strangers

Ed Harcourt, a long time sappy favorites of melody, will be playing april 20th and 27th at Pianos. Some of us remember his wonderful first ever new york performance three years ago at Joe's Pub where all these guys were begging for tickets like little girls. The two shows at pianos will be well worth your money and time, Ed's a great performer. Strangely enough, i still haven't heard his latest ablum.

Last minute gig announcement, i'll be guest deejaying tonight at LIT for Justine D.'s Aktion party, upstairs - 11 to 4am! Last time i djed there, it was a complete dancing blast, expect the same thing tonight.

Next week, i'm hosting one of my tuesday shows at Rothko featuring The Panda Band, a group from Australia who will be making their nyc debut. They got lots of praise from the press as a new band to watch and are most often compared to The Flaming Lips, not too shaby. It wouldn't surprise me if they get even more attention after this mini US tour. Take a listen:
The Panda Band :: Mohawk [mp3]

Check out this month's Fader (Bloc Party cover) in which i give my current favorite DJ picks.

starts off with a bang

If you're not going to Austin for SXSW, Filter put their people to work on a blog updated very regularly via phones while they attend the shows and parties. What would we do without blogs these days??

Also, if you're in new york, you should stop by ATOMIQUE tonight. I have lots of giveaways, and a guest DJ who loves british music.

If you're going to see The Go! Team next week at the mercury lounge, get there early, there's a very good band opening called Mobius Band (thanks to Coolfer for turning me on to them). Here's a song off their recently released EP City Vs Country:
The Mobius Band :: Starts off with a bang [mp3]

black and white town

How amazing were Doves at the Bowery last night? So amazing! It was, to say the least, a greatly invigorating show. They opened with Pounding and played a perfect set comprised of songs off of all three albums. While, i didn't necessarily leave wanting to listen to Some Cities, i did leave craving to put on Lost Souls, which remains in my opinion their best album. Those who heard me complain last night, i was exaggerating! I just really wanted to hear Spaceface as the finale, but instead we got There goes the fear, which in retrospect was as good an ending. Also, no Catch the sun?? Ok, enough complaints. As i said, the old tunes (Sea song, Caught by the river, Here it comes, The cedar room) were phenomenal, and the newer stuff was incredibly tight. Also, what a treat seeing Doves again at the Bowery, four years after their first ever show. They'll be back at Webster Hall in may i believe.
The Magic Numbers, who opened were a nice surprise (though it should never surprise anyone that Doves always choose the best up and coming bands for openers). They had a 60's california pop sound to them, soft with hooks and singers who can sing! I'm talking beautiful voices and real falsettos. Very charming band.

Monday at Rothko i saw...
Hot Chip. I loved. Imagine five guys all on synths, moogs and drum machines playing dancy electro-pop songs with great energy and build ups. As i was watching, i could totally see myself spin their stuff and the crowd going nuts for it. Plus, i always really enjoy a band who gets into their set and shows it, and Hot Chip did just that.

Maximo Park. Is anyone else surprised that this band is being released on Warp Records (also known as the home of the best electronica) in the US? The label's already branched out a bit by adding Home Video (a mix of electronic and new wave, great band) to their roster, so perhaps i shouldn't be all that confused about it. Anyways. Truth be told, Maximo Park is a good band with good songs whose live show was engaging. But, at this point in time, i'm afraid that they may possibly be suffering from the PP (post-punk) revival backlash, which will inevitably take place very soon, if it hasn't already. I get the feeling that peeps out there are getting a little tired of that movement. After all, it's happened and will continue to happen to every genre in music, and one can only hope that the greatest will survive. My guess is we'll have to wait for the album on this one to find out if Maximo Park will be one of the survivors.

robot rock

Tonight's happenings...

Tuesday March 15th :: 7:30pm :: $8 :: 21+

Jenyk/dot/com + Melody Nelson present VICIOUS @ Rothko!
Sponsored by FILTER magazine in conjunction with ASCAP, featuring...

11pm - The December Sound
10pm - A Place to Bury Strangers
9pm - Spielerfrau [EP Release!]
8pm - Man in Gray
7:45pm - Eugene

With Guest DJ: DJ Fludd!

Rothko :: 116 Suffolk St. Between Rivington and Delancey St.
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Today the new Daft Punk album Human after all comes out in the US, and honestly, i'm just really surprised at how little noise this release is making. On the press side, it's been so quiet (although i'm expecting a Pitchfork review today, and it'll probably be bad), so i'm assuming the label isn't pushing it too much. On the consumer side, those who downloaded it perhaps didn't like it enough to buzz about it. I think Human after all and Robot rock are great tracks, but i need to take a better listen at the rest of the songs. Check out this (not too exciting) site made for the release.

night on fire

Last monday was one of those nights when i didn't feel like going out, not because i didn't want to see the three great bands playing at the bowery, but simply because i wasn't in show mode. Thankfully, that changed immediately as soon as Robbers on High Street hit the stage. I first saw ROHS in the summer of 2003 (a couple months before they played Vicious) and it's endearing to re-read that entry now because my feelings about them haven't changed at all. I still think they're great. They do have the similar piano driven pop sensibility as Spoon but have managed to successfully define their own style. Last week was no exception, they sounded together and comfortable playing songs off their debut album and showing enthusiasm of a young band on the rise. I completely credit their "feel good" poppy music for turning my mood around and making me enjoy the evening.
When Ambulance Ltd came onstage, i was ready for them. I don't think i'd realize how long it had been since i last saw them play, but having seen them countless of times, i did realize how incredibly tight they have become over the months. Granted, they've been playing the same set for two years now, but the songs have largely proven to stand the test of time (the album was one of my favorites of 2004). The venue was absolutely packed for them, which also made me realize how popular they are now. Talk about paying their dues, Ambulance is definitely a band that's been working hard to get where they are, and they completely deserve it.
Finally, when VHS or Beta took the stage, the crowd was less, but those who stayed seemed to have a great time. VHS or Beta tend to be overly criticized for being derivative, and sure they're not reinventing the wheel (who is these days?), but they're damn good at recreating their retro post-punky/dancy 80's sound. Their instrumental numbers are a great proof of that. When they played their single Night on fire, the audience ecstatically danced around. Bottom line, VHS or Beta is a talented band whose songs are just perfect for the dancefloor. By the end of the night, i was happy i went out and stayed for all three bands.

My camera died right after i took this shot of Robbers on High Street.

Tonight, two UK bands make their US debut at Rothko thanks to some hot cheerleaders...