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Northside Festival Recap Part 2: Mccarren Park, St. Cecilia’s, and 285 Kent
June 20th, 2011 by Amy Rose Spiegel
The weekend was stuffed with almost too many awesome Northside shows to handle.
It’s a classic music festival conundrum, the audiophile’s version of “Sophie’s Choice”: Who do you see when there are so many great acts playing at the same time? Do you try to squeeze in a little of everything, or take in full sets because you don’t want to miss their hit parade encores? Northside Festival had me making all kinds of tough decisions over the past few days. Thankfully, none of them involved the fate of actual human children, but it was still so hard to choose, you guys!
Two obvious, easy picks were the shows at Mccarren Park. On Friday, I took in Beirut‘s diverse set. Within the first five minutes, frontman Zach Condon had effortlessly switched instruments three times, as if anybody needed any more proof that he’s one of the most talented young people in music today. The set was jam-packed with fan favorites like “A Sunday Smile” and “Postcards from Italy,” and even the most rain-soaked fans were loving it. However great Friday’s show was, Guided by Voices on Saturday completely owned the entire festival, of course. Robert Pollard let loose with plenty of the stage stunts his fans have grown to love over the band’s sprawling career, tons of beer was drunk, and everybody screamed along to “I Am a Scientist” and “My Valuable Hunting Knife.” Andrew W.K. presided over the crowd, grinning up at the band from the side of the stage as if in homage to the classic partiers, who have long refused to stop drinking and smoking for even a set’s length. I can’t say I blame them, though, when you take into account just how long their set was on Saturday – the crowd was treated to no less than three encores. They clearly loved playing live again, but not nearly as much as the crowd loved them.
Sunday night, I decided to go the split route, catching most of Mt. Eerie at St. Cecilia’s Church before rushing over to 285 Kent to catch D+T fave Headless Horseman, Sun Airway, and Party Animal, a new project from Victor Vazquez of Das Racist and Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, a longtime darling of the Brooklyn musical community, as well as another friend of theirs. Mt. Eerie was understated and gorgeous, as per usual, and was well-suited to the silent church atmosphere. Phil Elvrum, who helms the project, asked that all fans in the cathedral be turned off, and while this added to the sparse, exquisite ambiance that Elvrum is known for, it made the stuffy air unbearable. Soon after that, I flitted over to 285 Kent.
Seeing Headless Horseman always feels like overhearing a private conversation between two friends. The two members stand facing one another and while each has his own subjective role within the band, they often beat the same drums simultaneously and are positioned inches apart from one another. This, combined with the understated, plaintive quality of their music – the sonic equivalent of a shared secret – often makes me feel like a total voyeur, but a lucky one, especially since they played tons of previously unheard material that was super woozy and beautiful.
Sun Airway’s sensibilities are less romantic than those of Headless Horseman’s, but they were able to maintain a loose, lovely feeling in the room throughout their set. This was not so of Party Animal, who opened with the Boy Crisis – Vazquez’s other other band – staple of braying the words “are you ready to rock?!” at the crowd for about three full minutes. I stayed way back by the bar because Das Racist buddy Lakutis had started a full-fledged mosh pit at the front of the stage, but it didn’t matter – he still found a way to knock me over and spill my whiskey directly into my eye. I think this was the only point during the festival that I had regretted my choice of which show to attend, but that was probably more about being blinded on the floor than the actual music. At least the weekend went out with a bang, I guess. All in all, the festival was worth a little ocular alcohol and scraped knees. See you next year, Northside!
Northside Festival Recap: Surf Rock, Ministers, and Tons of Shredding
June 20th, 2011 by Amy Rose Spiegel
Northside Festival is upon us, and that means one thing: a weekend packed with tons of great live music options.
Northside Festival 2011 kicked off on Thursday with the kind of performance that’s going to be hard to match. Atlas Sound, Bradford Cox’s celebrated solo project, played at the incredibly gorgeous St. Cecilia’s Church in Greenpoint as a part of the Kranky showcase, and it was as dazzling a performance as you might expect from such an accomplished musician.
