Caribou + Four Tet, The Zoo, 15th Feb 2011

So from now on I promise to update this blog more regularly than what is disgustingly going on now. If I were a reviewer for a proper site with pay or some sort of renumeration, I'd be fired immediately. This just won't do and I demand improvements from myself.

Now that's all over, over to you at the gig, Stephanie from the 15 day old past.

The pairing of electronic gurus Four Tet and Caribou couldn't have been better timed (*cough*) two weeks ago, as they both released critically acclaimed and pleasantly popular albums early last year, giving me (because this is all about me) plenty of time to get accustomed. I became particularly immersed in Caribou's 'Swim', obsessed not only with "Odessa" as you know already, but the entire record. Four Tet's 'There is Love In You' is also haunting, delicate and terrific.

With that, the Zoo on Tuesday was particularly packed, as they played a sold out show to a sea of electro fans, or as much of a sea you can fit into a tiny room.

The Zoo is another favourite venue, not because of its quality, although it's pretty good for what it is, but because of the relaxed, easy going vibe, the simple set up and location, and not to mention their typically cheaper door price. However the size and it's lack of air conditioning made the full capacity venue a little uncomfortable particularly towards the end, although the more passive, pleasant crowd assisted in still making the show an enjoyable experience.

Openers Frolix did not have much of a crowd to entertain initially, but their very short (20 minutes?) set showcased ambient, dark synth and beats, with aphex-twin-esque vocals, which were a nice intro into the type of gig this would become. They would probably have sounded more polished on CD but made a nice background soundtrack to settling in for the evening.

Four Tet came on quite subtly in a bright yellow shirt, in case you weren't sure if he was the dj or not. He played an hour long set, involving a selection of 'There is Love In You', some 'Everything Ecstatic' and probably lots of other recordings that I need to probably purchase tomorrow. It was quite brilliant how he effortlessly switched from one track to the next to create a flowing, pulsing vibe. I never really got into 'rave' music or whatever you might call it, but this was the closest I have come... the slick, powerful beats and otherworldly samples moved the audience, including myself into a zombie like trance. "Angel Echoes" was a particular highlight, a dark, flowing, eerie pattern which I really loved on the record and especially enjoyed dancing to. "Joy" got the crowd really moving and was extended for some time as one of the last tracks he played. It was exciting to hear what he would bring in next, but at the same time I never wanted what I was hearing already to stop. Like going to a shitty club to dance, but with interesting, amazing music, that you couldn't HELP but dance to. I didn't know what I expected, but I was really pleasantly surprised to be so mesmerized by the music.

After Four Tet finally took his hands off the deck and bowed himself out, it was sad to see him disappear off stage, but also exciting to know what would be next. After a short wait, on came Caribou in full band mode, drumkits, guitars, macs and synths. Without much fanfare, "Kaili" started up from 'Swim', synth and voice blasting us in the eardrums. It was clear from the very beginning that a lot of Caribou's vocals are probably sung very quietly and precisely, which meant that live it was less polished, a little wobbly, and not very clear, given the change in volume and space. He sounded okay, but it gave the music a bit less sheen, and brought down the quality of the songs a little too significantly. The music still sounded great, and it was an exciting opener.

All that kind of fell apart when the Mac also, fell apart. Too much heat (only one song in!) meant the program they were running crashed, and after a few attempts, an impromptu acoustic version of "Hello Hammerheads" (from 'The Milk of Human Kindness'), and a bunch of well placed electric fans later, the band decided to completely change computers, and it was a few minutes before things were back in business.

Luckily it was all smooth sailing from then on. As they played a great deal of 'Swim' tracks as well as a few off 'Andorra', the vocal sound issues were overshadowed by the excellent musicianship, particularly the insanely good drummer. Holy shit, if I could do anything as good as that guy could drum, I'd be a happy, possibly rich lady. That dude belt the absolute shit out of those drums, which really made the show, as so much of Caribou's work is so driven by and dependent on the drums.

This was also like going to a club to dance, but in a completely different style, context, vibe, feeling. There were moments of joy and bliss as in "Memory Day", deep and dark moments a la "Odessa" and just plain moving your feets and slightly rocking moments such as "Bowls" and "Sun", their encore song.

As a whole, the night was an interesting mix. It was quite incredible to see how different two artists that share many similarities, sound so different side by side, due to differences in style, context, and just the live experience itself (dj set vs live band). I was really glad to have experienced it and apart from technical problems, it probably wouldn't have been at all the same experience with each band on their own, and definitely not as interesting.

Hmm, a shorter review, but my new thing is trying not to waffle on, which I hope I remember tomorrow in a job interview I will be suffering. Procrastination is my best learnt skill...

