The Bird and the Bee, She & Him, and The Swell Season @ The Hollywood Bowl, July 18th 2010

This show was very much long-awaited for me, as I haven't seen The Bird and the Bee live in about a year and a half and completely couldn't get enough of Matt Ward and Zooey Deschanel at Coachella. The Hollywood Bowl has also become a summer essential and a tradition for me and my best friend (Adele last summer, Feist the year before), as nothing sounds better to me than sitting outside in usually fantastic weather with a picnic basket full of food listening to incredible music. Needless to say, the disclaimer I'm giving will probably lead you to conclude that I have nothing but good things to say about this show. The concert, I came to realize, was KCRW's amalgamation of noteworthy male-female music duos; in my opinion, they would not have chosen a better trifecta to capture the essence of what they were trying to display.

The Bird and the Bee were the first act, something I don't really understand because I see them as more of a middle or upper-tier group than an opening act by now, but I was so happy that Inara and Greg got to play at the Bowl (clearly I'm biased, but I think this duo is one of the most fantastic duos of the decade, both as musicians and as people). To my great surprise they played many old favorites ("Man", "Polite Dance Song", and "My Love" to name a few), as well as songs from their newest Hall & Oates cover album entitled Interpreting The Masters: Vol. 1 (A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates) such as "Maneater" and "Heard it on the Radio". Greg Kurstin is an incredible musician so of course their songs are wonderfully produced and always sound fantastic live, Inara looked absolutely amazing for having just had a child in her all-sequenced silver dress and her voice sounded perfect, and I am always musically smitten by the 4 back-up singers/musicians with their synchronized dance moves and precious xylophones. Not that anything different would be expected, but I had an incredible time seeing them play again.

After The Bird and the Bee was She & Him, a duo who I probably don't have to say much about as they have become extremely well-known within the past few years, but Zooey and Matt do nothing but completely mesmerize me. I have a lot of respect for the fact that they have really stuck with the 60's style that they know and love most, and have not changed their identity since first starting out; Zooey's sultry and endearing voice combined with Matt's incredibly complex and blues-infused guitar riffs give them a universally appealing sound with unmatched sophistication. They too performed old and new songs from both "volumes", such as the newest hit "In The Sun" (mentioned earlier on in the year on this blog), old loves like "Black Hole" and "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here", and their incredible covers of "Roll Over Beethoven" and "I Put a Spell on You", which shows off Zooey's vocal skills in a big way. If you are not the proud owner of both Volume One and Volume Two, I am actually asking you to buy them as soon as possible; it's impossible for me to recommend one over the other or specific songs I love most, so you're just going to have to trust me.

The last group was The Swell Season, a group I admittedly have never listened to and thought about skipping out on early... something I now am so incredibly grateful I did not do. I have never seen the movie Once, but my god do Glen Hansard and Markéta Inglová have a beautiful sound and a way with harmonization. I am not an authority on their music in the least, but after what I've heard I would highly recommend the songs "Two Tongues" and "The Rain"; they are, in my mind, the best examples of the duo's full ability to entice their audience with their simple yet absolutely breathtaking love lullabies.

Long post, I know...but I had the best time and these three groups deserve the recognition. Here are some of my photos from the show:

Die Antwoord @ The El Rey in LA, July 17th 2010

I must admit, seeing Destructo, Borgore, and Die Antwoord at the El Rey wasn't my version of an equal replacement to the unexpectedly abrupt cancellation of Hard MIA; however, my expectations were completely exceeded. I don't have much to say about Destructo, given the fact that he IS the Hard promoter and I wanted to kill him for blowing my chance of seeing Sleigh Bells and MIA this summer, but from what I can tell he is a decent DJ. Cool, whatever. Borgore on the other hand is someone you either love or hate: his vulgarity and grimy dubstep beats are completely and shamelessly in-your-face, to say the least. After all, he is most famous for his song "Nympho", whose lyrics are so unreal and offensive I don't dare post them here. A large majority of the audience looked pretty taken aback, but those who chose not to take it seriously and have fun with it would probably agree that he puts on a pretty good show (despite crowd surfing and landing on my head, but you win some, you lose some).

