popwreckoning

I first came upon the music of Darwin Deez by an, admittedly, slightly annoying song called “Radar Detector” that got a lot of airplay on BBC Radio in 2010. Darwin Deez, aka Darwin Smith, is one unusual character. A pretty talented guy, Smith wrote, performed, produced, arranged, engineered and mixed almost everything on this debut album. I guess he must just be mildly OCD about controlling his musical output, which is not all that uncommon among musicians. His guitar is definitely strange though: his axe only has 4 strings (no E string) and he has a secret tuning key for it. Okay…

Now I mentioned BBC Radio because Britain, better than any other country, has the ear to pick on a good thing and can do this much faster than America can. And indeed, they’ve already embraced his misfit pop stylings. Widely read British music magazine NME featured Deez as part of the top ten of the NME Cool List 2010, alongside ex-Libertine Carl Barat, Janelle Monae, and Laura Marling, just to name three others. NME describes Deez, in at #10, as follows: “All the Richard Dawkins acolytes who drone on about how all religion is benighted, all bollocks and basically pure evil, need a few elementary lessons in Darwin-ism. Darwin Deez is indie’s exemplar of all that’s positive of living according to your holy principles. His lifelong devotion to the teachings of Indian mystic Meher Baba seems to have gifted him with the warm, graceful, joss-stick hazy spiritual air…” Pretty heady stuff for a kid born under such spiritual confines who eventually gave up schooling at Wesleyan to entertain anti-folk lovers in New York City and now regularly sells out UK venues. Definitely a case of living the dream.

So far, “Radar Detector,” “Constellations,” and “Up in the Clouds” (an addictive, peppy, and cute apology / love song) have been released as singles in the UK, but in my view, the better tracks are still to be discovered when you buy Darwin Deez the album. If you don’t like programmed beats or deadpanned, nonmelodic singing, this is probably not the record for you. “Deep Sea Diver” is not about water sports, it’s Deez singing to his girlfriend, stop being depressed because “now you’re bringing me down, now I’m unhappy too.” A fun groove punctuates “The City.” Later on, “The Suicide Song” sounds far too happy as a real call for help. “Bed Space,” with its trippy dream like quality, lacks direction. “The Bomb Song” is trying to be a commentary on the end of the world by weapons of mass destruction, and it doesn’t fit on this otherwise happy album, it’s just too heavy subject matter.

The surprising gem in the bunch is the last track, “Bad Day.” This is not to be confused with “Bad Day” by Daniel Powter, the cloyingly sweet and empathetic song that we heard play every time another reject was booted, blinking back tears, from American Idol a couple years back. No, this is reined-in vitriol from one dude to another, served up Darwin Deez style. You have to laugh at the lyrics: “I hope the last page of your 800 page novel is missing / I hope that it rains if you leave the window down on your red Mustang” and “I would like to be your girlfriend so I could dump you / and I would like to be your garbage man / so I would never have to pick up your trash again”. Brilliant. It’s the kind of anthem you want to sing in the face of anyone who’s ever wronged you. In a sunny, not argumentative Darwin Deez way, and afterwards, you can skip off, happily, into the sunset.

Darwin Deez will be released on February 22 on Lucky Number Records.

Track Listing:
01. Constellations
02. Deep Sea Divers
03. The City
04. DNA
05. The Suicide Song
06. Up in the Clouds
07. Bed Space
08. The Bomb Song
09. Radar Detector
10. Bad Day

Tour Dates
Feb 09 – Spring Street Firehouse / Birmingham
Feb 10 – Club Downunder / Tallahassee
Feb 11 – Drunken Unicorn / Atlanta
Feb 12 – Snug Harbor / Charlotte
Feb 14 – Local 506 / Chapel Hill
Feb 15 – Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar / Charlottesville, VA
Feb 17 – Black Cat Backstage / Washington, DC
Feb 18 – Kung Fu Necktie / Philadelphia
Feb 19 – Bowery Ballroom / New York City

Darwin Deez: website | myspace | Darwin Deez to Tour North America This Winter, Will Release Self-Titled Debut in February

It’s no secret that Of Montreal loves Janelle Monáe. Anyone who caught the band at Lollapalooza or other random shows the past two years can attest to that. The band frequently invited the songstress to join them on stage for guest vocals. And with her spunky personality mixed with her classic croon, she’s the perfect compliment to the funky indie rockers.