Caribou and Four Tet get seven and a half Korgs!

What else is on my mindgrapes?

After taking me a good two weeks to post the last blog, I actually have some time to just throw a couple of music thoughts out there, because my brain has been cluttered with them over the past week or so.

Firstly, the wonderful news of Arcade Fire cleaning up the album of the year award at the Grammy's last week.

The Grammy's are an award show I rarely give two shits about, not just because most awards shows don't have much meaning attached to them, particularly ones based on album sales (ffs, isn't the money the reward for selling lots of albums? do you really need a stupid statue as well?) but also as they're usually won by over-marketed pop stars/ boring country stars etc. I've never heard of. HOWEVER...

All hilarious "WHAT IS AN ARCADE FRIES WHO ARE THE SUBURBS" tweets aside, Arcade Fire winning signifies a great thing.

It means, that (some) people out there are actually sitting up and taking notice of musical artists that are trying to do something new, creative, and amazing. If a band like Arcade Fire, that apparently half the music loving world hadn't heard of, can win a majorly hyped music award, over bigger-than-jesus popular artists like Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Eminem, then perhaps there is some hope for the music world. Perhaps we the lovers of alternative music, are not doomed to sit in the corners with our ipods on drowning out the million screams of die hard fandom for richly dressed, manufactured rehashed droll. Perhaps the more creatively minded musicians that struggle day in day out to get their voices heard and get some kind of following, will have more chance to get that sort of recognition they deserve. Perhaps!!

Which leads me to my second thought of the day, putting away the mainstream pop music scene for a bit. Where I fit in with music these days. Within the realms of the music that I am drawn to, whatever you may categorize it (I can't even begin to imagine how), it feels like there are two schools of thought around, that sort of contradict each other.

There are those that strive to discover as many new, underground artists as possible, as independent as they possibly can be... so that anything that would have been considered quite non-mainstream six months before, is now completely mainstream and how the hell could you STILL be listening to that album it is soooo lame and so long ago and ttly ovah it maaan.

Then there are those that get really pissed off with the first kind of people, and shun anything considered independent or underground, as 'indie' or 'hipster' and 'wank' and such labels, and thereby do not give it a second thought, preferring not to associate with anything that could fall under that category. And you know, I don't blame them.

But whatever one thinks about an image, a brand, a label, a culture... It appears to have completely overshadowed the entire music world. You don't listen to something for how it sounds anymore... you listen to it because of what it means. You listen to it because of what it says about you, and what THING you ascribe to. You listen to it because of the way it looks.

I may be completely overgeneralising, I may be just being a cynical cynthia over here. And it may seem a bit pretentious of me even putting this thought out there, after my previous Arcade Fire rant.

But it's the vibe I have picked up over the past few years as I become more and more ingrained in music and music culture. It's not just here, in Brisvegas, it' s Australia-wide, it's world-wide.

When did we stop listening to music for the way it sounded and the way it made us feel, and what made us stop choosing it for that reason? Who cares how 'fucking hipster' Animal Collective are and how pretentious Conor Oberst is? Who cares that the band you're listening to now only formed 3 days ago on the side of a road playing songs that were only about 17th century Rome?

Does their music appeal to my ears? Because if not, I'm really not interested.

I like fucking Steely Dan and America and adore Joe Jackson, and I was an obsessed Ben Folds/ Five fan for a good part of 10 years. I've seen more bands with my parents, and will continue to, than I probably will ever see with a friend. I don't get a single cool point for any of that. What draws me is that I like what I hear. I don't know WHY I like what I like to hear, it probably has a lot to do with the music I grew up with, and how my ears have evolved throughout my life. But it's why I choose it. I don't care what it looks like. I'm not trying to paint myself as this perfect, well rounded music lover. There are things I feel dirty enjoying, the perception of 'I'm not supposed to be enjoying this' is still quite alive and real in many music listening situations. There are also some styles of music I just will never get or appreciate... *cough* metal *cough* country. But as 'indie' as some of the bands I will post about, seem.. I wouldn't be there if I didn't genuinely have a great enjoyment of, not their image, label, mission statement, personality, but their goddamn music.

I'm so incredibly guilty of it, but I'm really, really sick of putting labels on people based on what they listen to. It's ridiculous.

Ok, with that, my last mind grape... More like mind rape, a week ago when the news broke that Radiohead would be releasing their new album, The King of Limbs, in five days time, in digital form. For a week, that was all on many fans' minds, and for the 3 or so hours when it was reported that the album would be brought ahead a daily earlier, it was all that was on my mind and agenda as well. Radiohead have certainly tried to change up the music press industry by making sudden announcements of new singles and albums of late, which can be frustrating but also very exciting. But in the end, is the album any good?

