W♥M (Archive)

Johnny Marr at Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (17 Sep 2018)

Johnny Marr at Varsity Theater Johnny Marr Setlist The Tracers Bigmouth Strikes Again Jeopardy Day In Day Out New Dominions Hi Hello The Headmaster Ritual Walk Into the Sea Getting Away With It Hey Angel Bug Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me Get the Message Spiral Cities Easy Money Boys Get Straight How Soon Is Now? Actor Attractor -- Encore -- Rise New Town Velocity There Is a Light That Never Goes Out You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby = The Smiths song = Electronic song Tour Dates 09/20 | Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theater 09/21 | Seattle, WA @ The Showbox 09/22 | Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater 09/24 | Santa Cruz, CA @The Catalyst 09/25 | Berkeley, CA @ UC Theater 09/26 | San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore 09/28 | Sonoma, CA @ Old Redwood Barn 09/30 | Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee 10/2 | Mexico City, Mexico @ Plaza Condesa 10/4 | Los Angeles, CA @ The Theater 10/8 | San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger 10/9 | Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater 10/10 | Austin, TX @ Empire Control Room 10/11 | Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall 10/13 | Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club 10/15 | New York, NY @ Irving Plaza 10/16 | Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw 10/17 | Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore 10/19 | Toronto, ON @ The Phoenix 10/20 | Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom 10/21 | Boston, MA @ The Paradise 10/22 | Philadelphia, PA @ TLA Read More Johnny Marr Godlike guitar genius Johnny Marr is headlining the Varsity Theater on Monday, September 17th, in support of his new album Call The Comet. … Belle Game Belle Game to open. Their latest album Fear/Nothing is out now on Arts & Crafts. The band was last seen in town in October 2017. …

Legendary The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr is on his Call The Comet tour, stopping by the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis last night, September 17th.

Vancouver’s Belle Game (singer Andrea Lo, guitarist Adam Nanji, drummer Alex Andrew, keys Katrina Jones) spent about forty hours driving to Nashville, and then another twelve hours driving to Minneapolis, so they were just so happy and excited to jump around on stage and singing to us.

I think the energy and sometime upbeat songs could’ve benefit from a younger crowd, because Johnny Marr’s fanbase is mostly middle aged (45-65) and some couldn’t be bothered to do audience participation (answering “yes” to “who’s excited to see Johnny F---- Marr?”).

Marr is a fan of the Canadian band and personally asked them to support some of his tour dates. Marr even voiced his opinion and love for the band at the end of his set, urging fans to really check out their dark electro-pop-ish music, describing them as “awesome.”

Belle Game ended their set with a couple of songs from their sophomore album Fear/Nothing (Arts & Crafts), “Oh I” and “I Want Nothing”.

Godlike Genius Award winner Johnny Marr returned to the Varsity Theater on Monday night. He has a full backing band, which included bassist Iwan Gronow, drummer Jack Mitchell, and guitarist James Doviak. This current 2018 Call The Comet tour set is, by far, the best set yet. This is mostly thanks to some classic The Smiths songs, and a pair of Electronic songs!

Just a little background on my love for Marr: The Smiths was a band that was a little before my time. I discovered Morrissey in 1991 (on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson) and went through his back catalog with The Smiths. The songwriting team of Morrissey & Marr was unbeatable, combining Marr’s diverse songs with Morrissey’s witty and often depressing lyrics.

After the Smiths broke up in 1987, Marr spent his time collaborating with other artists, including The Pretenders, Bryan Ferry, Billy Bragg, Kirsty MacColl, Talking Heads, etc. You got the feeling that Marr was just itching to work with other people that he admired.

It really wasn’t until Marr formed Johnny Marr and the Healers that he started concentrating on writing songs (and lyrics) for himself. Call the Comet is Marr’s third solo album (fourth if you count The Healers’ Boomslang), and it’s probably Marr’s best album yet. He showcased some of those songs on his set, and even a fan requested “Spiral Cities” (Marr: “Yeah well do that!”).

Johnny Marr has been in Minneapolis about three times, in May 2003, in April 2016, and last night. So, as far as Marr-solo appearances goes, it’s a bit of a rarity to see the musician in the city.

As usual, Marr is just amazing playing guitars. The way he’s making those guitar wonky effect sounds, the dexterity, and the timing, it was just perfect. I almost felt bad for the guitar tech backstage, who was constantly coming on stage between songs to hand Marr another (pre-tuned) guitar. As we’ve previously written, Marr collects Fender and various guitars like most people collect CDs or DVDs.

Obviously, fans responded well to any classic Smiths songs, including “Bigmouth Strikes Again” (played early in to get fans excited), “The Headmaster Ritual” (a song about being bullied), “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me” (not really an upbeat song, but very dramatic and full of sadness), and “How Soon Is Now?” (The Smiths’ most famous song - at least in America).

By far, fans of Electronic, would be really pleased to hear that Marr played “Getting Away With It” (introduced as “This is a disco song from Manchester.”) and “Get the Message”. It’s a rare treat to hear these songs live, because it’s impossible to get the supergroup (New Order singer and guitarist Bernard Sumner, Pet Shop Boys’s Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, and Johnny Marr) together on tour.

For the encore, Call the Comet song “Rise” and debut The Messenger song “New Town Velocity”, were played before the double-Smiths song that ended the show: “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” and “You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby”. For “There Is A Light...”, Marr really didn’t need to sing towards the end, instead just relying the dedicated fanbase to just sing back the chorus. This is likely the same scenario, night after night at a typical Marr show. It was pretty impressive.

During band introduction, although Marr knows people comes to these shows to hear those “old songs”, he also added that there are some fans that is very supportive of his new work, adding, “I really appreciate that you’re loving the new songs... I saw some of you guys even dancing - in an age appropriate way!”

Johnny Marr’s Call the Comet is out now. If you have ever loved The Smiths, Electronic, or just appreciate great guitar-playing, check out this current tour. Marr will be playing Belle Game’s hometown gig at Vogue Theater in Vancouver this Thursday.

Johnny Marr 2018 Tour Poster

Marquee

Johnny Marr Setlist

Belle Game

Belle Game

Iwan Gronow and Jack Mitchell

Johnny Marr

Johnny Marr

Johnny Marr

Johnny Marr

Johnny Marr at Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (17 Sep 2018)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Röyksopp

Röyksopp - Poor Leno Discography [2001] Melody A.M. [2005] The Understanding [2007] Back to Mine: Röyksopp [2009] Junior [2010] Senior

Remember the first time you heard of Röyksopp? I do. It was about time I was looking for the next Daft Punk, and this little Norwegian duo's song "Poor Leno" stole my heart. I picked up Melody A.M because by the time it arrived in the US in 2001, it came with a special bonus remix EP (which incidentally included two remixes for "Poor Leno").

Anyway, they never really hit the big time in the US market, although I did hear about their Röyksopps Night Out EP (a special EP and live recording) a few years ago, preceding their Junior release.

Their follow-up to Junior is Senior, to be release on September 13^th via Dog Triumph/Wall Of Sound/EMI Records. As a special treat, you can preview their entire album via Soundcloud and The Hype Machine (incidentally, check out W♥M on Hype Machine).


vu ()

Slowcream: Wax on Wool

Slowcream - Into Butter Slowcream Read More Nonine http://weheartmus... Patron & Patron - Either OrPatron and Patron 2 comments PATRON AND PATRONmyspace.com/patronandpat...

Me Raabenstein, a.k.a. Slowcream, is an experimental electronica artist based in Berlin, fusing classical samples are paired with electronic elements.  Based on blog entries I've read at their MySpace, the artist seems to be an American émigré now living in Germany.

Wax on Wool, which will be released February 27 on Nonine Recordings, appears to be the artist's second work.  Both this album and the one released before it, Live Long And Prosper, are digital-only releases.  This music is different from most ambient material I've listened to in that not all of it is purely instrumental; some selections have spoken lyrics, such as "Into Butter" and "On Carpets".  Many of the tracks, including "Punch Indigo", reminded me of post-industrial music I had studied in college and university.  I was fairly certain it was something familiar, ideas that were avant-garde yet explored before.  This is what Joshua Farrier of DMA had to say of the album:

the work in its entirety reminds me of a young alban berg, having just learned the principles of twelve-tone music. in berg’s music of this period, one hears elements of the, at-the-time, mainstream romantic approach combined with tone rows, both elements beautifully intertwined. (a feat that other atonal purists never really achieved.) i like to attribute this to berg’s great sense of musicality and style. this is what i mean when i say that the second slowcream album contains elements of pure raabenstein, but with a new, fresh kind of artistic refinement that makes the work a joy to listen to. it is still in the experimental, electronic genre, but it has something new:
a definite sense of style.

  
As I had very little to go on as far as Slowcream's biography or background, I would imagine this is another instrumental artist that prefers to remain somewhat anonymous, or a bit of an enigma.  I went to the artist's MySpace under this name, and even the blog entries were very short, reading like little thoughts when one is musing quietly during some time alone.  So it is much easier to suggest that the music speaks for itself, rather than try to determine how Raabenstein was inspired.  The album is available for preview (90 seconds preview per track) here.

 02/27/2009 00:03:36 ♥ jaklumen ( / jaklumen.vox.com) ♥ myspace.com/slowcream ♥ nonine.com 

Lowfish

Lowfish-Frozen & Broken Lowfish See Also OMD http://weheartmus... Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (often abbreviated to OMD) are a synthpop group whose founding ...

    I really like electronica, especially instrumental works with complex soundscapes that take some really active listening.  But I also like music that has a nice melody and a danceable beat.  Lowfish's latest album, Frozen & Broken, which was released October 28th on Noise Factory Records, seemed to be a really nice mix of the two-- something I could get comfortably lost in alone, with a good set of headphones, but that I could also crank up on the speakers and start dancing to.
    Lowfish is a one-man act by the name of Gregory De Rocher, who hails from Toronto.  The band name refers to his early low fidelity sound, i.e. "low fi-ish".  I have to admit I read it "Low-fish" at first, but I would imagine that it should be pronounced "Low fi-ish" to emphasize the origin of the name.  The name also refers to his use of "semi-operational" analog synthesizers, "tempermental" drum machines, and "scratchy recording gear", according to the press release.  Despite the less than flattering connotations, however, I actually enjoy the somewhat organic and old school sound of this early electronic gear, which is also why I really liked the sound of this album.  The press release also referred to this sound as "punishing" and "deviant", which wouldn't be my descriptions, but I found it bemusing, in a twisted sort of way.  Not surprisingly, the style is very reminiscent of early new wave electronica; Orchestral Maneouvers in the Dark (OMD), Front 242, and Skinny Puppy are listed as influences.
    I would have to say that "Frozen & Broken" and "Pulled & Put Back" are probably the most accessible of the tracks for dancing to, with upbeat, catchy, and sometimes throbbing grooves.  The others I would recommend for active listening on headphones, if only to catch the multi-layered instrumentals with sweet touch of melody.  If you're a fan of old-school electronica such as Kraftwerk, the work of Vince Clarke (Depeche Mode, Yaz(oo), and Erasure), and generally appreciate analog synthesizer craftsmanship, you really should give Lowfish and Frozen & Broken a careful listen.
    Frozen & Broken is available on DRM-free digital downloads at iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, Beatport, and Zunior, and as a CD from Noise Factory, Amazon, Darla, and Juno.  More information is available at the official website.   

