Kurt Vile and the Violators @ The Troubadour in LA, 7/29/11

What can I say... I'm completely smitten with Kurt Vile. From what I have heard about his live performances from friends and blogs, my expectations were set pretty high for this show. And let me just tell you, he did not disappoint. Completely unassuming in an Orangina t-shirt and unkempt mop of hair, Kurt came on stage with his band, smiled at the crowd, and began to play as though he was sitting around a fireplace with a bunch of friends. Though not much for words and loveably awkward, his voice and the heartwarming simplicity of his music were enough to physically make me feel lighter as I listened to "Ghost Town," "Jesus Fever," and "On Tour" with my eyes closed and a massive grin on my face. The best, in my opinion, was "Peeping Tomboy".... a soul-crushingly good live performance. Vile's 4th and newest studio album, Smoke Ring for my Halo, is arguably the best album of the year of his genre, albeit a genre I can't describe accurately enough to do it justice. If you're into folk and/or psych rock, he's your man... he has something so completely inimitable about him and I just can't say enough about his music. Watch the music video for "Jesus Fever" below:

Ida Maria w/ Chasing Kings @ The Roxy Theater in LA, 06/30/11

Seeing Ida Maria performs songs off of her sophomore album, Katla, has been one of my most prioritized goals of the year so far, and thank god it was finally fulfilled last Thursday at the famous Roxy on Sunset. Local band Chasing Kings opened for her, who aside from being the most attractive band I have seen in a long time, were absolutely incredible and played some pretty impressive material off their latest EP,The Current State of our Future, among other songs. If you're into bands like Local Natives, Dr. Dog, etc. definitely check them out.
Onto the piece de resistance. Ida, decced out in a flapper-y red fringe dress and what she calls her "rock boots," pranced onstage with both a cool confidence and palpable sense of excitement to perform for a packed room of devout Los Angeles fans. The Norwegian songstress played a satisfying combination of old and new, mixing new favorites like "Cherry Red" and "I Eat Boys Like You For Breakfast" with the original songs that made me fall in love with her, songs like "Queen of the World" and "I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked." Her performance was also a rollercoaster of emotions; one minute, she was touching the hearts of the audience members with "Keep Me Warm" and then, minutes later, was screaming into the microphone, pouring water over her head, and writhing on the floor singing her most famous, "Oh My God." I couldn't quite tell if she was drunk or just naturally a little bit insane, but either way I was into it. Especially after this show, I hold firm to my belief that she will stand as one of the most genuine and talented acts of her generation. Though her newest album hasn't gotten the hype I think it deserves, I am almost completely certain that will change in the upcoming months. If you haven't yet listened to Katla, get on it. You won't be let down.

Tuesday, June 21st 2011 was a magical day.

And it was a magical day for two reasons: YACHT's album, Shangri La, and BON IVER's album, Bon Iver, were both released yesterday. And they are both absolutely amazing from start to finish. It's kind of a bummer for YACHT that their album came out on the same day, because anyone who has been on the interwebs at all in the past 24 hours knows how much hype Justin Vernon and crew are getting for their record. I, on the other hand, am so overjoyed with the quality of both albums my head is going to explode. We all know Bon Iver is incredible, and I think enough people are talking about it that my input would be redundant. Thus, I am going to talk solely about YACHT's work, and hopefully enough of you will read this post that they can step on into some of BI's limelight. Let the praising commence:

YACHT- Shangri La

If you were to tell me back in 2007 when I first saw YACHT perform that they were going to be one of my favorite bands, I would have laughed in your face. To put it lightly, I was not that impressed. But holy shit has this band transformed themselves into a talented, brilliantly creative electronic duo. Everything they do now, from writing lyrics to constructing and producing songs to their group aesthetic and live performances, is a work of art. They have taken their slightly offbeat nature and completely made it work, so much so that I think Shangri-La will hold a pretty high standard for future albums of the same genre. Two of their new songs, "One Step" and "Tripped and Fell in Love," have got me helplessly hooked. I think it's their minimalist approach to production and the relatability of their words that make them so appealing, something they have always gone for but have really nailed in songs like these. "Shangri-La," too, completely resonates with me, as does the slightly-more-bizarre-yet-totally-loveable track, "Paradise Engineering." And of course, I would be remiss if I didn't reiterate how much I've loved "Dystopia (The Earth is on Fire)" since its original release earlier this year. You would think I'd be a bit sick of it by now, considering how much I have played that track on repeat, but the fact that I still want to listen to it at least a couple of times a week tells me that they have really got something going; mark my words it will be listed as one of the best tracks of the year. In sum, I would like to say that it is a rare thing for me to feel I can listen to an entire album without the urge to skip a track or two, but I can honestly say that I'm a fan of every single one of the tracks on this fantastic new album. If you are at all into synthy electronic music or have enjoyed any of YACHT's earlier work, you must must MUST get Shangri-La. Listen to "Tripped and Fell in Love" and "Paradise Engineering," AND watch their brand new hybrid music video for both "Utopia" and "Dystopia (The Earth is on Fire)" below:

