Phoenix | dailybeatz

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coachella day 1: the good, the bad, the ugly.

Its 2:42 am and I just arrived back at our lovely vacation rental after my first day of Coachella ever. It was an interesting and exhausting day to say the least. Here’s what’s gone down thus far:

- Good: My uncle gave us directions to take the scenic route through the mountains from San Diego. It was pretty nice, to say the least. Here’s a picture from the airplane on the way to SD, as well as a nice panoramic shot from our drive overlooking all of Palm Springs

- Bad: We finally arrived to the festival gates around 3:30 PM. We knew we already were going to miss Sleigh Bells (sad) but thought we would be inside for Yeasayer for sure. Because they weren’t supposed to go on til something like 4:20. But then there was a huge gathering of people outside the gates, and we weren’t quite sure why. Especially since the line wasn’t moving at all. Word on the street was that they ran out of wristbands at the gate. Don’t ask me how that happens. All I know is that it was about an hour before we finally got inside.

- Ugly: As soon as we finally got inside, we went immediately to the Mojave tent to see Yeasayer, and of course it was bursting from the seams. So we stood outside, and not two minutes later, a girl collapsed and landed RIGHT at my feet. Her friends tried to get her to respond to anything, and after a few minutes the medics came in and carried her out on a stretcher. Not a good omen.

- Unfortunate but unavoidable: Quite a few bands have had to cancel for various reasons. Mew (one of my must sees) had to cancel for health reasons, and quite a few other bands have canceled because they were unable to fly out of Europe due to the Icelandic volcano. I learned just before Fever Ray’s set began that Delphic was one of those bands. Delphic was perhaps the second most anticipated band on my list, mostly because I LOVE exciting, high energy early afternoon sets and I knew they would throw it down. I know there’s nothing anyone could have done about it, but it was still kind of saddening.

But then the day got substantially better and stayed that way.

Met up with my internet friend Julia and her friend Libby. It might go down as the easiest/least complicated meet up ever. I’m rather happy that I recently made the switch to Sprint, because I was able to send/receive messages all day, and the folks with AT&T weren’t so lucky.

Then we went to check out Aeroplane for my first taste of the famous Sahara tent (on the way stopping into the Mojave tent again to catch Peabs and Mrs. Peabs, another far too easy meet up). And boy did it live up to all expectations. Aeroplane was playing maybe some of the best tunes ever, including a few recent dailybeatz favorites. As we approached the tent, I heard the familiar sounds of Tensnake’s “Coma Cat”, which was shortly thereafter followed by Flight Facilities “Crave You”. Other notables were Phoenix “If I Ever Feel Better”, a sick remix of “Girls & Boys” by Blur (perhaps an homage to Blur/Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn?), and that song from the 90s that goes “La da di la da dai”. You know the one I’m talking about. Maybe today wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Next up we went to check out the areas we hadn’t really seen yet, which included about 10 minutes of The Specials and Passion Pit, before deciding to get some grub and head back to Sahara for Pretty Lights, where I was supposed to meet my friend Sarah. We grabbed a DELICIOUS slice of pizza, and after I couldn’t find Sarah I decided it was time to try to catch up with our housemates for the weekend/friends I haven’t talked to or seen since high school. We had a quick rendezvous in the beer garden, and it was getting close to the time I’d been waiting for all day. Staking out a spot in the Mojave for Fever Ray’s day-ending performance.

We got there a bit early with enough time to catch the end of Imogen Heap’s set. I have to say, I was really impressed by her. She might be the hardest working musician in the biz when she’s performing, wearing a sort of headset microphone and literally running around the stage throughout her songs going from piano to keyboard to keytar to even drums, all the while continuing to sing. Very impressive Ms. Heap, you’ve won me over.

We got pretty darn close after that set ended and sat on the ground for the hour wait that stood in front of us. In the meantime we met some cool kids from all over the place whom I thought at first we were going to get in a fight with. It was a great metaphor for how awful our day began and what it turned out to be. There was Sophia and Buster along with the guy from the UP (that’s “upper peninsula” for you non-Michiganders) and another friend whose names escape me. We talked Michigan and even Michigan football for a while before one of the weirdest/greatest hours of my live music life thus far. It’s this meeting strangers who are really cool that is what music fests are all about.

