August 2014 – Audiofemme

LIVE REVIEW: Museum of Love @ The Wick

Even as it evolved from dance-punk singles played in hip clubs to the extravagant, sold-out MSG finale show with a multitude of guest performances, LCD Soundsystem was always James Murphy’s thing. Though Murphy enlisted a host of musicians to fill out his production and tour lineup, he remained its front-and-center icon, down to the project’s last 48 hours of existence in front of Shut Up And Play The Hits filmmakers. Co-founding DFA Records, the label that would become synonymous not only with LCD’s output but with the disco-infused punk movement the band inspired, only solidified Murphy’s prominence as the purveyor of those sounds. Longtime collaborator Nancy Whang found outlets as a DJ and producer in her own right, particularly in working with DFA cohort The Juan MacLean. In one way or another, the musicians who became fixtures on LCD releases either remained affiliated with other DFA-related projects or produced solo endeavors for the label, whose curatorial scope felt just as focused on sonic similarities as it was in fostering those familial connections.

Now, it seems, it’s Pat Mahoney’s turn to make a name for himself beyond the title of LCD Soundsystem drummer. His newest project, Museum of Love, has been releasing teaser singles since dropping “Monotronic” in October, and officially announced a nine-track self-titled EP slated for release this month. With Dennis “Jee Day” McNany (who’s also worked with The Juan MacLean) writing most of the songs and Mahoney penning the lyrics, sultry jams like “Down South” and the sunny, expansive pop of “In Infancy” promise that Museum of Love’s debut will be packed with expertly-constructed explorations in a variety of moods.

At DFA Records’ Summer Soiree last Saturday at The Wick in Brooklyn, the whole gang was in attendance; recent signee Sinkane opened with a DJ set as the sold-out crowd rolled in, followed by Whang, who spun records that melded almost seamlessly with the first blushes of Museum of Love’s live NYC debut. Mahoney and Whang hugged before he took his place in front of the mic, front and center this time instead of behind a drum kit. McNany sat beside him, walled in by various synths, and a guitarist and drummer rounded out the set-up as well, which was a pleasant surprise; one never knows how much of a band you’ll get when production duos go live. On two tracks, the addition of a couple brass players warmed things up as well – Museum of Love are not fucking around.

Mahoney, for his part, sounds a little like David Byrne, and that’s certainly not a bad thing. He’s a humble frontman, and seemed grateful for the opportunity to perform for such an enthusiastic crowd with musicians he respects and admires. They played what has to amount to the entirety of the record, and the songs are at once introspective and dance-worthy, unfolding beautifully and organically, as though they weren’t so much written and perfected over several months, but instead sprang into existence fully formed and ready for the exact moment in time you’re hearing them. Fans of LCD Soundsystem (and DFA in general) will of course embrace what Museum of Love has to offer, but there’s also a real possibility that MoL’s appeal could reach well beyond DFA’s immediate circle of devotees.

Though DFA has courted many acts outside its circle, there’s still the feeling that its roster exists inside a bit of a bubble, which can be seen as either shopworn nepotism or comforting familiarity. It’s not that Museum of Love bucks this trend per say, but what Mahoney and McNany do offer are a refreshing set of tracks that are fun and easily approachable. They aren’t taking DFA’s catalogue in a new direction, but they could bring a lot of new fans back into the fold.

LIVE REVIEW: Flagship @ The Chapel

There is perhaps no more appropriate place to watch Flagship perform than in San Francisco’s ‘The Chapel.’ The band (composed of five former church-goers hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina) makes music that’s been described in turns as ‘rapturous,’ ‘ethereal’ and like ‘a religious awakening.’ To hear them live in an historic chapel with soaring 40-foot ceilings seems particularly fitting.

Over the course of their set, Flagship lives up to their reputation, with lead singer Drake Margolnick filling those high ceilings with his powerful, and powerfully expansive, voice. Happily, the rest of the band is able to both match and showcase Margolnick’s capacity: with Grant Harding on keyboard, Matthew Padgett on lead guitar, Michael Finster on drums, and Christopher Comfort on bass, the men form a tightly honed and intuitive whole. Their songs have a tendency toward the orchestral, and there’s a distinct pleasure in the technical cohesion behind each churning crescendo. From the yearning ‘Break the Sky’ to the slow-burn of ‘Gold and Silver,’ the band’s set demonstrates the sense of epic grandeur that’s garnered them comparisons with Radiohead and U2 (and I suspect it will only be a matter of time before we hear a Flagship song on a movie soundtrack).

Yet the comparison I find a bit more interesting is one that’s been made to The National—no doubt due to Margolnicks resonant and emotionally-communicative vocals. As lead singer Matt Berninger has noted, The National experienced large-scale success when they began openly sharing their vulnerabilities: expressing anxieties, doubts and fears, free from obfuscation. As much as Flagship nails the soaring acoustics that lend their songs a redemptive quality, there’s a deeper gravitational pull to the band that I believe they are only scratching the surface of. As they continue to grow (perhaps trading some of their more overtly symbolic lyrics for rawer revelations, perhaps leveraging their already nuanced sense of cadence and control to greater effect) I have no doubt they’ll receive the critical and commercial success they’re after.

In short, go see Flagship—for what they are now, and for what they have the power to become. They’ll play the Chapel again this Thursday, sharing the stage with the rowdy Black Cobra Vipers and the endearing and engaging French Cassettes (whose lead singer’s loveable stage moves just might try to steal the show). Go see Flagship because their debut album (recorded with the help of acclaimed producer Ben Allen) is strong and satisfying, but also because they’re on their way to something great.

Listen to “Gold And Silver”, here via Soundcloud

ALBUM REVIEW: Weyes Blood “The Innocents”

Just now, I googled “1960s witchy psychedelic folk,” grasping, I guess, for a manageable term that encapsulates both Nico’s glamourous theatrics and Brigitte Fontaine’s quirky darkness. I’m sitting at a table in the pool-house out back of a big and beautiful summer home on the coast of Maine, where I’ve been hired as a kind of temporary live-in servant. I shit you not. I’ve got a view of the Atlantic from nearly point blank range, and the moon is new, and all things witchy seem more than possible tonight.

Natural beauty this acute makes any little thing that sticks out of the landscape seem intentionally sinister, like the pale pink dismembered crab torso I saw ripped open and splayed out on a rock while I was on the beach this evening waiting for the moon to rise. The music of Weyes Blood, whose earth name is Natalie Mering, is sort of like that–so beautiful that its oddness makes that beauty spooky, and so strange that its classical loveliness gleams even brighter.

Mering has been under the radar for a couple of years, but that doesn’t mean she’s stayed quiet. After a stint with experimental psych folk outfit Jackie-O Motherfucker, she sang backup vocals for Ariel Pink, and has since performed prodigiously as a solo artist – touring, appearing at festivals, and playing shows of her own with friends like Quilt and The Entrance Band‘s Guy Blakeslee.

In 2011, Mering released The Outside Room, her debut under the Weyes Blood name, on Not Not Fun. Already then, her basic toolkit (haunting vocals, ancient-sounding folk music) was essentially intact, although The Innocents reveals some significant updates. Less funereal but more complicated, Weyes Blood substitutes her first album’s foundation of abject misery for one of classical–even courtly–dignity. Harmonizing against herself, Mering’s vocals take on an entirely new, much richer quality on The Innocents, almost like putting on 3D glasses. But that isn’t to say that melancholy has no place on the album: when Weyes Blood tells you, in the middle of the strange, sad, choral “Some Winters” that “I’m as broken as woman can be,” you believe her. That’s the kind of voice she’s got, low and regal and primed for heartbreak. The finery of that song has a cracked-china feel to it, stemming from its psychedelic tendencies. Static and interference marr dreamy piano arpeggios. The angelic chorus of ahhs hovering around Mering’s tortured alto like a halo slowly melts into a mechanized humming that sounds like the low buzz of an airplane engine. When the song has sentimental moments, something cold and sterile always follows.

If, like me, you’re listening to Weyes Blood someplace wild and desolate, The Innocents intensifies things. It is sparse and spooky. It makes it easy to suspend your disbelief and get swept along with Mering’s moonlit, forlorn reality.

The Innocents won’t be out in the U.S. until Oct 21st, but you can pre-order your physical or digital copy by heading on over to Mexican Summer. In the meantime, check out “Hang On,” the album’s power-driven first single. “I will hang on when the rains come and wash away all I’ve come from,” Mering sings, holding the melody steady as the rest of the song careens through chord progressions and time signatures. The song is sturdy at its core, her voice a pillar of strength in the center of an embellished, rhythmically complex track. She plays Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn on Friday, August 22nd.

LIVE REVIEW: Robyn and Royksopp @ Pier 97

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Robyn and Röyksopp have been long-time collaborators, with the Swedish singer guesting on the 2009 Röyksopp album, Junior, and the Norwegian duo helping out on Robyn’s 2010 release, Body Talk Part 1. Their mini-album Do It Again, a five song collection released this spring, marked their biggest collaboration yet, and they’ve embarked on a tour to mark the occasion.

At last night’s sold-out Pier 97 show, each act played a solo set before joining together for the Robyn and Röyksopp finale. Röyksopp were up first. Accompanied by a live group including a saxophonist and bass player, they started out their solo set with “Happy Up Here,” a bouncy, funky track from Junior that served well to get the crowd moving. Warm-up act, Swedish singer Zhala, returned to the stage to sing Karin Dreijer Andersson’s lines on “What Else Is There” and “This Must Be It,” her strong vocals throatier than Andersson’s, bringing depth to the two songs. Their brief set ran through “Remind Me” — which saw Svein Berge, wearing a neon yellow flak jacket, having a lot of fun jumping from his platform and running to each side of the stage — and ended with “Poor Leno” building into a crescendo anticipating Robyn’s appearance.

After opening with the near-decade-old “Be Mine!,” Robyn’s set turned to unfamiliar territory. “We’re doing some new songs…” she said, dressed in boxing shorts. “Stick with us.” The new stuff sounds good — Maluca Mala joining Robyn onstage for “Love Is Free” was a particular a highlight — and the crowd was very receptive, though it was clear the majority of them had come expressly to see her performance and she could have gotten away with pretty much anything. The audience’s reward was Robyn’s electric presence, dancing and watching her on-stage energy as she bounced, pumped her arms, spun, grinded and crawled across the stage.

