EP Roundup: Torro Torro, Deathface and Toy Selectah

Posted on March 8, 2011 | Leave a comment

Happy Fat Tuesday! Most of us are not in New Orleans for Mardi Gras, so what better way to celebrate the gluttonous (and hedonistic) day than with three new releases from leading labels? Here are some beads: show us your EPs.

Torro Torro – Blue Blouse (T&A Records)

The Toronto-based duo drops an early-2011 anthem: a slab of electro-house goodness, with throwback synth stabs and an addictive sample. The EP features remixes from top producers, who ably capture the spirit of the original without suffocating it. Zombies for Money give the song the tribal treatment and sharpen the edges on the synths (similar to their take on Steve Starks’ “Git Em”). The standout is the ultra-deep, super-funky remix by T&A’s own DJ Ayres.

Deathface – Fall of Man (Trouble & Bass)

Forget bro step. The hardest, most unforgiving sounds in the bass world come from Deathface. Claiming inspiration from influences as diverse as 90s hardcore and Magic the Gathering, Deathface’s follow-up to The Horror is simply brutal – what Al Jourgensen would be making if he was born in the 80s. The EP kicks off with the acid rave of “Bloodrave” and the surging “Fall of Man.” Offered with vocals and as dubs, “Gift of Fury” and “Sick of It” feature new member Adri Law (think Crystal Castles’ Alice Glass) who screeches over the unrelenting tracks.

Toy Selectah – Mex Machine (Mad Decent)

Toy Selectah was making global bass before it was cool (well, cool for bloghaus EDM fans). This Mad Decent EP features eight tracks over a range of sounds, from cumbia to tribal guarachero. Highlights are the jukey raverton of “La Ravertona” and Sheeqo Beat’s 3BallMTY remix of “Sonidero Compay.” The mini-mix is a good taste, but you’re going to want the full entree.

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What a difference a year makes: Dum Dum Girls in concert

Posted on March 7, 2011 | Leave a comment

A little less than a year after playing at DC9, Sub Pop all-stars Dum Dum Girls took the stage at the Black Cat. While the only new material the band released between then and now is the stellar He Gets Me High EP, 2011’s performance was head-and-shoulders above 2011’s.

(Photos courtesy Matt Dunn; from 2010 and 2011, respectively)

Fear not: the band’s trademark “blissed-out buzzsaw” is still firmly in place. Dum Dum Girls still look and sound like a time-shifted 60s girl group. But a year of performing as a unit has streamlined their set, tightened their harmonies, and enriched the band’s performance.

Last year’s show was so stoic and reserved that the band seemed uninterested in performing. There is definitely a greater sense of urgency this time around, even as the four piece maintains an air of (ironic?) detachment.

The development of the live show mirrors that of the band, from its impetus as Kristin “Dee Dee” Gundred’s bedroom project to full-fledged touring outfit. Along with their Ramonesque monikers and stylized stagedress, the bandmates share “Dum Dum” tattoos on their fingers; they’ve clearly bought-in to the Dum Dum Girls concept.

On Sunday night, the band hit the touchstones of their early records (“Catholicked,” “Hey Sis”), standouts from I Will Be (“Jail La La,” “Everybody’s Out”), and their newest material, which samples from their entire palette. Off the EP, the rollicking surf-drums of “Wrong Feels Right” places it somewhere between “He Gets Me High” and “Take Care of My Baby.” The former is the musical sequel to “Bhang Bhang, I’m a Burnout,” and the latter is a lovelorn ballad that resembles the slow dance of “Rest of Our Lives.”

The highlight, judging by the crowd reaction, is their version of “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out,” a spot-on update of the Smith’s classic that surpasses their muted covers of the Stones’ “Play With Fire” and Sonny and Cher’s “Baby Don’t Go.”

[wpaudio url=”/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/dum_dum_girls_light.mp3″ text=”Dum Dum Girls – There Is A Light That Never Goes Out” dl=0]

With a music scene that constantly spits out one-and-done performers, we often forget the treat of watching a band develop over albums, concerts and years. The nostalgia of the Dum Dum Girls isn’t just focused on the music of the past, but on that timeless experience of seeing a band grow and making them your own.

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Ready for the weekend

Posted on March 4, 2011 | Leave a comment

This may be double-dipping, since I already covered the glut of concerts in DC this weekend, but there is too much going on that demands posting.

The Plan

The Soundtrack

Speaking of KIDS, DJ Lil’ Elle may not be in DC anymore (sadface), but she’s still doing her thing on the West Coast. The lucky denizens of San Fran can catch her on Saturday at Get Loose. The rest of us will have to make-do with the appropriately-titled Bro Mix. Get your Becky/Chad on with these hip-hop hits.

