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