It wasn’t all new stuff. “Indestructible” got a big cheer, so did “Stars 4 Ever,” but the biggest response was inevitably reserved for mega-hits “Call Your Girlfriend” and “Dancing On My Own,” the latter’s chorus surrendered to the crowd to deliver while she stood still caressing herself in that fake making out way we’ve come to expect from the song’s live performances. Robyn’s set ended with the sublime “With Every Heartbeat,” which builds and builds without ever really reaching a resolution. It was a perfect choice to leave the audience clamoring for the finale duet.

Truth be told, I saw quite a number of people leave after Robyn’s segment, presumably having gotten what they came for. The two acts’ joint mini-album hasn’t been as strongly received as their solo work, but anyone who walked away without hearing it live, backed by a huge laser show, sparkly silver costumes, robot helmets and confetti shooting out of cannons, missed out. The set began with “SayIt,” which saw Röyksopp wearing metallic hoods and Robyn lying on a table, bouncing up and down with an ab ball stuffed into the back of her bomber jacket. It seemed to reference the birthing some alien/robot form, but I’m not entirely confident in that interpretation. Though brief, the set was not just a run through of the Do It Again EP. “The Girl and the Robot,” one of my favorite pop songs ever, appeared early, and the night closed with a rare treat, “None of Dem.”

As a teaser for new albums from both Röyksopp and Robyn, Do It Again and the ensuing tour have been particularly effective. As kindred artists, their collaborations have clearly inspired both to take it to the next level and provide fans with something more than just clever marketing — together, they offer a whimsical, exciting holdover certain to satisfy until the proper rollout for their new releases.

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LIVE REVIEW: Tokyo Police Club, Portugal. The Man, Grouplove @Avila Beach Resort, San Luis Obispo, CA

There was really no better venue to host the third stop of the 13th annual Honda Civic Tour than at the Avila Beach Resort- which is not actually in San Luis Obispo, as Tokyo Police Club so duly noted, but close enough to settle any confusions about its actual location. Nonetheless, this by-the-beach locale provided the perfect atmosphere for what was destined to be a pumped up show. With a stage production planted right in the middle of a ritzy golf resort, the whole setup felt like a counterculture takeover, and as we stood in line to get into the grounds, angry golfers threatened to run over fans that wouldn’t get out of the way of the golf cart path that was closed off, much to their dismay. The Avila Beach Resort is a beautiful place for a concert. Unfortunately the view of the renowned Avila Beach was obscured by the stage, but the venue is tucked away in a lush, green mountain enclave replete with an ocean breeze. Tokyo Police Club was the first to take the stage as direct support for co-headliners Portugal. The Man and Grouplove. The Ontario quartet set the tone for the night with their keyboard laden, indie rock enthusiasm. David Monks is a solid vocalist whose voice does not err in the slightest in a live setting, even as the last bit of evening sun blazed in his face. Keyboardist Graham Wright’s fancy footwork also kept me entertained for most of the set, as he alternated between keyboards and backup guitar. Their set was dominated by tracks from their latest album, Forcefield, which came out earlier this year, but ended on a solid TPC standby with “Your English is Good” from their 2008 album Elephant Shell. The crowd grew denser as Portugal. The Man prepared to play. The last time I saw PTM my ears rang for a solid two days (an early sign of hearing loss but an indication of a kick ass rock show). Luckily, this outdoor concert didn’t blow out my eardrums, though that’s not to say they didn’t deliver in the volume department. The best thing about a PTM show is that they weave multiple songs together without any breaks, often times throwing in an old classic. They started out this set with the intro from Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in The Wall”, that turned into their own energetic song “Purple, Yellow, Red and Blue.” The second best part of a PTM performance are the many, many jam interludes in the middle of a song. It’s almost impossible to tell where one ends and when another begins because the amount of riffing and musical banter that goes on between guitarist/vocalist John Gourley and bassist Zach Carothers is ongoing. The Alaskan group clad in black Pittsburgh caps rocked through the set, abusing their instruments in a myriad of ways; Zach smacks the back of the bass head as if to eek out a stronger sound from the instrument. I was taken aback when I heard the beginnings of their song “Waves” from their latest album Evil Friends. It was noticeably absent from the setlist when I saw them last year, and I have to say very much to my disappointment. When they started playing this oh-so-appropriate track (considering the beach setting), I, as we concert goers say, “lost my shit.” This is a band that really knows how to keep a crowd intrigued, not only with their energy but in their ability to weave pop culture into their set. Between their comic rendition of the Always Sunny in Philadelphia classic “Dayman” and Oasis’ “Don’t Look Back in Anger” they are able to reach various demographics within the crowd, that, as became apparent later in the show, were there for Grouplove. Even though half the crowd wasn’t singing along, at least from my view, they certainly were rocking out and absorbing the band’s electrifying performance. By the time PTM had finished their set, the quota for crowd surfers had been exceeded and the air was rife with stinky smoke. I’ve seen Grouplove before–a little over two years ago at a very small venue in San Luis Obispo. It was that moment right before they hit their stride as a musical powerhouse; they had just come off their first Coachella showcase and made a pit stop in our little city which they in turn blew the metaphorical roof off of. Back then, Hannah Hooper’s hair was a natural brown and she wore a knee length, thrift store floral dress. And Christian…well… if anything his hair was maybe less blue then. Now, after releasing a second full length album called Spreading Rumours, the band struts with ever more confidence, if that is even possible for the five piece who, even then were a little ball of fire. Now Hannah runs all over the stage in a black winged body suit and bleach blond hair and the other band members are just as entertaining. They have more command of the audience than I even remembered. They entered the stage playing “I’m With You,” with a chillingly long intro. From that point on, the energy on the stage and in the crowd stayed high. There were many moments in the show that made evident how much fun this band has together. During “Bitin’ the Bullet,” the crowd was enticed to throw their hats on stage at which point Hannah tried each and every one on before throwing it back into the crowd without discretion as to whom it belonged. Eventually, when it came to her interlude on the song, she donned a child’s propeller hat. By the end , Christian was crowd surfing and high fiving all of us in the pit. It’s this kind of crowd interaction that I wait hours for. “Slow” was yet another riveting performance as the song turned into an all out drum circle by the end. Drummer Ryan Rabin had LED drumsticks that alit with every smash. It felt like a disco-rave tribal dance, which is not an ordinary concert experience by any means. Every song was a massive sing-along to the point where Christian and Hannah’s vocals were washed out. Tracks from their first album Never Trust a Happy Song were the ones that hit home the hardest as not one person was silent. Their grand finale of their arguably biggest hit “Colours” wa profound and intense beyond measure. A not so happy song to begin with, it was performed in front of a gray screen for nearly its entirety until the very ending when a Technicolor explosion went off as the band and audience screamed its last liens. There was no encore but there didn’t really need to be as people stood there for about five minutes just processing everything that had happened. San Luis Obispo was just the third stop on the Honda Civic tour this year, so there is still plenty more opportunity to catch this co-headlined tour. The production that Honda puts on is nothing short of what you would expect from these three bands that plain and simply, know how to rock. Here are the remaining dates: Aug 21 Red Rocks Amphitheatre Morrison, CO Aug 22 Harrah’s Council Bluffs, IA Aug 24 Eagles Ballroom Milwaukee, WI Aug 27 Simon Estes Amphitheatre Des Moines, IA Aug 29 Crossroads Kansas City, MO Aug 30 South Side Ballroom Dallas, TX Sep 02 Masquerade Music Park Atlanta, GA Sep 03 Uptown Amphitheatre Charlotte, NC Sep 05 Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati, OH Sep 10 LC Pavilion Columbus, OH Sep 12 Merriweather Post Pavilion Washington, DC Sep 14 Blue Hills Bank Pavilion Boston, MA Sep 16 Rumsey Playfield, Central Park New York, NY

ARTIST PROFILE: 20 Eyes

As I sat still staring at my blank computer screen I mused on the best way to describe the three men who make up the San Pedro based band 20 Eyes. The harder I thought the more obvious it became that I would not be able to fully capture their unabashed charisma and incredible energy. With an engaging live show and versatile mixture of songs, 20 Eyes doesn’t fit into any one genre, and they certainly are not trying to conform to anything. Their music has elements of pop punk, early 1980s rock and even hints of electronic. Try to picture music that is the best parts of Good Charlotte with nods to The Beastie Boys and the Psychedelic Furs. Take that and throw in some San Pedro flair and you get 20 Eyes. Wolf Bradley (lead vocals and guitar), Andrew Macatrao (drums) and Chris Gomez (vocals and bass) are part of a new generation of rock music.

The unexpected layering of sounds in their songs makes sense due to the trio’s varying musical backgrounds. Wolf was raised in the world of ballet, and didn’t get into music until sixth grade when he branched out from some of his dad’s favorites. Andrew started learning how to play the drums when he was twelve, and around the same time he rocked out at his first concert. Then, to throw another genre into the mix, Chris was raised almost purely on hip-hop. It wasn’t until Andrew began to make him mixed tapes in middle school that he discovered the vast nature of the musical world we live in. Now they are fans of all forms of music (especially rap) and it can be heard in the unique mixture of sounds contained in their material.

The three of them are more like brothers than friends now, and have been playing together for years. Andrew and Chris met in middle school and have stayed close friends since then. The two met Wolf at his parents’ ballet studio in San Pedro, but they didn’t click immediately. In fact Wolf and Andrew almost hated each other at first. Luckily for us their rivalry didn’t last long. Once they discovered their mutual passion for music they threw their preconceived notions of each other to the side and started a band. As Wolf said they went “from loathing to loving.” Chris didn’t join them for a few years because he was helping raise his little brother. Even when he wasn’t playing in the band he was always around; finally Andrew and Wolf asked him to be a permanent member and the trio was complete. It’s been four years since then (almost seven for Andrew and Wolf.) These years of experience and friendship comes through strongly in their performance. They are incredibly in tune with each others’ moods and energy on stage and it translates well to the audience. The first time I saw them there wasn’t a still body in the room, everyone (including 20 Eyes) was dancing as hard as they could.

