Exclusive Interview with NYC’s A Place To Bury Strangers
This past week I had heard that “The Loudest Band in New York,” aka Pilam and check them out for myself.
I must say that PTBS did not disappoint. The packed house was rocked by a mind boggling, ear splitting set. Kids in crazy Halloween costumes danced, jumped, and thrashed in a sea of neon lights, shining down from seizure-inducing videos projected on the wall.
Afterwards, with my eardrums still pleasantly ringing, I managed to speak with front-man Oliver Ackermann and Spencer, the band’s video artist…
Robin: So how do you feel about A Place to Bury Strangers being called “The Loudest Band in New York?”
Oliver Ackermann: It’s no big deal. I guess it was in some blogs, something about “The Loudest in The World.” Jono put it on the MySpace as more of a tongue-in-cheek thing.
We’re just trying to target the right sounds. It’s a technical accomplishment to create the sounds that capture the right feeling.
R: How was the atmosphere tonight?
O:The feel of this place was really great. Some of the smaller places are better because they help us find just the right sounds. Plus strobe lights always get people in a really good mood. But the funny thing is, we can never truly tell what we sound like, because we can’t be the observer. Tonight seemed good to me, though.
A Place To Bury Strangers – Never Going Down
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Highly Recommended: KURIAKI
Thank you to London’s Thirteen[rec] for bringing us love, or just for KURIAKI. Way more than a pretty face, Ander Kuriaki, based out of Madrid, mixes an incredible and downright addictive range of techno and electronic beats. One half of the Fatima Meets Kuriaki duo (also on Thirteen[rec]), KURIAKI’s mixes stand strong both with and without the soulful vocals of her counterpart.
The Fatima Meets Kuriaki EP Hi, Stranger was released this past January and has gathered a following with bloggers in Spain, France, and Japan.
A solo album release from Moshi Moshi Records is coming up in 2008. So hold onto your knickers…or pantalones.
Check out this short track from KURIAKI, released on Funender…
Kuriaki – Clocks (Aerodynamic Homenage)
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Open Your Eyes To The Nazz: A Video Retrospective
Todd Rundgren and company really had the boy band thing down way before pop music sucked. These Philadelphia natives made some real groovy tunes back in the day. Nazz (technically “The” is not included in their name) display a wide range of sounds consisting of psychedelia, blues, and radio-ready garage rock. For example, when you listen to their first album, originally released on SGC Records in 1968, your leg won’t stop pumpin’. From time to time however, your ferocious legs need to take a nap when dreamy, harmony-induced numbers pop up.
Open My Eyes (promo vid from ‘68)
Not Wrong Long (Live appearance in ‘69)
Be sure to check out Nuggets the ultimate psych/garage-rock boxset if you’re feeling far-out.
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An Electronic Hymn: Telepathe’s "Chrome’s On It"
I enjoy repetition as much as the next avant-garde music nerd, but I tend to think a lot bands use it to cover up, either a lack of talent or a lack of ideas. This is NOT the case with Brooklyn’s Telepathe. Their newest song “Chrome’s On It” uses repetition purely for effect, and what a great effect it is. Droning electronics and ping-pong percussion are accompanied by rising/falling harmonies. Telepathe have produced, not only a solid electro-pop song, but an electronic hymn. The future looks bright…
Telepathe are currently unsigned and working on their debut album. Head over to their MySpace page and stream more songs.
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All Aboard the Festival Express
What I wouldn’t give to be a fly on the wall at this party:
That clip came from the recently revived 1970 documentary called The Festival Express. Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, The Band, Buddy Guy, the Flying Burrito Brothers and a couple more artists hopped aboard a customized train for a 5 day tour of Canada where they played music and partied all the way. If you were raised on classic rock and you still like it, this movie is pretty cool. Here, the Flying Burrito Brothers play “Lazy Day”
Director of the film Bob Smeaton describes his movie better than I can:
Videos: It’s Beat Time, It’s Hop Time, It’s Monk Time!
