Damn. The show we just posted about yesterday is no longer with its headliner:

"Due to visa issues, John Talabot has just canceled his upcoming US dates, including FIXED Le Poisson Rouge on March 18th, but Tensnake is still on!"

by Andrew Sacher

Barcelona producer John Talabot released ƒIN, his first album released under that name, this week via Permanent Vacation. It's easy to want to compare the album to fellow Barcelonians Delorean, whose singer Ekhi Lopetegi provides lead vocals on the track "Journeys," and those comparisons definitely have some accuracy to them. Both Talabot and Delorean go for polyrhythmic house music, but while Delorean pulls from tropical disco, John Talabot's sound is much darker and subdued. The album opener, "Depak Ine," uses a similar vocal clip to Delorean's "Real Love," but when placed upon Talabot's stark backdrop, it comes off sounding most like the ghostly vocal samples in witch house.

The album is largely made up of impressive instrumentals, but its most memorable moments do come from the songs with lead vocals, like "Destiny," which features contributions from Pional, who has releases on the label Hivern, which Talabot runs. "Destiny" is a low-range indie pop song which covers similar ground to recent work by Matthew Dear and Nicolas Jaar. Pional also appears on the album's closing track, "So Will Be Now," which is fronted by more ghostly pitch-shifted vocals, but they're brought far closer to the forefront than the reverb-coated clips that come in earlier on the album. You can stream both of the Pional-featuring songs below, along with the album artwork and tracklist.

John Talabot's got a few upcoming shows including a FIXED show in NYC with Permanent Vacation labelmate Tensnake happening on March 18 at Le Poisson Rouge. Tickets are on sale now. UPDATE: John Talabot cancelled.

All dates, streams, album art and tracklist below...

Continue reading "John Talabot released ƒIN, playing LPR with Tensnake"

by Andrew Sacher

Nicolas Jaar walked on stage just minutes before midnight at the sold out Clown & Sunset showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg last night (2/3) after opening sets by Pavla + Noura, Valentin Strip, and Acid Pauli. He stood surrounded by keyboards and straddling a vintage style microphone in front of a backdrop of slowly drifting images of nature and architecture. The set began with some heavily blurred vocals and swirling atmospheres, but much of what was to follow was pretty unexpected.

After pushing his mic to the side (which he did after about two songs), Nico hit his highest points when he dropped bass-heavy beats, all of which were met with huge applause from the crowd, but lost sight of what made his album, Space Is Only Noise, so appealing. Save for a few memorable piano hooks, the minimal textures and Nico's own distinct voice that set him apart from other dance musicians took a backseat for more straightforward beatwork. It wasn't until a bit more than halfway through the set, when he was joined on stage by collaborators Will Epstein and Dave Harrington, that the show became something entirely of its own. Epstein's meandering sax lines and Harrington's prog rock guitar turned the show into dancefloor-ready experimental rock, and their ability to do that is ultimately the most attractive thing about bringing Nicolas Jaar's music into a live setting. They ended their pre-encore set with the clear highlight of the night, "Space Is Only Noise If You Can See," which saw Nico grabbing a more modern mic with way less effects on it and discernibly delivering his stark baritone vocals.

The full band returned for an encore, bringing out guest vocalist Sasha Spielberg to sing lead on a track, which ended up being another highlight of the show, and Nico rounded things off with a few more dance tracks.

You can catch Nicolas Jaar, along with Will Epstein, Dave Harrington, and Sasha Spielberg at MoMA PS1 on Sunday (2/5), when he premieres a five-hour multidisciplinary piece as part of PS1's "Sunday Sessions". The event is free with admission to PS1.

He also recently dropped an unofficial video for "Materials," directed by Pondr, which you can watch below...

Continue reading "Nicolas Jaar played Music Hall of Williamsburg"

Zola Jesus at CMJ 2011 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Zola Jesus (aka Nika Roza Danilova), who is one of the many artists playing the just-announced Sasquatch! Music Festival, kicked off her tour this week and hits Austin tonight (2/3). That tour comes to NYC on February 18 at Webster Hall with Liturgy and Talk Normal. Tickets are still on sale.

Zola Jesus contributed guest vocals to the song "New France" off Orbital's first new album in eight years, Wonky, which is due out April 3 in the US. Listen to that song below, along with two videos of other tracks from the album. The album artwork and tracklist are below too.

Updated dates, song stream, videos, and album info below...

Continue reading "listen to new Orbital songs, 1 w/ Zola Jesus (who is on tour)"

Miike Snow at Terminal 5 in 2010 (more by Brook Bobbins)

As mentioned, Miike Snow are releasing Happy to You and heading out on a tour in support of it which hits NYC on April 24 and 25 at Terminal 5. Both of those shows are sold out, but they've just announced a third show at the venue happening on April 26. Tickets for that show go on sale Friday, 2/10 at noon with an AmEx presale starting Wednesday (2/8) at noon.

Miike Snow just revealed a music video for the track, "Paddling Out," off the new album. Check that out, along with updated dates below...