They are easily likable with loud laughs, insane hair and enveloping energy. They believe that “if you don’t care about what you’re doing then no one else is,” and they truly love making music. The three of them have different ways that they show their devotion for the craft. As the songwriter, Wolf tries to make sure that his songs are personal to his life but easily relatable, and gets excited when a song turns out better than expected. It’s a group effort and they’re all still learning about their sound, which is one of Andrews’ favorite parts of being in the band. On stage all three of them are in constant motion. They are dancers, rockers and goof balls. Their music is melodious, meaningful and dynamic. You can’t stop moving at their shows, which are brilliantly entertaining. They are 20 Eyes.

20 Eyes has just released a new single, “Friends Like You,” which reflects their newer sound. They will be playing at Jerry’s Pizza in Bakersfield on the 25^th (one of Chris’s favorite venues) and at Club Moscow in Hollywood on September 17^th. So make sure to give them a listen and catch a show.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Israel Nash “Rain Plans”

The long-locked, regally bearded songwriter Israel Nash Gripka marries spacey psychedelic guitar work to wind-chilled vocals that pay a nod to Neil Young; Gripka’s songs amble, they meditate, they conduct experiments in theme and variation. His third and latest studio album, Rain Plans (out August 19th!) finds Gripka signed to independent British label Loose Music–an apt enough match, given Loose Music’s strong stable of Americana standards like Townes Van Zandt, Neko Case, and Steve Earle. And Gripka has some history in common with your average modern cowboy: originally of Missouri, he moved to New York City to release his first two albums, then split for Dripping Springs, Texas, where he soaked up what he refers to as the area’s “desert folklore” as inspiration for this forlorn, majestic new release.

I’m always interested to see what comes from a matchup of psychedelia and Americana. Despite the genres’ shared theme of wanderlust, the former tends to focus on that wandering’s texture and color, whereas the latter deals in oral history and storytelling. Long stretches of Rain Plans feel like deliberate efforts to let the songwriting move on a long leash, to see where the mind will go when it’s left to its own devices, in the absence of the civilization or plot. The musical patterns are cyclical, the melody unhurried, even listless. In one of the album’s most interior portions, in the back half of the title track, all vocals melt away, leaving a swirling and seemingly endless cycle of mesmerizing guitars. The only thing that remains fixed is the pace: held firm, as if by a metronome, at a slow stroll.

So it’s clear that the album is a journey, but one that moves in circles, and it may test many listeners’ patience not to see the point of all this meandering. With all due respect to the virtues of wandering without being lost, these songs are so relaxed that they sometimes don’t appear to grow from start to finish. There isn’t necessarily going to be development from one end of a song to another; in the worst case scenario, the music instead restates the same idea over and over again, in different ways. Rain Plans isn’t necessarily an album that’s going to tell you a story that has a clear-cut beginning, middle, and end.

But if you have time to sit with it a while, the album proves that, for Gripka, spaciousness rarely equals stagnancy. Consider the shimmeringly gorgeous “Iron of the Mountain,” which establishes a single, circular melody–one moment in time, one color–and then extends it for almost four and a half minutes. Rain Plans richly evokes the vivid aesthetic of folklore: it’s a snapshot, rather than a story, of the landscape. Think of it as a collection of moments, which bear loose connection but don’t need each other in order to function.

The only exception to that logic is the closer, “Rexanimarum,” which is Rain Plans’ most unabashedly rootsy track, with lyrics like “pour me out just like sour wine,” and even echoes of old country songs, “got the money if you got the time.” With a lovely and light touch of backup vocals, this song may be the album’s sunniest, and is certainly its most singalong-friendly.

Check out the full album stream over at the A.V. Club, and go here to order your physical copy of Rain Plans! Listen to “Rain Plans,” with all its swirly melodies and smooth vocal harmonies, below via SoundCloud:

INTERVIEW: Avey Tare

Dave Portner is a busy guy. Under the pseudonym Avey Tare, he’s acted as “de facto frontman” of Animal Collective, arguably one of the most influential groups in all of indie rock, for over a decade now. The band’s prolific output represents just a fraction of his complete discography – he’s released collaborative projects with Eric Copeland, David Grubbs, and Vashti Bunyan, as well as his former wife Kría Brekkan. In 2010, he released his first solo album on Paw Tracks, the dark and deeply affected Down There, largely focusing on his feelings about death and illness with a murky sound to match. It’s reflective of a dark period of his life, but with the debut of his latest project, Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks, it seems like he’s come out on top.

Releasing Enter The Slasher House in April, with former Ponytail drummer Jeremy Hyman and ex-Dirty Projector Angel Deradoorian on keys, the record’s vibe swings to the poppier end of Avey Tare’s songwriting spectrum. Much like the campy B-movies the moniker recalls, Slasher Flicks is an endeavor concerned mostly with fantasy and escape rather than introspection. That’s reflective, in some ways, of Portner’s own migration from the East coast to Los Angeles, where he now lives with girlfriend Deradoorian. But more than anything, Slasher Flicks is about the simple fun of playing music as a three-piece, and though its more straightforward than much of Portner’s catalogue, the eleven tracks on Slasher House each bear his familiar stamp.

Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks are soon to embark on a West Coast mini-tour that kicks off with a stop at FYF Fest. Animal Collective have also announced fall DJ residencies in New York, Philly, and D.C. Portner chatted with AudioFemme about the particular influences that play into this latest project, how he tackles songwriting and producing, and what’s next for Animal Collective.

AudioFemme: Hi Dave! Thanks for chatting with us. You’re in L.A. right now, and you’re kind of on a short break from touring with Slasher Flicks – you were out for about a month after the record was released, did some shows around Pitchfork Fest, and then you’re going back out around the end of the month, including FYF. Do you like doing festivals?

AT: Festivals have never been my favorite thing. I definitely like the opportunity to do ‘em, but I feel like more than not they’re usually pretty stressful. So it’s kinda hard to go into ‘em thinking it’s gonna be a like great time or something, you know.

AF: I’ve often wondered what it’s like for bands, because as a person who goes to a lot of more intimate shows, I find festivals to be sort of the least desirable way to see a band.

AT: In terms of being in the crowd and stuff, yeah, it’s definitely not for me. In terms of playing you’re just dealing with all these people that are stressed out for good reason to begin with – just trying to move things along – and I feel like it’s just not the most personal musical experience.

AF: How has the rest of touring been, your headlining shows?

AT: Oh, they’ve been great. The tour was really fun. I just like the more intimate feeling, it’s really a lot easier to connect, especially if the crowd is feeling the music. In that sense it was good, it was just good to play with Jeremy and Angel every night. We had a good time playing and it was cool to just be able to drive in a van around the country. It’s been a while since I’ve actually gotten to do that, and see things.

AF: Do you mean like, on the road? Did you go to roadside attractions?

AT: Well a little. I mean I guess just first and foremost being able to see the landscape. I guess I’m used to bus travel lately and you don’t really get a lot of that, especially because you travel at night, mostly, on a bus. You don’t really see the landscape change, and I think that’s definitely one cool thing about the US and driving around, is there’s so much variety to see.

AF: So the album’s been out since April. Are you pleased with how it’s been received? How does it feel to be playing it live now?

AT: I think so. I’m not the type of person that’s too tapped into how the record’s doing. For me, especially, for this project, it’s supposed to be just a little bit more fun and laid back, just trying to just take some time away from working so intensely at music. I mean, I want it to do well, obviously, and I think it is, which is good. But yeah, the songs are tight, and it’s been good being able to play all of them live. When we were writing the record we played some shows before we recorded and there were some of them we kind of wrote after so it’s nice to just be able to play the whole record.

AF: Yeah, I actually went to one of those early shows, the one last summer at Glasslands.

AT: Yeah? That was a crazy one!

AF: It was great – exciting to see the songs develop and take shape. A lot of people have compared the songs to some of the more poppy, anthemic Animal Collective tracks. Did that come from sort of shifting the Animal Collective live sets to more of a “hit list” rather than amorphous jamming that comprised earlier tours? Did that shift influence the way you went into writing for Slasher Flicks?

AT: No, not really. I mean, I guess I write a lot of songs. So there’s definitely songs I’ve been writing over the course of the last year and a half or so that aren’t included on a Slasher Flicks record per se, but I think there is a specific style of song I started putting together for this record because I kind of knew I wanted to do it with a three-piece band. I’m always thinking like, well how can I produce this record, or how can this record be produced, to do something a little bit different than anything I’ve done before.

Down There, the last solo record I did was [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][this] very sort of inner, heady thing that I kinda just kept inside of me for a long time and I finally got out with electronics and was mostly just me in a bedroom. But I think I just wanted the Slasher Flicks songs to just be something that would be fun to play live, and easy to play live for a band. So I think that’s where it comes from too. I was also messing around with referencing a lot of stuff that I listen to actually which doesn’t happen a lot with Animal Collective. I mean, it does, but since things are dissected a lot more by each member of Animal Collective it turns out way different, usually, than I would envision it the way I first wrote the song.

AF: What kind of things were you listening to that influenced Slasher Flicks most heavily?

AT: It goes back to my love of old garage music, the heart of like psychedelic music, like 13th Floor Elevators, or Silver Apples or Love, or anything like that… late sixties, early seventies Kraut stuff. Also stuff like Steely Dan which I’ve grown to like a lot over the last four years. And even like jazz stuff, which I think doesn’t really come through so much on the record, but I think definitely in how jazz is presented on record.

AF: And maybe that collaborative style of improvisation?

AT: Yeah, yeah, and just sort of like the more freeform aspects, letting that seep in where it can.

AF: In terms of playing with Angel and Jeremy, how does their presence influence the material that you write, if it does at all?

