WU LYF at Knitting Factory, Brooklyn, July 23, 2011

World Unite Lucifer Youth Foundation, or WU LYF for short, spent a sweltering summer weekend in New York City, playing shows both in Manhattan and in Brooklyn. I have to say, this was a performance I was quite excited for, and these young Brits did not disappoint. In fact, they were so fantastic onstage playing songs from their debut album Go Tell Fire To The Mountain, that I was pretty blown away. WU LYF seem to have their own language, it's English, yes, but not the regular old English we speak in on a daily basis. They've done something to the words to make them their own, used them in unexpected combinations and in colorful and imaginative ways, which is evident even by their album title. I was really surprised to see how many people at the Brooklyn show knew every single word to all of WU LYF's songs. WU LYF sing in sort of a gospel style, with their music embracing not only gospel, but world beat, R&B, soul, even ska and straight up rock & roll. They have hit upon something so original, so absorbing and uplifting, that they definitely deserve to have real music fans listening. Adding a tribal and primitive element to their songs with huge, pounding drums, the howling, gospel-like vocals and Fender Telecaster Custom guitar work combine with that tribal beat to create music that strikes something deep inside the human spirit. Something strong and beautiful is stirring here beyond what is on the surface, and if you give it the chance, I believe you will come to love the feeling this music gives you.

I've posted some of my own photos, although they are a bit dark! I do shout a huge THANK YOU to WU LYF for playing for us that night at Knitting Factory, Brooklyn definitely loves you!

Bass Drum of Death at Knitting Factory Brooklyn, July 23, 2011

Again Bass Drum of Death pay New York City a visit during their 2011 tour to support their album GB City and again they absolutely ROCK. This time around, John, Colin, and Print were playing with the likes of Young Buffalo (from the same hometown as Bass Drum of Death, Oxford, Mississippi), and all the way from Manchester, England, WU LYF. I have seen the band play quite a few times this year, and each time, they get better and better. I was thinking, are they getting tired being at the end of this tour and playing the rowdy rock & roll tunes off GB City over and over? My answer to that was, well, no, at least it doesn't SEEM that way, as Bass Drum of Death just continues to blow my mind with their bad-ass music even more now, than at the beginning of this tour months ago. Keep rocking, boys. Thanks for the great music and the great live shows. I've posted some photos from The Knit, as I was able to get some better shots this time.

Sky Picnic at Lit Lounge, April 9, 2010

Sky Picnic live, a wonderfully psychedelic experience........this band has it all: the looks, the style, the vibe......the music is out of this world, pulled in from the atmosphere, warped all around you, such a phenomenal live experience. The songs translate fantastically to the stage. Although I must say, the stage at Lit is a bit TOO SMALL for the huge sound that is Sky Picnic's, a credit to this band's amazing talent.
Set list:
Tea Break
Lost and Found (new song debuted)
Going Mad In Cambridge
Farther In This Fairy Tale
Hide and Seek
Unknown Regions (new song debuted)
Astronomy Dominé (Pink Floyd cover)
Universal Mind Decoder

photos by me.

Pilot Cloud Plays Brooklyn

Much to this fan's delight, Pilot Cloud made their way from Philly to Brooklyn on Friday night, October 9, to play a set at Bar Matchless. The set was forty minutes of the most blissful, heartbreakingly gorgeous shoegaze that you could possibly ever hear. I have been playing their album In Transition at home on my stereo for weeks now, and it did not even prepare me for how these songs translate to the stage. Equal parts blooming, soaring soundscapes, and subtle, quiet flutters, Pilot Cloud's songs both explode with force, and then calm the storm. Songs played were Dead Satellite, Leaf, Map, Star Redoubt (complete with the bird songs at the end, like on the album!), In Transition, Diaspora (not on the album, but available to listen to on their MySpace player), and the closer of the album closes their set: Ex Astris Scientia. Pilot Cloud is most certainly a band who have the talent to take their stunning recorded arrangements to the stage and make them better. That is quite a feat, and if you have been lucky enough to acquire the album In Transition and then see them live, I am sure you would agree.