It's not a question one can answer briefly, but I'll do my best. On first listen, it was slightly underwhelming, but obvious to me that multiple listens would unravel its hidden complexity. After doing so, it did unravel as a solid album, but I certainly don't feel its their best work, and it is very very difficult to separate it enough from their catalogue to make a good judgement of it. I can't help but compare the first few tracks of TKOL to Thom Yorke's The Eraser, and "Little by Little" which sounds kind of like "I Might Be Wrong", and it all reminds me of "Hearing Damage", Thom's single released last year. It's very dark, brooding and electronically focussed, and it appears to me as an extension of In Rainbows... the direction they were always heading from Amnesiac onwards. The first half is a quick descent into schizophrenic beats, synth, bass and dubstep, with a slight reprieve (although erratic itself) with Lotus Flower, clearly the most commercial track on the album. If it had all been that, I think the album may have driven me away as too hard to continue. It saves itself with the last 3 tracks, almost guiding the listener out of the nightmarish static of the first half, back into a sweet dreamland of emotion and beauty. As a whole, it kind of works, but I do think it still needs to grow. There is still much to explore in this deep dark Radiohead forest of an album.

Ahh and that is one of the most exciting parts of music, the repeated exploration of an album... the way it forms and changes over time, you pick up on things you didn't catch earlier, things you dismiss as filler become some of your favourite moments on the album, you hear it while something significant is happening and you associate a song with that memory forever, you hate it for a while for that reason, and then love it again years later.

Rant over, thankyou and goodnight!!

Laneway Festival, Friday 4th of February, Brisbane Showgrounds

BRADFORD (he's very good)

A first (and much, MUCH belated) festival review for this humble blog, so I'll do my best to be short and sweet and not too waffley. St Jerome's Laneway Festival sprang from the loins of Melbourne's actual lane-way festival, and turned up in Brisbane some four years ago (yes? correct me if I'm wrong!!) as a smaller, indie-er music festival in Winn St, a street bordering the Zoo music venue in Fortitude Valley. Since then it changed hands to Alexandria St, which really is the entrance to the Exhibition Showgrounds. Thus, even less laney was this years laneway, becoming more of an awkward and disgustingly hot, condensed Ekka music show day. It had to be done I guess, as it appears that the numbers interested in the Laneway festival have well exceeded its original capacity, and there were indie kids packed in from end to end. Still, despite the amass of crowds, it being Brisbane after all, I managed to bump into half the people I knew anyway.

What brings people there, are of course the bands playing. And this years lineup was set out to be the indiest of all festivals, possibly only trumped if Animal Collective took their All Tomorrow's Parties lineup over here. Mind you, those bands that weren't on my personal itinerary were mostly unheard of to me, and I am sure I missed out on some very good performances. What I did manage to see was an interesting array of experiences, some good, some amazing, some okay, some damn awful.

I arrived there with my bro a little later than my usual festival promptness, and we fumbled about for our group while the Local Natives played on the main Alexandria St Stage (Nothing much to report as although they sounded good from memory, my attention was minimal, sorry fellas). Bear In Heaven were the first band I got to check out properly, in the oddly named "Inner Sanctum" stage, inside one of the exhibition halls. As far as they went, it was quite dull and uneventful, but not unpleasant, rather a slow stirring buildup to the day's events. We missed their last bit to check out Beach House back outside, ending up nicely in the front-ish row.

Beach House are a band I am still undecided on, finding their ultimate laid back, slow burning style kind of tedious, but a little catchy in some way. After a few songs, I soon decided they were better than I gave them credit for. They flowed seamlessly from one song to the next, and played a lovely selection of their catchier tracks, mostly from Teen Dream. Victoria was an oddly charming frontlady and sang well, and the band played quite pleasantly. It was an enjoyable set and we left it with just a song to go, to ensure we got to see as much of the Antlers as we possibly could, sandwiched in between Beach House and Warpaint.

I got to the front of the Inner Sanctum just as the Antlers' signature track 'Kettering' was in the throes of an explosive wall of sound, incredible to hear and see. Antlers are a band I need patience for, as their somber soft build ups can be frustrating when their louder/faster/heavier moments are so appealing. Luckily there were more moments I enjoy the band for, and it was an awakening, entertaining few songs I got to see before scuttling off to Warpaint.