AT: Well I think they just have their very own very specific styles which I’d been familiar with before asking them to play. Even if I’m writing most of the stuff, when I play music with people I like it to be as much of a collaboration as it possibly can be, because I think that’s what makes it the most fun and interesting for everybody involved. I’ve never really been in a band where just somebody is like always like “You do exactly this, and you do exactly this, it has to be this way, and just play the same thing the same way like every night.” I think just allowing the way they play and their styles and their ideas to come into it, also gave the record its own sound too. Jeremy has a really wild kinda crazy drum style which is unlike other stuff I’ve done before. And Angel is just a really good singer and keyboard player and the ability to have all that happen in a live setting was really key to being able to record the record like I wanted to do.

AF: You went to Culver City to record it, I read, and recorded in a Medieval-themed recording studio?

AT: Haha, yeah. I guess you could say it was Medieval themed. It just had that look to it. It’s called The Lair and this guy Larry built it. Larry from the Lair – he’s an awesome guy, this kooky, old studio head that has worked in all these different studios over the years in L.A. and finally decided to build his own. It’s strange because it’s only a word-of-mouth kinda thing, he doesn’t really advertise or anything for it. In this day and age, in the studio world, that’s kind of a tough road to go down. Because, you know, a lot of people are doing the home studio thing and the industry just isn’t making as much money. But he just built this whole thing himself, did all the woodworking, wood and iron doors and chandeliers. It’s not a huge place – in terms of studios it’s actually pretty small – but it’s real nice, and it sounded really good. He kind of modeled it after Phil Spector’s old studio in a way and so it has this tiled bathroom that is really good for these natural reverbs, which I like a lot. I don’t like a lot of artificial reverb when I record so it was cool to be able to use the bathroom in different ways to get cool room sounds.

AF: In terms of production, what were some of the choices you made specific to this project? When you listen to the record front to back it feels different from what I’ve heard on other releases of yours.

AT: Oh yeah? How would you say? If I may ask.

AF: It’s tough to say, not being a musician or a producer or having the technical background to discuss that. But I guess, to use a sort of writerly description of what I hear as a listener, you mention the reverb from the bathroom, and you can hear where that’s happening, but in other places the mix sort of flattens out, and then comes back in where all the different elements stand out sharply against one another, almost like there’s a ghost, like another member of the band kind of coming and going and distorting things slightly.

AT: That’s cool, that’s cool. I would say all that stuff definitely happens. I think for me the production is like a tool and like a member of the band in a way and I love being in the studio and making a record… I think listening to music should be fun, first and foremost. It’s emotional. People get a lot out of it in their own way and everybody hears everything different, but for me, growing up listening to music, what I got out of it was the fact that anybody could go into the studio and do all this crazy kind of stuff. Like you’re saying, things get all crazy and distorted here, but then it’s totally normal there, in another place. I think it’s just a fun thing to do.

It also definitely happens with Animal Collective too. I think probably even more so – things are just more deranged and distorted more with Animal Collective, whereas with Slasher Flicks it’s kinda probably the most straightforward drum sounds I feel like I’ve ever worked with. In general in today’s musical landscape, I think there’s just so much music out there that is reverb heavy and distant and I think there was a time in the seventies and sixties where everything was a lot like crisper and punchier and close-up. These days, for me musically, I’m interested in doing records that are a little bit more like that, but also really spacious and allow you to hear the room.

My friend and I were listening to the first ZZ Top record. And he was just kinda like “This just seems like music that sounds really good because it happened then and there at that time with these guys playing like they played.” And it doesn’t seem like a lot of music is like that any more, where it’s just a matter of three people coming together and playing a song in a certain way and that’s what you hear, basically. So I think more lately, I’m definitely interested in trying to do that. And I think maybe some of that ghostly sort of studio stuff that you’re hearing is also just us, kind of doing that and making sounds and songs shift as we play live.

AF: How do the connotations associated with slasher flicks – gory B-movies, having a graininess to it, being low-budget, for instance – how do you feel those sort of thematic elements make their way into the record?

AT: To me there’s always a visual side to music when I’m making it, [but] it doesn’t necessarily fit into the way the music sounds specifically unless you can tap into my head maybe. For me, the notion of the basic slasher flick brings to mind youth and teens and a party atmosphere and all this stuff that you kind of encounter in slasher movies. Like the “scream queen” and that sort of thing. That side of it is also in garage and psychedelic music. I’ve always kinda drawn a similarity between horror movies and psychedelic music, and I think it just has to do with these drastic shifts in mood and things getting really wild and then things getting calm – it happens in both of these art forms. That contrast, to me, in music is really important – having moments of super light stuff and having moments of dark stuff. It makes it all work.

I think there’s something about the cheap [special effects]. Now we look back on it like it’s cheesy and rudimentary or something, but the time, in the seventies and eighties, it was new. Now it’s an art form to me. It’s something that’s not going to be recreated unless people are doing “retro” stuff, and it just seems like people wouldn’t even want to recreate that kind of thing, especially in horror if they want to be effective. Just that kind of cheap thrill – like fake blood – there’s something about it that just fits into the music, too.

AF: I think it’s very interesting to draw a parallel between those visuals and the music, because a lot of these movies, too have incredible soundtracks. You have Goblin doing Suspiria, you have these weird synthy interludes that are so off the wall and creepy noise effects and theatrical sounds and the like.

AT: It’s definitely those kind of movies that got me more into music when I was in high school, like the soundtrack to Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I mean, it works effectively with the movie but I’d never really experienced anything that was just sort of noise like that, you know? It got me into sound music, people banging on pots and pans and industrial tools being used in music. It made me go out and discover bands like Faust and stuff like that.

AF: When you have a new idea for a song or sound, does it automatically get filed as “Oh, this is good for Animal Collective” or “This is a Slasher Flicks thing” or “This is really something else?”

AT: Yeah, usually. Especially with Animal Collective, at least the last few records, we sort of start talking about ideas before actually going into it so it gives me an idea at least, of the types of songs I’d probably write.

AF: Almost like a little bookmark or something.

AT: Yeah. And then, other things, sometimes it’s like I’ll know a song has more of an electronic sound so I’ll have to use it for something that’s a little bit more electronic, or this song I’m writing could be really good sample-based. It usually works that way and then they’re all kind of like grouped together after a while.

AF: Do you feel like you have ideas for the next records you want to do? Either for Slasher Flicks, or Animal Collective or something else altogether?

AT: I’m kind of in a middle world right now, I’ve got a lot ideas floating around with Animal Collective and on my own too, but everything’s just sort of coming together. This year was mostly meant to be more like a year off, just because I did so much touring last year. As much as I love just working on stuff I think it’s also trying to like not focus too intensely on it right now. But probably by the end of the year the ideas will become a little bit clearer.

I feel like people that I play music with just are doing a lot of different things. With Animal Collective, at least, we plan to take this year off. Brian had a baby, actually, and Noah is working on a solo record. We take this time to have those individual moments and there comes a time when it just feels natural to get back together and start working and I know we’re talking about that time but it’s hard to say exactly when and exactly what it will be.

Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks West Coast Tour Dates:
08/23 Los Angeles, CA – FYF Fest
08/24 San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
08/25 Santa Cruz, CA – The Catalyst Atrium
08/27 Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
08/28 Seattle, WA – Neumo’s
08/29 Vancouver, BC – Biltmore Cabaret

Animal Collective DJ Set Tour Dates:
08/02 Miami, FL – Grand Central $
09/10 Philadelphia, PA – The Dolphin ^
09/12 Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl ^
10/02 Philadelphia, PA – The Dolphin %
10/03 Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl %
10/05 Washington, DC – U Street Music Hall %
11/12 Washington, DC – U Street Music Hall %
11/13 Philadelphia, PA – The Dolphin %
11/14 Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl %

$ DJ set featuring Animal Collective members Deakin and Avey Tare
^ DJ set featuring Animal Collective members Geologist and Deakin
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LIVE REVIEW: HAIM @ The Wiltern, L.A.

After appearing at almost every music festival that summer had to offer this year, HAIM returned to Los Angeles for two nights of homecoming shows that were destined to be nothing short of a kick ass homage to the city that made them who they are. Lots of L.A. love was being thrown around for their second night at the Wiltern. Their openers, a valley girl punk band called Bleached, got the 818 area code sistas to rally for most of their show (that’s not to say the gentlemen and non 818ers in the crowd, which made up a considerable amount of the audience that night, were not feelin’ the love).

Bleached was the perfect opener for what was going to be a rockin’ girl fest. Sisters Jessica and Jennifer Clavin exude that classic punk girl attitude, a seemingly effortless style of performing that feels like a peek inside a garage jam session. Later in the show, Este Haim would admit that that’s exactly the vibe they were going for – the old jam sessions they used to have at their house parties when their parents were out of town. Bleached could certainly be that band straight out of the epic house party from your teenage years. With little stage production and a pretty packed house, they were not phased by opening for an act as wildly popular as HAIM; they treated the crowd like the old chums that brought the keg to the party. The performer-audience relationship deepened when their stage hand started throwing out Capri Suns to the crowd. Within their hour long set, they played a good chunk of their latest LP, 2013’s Ride Your Heart, along with some older stuff from a few of their earlier EPs. Even up in the very last row of The Wiltern on the top balcony, it felt like a kickback California punk show, with lots of sweat included.

By the time HAIM took the stage, the air in the theatre had congealed into a sticky humid mess. I wasn’t even in the pit and I was fading fast until that echoing thud of “Falling” rung through the night. From that point on the energy never ebbed as the crowd erupted immediately into a dance party. The best thing about a live HAIM show is that something comes through in the flesh that is absent on the recorded album. Aside from that attitude that can only be exuded by Este’s infamous bass face, the sisters’ instrumentation is exuberant in a live setting. The bass is more jarring, the vocal harmonies are more impressive and Danielle flashes her chops as a guitarist in a way that makes you wonder why the hell there aren’t more guitar solos on the album.

As they have been doing for months, they covered “Oh Well” by Fleetwood Mac three songs into the set, further proving that there’s something very classic and also eclectic about their style. Their rendition of the song shows that that their roots are founded deeply in classic rock. The best performance of the night was easily “My Song 5,”which was right in the middle of the set. Este admitted to the crowd that playing it is her favorite part of the night because the song gets people to “shake their asses,” and the audience happily fulfilled her predictions, lifting their voices in the best sing along of the night as every single person in the place chanted “Honey, I’m not your honey pie.” And I certainly wasn’t alone in my air guitarring and head banging for this song.

