November 2012 – Audiofemme

AF EXCLUSIVE TRACK: Which Magic “Electra Light”

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It wasn’t very long ago that I stumbled upon Which Magic’s bandcamp page, but it feels like I’ve listened to and loved Sara Autrey’s Baltimore-based project forever. It could be the timeless, soulful quality of her voice, or her innovative, fearless, anything-goes approach to creating music, or that inherent playfulness paired with the dreamy quality of her songs. Or it could be that I feel a deeper connection and kinship to these anthems and their maker based simply on the fact that each track somehow manages to encompass my favorite sorts of feelings – the bleary haze of relaxed afternoons, the swoon of having a new crush to obsess over, the magic of being alive.

AudioFemme was ecstatic to host Which Magic’s first-ever NYC performance at our CMJ showcase. Sara is an amazing performer, bursting with energy, busting out jokes, and battling with her temperamental guitar. Thus far, she’s recorded and released a self-titled cassette and a split EP with Wing Dam, a band in which she collaborates with her boyfriend Austin Tally. These offerings show a subtle progression from folksier sounds to beat-driven jams, but both are carried off with an earnest and artful DIY approach that makes the material seem that much more personal and authentic.

Continuing along that trajectory, Autrey’s begun to infuse her tunes with more hip-hop influenced delivery and more eclectic rhythms, obsessions she’s had since since a friend taught her how to create her own beats. “Hip-hop is so influential to my musical style. It’s badass and sexy, everything I aspire to be,” Autrey says, laughing. This fascination was clearly the impetus for Which Magic’s newest track “Electra Light”, which we are pleased to present here as an AudioFemme exclusive.

Autrey says the inspiration for the song came in part from her dual nature as a Gemini, being at odds with feelings of inadequacy on one hand and having complete confidence on the other. “Feeling like shit about anything is great inspiration to write songs” Autrey explains. But in listening to “Electra Light” it’s nearly impossible to detect any traces of self-doubt; it sounds instead as though Autrey is imagining herself as a kind of superhero who uses moonlight and breezes to bathe the world and herself in truth. It isn’t until the last verse, in which Autrey croons “Cryin’ to the moon because I dont shine like I used to / and though I speak right I know the things I do
are not always true” that we’re reminded that the singer of these verses is not invincible or beyond reproach. Ultimately, the song is “about the duality of self – the things you like about yourself, the things you hate… all at the same damn time, at the same damn time” Autrey says.

When pressed about her songwriting process, Autrey describes her rituals as a bit chemically enhanced thanks to espresso and (ahem) herbal substances. “I also make a point of saying what I need to say in a song one of two different ways,” she adds, “Either a.) as vaguely and artfully as possible, or b.) as blatant an honest as possible. No in-between. Again… Geminis…”

Autrey’s not slowing down her musical output one bit. She’s hard at work on a new project called called “Glitteris” (pronounced like CLITORIS but with more sparkle). “This is going to be my rap project. I, along with Lizz King, have been tapping into my inner gangsta… We feed off of each others’ need to be a boss bitch (in all the positive sense of the term) and put it into words.” Autrey is also collecting beats made by individuals throughout Baltimore, including beats from Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak and Flock of Dimes. It will be exciting to see how the two preoccupations come together. “Stay tuned,” warns Autrey. It’s advice we’ll gladly take.

For now, check out “Electra Light” below. And continue reading for some of Autrey’s musical recommendations.

WHICH MAGIC LOVES…..

WING DAM– my other band that I’m in, as a bassist/vocalist…total grungy rock from Baltimore. I wake up every day ever with one of the songs from “Damage” stuck in my head, in the best possible way, not the annoying way.

JONAH RAPINO “Berbere Superstar”- total ethiopian ghetto beats with electric violin overdubbing and amazing sampling happenning here…DEFINITELY give “thug sign” a listen or 10.

