hooves on the turf

After playing Irving Plaza summer dates, Australia’s Architecture in Helsinki will be “returning” to New York for two fall dates: October 11 at The Gramercy Theatre and October 12 at Studio B (most members seem to have settled down as Brooklyn residents anyway). La Blogotheque recently teamed up with the band for another accidental occupation of apartments in Paris, this time even borrowing electricity from one kitchen. On a previous occasion it was members of Holland’s Alamo Race Track performing from small balconies of a Parisian building. They, too, will be playing New York: this Thursday, August 2nd, as part of the showcase series hosted by NME at the Annex.

Download “Northern Territory” (from Black Cat John Brown)

Download “Rain” (from the upcoming The Broken String)
Download “Click Click Click Click” (from the upcoming The Broken String)



Bishop Allen’s The Broken String is being trumpeted as a soundtrack to the summer. Almost all songs from it were showcased at the band’s first stop this tour, a free summer show at Pier 17, where they sounded true to the claim. The touring drummer was introduced to us by his first name, Colin, and had much to do with the impressive energy of the performance, as did Justin Rice’s singing (especially when they decided to end with a cover of C.C.R’s “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”). Also present for the occasional use of trumpet and saxophone was Brooklyn’s Jon Natcez, who played three Bowery Ballroom shows with Beirut. The Ballroom also happens to be Bishop Allen’s next New York stop, on August 18th. Virb is streaming the new album in full.

More after the jump.

Annie Clark’s weapon is her intent. Her grace is a swift punch packed with pointed articulation, and for this she has found the appropriate musical expression (aided by an assortment of gadgets at her feet, including an expressive kick drum, and the coupling of a regular microphone with a distorted one). Her angry, unrestrained outbursts on the electric guitar show off her control over the instrument, but her playing can hardly be classified as flamboyant or subtle. Instead, the power comes from the emotion she keeps sharpened, which results in clarity without being overbearing. Her singing takes on the same quality- it is the intention that provides shape to her voice that otherwise escapes easy categorization, and it’s this skill of Annie’s that makes her shows powerful, with or without a full band.

More after the jump.

When presented with an album like Blitzen Trapper’s Wild Mountain Nation, the question is not whether it’s good- it obviously is. The title track and songs like “Futures & Folly”, “Country Caravan”, “The Green King Sings”, which leave little excuse to not at least think of The Shins, reveal themselves to be accomplished pop tunes. Others like “Miss Spiritual Tramp” and “Woof & Warp of the Quiet Giant’s Hem” reaffirm their deftness at stylizing a ragged brand of western style rock and roll. But the real conflict arises when the question settles on the album’s greatness and the overall value of the band’s effort. Not despite the nature of its goodness, but because of it, the album feels almost too safe, limiting itself from becoming great, not just good. Which is to say there is little here the band has taken a risk on: they have certainly put forth that which they are good at, but they haven’t put themselves too forward; they’ve placed themselves too close to reenactment, albeit masterful. And this is the impression not because theirs is a sound perfected so long ago that much of it has come to be known as classic; but maybe because, unlike Kings of Leon who sound as if they either weren’t aware of other music styles or that they were misled to believe they discovered theirs when they wrote Youth & Young Manhood, Blitzen Trapper’s choice is deliberate, hand-picked from the rest. They seem, nevertheless, not too intent on being confined by it.

Upcoming date:
07/25/07 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge w/ David Vandervelde ($)

Denmark’s Under Byen brought back their pensive tunes to New York, this time at the all-age Knitting Factory’s Main Stage. The two drummers fitted themselves at the back of the small space, and cello, saw, violin, pedals, piano, guitar, bass were all in place to twirl around singer Henriette Sennenvaldt’s breathy indulgence. The only thing embarrassing when it comes to music as solemn as this, and performed with no shortcomings at that, is all the chattering you can hear from the audience, especially at a venue so small. There was undivided attention at the end of each song, however, when it came time to applaud and hoot. The band members don’t say a word, of course, and when someone yelled, “You have a beautiful voice!”, Henriette simply lowered her head slowly and rolled it back up.

The set was mostly filled with songs from the latest, Samme Stof Som Stof, though I think their older albums Det Er Mig Der Holder Traeerne Sammen and Kyst are the ones filled with indispensable showcase pieces. “Den Her Sang Handler Om At FÃ¥ Det Bedste Ud Af Det” from the new one, however, is a real winner played live.

More after the jump.

Download “The Night Starts Here” (from In Our Bedroom After the War)

From the sound of this first peek and the title of their forthcoming album (In Our Bedroom After the War), Stars seems to be still weaving from the space where they’ve garnered most inspiration: the bedroom. A bedroom that witnesses the rise and the fall of a relationship, never not looking out to the same swaggering and staggering of the world outside. The album is coming to the US on September 25th, and the band will be playing Town Hall on October 18th. Pre-sale will be here.