Alex’s Neighborhood

View Alex’s neighbors

Little Dragon at the 400 Bar, Minneapolis (11/13/09)

W♥M
5 hours ago
Post a comment

Little Dragon

Tour Dates

11/14/09 Double Door Chicago, IL
11/16/09 Al’s Bar Lexington, KY
11/17/09 Cliff Bells Detroit
11/18/09 Wrongbar Toronto, ON
11/19/09 ll Motore Montreal
11/20/09 Westcott Theater Syracuse, NY
11/21/09 LPR NY, New York
11/22/09 Liv Nightclub Washington DC
11/23/09 Magnus Music LLC Charlottesville
11/24/09 Milestone Charlotte, NC
11/25/09 Local 506 Carrboro, NC
11/27/09 BottleTree Birmingham, AL
11/28/09 Spanish Moon Baton Rouge, LA
11/29/09 House Of Blues Dallas, TX
11/30/09 Emos Jr Austin, TX
12/02/09 Rhythm Room Phoenix
12/03/09 Casbah San Diego, CA
12/04/09 El Rey LA, CA
12/07/09 Rythm Factory London
12/08/09 HiFi Club Leeds
12/09/09 Jam Brighton
12/17/09 Palác Akropolis Prague

Read More

Little Dragon

http://weheartmus...

Among the music she's listening to, she highly recommended Little Dragon. When I found out that s...

Such a nice night for mid-November at the 400 Bar. Athletes in Slacks (myspace) warmed up the crowd with their laidback loungey harmonizing sound that only two keyboarders and a guitarist can produce. The band claims all their songs are about love, except later on their hour-long set, they introduced a song about hating two guys from New York. They did finish strong with a cover of INXS's "Never Tear Us Apart", and that's what really matter.

The first time I heard about Swedish band Little Dragon, was in January. Ceji was really into them. Since we generally like Swedish bands here, I did try and keep up with their whereabouts. As it turns out, they're in the middle of their tour through the US to promote their sophomore album, Machine Dreams. Although the band's been here already, they confessed last night that this was their first time in Minneapolis.

Little Dragon-Recommendation

3 comments

They didn't do Ceji's favorite "Recommendation" song, but I though hands-down their best song played was "After The Rain", complete with an amazing ending.

From what I heard from their live set, their new songs seems to drifts from the R&B and Jazz influence to more electro and beats. I think the combination works well for them, especially since I like their big beats/electronica sound.

Little Dragon

So one thing I should point out is that singer Yukimi Nagano's dance moves looks very martial and yoga-like. She's often doing this tough smirk and her fists in boxing stance. It's as if she's saying, "bring it on". The way she dances and handles herself, she seems like she was born to be an entertainer.

I've been to a lot of shows lately, and I can tell you that this was one of the best shows yet. They're heading their way to the East Coast, so definitely check them out. If they're not heading through your city, you should check out Machine Dreams, out now on Peacefrog Records.

11/14/2009 03:52:14 ♥ vu (

) ♥ little-dragon.se ♥ myspace.com/yourlittledragon

Kymberlie's Daily Twitterings

03:08 It's Friday the thirteenth AND @joshacagan's birthday! Happy birthday, you witty, charming, handsome thing, you! Enjoy the day! #
15:31 @TheRafaela: You're so sweet! :-) #
16:21 Was doing so well on Rock Band until I swapped the last song for a challenging one and got Chop Suey. :-| I can't play that on Expert! #
17:47 Text messages that include "my next trip" make me happy indeed. #
22:04 I may be drunk during a Big Lebowski costume contest. This is epic. myloc.me/1uxrO #
22:29 Holy shit. Drunk at @HoustonLebowski bash. myloc.me/1uyWY #

Kymberlie's Tweets automatically shipped by LoudTwitter. Blog comments are welcomed and encouraged!

At the office

daisy
12 hours ago
2 comments

photo.jpg

Bits and Bobs on a Saturday Morning

W♥M
Yesterday
Post a comment

The Maladies

The Maladies - Album Launch - Oxford Art Factory

It was a dark and stormy night.... well, less stormy and more irritatingly rainy.... anyway it was a night to venture out for the purpose of viewing the album launch show of Sydney boys, The Maladies.

Playing a bunch of songs from their debut album, With You Right By My Side, Baby The Deal Just Can’t Go Down, it was a pretty fine show, I must say. Loud, dirty, bluesy rock, from foot tap inducing tunes to slow, sullen mini-epic songs, but still not quiet. I'd never actually been to a Maladies show before so I was not sure what to expect. Thankfully, it wasn't disappointing in the slightest. I can only assume that the horn section and the back-up lady singers might have been a special occasion for album launching purposes, possibly not the correct sized stage for so many people to squish on to, but you really can't go wrong with a very large saxophone. All the same, quite impressive musicality, the entire band (including back-up musicians on this particular occasion) didn't put a foot wrong. Nice.

