Chromeo @ House of Blues, San Diego, Ca.
August 16,2010
by Thirst’n Howl III
What’s that you say? Oh, you already saw the Chromeo review we did earlier. Well, good for you. I have not even written this review yet, but as an author I am ready to concede that the other show review is probably far more detailed and correct than this one will be. This one is more of a surreal attempt at explaining the joy that is a Chromeo show. Let’s say this is my Salvador Dali-esque attempt at painting a Chromeo picture with a little less than a thousand words (never fret there are plenty of photos with this essay ((for those less entertained by words, feel free to print them out in black and white and color them in at your fancy))
I once was legally forced to write an apology letter to my feet for the continued pain I put them through at a Chromeo show. This is true. Look it up under Toes Vs. TH. The lawsuit was due to the relentless joy of seeing them live, as they deliver the sound that drives directly from the top of your head through your feet whilst in their presence. The most recent show on the other hand was an added bonus for me, as I had recently suffered through 8 weeks of Warped Tour. To say this is detrimental to a music snobs ears is equal to stating that getting shot with a shotgun hurts. Damn straight it hurts. Alot!! So, to have my auditory escape from the dark ages of the 90′s was indeed a pleasure. Once again, my feet were called to action. And this time they did some Fancy Footwork without any need for legal recourse.
The Major Lazer braintrust (Diplo & Switch) put this mixtape together for La Roux while working on new material in Jamaica. It features a bunch of JA-inspired blends, special remixes, dubplates and more but you don’t really need to be sold on this thing – we are giving it to you for FREE.
Peasant’s recent release “Shady Retreat” is an album full of similar sounding songs. All of them, gentle, enjoyable, reminiscent of Elliot Smith, and comforting to the soul. Some of them feeling a little hokey and folky but all of them, easy to listen to and enjoyable. The lyricism is vague but heart-wrenching, hopeful but defeated, delicate but not whiny. The only shortcoming being that throughout the album, there doesn’t seem to be any rise and fall. Any narrative, any album structure. It just feels like lots of acoustic folky songs all stamped together.
Perhaps as a reviewer I am not picking up on the overtly obvious thematic elements that Peasant is conveying in his album, but I simply don’t see anything that would put this album above and beyond just a simple collection of songs. This isn’t to say it isn’t enjoyable or worth listening to, and who says any album needs to have a structure at all? But for me as a listener of an album, I tend to enjoy listening to songs that cohesively combine into something bigger than just their individual elements.
XO Publicity sends us tons of love each day via the amazing Artists the represent, which we in turn try to share with you. So it’s only fitting that this Holiday Season they give us another amazing compilation of tunes which I am sure will brighten your winter days! Their quite good! So download each track below by just right clicking on song title to download by song or click here “xo for the holidays volume II” to zip whole album
A note from our friends at Northplatte:
Happy Holidays everyone! We wanted to thank you so much for your support by giving you this Free Christmas Album. You can download the album by clicking on the picture link of the album art cover Glory Glory Glory. Feel free to share it with all your friends.
The team over at Launderette Clothing just posted a great Holiday Mixtape for all to enjoy! Check it out and while your at it see if they have some nice threads to enhance your wardrobe! I think they will! Here is the track listing:
1) Merry Christmas From Mr. T – Mr. T
2) Purple Snowflakes – Marvin Gaye
3) Winter Weather – Squirrel Nut Zippers
4) The Christmas Song – The Raveonettes
5) All I Want For Christmas (is my two front teeth) – Nat King Cole & His Trio
6) Carol Of The Bells – The Bird And The Bee
7) Ice & Ribbons – Vitesse Why Can’t It Be Christmastime All Year – Rosie Thomas
9) Sixteen, Maybe Less – Iron & Wine w/ Calexico
10) The Christmas Song – Dexter Gordon
11) I’d Like You For Christmas – Julie London
12) Christmas Island – Andrews Sisters & Guy Lombardo
13) Last Christmas – Wham!
14) Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy – Bing Crosby & David Bowie
15) Snowfall – Esquivel
16) Merry Christmas Baby – Otis Redding
17) Let It Snow – Magnet
18) Christmas Eve – Teenage Fanclub
Just in time for the holidays comes an oldie but a goody in the form of DeKalb, IL sci-fi band Hyperdrive, Go!’s debut album, “It’s Alive!” The trio has since disbanded and moved onto other endeavors, but would still like to treat its fans to some free music. Oh, and what exactly is Hyperdrive, Go!? Think B-52s meets Richard Cheese, with a dash of They Might Be Giants thrown in for seasoning. It’s fun, it’s catchy, it’s silly. Best of all, it’s really damn good.
Recently Forest World put out a short EP compiled entirely on a Gameboy. This particular track in my opinion is the standout track from all of it, but the overall construction of the EP is rather quite masterful. Abandoning the usual electronically backed vocal duet for an entirely instrumental presentation, this track like the EP has the potential to be quite tedious, and yet avoids it. There’s a bouncy punch to each chord that really leaves the listener in a state of perpetual forward head thrusts.