Finally. My girl Fever Ray lived up to and surpassed all of my expectations on the live stage. I expected it to be an exercise in dark sounds and visuals with occasional rockin beats. But seriously, this chick threw down some next level dark shit on that stage. There were old fashioned lamps all over that would light up with the beat (it was very Disney Haunted Mansion looking) along with the whole band dressed in what I would describe as zombie tribesman outfits. And, oh, the powerful color changing laser beams. They get me every time. The best way I can describe her performance is that it was sort of a totally over the top and avant-garde performance, but perhaps rather than it taking the form of a bird’s nest around one’s face (a la Lady Gaga), the avant-garde manifested itself in a sort of beautiful nightmare, both musically and visually. And I do mean that in the very best way. I walked away just saying “Wow, that was…wow.” And I heard others saying the same all the way to the car.

The only bad part of Fever Ray’s set was the weird kid who showed up in front of me near the end. When the last song began, he was turning to everyone around us screaming, “I WANNA FUCK TO THIS SONG!!” multiple times. Have some class, good sir.

Then, more ugly. After making a wrong turn walking back to our car (leading to probably an additional half mile of walking, at least), we finally got back to our car at 1:30, only to sit in non-moving traffic for a while. Luckily someone had taken down a piece of the fencing so there was an additional exit and we finally got out around 2.

So here’s a summary of my thoughts thus far.

- Things that were good: The whole overall atmosphere. After being used to festivals in big cities, it was so great to look around and see nothing but mountains and palm trees as far as the eye could see. And then at night, wow, that place really transformed. Besides all of the huge art installations being illuminated, the outskirts of the entire Coachella grounds are surrounded by huge spotlights which occasionally all converge overhead, forming a sort of blanket over the festival. It sounds really lame, but it’s really cool to see in person.

Also good were several of the cool people that I’ve met already, and I look forward to meeting some more.

- Things that were bad: The fest running out of wristbands and schedules. It’s really hard to be at these things without your trusty pocket schedule. And the traffic situation at the end of the night needs to be fixed somehow.

- Regrets: Not doing everything in my power to make sure that my camera was still functional for Fever Ray.

Ok, that’s all I’ve got right now. Here are a few pics (very few). Mostly of the festival grounds/atmosphere. I was trying to obtain random pieces of video footage to splice together a nice recap video at the end of the fest (I already have the music/theme/cadence figured out in my head), apparently taking video is a massive drain on this camera’s battery. I’m using my roomates for various reasons, and I didn’t really take the time to figure it out, so maybe I can fix it for tomorrow. In fact, I killed most of the battery during Aeroplane I think. Today I will make sure to save battery power for evening shots, because that’s the real good stuff. But I wanted to give you an inside look at what went down today for those of you who could not attend. Hopefully I can keep up the next two days as well.

Diagnosis: So far I really like Coachella.

Fever Ray – Triangle Walks

buy it on Fever Ray - Fever Ray - Triangle Walks or amazon

Posted: April 17th, 2010
at 3:35pm by chris

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Comments: 2 comments


dailybeatz top 20 albums of 2009

the time has come. i know the anticipation has been unbearable, and i apologize for that. i was originally going to post this on monday but i was so excited i just couldnt wait. my basic criteria for my top albums are based on how much i listened to that album on repeat after i heard it for the first time. because isnt that really the best sign of how much you like an album? i was going to do a best songs of 2009 list too, but i post my favorite songs every day. i felt guilty narrowing down to 10 (and frankly couldnt pick) so ive bumped it up to the top 20, along with a track from each album (which may or may not have been posted here before).