I anticipated that shows at St. Cecelia’s would take place in a gymnasium or something of the sort, but instead I was startled and delighted to be led by a volunteer to the sanctuary itself. St. Cecilia’s is a beautiful, cavernous church, and Cox looked swallowed by the grand architecture at his place in the front of the altar. I slid into the front pew midway through his first song and the man sitting next to me grinned widely and nodded in my direction. I might have been thoroughly creeped out if he hadn’t been the church’s minister.
The acoustics of the place were extraordinary, magnifying the bass in Cox’s songs to thunderstorm-like levels. He played many skewed versions of songs from Logos, including “Walkabout” and a bizarro version of “Attic Lights” that featured experimental electric guitar solos over the looped main acoustic guitar line of the song. Logos is an album that is markedly more quiet than some of Cox’s other work, but you never would have guessed it based on the versions of its songs that he played last night. He filled the sparse spots in the album with tons of thumping bass drum beats and wild-eyed shredding. I thought the minister was going to keel over, but he was actually very good-natured about the whole thing. Lord knows he doesn’t see that kind of experimentalism on your typical Sunday morning.
Playing songs from Logos was about as far back that Cox went in his catalog, explaining, “I don’t remember any of my old songs right now…I’m just going to make one up.” It seemed like he did exactly that during his encore, during which he debuted new songs that he tinkered with and “figured out,” in his words, as the audience looked on. It was a nice opportunity for longtime fans and listeners to get some insight into how Cox writes his songs, which made for a lovely cap to the set.
After wistfully leaving St. Cecilia’s, I headed over to Shea Stadium to catch a set from K-Holes, a band comprised of members of Golden Triangle and the Black Lips. Here, the kind of shredding being done was of a surf-rock persuasion. It reminded me of 1980s L.A. punk, like the kind that Maggie and Hopey from Love and Rockets might be jazzed on. It featured some frazzled-sounding saxophone and “wipeout!” drums, which both contributed to an overall feeling of disorder. The songs seemed written in a slapdash, incomplete way, and the small crowd that was there seemed unenthused by the whole spectacle of it all.
Northside is full of these kinds of highs and lows, given the sheer number and variety of the acts. Beirut and Blondes were some of the festival highlights, along with Guided by Voices and a surprise set from Ted Leo.
Interview With Dom
April 21st, 2011 by Amy Rose Spiegel
An exclusive interview with the self-styled Madonna of garage rock.
It can be hard telling people you’re from Worcester, MA—believe me, I speak from experience. But, like writing great pop songs, Dom makes it look easy.
As soon as their debut EP “Sun Bronzed Greek Gods” started circulating, the band ignited buzz all out of proportion to the scope of their band: Some of them just teenagers, with the band having formed just months earlier, their first songs received praise from virtually every music media outlet, and they were hailed universally as the next big thing of 2011. With the festival season having just kicked off and a new full-length set to come out early this summer, Dom will be in your regular rotation by August if they aren’t already.
Death and Taxes had a chance to catch up with Dom while the band was in New York—it may be the only time a band that parties with acid and karaoke has ever expressed ambition to own a collection of fur coats and mittens. But these are guys who are just as comfortable collaborating with Gucci Mane as beach-rock indie bands like Cults. That’s Dom for you, making it look easy. – Alex Moore
You’ve released a single with Cults and collaborated with Gucci Mane. Are you planning to collaborate with any other musicians?
Ummm…no. Never again.
Bad experiences?
Yeah. I don’t want to get into it. No, I’m just kidding. But we don’t have any plans.
Well if you were going to do one, who would be your dream collaboration?
Hm… maybe Waka Flocka Flame? Or maybe The Dream. Yes, our dream collaboration would be The Dream.
You guys like collaborating with hip-hop artists, huh?
I just like making rap beats. That’s all I’ve been doing recently is making rap beats.
Will we see them anytime soon?
Who knows, maybe they’ll be popping up.
Your cat Bochicha has a song named after him and is on a record cover. How’d he get that name?
