Passion Pit @ Paradise Rock Club 6/18/09
When I first heard “Sleepyhead” early last year I didn’t know what quite to think. Minus the vocals, the sound was familiar. Electropop is nothing new and is considered by some to be almost mainstream thanks to Matt Murphy and his LCD Soundsystem project and our friends across the pond, Hot Chip. But if I had to choose one of the two that Passion Pit reminds me the most of it’s LCD. Not necessarily because of their sound but because of how the music is produced and written. In essence, a one man show.
In no way am I discounting the talent that now supports Michael Angelakos. As clearly stated at this show, Passion Pit is more a band then it is a moniker like LCD Soundsystem is for Matt Murphy. Keeping the beat behind the drums with his big studio headphones is Nate Donmoyer, on the synth/samples/guitar is Ayad Al Adhamy, on bass is Jeff Apruzzese and on the keyboard is Ian Hultquist. It’s still way too early to say whether ‘Pit will have a similar rotating cast of characters like LCD but it’s safe to say that right now, the band appears to be locked in to a groove.
I began the show in the pit, snapping a few shots before handing it off to my photo guerrilla, T dog. Therefor, the performance didn’t start to really hit me until they played “Secret Place”. As I suspected in my preview, the chorus section that uses a group of kids for the melody was supported by the crowd, but not because the band asked them to, but because the crowd wanted to. This formula suites Passion Pit very well. Besides Michael’s vocal style, this helps differentiate them from the other electropop bands. Later, when they played “The Reeling” for the encore, the crowd responded with force, “Oh noooooooo”, over and over again.
Besides the typical standouts, “The Reeling” and “Sleepyhead”, a song that took me for a ride was “Swimming in the Flood”. One of the slower tracks on Manners, their debut album. With its simple keyboard line over Michael’s floating vocals, this song does a nice job of lifting the crowd in to a frenzy as it draws to a close.
With the family and close friends in attendance, the band was excited to be home. To me, it seems as if lead man, Michael Angelakos, is a bit shocked by the rush of success and attention they’ve received. Everyone else appears pumped to be along for the ride. It must be a daunting thought to be the main song writer for a band that has only one hour of material, was signed by a major label (they are signed to Columbia Records in the U.K.), and will be under the gun to reach into his brain to pick out more “Sleepyheads” and “The Reelings” to keep the momentum going. It’s a daunting task but one I sense Michael is up to.
One thing is for sure, the kids were jamming last night. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the Paradise is by far the best midsize venue in the greater Boston area. From the giant polls painted to look like funky trees that stand smack in the middle of the room to the close proximity of the balcony that hovers over the crowd, there’s a sense of comradery in the ‘Dise. Every show that’s geared towards dancing should be performed here. My only comment would be to the house sound team. The bass amps stage right were a bit ridiculous. I felt my brain move several inches to the left and right every time the bass or kick drum was hit with force.
I look forward to following Passion Pit and hope that next time around instead of one hour of music in their repertoire they’ll have two hours to help keep the party going.
Here are some more pics from the show for your enjoy
ment.
For more Passion Pit info, visit the following sites:
www.myspace.com/passionpitjams
Passion Pit tonight at Paradise in Boston (Sold Out)
Going to the Passion Pit show tonight at the Paradise Rock Club. Should be a good time as it’s a home coming show for these Emerson students. Not even sure you can call them students anymore based on the media reaction to their latest album, Manners.
Buy Manners: (Amazon) (iTunes) (Insound) (eMusic)
Looking forward to seeing how the crystal clear production on the album translates in a live show. Wonder if they’ll keep the chorus of kids in the music some how for songs like “The Reeling” and “Little Secrets”. I bet, in fact I’d be willing to put a PBR on this one, they encourage the crowd to sing the parts. I can see it now, “higher and higher, higher and higher”.
See you kiddies there.