YACHT- "Tripped and Fell in Love"

YACHT- "Paradise Engineering"

YACHT- "Utopia/Dystopia (The Earth is on Fire) Official Music Video

New CSS!

It's been quite a long while since anyone has heard new material from Brazilian electro-rock crew CSS, but their newest release, "Hit Me Like a Rock," has made it well worth the wait. It's much more mellow than the likes of "Art Bitch" or "Alala" and almost has a reggae swing to it, but it's such a great summertime song. I'm almost positive they played this at Coachella because I remember being struck by it; it really is quite well done, and has made me pretty stoked for the release of their third album, La Liberacion. All of you can listen to this little gem below and download it for free!

The Civil Wars @ Amoeba Records in LA, 06/14/11

Summertime in Los Angeles always means one thing... great free shows at Amoeba. They always present quite the eclectic mix of artists (I've seen everyone from Kate Nash to Amanda Blank perform at the world-famous mecca of music); this week, fans were graced with the presence of The Civil Wars, a folk duo whose simple guitar lines and gorgeous harmonies are nothing short of goosebump-inducing. They were showcasing their newest record, Barton Hollow, which was released in February of this year. I was completely in awe of how natural the connection was between Joy Williams and Jon Paul White, and how full the sound of their two voices and one guitar seemed to be. Though I'm not always partial to this kind of music, I think they have captured something absolutely wonderful together; their performances of "I've Got This Friend," "Poison and Wine," and "20 Years," albeit simple in nature, were so beautiful that I definitely saw a couple of guys in the audience reduced to tears. To my great surprise, too, they covered Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean," which was probably the highlight of the show. I was sad that they didn't play the namesake of the album, but I look forward to seeing much more from them in the future. Wesleyan readers: I spoke with them after the show and they want to come play at school! Keep your eye out. Listen to my favorite track off of their album, "I've Got This Friend," below:

The Civil Wars - I've Got This Friend by LifeBoxset.com

Mumford & Sons: "England" (The National cover)

When I went on to Stereogum earlier today and saw "Mumford & Sons covers The National," my first thought was that if it was a cover of "England," I would have a stroke. Sure enough, it was a indie folk rock dream come true. No stroke occured, but I was dangerously close. For those of you who are true Mumford fans, you know they do a mean cover of Vampire Weekend's "Cousins" and are pretty well respected as a band who can, dare I say it, one-up original works by other groups with their folkrock Mumfordy renditions. "England" is by far one of my favorites by The National, so naturally this melted me into pieces. Watch them perform it live on VH1 Unplugged below:

Tags: Mumford and Sons Unplugged, Mumford and Sons, Music Videos, Live Performances

FYF Fest 2011 Lineup Announced!

...AND IT'S OUT OF CONTROL. Tickets go on sale Friday at 3pm PST. If you are in Los Angeles on September 3rd I highly suggest that you consider going to this. I mean come on... Death From Above, Explosions in the Sky, The Head and The Heart, YACHT, and BSS all in one day for $35??? Don't be stupid. Go.

Stream YACHT's New Album!

YACHT's highly anticipated new album, Shangri-La, is due out in less than two weeks. But lucky for us, NPR is streaming their album in full! I'm liking what I'm hearing so far. Listen for yourself below:

YACHT- Shangri-La Stream

Computer Magic- "The End of Time" video

Danz, aka Computer Magic, is someone I've mentioned on my blog before and someone I completely foresee breaking into the indie music scene in a big way very soon. If you haven't had the chance to listen to her stuff yet, do it. She's the shit, and this video is visual confirmation of that fact. Watch below!

Computer Magic - "The End Of Time" from stereogum on Vimeo.

Broken Soc Gets Gory

Well, I've always thought this song was hauntingly good and slightly creepy in and of itself, but Broken Social Scene's new video for "Sweetest Kill," featuring Bijou Phillips, leaves nothing to the imagination. It's a very literal translation of the song, to say the least, but at least its shot in a cinematographically beautiful way. You've been warned. Watch the video below: