Archive for Indie Rock Bands
The Flaming Lips are on this year’s lineup of bands playing at the Treasure Island Music Festival. I have yet to see them live so it should be pretty sweet to see them in San Francisco. They are the headliners for Sunday October 18, 2009 , then heading off to Europe to tour for the month of November (so jealous of them).
I started listening to The Flaming Lips in 2004, when I purchased their album Fight Test. “Do You Realize??” blew me away. I sure hope they do that track at the festival. I will definitely provide my feedback of each band post festival.
Filed under: Indie Rock Bands | Indie Rock Bands, the flaming lips, treasure island music festival|No Comments
Kate Maki opened for Great Lake Swimmers and if you read my last post you know how much I loved GLS. But I must say there is always something delightfully exciting when an opener beats the band you came to see. Simple Kate Maki, with her school teacher outfit (she actually is a grade school teacher), kind hearted sarcasm and unbridled cool confidence projects all of this into her music. If I could compare her to a hybrid of musicians I would say M.Ward, Emily Haines and Neko Case. I guess you’d call it M.ily Weko Caines. She is blues, she is folk, she’s old-timey at moments, pure and makes you smile. Definitely the type of folk the world needs more of.
And I want to say something really quickly… I said I was sick of folk last entry. That was dumb, obtuse, even criminal. I love folk, but folk that is made for the sake of folk, for the sake of emitting a feeling or telling a story. I love folk with a traditional tie, that transcends time. I think that is one of the best things about music, it can put us places we can’t ever physically go, more so than any visual medium. So incredibley profound I know… I am just sort of within a tangental struggle trying to understand what I don’t like about certain styles of folk. I love Bon Iver, and he is lo-fi folk… which initially I thought is what I don’t like about Sufjan Stevens (but not all Sufjan) and Great Lake Swimmers. Maybe it’s the vocals, because I don’t like Elliott Smith either. Girly whispery sad boy voice. I guess that’s it.
Well thanks for sticking through my thought process… I assure you, in real time I would have lost you at the beginning of the second paragraph. Back to Kate Maki… She is brilliant! So awesome I even bought her vinyl and I don’t even have a player. I recommend checking out her myspace and loving her as much as I do 
Kate Maki!
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When I was younger there were very few bands I didn’t like, or that I couldn’t grow to like. Now in my ripe old age of 22, I find that I shant waste my time or my eardrums on anything less that awesome. I don’t really know if this is because my music taste has become more refined, if there are just more crappy bands producing, or if maybe I am just a cranky hag, but for one reason or the other, I don’t like a lot of what I hear.
One genre I have grow increasingly un-fond of is lame folky type stuff. I used to love it, but now I think it has become over made, overplayed and everything sounds the same. Gimme some beat, some bass, some life! I can’t stand Sufjan Stevens and his sorry voice. It’s cheesy to me. And for this reason I was highly disappointed with Great Lake Swimmers. I think most of Bottom of the Hill was too. Maybe a lot of us are over folked, over inducing depression and swimming in our tears (great lake swimming that is… WINK*) We wanna dance! Being openly sorry for one’s self is for turds.
I am totally speaking for a population I really haven’t fully analyzed so sorry to those of you who love it, and love moping about. I guess they are pretty popular because their name was fourth most searched on Hype Machine a few weeks ago. I think they might be really good at SEO and marketing techniques. It just really bothered me when lead singer Tony Dekker said in between songs “here’s to being sad.” Blah. Whatever, maybe I am unsympathetic and heartless, but jeez is self-pitty ever annoying.
It seemed at points they became aware of the bored crowd and started messing up. It was sad, and I don’t mean that in a harsh way, it really upsets me. It’s fine if don’t like your music, I will critique all day long, but I don’t want to see anyone fail, ever.
I wish you the best GLS! And good job getting on la blogotheque’s Take Away Shows! That was pretty cool.
Filed under: Indie Rock Bands | great lake swimmers, Indie Rock Bands|1 Comment
So yeah, I have been absent from the blogging world for a bit and for this I apologize, but when you do stuff like it for work everyday, blogging can become less entertaining and more monotonous. I saw the band Mother Mother from Canada (I believe Vancouver) at Cafe du Nord a little over a month ago, and I am ashamed I haven’t said anything sooner. Then again I still haven’t written anything about SXSW, but whatever, better luck next year.
Mother Mother rocked. I think they sound like the Pixies, which very few bands are capable of acheiving such a pure yet diversified sound and crisply harmonized vocals. I think this is what the band is most noted for, their vocals. Two girlies and one booyeee, perfectly harmonizing three distinctly awesome voices, so good one reviewer even stated Queen would be proud to hear. Freddie Murcury? Really. Now that is one fine complemint.
I would check out their song Body of Years, and of course the rest of the album. I bought it and it’s super.
Filed under: Indie Rock Bands | canadian indie rock, concert review, Indie Rock Bands|No Comments
It has been a Fillmore extravaganza! With DeVotchKa, Lykke Li and Andrew Bird all within two weeks of one another, I thought I might just wet my pants. The music, the lights, the fellow melody lovers… it was better than a good cheese (and I do love my cheese). Lykke Li, the sweet little Swede she is, blew me away with her precious scratchy voice… i didn’t know the word “fuck” could sound innocent and kind. Listening to her on Mp3, I figured she would sing and speak quietly, but that voice does carry. A band is a band and Ms. Li Lykke Z. doesn’t make it all…. The entire group is masterful (and sexy; swear I’m not a vanity whore).
Their openers, Wildbirds and Peacedrums, were an incredible and powerful duo…. The whole even was a smilefest.
At the end of the show, being the chotchkie-grubbing fool I am, I was more than enthused to buy a vinyl from the openers (awesome album art I should add) and take a poster to hang on my overcrowded walls. For those of you who have yet to experience the SF Fillmore’s grace, the venue hands out a poster to EVERYONE at the end of most every show. They have done this since the the early years in rock’s golden age. I only wish I could have been there for Jefferson Airplane. So to all of you who don’t know the Fillmore and haven’t heard Lykke Li…. go there.
Lykke Li SET LISSTTT!!!
Filed under: Indie Rock Bands | concert review, Indie Rock Bands, Lykke Li, the fillmore|1 Comment
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