Stream “The Reeling” (Mike Snow Remix) courtesy of RCRDLBL
Bonus Downloads
Listen & Download: “The Reeling” (Wallpaper. Remix)
Listen & Download: “Sleepyhead” (Wallpaper. Dio Remix)
The Hip2besquare 2008 Year End List Part IV
Passion Pit – “Chunk of Change”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/passionpitjams
Listen and download “Sleepyhead”: (Download courtesy of RCRDLBL)
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Over the past few years we’ve seen various bands go from zeros to heros in a matter of minutes. Success in the music business varies depending on who you’re talking to. Some want it all and some are happy if just one of their songs, albums or jingles gets recognition. For the sake of this post, lets just say success is when you decide to record some songs for your girlfriend for Valentines Day and having those songs turn into a six song EP which eventually gets passed around, has you land some gigs at Pianos in Manhattan, play some showcases at CMJ and then get signed by a major (Columbia Records, UK), all in less then a year.
Passion Pit are Michael Angelakos, Ian Hultquist, Ayad al Adhamy, Jeff Apruzzese and Nate Donmoyer. They all knew each other from Emerson College in downtown Boston and are slowly but surely becoming top players in the electronic pop world along side LCD Soundsystem and the 2008 newbies, MGMT.
She and Him – “Volume One”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/sheandhim
Listen and download “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?”: (Download courtesy of Welikeit.indie)
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Watch weird and sadistic video for above song: Pitchfork.tv
Back in 2007 I was introduced to M. Ward with Post-War. And just like last year, I’m late to the party of another M. Ward creation. Only difference, this year his creation was helped by an unlikely songstress, the actress Zooey Deschanel, the actress most famously known for her role along side Will Ferrell in the Christmas classic, Elf (and now most famously known for getting engaged to Ben Gibbard if your an indie kid).
I knew of She & Him for sometime but failed to connect the M.Ward dot. How I missed this major detail is beyond me. I remember Aquarium Drunkard posting their live recordings from their “wet and wild” set at this year’s Newport Folk Festival. However, I didn’t pick up the album till about a month ago.
While it’s a late addition to my listening cycle, it’s definitely showing promise of a trusty stand by. Besides M. Ward’s ingenious arrangement of classic songs, Zooey’s vocals are a comfort during every listen. Her ability to change her vocal style is impressive as well. She’ll throw in some country, lounge, jazz and has a very distinct Peggy Lee sound.
The stand out song of the album is their cover of the Beatles tune, “I Should Have Known Better”. They completely changed up the tempo, creating a slow waltz with Hawaiian style slide guitar playing out the melody. Not since the Grey Album when Danger Mouse successfully combined the Beatles White Album with Jay-Z’s Black Album, has a Beatles song sounded so good outside it’s original format.
Jason Collett – “Here’s to Being Here”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/jasoncollettofficial
Listen and download “Out of Time”: (Download courtesy of Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream)
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The boys and girls in Broken Social Scene may be some of the hardest working musicians in the business. Even when they’re not officially pumping out their own albums, each band member is in some way creating new sounds. This year it was Jason Collett and Brendan Canning (who we’ll talk about soon) that lead the pack in 2008.
Jason’s music has a distinct similarity to Tom Petty. He’s got that slight nasal tone and a rocking guitar to boot. Any fan of Petty would be hard pressed not to go out and give this one a shot.
Broken Social Scene Presents – “Brendan Canning – Something for All of Us…”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/brendancanning
Listen and Download “Hit The Wall”: (Download courtesy of Pitchfork)
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Unlike Jason, Brendan’s sound rings true to the BSS method – loud, sprawling riffs with soaring vocal lines. I would also throw in cinematic to describe Brendan’s work here with hints of classic rock brewing in the background, as is the case with most BSS albums. The odd man out on this album is “Love Is New”. Here Brendan conjures up Talking Heads and produces one of the albums more straightforward grooves and helps to add some depth to the sound of the album as a whole.
AA Bondy – “American Hearts”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/aabondy
Listen and Download to “Witness Blues”: (Download)
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Some of you may know Scott Bondy from his previous work in Verbena, a late 90’s indie rock band that some critics had herald as the next Nirvana and Scott as the next Cobain. Unfortunately I was not an “in-the-know” music man back then but what I know now is Scott has dropped the grundge icons appeal and now applies a different icon to his sound, Bob Dylan.