I was Googling Incan cat deities, and that was the most attractive name, so I gave it to him.
What does he do when you’re on tour?
He’s no longer alive, sadly. But I pretty much never had any time away from him. So I don’t know what I’d do without him, or him without me. I saw him all the time. I was home skipping my job all the time, so I was constantly around him. We did everything together, really.
How many texts and calls do you get on your party line every week?
Oh my Christ—so many. I have it forwarded from my Google voice to my phone. We’ve had a pretty boring life for the last month, and when we were on the Ratatat tour we would give away 10 free tickets a night and we met a lot of kids that way and connected with a lot of people and went to a lot of parties. I’d give out relationship advice sometimes. It’s really cool. There are constantly people texting to say they worship us or people are sexting and they want to get dirty and sext out their fantasies. There are all different types of callers. And it’s great to sometimes ignore the calls and then get these hilarious voicemails.
Do you ever entertain it when people dirty text you?
Of course! That’s one of my favorite things to do is to sext. It’s an art form, really. You can get creative with plays on words—it’s fun. I love sexting.
What kind of relationship advice to you give?
All different types. One kid once was like “I don’t know what to do—my friend is really into this girl, but she flat-out told him at this party once that she wasn’t into him, but now she’s vibing me and we’ve been hanging out and I don’t know if I should make the move.” And I was like “Definitely make that move—fuck your friend, fuckin’ loser.”
Obviously you guys like to party. Any good parties recently?
Oof every day is a fucking party out in Hadley, Mass. The best party recently was unexpected—it was last Tuesday. I got up and said, “Oh my god, since the weekend was so gnarly, I’m not going to drink throughout the weekdays. I’m just going to get out the house and go hang out with some friends. We went to Amherst and hung out with some friends. Someone hands me a big handle of whiskey, and I was just like, “Eh, I’ll have a sip.” After we killed that, the party came back to my place. I just got this pedal that’s got autotune on it so we throw a little karaoke every now and then. And it just turned into an acid party, and we just partied for like the next 15 hours—karaoke in the studio, rap battles, it was really an adventure.
What karoke songs do you do?
Oh everything—top 40, country, some random requests for alternative songs, Elton John, “Lion King” shit—everything.
What’s your favorite Elton John song to sing?
Probably the “Lion King” one.
You’ve said you want to be the Madonna of garage rock. How will you know when you get there?
When we all have speedboats, and we’ve been in and out of rehab a few times, have houses on both coasts, a collection of fur coats and mittens, and as many shoes as Mr. Shoemeister.
You’ve said that you don’t release your last name because you don’t want people finding you. But you live a pretty public life now. Is there any concern there?
A little. But I figure by the time people start finding out about me and about the band, it’ll mean that I’ll have achieved a certain level where I can afford to pay them off. My old landlord tracked me down—I had to pay his ass off. I’ve got some other debts that I really don’t care to pay, ever, even when I’m rich. I’ll pay a lawyer just to spite them, and then I’ll buy their house.
Well when can your fans expect to see your next album?
Probably late spring, early summer.
Feel free to call (or sext) Dom’s party line at (502) 922-6DOM.
DOM – Living In America by EMI-Artist-Publicity
Live Review: Com Truise, Jamie Woon, And Mount Kimbie
March 25th, 2011 by Amy Rose Spiegel
Last night at Le Poisson Rouge, the buzz around post-dubstep bands got even thicker.
Dubstep-inspired bands are getting a ton of attention from music critics and fans recently. Maybe the most exciting example of this is Burial’s collaboration with Thom Yorke and Four Tet (as well as the release of two new solo Burial tracks), but there are tons of newer acts aping the style as well. The sold-out showcase at Le Poisson Rouge last night exemplified some variations on the post-dubstep theme.
The first act of the evening was Com Truise. His music, while occasionally lush and synthy, mostly seemed like the soundtrack to a laser-light show as interpreted by a lo-fi act like Washed Out or Small Black. This mixture proved to be hard not to move to, so he’s clearly doing something right. He also looked thrilled and bashful whenever people applauded him, so he gets major points for being adorably earnest. While I felt that his music could have benefited from more vocal samples, his mixes were thoroughly well-constructed and thoughtful.
During Jamie Woon’s needling set, the amount of couples on ecstasy made their presence known, necking and gasping all over the place. This was, unfortunately, the most entertaining part of the set. His music is far too derivative of Burial, who produces some of his work. The main thing that sets it apart is Woon’s American Idol-esque vocals—oof. He also seems very unsure of himself onstage, but not in the endearing way that Com Truise was—he appears to be too much of a perfectionist to get comfortable live.
Mount Kimbie was much more impressive. Their usage of live instruments, like drums and electric guitar, over their electronic-based material elevated their music from typical dubstep-style womp to something of a new genre. The range of their sound was surprising and interesting to chart as it progressed from heavily beat-oriented and glitchy to more delicate and nuanced throughout their set. Last night marked the British group’s first New York performance, and based on how well it went, I wouldn’t be surprised if we had the opportunity to see them a lot more frequently.
Headless Horseman Interviewed by Heems of Das Racist
February 17th, 2011 by Amy Rose Spiegel
Fareed Sajan of Headless Horseman discusses eating ice cream in the winter, being a first-generation American, and whether or not Heems is a good manager.
In honor of our first showcase of the year, which takes place Friday night at Pianos, here’s an exclusive interview between Fareed Sajan of Headless Horseman and the band’s manager, Himanshu Suri, otherwise known as Heems from lovably eccentric rap group Das Racist.
Headless Horseman uses outdated technology to create tech-y, beat-oriented pop songs with sweet vocals layered over them and have been getting quite a bit of buzz lately. Both interviewer and interviewee will be performing on Friday night—Hima alongside Quinn Walker of Suckers in their new band, DADS—in addition to sets by Blood Orange and Rewards. You definitely don’t want to miss it. RSVP on Facebook for more information and come early; the magic starts at 8 PM.
What would you do if the software you use to make music that’s no longer available, since Comp USA folded, somehow got lost?
Cry and eat a doughnut. It actually already did sort of get lost, but I resurrected it with the help of some famed nerds. The program we use, Magix, is important to us, no doubt…but by no means are we incapable of using something else, or even (god forbid) going into a studio with a producer. Magix is a very bare-bones DJ program that was free and we fell in love with it. There are no presets and not really any plugins we can use, so we painstakingly create all our own EQs and effects. We really earn every sound we have. The program is also glitchy — it crashes and is sometimes very unreliable, and all of that is reflected in our music. We incorporate mistakes, because a lot of times you can’t make what you actually want consciously. It has to come out as a mistake unconsciously, and then you have to be conscious enough after the fact to know to keep it and move forward with that new unexpected direction. But basically, we like using a glitchy program to make glitchy music. If it were lost, I am sure we could find some other way to glitch things up. This just feels most natural to us now.
How did you and Conner meet?
We met in high school in Allentown, PA. Conner was the ‘art fag’, as one particularly articulate emo-mall punk once put it, and I was some brown dude getting high during gym class. We had a post-rock band called The Night Owl Cafe Killers in our senior year, and thats when Conner and I really became friends. Neither of us had ever really engaged in meaningful musical collaborations, so post-high school we worked together in different capacities all of which leads up to today with me in my underwear staring at this computer screen and getting hungry.
Am I a good manager?
I would say you are a good ‘manager of expectations’, as you would put it. And quite competent when you are drunk, might I add. I like your brand, bro, nice kicks, and your band, too. The brand of Greedhead [Suri's management company] is tattooed on my soul.
What’s next for Headless Horseman? (I’m often touring and occasionally out of the loop so this is useful for me, too!
A new single that will put us on the R&B map. It’s Top 40-style hip hop. It will beat out the thousands of songs Nicki Minaj, Drake and Rihanna cameo on that are all simultaneously on the radio. Naw, but we are excited to release our single called “One Chord.” There will be a music video accompanying it, and I believe in March we are doing SXSW and touring down there. That will be a first for us on both accounts of SXSW and touring. May I remind you that we are new new new?
