Only a few days ago I was thinking: isn’t it amazing that everyone must acknowledge their own death as it’s happening; an incredibly courageous thing to do, even when done in cowardice, which means no mortal escapes at least one heroic deed—the experience of death alone makes everyone’s life extraordinary.
This brings us to Michel Gondry’s latest film. Since reading reviews before watching a movie is a ridiculous idea, I went to Village East Cinema thinking The Thorn in the Heart was about Michel Gondry’s idiosyncratic family, and that the woman in the poster/trailer was his mom; maybe The Gondry’s were a real-life French version of a Wes Anderson family, with a subtler, darker sense of humor. It turns out the primary characters of the documentary are Michel’s 80-something aunt, Suzette, and her middle-aged son, Jean-Yves. Both of them are wonderful characters, but I found the troubled Jean-Yves (who built elaborate sets for his model trains and made Super 8 movies as a child) to be a subject worthy of further investigation; yet the film is less about anything singularly remarkable than it is about the fact of having lived.
Continue Reading »
Head over heels in love with Future Islands‘ upcoming album In Evening Air; mark it down for a definite purchase, it comes out on Thrill Jockey, May 4, 2010. You’ll be expected to develop a gigantic crush on singer Sam T. Herring’s voice; he sounds like a gaping wound you’re secretly ecstatic to have, as a testament to having lived, and his band, what with the dance-y electronica “post-wave” accompaniment, is pretty much the mantelpiece scar. A gorgeous ode to proper suffering is what it is! They’re playing Glasslands with another amazing band, Boogie Boarder, this Sunday.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Download “Tin Man” by Future Islands
Download “Bio Hassle” by Boogie Boarder
In the photo above, Boogie Boarder watches as Future Islands performs.
I woke up panicking about how lazy I’d been the last two days; how little effort I’d made to see the bands I’d made my goal to see; I had spent two days just chilling. God Damn. I dashed out of the hotel with urgency and purpose to catch Mountain Man, but, alas, the cab never arrived, and I missed their set. So we said, Oh Well.
Girl from Mountain Man:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Continue Reading »
The day began with an interview Impose was filming with Harmony Korine. It was at an awesome Mexican restaurant. When I got about a 15-minute notice to photograph it, I pretty much jumped out of my bed at the opportunity of seeing Harmony in person and eating an amazing burrito at the same time. Here he is holding a piñata just purchased from the store across the street:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Continue Reading »
It’s true, The Living Sisters is a hunk of estrogen; not because it’s a female “super group” consisting, at the moment, of Becky Stark (Lavender Diamond), Eleni Mandell, and Alex Lilly (Obi Best); not even because they look exactly like hot young mothers that all little boys (but their own) are blindly fascinated by; but because there is an undefinable yet easily recognizable embodiment of sisterhood in this band. Maybe it’s the flawless harmonies between three female voices on top of matching clothes and soothing songs, or the fact that each of these women is very woman-woman; I want to say, breast-baring-fertility-symbols-like women in their womanhood. Personally, I love Becky Stark. She’s pretty wacky in her love-and-peace hippie world: “A Harmony can never fail because even when it’s wrong, it’s hilarious.” Going by a few snippets I heard of their recording, it seems like they’re much more enjoyable live, for about 30 minutes; because, after all, lullabies, no matter how charming, put you to sleep.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
They opened for She & Him at Bowery Ballroom last night, and being that the set was about 30 minutes long, it was pretty pleasant. Owing to the harmony, my favorite was “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down”, but the track that’s internet-approved seems to be “How Are You Doing?” My pictures of them and She & Him are up on Brooklyn Vegan.
Hello everyone, we drove to Austin this year and I’m pretty out of it. Car lag is way more severe than jet lag. Spent most of the trip with non-functional internet. But I hate blogging these days anyway, what a time suck. And look how tiny these pictures look, I need to redesign this site. Lots of great bands in this post, though.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Continue Reading »
I don’t think North Highlands intended to channel Mongolia when they came up with that band name, but the intro to “Sugar Lips” sure evokes the highlands of that region. Apparently the band was born on “a lazy summer afternoon in Brooklyn”, the implied directionless of which, despite the obvious talent sitting about, seems pretty romantic to me; and the mood of that implication is definitely captured in this song.
I’m about to listen to the EP, which came out December last year, but so far the song “Sugar Lips” sounds like a refreshing break at a time when new music is beginning to get dull and formulaic. Also, singer Brenda Malvini’s voice is one of my favorite female voice types: it doesn’t’ scream “Hey, listen to me! Listen to me!”. It just says, “Hey, singing is kinda fun”.
Photo: Lena Hawkins
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Download “Sugar Lips” by North Highlands
Iceland’s Lovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardóttir, who plays under the moniker Lay Low, was in New York for two small shows in support of her new album Farewell Good Night’s Sleep. She isn’t quite Patsy Cline (to whom she’s been compared) but the untainted worldview she captures in her gentle voice and simple lyrics, and the willingness to give, lose and suffer as a necessary way of life, evident in songs of love and lies, are probably what draw the comparison.
Download “Last Time Around“ and ”By and By”
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Continue Reading »
Not only is Tune Yards selling Bell House out these days, Merrill Garbus’ adoring fans knew all the words and sang along without being asked. The performance was superb; there were a few new songs.
This being her first headlining show in New York, she noted the newness of knowing that everyone present was there to specifically see her; and it was great to see the recent addition of a bass guitarist to what had previously been a solo stage act—not that she needed the extra help.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Continue Reading »
Look out for Ana Lola Roman! She’s like the punk-rock*, real life version of Uma Thurman’s character in Pulp Fiction. She even dances like her. It was a little difficult to get a good sense of the overall aesthetic from her set at Don Pedro’s last night (presented by Impose Magazine’s Test Patterns series); lots of texture was coming from pre-recorded sound bytes off her laptop, she was playing her synth, and she had a drummer. Noticeable right away, though, is that she’s very much a performer, doesn’t care too much about her tight pants hanging too low, and has an incredible voice. Being the simpleton that I am, I’d really like her to sing with just a good old piano at some point; her voice shouldn’t have to hide underneath all that other noise, but then she’s the real life version of Uma Thurman’s character in Pulp Fiction, so I’m sure she enjoys the chaos.
*I use this term to loosely define a lifestyle.
Download Untitled, Track 2 (off Naturally More Molatov)
by Ana Lola Roman (via Impose, with permission)
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Continue Reading »
hooves on the turf is a mostly-music blog based out of brooklyn. i can be reached at hoovesontheturf [at] gmail [dot] com - please send me your lovely music as an attached mp3 or an mp3 link. if i like what you send, i'll be sure to ask for more.