THE AMPS – Kim Deal from The Breeders side project!! So fuckin’ good! So punk! So so so chill punk rock bad-ass… godDAMN the album PACER is amazing. The best. 1995.

MOSS OF AURA – Baltimore-based instrumental synth-hip-h’pop mega dramatic awesomeness from the keyboard genius of the band Future Islands, Gerrit Welmers. All of his songs are incredible and moody and mood-inspiring, but the song “Never” really really makes me dance like I’m possessed.

ELO – Electric Light Orchestra will never get old. The album “Out of the Blue” is truly an inspiring masterpiece full of uplifting ass shakin songs.

LIZZ KING – also Baltimore-based lady songstress of badassness and sexuality. She was my original musical mentor and she helped me get my first shows ever/introduced me to the Baltimore scene. Lizz is also the first woman I’ve ever seen perform as a total fucking boss. BO$$ as hell, check the video for “BOOTY QUEEN”.

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ARTIST PROFILE: Los Encantados

Sitting down with the boys of Los Encantados, you don’t get the sense that they’ve caught onto their own inevitable indie fame. Comprised of six members, Los Encantados is a straightforward, surfer-rock band based out of Brooklyn, and, like many others, practices in a tiny room of a converted Bushwick warehouse that smells like booze and cigarettes. Unlike many others though, they are all good at playing instruments. Additionally, they are cerebral and mild-mannered (though not entirely mild-mannered. One member, whose name I’ve omitted, joined the band once upon a daytime bender when he, “literally stumbled into the practice space…” )

The story of Los Encantados began when front man James Armstrong wrote a bunch of songs about a girl, who, from what I surmise, broke his heart in the summer of 2010. Those songs were then turned into an album, and in 2011, he and his friends got together to perform that album for a live audience. Sartorially, the show involved white masks, and a lot of frantic last minute ribbon cutting. After it was all over they decided that they “liked it way too much to stop”. So they kept playing. And it’s a good thing they did.

The album, Same Damned Soul, was released in three parts, to accompany mood shifts driven by seasonal change. Chapter 1 is the sonic embodiment of summer love and all of its nostalgia-inspiring highs and lows. The first track, “Ghosts”, hits you over the head with its catchiness; however any song that opens with four full bars of kick drum is bound to hook you no matter how you feel about throwback rock. Armstrong’s voice then comes in, drawling and retro, reminiscent of Julian Casablancas ‘though so much better, because he doesn’t take himself all that seriously (nor does he loathe his fellow band members. In fact it seems they all really love playing together). After “Ghosts”, you indeed want to hear more. All three tracks, as well as each from the following chapters, 2 & 3, straddle the line between warm, melodic love songs and loud, insistent, percussion-driven rock jams that take you on the psychic journey of someone who’s been exhilarated and subsequently torn to shreds by love. “Your ghost has chosen me”, Armstrong mourns–a motif as relatable as it is confounding. Without relying too heavily on the theme of love lost, the redemption is in the music: indie gems that keep you pressing ‘play’ again and again.

I was lucky enough to sit down with the chaps of Los Encantados one night, to muse about the band’s happenings around town, what they think about the music industry, and where they see their sound heading over the next year (“we’re NOT planning to make a dub-step or trap album…yet…”), as they prepare to release forthcoming work. You can listen to one of their new tracks, “ZZZZ”, right here.

Los Encantados are all exceptionally nice–though I’m sure it didn’t hurt that I brought them beer–and fun to listen to, just like their tunes. Below is my interview with them in full. Click and hear it all, straight from the horse’s mouth.

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CMJ 2012: Best Of, 1-3

CMJ is one of our very favorite music festivals of the year, because it showcases the best, brightest and unknown talents out there, hidden like diamonds in the rough. Over the course of five crazy days, NYC mines those diamonds for all the world to see. Though we witnessed an abundance of music-related shenanigans that we would love to tell you about, we wanted to first pay homage to the artists out there who we think, and hope, the world will soon experience much more of. Here’s a sample of 9 acts I liked best. Some are those diamonds, brand spanking new to the scene, and others are old favorites who continue to blow my mind every time I get to see them.