Afterward, the girls kicked it down a notch with a new rendition of “Running if You Call My Name.” This version features Danielle solely on guitar for the first two verses and doesn’t pick up until the bridge. It was yet another moment in the show that Danielle stole the performance by virtue of how talented a guitarist she is. They finished off the set with “Forever” and a confetti explosion to boot, which in my experience makes any concert ten times more magical.

When they returned for an encore, Danielle jumped on the drums for a cover of Beyonce’s “XO.” Every single girl in the crowd went nuts for the Queen Bey cover its insanity rivaled only with the pandemonium that ensued with follow-up “The Wire.” I knew it would be the crowd favorite but people started dancing on the stairs and in the aisle- a girl in front of us literally took up the span of five seats for her overly excited dance move which involved sidling back and forth and throwing her arms out as wide as she could. I was disappointed to see that a lot of people bailed after “The Wire” – if you’re a true HAIM fan you are not going to miss the “Let Me Go” finale. It’s just not right. The girls complete every show with this rendition of the song, culminating with all three sisters wailing on drums in a primal evocation. There’s a strong sense of finality that comes with this ending and it’s blasphemous to willingly miss it.

Whether you are in the front row of the pit or at the highest point on the balcony, when you are at a HAIM show you become a part of the greater HAIM experience and will witness one of the best rock shows you’ve ever seen. It’s amazing that after months of nonstop touring, they can pull off two solid shows so effortlessly. Their stint on the road is coming to an end very soon, so I’m more than pleased that I caught one of these astounding homecoming shows. If you’re in Seattle or Portland you’ve got another chance to catch these incredible sisters before they play FYF Fest in Los Angeles; in October they head to Mexico City for Festival Corona Capital.

TRACK OF THE WEEK: Adia Victoria “Stuck In The South”

“Stuck In The South,” the debut single from the little-advertised shadow figure Adia Victoria (along with her band: Mason Hickman, Tiffany Minton and Ruby Rogers), is a curious matrix, at once single-mindedly powerful and also complex, made up of conflicting impulses.

Adia Victoria’s is not a voice that sidles in politely. Rather, it slams open the door with one callused fist, stalks into the joint, elbows you off your barstool, and orders a whiskey neat. The 28-year old South Carolina native has clearly practiced making herself heard, both in the crowded Nashville bar and honky-tonk circuit where she made her bones as a performer, and also as a means of escape from the American Gothic nightmare she describes in “Stuck In The South.”

“Yeah, I been thinkin’ about makin’ tracks,” Victoria sneers in the first verse of the song, “but the only road I know, it’s going to lead me back.” She sings with an animalistic glare, conjuring not only a clear picture of her stagnant, claustrophobic, sinister environment but also of herself as a character within it. Every twang on her guitar cuts like barbed wire, and it’s this anger, haunting and predatory, that makes the single so goddamned good. But in “Stuck In The South,” Victoria’s prowess as a storyteller is impressive too, and the track evokes the drawl and swagger of Southern rock and roll as colorfully as it does the “Southern hell” she’s trying to get away from. She seems to turn her fear of becoming a product of the South on its head, becoming unstuck not by running from her demons but by dominating them. The song immerses a listener in a three-dimensional environment, cinematically evocative and all the richer for its details and complexities.

Produced by Roger Moutenot (known for his work with Yo La Tengo), “Stuck In The South” is Victoria’s first foray into relative Internet mainstream. Her minimalist approach to releasing music–even now, after her single’s release resulted in a resounding critical chorus demanding more–makes a powerful song even punchier. Dig into “Stuck In The South” below, via Soundcloud.

LIVE REVIEW: Dan Deacon @ The Glass House, Pomona, CA

photo 3 (3) — Dan Deacon – Photo by Callie Ryan

About an hour from Los Angeles is Pomona, well known for car dealerships and a strip of perfectly creepy looking antique shops with pastel pink and green exteriors, but there was something very magical in the air the night Dan Deacon stopped by for a one-off show in the middle of his stint supporting Arcade Fire’s massive arena tour. He had specifically taken the night off for a visit to The Glass House, a much celebrated all-ages venue located on a street that seems like something out of a ghost town, with the only exception being the pumped up high school cool cats congregating outside, resting on telephone poles, and performing tricks on their skateboards. However unassuming, by the night’s end my friends and I had decided the show was one of the best we had experienced in a very long time, or possibly in forever.

The show itself seemed to have around seventy people there, which in the large space of the venue created a dynamic for a comfortable, positive, and ridiculously friendly vibe. It seemed as though both the audience and Deacon were happy to be playing in a more intimate setting where, as he put it, “there were no chairs or bleachers.” After all, Deacon is known to put on shows that include interactive icebreaker type games involving his audience.

Opening up for Deacon were local indie rockers Jetpacks and Laserguns. Their stage set up included homemade, giant triangular neon signs and monitors with vertical lines which reacted to different sonic elements in the songs. The band played a plethora of new age electronic equipment, in addition to good ol’ guitar, drums, and bass. Though their sound is decidedly modern, their affinity for eighties sounds cropped up with a buoyant energy through the set – high frequency swirling noises, bass lines that fit perfectly in the groove of the drums, and squealing , buzzing synths that took on the tone of the laser beams referenced in the band’s moniker. Too often, a heavy reliance on these elements can make a band’s output seem distanced or sterile, but Jetpacks and Laserguns’ infectious enthusiasm and handmade crafting of visual elements make it clear that so much human love and energy have been put into this specific creative project.

photo 1 (3) — Jetpacks and Laserguns – Photo by Callie Ryan

Minutes after Jetpacks and Laserguns exited the stage, Dan Deacon began setting up his table of neon-tape-covered equipment in the middle of the floor – yes, the middle of the floor, not the stage! It was clear from the beginning of Deacon’s set that he is not only a musician, but also something of a comedian, a sort of goofily unhinged summer camp counselor bursting with ideas for wacky, feel-good social experiments in which everyone is encouraged to participate. He began the show with a rant about the future, aliens, and dualism, and after a mind-blowing first song, he ordered the audience to gather on either side of the room, wait until the drum and bass drop, and then race back to the middle in order to high- five as many people as possible. Quirky activities like these have long been built into Deacon’s sets as a means of disrupting typically passive audiences, and its nearly impossible not to smile and play along.

photo 2 (4) — Dan Deacon – Photo by Callie Ryan

My vantage point directly in front of Dan Deacon provided optimal grooving-out space (I put in a good hour of intense dancing, or rather primal jumping movements) and also allowed me to see how intricate Deacon’s actions are when layering his complex digital soundscapes. He covers all of his gear in striped neon pink, green, yellow, and blue tape, creating a space where even electronic music geeks such as myself would not be distracted by the kind of equipment he was using. Every time he turned a knob, or pressed a new button on his “table of mysteries,” sounds would blast out of the speakers that had so much texture and were so tangible, it felt as though I could touch them and put them in my pocket to take home.

photo 4 (3) — Dan Deacon – Photo by Callie Ryan

Most of the set relied on on songs from America, released in 2012 on Domino Records. However, Deacon performed so much noise improvisation throughout his set, that each song he played felt stimulating, new, and incredibly special. For instance, during his last song, in order to create a specific distorted and crunchy noise, he scraped the top of his microphone on the giant speakers behind him; it is creative flourishes such as these that make Deacon’s music so unique, moving, and memorable. Part of what his work hinges on is his incredible abilities as a curator of interesting sounds. But Deacon doesn’t rest on those laurels – instead, he spends the entirety of his shows creating a community, no small task in just a few short hours. But by the end of the night all seventy of the newly sweaty and blissed out audience members felt a little more familiar with one another as a result of Deacon’s ability to do so. It’s no wonder that Arcade Fire have enlisted him to help inspire party-like atmospheres in clubs ten times the size of The Glass House, and he’s certainly risen to that challenge. You can check out his website for upcoming dates.

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LIVE REVIEW: Landlady @ Death By Audio

Landlady are more like the upstairs tenant making an excessive racket than the curmudgeonly old woman banging on the ceiling with a broom handle from downstairs that their name suggests. That being said, it would hardly be out of character for the Brooklyn-based band to incorporate the broom-banging technique into their already experimental percussion – in fact, it’s the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach to songwriting that has garnered the band so much buzz of late. On the heels of releasing their much-praised sophomore record Upright Behavior and a grandiose appearance at Rough Trade last month that saw an additional 25 musicians added to an already effusive five-member lineup, Landlady kicked off the biggest tour they’ve yet undertaken last night at Death By Audio in Williamsburg.

The place wasn’t packed but it was profusely sweaty, prompting nearly half the band to remove their shirts after only a few numbers. Lead-singer Adam Schatz was a bit more coy, promising to undo a shirt button for each tune played after beginning the set with “Under The Yard.” The song’s opening sing-along provided an almost religious call-to-arms; like the dimming of the house lights to signal the end of intermission, the harmonies were a clue that something major was about to happen. And that’s how Landlady approaches music-making: every moment of it is a life-altering event. They don’t shy away from anything, whether it’s a key-change or stylistic shift or unflinching lyrics. They just go with it.

Schatz appeared a bit jittery at first, his between-song banter more than a little self-conscious. But if the shout outs and introductions were a bit awkward, his vocal delivery was hardly that. “This is a song about what you’d do if your sex robot was malfunctioning,” Schatz sputtered, and the band launched into “Girl,” arguably one of Landlady’s most accessible jams. It’s as fidgety and anthemic as the rest of Upright Behavior, but manages to bottle up its mood swings and distill its movements in a more concise way than the record’s most sprawling efforts.

Landlady does extravagant very well, to be sure. There were very few moments during last night’s show that didn’t feel epic, and through the continuously shifting sonic motifs, “epic” was really the only constant. There were lush harmonies, bouts of blues rock, funkified bass solos, hushed and folksy moments, dissonant breaks, even hints of post-punk here and there. If the band’s aim is to keep listeners on their toes with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it genre mish-mashing then they’re doing an excellent job, and there’s no idea they’re unable to tackle with gusto and talent. For some, that’s Landlady’s biggest asset.