20. the handsome furs – face control

handsome furs - face controli dont reckon this album made many year end lists, but the completely raw sound (both musically and vocally)just stuck with me and kept bringing me back for more.  and after seeing this two piece live this summer, i know that i want to listen to their music and to party with them. just a fun album.

handsome furs – all we want baby is everything

buy this album on Handsome Furs - Face Control or amazon





19. jack penate – everything is new

everything is newto be perfectly honest, this album really didnt do much for me at first. then i was lucky enough to catch mr. penate live on a whim while i was in chicago earlier this year and i got to witness how fun and exciting his music can be first hand. then i found out my friend amber waited on him earlier that day, and i realized it was meant to be and the album went into heavy rotation shortly after.

jack penate – tonights today

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buy this album on Jack Peñate - Everything Is New (Bonus Track Version) or amazon





18. bat for lashes – two suns

bat for lashes - two sunsthe ever lovely natasha khans second album has really shown her moving forward since the release of the great “fur and gold” a few years back. this time, the songs are bigger and harder hitting. and its no surprise since she spent a bit of time in new york with dailybeatz favorite yeasayer working on beats. and for the second time, she even nabbed a mercury prize nod. we hope to see lots more of her in the future.

bat for lashes – daniel

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buy this album on Bat for Lashes - Two Suns or amazon





17. here we go magic – here we go magic

here we go magichere we go magic is actually the third musical outing by luke temple, who previously released music under his actual name. i feel as though this album is best listened to on a lazy hazy summer afternoon. the intentional low production quality (allegedly recorded on a 4 track) actually adds to the album in this case. its almost as if we are listening in on some sort of practice session. a practice session which can get pretty ambient at times but more often than not is pretty neat.

here we go magic – ahab

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buy this album on Here We Go Magic - Here We Go Magic or amazon





16. dirty projectors – bitte orca

bitte orcaits almost become uncool or cliche to like this album after how much buzz it got when its released, but since i am uncool, i am not afraid to add it to my top 1720(this originally somehow ended up as the top 17 list, but the OCD in me was uncomfortable with that number so i bumped it up to 20) of 2009 list. theres just something about the way that voices are used as instruments here that i love. and great voices they are.

dirty projectors – useful chamber

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buy this album on Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca or amazon





15. faunts – feel.love.thinking.of.

faunts - feel.love.thinking.ofspecial thanks to mr peabs for informing me of this one month ago. i think the best way to describe this album is to steal from amazon reviewer mark roberts who says, “like m83s ‘saturdays=youth’, its a gorgeous and non-ironic homage to 80s music, without seeming any way dated.” i couldnt have said it better myself mark. hopefully this albums release date early in the year wont have thrown it off the radar of too many year end lists.

faunts – it hurts me all the time

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buy this album on Faunts - Feel.Love.Thinking.Of. or amazon





14. the xx – xx

the xx - xxah yes, everyones favorite early twenties london minimalist rock band, the xx. i was really late in listening to this album (as i am with most everything) but from even the first track i knew i was going to like this one. its amazing how much emotion can be put forth with such little sound at all. and the voices of oliver sim and romy madley croft just work perfectly together.  not to mention the fact that they put out one of the biggest remixes of the year.

the xx – islands

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buy this album on The XX - XX (Bonus Track Version) or amazon





13. dark was the night

dark was the nightyeah, thats right, a compilation has made its way into my best albums of the year list. why? mostly because it was basically a whos who of the indie world at that point in the year and there were tons of great tracks that came from that album. and its for a good cause taboot! and is there even any doubt as to which track youre going to hear from it?

yeasayer – tightrope

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buy this album on Ben Gibbard & Feist - Dark Was the Night or amazon





12. yeah yeah yeahs – its blitz

yeah yeah yeahs - its blitzkaren o and crew did it again, this time the tunes were bigger, brighter, and just made you want to dance. the album came out just as the warm weather was starting to take shape, and it became an essential summer album. with a big festival repertoire this year, including an impressive last minute lollapalooza headlining gig, the band solidified their place among todays great rock acts.

yeah yeah yeahs – zero

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buy this album on Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz! or amazon





11. royksopp – junior

royksopp - juniorafter just one listen to this album i knew it was right up my alley, especially since my tastes have turned so much to anything that can be danced too. even the title of the opening track, “happy up here”, was a great indication of what youd be getting from this one, fun energy. a great pump-you-up record with one of my top 5 songs of the year.

royksopp – the girl and the robot

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buy this album on Röyksopp - Junior or amazon





10. memory tapes – seek magic

memory tapes - seek magicthis was one of the latest additions to my music collection, and i reckon that if i had a little more time to spend with it, it may have inched up even higher. the dreamy sounds laid over a nice beat just take you to another place. i think this is one of those albums where the album art perfectly fits the music. cant wait to see what weird and or memory tapes and or cassette bring us next.