XO,

1. Chad Valley @ Le Baron

Chad Valley, the moniker of UK native Hugo Manuel (of indie rock band Jonquil), is a phenomenon that creeps up on you like a flash flood. Though I had heard a few of his tracks prior to the Ghostly/Cascine showcase, when I finally saw him at Le Baron my prior impressions were torn to shreds. He is possessed of an exceptional kind of talent that can only be apprehended through his live performance (one of the myriad great things about live performance). There are three aspects of his work that standout. First, he doesn’t really seem to give a fuck about how he’s perceived. He is accessible and unassuming, and doesn’t cultivate a hyper-stylized personae in order to distance himself from the audience—a commonly employed mechanism by “DJs” and other solo performers who lack traditional means of self-definition, like musical virtuosity for instance. This absence of self-consciousness, while it could perhaps be interpreted as impudence, is a breath of fresh air in this biz. Especially at festivals, you often feel like you might just choke on all the hubris floating around in the air. Second, his music is innovative but simple, in that the way that he creates an experience for the audience. You don’t grasp this from the recordings unless you are familiar with the fact that he doesn’t perform with a band. He stands behind a table of samplers and builds his songs from there, singing simultaneously into two microphones so that he can loop and layer his vocal tracks. Third, Manuel’s lung capacity alone transforms what could be formulaic electropop into true art, unrivaled by almost any similarly minded pop musician I can think of, save Antony Hegarty.

All this made for an impressive set of performances, which subsequently topped my list for the week. His songs are lush, melodic and complex, and each one gives audience members the sense that he’s intimating something directly to them about life, love and longing.

2. Doldrums @ PS1

Doldrums‘ Pitchfork gig at MOMA PS1 was a CMJ winner. Project of Airick Woodhead , Doldrums’ set brought visual art and inventive electronic music together seamlessly; and the performance was executed with an elegance that this particular genre often precludes, since it’s meant to challenge the musical aesthetic of the viewer in a way that can leave one feeling abandoned in the…um…doldrums. Doldrums’ set was entirely captivating though, accompanied by video installation that wrapped around the inside wall of PS1’s huge, white crystalline dome, in which he and his band performed. Though previously a solo project based out of Montreal, he played his CMJ shows as a three-piece. His music samples and layers together different, often opposing sounding percussion and a-melodic strings over (in this instance) live drumming, throwing in animal sounds, child sounds, the sounds of a modem starting, etc. Woodhead’s ethereal vocals tie it all together, and the result is tracks that are haphazard, yet never absent of a central thesis, which perhaps in his case is: controlled chaos is fertile ground for good music if you have the brains to compose it all well. And that Doldrums does. All of it makes for experimental electronica at its very best. We will surely continue to see more from this young talent, if he chooses to give us more.

3. DIIV @ Villain

Aside from nearly getting moshed to death at Villain, a pop-up warehouse venue on the Williamsburg waterfront where they performed, DIIV was an exceedingly good live band to watch.

Why there was a circle pit at a shoegaze concert at all is mystifying, and made watching DIIV feel like a weird dream that’s also kind of a nightmare. I know that shoegaze trailblazers like Jesus And Mary Chain have a whole damn album of super raucous jams that make people want to flail themselves at one another. DIIV, however—at least what I thought I knew of them—do not. All of the songs off their full-length debut Oshin, do not whatsoever betray a “fuck the world” ethos. Instead, listening to them makes me want to go for a run on a sunny autumn afternoon. But I don’t go for runs. I go to concerts. And this one got rowdy, it seemed, as soon as the opening chords were strummed. After adjusting my expectations and locking my knees, I began to actually “get it” though, because the songs themselves elicit an emotional reaction in people. It’s almost as if they were written to be experienced viscerally. The melodies are full of reverb, underpinned and carried through by jangling guitar riffs, making the vocals appear incidental. After listening for a few moments you do feel swept into their sound, until you’re completely out to sea, alone but happy, which I suspect could be exactly what Oshin is trying to achieve.

