Newcastle, England indie band Maximo Park have announced details of a forthcoming remix album on their official website. Nine tracks from their 2009 albumQuicken the Heart have been, in their own words, “warped, shaped and moulded into entirely different pieces of music.” What makes this remix album unique? For all these remixes, the band have enlisted the help of new, underground artists from their region of Northeast England, all of whom answered the Geordies’ call last year when they worked with Generator (a local organization that supports new music and artists) to find just the right artists to remix tracks from their then-new album.
Physical CDs of the remix album will only be available with copies of the July issue of NARC, a free, monthly Northeast England music publication. You may think that us here on the other side of the pond are out of luck. Thankfully, Maximo Park have given great thought to those of us who don’t live in the Northeast of England, stating that all the tracks will be available for streaming and download on their official website at the end of June.
Emii blew us away at SXSW and recently, she took the time to answer a few questions from PopWreckoning’s Thomas Starks about her unique sound and strong connections with her fans.
PopWreckoning, Thomas Starks: Unlike many artists today, it seems you just knew what you wanted to be from youth. What was it that ultimately drew you to music? Emii: Music has always intrinsically been a part of my existence. It’s something I inherently need…. to create, to write, to sing, to inspire and be inspired, and to celebrate; All through music. That has been apparent since I was very young. I can’t exactly explain it. It’s just always been that way for me.
TS: What were the major influences that impacted your writing? Emii: From love to disappointments, to celebrations, to my own heart-wrenching mistakes, to the guy back-flipping off a building onto the flatbed of a moving semi-truck… let’s just say I’ve been inspired by a wide range of… well, everything.
TS: When was your first open mic gig and how did you feel you did? Emii: When I was around 13, there was an open mic competition. Granted, when I was much younger, I had always taken the stage (mostly uninvited) without a second thought, with no professional performance experience at that point. But for this competition, I had practiced my song diligently, and when it came time to perform, I got up on stage and gave it my all. Unfortunately, the only ones that heard me were a few people in the front row. The rest of the audience along with the judges hadn’t heard a peep because I had been holding the microphone wrong. Oddly enough, I didn’t feel too badly about it. I just knew I had to do better. And so, I did.
TS: You seem to have a cross between a gothic sense and pop, would you agree with that distinction, or are you attempting to pave a new genre? Emii: Sure, at times. But it depends on the moment, on the song. I’m more interested in the freedom to create whatever inspires me, regardless of genre.
TS: What organizations would you recommend for other artists who want to work with students? Emii: Character Counts, Students Against Destructive Decisions, Rock for Character.
TS: Can you tell us where the inspiration came from for your latest song “Magic”? Emii: The song was first born when one of my partners-in-crime saw the mystery in me. Followed by an intense recollection of personal events mixed with love and desire, it inevitably created quite a bit of magic.
TS: You are quoted as saying, “When you truly live for something, it is natural to be on the kind of path that I am on now.” What has that path brought to you and what does that path seem to hold for you? Emii: It’s brought me life. I never really know what’s around the corner, and I love it. All I know is that this is what I do, and this is why I exist. I’ve got a whole world to see, an endless number of songs to create, and a hell of a lot of FUN to have with the awesome people I’ll be rockin’ out with.
TS: You have all the links to social media on your website. Have you utilized social media much and how has that worked for you? Emii: Absolutely. Every day there’s some new way of reaching out, and I keep up with it as much as I can. Staying connected is extremely important to me.
TS: Coming into the industry at this point, how do you feel about the climate between major labels and “Indie” artists who now have all the tools to make records? Emii: There are different paths for different artists. I feel like it’s an exciting time for everyone, because the opportunity to be seen and heard by the world exists through the internet and the exposure it offers outside of what was the previous norm for “getting out there”. Indie or major, it ultimately doesn’t matter to me personally because the important thing was finding the right team for myself as an artist, as an individual. What was right for me may not be right for the next artist. The only constant in this musical climate is the fact that the game is ever changing, and it’s necessary to adapt and remain flexible while staying true to yourself as an artist.
TS: If you could work with anyone you wanted too right now, whom would it be? Emii: B.o.B, Muse, Beyonce, Kings of Leon. I love them. Although, I recently went to Fantabuloso (Chicago 103.5 KISS FM’s concert), and every artist I saw perform live there blew me away.