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Future Grooves: Untold

Posted on March 4, 2011 | Leave a comment

It’s been a few years since the reclusive Burial altered the course of dubstep with his ambient, sinister tunes. While many producers cite Burial among their influences, Untold just may be the one that carries the torch.

Untold is Jack Dunning, yet another Londoner experimenting at the outer edges of dubstep, garage, and house music. He has released music on venerable electronic labels Hessle Audio, R&S, and Soul Jazz, along with his own label, Hemlock. 2008’s Kingdom EP set the marker for his sound, with gurgling bass, off-kilter rhythms and tones that suggest mystery and an enticing uneasiness.

The title of his follow-up to Kingdom, Gonna Work Out Fine, doesn’t lie. Building on his dubstep bona fides, Untold introduced elements from UK funky and Chicago house, crafting songs for the dancefloor (as long as that dancefloor was in some dark, secluded warehouse). “No One Likes a Smart-Arse” and “Don’t Know. Don’t Care” have the synth stabs and crystal-clear piano melodies of a 90s rave, but the unforgiving bass of the aughts.

[wpaudio url=”/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/untold-dont-know.mp3″ text=”Untold – Don’t Know. Don’t Care” dl=0]

Untold’s sound is a constant work in progress, and he’s unafraid to stray from the dubstep orthodoxies of his early work. He released the exotic “Myth” with funky-king Roska, and he even ventured into tribal guarachero with last year’s “Anaconda.” And in a surprising turn, he remixed Ke$ha’s unavoidable hit “Tik Tok” into something surging and dark.

[wpaudio url=”/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/untold-anaconda.mp3″ text=”Untold – Anaconda” dl=0]
[wpaudio url=”/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/untold-tik-tok-remix.mp3″ text=”Ke$ha – Tik Tok (Untold Remix)” dl=0]

While Girl Unit’s “Wut” may be the biggest tune of 2010, Untold’s “Stereo Freeze” is a strong runner-up. The colliding bits of juke, club and dubstep are an unrelenting, otherworldly experience – exactly what we can expect from Untold now and in the future.

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The irrepressible spirit of Munchi

Posted on March 3, 2011 | Leave a comment

For the last year, Rotterdam’s Munchi has a been a breath of fresh air in the electronic music scene. Highly prolific with boundless creativity, the 21-year old seamlessly molds moombahton, Baltimore club and countless other genres into his trademark sound.

Last month, Munchi had a seizure caused by an intracerebral hemorrhage, despite no prior condition. He spent 9 hours in a coma and 11 days in the hospital recovering. Without US medical insurance, expensive medication or a way back to Rotterdam, his situation looked dire. Thankfully, friends DJ Ayres, Tittsworth and Dave Nada rose to the occasion, matching donations to help Munchi’s cause. They’ve helped raise over $5,000 in just three days, but anyone who has dealt with out-of-pocket medical costs knows that there is much work to be done. Take this opportunity to give today.

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In true Munchi style, the producer was working on beats as soon as he woke up from the coma. His recently posted material is as vibrant as ever, from the moombahsoul of “Calor” to the Bmore-infused remix of “Carnival Madness.” His remix of Nguzunguzu’s “Unfold” adds juke to his ever-evolving bag of tricks, and the track is simply massive.



As if that wasn’t enough, the Crookers have released their version of Munchi’s “Murda Sound” for free to help raise awareness around the fundraising drive.

Moombahton continues to grow thanks to a supportive, collaborative community. It’s great to see so many people come together for something bigger than the music.

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DC's indie rock weekend

Posted on March 3, 2011 | Leave a comment

Spring concert season is upon us, and DC hosts four fantastic shows this weekend, full of up-and-coming talent.

  • Thursday: Nightmare pop specialists Esben and the Witch take the stage at the recently-renovated Red Palace, along with noise-pop collagist Wise Blood and DC’s own Last Tides. The Red Palace stage is an upgrade over that of the old Black and Red; let’s see if the sound system can handle the shoegaze explosion.
  • Friday: Smith Westerns bring some Pitchfork-approved garage-rock to the Rock and Roll Hotel, supported by Unknown Mortal Orchestra and The Tennis System (who are playing their last show in DC before heading to LA). This one is sold-out.
  • Saturday: This Positive Force DC show harks back to DC’s hardcore days with a loaded line-up that features Paint It Black, Screaming Females, Punch, Coke Bust, Slingshot Dakota, and Give. The Verge featurees Screaming Females are the highlight; Marisa Paternoster and friends always bring it.
  • Sunday: The Dum Dum Girls keep improving their lo-fi, surf rock wall of sound, which they bring to the Black Cat with Minks and Dirty Beaches. The latest Dum Dum EP, He Gets Me High, is their strongest effort yet, including a powerful cover of a Smiths’ classic.