Chad Valley performs “Up And Down” @ Le Baron, 10/17

Coverage by Annie White, for AudioFemme

CMJ 2012: Sea Wolf, Jim White, Hey Marseilles @ LPR

CMJ has come and gone but the week proved to be a memorable one filled with discovering new artists and rediscovering old favorites.

If you’re like me and are just under the 21+ age limit of many of that week’s shows, finding something, anything, to attend proved to be a truly ridiculous adventure. Fortunately, some fantastic acts took pity upon the children, including Sea Wolf, a band that falls into the “old favorites” category and have been on the back-burner of my iPod playlists.

On the chilly Friday evening at the tail end of the music marathon, Sea Wolf, joined by Hey Marseilles and Southern folkie Jim White, graced the intimate stage at (le) poisson rouge. The red-tinged, smoky atmosphere of the venue had been filled to the brim with too-cool patrons who held their half-empty glasses and fashionably dressed bodies like they were at an art show, mulling over the artist’s intentions and so on.

Hey Marseilles, a seven-piece Seattle outfit, entered a stage filled with a mess of string instruments that were put well to use during their frantic yet earnest set. Their energy and heavy focus on a strong string section gave them the vibe of a softcore Mumford and Sons that hasn’t been enraged by the roughness of life while the musicality and lyrical content felt reminiscent of The Decemberists (this is a comparison that is driven home by the insanely similar vocal tone Hey Marseilles’ lead singer has to Colin Meloy). Towards the end of their setlist that included mostly new songs from a forthcoming album release, it was difficult not to smile during “Rio,” an old song of theirs that comes complete with a festive audience clap-along.

The positive energy of Hey Marseilles made way for Jim Whites typical Southern folk take on Jesus and highways and tumbleweeds over crunchy guitar riffs. With his twangy accent and quippy asides in-between songs (“Imagine if your dad was up here smiling stoned. That’s kind of what you got with me”) made him a fun and personable presence on stage. A highlight, in between all that talk of Jesus and tumbleweeds, came in the form of a song written for Kimya Dawson titled “Keep It Meaningful.”

While the audience lagged a bit for the first half of White’s set, the energy spiked during his ‘rock the vote’ speech that included his sage advice for everyone to ‘find a drunk and get him sober enough to vote.’ It was a perfect lead into the long, related tale he tells in his song “Newspaper,” which ended a set that felt like it had just begun.

Finally, Sea Wolf came on after a break that dragged on in between sets. Enthusiasm lifted once again as they jumped right into a rousing set filled with edge, bite, and all the folky goodness that had been presented throughout the night. While they may have not had the same joy or fervor as openers Hey Marseilles, who really stole the show with their genuine excitement to be up there, Sea Wolf felt exhilarating and charming and earnest, as they’ve elicited in the past. With a mix of old and new songs, the band continuously delivered flawless musicality until lead singer Alex Brown Church forgot the lyrics of a few older tunes, including “I Made a Resolution.” The band and the audience laughed along with Church and the show continued with its regularly scheduled indie joy.

After their final song, a thrilling version of “You’re a Wolf,” Sea Wolf returned for a warm encore with the song “Saint Catherine St.” It felt like a good-bye but not to the band — it was a good-bye to the weird week that was CMJ Music Marathon right before Saturday’s own warm encore and final hurrah.

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CMJ 2012: SESAC Showcase @ Cakeshop

Photo curtesey of http://www.sesac.com/Events/Event_News_Details.aspx?id=1791 — Psychobuilding performs.
Photo courtesy of www.sesac.com/Events.