During the next few days, PopWreckoning will be at Bonnaroo. If you’ll be at the fest, give us a shout and keep us with on twitter.
And of course, if you’re stuck at home, not only keep us with us, but watch the fest from the comfort of your living room. From June 11-13, the 2011 Ford Fiesta helps present an exclusive LIVEBonnaroowebcast. While you won’t be able to see every single artist, the webcast will feature some of your favorites and all the headliners such as Dave Matthews Band and Jay-Z. There will also be exclusive backstage footage and interviews.
If you want to be a good band, play your instruments flawlessly. If you want to be a spectacular band, play your instruments flawlessly and frequently jump on a trampoline…Ok, so that formula might not work for everyone, but it definitely works for Weezer.
Nashville’s American Bang gave the audience a dose of their soulful southern rock. With stretched out, yowling vocals, big drums and even bigger guitar riffs, these guys are like a more affordable Kings of Leon. Though the audience didn’t seem that familiar with their tunes, many were at least able to sing along with single “Wild and Young” and pick up on the choruses to the rest of the catchy Americana rock songs.
After American Bang, was Manchester Orchestra, and with how often they play for this city, they might as well move here and take up residence. Like American Bang, they’re also from the South, but their sound takes on a completely different edge. I love them for the energy and intensity they bring to their music, but as they kicked off with their popular, “I’ve Got Friends,” I was dismayed with how rushed and sloppy this set seemed in comparison to previous performances. They’re a good band, so I know they can do better than what I heard Friday. Only “Shake It Out” seemed up to its usual standard.
Manchester Orchestra Set List: I’ve Got Friends, Pride, Shake It Out, Everything to Nothing, The River
Next up were the science loving prog rockers Coheed & Cambria who played a juggernaut of set list. Wailing, soaring guitar riffs made this the perfect music to rock your head up and down to and it was almost a shame that it was so hot that the mosh lovers couldn’t really get into it. The only issue here was that while the set sounded great down in the front, if you moved further out into the venue, the falsetto vocals got swallowed up. Not necessarily the band’s fault, but one of the pitfalls of an outdoor show.
Coheed & Cambria Set List: (Intro), The Broken, Here We Are Juggernaut, At The Killer, Three Evils, World of Lines, Made Out of Nothing, The Suffering, Pearl, Time Consumer, No World for Tomorrow, A Favor House Atlantic, Welcome Home
Watching Weezer, it is a little hard to believe that they’re seasoned veterans of the alt rock world with the youthful and downright jubilant energy they use in their performance. Their set of hit after hit though, served as a good reminder that these guys have been around for awhile and good with reason. Singer Rivers Cuomo danced around the stage, hopped on a trampoline, smashed instruments and every other spectacular performance trick you can think of, but the real treat came during the encore performance. Weezer mashed together MGMT‘s “Kids” with Lady Gaga‘s “Poker Face.” Brilliant (you can check it out below). I know that Weezer fans are divided and some even go as far to ignore the new music, but the thing about Weezer is that no matter what you say you like, all their music is fun.
Weezer Set List: Intro, Hash Pipe, Troublemaker, Undone, Surf Wax America, Woolly Mammoth, Trippin’ Down the Freeway, Perfect Situation, Dope Nose, Say It Ain’t So, Brian’s Theme, Can’t Stop Partying, Why Bother?, I Want You To, My Name Is Jonas, Beverly Hills//Hot for Teacher, Pork and Beans, MGMT’s “Kids”/Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face”///Island in the Sun, Buddy Holly
A collection of sublimely fragile, haunting and heartfelt songs, Familial is likely to surprise many-and not solely because these beautifully understated performances are coming from a drummer. Familial is so persuasively good as to make a case for Selway as a natural born singer-songwriter.
The very first seeds of Familial were planted in 2001 when Neil Finn organized an impromptu gathering of talent, including Johnny Marr, Eddie Vedder, Lisa Germano, former Soul Coughing bassist Sebastian Steinberg, Selway and his Radiohead bandmate Ed O’Brien, in aid of charity. The resulting album 7 Worlds Collide was credited to Neil Finn and Friends, but when the project was revived in 2008 the singing/songwriting was divided among the ranks, which by then included members of Wilco. During those sessions at Finn’s Auckland studio, Philip came up with Familial‘s “The Ties That Bind Us,” on which he made his debut as a lead vocalist. That song, and an earlier number, “The Witching Hour”–also on Familial-appeared on 7WC’s The Sun Came Out album, released August 2009.