Oblisk: Album and Gig Review

Oblisk, a band from Detroit, Michigan, has released their second album, titled Weather Patterns, and are in the midst of touring to support this amazing piece of work. I got the chance to see the band perform in Brooklyn at one of the best small places to see live music, Public Assembly. I also got my copy of Weather Patterns, which is now on heavy rotation.
Oblisk's debut album, 2008's Tune In/Tune Out, was a ride through back streets, late at night, not knowing what lay around the dark corners, feeling a bit nervous to find out. The songs had a jittery quality paired with vocals that were a bit moody and hollow, just enough to make you wonder what the ghosts were, and this made for an engrossing debut album. Now with Weather Patterns, Oblisk keeps some elements that are signature: the deep, ghostly vocals and the themes of situations unknown and a bit dangerous and disturbing, but the instrumentation has grown to include layers of guitars that create waves of sound that swell to intense highs. The drumming is tighter, less skittish now, and the bass lines, though also retaining a signature Oblisk sound, are deep enough to be the undertow you must watch out for within those waves. On Radar uses some shoegaze-style-guitar feedback perfectly. Epicenter picks up the pace to a frenzy of post-punk style guitar, reminiscent of Wire. Silent Passenger utilizes the undertow of bass to carry the song, which tells of a chance, and of course, possibly dangerous, encounter with a stranger. The psychedelic reverb of the guitar on Overcast is perfectly paired with a choppy drum that stomps its way through the song.
Oblisk live is something you should see if you live near the cities along the Eastern half of the U.S. where they are currently touring. On Radar, Tunnel of Phoenix, and Overcast are phenomenal live. Nick Baran's an ace guitarist, really something to watch. Check out Oblisk on MySpace to see if they are coming to a city near you, and buy Weather Patterns. If you liked Tune In/Tune Out, you will really love Weather Patterns. The production is tops (album was produced by Isaac Betesh from House Of Fire), the songs are guitar-heavy trips to nowhere and back, and the CD artwork is simple, yet perfectly represents what this album is all about (very nice work, Dave).

SOREN WELL: EP and gig review

Well I have in my hands, and in my stereo, the 'advance limited copy' of Soren Well's first EP, and this is a real thrill. The music Soren Well has been honing during the recent months, has taken on life, and formed an expansive, explosive sound that already impressed me when all I had was the songs they posted on their MySpace player. I found their MySpace page while searching out New York City bands who play gigs with other bands that I know and love. Since I was really enjoying those songs, I made it over to see Soren Well play a gig that was almost a one-night shoegaze/noise-rock fest at Public Assembly in Brooklyn (on June 27, 2009): six bands playing from 7 pm till 1 am, all big-guitar-effects bands who can blow your mind with their intensity and creativity.

Soren Well play music that definitely can be described as shoegaze, but I also like to add to that sort of generic tag, that Soren Well have what bands like The December Sound and A Place To Bury Strangers have: a way that they layer their guitars and vocals that gives their music a slightly darker, shivery feel. There is a haze of gauzy guitar in the background, with the lead guitar topping the songs with the defining highs. Throw in some excellent, powerful drumming, and some vocals, that not unlike Zack Sarzana's from The December Sound, sit just atop the highs of the lead guitar, and you have a set of songs that are sometimes hypnotic, sometimes a bit evil, always intriguing.

The six songs on Soren Well's self-recorded, self-produced, and self-distributed debut EP are pure bliss, a necessary fix for a shoegaze addict like myself. After begins the set of songs and gets slammed by the rumbling rhythms and wild guitars of Starry Eyes Gone Blank Tonight (quite a poetic song title), and Soren Well use that perfect pair of songs live, too, as their set closers. Two songs played live but not on the EP are Ghostbear and The Devil Is Always Winning, both fantastic. And don't let Soren Well fool you into thinking their music is of the sedative style, as you might think by reading their MySpace (influences: Ambien and Nyquil); rather, their music soars to some serious heights. Well, maybe Plaster will sedate you, just a little bit, but Black Transmissions will wake you right back up again, before Glass throws you straight into the wall. You'll love every second of Soren Well, I promise you that.