As our group gathered for Warpaint, it was apparent we must have missed Undertow, which I must admit was the only song of theirs I knew well. Not to worry though, as what followed was a pretty powerful end of a set, and I couldn't help but move along to the grinding beat and vibe. It also helps that the ladies of Warpaint are pretty easy on the eye as well. I just wished that the clashing of timetables had not occurred so that I could have seen more of both Warpaint and the Antlers.

What followed then was a wait for Ariel Pink and his Haunted Graffiti...

ARIEL PINK (I don't think so Tim)

As Ariel came onstage to "assist" with the roadies, it was entertaining in itself to watch him parade around with his op-shop apparel and fake snake around his neck, babbling into mics to get the show on the go... And then suddenly without warning launching onto their first song. It was a weird beginning which only got weirder as the mental state of this guy became more apparent. You could barely hear a word, no thanks to the appalling sound; he forgot lyrics and had to restart songs; and after hearing that they had only 2 mins left, he spent the next minute babbling to the band about what to do, then sat on the floor while blaring out the last song. I recognized only one of them. The rest was a mishmash of noise and yelling. I know that being crazy and psychotic is supposed to be Ariel pink's schtick, which everyone else seems to think is awesome, but to me, this schtick is useless if it's not involving and engaging of the audience, which it wasn't. Ariel was in his head, performing to himself, uninterested in providing anyone else with a decent experience, and frankly it was embarrassing to see a band with such a worldwide acclaimed album and millions of indie fans wanting to s their d's, to be so unprofessional and rubbish onstage. Don't do drugs kids.

Luckily after that train wreck, there was the redeeming sound of Deerhunter, the band I most wanted to see on this day. Despite technical issues left over from the Haunted Graffiti, the sound leaving much to be desired, Deerhunter blew the crowd away.

Bradford Cox and and opened with most possibly my favourite track from Halycon Digest (the latest album), 'Desire Lines', a perfect opener to take the awful taste of pink from our mouths. The vocals were a bit distorted however the guitars and drums were exquisite, and as the song built up to its climax, a wonderful feeling of bliss crept into my body... thissss, this is what I was here for. Other highlights were 'Nothing Ever Happened', and 'Helicopter', which were amazing in very different ways, the first pounding and volcanic from opening thumping beat to wall of screeching noise at the end... the latter, a gently, lulling emotional ride of obscurity. Bradford stood stoically at the appropriately moments and thrashed around like a fish out of water on his guitar at other appropriate moments. The whole band was mesmerizing and perfect for the vibe of the day. Which is why it felt a bit strange when they exited on 'Cover Me (Slowly)' and 'Agoraphobia', which together opens the album Microcastle. This choice left an unfinished feeling at the end of the show, and that feeling of uncertainty as to whether a show was finished or not continued throughout the day.

I ended up missing a fair portion of Cloud Control's set, which was unfortunate as what I did see was pretty entertaining. They were set up in the only lane-like area in the showgrounds, narrowly in between two buildings, which made viewing difficult anyway. I managed to catch a few of their signature tunes, including their cover of Kid Cudi's 'Pursuit of Happiness' and a brief switch mid-song into 'Pepper' by the Butthole Surfers.

After the last of Cloud Control's set, we drifted past Foals who sounded fairly tight, to eventually find a struggling Gotye back at the carpark stage. Gotye was halfway through his set, again having to suffer the terrible audio issues that wouldn't let it be. Still, Goatee pressed on, playing the cringeworthy thanks for your time, all cheese on, voice activated phone message and all. He was oddly placed, as despite a new album, Gotye hasn't quite got back the hype he once had, and the end of his set saw a dude making the most of what he could with what he had. Still, it was nice to hear 'Heart's A Mess', not that anyone cares about it anymore, and 'The Only Thing I Know' from his more unknown Boardface record. Again, unsure if he was coming or going, we left a bit early (I think?) to catch a little Cut Copy before goodbye times.

And it had been a very long day, we were tired and out of it, but that's really no excuse for Cut Copy to bore the pants off us. Perhaps being closer to the front would have made things a little more exciting, but considering the dance genre of Cut Copy's tunes, I expected to be somewhat moved. It was a slightly indulgent set including only one from their (best *cough*) album Bright Like Neon Lights, a lot of boring time between songs, slow-building (and frankly boring) songs from their newest one, and not only 'Hearts on Fire' but also 'Lights and Music' from In Ghost Colours, which are basically the same song. Seeing them way back almost five years ago during the Good Vibes festival, I recall them as not the best band live, and of course dance/electro doesn't always translate to live as well as on an album. But you know, time for improvement perhaps? Eh. I ended up sitting on the sidewalk with the group as the band finished, exhausted from the day and ready for bed. I don't know how I managed to get through the past few Splendour In The Grass festivals, as just a one day festival takes it out of me nowadays.