For a listener with specific proclivities, though, the rapid-fire change-ups might not dovetail seamlessly. The someone who loves the watery reverb dripping through the pulsating, urgent percussion that propels “The Globe” might feel lost in that track’s meandering choruses – though “chorus” sometimes feels like too basic a term when talking about this band – wherein everything but Schatz’s eccentric vocals drop off, and further confused by the caterwauling build to the bridge. There’s something for everyone, yes, but at what point does it become an indecipherable melange that’s could be seen as pandering, banking on the fact that someone, somewhere, is going to like at least one part of any given song? Landlady are certainly more earnest and interested in their art for that to be the case, but either way it can be almost to exhausting to keep up with. If you’re not actively listening, you’ll lose the thread very quickly.

And it seems that active listening and audience participation truly are Landlady’s ultimate goals. Like someone nagging her tenants for rent, Schatz implored the scattered audience to move toward the stage, get close to one another, sweatiness be damned. He ramble-shouted about being thankful for the existence of Death By Audio, ruminating on the fine details that come together to run a DIY space in Brooklyn, thanking everyone from the in-house booking to the muralists who painted the walls. He asked the audience to interpret the room as a collective energy, and led everyone in a chant of “ALWAYS” as the band finished out the set with “Above My Ground” (at which point his now-unbuttoned shirt came flying off as promised). If felt more than a little schmaltzy, but Landlady isn’t a band to shy away from sentimentality. Like similarly sincere and self-aware band-of-the-moment Ought, Landlady ask their fans to exist with them in the very moment, eschewing the passive norm. Landlady give particularly powerhouse performances, and because their wide range of styles will appeal to pretty much everyone at least some of the time, their upcoming tour is not only their first, but likely their last before they start headlining huge venues and hitting the festival circuit.

Take a listen to “Above My Ground,” check out tour dates below and catch them while you can.

08/09/14 – Champaign, IL @ High Dive
08/10/14 – Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club
08/11/14 – Fargo, ND @ The Aquarium
08/13/14 – Billings, MT @ The Railyard
08/14/14 – Spokane, WA @ The Barlett
08/15/14 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
08/16/14 – Portland, OR @ MusicfestNW – Tom McCall Waterfront Park
08/18/14 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
08/20/14 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
08/21/14 – San Luis Obispo, CA @ SLO Brewing Co.
08/22/14 – Visalia, CA @ The Cellar Door
08/23/14 – Los Angeles, CA @ Satellite
08/24/14 – Flagstaff, AZ @ The Green Room
08/26/14 – Austin, TX @ The Mohawk
08/27/14 – Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s Upstairs
08/28/14 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon
08/29/14 – New Orleans, LA @ Hi Ho Lounge
09/02/14 – Nashville, TN @ The Stone Fox
09/03/14 – Atlanta, GA @ 529
09/04/14 – Raleigh, NC @ Hopscotch Fest
09/05/14 – Richmond, VA @ Fall Line Fest
09/07/14 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
09/24/14 – Columbus, OH @ Double Happiness
09/25/14 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern
09/26/14 – Cincinnati, OH @ MidPoint Music Fest
10/15/14 – Knoxville, TN @ Pilot Light
10/16/14 – Memphis, TN @ Hi-Tone
10/17/14 – Norman, OK @ The Opolis
10/19/14 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
10/20/14 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room
10/21/14 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
10/25/14 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
10/27/14 – Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
10/28/14 – St. Louis, MO @ Old Rock House

LIVE REVIEW: Pitchfork Music Festival 2014

072014_0342_1000 — All photos by Ellie White Photography

Pitchfork Fest 2014 came and went in a flash. Literally. Peruse our photo editorial from the weekend, courtesy of our photo editor, Ellie White, who snagged highlights from all of our favorite shows over the three day extravaganza situated in Chicago’s beautiful Union Park. Our personal faves from the spectacularly-curated lineup this year included sets from the ever-brooding black-metal gents of Deafheaven; glam goddesses in black, the Dum Dum Girls; headliners Beck (whose set topped the best of the fest list for me, hands down without question), Neutral Milk Hotel and Kendrick Lamar (though Danny Brown–who won best hair of all time with his forest green ombre–and Earl Sweatshirt battled it out for best rap performance in our opinion); a stunning, once in a generation set from shoegaze pioneers Slowdive (Rachel Goswell’s dress looked like sexy, glimmering armor); a wildly exuberant performance from Tune-yards –whose addition of African Dance inspired backup choreography had everyone in a frenzy; Boundary-pushing electronic music from The Haxan Cloak and Factory Floor (um, can we please hear it for that badass drummer??); Intelligent ambient down-tempo from heartthrob Jon Hopkins and a performance from the Range that could put anyone else’s obsession with and knowledge of rap jams to shame. Oh and I think everyone is officially in love with FKA Twigs and Neneh Cherry.

Honorable mentions include Majical Cloudz, whose keyboard broke after the second song. As a result, lead singer Devon Walsh performed an array of songs sung acapella (at one point standing up on a chair to belt out Magic, leaving the entire audience in tears), stand up comedy and audience-participation fueled beat boxing. At the end of the set, keyboardist Matthew Otto, so adobrably contrite and just adorable in general, had us all count down from 10, and then proceeded to smash the defunct synth to smithereens for all the world to see. A lifelong dream of his come true, he proclaimed.

All in all it was an amazing, sunny weekend full of cantankerous, gorgeous, feisty, live performances from some of the very best and brightest talent that exists in music today. We can’t wait to see what the fine folks over at Pitchfork have in store for next year. In the meantime, read on and enjoy.

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ALBUM REVIEW: The Pharmacy “Spells”

Keeping the Old Flame/Burger Records ethos of bratty, summer-loving bliss alive, The Pharmacy times the release of their brand new album to perfectly coincide with the wind down of the dog days of summer. Aptly titled Spells, it’s a hypnotic, psych-tinged journey through an untamed, kaleidoscopic wilderness. Filled with campfire-ready jams constructed from sludgy strumming and hazy vocals, the entire album oozes a relaxed, chilled out sensibility perfect for any summer afternoon soaked in bud (light).

From start to finish, it’s a sun-drenched sabbatical that screams zero responsibilities and even fewer reservations. Exclusively filled by short, sweet tunes, Spells is ideal easy-listening for any reverb-loving appetite. It’s the kind of music that the descriptor “garage-y” was coined for. Disheveled, disorganized and brief enough to keep ahold of the even the shortest of attention spans, it’s a fun exercise in 70s fuzz rock nostalgia, though one that admittedly suffers a bit through extensive aesthetic adherence.

Take the album’s first single, “Masten Lake Lagoon,” which starts off with cooing harmonics that 180 into rollicky, hair-tousling riffs within the span of seconds. Turning into something akin to your friend’s noodly, improvised set, it’s intentionally disjointed and somewhat frazzled in its direction.

But the surprises end there. It’s obvious that The Pharmacy shy away from any notion of overarching concept, as there is no driving narrative force behind their collection of anthems loosely united by themes of fleeting summer romance and drugged out dalliances. Yet at the same time, they don’t even have that excuse to defend themselves against accusations that all their songs are very short and adhere to a similar sound. It’s a carefully curated style and they’re good at keeping it consistent, which depending on how you look at it, could be a good or bad thing.

Because while short, sweet and rascally are all great buzzword ingredients for stoned summer bliss, there’s something about the album that leaves you wanting more. Yes, there is stylistic variety in the form of tunes like the swingy “Cool and Calm,” the sweet “Anna Bella” or the wallowy “Strange,” but it’s more like you gave the drummer another Valium rather than any notion of real musical innovation. Because while it’s a fun, amicable and a grab-bag of other positive, peace n’ love-related sentiments, by the closing track you’re just itching for something that isn’t another 3 minute long fuzz-infused, drawl-heavy sleeper.

But then again, the young, dumb and drugged thing is a conscious aesthetic choice. And while it’s a shtick that doesn’t work for everyone, this hint of scuzzy stoner love is fitting for days where you’re bored at mom’s and the AC is broken. It’s the kind of sound that there’s a definitive time and place for, as it’s the kind of music that convinces DIY-lovers and high school guitarists that the jam ethos is still alive and that any dude with a drum machine and tambourine can partially record a tape in the back of his dad’s Winnebago.

Distinctly West Coast and imbued with a blatant devil-may-care attitude, it’s a record infused with a pure, naive sort of idea of fun. And while the picky ones may yearn for a bit more variety, The Pharmacy should still be content with the fact that they produced an album that will loop in the background of many PBR-fueled parties this summer.

ALBUM REVIEW: Bear In Heaven “Time Is Over One Day Old”

Time is Over One Day Old, the long awaited fourth studio album from Brooklyn based Bear In Heaven is, sure enough, about the concept of time. Seasons, memory, space, dreaming, and reflection… they all seem present and accounted for. The time theme has a nostalgic slant to it- there is something wistful and aching in the tones and a kind of internal or external reflection pronounced in the lyrics. Undoubtedly, Bear In Heaven retain their complicated, brilliant layering musically that can be found in their previous albums. A lot of the songs have a new wave sensibility- a thumping beat mixed with skilled fast paced instrumentation and ambient synthizer effects that could easily be danced or swayed to. There is an artful building of sounds in each and every song: dissonant and pure, conflict and resolution.

The first track, “Autumn”, kicks off with a few eerie dissonant notes that are quickly interrupted by a driving beat, leading it then into a fun synth-infused summer jam. The use of sounds as building blocks, particularly with the implementation of odd effects throughout, showcase skilled compositional ability–nearly orchestral-esque– in the way they successfully mold the track together. “Time Between”, boasts airy synth juxtaposed with fun, meticulous bass lines paired with soaring vocals, and gives the song an ambient, relaxed vibe. In “Dissolve The Walls”, vocals are used to assist with the layering in of sounds, lending the song the quality of an eerie choir chanting over the synth tracks that moor the composition as a whole, while the pulsating, grainy, gain-y beat evolves.