Continue reading "Miike Snow add 3rd Terminal 5 show, release new video"

Shlohmo

Shlohmo was just in NYC for a Glasslands show with Salva (1/28) last week before the two producers flew over to Europe for a short tour together (how was it?).

Upon returning to North America, he'll play another NYC show when he opens for fellow LA producer Groundislava at Cameo on February 17. Moon Bounce is also on that bill and tickets are on sale now. A little less than a month later, Shlohmo will play another NYC show at The Studio at Webster Hall on March 10 with LOL Boys. Tickets for that show go on sale Saturday (2/4) at 10 AM.

Shlohmo's Vacation EP comes out next week (2/7) via Friends of Friends, and as mentioned features a remix from tourmate Salva, which just surfaced this week. Salva put his spin on the previously released single, "wen uuu." Stream his remix and the original below.

All dates and stream below...

Continue reading "Shlohmo scheduled more shows, got remixed by Salva"

The Rapture at CMJ 2011 (more by Bryan Bruchman)

The American Museum of Natural History's One Step Beyond series, which just had Dirty Projectors last month, is continuing on February 17 at Rose Center with DJ sets by Prefuse 73 and The Rapture. Tickets are on sale now.

Listen to all of what Dave Longstreth played at the last event below.

It's The Rapture's last North American show/event before their Japan/Australia tour which kicks off later this month. All Rapture dates are listed below.

Prefuse 73 are one of many collaborators on the upcoming Flaming Lips collaborative Record Store Day release, which also includes Bon Iver, Erykah Badu, Nick Cave, Death Cab for Cutie, Yoko Ono, and many others. You've already heard Prefuse 73's collaborations when the 4-track EP was released last year, but The Flaming Lips have been rolling out more previews of the upcoming release. Stream "Now I Understand," which features Erykah Badu, below, and check out some short clips of the Bon Iver collabs at Pitchfork.

Streams and all dates below...

Continue reading "Dave Longstreth DJ'd the Museum of Natural History (listen); The Rapture & Prefuse 73 will next (and stuff)"

by Bill Pearis

Metronomy is no stranger to remixes. Until The English Riveria blew up, Jospeph Mount was more known as a remixer (Goldfrapp, Lykke Li,Charlotte Gainsbourg). But lately it's been Metronomy who's getting remixed. The English Riviera singles "The Look," "The Bay" and "Everything Goes My Way" all came in a handful of versions, reworked by the likes of Fred Falke, The 2 Bears, Eron Alkan, and Psychemagik. But the band comissioned many more -- including ones for album tracks -- that haven't seen the light of day. They will, though, when Metronomy releases The English Riviera Unreleased Remixes on March 3.

We've got the premiere of the compilations' lead track, a cover (not actually a remix) of "Corrine" by Benoit & Sergio that you can stream below. Some of the other folks messing with Metronmy cuts include Mario Basanov, Ewan Pearson, Clock Opera, Two Inch Punch and more.

The 13-track album is digital-only but will be out in time for Metronomy's upcoming North American tour which stops at Irving Plaza on March 30. Metronomy's show at Music Hall of Williamsburg during CMJ last year was my favorite live performance of 2011, so if you haven't seen them yet you should absolutely correct this as soon as possible. Friends open the Irving Plaza show and three other shows on the tour.

All Metronomy tour dates are below, along with stream of the Benoit & Sergio cover of "Corrine," and cover art for The English Riviera Unreleased Remixes...

Continue reading "Metronomy releasing remix album (track premiere); Friends opening shows on their spring tour (updated dates)"

May 2003 flyer...

Less than a month before Park Slope club Southpaw is gone forever, and Southpaw mainstay DJ team The Rub has announced that after their final party at Southpaw this Saturday (2/4), they're moving to the bigger Bell House down the street (relatively speaking). Read the trio's entire long goodbye to Southpaw, and check out their final Southpaw flyer, below...

Continue reading "The Rub moving to the Bell House, eulogize Southpaw (where they'll play one more time)"

iamamiwhoami @ Way Out West

Swedish electronic art, music & multimedia project iamamiwhoami, who has been accused of being Karin Dreijer Andersson of the Knife (who iamamiwhoami now shares a manager with), has been pretty quiet lately. There hasn't been a new video posted to their YouTube account (their main form of communication) since "clump" in July. Until today. Iamamiwhoami is back, though with not much more than a tease, and a mysterious one at that. Check out the new 37 second video "kin 20120611" below.

Not much was known about iamamiwhoami until they made their live debut in August at Sweden's Way Out West festival, a show I happened to be at. Led by Swedish singer-songwriter Jonna Lee, their live show was as over the top, intriguing, high budget and theatrical as their videos. Jonna performed the songs made famous via YouTube while an anonymous video team dressed all in black followed her every move which was in turn broadcast live on the screens by the stage. There were also video cameras set up above and below the stage, including inside the bed made of toilet paper... Just check out the pics (which I never posted before). They continue, with the new video, below...

Continue reading "iamamiwhoami returns (with a short video), made their live debut @ Way Out West in August (belated pics)"