[wpaudio url=”/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/dum_dum_girls_light.mp3″ text=”Dum Dum Girls – There Is A Light That Never Goes Out” dl=0]

Image via Juxtaexposed

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The Verge: Clare Maguire

Posted on March 2, 2011 | 2 comments

The number of female singer-songwriters hailing from the UK during the last few years is exhaustive. Adele, Duffy, Ellie Goulding, Florence and the Machine, La Roux, Little Boots, Marina and the Dimaonds, VV Brown, and, recently, Jessie J have all been lavished with praise and marked as the Next Big Thing (on this blog and elsewhere). Their success in breaking out has varied; Florence Welch’s profile keeps rising while Victoria “Little Boots” Hesketh’s is practically non-existent.

So, what makes the newest member of this UK girl’s club, Clare Maguire, any different?

For the 23-year-old from Birmingham, it all comes down to her voice. Maguire powers her songs with a rich contralto; the closest comparisons are to Stevie Nicks and Ann Wilson. Not that her contemporaries aren’t gifted with similarly beautiful voices, but there’s a strong, unique character to Maguire’s voice that puts her in a different class.

On her debut album, Light After Dark, her voice is the main attraction; unfortunately, the album is often plagued by over-the-top productions that distract from it. The songs are reminiscent of the alternative dance pop mastered by artists like Annie Lennox and Imogen Heap. Heavy doses of orchestral strings and shimmering synths waft through the compositions, none of which linger for longer than four minutes.

For her singles, she has handed remix duties to electronic music luminaries. Rather than the classic “dance remix” that would usually befall such an artist, these producers have opted to strip away the excess of the originals and focus on Maguire’s voice. It’s similar to the rash of La Roux remixes that highlighted Elly Jackson’s melodies rather than Ben Langmaid’s tiny, metallic instrumentals. Breakage’s luvstep approved remix of “Ain’t Nobody” and Chase and Status’ harp-backed, garage take on “The Last Dance” are both stronger than their counterparts. In a sharp nod to this fact, Maguire has released official videos for both versions.

Along with Light After Dark, Maguire has collaborated with other UK notables. Again pairing up with Chase and Status, she carries the duo’s “Midnight Caller,” one of the more restrained songs on No More Idols. She also appears on Mike Skinner’s The Streets sign-off “Lock the Locks.” It remains to be seen whether or not she will be relegated to singing hooks, or if she can be paired with producers that don’t try to compete with her voice. It’s a battle they’re bound to lose. Either way, this is just the beginning from yet another example of the UK’s embarrassment of riches when it comes to singer-songwriters.

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Thoughts on the first season of "Portlandia"

Posted on March 1, 2011 | Leave a comment

The 90s gave us many things, among them grunge, The Real World, apathy, and other touchstones of Generation X. Usually relegated to the bottom of the list is sketch comedy, even though countless classics emerged during the decade: In Living Color, Mr. Show, The State, and Upright Citizens Brigade, just to name a few.

So it’s fitting that IFC’s Portlandia launches with the song “Dream of the 90s.” According to the show, the stereotypical 90s lifestyle – piercings and tattoos, environmentalism, bicycling, coffeeshop culture – is still going strong in Portland, “the city where young people go to retire.”

The sketch comedy show from SNL’s Fred Armisen and ex-Sleater-Kinney member Carrie Brownstein films on location and skewers the crunchy Northwestern city with great affection.

The targets of parody basically equate to examples of hipster culture, to the point where Portland is a stand-in for hipster meccas like Williamsburg and Austin. Widening the net definitely makes the show more relatable, but it sacrifices any sense of nuance about Portland’s specific character. This probably isn’t a big loss; if you want accuracy, watch the Travel Channel.

Skits about OCD locavores, adult hide-and-seek leagues, and feminist book stores hit their marks; “putting birds on things” and hand blown lightbulbs, not as much. Occasionally, the perfect mix of concept, execution and editing results in instant classics: terrifying “Google culture” offices and competitive readers (“I did not like the ending.”) are terrific.

Armisen and Brownstein carry the bulk of the show by themselves, playing a variety of recurring and one-off characters. In true sketch show fashion, they have no problem cross-dressing and gender-swapping for effect. Guest actors fill out the roster with hilarious results: Steve Buscemi, Heather Graham, and Aubrey Plaza make appearances, and Kyle MacLachlan shows up in a few episodes, known only as The Mayor.

