-Z, the most amazingly fun band to see live. Listen to Cristina and I gush over them on episode #78

You know the story, we here at W♥M loves Peelander-Z, so when they stopped by The Turf Club in St Paul last night, April 15^th, I was there with my mental shoes.

ANAMANAGUCHI

BIRTHDAY SUITS

Anamanaguchi, a "chiptune" band from New York, famous for two hacked NES that they bring on stage to help them play their all-instrumental music. I didn't know/couldn't tell what songs were what, there were a couple of fans who were absolutely ecstatic about the music (violently dancing to the songs).

Personally, I wish they would tone down the strobe lights, they used this a lot. They ended their late set with "Helix Nebula", which is available as a free download via 8bitpeoples.com (direct link).

Friends of Peelander-Z, The Birthday Suits once again took up support. Like last year, the Japanese duo gives it all they got with bass and drums. All their songs are in true punk fashion, under two minutes, and within thirty minutes, the band was done and gone.

PEELANDER BLACK

This was my third time seeing Peelander-Z and I thought it would get old fast, but surprisingly didn't feel old at all. They changed their routine a bit, instead of the marching in with an introduction within a giant picture frame, they just started right away with the intro. The vamping music quickly becomes "So Many Mike", followed by "E-I-E-I-O", "Mad Tiger", "How Are You USA" (free download at fanatic), "Ice Cream", "Ninja High School", "S.T.E.A.K.", and ended "Peelander-Z Theme". I'm certain I'm missing a few song on the setlist, but those are the ones I've jotted down.

My favorite song that night was "Ninja High School", because it was actually a pretty normal song with melodies. Memorable moments include the two dudes from The Birthday Suits going on stage to play their part in "S.T.E.A.K.", while the rest of the band do human bowling. Usually they have random audience members go on stage to play instruments, so it's kind of cool to see other professional players do that part.

So, yeah, it's always a pleasure to see Peelander-Z. If you were afraid their schtick will get old, do not worry, it doesn't get old. You'll have a blast and you'll want to bring all your friends to check out the fun.

If you're not convinced, the photograph below is a typical Peelander-Z moment, this is Peelander Red held up by the audience - all around were hands in the air. Awesome.

vu () ♥ peelander-z.com ♥ anamanaguchi.com ♥ myspace.com/birthdaysuits

Hunx And His Punx - Too Young To Be In Love

Tour Dates 04/15/11 Atlanta, GA - Earl 04/16/11 Nashville, TN - The End * 04/17/11 Charlotte, NC - Milestone Club * 04/18/11 Durham, NC - Duke Coffee House * 04/19/11 Baltimore, MD - Golden West * 04/20/11 New York, NY - Cake Shop * 04/21/11 Phila, PA - Kung Fu Necktie * 04/22/11 Swarthmore, PA - Olde Club* 04/23/11 Brooklyn, NY - Glasslands * 04/24/11 Boston, MA - TT the Bear's * 04/26/11 Montreal, QC - La Sala Rossa * 04/27/11 Toronto, ON - The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern * 04/28/11 Detroit, MI - The Old Miami * 04/29/11 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle * 04/29/11 Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club * 05/01/11 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry * 05/03/11 Fargo, ND - The Aquarium * 05/04/11 Omaha, NE - Slowdown Jr * 05/05/11 Kansas City, MO - The Record Bar * 05/07/11 Denver, CO - Hi-Dive * * - with Shannon & the Clams Free Download Download "Lover's Lane" via their record label, Hardly Art (direct link) Read More Gravy Train!!!! All they sing about is sex, sex, sex, burgers, fast food, and more sex.

I've gone on record and called Gravy Train!!!!, the "nastiest band in the world", and I know they tried to take it down a notch on their later albums, but boy, for a time they were the sexcore band of the hour. I'm glad that Hunx (aka Seth Bogart), from said-band, have branched out to 50s teen music, with his band Hunx and His Punx. And you know what ? It's GOOD AWESOME. It's not sexual, it's not cheesy, it's done right: with a full backing of sixties-girl "punkettes".

The album I've been listening to lately is called Too Young To Be In Love, their first record on Hardly Art.

Like songs from that black and white era, the subject matter is usually about bubblegum love, from "Lover's Lane" to the title track. The former track is so good, it really set the tone of how the album would come together.

Some songs seems like they are parts one and two. For instance, it sounds like "Keep Away From Johnny" and "He's Coming Back" share the story of "My Boyfriend's Back". The two songs "The Curse of Being Young" and "Too Young To Be In Love" works well together too, sharing the theme of forbidden love of the youth.