While us critics can always stand back and make comparisons, in the end, a good musician will differentiate themselves through creative lyrics and melodies and in my opinion, AA is one of those musicians. Lets face it, it was clearly the year for modern day America folk music or as some critics like to call it, the nu-folk movement. AA Bondy’s solo debut, while nothing spectacular, helps make this case even stronger.
Hot Chip – “Made In The Dark”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/hotchip
Listen and Download “Read For The Floor”: (Download courtesy of Cafe Eclectica Music)
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Those who know me know that I’m a Hot Chip freak. I’ve been trying to convert both friends and family for a few years now. So I was especially excited this past year when I got the chance to interview one of the founding members, Joe Goddard, before their amazing show at the Paradise Rock Club. This may or may not have been a good idea given how much of a fan and nerd I am about their music. But by the looks of both Joe and the other founding member, Alexis Taylor, they have some nerd in them as well.
What struck me the most about Hot Chip this past year was their refined live sound. During my interview with Joe, he talked about how the band has been practicing alot and perfecting their live performance. There’s a good and bad side to this. The good of course is all the transitions, song extensions and changes are flawless. The bad is the room for improvisation goes away. The argument you can make is that with a band like Hot Chip, where you have several members and lots of intstruments and sounds to manage, having an improvisation session on stage can get confusing. While it’s enjoyable to the player, the listener may get lost. Unless you’re hopped up on a slew of drugs where it doesn’t matter what you’re playing as long as it’s got a beat.
“Made In the Dark” brought about some of the best produced songs Hot Chip has done to date. “Ready For the Floor”, “One Pure Thought”, and “Touch Too Much” were three of my favorites. Yet it’s not the album I turn to the most. You could make a strong argument that “The Warning” is their best studio work but for me, “Coming On Strong” is my trusty stand by.
You can say what you want about one hit wonders or songs that conjure up special moments from the past but to me, albums are like your best friends. They’re there to calm you down, pick you back up or help celebrate life accomplishments. But most importantly, they help keep you moving in the right direction.
Bob Dylan – “Bootleg Series: Vol. 8″
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/bobdylan
Listen and Download “Mississippi”: (Download)
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Besides Tom Waits, Dylan is one of the greatest inspirations not only to artists who strive to play music as long as he (good music that is), but also for the listener. The fact that he can continue expressing his emotions in such a pure way to the world is a testament to humanity.
This is not the Dylan your mom and dad grew up with on the eightth volume of Columbia Records “Bootleg Series”. Or is it? Besides the raspy, smoke damaged vocal chords that modern day Dylan has to deal with, the same passion and genius is there in his lyrics. All songs you here are from 1988 and onward. Pretty impressive considering this kid was making heads turn (including the Man in Black, God rest is soul) back in the late 50’s.
I think this is a good place to end the list.
Worthy Albums of 2008
There are plenty of albums I didn’t mention in my lists that I would have liked to but this here blogger just doesn’t have the time. Here is a list of albums worth your time:
Ra Ra Riot – “The Rhumb Line”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/rarariot
Notes: Gained cred during last years CMJ and released their debut without any disappointments to discuss.
The Black Keys – “Attack and Release”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/theblackkeys
Notes: Best blues rock duo alive right now and plop in one of the best djs/producers in Danger Mouse and you’ve got a winning combination.
Black Mountain – “In The Future”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/blackmountain
Notes: Yeah, acid folk rock at it’s best.
The Walkmen -”You & Me”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thewalkmen
Notes: This is how SoCal should sound only these guys are from NYC.
Dr. Dog – “Fate”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/drdog
Notes: A great album and they’re from Philly. Enough said.
The Watson Twins – “Fire Songs”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thewatsontwins
Notes: Great cover of the Cure’s “Just Like Heaven”
Girl Talk – “Fee the Animals”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/girltalkmusic
Notes: There’s genius in his precision to tie both old and new pop songs together.
The Felice Brothers – “The Felice Brothers”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thefelicebrothers
Notes: Think party Bob Dylan part The Band. Great energy in their live performance.
Atlas Sound – “Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/bradfordcox
Notes: Deerhunter’s lead man, Bradford Cox, stones the listener even if you’re not one to inhale.