memory tapes – stop talking

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buy this album on Memory Tapes - Seek Magic or amazon





9. animal collective – merriweather post pavilion

animal collective - merriweather post pavilionyeah, you knew it was coming eventually. my love affair began when i finally got a studio version of “my girls”, the track i fell in love with when i heard it live almost a year earlier. and the rest of the album kept me coming back for more. im really not going to repeat everything anyones said about this album because we would be here all day, but this is a must have for any music fan. bonus points for most psychedelic album art. just find a large version of the album cover and get back to me.

animal collective – bluish

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buy this album on Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion or amazon





8. fever ray – fever ray

fever ray - fever raythe first time i listened to this album it was early on a sunday morning driving through the (at the time) desolate streets of detroit. this scenario was so fitting with the album that karin dreijer andersson eventually turned it (well, something like it) into a music video. my surroundings during my first listen really shaped my vision of this album in an extremely positive way. however intrigued i was by andersson before this project, i am now intrigued tenfold by her mysterious persona.

fever ray – when i grow up

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buy this album on Fever Ray - Fever Ray or amazon





7. girls – album

girls - albumthis album definitely snuck up on me, with its loud guitars and catchy melodies. i think what i like most about it is that the whole album just sounds so much like california. not any specific destination or aspect of california, just california as a whole. perhaps because of christopher owens’ gritty and playful vocals, the album just feels real and genuine. its also one of those albums where my favorite song changes weekly. right now, its “morning light”.

girls – morning light

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buy this album on Girls - Album (Bonus Track Version) or amazon





6. phoenix – wolfgang amadeus phoenix

phoenix - wolfgang amadeus phoenixso much to say about this latest offering from phoenix. i still remember my first time hearing “1901″ and how i knew instantly it would become a go-to song when i needed some energy, and then i realized that a lot of the album was the same way. and a seven and a half minute track that was almost all instrumental? sign me up. and just recently i was able to witness first hand that their live performances contain all of the energy of the album (and then some).

phoenix – love like a sunset

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buy this album on Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix or amazon





5. grizzly bear – veckatimest

grizzly bear - veckatimesti still have no idea what “veckatimest” is supposed to mean, but i do know that it lived up and surpassed any hype and expectation. a solid offering from the very first notes of “southern point” to the wistful ending of “foreground” and jam packed with classics in between. this is one of those albums that just about any music fan young or old will probably enjoy.

grizzly bear – while you wait for the others

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buy this album on Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest or amazon





4. st vincent – actor

st vincent - actorfor annie clarks sophomore album, she broke every musical rule. whatever role you thought an instrument would play, it played the opposite on this one (listen to the flute throughout this song below, for example). and i think thats whats so special about this album. it doesnt really sound like anything youve ever heard before, and its almost uncomfortable to listen to at first, but once you get a grasp on whats going on, you can really apprecaite how one of a kind it is.

st vincent – save me from what i want

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buy this album on St. Vincent - Actor or amazon





3. edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros – up from below

edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros - edward sharpe and the magnetic zerosok, so i dont know if this album was technically released this year, or why it seems to have multiple names, but it definitely found its biggest audience this year either way. the album cover describes the album perfectly. old fashioned and awesome. this folky number (allegedly all recorded live on a 24 track machine) is perfect for that friend who just cant get in to any of your music because it was made on a computer and therefore unpure. full of beautiful melodies with stripped down production, its the simplicity of this album that draws you in, and its the catchy songs that will keep you singing. it conjures visions of flower children holding hands singing songs, in a totally non-dirty hippie way.

edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros – come in please

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buy this album on Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Up from Below (Bonus Track Version) or amazon





2. the antlers – hospice

the antlers - hospiceone of the most emotional albums, musically and lyrically, in recent memory. the tale of troubled lovers dealing with a terminal illness is told in great detail on this album, complete with the good times, the bad times and everything in between. but much of the time (save for maybe “kettering”), the music doesnt want to make you cry, in fact, it does quite the opposite. in “bear”, for example, the music is like that of a childrens lullaby but builds into something much bigger. and if you think that their live show would be boring and quiet, you would be in for a shock when they nearly blow the speakers out.

the antlers – bear

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buy this album on The Antlers - Hospice or amazon





