Hooves on the Turf » easy listening

Stars of the Lid Played Wordless at Le Poisson Rouge

sarahana — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 13:07:32 +0000

I’m not much of a listener when it comes to minimal ambient music, but I went with a friend who adores Stars of the Lid, and it was easy to see what draws people to this genre, and especially to a band like this.

First of all, it was a beautiful setup at Le Poisson Rouge, as Wordless Music Series shows usually are, and Hammock, who I found even more minimal, opened with a perfectly complementary set–their music, in fact, was only an accompaniment to the video collage that served as a central piece on the stage, and which set the mood for their set: that is, I felt like the video molded the perception of the music, instead of it being the other way round. In between these two bands, classical pianist Jocelyn Bonadio played a few quiet songs by Bach, Shostakovich, and John Cage, and the experience of seeing these three acts together summed up for me what this sort of musical language does: in uttering the alphabets of music and holding on to each letter while you soak it in, unobstructed by verbal language or the more complicated structure of sentences and rhymes, it basically massages your musical sensibilities; it makes you better prepared to respond to things emotionally; it helps you open up and act like a reservoir for the musical language itself to fill you up. The music of Stars of the Lid definitely had more structure, and they played with a fantastic string quartet, but it’s no wonder that when they said, “This is our hit song”, a wave of laughter filled the room; because that statement makes no sense, given the nature of their music.

Hammock:

Jocelyn Bonadio:

Websites: Hammock, Stars of the Lid

Le Poisson Rouge, New York, NY
Nov 21, 2008

AA Bondy, Jaymay and John of Deer Tick played Bowery, photos

sarahana — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:12:24 +0000

Download “Rapture (Sweet Rapture)” by AA Bondy | Download “Vice Rag” by AA Bondy | It was an easy-listening night at Bowery Ballroom on Tuesday, and how wonderful AA Bondy must’ve been with that dreamy, rustic voice of his. I wasn’t there, but Kashish was, and he tells me the performance was mesmerizing. I believe him. A pure crystal of human experience is sheltered in the lyrics, “I don’t want to talk about Jesus / I just want to see his face / The trees are swinging like hanging men / and I just want to see his face”. When a song opens quietly with those words and sweeps you up into the endlessly sweet chorus of “Rapture (Sweet Rapture)”, you can be sure there will be goose bumps. View full post to see all pictures and learn who was suffering from a cold.

All pictures by Kashish.

Kashish says Bondy was humble on stage, taking requests and saying “Thank You” between songs. But he suspects that whenever half-smiles surfaced to the performer’s face, he must’ve thought “Yeah, I know I rock.”

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Long Island’s folksy popstress Jaymay was the headliner. Playing her last New York show till fall arrives this year, she spoke of the time when she used to come to Bowery Ballroom as part of the audience and wondered how the artists on stage did what she was doing that night. She managed it quite alright despite some technical glitches, with one dedicated group of girls singing along to each song.

John of Deer Tick was energetic and funny while performing solo. Suffering from a cold, he asked if anyone had any tissue paper. One girl from the audience gave him some, and he promised to reward her with his non-existent album. He performed some great covers as well and remembered the pioneering Bo Diddly, who passed away last week on June 2.

June 10, 2008
Bowery Ballroom

No Kids & Silje Nes at Mercury Lounge, photos

sarahana — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:03:38 +0000

Download “The Beaches Are Closed” | There’s bound to be a lot of talk about Vancouver’s No Kids this year. At Mercury Lounge I was certain the stage seemed too modest for the trio, and what the room was witnessing was sure to pale as “humble beginnings” in no time. They played with two sets of keyboards (one Nord Electro, two Yamahas) and a drum set. For such an onslaught of jangly key tones, and by jangly I mean nightmarish purple infused with rainbow swirls, the band packs quite a load of funk. And despite the innocence the big glass rims convey on singer Nick Krgovich’s face, he packs his own brand of tude. I found his dance moves to be a secret door to the music: every flick of his feet and every little angle of twist and lean his upper body made (he didn’t miss a beat) was a complete impression of the music’s imprints. In his moves you could visualize the negative space of the sounds they were creating; yes, if he were a block, you’d slather him with ink and press him against paper to decode the odd songs. It’s hard to tell if they’re being humorous about the R&B/soul/hip-hop flavor or if they’re simply digging it.

All photos after the jump

The crowd that seemed to be there for The Dodos enjoyed No Kids, but I sensed a question mark lingering in the room: “Now, what’s this?“. No Kids is an exciting band, and I can’t guess what they’d come up with in two years. But it’s going to take me some time to understand the greatness, which I do know they possess.

Next date: 4/9/2008 at Music Hall of Williamsburg with Dirty Projectors.

Download “Ames Room” (from Yellow EP and Ames Room)

Soft-spoken Norweigan multi-instrumentalist Silje Nes was composed and in control of her breezy, moody music. The layered elements were all Scandinavian sweetness, and her delicate voice helped carry the songs. But the drumming was incredibly sloppy at times even though its original placement in the composition seems to have been complimentary. Overall the set wasn’t too engaging, however. It would’ve been nice to see her own the stage with her breathy tunes instead of demurely seating herself on the right of the stage.

No Kids

Silje Nes

I did not make it on time for Overlord.

Mercury Lounge, April 6, 2008.