Top 5 rappers dead or alive? (I know you don’t listen to rap!)
Conner listens to rap: Notorius B.I.G. above everything, the new Kanye, Lil Wayne‘s Tha Carter III, The Beatnuts, Camp Lo, Eazy-E, Dr. Octagon, Gravediggaz — also been really into those Odd Future kids.
Why do you think bands that come from Wesleyan are so fuckin’ dope? (Your having gone there as well as I).
Communal inspiration. Seeing your friends make music and bring it beyond their respective bedrooms is always encouraging. So often people will get stuck just jamming all the time, or making music that never leaves their bedrooms, that they forget why you make music in the first place — to share it. And that also songwriting above all else is most important. I have always sort of found myself surrounded by musicians, and in most cases, people get caught up with other things surrounding the actual making of music. Songwriting is fun, and being a nerd about it is okay too. I think maybe Wesleyan breeds an environment where it’s okay to geek out and spend way too much time with your friends focusing on songs. Writing a good song is rewarded with people caring about what you do at Wesleyan. It won’t go unnoticed, and that is encouraging.
What’s it like being the child of South Asians who were born and raised in Africa?
It’s strange and disconcerting at times. There is obviously a generational difference. My parents, having grown up in Kenya, experienced a very different life from what I know, and as a result, they have different values and expectations living in America. Like any classic immigrant story, they came to America seeking better opportunities. My dad specifically came here to do all his post-high school studies. They expect my siblings and I to value the same sorts of things as they do, but I can’t see eye-to-eye with them. Being a first-generation American, I didn’t witness third-world living conditions, so I don’t have the perspective of seeing America as this chance to get this lucrative career and better my living conditions. It’s quite natural to have the desire to do better than how your parents did, to take advantage of the opportunities your parents didn’t have. My parents did that, and now I feel that I’m doing that, though I don’t think my parents would see it this way. My parents overcame their obstacle. They came to America and achieved things their parents couldn’t do in Kenya. Now I’m pursuing my artistic inclinations that perhaps my parents didn’t have the chance to pursue. My desire to do this is sort of alien to my parents and often causes a rupture between us.
What else about you do you think is ill? I can think of at least 3 things.
When you stand on a tall balcony and you spit and hear the sound of the spit hitting the ground. I like that sound. Sitting in a hot tub on a roof of a Brooklyn building in the winter. You don’t have to be drunk but I guess that helps. Also, eating ice cream in the winter.
James Pants Debuts “Alone”
January 28th, 2011 by Amy Rose Spiegel
The new track from James Pants is hard to classify but easy on on the ears.
James Pants just released a new track from his forthcoming self-titled album. It’s kind of dizzying. “Alone” is simultaneously sinister and come-hither. If “American Psycho” were a song instead of a book (yes, it was a book), I feel like this might be it.
This song is a huge genre-hopper. I mean, digitized bossa nova? What? Squealing synths and the occasional smattering of delicate keyboard tones add weird, lovely elements to the sound, while the saxophone lines that bookend the verses are pure 1980s sleaze (Patrick Bateman’s Huey-Louis-loving ass would definitely approve).
This song is cool incarnate, and based on the other track he released recently, a throbbing, bizzaro-land doo-wop number called “Darlin’,” that will probably be the overarching impression the album leaves listeners with, as well. “James Pants” is out April 19th on Stones Throw.
Death + Taxes Presents Blood Orange, Headless Horseman, And Das Racist (DJ Set)!
January 25th, 2011 by Amy Rose Spiegel
Death + Taxes is proud to present Blood Orange, Headless Horseman, DADS (Quinn Walker of Suckers and Heems of Das Racist), Emil + Friends, and Das Racist (DJ set) February 18 at Pianos. Read the rest of this entry »
Interview: Tim And Eric Discuss Chrimbus, Their Upcoming Movie, And Pusswhip Banggang
November 30th, 2010 by Amy Rose Spiegel
When iconoclastic comedy duo Tim and Eric, best known for their show on Adult Swim, “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!,” blew into town last Saturday on the New York leg of their tour, they redefined what “holiday cheer” typically brings to mind.