1. miike snow – miike snow

miike snow - miike snowif you read this blog with any regularity, then you probably already knew this was the number one album. miike snow was really my overall musical act of the year, with the great album, two great live performances that i witnessed, and two of the ILLEST remixes of the year. in my opinion, this is the perfect album for people who hear the word “electronic” and run away screaming, because its totally electronic in a completely digestible way. the album starts out with the total pop hit “animal”, then “burial” gives our first tastes of computers, but its subtle and welcome. by “silvia”, youve moved on from dipping a toe in the water to pretty much end up waste deep in electronic goodness, and by then, the water feels fine so youre ready to dive in head first. luckily there are tracks later like “plastic jungle” and “in search of main” to whet your appetite. and the album pales in comparison to their live performances, with their 5-10 minute dj improvs following nearly every song.

miike snow – silvia

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buy this album on Miike Snow - Miike Snow or amazon

phoenix @ clutch cargos 12.08.09

phoenix @ clutch cargos 12.08.09

french band phoenix may very well be having the best year ever. theyve had a large and dedicated fan base for a few years now, but with the release of their album “wolfgang amadeus phoenix” earlier this year, their popularity has soared and they are all over the place now. my latest favorite thing theyve done is their blogotheque take away show in front of the eiffel tower. so i was glad that they finally returned to detroit for a show at clutch cargos, also known as the old church turned 18+ club that myself and many of my friends fake IDed our way into before we were 18. what was more exciting was that just about everyone i knew would be in attendance, and i was pretty sure that the crowd would skew more towards 21+ than barely legal to drive a car. i dont really have a problem with the youngins, just their total lack of not being obnoxious (thats a double negative folks). but i guess we were all that age and acted that way once, so i can let bygones be bygones.

i had a work event to attend so arrived just in time to make my way through the crowd to snap some shots. thankfully clutch cargo has a railing/pit area in front of the stage so i didnt have to fight with the crowd too much. the band took the stage a little after nine and it was full steam ahead. they opened with “lisztomania” and as expected the crowd was fully into it right off the bat. a few songs into the set, i THINK during “lasso”, the song i hated when i first heard it which quickly became a favorite from the new album, lead singer thomas mars jumped down into the pit and had his way with the crowd (while a few members of the crowd had their way with him too) all but crowdsurfing much to the delight of the audience, especially those in the first few rows.

the band made their way through the setlist which included a lot of material from the new album plus a nice spattering of older tunes. as i found my various groups of friends in attendance, the consensus was clear that everyone was pretty impressed with the energy and great sound coming from the band (even if the guitars were a bit lower than we would have liked). while the lighting wreaked havoc on my attempts to take any sort of acceptable photograph, it added a ton to the overall impact of the show, essentially silhouetting the band most of the time and treating the crowd to excessive strobe lighting to compliment the backdrop which was essentially a full size recreation of the album art from their latest release.

the band left the stage to a roar of screams and applause and returned for the encore which really ran the gamut of time and style. they started out with a much slowed down version of “everything is everything” off their 2004 album “alphabetical” which was really just thomas singing along with a guitar which was only sometimes playing. they carried on with that style paying homage to another fantastic french group, air, with a slow and minimalist cover of “playground love”. next up was a much more upbeat number in “if i ever feel better” from their debut album “united” which brought back in the rest of the band, and last but certainly not least was the conclusion of the show with what seemed like a ten minute version of “1901″. the band trudged through while the entire crowd sang along and when the song was over, the crowd was teased that the night was complete, but then they kicked back in for a reprise and blew the roof off with a final chorus.

i think for me, the biggest surprise was the stage presence of mars. id seen a few performances on tv before and remember being very underwhelmed with him live (to be fair im sure its much more difficult when you arent necessarily face to face with an actual crowd), but tonight was a totally different story. mars was extremely animated and was all over the place, often standing on his monitors at the front of the stage, and as i mentioned even jumped off stage and into the welcoming arms of the first few rows of the crowd.