Ask me to name a track. Well no, I can't because I am yet to acquire a copy of the album, but i can assure you, that either catching a Maladies show and/or purchasing your very own copy of With You Right By My Side, Baby The Deal Just Can’t Go Down is quite a good idea.

If you are in Brisbane or Melbourne you are in luck because there's more shows to be played:

19 Nov - The Step Inn Fortitude Valley, Queensland w Mexico City & Sue Ray

27 Nov - The Tote Melbourne, Victoria. w James McCann’s Dirty Skirt Band, Black Pony Express & Little John.

An honourable mention also has to go to Jamie Hutchings. I'm sure he's being playing shows in some form or another since before the dawn of time. Always enjoyable.... and, it seems, about to embark on a tour of europe, so if you're over that way, be sure to keep your eyes and ears peeled. Or maybe just look at his website for tour dates (might be easier).

The Maladies - http://www.myspace.com/themaladiesband

Jamie Hutchings - http://www.myspace.com/jamiehutchings

The Rocketsmiths

The Rocketsmiths.... brought to me by facestalk.... but really.... considering the vast volumes of bands that pop up via the internet I must admit this offering from The Rocketsmiths is not too shabby at all. Not what i'd usually admit to listen to.

Anyway, a neat little tune named Doctor has landed on my earpod, and i must say I like it. It's simple, it's pounding, straight down the line. Punk pop, short and sweet. A five piece from Brisbane, The Rocketsmiths have been around for some time (well, since 2006 at least) and released a handfull of EP's. Well worth further investigation.

Tour dates for the Doctor tour... here:

20 Nov 2009 - MUM at World Bar, Kings Cross, Sydney,

21 Nov 2009 - The Clubhouse (formerly Empire Corner Bar), Fortitude Valley

The Rocketsmiths -http://www.rocketsmiths.com/

Fan Death

Well, according to Wikipedia (an obvious reliable source) Fan Death is "a South Korean urban legend which states that an electric fan, if left running overnight in a closed room, can cause the death of those inside (by suffocation, poisoning, or hypothermia)."

As for the band, Fan Death is a couple of ladies who make a brand of discotheque pop stylings of the type that I have never heard before. It's like modern disco, really. Very simple standard disco backing with two female voices singing over the top. Enough to drive you nuts if disco isn't your thing, but i have a little soft spot for disco music....(thanks mum), but not so much for this tune (bring on the Walter Murphy Band... ahem).

There's not a lot of obvious information available as to where these ladies are from, so I can only assume that they are american and it appears there are no live shows on the horizon. Maybe they've gone to Korea to dispel the rumours.

Fan Death -http://www.myspace.com/fandeath

Sally

sally@weheartmusic.com

Heading home early... again

aa
Yesterday
1 comment

Sorry, it's been a lame week for moblogging. I've been sick for most of the week.

photo.jpg

Kymberlie's Daily Twitterings

11:00 Someone please come kiss my forehead and make my headache go away. *whimper* #
11:54 To make your day more awesome, I present THE BEST OF CAPTAIN AWESOME!!! bit.ly/191f6E #
17:09 Robot roll call! #
17:42 Cracking up at the number of comments on my FriendFeed for "Robot roll call!": bit.ly/3V95c7 Man, how I love nerds! :-) #
18:19 Fuck a pile of kittens. Someone get me a PILE OF OTTER BABIES STAT: bit.ly/432nrL That would be excellent for Christmas, you know. #
19:33 Looks like the export key for Lego Rock Band is busted on the PS3. Anyone successfully export their songs? #legorockband #

Kymberlie's Tweets automatically shipped by LoudTwitter. Blog comments are welcomed and encouraged!

Post tennis lesson walk in the park

daisy
2 days ago
2 comments

photo.jpg

Kymberlie's Daily Twitterings

03:49 Firefox, you make me want to kill myself. You have become the suckiest suck ever. #
04:19 Night, kittens. #
09:59 @she_eats: Happy happy birthday, Katharine! I hope you have a super awesome birthday! #
11:11 Today feels like a stabby day. #
13:23 @aclark: Still need one? E-mail me your address to kymberlie AT gmail dotcom and I can send you one. #
16:19 Dear Bruce Willis from The Fifth Element with your blond hair and sardonic smiles, Please marry me. Love, Kymberlie #
18:22 Muuuuultipass. #
19:06 Rewarding myself by making it through my crappy day by going to get a Blizzard from Dairy Queen. Take that, universe! #
19:23 Dairy Queen, calling your tater tots Tater Gems seems like a stretch to me. myloc.me/1skb5 #
19:57 Hey, @akpoff, here's the funniest joke in the world: bit.ly/2CUFlB Or just ask me at the next Geek Gathering and I'll tell it to you #
20:24 Thanks to our veterans today especially @stretch_aye & @alangham. Best thing I saw today: dogs welcoming soldiers home: bit.ly/1tSK1L #
22:27 We all have a sickness / That cleverly attaches and multiplies / No matter how we try. ♫ blip.fm/~g8020 #
23:59 Playing The Last Guy on the PS3 where you round up survivors and avoid zombies. It's good practice for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. #

Kymberlie's Tweets automatically shipped by LoudTwitter. Blog comments are welcomed and encouraged!