There might be a whole underworld of people that might be doing 8-bit recordings and there probably is, but since I’ve never heard it I’m actually really intrigued by someone taking the time to write a 7-track EP album on a Gameboy. The concept alone is something worth owning. Graciously, Forest World has posted this EP as well as other releases on their website for a donation of your choice. So it won’t really cost you more than you can afford to check it out. It’s an interesting concept to say the least, and this particular song is quite enjoyable.
Violens Release Free ‘Winter Mixtape’
UK Tour With White Lies Starts THIS WEEK
Play Mercury Lounge December 9th With Acrylics & Class Actress
When Violens (vy-lenz’) began plotting their winter tour, they decided to create something to share with the audience overseas while working on their debut album. The New York band has explored a myriad of sounds and styles this past year on their self-titled EP (Cantora), a 7” for the track “Lighting Lightning” (Chess Club, UK only), and a slew of remix collaborations with the likes of MGMT, The Very Best, Lansing-Dreiden, White Lies and many more.
Violens wanted to help new fans piece together a complete picture of their diverse influences from 60’s pop psychedelia to the slick studio production of 80’s new wave, from punk and metal to the dance club bass they were raised on in Miami… The result is their Winter Mixtape, and it is available for free at http://www.violens.net
The mix introduces four songs from Violens’ forthcoming album alongside some wildly unique mash-ups which blend their own performances with music and lyrics of My Bloody Valentine, The Byrds, and Wire among others. You’ll also hear remixes of tracks from their debut EP, Violens’ own remixes of White Lies’ “Unfinished Business”, a new collaboration with Caroline Polachek of Chairlift, and a gorgeous acoustic cover of Saint Etienne’s “Avenue”.
Fresh off their tour in France where they performed with the likes of Bat For Lashes, Bad Lieutenant, Little Boots, Black Lips, and others, this week Violens return to London for a few select club shows before embarking on a tour of the entire UK with White Lies, kicking off at the first of their sold out Brixton Academy shows.
Catch them headlining Mercury Lounge on Wednesday December 9th, with guests Acrylics and Class Actress!
Upcoming Tour Dates With White Lies
19th Nov – Brixton Academy, London *
21st Nov – London Calling Festival, Amsterdam
22nd Nov – Academy, Leeds *
23rd Nov – UEA, Norwich *
24th Nov – Academy, Sheffield *
25th Nov – Rock City, Nottingham *
27th Nov – Apollo, Manchester *
28th Nov – Academy, Glasgow *
29th Nov – Academy, Newcastle *
1st Dec – Guildhall, Portsmouth *
2nd Dec – Academy, Bristol *
4th Dec – University, Cardiff *
5th Dec – Academy, Birmingham *
9th Dec – Mercury Lounge, NYC w/Acrylics & Class Actress
Kim Bonner of The Backslider’s
“Best of 2009 in Music”
Best Tours:
KISS, Paul McCartney, AC/DC
As long as you like big concert rock and roll, you can’t walk away from these shows disappointed. You laugh, you cry, you pump your fist in the air wether you’re 9 or 90.
Best Album:
THe BAcksliders “Thank You”
We are ‘The Beatles’ of rock and roll and this album proves it. Pompous, arrogant beyond belief you say? That’s just the way we roll…shut up and become a believer.
Best Scandal:
The Death of Michael Jackson
Shocking and yet there’s no question this guy was on another planet, like, from maybe as far back as when he was a child, however, most of us started noticing some unraveling around the thriller period, if you happen to be old enough to remember. The surgeries, bubbles, little kids and lightening skin. We suppose it could all be chalked up to fame, money and pressure until you throw in the molestation charges which baffled the last of us searching for some kind of psycological comprehension of the poor bastard. You know, on the one hand he was so polite, kind and generous BUT… One could easily compare the excess to Elvis up until that point, especially the hangers on and heavy prescription addiction(from a “non-drug abuser”), but that’s where it ends. To find out he ended like he did was not a mystery but his personality, almost as much as his music which touched just about every human on the planet from the sixties on, will confound us forever.
Best Music Documentary:
Anvil “The Story of Anvil”
Despite the fact that this documentary is very critically admired for it’s different documentary type facets, if you’re in a band or have ever been in one for any length of time, what really gets you is it’s like looking in a mirror. Don’t be scared. It’s a great ‘story’ with a great ending.
THe ENd
Get their latest album, Thank You, by clicking HERE.
Get to know this awesome quartet from Texas by checking them out at the following:
If you are young, have nothing better to do, like bad music, but like to criticize bands you know nothing about then send an email to info @ indierockreviews.com
Why Can’t It Be Christmastime All Year – Rosie Thomas
Violens Release Free ‘Winter Mixtape’