a selection of my pics from the night are below and,of course, you can see these and the rest of the pics on the dailybeatz flickr page.
phoenix @ clutch cargos 12.08.09

phoenix @ clutch cargos 12.08.09

phoenix @ clutch cargos 12.08.09

phoenix @ clutch cargos 12.08.09

phoenix @ clutch cargos 12.08.09

phoenix @ clutch cargos 12.08.09

phoenix @ clutch cargos 12.08.09

phoenix @ clutch cargos 12.08.09

phoenix @ clutch cargos 12.08.09

phoenix @ clutch cargos 12.08.09

phoenix @ clutch cargos 12.08.09

phoenix @ clutch cargos 12.08.09

phoenix @ clutch cargos 12.08.09

phoenix @ clutch cargos 12.08.09

phoenix @ clutch cargos 12.08.09

phoenix @ clutch cargos 12.08.09

phoenix @ clutch cargos 12.08.09

phoenix @ clutch cargos 12.08.09

phoenix @ clutch cargos 12.08.09

phoenix @ clutch cargos 12.08.09

and then it snowed. we went to the scantly attended afterparty in the lounge downstairs and danced with a few other folks to some good tunes (which coincidentally included yesterdays justice remix, played just after midnight on the day the song would be posted on this very site) before the long and slow drive home.

phoenix @ clutch cargos 12.08.09

phoenix @ clutch cargos 12.08.09

on to the music. and what other than my current album favorite from “wolfgang amadeus phoenix”, the aforementioned “lasso”.

phoenix – lasso

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - Lasso buy this track on itunes
buy this track on amazon

and since phoenix is good people, they opened up their album to be remixed/covered by anyone who wanted to a few months back and released the best of the best. here’s a favorite of mine from that endeavor, a great garage rock cover of the originally sorta funky “fences” by the soft pack out of san diego, which i happen to like even more than the original. good work.

phoenix – fences (the soft pack remix)

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Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (Remix Collection) - Fences (The Soft Pack Remix) buy this track on itunes
buy this track on amazon

Posted: December 10th, 2009
at 8:30am by chris

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Categories: Uncategorized

Comments: 1 comment


these modern socks – no one’s gonna miss me

these modern socks

now that im finally back to some sense of normalcy after a weekend of insanity and sleeplessness, its time to present this years bonnaroo lineup with some awards:

best show of the weekend – tie between wilco and phishs second performance

sweatiest performer with tightest clothing – bruce springsteen

best performance i didnt want to go to that turned out to be awesome – amadou and mariam

performance that was as eerie and unique as i hoped for and lived up to all my expectations – yeasayer

biggest disappointment – mgmt. im sure the show was great in the tent but we were so far back and there was some malfunction with the second set of speakers so we couldnt hear any bass. all the people in the tent looked like they were having fun and i heard it sounded great in there.

favorite bar of the weekend – the fruit bar. we subsisted mostly on bars for the weekend. granola bars, fruit bars, all bran bars, etc. but the fruit bar is ridiculously good. its basically a really soft fruit roll up thats about an inch thick. i need to find out if its available in america.

best footwear for the weekend – sanuks – wore them all 3 days with no problems whatsoever.

favorite vendor food – the chicken kabobs from the areppa stands.

shows i most wanted to see but missed because of exhaustion/conflicts – band of horses, phoenix, crystal castles, paul oakenfold, yeah yeah yeahs, grizzly bear.

any other categories youre curious about?

so that about sums it up. the rain was pretty bad on the drive down on thursday but after that it didnt rain again the whole weekend and the mud was minimal and very avoidable which made things about a zillion times better than they would have been. now that bonnaroo is over, you can get excited to hear me talk nonstop about my next getaway to pitchfork festival in chicago for my second year there.

back to the music. todays track is no ones gonna miss me by minneapolis band these modern socks. this group is pretty much electro-pop goodness. i especially like the spaceyness (fake word alert), the the unassuming drumbeat, and the bass explosion near the end of the song. its kind of a pretty sad song, both pretty and sad. kind of like my return home after bonnaroo. pretty because i get to take showers and sleep in beds now, but sad because the excitement is over and im going back to work tomorrow.