All in all, the Laneway festival was a good day, with lots of room for improvement, particularly the sound issues that dogged particular stages, weirdness of venue, and timetable clashes. Some things are staple festival issues that can't be helped (including price of drinks!!) but I do hope next years is a little tighter.

FESTIVAL RATING: Six and a half raybans out of ten.

Sufjan Stevens, The Tivoli, 30th of January 2011 (aka: Font issues.)

The best gig is the gig that creeps up on you after having forgot that you went on a ticket buying spree some months ago, but surfaces in your mind just in time to be attended. That gig was Sufjan Stevens for me, the first of many concerts coming up in 2011. The most chiseled hunkface of the music world, his impeccable voice and his crazy neon band, performed at the Tivoli Monday night amongst a sold out audience (lucky me) as part of his Age of Adz tour. Although having acquired the new album, I hadn't had much chance to listen to it, but I knew it was a significant departure from his usual works, albeit with that familiar Sufjan orchestral, folksy flair. Usually I feel I enjoy concerts more when I know most of the material, as obviously it can be more exciting to anticipate the songs you like most, and experience how the songs/album you know well, translates live. However, I don't think that theory applied this night, as every song was presented so well, each being unique, complex and layered, so that it was lovely to listen to with fresh ears.

Lucky, because the entire show was almost all Age of Adz as well as his EP of last year, All Delighted People. Solo support act and Xavier Rudd imitator Tim Hart played us in with his folk guitar, and was talented enough, but had nothing particularly exciting or original going on, and I was happy for his set to be over and for Sufjan to wake me up again. Oh boy (oh no!), did he wake me up.

The simple christian-boy image of Sufjan and his music was really put to the test with his new look tour of neon tape and alfoil costumes, bright makeup, fluro accessories, and cutesy dancing girls with robo-moves. They opened with the title track off Age of Adz, an appropriately epic, layered and electro-orchestral opener for the set, introducing us to the style and mood that would dominate the night. It was only broken occasionally with a few beautiful, delicate folk moments, sometimes accompanied by his entourage, sometimes just Sufjan and his guitar. The sound at the Tivoli, my favourite of all venues, was absolutely impeccable.. you could hear every syllable and nuance from Sufjan's incredible voice (credit to him as well of course!) and the band's sound blended perfectly with it. I became quite enamoured of the new material, which was often introduced by Sufjan, through either a quick intriguing description of what the song was about, or either a rather long complex tale.

The story behind the album art and the astronomical, apocalyptic themes of the songs, took a while to come out but was quite fascinating. Sufjan told us of his discovery of the schizophrenic artist Royal Roberts and his trippy, dreamy, futuristic artwork, made via simple means, such as posterboard and felt tip pen (his art was projected on the screen behind the band at various points during the night). It was lovely to hear Sufjan keen to talk about his discovery and his lead up to the creation of such an album, as a personal foray into his own psyche... instead of just rushing into song after song as many live artists do.

As the songs went on, Sufjan made a few accessory changes, including this crazy hat made out of various crafty bits and tin foil (which you probably can't see very well AT ALL) :

The whole effect was quite incredibly daunting, but amazing. The final moment involved a phenomenal 25 minute song, the super positive 'Impossible Soul' (also Age of Adzs' closer), during which at various moments I thought had changed to a new song, particularly when he decided to break out the autotune mic (yikes!!). After its enormous finish, balloons and streamers having settled on the audience, the man and his band walked off, only for Sufjan to come back soon after to play us a small selection from his signature album, Come On Feel the Illinoise. This was a real treat, and we got to hear 'Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois', followed by 'John Wayne Gacy, Jr' (omg, lump in throat), and to finish off, but of course, 'Chicago'. It provided a wonderful ending and a happy feeling in my heart.
Hearing the new stuff for mostly the first time live, was probably the best way to experience it, but although nothing will beat it, I am fast becoming obsessed with Age of Adz the studio album. It is interesting that Sufjan has taken his focus (although always subtle) away from his christian ideas and themes and toward a more open, questioning, shifting, life/death/the universe mind set... I was quite contentedly amazed at this until the song 'Get Real Get Right', in which the lyrics quite un-subtly declare "Get real, get right with the lord". I guess he's still a God-fearing dude at heart, which is fine of course, but it's refreshing and much more interesting to experience this new slant Sufjan is putting on music, art, and life. In fact, I am probably getting ahead of myself, but this new album may in fact be becoming my favourite of his to date. It is certainly showing to be at least one of the most creative.
New year, new blog rules. Rating scale!!! I give Sufjan Stevens and his Adzmazing band 8 glowsticks out of 10.