Quite Village – “Silent Movie”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/quietvillage
Notes: One word, Chill.
Fuck Buttons – “Street Horrrsing”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/fuckbuttons
Notes: One phrase, fucked up noise rock.
The Dodos – “Visiter”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thedodos
Notes: Another power duo from Cali except unlike Two Gallants who hail from the north, these two bring us that SoCal flavor. Some good yelling going on here.
Stephen Malkums & The Jicks – “Real Emotional Trash”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/stephenmalkmus
Notes: It’s hard not to love this album if you’re a guitar player.
Delta Spirit – “Ode To Sunshine”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/deltaspirit
Notes: Blew us away opening for Dr. Dog. We were also trashed upon entering the venue so who knows. But seriously, keep an eye on these guys. Not going to say too much cause I don’t want another Cold War Kids on our hands and since they’re already from SoCal, the ingredients are in place for such a thing to happen.
Discovered Albums of 2008
There are always a few albums that I pick up that are from past years. This does not include very old recordings such as the Cocteau Twins album I picked up or the Jimmy Smith recording I got. Those are by default most likely classics.
Great Lake Swimmers – “Onigara”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/greatlakeswimmers
Notes: Highly underrated album and artist. New album out in 2008.
Phosphorescent – “Pride”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/phosphorescent
Notes: Think bon fire style sing alongs and add in some Native American chanting and you’ve got this album. Perfect for popping on during plane rides. Little glass of wine and this album, you’ll be sleeping sweet dreams.
The Ruby Suns – “The Ruby Suns”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/therubysuns
Notes: I was unable to get Sea Lions, which was their 2008 album. So instead, I got this prior release. Plenty good from this New Zealand outfit.
The Glands – “The Glands”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/theglands123
Notes: Yet another great rock group from Atlanta. A mix between Tom Petty and Yo La Tengo if you can belive it. No joke, the guy definitely sounds like Ira from time to time on this album.
HAPPY NEW YEAR AND WE’LL SEE YOU IN 2009!
What do Passion Pit, Piano Creeps, YELLE and the Great Northwest all have in common?
They all were at the top of my list of things to check out from messages received in my inbox but going even deeper, there is a connection with Passion Pit and YELLE as Passion Pit is opening for YELLE, the french new wave gal that’s got all the boys in a tizzy, here in Boston at the Roxy on October 15th. And Piano Creeps from Ithaca, NY and The Great Northwest are on the same label, The Kora.
So it’s not all that random. But you should check out these artists for various reasons. Here are those reasons.
Passion Pit – http://www.myspace.com/passionpitjams
From Boston, this Emerson College original is basically the brain child of Michael Angelakos who originally wrote their EP, Chunk of Change, as a Valentine’s Day gift for his girlfriend. As soon as their friends caught ear it wasn’t long before other people in the Boston music scene took notice. It also helps that they go to Emerson which is largely known for their communications department. One of Boston’s best independent music stations, 88.9 WERS, is also an Emerson establishment so all this combined has given Passion Pit some well deserved exposure. On stage they are Angelakos, Ian Hultquist(synths), Al Adamy(synths, sampler), Jeff Apruzzese(bass, synth) and Nate Donmoyer(drums).
The songs are catchy but in a spastic manner. This is not your typical Boston based indie rock band sound. I’ve lived here for five years now and I can honestly say that Passion Pit are one of the more unique bands I’ve heard from these parts.
Stream “Sleepyhead”
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Download “Sleepyhead” over at RCRDLBL: http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/Passion_Pit/track/Sleepyhead
Piano Creeps – http://www.myspace.com/thepianocreeps
A couple things about Piano Creeps caught my attention. One, their music is the perfect backdrop to the oncoming fall season and if you know me you know that most of my current and new music tastes revolve around the seasons. Two, their bio’s, while I knew nothing about the bands mentioned, seemed impressive enough to garner a listen to their first single, “Hey Love”.