The show’s use of indie musicians, however, is mixed. In a biting bit of satire about the state of the music industry, the couple hires Aimee Mann as their housekeeper. The two bounce between super-fan and super-yuppie, dishing out cleaning tips and insulting other female singer-songwriters (Sarah McLachlan wins the award for the Best Cameo of All Time). Unfortunately, the SXSW parody episode entitled “Blunderbuss” is a one-note joke stretched over twenty minutes, with fan-service cameos by James Mercer, Colin Meloy, Corin Tucker and Gus Van Zant wasted.

By the last episode, I found the series to be sputtering and grasping for straws. I’m not sure that there is enough material to mine for the recently-greenlit second season. If the first season felt like mid-90s SNL, I fear the second will feel like MadTV.

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Win Neko Case's 1967 Mercury Cougar and help young writers

Posted on March 1, 2011 | Leave a comment

Neko Case is giving away her 1967 Mercury Cougar, made famous on the cover of 2009’s Middle Cyclone, in a raffle to benefit 826 National, which provides free tutoring and literacy programs to more than 24,000 students in eight cities nationwide. Co-founded by Your Favorite Author Dave Eggers, 826 chapters produced 800 student-authored publications last year, with all programs free of charge for students, classes, and schools. 826 recently opened a branch in Columbia Heights.

The deadline to enter the sublimely titled Cougar-rama Muscle Car-‘splosion is less than three weeks away, and tickets can be purchased now (one ticket costs $45, two tickets costs $75, and all extra tickets after two cost $25 each). The Grand Prize winner will be selected on March 18; in addition, 826 National will draw a prize per day beginning Monday, March 14. Prizes will include:

  • Neko’s limited-edition 1966 Gretsch Silver Duke guitar
  • A Gibson acoustic guitar signed by members of the Speaking Clock Revue including Elton John,
    Elvis Costello, Dr. Ralph Stanley, Leon Russell, and T Bone Burnett
  • A Carr Amplifier
  • Music from Matador Records, SubPop Records, Secretly Canadian, and Astralwerks

Check out this ride, and watch Neko make the case (see what I did there?) for entering:

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Album Review: Lykke Li – Wounded Rhymes

Posted on February 28, 2011 | Leave a comment

The titles of Lykke Li’s two albums have been instructive. 2008’s Youth Novel played out like a 22-year old’s first attempt at capturing life, love and loss on the page; as she beckoned on “Melodies & Desires,” “Come a little closer / Take a look at me / This light is so obvious / I want you to see.” Her sophomore effort, Wounded Rhymes, is informed by the last three years, years that have an out-sized effect on development, both personally and artistically. She admitted as much to Pitchfork:

“I dove into the craziness and did things that maybe I would think twice about when I get older. And I’m a really restless person; I’m tired of the way I sounded or looked yesterday. So it’s hard to hang onto this image of me as this young Swedish female in this world.”

Wounded Rhymes confronts that uncertainty and restlessness head on. It is more vibrant and less reserved than the bedroom pop of Youth Novel. If Youth Novel was winter, Wounded Rhymes is spring.

The urgency of the album is immediate, as the grimy, sneering “Youth Knows No Pain” kicks off the album. “Get Some” combines bouncy “Lust for Life” drums and the electroshock hum of a guitar, as Li drops lyrics that stoke the flames of a gender war: “Like the shotgun / needs an outcome / I’m your prostitute / you gon’ get some.”

“I Follow Rivers” and “Love Out Lust” are complementary, with the latter a more romantic take on the theme of free-spirited devotion. “Love Out of Lust” is a sweeping love song: “we can cross rivers with our will / we can do better than I can.” On the other hand, “I Follow Rivers” is richly layered and powerful, with hints of electric piano, horns, and exotic instruments reminiscent of those on Youth Novel.

While most of the album is more overwhelming than anything on Youth Novel, Li also tinkers with restrained, country-western ballads, in the style of the Everly Brothers and Roy Orbison. “Sadness is a Blessing” and “Unrequited Love” recall “My” and “Hanging High” off her previous record, with their airy melodies and familiar sounds.

For Lykke Li, much has changed in the last three years. She deals with the fame and notoriety on “Rich Kid Blues,” sauntering through the lyrics like Grace Slick over some Jefferson Airplanesque psychedelics. Throughout the album, the lyrics aren’t as precious as before, and her voice is more self-assured. It’s a welcome change for detractors who found Youth Novel too twee. But despite changes in the formula, Lykke Li maintains her sound, not getting lost in denser productions (a charge easily leveled at contemporary Adele). At this pace, no one knows what Lykke Li will sound like in three years, including Lykke Li herself. And that’s a good thing.

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