Back home, Selway asked Courtyard Studios’ resident engineer and producer Ian Davenport to work with him on sessions that would yield Familial. Selway then invited Germano, Steinberg, and Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche and multi-instrumentalist Patrick Sansone to join him in the studio. Familial finds these varied and accomplished creative voices working in concert to craft a subtly complex and completely hypnotic atmosphere. Curiously, traditional drumming is virtually absent from the record, which favors underlying textures and loops for percussion. At times Familial‘s beats and instrumental colours are so subtle, it seems as if the acoustic air in the room is setting the mood, leaving space for the lyrics, which clearly come from the most intimate of places.
For two sold-out nights, Londoners The xx proved that a minimalist approach can work, when it’s done well.
Having just arrived on the scene in 2009, The xx have earned a great deal of buzz and, judging by the crowd response, a sizable faction of ardent fans. Appearing shy, unassuming and a bit goth in their solid black attire, Oliver Sim on vocals and bass, Romy Madley Croft on vocals and guitar and Jamie Smith on percussion played to a packed house at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall.
To start the show, I was excited to see Phantogram, a New York duo that I have been hearing so much about lately. I had heard about comparisons to Portishead, influences from Serge Gainsbourg and descriptions of their energetic live show. Based upon the crowd response, I don’t think I am alone in my assertion that the performance was a disappointment. The band’s point of reference seems good but there was simply no cohesion and each track seemed sloppier than the one before. There was no trace of an energetic live show and their lighting, which consisted of little more than the incessant, annoying flash of strobes, certainly didn’t help things.
The xx, on the other hand, conveyed exactly the opposite effect. Stacking detached, hazy vocals and thumping bass parts along with “live” drum machine beats, each sound seemed as it were specifically selected to enhance the vibe. Sounding like something thatRobert Smith,Ian Curtis and Peter Hook might have cooked up in long-forgotten shed during the wee hours of night, The xx delivered an hour-long set consisting of most of the songs from their eponymous 2009 album. From the syncopated, overlapping lyrics of “Crystalised” to the half-awake “Islands” and “Shelter” the band gave the crowd a peek into their natural, more-mature-than-it-should-be style. The set continued with “VCR,” the R&B influenced “Basic Space” before closing with an energetic version of “Infinity.”
The show felt very intimate, as if the crowd was voyeuristically peeking into their dilapidated practice space while the band played simply for their own late-night enjoyment. That’s really what is so striking about The xx and their music: it’s seductive and tense there’s nothing pretentious about it. You’re left feeling fortunate that you’ve experienced it unfolding before you, as if it could vanish in an instant. Showing the band’s great mastery of restraint, all of the parts have an organic space between them, letting the tracks breathe and evolve in a very satisfying way.
It’s certainly impressive to see such a young band have such a brilliantly realized sound. Making unique noise from pedestrian instruments, these newcomers just might be on to something.
According to The Temper Trap‘s twitter, tonight’s Kansas City performance by the band has been canceled. However, for anyone planning to go, the band will still be hanging out at Grinders for the evening.
On their first single off Champ, Canadian alternative rockers Tokyo Police Club state, “It’s good to be back.”
While, that’s all fine and dandy for the band, the real question remained: will audiences and fans be glad to have them back? Only the rest of Champ would tell…
Tokyo Police Club impressed with their EPs, but it seems their full-length, Elephant Shell, brought out some mixed feelings, although at 30 minutes, my only complaint was that it was more like a third EP than a full LP. So what would happen with Champ?
With Champ, the band seems to have mellowed a bit from the previous works. It’s almost ironic, that on a song titled, “Breackneck Speed,” the band is playing at one of their slowest tempos to date. Don’t get me wrong, it is still a great and catchy song, but for those who got hooked on the crazy syncopation of “Tessellate,” you might be shocked at some of the more straight up beats.
The album begins with a sustained organ tone overlaid with the static fuzz you get as if honing on a radio frequency. “Favourite Food,” is a gritty anti-love song, “a heart attack on a plate” and “knees are scratched and eyes are black,” are a few of the pleasant images TPC conjures up. Mmm. Black eyes and cardiac arrest. Tasty. The punching choruses of “Favourite Colour follows, before single, “Breakneck Speed.”