Links: www.lowfish.ca myspace.com/lowfishmusic noisefactoryrecords.com

 11/03/2008 21:26:58  ♥ written by jaklumen ( / jaklumen.vox.com)

Darkroom

 10/29/2008 19:17:02  ♥ written by jaklumen ( / jaklumen.vox.com)

 

Darkroom-The Valley Of Ten Thousand Smokes

Darkroom

    It used to be that you could walk into a music store and ask to listen to music, or to otherwise preview an album or a single before buying it.  This fell out of favor in recent years for a variety of reasons, none of them good that I recall.  So when Vu asked me to check out Darkroom, I was pleasantly surprised to find that they, including a number of other artists, were using podcasts as a way to give listeners a preview of their music.  It's a bit like walking into that old record/music store and putting the headphones on to listen to something.  In fact, the biography on their website states that they use podcasts much more than they do traditional releases, which features a motley mixture of recordings of live performances, rehearsals, and studio tracks.
    Darkroom is an ambient/electronica group comprised of Michael Bearpark (guitar) and Andrew "Os" Ostler (keyboards and loops).  They describe their sound as a cross between freeform jazz and Fripp/Eno-style ambient looping.  The brief for Some of These Numbers Mean Something (sometimes abbreviated SOFTMS), released last October 10th, describes the album as "guitar under a microscope."  The press release defines it further as a combination 70s space rock, 80s Sheffield electronica, 60s guitar instrumentals and 90s post rock.  The 70s and 60s descriptions seemed quite apt for the opening track, "The Valley Of Ten Thousand Smokes", which sounded quite psychedelic and dream-like.  Continuing on, the release states:

Mixing classic synthesizer & guitar tones with contemporary post-production, this album combines improvisation with carefully crafted and layered arrangement, and rewards repeated listening.

    Seems to be a fair statement.  The guitar licks throughout the album have a very old-school, organic feel to them, although the electronica tones sound more contemporary much of the time.  Either way, it does remind me slightly of music when "classic" rockers played synthesizers with much less shame and Brian Eno was still ahead of his time.  Moreover, Improvizone, which describes itself as "recurring live music evening of electronic/ambient/chillout beats and soundscapes by people with amplified instruments and bits and pieces of technology", in which Darkroom performs from place to place, goes further.  "If the first thing that surprised me was how composed the music is on this album, the second was what Os did with the drums," wrote Andrew Booker (who has also performed with them) on the Improvizone site.  It definitely sounds like the two really strive to keep their recordings as close to their live performances without the need for heavy editing.
    When not working with Darkroom, Os runs a site called Expert Sleepers, where he makes music software for Mac OS and Windows, some of which was used for SOFTMS.

    You can pick up Some of These Numbers Mean Something through burningshed.com or itunes

 

Links: darkroomtheband.net myspace.com/darkroomtheband last.fm/music/Darkroom

Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid - NYC

 10/26/2008 08:34:40  ♥ written by jaklumen ( / jaklumen.vox.com)

Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid - Lyman Place Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid Tour Dates 10/31/08 Personal Fest Buenos Aires 11/06/08 Circolo degli Artisti Rome 11/07/08 Club to Club Turin 11/15/08 Stimul Festival Prague 11/20/08 Dingwalls London 11/21/08 Academy Manchester 12/12/08 LPR New York* 12/14/08 Ars Nova Philadelphia, PA* 01/31/09 Laneway Festival Brisbane 02/01/09Laneway Festival Melbourne 02/06/09 Laneway Festival Perth 02/07/09 Laneway Festival Adelaide 02/08/09 Laneway Festival Sydney * as Hebden and Reid