these modern socks – no ones gonna miss me

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These Modern Socks - Picking a Lock At the Speed of Light - No One's Gonna Miss Me buy this track on itunes
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bonnaroo preview – phish – peaces en regalia (live)

phish

well, here we are at the final day of bonnaroo. its been pretty crazy so far and we’ve done a lot of things we never thought we would do and seen a lot of things we. again this is all based on assumptions and expectations, but i hope it was all awesome. what i do know for sure that this excellent weekend will be closed out with a second performance by phish. ive seen phish probably about 10 times total over the past several years including the mud-laden coventry festival, which im praying has not been repeated these past few days. while im partially talking about the music and the performance, im mostly referring to the ridiculous insane crazy quicksand mud that seemed to engulf everything and everyone in its path. while it sucks being all muddy, the real problem i have is that youre already completely exhausted from walking, standing and dancing all day at these fests, and to have to trudge through the mud the entire day only saps away lots of that precious festival energy that youve been stocking up on for the last few weeks. it definitely wouldnt ruin my time there, but id really prefer it to not even have the chance.

phishs time slot tonight is 8pm-12am and then im sure there will be some crazy partying and then we will pass out forever and have to drive home 10 hours tomorrow. im hoping theyll be in top form after playing a few shows in the week before but anythings possible really. im looking forward to their famous light show, which you get a glimpse of above. the shot at the top of this post was my computer background for quite some time back in the day and one of my favorites, but there are a multitude of moments like this in the course of any show of theirs.

ironically, the phish track im bringing you today isnt a phish track at all. its a cover of frank zappas “peaches en regalia”. they used to play it all the time, but the legend goes that zappas family asked the quartet to refrain from performing the song in the future. im not sure why, but supposedly they did, and i dont think theyve played it since. trey has been quoted as saying that he drew a lot of inspiration from frank zappa. namely in that he inspired him to use instruments in ways they arent typically used (on a side note, i believe st. vincent aka annie clark has said the same thing about all the instrumentation on her latest album “actor”). for example, in one of his recent solo tours, he performed “sultans of swing” by dire straits regularly. instead of playing the crazy guitar solo himself, however, it was played note for note by an entire brass section. its pretty cool to hear. anyway, enjoy the track below. and dont ask what show this is from because i have no idea. i think theres also a little blip in the middle, so please ignore that.

phish – peaches en regalia

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Phish - Vegas '96 - Peaches en Regalia buy this track on itunes (another live version)
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BONUS!!!! since phish played twice at bonnaroo, im providing you with another track thats pretty neato. its called talk from the billy breathes album. soft chromatic descending baselines overlayed with jazzed up piano chords? youll like it. and it will quietly close out the weekend just as our exhausted drive home will close out our weekend. have no fear, i will spend all of tuesday at rest.

phish – talk

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Phish - Billy Breathes - Talk buy this track on itunes
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Posted: June 14th, 2009
at 2:00am by chris

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bonnaroo preview – phoenix – love like a sunset

phoenix

day 2. but really its day 1 for us because based on the time we’re planning on leaving, by the time you read this we will probably have already missed all the musics from day 1. but thats ok because i didnt really really want to see anyone on day 1 except passion pit, and theres still a glimmer of hope that we made it in time for them. either way we probably had an awesome time last night because if we missed the music that means we were maybe slightly mad about it and that we probably partied really hard to make it up. maybe thats why my stomach hurts right now.

todays problem of the day is two-fold. fold 1 is that phish is playing at the same time as crystal castles, one of my “bands i really wanted to see”. the second fold is that phish is playing at the same time as phoenix, one of my “bands i really wanted to see”. but i suspect i will have many opportunities in the future to see aforementioned “bands i really wanted to see” so im quasi ok with it all.

since i will not be hearing any music by phoenix today, i decided that you probably should. ive just recently become a fan of this uber-french uber-fun uber-pop group and planned on posting 1901, a great ditty from their latest album “wolfgang amadeus phoenix”, but then i decided to post this song instead because it shows how versatile they can be even though at first glance and first listen you would think that they are straight up pop. this post is bad because i have tons of errands to run and packing to do. but enjoy the track anyway in all of its obscurity. its a 7:39 cloudy day turned dark dreary thunderstorm turned pretty excellent sunny day at the beach. i urge you to listen all the way through to the sunny day and reward yourself. if you want the straight up pop, check out “lasso” or “consolation prize”.

phoenix – love like a sunset

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Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - Love Like a Sunset, Pt. I buy this track on itunes
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Posted: June 12th, 2009
at 2:00am by chris

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