A haunting reticence and reflection hovers over some of the rhythmic synth-rock beats that pervade various tracks throughout the album, particularly In “If I Were to Lie”, in which vocalist Jon Philpot chants “If I were to lie in telling you how I’m dealing… better off alone, better when you need me.” Similarly, in “The Sun and the Moon and The Stars”, the song tells a narrative about traveling through space, a journey that leaves the protagonist disappointed in what he finds as he croons repetitively over the expansive ambient tone, “Is this it, or is this it?”. “Memory Heart” has a drum line that thumps in tandem with the bass like a heart beat with a deliciously dissonant guitar line and crawling synth melodies, which all resolve in the audibly spacious chorus, to start back up again. Quite frankly, this track rules.

Time is Over One Day Old still undoubtedly retains the complex musicality and dissonant underpinnings of their previous albums, yet shows a discernible evolution in both arenas, that allow it to pack a punch that their prior work hasn’t.

The album comes out August 5th on Dead Ocean.

In the meantime, listed to “Autumn” here via Soundcloud.

Their North American tour dates include the following:

Mon. Aug. 4 – Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade (in-store)

Wed. Aug. 20 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s

Thu. Aug. 21 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair

Fri. Aug. 22 – Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel

Sat. Aug. 23 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle (Back Room)

Sun. Aug. 24 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West

Tue. Aug. 26 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon

Wed. Aug. 27 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues (Bronze Peacock)

Thu. Aug. 28 – Austin, TX @ The Parish

Tue. Sept. 2 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echoplex

Wed. Sept. 3 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent

Fri. Sept. 5 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios

Sat. Sept. 6 – Spokane, WA @ Bartfest

Sun. Sept. 7 – Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey

Wed. Sept. 10 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry

Thu. Sept. 11 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall

Fri. Sept. 12 – Columbus, OH @ A&R Music Bar

Sat. Sept. 13 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern

Sun. Sept. 14 – Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rossa

Tue. Sept. 16 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom

Wed. Sept. 17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

ARTIST PROFILE: Dr.Velvet and the Social Drinkers

It’s common for bands to aim for top-notch record labels, huge venues and sell out shows. Success in that arena is all fine and dandy, but when artists concentrate on how big they’ll be down the road as opposed to channelling that energy into their current performances to build a fanbase organically, the music can lose some of its authenticity. The musical rat race is of no interest to Dr.Velvet and the Social Drinkers, whose name is inspired by a mixed drink of Black Velvet Whiskey and Dr.Pepper. In fact, founder Ryan Wilcox said he left his prior band Giving Chase partially due to the growing intensity of fame. His original concept for Dr.Velvet was to present an ever-shifting line up with no long-term commitment – as Ryan puts it, “the one night stand of bands.” Or at least, that was the plan. But there are always those nights that are just so wonderful you have to call the next morning, and when Ryan jammed with Ghoul the Hectic Clownie and Daniel Felice he knew there was something there.

Ghoul Hectic (a.k.a. Robert Clownie Jr.) became the first permanent band member after chatting with Ryan at a party. They realized that years earlier, Ghoul had seen Ryan perform in a small venue in Texas and in quick succession he was invited to jam with Dr.Velvet. With Ghoul’s insanely fast and energetic drumming it was obvious that no one would be able to replace him anytime soon. Plus, it’s not often you can say that your drummer is a clown.

Next up was Daniel Felice. Ryan and Daniel had lived in the same house, dubbed the Careful Cabin, for a while, and he loved watching Dr.Velvet perform. It was a style that he grew up listening to – 1990 style skate-punk with an East Coast edge – and he patiently waited a year for Ryan to offer up the bassist spot, and in the end it was the common musical ground that did it; they bonded over nearly identical iPod contents, and once Ryan heard that Daniel’s spot-on bass playing that was it. True to the original ethos of the project, other members that have floated through, but for the last two years Ryan, Daniel and Ghoul Hectic have acted as Dr.Velvets’ core lineup.

All three jumped into music as children and have been supported by their families throughout their journeys. When Ghoul was merely five years old his dad bought him a bass so he could play in his band. At seven he got a piano, but neither instrument seemed to fit. When Ghoul finally got a drum set it was obvious he could keep a beat so he kept with it. Ryan began playing drums in elementary school and picked up bass in ninth grade. At fifteen he used the skills learned in a jazz theory class to teach himself guitar. Daniel, too, was fifteen when he had a magical moment with a bass guitar and truly fell in love with the craft, after youthful forays into piano and trumpet. That each has a rich, multi-instrumentalist history speaks to the fact that they’re more than just punks.

Ryan is the main songwriter of the trio but Daniel and Ghoul contribute the parts for their own instruments. The songs come and go, and with no methodical way of obtaining lyrics. Ryan sometimes has to rush to a notepad to make sure he doesn’t forget anything. They are inspired, not only by each other, but by some great purveyors of rock and punk. That includes Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Replacements, and NOFX as well as iconic labels like Epitaph, Hell Cat and Fat Records. Ryan even finds inspiration in Jon Steinbeck’s’ novel Canary Row.

Dr.Velvet have recorded three albums and look forward to their fourth seeing release this August. They’ve taken their contagiously energetic live shows to venues all across America and have even played in Europe. The band sees their performances as a party and considers themselves hosts charged with making sure everyone has an amazing time, making the crowd “forget about their 9 to 5.” And they do just that with incredible beats, liquid bass, quick guitar and punk rock edge. But they also have an official award to prove the lengths they’ll go to for a good time – they are the literally drinking champions of the world (or, at least of Hilentrop, Germany) and have received a trophy and certificate to honor that achievement. Their new EP drops online mid-August, but we’ve got an exclusive preview below! Give it a listen and get your own party started.

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INTERVIEW: Zach + Bridget

There’s an almost tangible magic surrounding two people in love, and when that beautiful, romantic energy comes together with music the result can be stunning. Zach Galanis and Bridget Schack have been creating captivating songs as a couple for years and are now looking forward to tying the knot later this year. As a duet they are relatively new to the scene but have been performing together for years. Bridget’s exquisite vocals and Zach’s musical expertise layer together to create folksy melodies that are hard to match. They perform all around Los Angeles and along the West Coast, seeking out the most intimate venues – including people’s homes! – to stay true to the rustic nature of their music. I had the pleasure of sitting down with the couple to chat about their journey as a couple making music together and what their future will hold.

Audiofemme: Where’d you meet?

Zach Galanis: We met at Azusa Pacific. I had come out to go to graduate school in music and seminary and she was finishing her undergrad in vocal performance. Literally the first day I was out here I met her singing in choir. Pretty much everyone we do music with I met that day. It was a big day.

Bridget Schack: A big day in the life of Zach Galanis. How long ago was that?

Z: That was 6 years ago.

B: It was the fall of 2007.

Z: Holy shit, it’s been 7 years? It’s been almost a decade, oh my god.

B: For sure it’s been 7 years, it’s August.

Z: We’ve been doing this for 7 years? You’re supposed to be professional at something after you do it for 10. Are we going to be that way in 3?

B: Yes.

AF: When did you first realize that you should play together?

Z: I had come out here and I was studying seminary which fell to the wayside big time just because I just became a lot less certain on what I believe religiously.

B: The masters degree that you were pursuing was half theology and half music worship. It was this new program that they had developed.

Z: I think that a lot of my writing had been influenced by theology so in my mind it was a safe way to come to California, to study theology in music. We had met and first started doing music together because I was playing coffee shop gigs. They had practice rooms at the school we went to and I was basically asking people if they wanted to come and play these shows.

B: You started doing music with Amy the violist first so it was just the 2 of them, and we were just friends. I had a crush on him so I was trying to feel it out but he was very focused on music so we were just friends. Him and Amy would do music together and I would go see their shows and stuff. I was the one who pursued him to sing with him. I went up to him and said ‘I want to sing with you and I’m really great at harmony. So I’m gonna sing with you.’

Z: In choir she was one of the best singers, if not the best, and I could hardly hit pitches. So I was really surprised she wanted to sing with us. Eventually I found out she didn’t really care – at first she just wanted to get in my pants!

AF: You started off playing with a full band. How long ago did you split with them and what was behind that decision?

Z: We did the last album with the band and the drummer we were working with had a lot of success, that was in 2012. It just wasn’t jiving and we got a much better response when it was just the two of us. We had been having a lot of problems trying to keep the band together so we thought, why don’t we just do us?

B: Logistically it just made sense – easier to practice and schedule and play shows. Sometimes we would have shows that could be booked but if one of five of us couldn’t make it then we’d have to forfeit the spot.

Z: And we were using guys that were really good so they were busy. It’d always be such a thing to get a show together. Which is why bands that grow up together or that can pay musicians usually do well.

AF: What is your song writing process like?

Z: That’s sort of been my wheelhouse at this point. I’m always trying to figure out a better way. Recently I just heard Tom Waits say, that was of course genius… something like, “Waiting for a good song is like hunting – for the better song, you have to wait and be more patient and quiet.” Sometimes I feel like we have to do a voodoo dance because no song comes the same way twice. I try to write every day. I try to read a lot of the lyrics of bands that I’m really inspired by. In the beginning I would sort of form and fashion the skeleton of a song and bring it to the band, then we’d work on it and put body to the ideas. With the new process as we’ve been doing more of these new songs, because it’s a duet, and it’s not just my name, I feel like she should be in the beginning process of writing.

B: We’re transitioning into that.

Z: We’re trying to figure out our process, how we sit down and come up with ideas and stuff. Inspirationally though, most of our stories come from people we’ve met, events and each other and up until now most of the song content has been about other people. It’s easier to write about someone else’s problem and project it onto ourselves but this newer stuff seems to be more personal. It’s the two of us, which is weird. That wasn’t overt, it just sort of happened.

AF: Do you think turning your music inward more has caused your sound to improve?

Z: Yeah for sure! I don’t feel like I’ve been a musician that could be agile to do a lot of different things. I sort of have to deal with what I have – my voice in some ways is limited. Sometimes I’m not a fan, at first, of the music that comes out of me so I look to other people to sort of carve it out to make it what I want. But I feel like you need to write what comes out of you or else it’s insincere and people can feel that.