Of Montreal is officially taking Janelle out on a fall tour with them as they promote their newest release False Priest. The tour kicks off in Washington, D.C. with a two night stand at the 9:30 Club September 13 and 14.

False Priest is the 10th studio album from Of Montreal. It will be released in conjunction with the start of the tour: September 13 in the UK/Europe and September 14 in North America. You can pre-order the album and get a free download of the first single, “Coquet Coquette,” here. Janelle does guest perform on the album. The band has also released a “Coquet Coquette” EP featuring remixes by Starf*cker and Yip Deceiver.
Track Listing:
I Feel Ya’ Strutter
Our Riotous Defects (feat. Janelle Monáe)
Coquet Coquette
Godly Intersex
Enemy Gene (feat. Janelle Monáe)
Hydra Fancies
Like A Tourist
Sex Karma (feat. Solange Knowles)
Girl Named Hello
Famine Affair
Casualty of You
Around the Way
You Do Mutilate?

Tour Dates:
9/13 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club w/ Janelle Monáe
9/14 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club w/ Janelle Monáe
9/15 – Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory w/ Janelle Monáe
9/16 – Boston, MA – House of Blues w/ Janelle Monáe
9/17 – New York, NY – Terminal 5 w/ Janelle Monáe
9/18 – New York, NY – Terminal 5 w/ Janelle Monáe
9/19 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom w/ Janelle Monáe
9/21 – Covington, KY – Madison Theatre w/ Janelle Monáe
9/22 – Urbana, IL – Canopy Club w/ Janelle Monáe
9/23 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue w/ Janelle Monáe
9/24 – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theatre w/ Janelle Monáe
9/26 – Nashville, TN – Cannery Ballroom w/ Janelle Monáe
10/3 – Dublin, IE – Tripod
10/4 -Glasgow, UK – QMU
10/5 – Manchester, UK – Academt 2
10/6 – London, UK – Koko
10/7 – Paris, FR – Cigale
10/8 – Lille, FR – Grand Mix
10/9 – Amsterdam, NL – Melkweg Max
10/10 – Berlin, DE – Admiralspalast (Studio)
10/12 – Stockholm, SE – Debaser
10/13 – Oslo, NO – Rockefeller
10/14 – Copenhagen, DK – Amager Bio
10/15 – Brussels, BE – Botanique / Orangerie
10/21 – St. Louis, MO – Pageant w/ Janelle Monáe
10/22 – Omaha, NE – Sokol Auditorium w/ Janelle Monáe
10/23 – Lawrence, KS – Liberty Hall w/ Janelle Monáe
10/24 – Denver, CO – The Ogden Theater w/ Janelle Monáe
10/25 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex w/ Janelle Monáe
10/27 – Seattle, WA – The Paramount w/ Janelle Monáe
10/28 – Portland, OR – Roseland w/ Janelle Monáe
10/29 – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield w/ Guests TBA
10/30 – Los Angeles, CA – Palladium w/ Janelle Monáe
10/31 – Tucson, AZ – The Rialto w/ Guests TBA
11/1 – Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theatre w/ Janelle Monáe
11/2 – Dallas, TX – The Granada Theatre w/ Janelle Monáe
11/3 – Austin, TX – East Side Drive In w/ Janelle Monáe
11/4 – Houston, TX – Numbers w/ Janelle Monáe
11/5 – Oxford, MS – The Lyric w/ Janelle Monáe
11/6 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse w/ Guests TBA
11/7 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse w/ Guests TBA

Monday of Bumbershoot: I would have been completely happy with two days, but no – Seattle handed me a third to enjoy. All the music, the rain, the moshing, and everything else that came with the biggest gathering of music in Seattle over Labor Day weekend could not have been the same without the thousands of people there to enjoy it all.