Kymberlie's Daily Twitterings

10:09 How are things on the west coast? / I hear you're moving real fine. You wear the shoes like a dove / Now stop t... ♫ blip.fm/~g54xi #
19:33 @bidfire: Amazon Kindle DX - $3.25, $4.00, $5.55, and $8.05 #
20:02 @jeffbalke: Big hands, you know you're the one. #
22:38 Just remembered I still have a box with several bags of ketchup potato chips left. #bliss #
01:18 I finally got my own Google Wave invites (no longer must rely on my friends for their extras), so if you need one, let me know. #

Kymberlie's Tweets automatically shipped by LoudTwitter. Blog comments are welcomed and encouraged!

Art Brut at the Triple Rock Social, Minneapolis (11/09/09)

W♥M
3 days ago
Post a comment

Art Brut - Alcoholics Unanimous

Art Brut

Tour Dates

11/11/09 Oberlin College IL
11/12/09 North Star Bar Phila, PA
11/13/09 Brooklyn Bowl Brooklyn, NY
11/14/09 Ottobar Baltimore, MD
11/15/09 Bowery Ballroom NY
12/08/09 Mono Pescara
12/09/09 Circolo degli Artisti Rome
12/10/09 Live Forum Milan
12/11/09 Spazio 211 Turin
12/12/09 Bronson Ravenna

Read More

Art Brut

http://weheartmus...

It was quite a few years ago I first heard Art Brut. I do believe I was not overly impressed with...

I arrived late to the Triple Rock, in Minneapolis, so I had already missed some of Surfer Blood (myspace / twitter). However, I did get the gist of the band, who seems like they are going to be a hot new buzz band - like Vampire Weekend. Highlight of their set was the last song, in which the guitarist brought the solo drum into the audience as everyone on stage went monkeys. (Sort of feels orchestrated to me, like they didn't really put much effort in trashing their equipments). The audience seem to welcome Blood Surfer, so it's all good.

Art Brut

Loads of Art Brut fans were in the audience that night. You can tell by all the t-shirt and their eagerness of being in front and center. When the band came on, doing "Formed a Band", which singer Eddie Argos turns to the audience and said, "you ought to try it, it's brilliant!"

Eddie looks like a guy that doesn't take himself too seriously. He seems to like to drink a lot and talk a lot (but with his thick British accent, it's not like we could understand half what was said). He seems to swagger on stage a lot, often using his left arm to illustrate the songs.

There wasn't enough room on stage for Argos to do his infamous microphone skip, but he did manage to sing half of "DC Comics" by the bar section. Speaking of which, I think it's cool that Argos is a huge DC fan - since UK comics are usually, you know, 2000 AD/Judge Dredd sort. During the song, Argos spouted out what I hear as "Christian Bale", "Booster Gold" (if I can remember, I think he was basically a janitor from the future with future tech and a Legionaires flight ring), and something about "Metropolis".

Setlist

As you can see from the setlist, they did a mix of new and old songs. The setlist also doesn't reflect what was played, for instance, I know "The Passenger" was played well after "DC Comics". I suppose the setlist was more of a rough guideline than actual instructions.... which actually fits the way Art Brut operate.

The thing about "The Passenger", from their latest album Art Brut vs Satan, is that it got this great introduction. Eddie explained how he thought the Iggy Pop song was about taking the subway, "Iggy doesn't seem to me to be the driving sort." It wasn't until later did he discovered that Iggy's song was about taking heroin in back of a limo with David Bowie. Too funny.

Oh the other thing, the way Eddie sings, if you can call it singing, is quite interesting. It's more like rambling, it definitely feels at time like The Fall - only with a lot heavier backing band.

The band left and came back with three encores. I thought I heard Eddie saying "we don't normally do this", which may have been said in an ironic kind of way. I really couldn't tell, all I know is that the encores were met by the fans' demands.

Art Brut's funk sole brother

1 comment

PS, They only had T-Shirts and CDs for sale at the merch table. I was hoping to see some of their awesome shoes. It's £20 online, which is about $40 USD, but totally worth it if you are a massive Art Brut fan. Get those shoes, and also their latest album, Art Brut vs Satan, at the usual online stores.

11/11/2009 00:00:22 ♥ vu () ♥ artbrut.org.uk ♥ myspace.com/artbrut