This year for CMJ I dropped by my old standby Cakeshop to check out the SESAC showcase. SESAC, an organization that represents musicians who seek compensation for having their music performed in public, showcased a cross section of their indie rock talent; and the groups were indeed a good match for the typical Cakeshop crowd. Here is a review of four bands from the evening.

First in the lineup was the Wisconsin based duo Blessed Feathers, comprised of Jacquelyn Beaupre and Donivan Berube. The pair constructs songs together, and consider themselves partners in music and in life. Blessed Feathers’s sound was beautifully wrought with a strong emphasis on folk guitar style and soulful melodies. Beaupre’s vocals add a harmonic layer that flesh the songs out and are indispensable to the music’s emotional depth. If you’re a folk rock fan like I am, you may find yourself enamored with Blessed Feathers’s sonically expansive Red Hot Chili Peppers cover of “Porcelain”.

CMJ2012_3 — Blessed Feather performs.
Photo courtesy of www.sesac.com/Events.

Communist Daughter is also borne out of WI, and is fronted by singer John Solomon. Grey’s Anatomy fans know this group for their song “Soundtrack to the End”, which made it onto season 7’s credit roll. That said, they have many more notable songs to back themselves up, the latest hit being “Ghosts“. This group is relatively new to the scene, with one EP (Lions & Lambs) and one full length album (Soundtrack to the End). They have a great live sound, with driving drum beats, catchy guitar lines, and expressive vocals. This polish and care lends Communist Daughter a lot of potential.

CMJ2012_1 — Half Undressed performs.
Photo courtesy of www.sesac.com/Events

Half Undressed is a two man drum and guitar duo. The group is self described as “indie/dream pop”, and with drummer Sam’s airy, laid back vocals, the genre seems an accurate description. The relaxed vibe and surfer rock style guitar hooks set an easy going atmosphere. I found I was immediately drawn in to Half Undressed’s sound, but after a few songs, I felt I’d heard everything they had to offer. With such a specific vocal style choice, the songs needed more variation in instrumentation, or the drummer could have made more complex or varied choices. Overall the tracks began to sound too similar to one another and too simple to support such an unwavering vocal style, and I began to think the group would be best on a soundtrack compilation rather than in a concert setting. Chill out to their song “Demons” here.

Psychobuildings has a fantastic synth pop dance sound, and singer Peter LaBier’s voice has so much character and wildly distinguished style, he seems destined to be a pop icon. Not to mention he has that fearless indie rocker aesthetic. Listen to “Wonderchamber” and see if you can restrain yourself from dancing! Psychobuildings has a great sense of musical composition and a full sound that builds with diverse instrumentation and classic synth sounds. Yet, seeing the duo perform, I felt I was cheated of that live performance feel. The group plays along with pre-recorded tracks they’ve written in the software program Ableton Live, adding only the drums and vocals in performance. Hearing basic bass lines play out of a laptop made me question the reasoning behind leaving a real bass player offstage. I certainly understand Psychobuildings is part of the DIY music movement, and they are able to bring a studio quality sound into the basement of Cakeshop. But without more onstage investment in creating music in real time, I began to feel the show turn into a karaoke night. More ownership of the songs and their creation was needed in order to engage the audience. Psychobuildings is a great studio band, with some killer tracks to be found online. I hope to see the group expand their live sound with an electronic artist who can give these stellar dance songs an edgy, real feel.

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ARTIST PROFILE: Harlan

Thoughts from a neo-soul prodigy on the rise from LA

Harlan _American__photo by Landon McMahon — Photo by Landon McMahon

Harlan, an LA-based newbie of A-side Worldwide management (Mayer Hawthorne, Jamall Bufford), blends together soul, funk, and electropop to name a few, and makes songs that showcase his wide-ranging influences and musical virtuosity in equal measure. In his work, he manages to create a sound that is hauntingly familiar and distinctly fresh at the same time—a difficult feat he accomplishes with seeming ease.