     Years ago, when I was part of a Bulletin Board System known as Grex, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, I was a very active member of the music conference there.  I remember someone saying (perhaps it was krj) that there was too much of a tendency in the jazz community to lean towards purism, and anything that was outside traditional jazz, such as works by Sun Ra, tended not to receive much accolades or scholarly recognition.  (Sun Ra's eccentric ways, however, are another story.)
    I thought of this while listening to NYC, which is a collaborative work by Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid.  It is definitely not like anything I've ever listened to before, but having researched the two, I would describe the sound as old school meets new.  To say that it is definitely outside the realm of traditional jazz is an understatement, but it still is described by the jazz idiom of improvisation.
    Steve Reid is a well-established jazz drummer in the U.S.  He's played with big names in jazz and black music like Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, Fela Kuti, James Brown, and Sun Ra.  It was the connection to Sun Ra in particular that got me thinking on that memory, and that Reid, in working with Hebden, seems to be extending the progressivism that artists like Sun Ra started.  I also thought of Herbie Hancock, who has been well known for his use of synthesizers and his crossover into the U.S. pop charts.
    Kieran Hebden is a mix artist and post-rock/electronica musician, better known by the name Four Tet.  The list of artists he has done remixes for include Radiohead, Bloc Party, and Black Sabbath.  His use of both acoustic and electronic sounds as Four Tet were dubbed "folktronica" by the mainstream music press (after his second album Pause), but I would define his abstract style (at least from this recording) as ambient.  Also known as atmospheric music, ambient is a branch of electronic music characterized by an "atmosphere of sound", as compared to hooks, melodies, and refrains.
    It is difficult to point to any single track on NYC, as it is much easier for me to look at it as a collective whole.  It's not that the tracks aren't distinct, for they are, but they do seem to lead into each other in an eclectic and abstract progression of sound.  Moreover, the track listing sounds almost like a travel log: "Lyman Place", "1st & 1st", "25th Street", "Arrival", "Between B & C", and "Departure".  I would say that almost qualifies it as a concept album.  It's also not the first work Reid and Hebden have done together; three albums-- The Exchange Sessions, vol. 1, The Exchange Sessions, vol. 2, and Tongues predate it. The first two in particular appear to be the product of some improvisational shows they did together in 2005, and as Reid was reported to have referred to Hebden as his newly found "musical soul mate" while discussing their collaborations, I get the feeling you really have to see them live to fully appreciate their artistry.

Links: kieranhebdenandstevereid.com fourtet.net myspace.com/fourtetkieranhebden

 

Electronic - Idiot Country

Electronic - Idiot Country

Electronic

YO!! Wassup!!

Electronic was the all-star super team-up of Bernard Sumner (New Order) and Johnny Marr (the Smiths) [and sometimes Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys].

I have all their LP releases, Electronic (1991), Raise the Pressure (1996), and Twisted Tenderness (1999). My favorite album is Raise the Pressure, partly because I only paid $2.95 for it used (what a deal!).

The band first released "Getting Away With It", which ended up being their most famous single. I think in the US of A, however, "Disappointed" might have been the more popular... only because it's Neil that's singing and everybody probably thought it was the latest Pet Shop Boys song.

So, the track I have picked out is "Idiot Country", which is probably the closest thing you're going to hear Bernard Sumner doing rap. You have to give him props for trying at least.

Trivia: Belle & Sebastian mentioned them in "Seymour Stein": "I heard dinner went well. You liked Chris's jacket, he reminded you of Johnny, before he went Electronic". That's Johnny, as in Johnny Marr.

Bonus: I have included a photoshopped Bernard Sumner as a rapper.

By the way, this is Vu. I do not have split personalities!

Stereolab - Eye Of The Volcano

 

Stereolab - Eye Of The Volcano

Stereolab

This is Mads. I just joined the team here as the first european. I'm danish but currently living in Finland where it is damn cold at the moment, I can tell you!

But enough about me and let's get to the music. Stereolab was formed in London in 1991 and have ever since kept their unique style regardless of the passing trends. They mix electronic and acoustic instruments in a very sixties french kind of way.

In 2005 and 2006, they released 7 limited edition 7" singles but I guess they realized that that is no way to make money. So they put all the singles on the Fab Four Suture CD and it is from this compilation that this track is taken.

Trivia: The drummer on their first records was a guy called Joe Dilworth (who later left the band to drum for Th' Faith Healers). Now, you might actually have seen some of his photography work as he was one of the main photographers used by many bands in the nineties such as My Bloody Valentine, The Stone Roses and Manic Street Preachers. He is still used today by e.g. Franz Ferdinand. Check www.joedilworth.com to see some of his work.