Where I indulge in the overrated phenomenon of a year-end list and discover my bias for sullen songs over happy ones; 20 most-loved songs of the year, with a self-imposed rule of one song per artist so as to not make it entirely pointless.
The only thing that sounds good at the Cake Shop is the drums, yet the place has a charm favorable to performances. The Dodos frontman Meric Long was merrier and more gutsy than usual–perhaps it was the presence of friends, or perhaps it was the modest stage with its glittering streams of red for a backdrop and yellow balls of light for a ceiling. The two bands that went before The Dodos played like restraint was blasphemy–one was ferocious with its setup of two drums and a howling singer fond of crashing into people and punching their can of beer flat, against the person’s belly nonetheless–which made the role of restraint in the music of The Dodos much more apparent. A little bit of reign can make a world of a difference.
The Dodos are playing The Siren Music Festival this Saturday, and last night’s performance at the Cake Shop was sort of a “secret show”. More videos later, and some pictures after the jump.
The entire stream, use the grey arrows to switch between songs:
The Dodos is the special guest at The Cake Shop. Fiery Furnaces at East River Amphitheater for free. Imaad Wasif, Quinn Walker, Suckers, Girls play Stereogum and MyOpenBar’s Surround Show show at Market Hotel. The Indelicates, Man on Earth, Doctors and Dealer play The Annex. The Antlers, Spanish Prisoners, The Loom, Little Bear & The Bad Touch play the Union Pool. The Spinto Band kicks off its residency and joins Emilyn Brodsky at Union Hall. Heartsrevolution play for free (RSVP) at Hiro Ballroom. Pianos residency continues with The King Left, joining Peephole, The Orphans, Dickie Haydon, and Ivana XL.
Playlist
The Loom: Song for the Winter Sun
Fiery Furnaces: Duplexes of the Dead
Imaad Wasif: Oceanic
Quinn Walker: Johnny
Suckers: Horn Song
Emilyn Brodsky: Real Good Men
Little Bear and the Bad Touch: Blood Bath and Beyond
Ivana XL: Nobody Does It Better
Doctors and Dealers: Social Skills
Spanish Prisoners: Where God Does His Laundry
The Indelicates: New Art for The People
Man on Earth: Here We Are
Heartsrevolution: CYOA
The Dodos: Fools
Dowload “Fools” | It might’ve been a year ago when I first encountered The Dodos at Pete’s Candy Store in Williamsburg. Frontman Meric Long seemed timid, self-conscious and determined. His hair cloaked his face for the most part, and from what I can remember, he barely looked up at the audience from his guitar. But with the accompaniment of a fantastic drummer, Logan Kroeber, the duo delivered that night. I left with pieces of the songs in my head, and an album that stayed on my playlist for months to come.
All photos after the jump.
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.