His recently released EP, 1984, indeed gives us a glimpse into the ambitions of a multi-talented, intelligent “genre hopper”, who wants to make us dance pretty much no matter what kind of mood we may be in. Though each of the four tracks has its own throwback quality—from new wave to Michael Jackson to 90s era jazz-funk—his background in classical music is unmistakable (he is a cellist), as is his eye for compositional detail, evident in complex yet accessible guitar lines and melodies that are catchy without losing their integrity. Take a listen here, and see for yourselves.

AudioFemme was lucky enough to have a little chat with Harlan, about his work, the superpower he wishes he possessed, his inspirations, and his background, as well as his forthcoming follow up single, “American” (appropriately timed for what we hear is an impending national election), which can be downloaded right here, just for you: Harlan_American

Here’s what Harlan had to say to us.

AF: Hi Harlan. We love 1984. Can you talk a little bit about your creative process in
writing it? What genre would you say your music best fits into—or is the name of
your EP supposed to indicate that? I’ve been listening to The Human League a lot these days, and can’t help but hear the influence of early new wave in your work—in a
good way.

I wrote the album in a short period of time with the exception of “Cathedral.”
That was an old song. I would describe it as electronic-pop-soul. I am definitely
a fan of new wave.

AF: To that end, what are your main musical influences? And what is your
background specifically; did you grow up playing instruments or just singing?

I am a child of the 80’s. That production style can be heard in most
of my work. I grew up studying classical cello. I didn’t start making
contemporary music until college.

AF: What aspects of the EP production were you involved in?

I produced the EP. I play all the instruments with the exception of
drums on two tracks. My good friend Alex Elena co-produced Pack
Light and AD. He also played drums on them.

AF:The quality is so great, and it sounds like you put a ton of time into it. How long
has 1984 been in the works?

I work really fast in the studio. I have the sounds and ideas already
in my head so that makes it a lot easier. There’s usually not a lot of
experimenting once I set out to record a song.

AF: You have one other EP, Native Son. How does 1984 relate to your earlier
stuff? Do you feel like your sounds are evolving?

I think 1984 is more focused. Native Son works in a lot of different
genres. So yes, I would say the work is evolving.

AF: In what direction do you see your music going in the next few years?

More R&B.

AF: What does your live setup look like? Do you play with a band, or electronics,
or both? We unfortunately missed your NYC show but hope to catch you in the
future.

In LA I play with a 6-piece band. Drums, Bass, Keyboard, two Guitars,
and a backup singer. When I go on tour I strip it down some.

AF: What compelled your follow up single, “American”? Its seems motivated
by our current political climate. Can you talk about that at all?

I wrote the song to point out both the good and bad things I feel
embody my generation. There’s a lot of focus on the individual and
his/her own personal reward. You Tube fame and reality television
for instance are unsettling to me.

AF: What else are you listening to these days? Anything coming out that you find
particularly innovative or inspiring? How do you feel about the LA music scene?

I just bought the new Kendrick Lamar. I like it. I think hip-hop has
finally come back around. Kanye West’s production is a big reason.
I also have been listening to my friend Madi Diaz new record. She is
really great. There’s a lot of talent in LA right now.

AF: Lastly, if you could have any super power, which one would it be, and please
explain why?

Flight. No more having to deal with airport security :)[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Month: November 2012

AF EXCLUSIVE TRACK: Which Magic “Electra Light”

ARTIST PROFILE: Los Encantados

CMJ 2012: Best Of, 1-3

1. Chad Valley @ Le Baron

2. Doldrums @ PS1

3. DIIV @ Villain

CMJ 2012: Sea Wolf, Jim White, Hey Marseilles @ LPR

CMJ 2012: SESAC Showcase @ Cakeshop

ARTIST PROFILE: Harlan

Thoughts from a neo-soul prodigy on the rise from LA

Ticket Giveaways

Each week Audiofemme gives away a set of tickets to our featured shows in NYC! Scroll down to enter for the following shindigs.

See you there! xoxo