B: I would say you’ve always been an honest, sincere writer but your first stuff was a little bit more removed. You would tell stories that were more universal truths and not super personal. But with this new stuff coming out, I think emotionally for Zach, to be able to connect more and be a bit more honest and vulnerable in performance has been helpful for both of us.

Z: Traditionally it’s always been that I was the writer and she’s been the performer so we’re melding into each other’s world, I guess.

AF: What’s your best music-related memory?

Z: Performance-wise was playing at the state fair with my punk rock band, that was amazing. We were playing next to the world’s largest pig. I was wearing a hoodie.

B: So it doesn’t include me? How sad.

Z: I feel like our best is yet to come.

B: We’ve had more moments in our performances, it’s hard to say there was a whole performance that was just epic.

Z: Actually there was that one performance in Salt Lake.

B: Which one, Suzie’s? Yeah I would say that was our first taste – we did this home show out in Salt Lake City for this group Up For Anything and we had no idea what to expect. It was one of our first home shows.

Z: And we did it in Salt Lake, where I’m from. We showed up to this place and there were 75, 80 people there. I didn’t know any of them.

B: And that was this first time we had a taste of what this could be. We were in our element in this intimate house concert for 80 people we don’t know which had a lot of potential to grow. That was exciting.

Z: That was a great moment.

B: That was the first thing with the duet, like, ‘Oh this could work.’ We had been trying to do the full band thing for a long time. That was the first taste of Zach + Bridget being a good thing to go for.

AF: What are the dynamics of practicing and performing as a couple?

Z: I think it’s amazing, then it’s hard as fuck. I’ve been in bands with guys and there’s like an ego that everyone has and I think music brings [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][it] out more. Then on top of that we have this relationship and then as well like, for whatever reason, we’ve decided to try and make a career out of this so there’s the business too. So you’re doing all three of those things in the same.

AF: You’re kind of taking your work home with you.

B: Oh absolutely.

Z: Even within music you have to decide that you’re not going to worry about music and business and focus on making something beautiful. I think, too, being able to shut both of those off when you want to be a couple. It’s tough. I think we’re both still figuring that out.

B: It’s an ongoing process. But at the same time being able to do what we love together is pretty special. There’s not a lot of couples that get to pursue that together so when we go on tours or play shows we have each other. We’re not alone.

Z: It’s not like we’re leaving for months on end. I think some of our favorite bands have the family component to it. Arcade Fire has husband and wife.

B: It helps to stick together when it’s not so great and that happens with us a lot. One of us will get a little bit down and the other one will bring us back up and it switches.

Z: There’s this communication that can go unspoken. During performances I can kind of look at her and know what the look means. Sometimes it’s not such a good message but I can get it.

B: And then people just think we’re in love so, we can make faces at each other like ‘ I can’t believe you just messed up’ but people think I’m making googly eyes at him.

AF: So y’all are getting married! Congrats! Are you staying in California?

B: For now we’re going to stay.

Z: We dream about leaving this place sometimes but…

B: We don’t feel like we’re stuck here. We feel like we should be here for now and we have a community here and we’re working and playing a lot. There’s music everywhere here. We’ve talked about moving to Salt Lake City, but where would we play? And how would we make money doing that? I think for now we’re going stay. We’ll go with the flow.

Z: Yeah, it’s weird. I would have never said this five years ago, but I love LA. It took me five years, but it takes living here to love it. What you perceive of LA visiting is way different then what it actually is. I miss my family a lot but it’d be hard to do what we’re doing right now anywhere else.

AF: Any musical children coming our way?

B: Ha, I hope not.

Z: Not for a while.

B: Getting married and having a family is something that we see in the future and would enjoy but right now we wouldn’t be able to support a family.

Z: We don’t want to just birth feral children into the world. Because from us, they could be pretty bad. So we’re going to wait so we can support them.

AF: What are your next steps?

B: I think our next big plan is to record a new album with just the two of us. We’ve done two full-length studio albums with the full band under the name Galanis and the full-band kind of mindset.

Z: They were more of a solo project for me with Bridget coming in as an artist working on some of it.

B: Now were looking to do our debut as Zach + Bridget. Not necessarily just the two of us – we’ll have guests come in – but the focus will be on the duet. So that’s the next big thing we want to do. Just to play and make money while we are doing it so we can financially support ourselves.

Zach + Bridget are still figuring out when their debut album will be recorded and released, but in the meantime they’ve been working on a series of live music videos, and we’re pleased to premiere one of them below! Give it a watch and feel the love.

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VIDEO REVIEW: Bear in Heaven “Time Between”

After only a few seconds of watching Bear in Heaven’s new video for their song “Time Between,” I was immediately reminded of an old Smashing Pumpkins song called “We Only Come Out at Night.” Much like that track has always conjured up images of underground dwellers emerging from unseen pockets of the earth as the sun goes down and darkness cloaks what seems to be a completely different landscape, the “Time Between” clip centers around the eccentric inhabitants of New York City as the revel and rumble through the dusk. It’s a specific portrait of real people and their uncoiling selves as they make their way between train stations and parties and 24-hour delis. It’s also a portrait of people and memories suspended in those times and places.

Though the themes align, the Bear In Heaven track is more anthemic than the Smashing Pumpkins song it recalls, and the video reflects those epic vibes by immediately throwing us into a microcosm of nightlife existence. Shot documentary style through the lens of director Nick Bentgen and band members John Philpot and Adam Wills over several weeks in Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan, there’s a glamourous candor to each quick-cut scene. We see acrobatic buskers, drag queens, cops, lovers, construction workers, drunks, ballers, commuters and more, in train stops and clubs and street corners, all of it sewn together in what feels like a pretty authentic tapestry of big city life – the life that happens as you’re waiting in line to get into a show, or cycling across the bridge from one borough to another.

Bear In Heaven are in a similar limbo right now, as fans anticipate the release of their fourth studio album, titled Time Is Over One Day Old. The title implies a sort of resigned purgatory, a hash mark on a prison wall counting out a sentence before the prisoner realizes it’s all relative. It’s been two years since the band released I Love You, It’s Cool, a record that received generally positive reviews but took some time to resonate to the degree that 2010’s explosive breakthrough Beast Rest Forth Mouth did. With “Time Between” as a lead single, it seems like Bear In Heaven are again going for some of the immediacy that I Love You lacked. It also hints that it’s been a long road for the Brooklyn band, and they’ve more than paid their dues.

On of the video’s most poignant images depicts a woman is getting a tattoo that reads “ONLY TIME WILL TELL.” It’s almost a trite statement, the permanence of ink under the skin a way to convince us all that there’s something to hold onto, something that will never change. But even as the progression of time adds gravitas to loaded flashes of memory like the scenes sprinkled through the video, it keeps moving. Time will tell you one thing thing today, but it may say something else tomorrow. The scenes in “Time Between” loop from extravagant to mundane, a reminder that it all matters and yet none of it really does. Philpot sings the oft-repeated line “falling out” as if there’s some way to disengage from that continuum; meanwhile the dichotomy of the ordinary and the extraordinary plays out as the video runs its course.

Time is Over One Day Old is out August 5 via Dead Oceans/Hometapes and is streaming now on NPR. Monday sees the band play a hometown show at Rough Trade; they’ll embark on a three-month US and European tour following the record’s release – see dates below.

Mon. Aug. 4 – Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade (in-store)
Wed. Aug. 20 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
Thu. Aug. 21 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Fri. Aug. 22 – Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel
Sat. Aug. 23 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle (Back Room)
Sun. Aug. 24 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
Tue. Aug. 26 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon
Wed. Aug. 27 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues (Bronze Peacock)
Thu. Aug. 28 – Austin, TX @ The Parish
Tue. Sept. 2 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echoplex
Wed. Sept. 3 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
Fri. Sept. 5 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
Sat. Sept. 6 – Spokane, WA @ Bartfest
Sun. Sept. 7 – Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey
Wed. Sept. 10 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry
Thu. Sept. 11 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
Fri. Sept. 12 – Columbus, OH @ A&R Music Bar
Sat. Sept. 13 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
Sun. Sept. 14 – Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rossa
Tue. Sept. 16 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
Wed. Sept. 17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Thu. Oct. 2 – London, UK @ XOYO
Fri. Oct. 3 – Brussels, BE @ Beursschouwburg
Sat. Oct. 4 – Paris, FR @ Espace B
Sun. Oct. 5 – Amsterdam, NL @ Bitterzoet
Mon. Oct. 6 – Cologne, DE @ Club 672
Tue. Oct. 7 – Berlin, DE @ Berghain
Thu. Oct. 9 – Copenhagen, DK @ Ideal Bar
Fri. Oct. 10 – Lund, SE @ Mejeriet
Sat. Oct. 11 – Stockholm, SE @ Kagelbanan
Sun. Oct. 12 – Goteborg, SE @ Pustervik
Mon. Oct. 13 – Oslo, NO @ John Dee
Tue. Oct. 14 – Bergen, NO @ Landmark
Thu. Oct. 16 – Aarhus, DK @ Atlas
Fri. Oct. 17 – Hamburg, DE @ Aalhaus

Month: August 2014

LIVE REVIEW: Museum of Love @ The Wick

LIVE REVIEW: Flagship @ The Chapel

ALBUM REVIEW: Weyes Blood “The Innocents”

LIVE REVIEW: Robyn and Royksopp @ Pier 97

LIVE REVIEW: Tokyo Police Club, Portugal. The Man, Grouplove @Avila Beach Resort, San Luis Obispo, CA

ARTIST PROFILE: 20 Eyes

ALBUM REVIEW: Israel Nash “Rain Plans”

INTERVIEW: Avey Tare

LIVE REVIEW: HAIM @ The Wiltern, L.A.

TRACK OF THE WEEK: Adia Victoria “Stuck In The South”

LIVE REVIEW: Dan Deacon @ The Glass House, Pomona, CA

LIVE REVIEW: Landlady @ Death By Audio

LIVE REVIEW: Pitchfork Music Festival 2014

ALBUM REVIEW: The Pharmacy “Spells”

ALBUM REVIEW: Bear In Heaven “Time Is Over One Day Old”

INTERVIEW: Zach + Bridget

VIDEO REVIEW: Bear in Heaven “Time Between”

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