The Monks are a band like NO other- ask Iggy Pop, ask the Ramones, the MC5, ask anyone who really knows about the origins of punk music. This crew were definitely responsible for creating a sound that had never been heard before. Formed in 1964 by five American ex-GI’s stationed in Germany, the Monks began as traditional rockers who experimented with feedback and rhythm. Perfecting their sound, they shaved their heads into a monks tonsure’s, (a kind of reverse mohawk) tied ropes around their necks, and voilá:
Only in 1966 Germany would there be this bizarre Bandstand-esque program with people doing the Mashed Potato and The Twist to the Monks! It’s surreal! Here is a performance of “Oh, How To Do Now”
Awesome Video Alert: Holy Hail "Cool Town Rock"
As a graphic designer, I was immediately drawn to the new video from Holy Hail. Rich textures, bold colors and highly stylized graphics make for a compelling viewing experience. There is only one thing that could have made this video even better. 3D.
But seriously, from the looks of the rapidly changing, playful typography, it must have been a blast to create. Too bad the song isnt as good as the vid. Eh well, can’t win ‘em all:
Pick up their records at Kanine Records.
Lime: French Canadian Citrus Disco
The success story of the husband and wife songwriting duo Dennis and Denyse LePage is one of my favorites. These two released their first album Your Love in 1981 and weeks later they were at the top of the dance charts in the UK, the US, Canada, and Mexico. The Lepages’ became so successful that rather tour themselves they hired models to go on the road and perform for them as the act Lime.
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Anyone Can Do It, Thanks to NYC’s The Godz
Wouldn’t it be fun to hear a tribe of primates cover The Beatles and completely embellish, mock, and destroy it all at the same time? Well, back in the high-tide of the hippies, before the birth of punk, an unknown band from NYC consisting of four far-out maniacs called the Godz, did just that.
The Godz are for fans of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention and White Light/White Heat era Velvet Underground. Their second album, Godz 2 from 1967, features a freaky rendition of the Beatle’s tune “You Won’t See Me,” along with God’z originals. Incessant shakers, off-kilter drums, pulsing bass, acid-laced jangle guitar, and repetitive vocal howls are signature styles that run rampant in their sound. These (seemingly?) untrained musicians redefined how music is, first and foremost a raw act of expression, resulting in a kind of freak-out/free-jazz garbage dump from heaven.
Interestingly enough, the Godz have recently reassembled in their golden years, settling on a more relaxed blues/rock sound, a far cry from their early groundbreaking material. Too old to play? No way, man!
According to the band’s MySpace page, they hope to gain major support for their “Senior’s Right To Rock” campaign.” Sticking it to “The Man?” Always.
Purchase Godz 2 from Amazon.
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Astral Weeks: A perfect record for rainy mornings
The next time you wake up ahead of the sun, it’s raining and there happens to be a small window of time before the day begins, listen to Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks. I would describe this album as an audible version of Van Gogh’s 1889 painting “Wheat Fields in the Rain.”
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Highly Recommended: New Poni Hoax
It’s been a long time since we have heard from Poni Hoax, a french-disco band that I was really enjoying last year. Their new EP, Antibodies was just released on Tigersushi Records and features a remix of the title track as well as an edited version. It’s great stuff in the vein of Human League, James White and the Blacks and um…you decide:)
Buy Poni Hoax’s Antibodies EP via their MySpace Page. While you are over there, stream older songs too…just as awesome!
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Tapeheads
Look at this…John Cusack and Tim Robbins directing a music video for a Devo song performed by the Swedish new wave supergroup, Cube Squared.
Don’t worry that obviously is not real. It’sTapeheads and it’s one of the goofiest movies you may ever see. Released in 1988 it stars John Cusack and Tim Robbins as lifelong buddies who quit their mundane jobs as rent-a-cops and try to make it big as music video directors. Cameo appearances by Weird Al, Jello Biafra, Ted Nugent, Doug E. Fresh, and Fishbone among others make this film a “Where’s Waldo” of 80s pop culture. If you haven’t seen it, you must.
Here is another clip. In this one, our boys (now known as Video Aces) make their first music video for a chicken and waffle place. Sure it’s tacky but in the best of all possible ways:
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