I really like Too Young To Be In Love, but it's not an album that I can easily recommend to casual music fan. First of all, the downside is that I feel that very few people might appreciate Hunx's vocals. It's very... distinctive. Plus Hunx can be overly flamboyant, let's put it that way. If you can get past all that, you'll find the 50s/60s sound of Too Young To Be In Love to be surprisingly different than most albums being released today. You don't have to take my word for it, check out a few free songs from Hardly Art, they actually picked two very good tracks: "Lover's Lane" and "Too Young To Be In Love".

They are currently on tour, so hopefully I'll be there on May 1^st at 7^th Street Entry to check out the sleaze and the good times.

Trivia: Was it intentional? When I first saw the cover artwork for Too Young to be in Love I thought it was an Eddie Murphy homage. What do you think?

SEPARATED AT BIRTH?

PARTY ALL THE TIME

TOO YOUNG TO BE IN LOVE

vu () ♥ myspace.com/hunxsolo

RYAT at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (04/13/11)

Tour Dates 04/15/11 Observatory, Chicago IL 04/16/11 Brillo Box, Pittsburgh, PA 04/29/11 ATYPICAL, Philadelphia PA 04/30/11 ATYPICAL, Philadelphia PA Read More Ryat Their forthcoming album, Avant Gold Remixed (to be released on April 12th). You can preview the album on ryat.band camp.com...

RYAT (pronounced "riot") came by the 7^th Entry in Minneapolis last night, April 13^th.

CLAPS

To my surprise, there were some changes the last time I checked on this event: a fourth band was added to the bill and the play order were changed to have Chelsea Boys end the night out.

Starting with the unexpected addition of Claps, this is an awkward band: obviously inspired by 80s Manchester music (Joy Division, The Smiths, etc), complete with intelligent/sensitive lyrics with synthy machines and and clumsy dance moves did not fit in well with the oversexed Chelsea Boys. We'll get to them later.

FORT WILSON RIOT

CHELSEA BOYS

I have an embarrassing story about the girl in Fort Wilson Riot, but I'll spare you the details. I've never seen them live, but I have seen Ice Palace (which is almost the same thing, considering that the band consists of Jacob and Amy).

I didn't know their songs, but I liked the last one the best - mostly because Amy finally got around to using that trumpet that was on stage.

As for Chelsea Boys, I've seen this band before, but they were not as outrageous as they were on last night. Their audience actually expected a DIY stripping show, so they weren't surprise by the whole thing.

I suspect I'll see Chelsea Boys in the future, and I'll keep in mind that the whole point of the band's image is to drink and who cares if they can't play or sing a note. They are young and they're having fun.

I was there to see RYAT, a duo (Christina and Tim) from Philadelphia. The first thing that hit me was the massive keyboard. Then the bold hair style of Christina.

Pretty much all the songs are sung by Christina, who also handles the keyboard, computer stuff, and extra percussion. Tim plays guitar and also floor tom (the hi-hat over the drum has seen better days too). I'm sure there's a ton of other noise-makers in their setup, they seem to have a knack for making music out of random things.

Maybe it was the distorted vocals, but it was really hard to make out what was being sung on stage. The singing were drowned out by the loud beeps, beats, and chaotic noises. It didn't really matter I guess, because the audience seem to really enjoyed it. In fact, I overheard this guy, who came in from the night, just randomly and instantly fell in love with what he heard from RYAT. That's really cool, I haven't seen that reaction in a long time.

Songs that I recall hearing that night were "Not for this Lifetime" and the closer song, a cover of the Flying Lotus, called "Nose Art". Not noise art, because that would be too meta.

RYAT is wrapping up their tour. Their album, Avant Gold and Avant Gold Remixed ($5!) are available now. Details on ryat.bandcamp.com.

RYAT

vu () ♥ www.ryat.info ♥ myspace.com/chelseaboysmusic ♥ fortwilsonriot.com ♥ myspace.com/clapsUS

Antonymes - The Licence to Interpret Dreams

Antonymes: Endlessly

This album is not typical of ambient music I have reviewed in the past. If your first impression is to skip over this article because ambient is not to your liking, I would invite you to reconsider and welcome you to be pleasantly surprised.

Antonymes is Ian M. Hazeldine, a designer, photographer, conceptualist, and musician hailing from North Wales, UK. The music of "The Licence to Interpret Dreams" incorporates neoclassical elements to an ambient framework. Piano, violin, and cello instrumentation is combined with sound samples and electronic tones. The press release I received notes influence of minimalism on the composition of the music, but I would note traces of Impressionism (e.g., like unto Claude Debussy) as well as other modern and post-modern styles.

In short, I can confidently say this is a work of serious and perhaps even scholarly consideration. I give my usual recommendations in that I suggest active listening with headphones. You may be tempted to turn the volume down to the threshold of audibility, so that it is merely background noise in the distance, but I would say this is music to savor, to meditate upon, and even daydream to, as I would say the title suggests.

jaklumen () ♥ music.hiddenshoal.com