The threesome is Billy Cote, Mary Lorson and Kathy Ziegler. Mary and Billy were in a 90’s alt-pop band called Madder Rose. They’ve also co-written various songs for film scores such as an HBO show you may have heard of, “The Sopranos”, and also in “Alias” and “Felicity”. Kathy has toured with various artists such as Abra Moore, Jim Lauderdale and Donna the Buffalo. She’s also a guitar maker! See what I mean about impressive yet mysterious.
Piano Creeps, as mentioned above, share space on Kora Records with The Great Northwest, a band I’ll talk about in a second.
Listen and Download (Right click and ‘Save As’): “Hey Love”
The Great Northwest - http://www.myspace.com/highcouncilpdx
These guys fell into my lap a few weeks back but their album has been out since July. But like with Piano Creeps, their sound seems to work with oncoming fall months where life seems to slow down. Slow is a good way to describe The Great Northwest. Their songs take their time and it’s as if every note is drawn out till it can be drawn out no more.
I was never into bands like The Dandy Warhols or My Bloody Valentine, and not because I didn’t like them but because I was never exposed to their music. For example, I didn’t know who MBV were until I saw Lost and Translation. But If you’re in to those bands, then you may find The Great Northwest’s latest album to be right up your alley.
Brian Coates is the main head behind the band. Peter from The Dandy Warhols makes an appearance but apparently the group involves, in one way or another, about 20 people stretching from the east to the west coasts. It was while Brian was working with Dead Meadow (another group I’ve been meaning to explore more) in our nations capital that he ran into Kora Records and after a chat and some listening to Brian’s new tunes, they signed him immediately and started working on The Widespread Reign of The Great Northwest.
Listen and Download the lead single (Right Click and ’save as’): “Chief John”
YELLE – http://www.myspace.com/iloveyelle
I’m throwing this one in for good measure and also in honor of our good old French buddy, Alex V. Ah, yes, the French and their crazy electroclash pop kids that have some how found a way to take the fashion of the 80’s and turned it into a hip style. YELLE is a crazy French girl who has no boundaries when it comes to lyrics. She raps over produced beats by GrandMarnier and most of her raps are about sex. What a surprise from the French.
I don’t have a song for download (no surprise from an EMI artist) but you can check out the video for “Je Veux Te Voir” (“I wanna See You”) below:
If you like what you see, vote for this video over at the MTVu awards page for the Left Field Woodie: http://woodies.mtvu.com/nominees/left_field_woodie
She’s also currently on tour in the U.S. and is filming a documentary of the tour. If you want to be involved with the filming and also are interested in getting a “special” kiss from YELLE during one of her shows, then make sure to wear your custom made YELLE Masques which fans can download over at her myspace page. To be in the documentary you have to fill out the form which is also found on her myspace page. There will be one winner per city and the winner gets, besides being filmed for the documentary, tickets to the show and will meet with the band backstage.
As mentioned ealier, Boston’s very own Passion PIt is opening for YELLE on a few select West Coast dates. Seel below for the full tour schedule:
- 10/7 House of Blues – Dallas, TX +
- 10/9 Mohawk – Austin, TX +
- 10/10 Polish American Club – MIami, FL +
- 10/11 The Social – Orlando, FL +
- 10/13 9:30 Club – Washington, DC +
- 10/14 Webster Hall – New York, NY +
- 10/15 The Roxy – Boston, MA +
- 10/21 Logan Square Auditorium – Chicago, IL +
- 10/22 Turner Hall – Milwaukee, WI +
- 10/24 Ogden Theatre – Denver, CO +
- 10/25 Urban Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT + *
- 10/27 Neumos Crystal Ballroom – Seattle, WA + *
- 10/29 Berbati’s – Portland, OR + *
- 10/31 Mezzanine – San Francisco, CA + *
- 11/01 Henry Fonda Theatre – Los Angeles, CA + *
- 11/02 Beauty Bar – San Diego, CA + *
- 11/03 UCSD – San Diego, CA
+ with Funeral Party
* with Passion PIt
About Editor
Name: Luke "Kip" Owen
Location: Boston, MA
Contact: kippy[AT]hip2besquare[DOT]net
Twitter: twitter.com/kipdog
Youtube: youtube.com/kipdog
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