Monday started quite differently than the previous two days. I couldn’t find parking anywhere, but determined as I was, I drove around a 12-block radius for 20 minutes searching for parking before I found a lot for $15 at 2:15. Just in time to make it to Say Hi.

Say Hi (formerly Say Hi To Your Mom), was one of the main bands I put on my checklist when the lineup was first released months ago only after hearing all of 2009’s “Oohs and Aahs.” Soon after arriving home from Bumbershoot, I searched for all of their music. Eric Elbogen, the brainchild of all that is Say Hi, made it clear at one point that he wasn’t used to touring with the current lineup, but it didn’t show nearly as much as I would have guessed. At one point he asked the bassist, I think his name was Andy, to ask him something.

“Why did you change your name?” Andy asked.

“A question that doesn’t put me on the spot?”

“Oh, well now you’re kind of putting me on the spot.”

“Two gigs with you and you’ve already screwed up.”

They were very musically in tune, playing off each other’s vibe, with the help of the energetic drummer. They weren’t nearly as united as say, Cold War Kids from Sunday, but individually, they all supplied their own energy for the crowd to feed off of. I especially liked the short comments between songs briefly explaining what the songs were about.

“This one’s about vampires,” Elbogen said, prefacing “Sweet Sweet Heartkiller” from 2006’s Impeccable Blahs. That’s the best part about Say Hi’s live performance, deciphering the great lyrics, while keeping a low-key danceable beat underneath. It’s just the right about of energy for 2:30 p.m. in the afternoon.

After a 45 minute search for a few friends I wasn’t aware were going to show up, I trotted back to the Broad Street Stage, past the Purrrfect Pals booth with their adorable kittens, to see Mirah. She – again – was on my original checklist of performers to see. I know I said in previous articles that I dig concerts where I can dance. Mirah is one of those exceptions. The way you’re supposed to listen to her music is the exact opposite of someone like Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head. You’re just supposed to experience it, organically, with the violin, the clarinet, the sitar-looking thing, and Mirah’s beautiful vocal instrument. It’s almost magical how someone with such a seemingly small voice can captivate such a large and muddy lawn. I missed maybe the first ten minutes of her set, so I don’t know if she played “La Familia,” which is kind of disappointing, but for the most part, Mirah’s set was really low-key. The one exception was her last song, “The Garden,” which she explained as the song the Portland High School drill team used in one of their  competitions.

“Because they wanted to win!” And everyone cheered.

Mirah and her band of strings and woodwinds were a very nice change from the energy-draining past two days, and a good chill session before Franz Ferdinand on the main stage that night.

Speaking of Franz Ferdinand, my sister and I got in line pretty early for the main stage, listening to Janelle Monae on the Fisher Green while we waited. From what I heard, she was pretty wicked, and according to multiple recommendations from different people, apparently I missed out not catching her full set. But I was waiting for Franz Ferdinand.

I’ll admit it – I tend to be a fangirl when it comes to my favorite bands – Franz Ferdinand being one of them. I saw them almost five years ago at the “Deck the Hall Ball” put on by Seattle’s Original Alternative radio station 107.7 The End. They were a part of a great lineup all those years ago – including Keane, the Shins, Snow Patrol, The Killers, and Modest Mouse, ironically, since Modest Mouse was playing on the main stage right after Franz. But when I left there, Franz Ferdinand was the band that blew we away. And five years later, I was ready to be blown away yet again.

I was, quite literally.