In place of reindeer with discolored noses and cheap, malfunctioning strings of light, their invented holiday, Chrimbus, has its own festive traditions. These include, in typical bizarro Tim and Eric fashion, dried shrimp and eating your own body hair (preferably from around what they affectionately term your “dingus”). In addition to all this wintry fun, they performed a ton of new sketches as well as a set by their off-kilter classic rock band, Pusswhip Banggang.
They spoke to Death and Taxes about how to celebrate their holiday, their fake collaboration with Terminix on their real upcoming movie, and the surprising careers they might have had if they didn’t make their living on donning cheap wigs and spreading uncomfortable, hilarious Chrimbus cheer.
You’re on tour promoting Chrimbus right now. Besides coming out to see you, what are some ways for fans to celebrate at home?
Eric Wareheim: Well, that’s simple. Everyone should have their Chrimbus bush trimmed, and make sure the Chrimbus bush is wet, and Winterman comes and he inspects your bush. That’s how you get a Chrimbus present.
What are some typical gifts given around Chrimbus time?
EW: Dried shrimp, mainly. Different things for soups — jambalayas, gumboes.
How have the live shows been going? Any extreme reactions from fans?
Tim Heidecker: We’ve been having a great time. The audiences have been fantastic. A lot of people have been dressing up in costumes as characters from the show, and that’s really exciting for us to see. We love it.
Do you prefer performing live because of that kind of enthusiasm from your audiences?
EW: Performing live is so much more satisfying than making stuff for TV. You have instant feedback, and our fans happen to be great, which makes it really fun for a live experience.
Do you think being a part of “Awesome Show” has changed the way some of the people on it, like puppeteer David Liebe Hart, view themselves and their work?
EW: Yeah.
TH: No idea.
EW: We speak with them a lot. They performed with us in Los Angeles and they’ve become celebrities in the Los Angeles world.
Does that affect the way that they perform with you?
EW: Yeah, the stage show is different because it’s raw and unedited.
TH: They’re pretty natural performers, though, so they take care of themselves.
Eric, can you speak about your background playing in Philadelphia hardcore bands like Ink & Dagger? Do you still have any interest in that kind of music?
EW: NO. I hated the music of Ink & Dagger for one month, and then I instantly quit. That should give you some idea of my love for Ink & Dagger. They were all my friends, and at the time I was trying to play music, so I played in a bunch of bands that I didn’t like.
Not like Pusswhip Banggang at all, right?
EW: Pusswhip Banggang, I adore. It’s southern blues rock. It’s about capturing the heat and the soul from the south, mixed in with a lot of guitar solos. It’s about having fun; it’s a party all the time. We also sing emotional songs about your uncle, and we do some songs from the TV show.
Are you performing a lot of new material with the band?
EW: Tonight, we’re performing a brand new song that our bassist, Mark Livingstone, who has kind of been a star of this tour, wrote yesterday called “Tim and Eric, The Ultimate Comedy Duo,” and we’re going to test that out tonight in Houston.
If you weren’t in comedy, what careers would you guys most want to have?
TH: Market research.
EW: I was working at Manpower right before this. It was a temporary job, hard labor. You just show up to a construction site. I didn’t even have gloves and I had to move these huge rusty beams that weighed almost more than I did. It was a nightmare, but that’s all I know, so if I wasn’t doing Tim and Eric, it would definitely be Manpower.
Can you guys discuss some upcoming projects that you’ve been working on?
TH: “Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie,” our first feature-length film that we’re starting to shoot in March. It’s going to be consuming our lives.
Are a lot of “Awesome Show” favorites going to be in it, or will it be a whole new direction for you guys?
TH: Maybe a little bit of both.
Did anyone else help you write it, or was it just the two of you?
EW: It’s sponsored by Terminix, so we have a lot of influence by their writing staff.
I see. So a lot of bedbugs will be popping up and you’ll be exterminating them … is that the tentative storyline?
