Checking in on Hot Chip
With our favorite band not residing in United States, we can some times get side tracked and forget that one of the greatest bands today is still out there, making people dance. If you don’t know Hot Chip, you should. They have developed a unique sound that combines their love for electronic music with their love of funk, hip hop and pop. So this isn’t just some knob twiddlers and computer geeks (although I wouldn’t be surprised if they were the first to admit they are geeks, but lovable ones), they know their way around the guitar, piano and most importantly, the drums.
Their music can be at times soft and hypnotic and other times, funky and dancey. Either way, they pump out some of the best music you’ll hear today and put on one of the greatest live performances.
So what have they been doing since releasing the Mercury Award nominee, The Warning? Besides DJ’ing and playing at various festivals (just announced they’ll be headling the ATP vs. Pitchfork Festival in May 2008), they’ve been working on a new album called Made in the Dark. This has inspired us to keep tabs of the most anticipated albums of 2008 and this guy just topped the list.
Sources tell us the new album captures the raw and tougher sound of Hot Chip as we experience them live. In fact, some of the tracks were recorded live and with one take - “Hold On” and “Out at the Pictures”. This tough sound can also be heard on the Todd Rundgren featured track, “Shake A Fist” (curiously called Shake a Tease on myspace), which was released on a limited edition 12″ ( it will also appear on the new album). Listen to “Shake A Fist / Tease” on their myspace page.
There are several ballads and the appreciation for soul is apparently front and center. But you can’t have a Hot Chip album without some beat nastiness and that is present here with songs like “Ready For The Floor” (scheduled to be the first single) and “One Pure Thought”.
The album is due out on DFA / Astralwerks on Feb. 4th. Let the countdown begin.
Read the Pitchfork interview with Hot Chip frontman, Alexis Taylor.
On a non-album related note, you can download a free Hot Chip MP3 from their website for simply signing up for their newsletter. The song is called “I Became A Volunteer” and will not be on the new album. Click here to Sign Up.
Vote for Nathan Moore
For those that don’t know Nathan, he is a singer, song writer, a poet and a talker. He’s mostly known as the lead singer of the group Surprise Me Mr. Davis which is really just the three piece indie/jazz band The Slip plus Nathan singing and belting away at the mic.
Nathan’s lyrical style is very much like that of Leonard Cohen and perhaps a bit of Dylan. He has a jovial approach to singing and helps to really bring the stage alive. His vocal style reminds me of a young Tom Waits. Those are all artists that are not used lightly and are used wisely in my opinion to describe Nathan.
I recently saw Nathan and The Slip (I’m sorry, Surprise Me Mr. Davis) play at the Brooklyn bar Union Hall. If you’re unfamiliar with this location, they have two bocce ball courts setup on the first level and in the lower level there is a tiny stage and small section for dancing with a bar in the back. It’s an intimate setting and was perfect for this impromptu show.
Nathan to me is an artist that has gone wildly unrecognized. While he may argue that it’s not about how well you’re known but how well respected you are that matters, it’s also still true that the more exposure artists like Nathan get the better off the music world will be, especially in this country.
You can help expose his talent by voting for him over at the Rolling Stone / Hennessey contest - VOTE NOW. Although the last I checked he had roughly 80% of the votes already!!! Keep them coming.
The song picked for the contest was taken off of his most recent release, In His Own Words, off of Frogville records.
- Links of Interest
- Download the song being voted on - “For the Paper Boy”
- Nathan Moore on Myspace
- Purchase In His Own Words - (emusic) (Amazon)
DOP Opening for F&J at Middle East
That would be Dirty on Purpose and Fujiya & Miyagi.
The Brooklyn based group, Dirty on Purpose, whose latest album, Hallelujah Sirens, has brought them some nice exposure. They hosted an episode of MTV2’s Subterranean, were nominated for a Plug Award, and have received some loving from the indie elites - Pitchfork and Filter. They were asked to open up for U.K.’s very own Fujiya & Miyagi, coming off their critically acclaimed release, Transparent Things.
They both play this weekend at the Middle East Downstairs. The last I checked there were still some tickets available through the Master (Go here to buy online). Or you can stop on by the box office on Mass Ave.
- Links of Interest:
- Buy DOP’s Hallelujah Sirens - (North Street Records)
- DOP’s Myspace
- Buy F&J’s Transparent Things - (Amazon US, UK)
- Stream all of Transparent Things
- F&J’s Myspace
- Downloads: “Light Pollution” by DOP
Watch Video for “Light Pollution” Below:
Heima (at home)
I started blogging a little over two years ago and around that time Sigur Ros was on tour in the states, supporting Takk. I saw them once by myself at the Boston Opera House and then a second time, same tour, at the Orpheum Theater, this time with a companion - my girlfriend of almost two years now. So when I saw this trailer for their upcoming DVD, Heima, which stands for “homeland” or in Iceland it actually stands for “at home”, I couldn’t help but get a little sentimental.
To be honest, putting the sentimental value aside, the footage and overpowering energy in this trailer alone makes the hairs on my back stand-up. I said it two years ago and I’ll say it again today, Sigur Ros will no doubt go down as one of our generations most inspirational artists. Watch the trailer below.
You can catch Sigur Ros state side when they play at this years New Yorker Festival on the weekend of October 5th. This won’t be a traditional show where you have a huge screen in the back and crazy lights and sounds blaring down on you for 2 hours straight. They will be both playing music and talking to John Seabrook from the New Yorker.
Just being introduce to Sigur Ros? Well - (Buy their albums) (Visit myspace) (Visit official site) (Find some tracks on Hype Machine).
Enjoy your weekend.