AND THEN, there was Die Antwoord. Their set didn't start till about midnight and I had grown rather impatient; needless to say my expectations had been set pretty high. And they completely exceeded them. "Ninja" and "Yo-Landi Vi$$er" are the most insane rap duo I have ever witnessed; I don't think I have ever found two such conventionally unattractive individuals so completely captivating in my life. Their incredible matching printed sweatsuit outfits, unabashed DGAF attitude, and incredible onstage chemistry gave me a completely newfound respect for rap as a genre and made me want to visit South Africa even more than I already did before. If you haven't listened to this group, I highly recommend the songs "I Don't Need You", "Enter The Ninja", and the hilarious "Fish Paste" (google the meaning of the chorus please). Definitely a group I look forward to seeing more of.

Em Em Eye Eye Ay.

Although I do hold somewhat of a grudge towards this girl right now for cancelling her show this weekend, M.I.A.'s new album, MAYA, was released today and it's nothing short of fantastic. I know I know, everyone has been talking about the "Born Free" video/ the political issues she's addressing, and how hard she's trying to change her image or make statements for the sake of getting attention or whatever, but I disagree wholeheartedly. In my opinion, if you have a voice you should use it, and she does. She clearly has come into her own in the past 3-4 years and has the power t0 be extremely influential; she may be shaking things up and offers up bold opinions about the world we live in, but I for one admire her audacity and think this album was a step in the right direction. I have always been a fan and think she is quite brilliant at what she does, and the production on this album further proves that for me. "Tell Me Why" is just great, theres not much more to say; "Lovealot" and "It Iz What It Iz" are also favorites, and of course "XXXO", which seems to be the new crowd favorite, is my go-to workout song. Those of you fighting it, shut up. Or just don't listen. Those of you who like her music, I highly recommend buying the whole CD. Thats my two cents.

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros @ The Lobero Theater Santa Barbara, July 2nd 2010

Last week, I took a road trip with my friend to Santa Barbara to see Edward Sharpe, a band who seems to have become everyone's favorite, what with being on numerous commericals now and being featured on the front page of the NY Times article about Coachella. It's no secret, this band's got serious talent. When I saw them at Coachella, I was blown away at how the entire 10+ person band lights up the stage, the adorable "yellow brick road" backdrop" for their stage, and how organic and endearing Jade and Alex are when singing together... but I have to say, that performance didn't even hold a candle to my most recent experience with this fantastic bunch of free-spirited and blissfully rampant musicians. The set began with completely impromptu yet completely heart-worming performances by Tyler James (piano), Jade (vocals), and the rest, playing songs that the audience soon learned were rehearsed for the first time on the bus, or were being played because they held some sentimental personal value to one of the musicians. "We don't really call ourselves a band," James stated, "but rather a group of musicians who like to play together"... and that's what it felt like: I was not some estranged fan watching one of my favorite groups perform, but rather a fellow music lover watching truly down-to-earth human beings doing what they loved most. The group soon came out in full to play actual Edward Sharpe songs, of which I was most moved by the performances of "Janglin," "Up From Below," and "Om Nashi Me," among my other favorites. I think the most tell-tale number for them, although now somewhat cliched, is "Home," because it is so completely obvious how sincere Alex and Jade are when singing their respective parts (something that the pictures below display quite well). As if the group couldn't have connected any more with their audience, the show culminated in Alex coming into the crowd and sitting in a chair in the middle of the audience, as if we were all watching a friend sing in front of a campfire. I cannot say enough good things about this group, it was a spectacular show. Here are some of my photos from the night:

In Case You Need Some Direction...

Maps & Atlases, a group that I had not heard of before seeing them open for Frightened Rabbit in June, has just recently released their third album, entitled Perch Patchwork, that I can easily add to my list of absolute favorites of the year. It's so truly incredible from start to finish that I feel uneasy when listening to songs like "Pidgeon", "Living Decorations", and "Carrying The Wet Wood", simply because they are quite literally too much for me to handle. They have the homegrown, middle-of-the-woods feel that I would liken to Bon Iver or some of Iron & Wine's more upbeat tracks; the lead singer's throaty yet completely enticing voice combined with the playful guitar riffs, unique time signatures, and creative effects and accompaniment sets this band forth as one of the most innovative and promising groups I have come across in a while. Listen to my favorite track, "Solid Ground", here.