TH: Well, we wouldn’t want to give that away, but you kind of nailed it.
EW: Officially, we have to say we are very excited to be working with Terminix. They’ve invested a lot of money into it and they’ve had a lot to do with the story, which we’re jazzed about.
Are there any other people involved in sponsoring the movie?
EW: A slacks company.
TH: They donated, like, ten pairs of pants for use in the movie, which saves us a lot of money.
Great. One last question: Which of you would win in a fight?
EW: I don’t know. We try to focus on positive things, like creation and love. The last thing I want to think about is fighting my best friend.
You can see Tim and Eric on their remaining tour dates through December 5 or check out their hour-long Tim and Eric Chrimbus Special airing on 12/5 .
Go See This: Hooray For Earth At Pianos
November 24th, 2010 by Amy Rose Spiegel
If you don’t have to travel early the next day for Thanksgiving (and maybe even if you do), make sure you check out the last night of Hooray For Earth’s residency tonight.
In the wake of not one but four much-buzzed-about CMJ sets, Hooray For Earth has drawn a lot of attention from the new-New Romantic set.
If you like Zombies covers, postmodern layers-upon-layers-style dreaminess, and Twin Shadow, who’s doing a DJ set, you probably won’t want to miss the last night of Hooray For Earth’s residency at Pianos.
Also, you can spin it as a seasonal celebration since their name sounds like something you’d hear your favorite weirdo cousin say when it was his turn at Thanksgiving grace. If you’re not swayed yet, maybe the promise of hearing their fantastic single will do it for you. Happy holidays, and have fun!
11/24 – Pianos – New York, NY (w/ Computer Magic, The Vandelles, Paul & The Patients & Twin Shadow DJ Set)
Band Watch: Headless Horseman
November 15th, 2010 by Amy Rose Spiegel
Headless Horseman makes gorgeously saturated electronic music with beat-oriented sensibilities.
The weather’s getting chillier, and with that comes the temptation to bundle yourself in your room with little but an enormous novel and a heavy ass quilt. The music that best matches these kinds of long days spent daydreaming indoors is languorous and romantic, but also interesting enough so that you don’t run the risk of getting bored and having to leave the warmth of your bed to change it.
Headless Horseman, made up of Fareed Sajan and Connor O’Neill, is exactly this sort of band. Their music, which is heavily inspired by Sigur Ros, is recorded on an outdated program that Sajan got from a mail-in rebate at CompUSA. Although they are an electronic band, they don’t use synthesizers or the like to manipulate their sound, which is appropriately dreamy and faded as a result.
Sajan and O’Neill rely on one another to attempt to play every instrument in their songs themselves, even if they’re not familiar with it. “A musician should play tons of instruments,” says Sajan, before mentioning that O’Neill is currently tinkering with incorporating a newfound harp into their music.
Another recent experiment for the band has been making more beat-oriented music like their song “SH8KER,” which Sajan calls “the most creative thing we’ve done.” Their manager, Himanshu Suri of Das Racist, encouraged the band to listen to R&B and hip-hop, and they’ve been inspired to start subtly working elements of those genres into their sound.
Somewhat fittingly, their first sevein-inch comes out in late January. Until then, they’ve got a small selection of songs available streaming on their Bandcamp page that are definitely worth delving into. They also have the following live shows coming up:
Thurs. Nov. 18th @ Piano’s w/ Quinn Walker, Free Blood, Blood Orange
Sat. Nov. 27th @ Johnny Brendas (Philadelphia, PA) w/ SOARS
Thurs. Dec. 16th @ Glasslands w/ Wise Blood
Creature From The Black Lagoon: An Interview With Avey Tare
October 29th, 2010 by Amy Rose Spiegel
Avey Tare discusses ghouls, ghosts, and his debut solo album, Down There.
Read the rest of this entry »
Track Review: “A Place We Like,” Twin Shadow And Hooray For Earth
October 29th, 2010 by Amy Rose Spiegel
Best buddies Hooray For Earth and Twin Shadow share the love with listeners. Read the rest of this entry »