After waiting in the mosh pit for 15 minutes or so, Alex, Nick, Bob and Paul walked on stage and the entire stadium squealed with delight. They started off the night with “No You Girls,” their current hit, then going directly into an older song, “Dark of the Matinee” (which just so happens to be my favorite of theirs). It was a perfect mix of the old and new stuff. Alex introduced the rest of the band for us to cheer for individually, and they matched the energy with their musicianship. Not only did they pump us up, they sounded great. As the set went on, the crowd got closer and closer together, to the point where the security guards all sprayed us with hoses to get people to chill out. It didn’t work very well, because halfway through the set, after mega hits “Take Me Out” and “Ulysses,” Alex and the gang broke out into “This Fire,” another of their hits from the first record. This got the crowd jumping all together; I couldn’t even get a good photo of anything. I was too into it. Then as people got tired of jumping, I felt a sharp thwack on the back of my head and then could barely make out a floating body above my head as I grabbed my throbbing skull, and tried to dodge the rest of the crowd surfers making their way towards the stage. Immediately, I wanted to get out of the mosh pit, but this was Franz Ferdinand – the one band I had come to see. So I toughed it out for awhile. I shunned the pain and danced along with everyone else, but then it got too crazy for my head to take. I had to get out of there.

And let me tell you – I was heartbroken that I had to leave the mosh pit. I wanted to stay there for the rest of the set, as Alex traipsed around the stage, singing the undeniably infectious lyrics with his seductive Scottish drawl. But I found my way out of the sweaty mosh pit and cooled down for a bit and had some water, and found my friends, as I’d been the only one to venture into the mosh pit. But even far away from the stage, Franz Ferdinand shined across the entire stadium. It was mesmerizing. Especially in the finale, when they played a drawn out version of “Lucid Dreams,” which already includes a long, electronic outro, but this live version made the wide-open area I was dancing in feel like a rave – and I’ve never even been to a rave.

But, it also could have been the contact high.

Whether you were in the line of fire in the mosh pit or secluded out in the middle of the stadium, away from the mayhem, Franz Ferdinand lived up to my expectations, then surpassed them. They were so good, I didn’t even care that I couldn’t stay for Modest Mouse (my sister’s 17, and she still had school in the morning, and I was driving her home).

Now that was the way to end Bumbershoot.

Bumbershoot: website | day 1 | day 2

The coolest thing about SXSW credentials is that people have name tags. These are quite nifty and tell you not only the person’s name, but what they do. So when you’re chilling out watching a Chop Shop Records band like that label’s first signing, the Republic Tigers, it is quite handy to glance over and see the person who is dancing next to you happens to be Alexandra Patsavas, the creator of Chop Shop Records.

Now of all the industry people at SXSW, Patsavas is my personal hero. She is living, what I consider to be, the dream. She is the music supervisor for shows praised for their great music. Perhaps, you’ve heard of The OC , Grey’s Anatomy or Gossip Girl? Well, now she has a new project with Josh Schwartz– a web series for the WB called Rockville, CA. The show follows a group of people around a rock club and it features performances by some of the hottest bands out there. Now for a taste of the “hottest bands” I checked out the Chop Shop Records showcase that was spotlighting some of the artists to be featured on this new show.

I’ve seen the Republic Tigers many times, but there was something special about seeing them outside of Kansas City. Strangely enough, they seemed more relaxed in front of this crowd of strangers than in front of the hometown crowd. With the many drums they use and all the loops, I’ve seen them get a little off in songs, but this was one of their tightest sets yet. They played several Keep Color songs like “Buildings and Mountains” and “Fight Song” as well as a new song “Kingsley”.

Following the Tigers was The Little Ones, a group often likened to The Shins. With their summery sounds and harmonization, I could see some comparison, but I think there are a lot of differences, too. They had some fun with a small pig figure [Popwreckoning's own "Gig Pig"] that was set near the stage moving it from amps to microphones. It is always nice to see a band that can have fun like that and not take themselves too seriously.

After The Little Ones was the lovely Anya Marina, but I unfortunately had to settle with just listening to her, while I  conducted interviews from behind the tent. I can say that from back there it sounded good and the crowd seemed quite pleased with it, so I’ll have to be sure to catch her some other time. After the interviews, I headed back in and heard some of Janelle Monae. She set the atmosphere with some fog machines before filling the venue with her soulful crooning.

Chop Shop’s showcase was the place to be, assuming you were lucky enough to get on the list. If you couldn’t catch these bands lives, the next best thing would be to prepare for the webseries Rockville, CA to hear who should be on your radar.