For those fans craving the older sounds of TPC with the unbridled vocals that made “Your English Is Good” so great, “Wait Up (Boots of Danger)” is the track for you. The band alternates between walls of sound on the verses before hitting a cleaner, and ridiculously catchy, chorus. If “Wait Up” takes you back to the familiar sound of TPC, brace for shock with “Bambi.” It barely sounds like them and if anything, almost has a Julian Casablancas thing going on.
“End of a Spark” and the old timey love song “Hands Reversed” embrace the slower tempo thing that TPC all of a sudden seems to love. “Gone” is more upbeat and danceable. “Big Off” reminds of the band’s older style, but more in tune, and its big drums give a good fanfare to what is my favorite song on the album: “Not Sick.” “Not Sick” at first seemed a little ridiculous to me, but I soon found I couldn’t get that chorus…”Carolina! Happy belated..” out of my head. Plus what isn’t to love with that irregular synth pattern?
As a whole, the album is a strange sort of coming of age story for the band as they try to come to terms with what their sound is and where they fit into the musical world. This is a more refined Tokyo Police Club, but is this a good or a bad monster they have created with Champ? “Tell me it’s good to be back,” the band says, in the closing number “Frankenstein.” Well, TPC, there’s still some hiccups here and there, but yeah, it is really good to have you back.
Champ was released on June 8. Tokyo Police Club is currently on tour and full dates can be seen at tokyopoliceclub.com.
Bonnaroo. If you’re a first-timer heading to this festival this year, you might be staring at an open suitcase pulling your hair out at this point as you debate what to pack.
Based off my experience last year, here are some things you should absolutely consider when packing for this festival:
Bring:
1. Sunscreen. You’re in the middle of a pig farm and while some of the stages are covered, you will spend a lot of time out in the open. You will burn.
2. Good shoes. Now ladies, I know you all want to look super cute, but remember when I said you’d be in the middle of a pig farm? You’re an idiot if you bring heels or anything else that can’t hold up to the extreme distances you’ll be walking.
3. Ponchos. I know, I know, a second ago I told you to bring sunscreen. Well, the weather can change and last year it monsooned on more than one day. There’s some rain in the forecast again this year, so prepare accordingly.
4. Energy drinks. Water is a given and I know the popular thing to pack is beer, but you might want to throw in a Monster or Starbucks Double Shot into your pack. Some of these bands last until 4 a.m. or if you’re like Kanye, you might be bold enough to not even go on until 4 a.m.
5. Flashlight. It’s hard enough to find your campsite in the dark, but there is nothing worse than fumbling over people, tents and who-knows-what to find that campground port-a-pottie in the dark. Carry a flashlight and fret not.
Don’t Bring:
1. Drugs. I realize there’s a certain reputation with festivals, but if you care whatsoever about enjoying the bands, shelf the drugs and spend your time having real fun, not passed out in your own throw-up.
2. Electronics. Unless you’re in one of the bands or working as press, it isn’t worth lugging around expensive theft magnets that are going to run out of charge anyways.
3. Bad attitudes. You’re going to need the energy to get through the days and yeah, the weather will be too hot, too rainy or whatever, but stay positive and you’ll keep having fun.
This is not a comprehensive list. More information on Bonnaroo can be found here.
“Alejandro” has arrived! Watch the highly anticipated video for Lady Gaga’s third chart-topping single from The FameMonster right now. For the full experience, watch at LadyGaga.com.
We’d love to know what you think: what’s the best Gaga video?
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Concert Calendar
Nov 23, 2011
HaHa Tonka @ Recordbar, Kansas City MO
Nov 25, 2011
Thee Oh Sees @ The Granada, Lawrence KS
Newcastle, England indie band Maximo Park have announced details of a forthcoming remix album on their official website. Nine tracks from their 2009 album Quicken the Heart have been, in their own words, “warped, shaped and moulded into entirely different pieces of music.” What makes this remix album unique? For all these remixes, the band have enlisted the help of new, underground artists from their region of Northeast England, all of whom answered the Geordies’ call last year when they worked with Generator (a local organization that supports new music and artists) to find just the right artists to remix tracks from their then-new album.
