The Temper Trap | dailybeatz

Posts tagged with the temper trap

11/08/2010

Film School – Heart Full of Pentagons (Alan Wilkis Remix)

It seems like its been years since we last heard from our friend Alan Wilkis (and in fact, it has probably been just over a year since we first posted his now classic remix of Temper Trap’s “Sweet Disposition”. And coincidentally, I think the last remix I heard of his was another Blank-ful of Blank remix, in that case it was his remix of Phantogram’s “Mouthful of Diamonds”. And this time, it’s Film School‘s “Heart Full of Pentagons” and just as he so often does, he starts out by completely changing the beat of the song. Where the original is all shoegaze and haze (in such a good way), the remix is a little harder with a little more grit and 8-bit, but the fantastic original still shines through loud and clear. And in what seems to be a trend these days, I’ve been introduced to a great song via its remix. Sometimes, remixes outshine the originals because the originals weren’t very good to begin with, but that’s not the case here, because both the original and the remix are rock solid. Hopefully it won’t be another 6 months before we hear another remix from the Wilkis camp.

Film School – Heart Full of Pentagons

Film School – Heart Full of Pentagons (Alan Wilkis Remix)

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10/12/2010

Delphic/The Temper Trap/The Hundred In The Hands @ St.Andrews Hall 10/11/10

Even though The Temper Trap was the official headliner of this past Monday’s show at St. Andrew’s Hall, for me, it was all about Delphic. Their debut album Acolyte is sure to make it into my top albums of the year against some stiff competition and, as you recall, I was slated to see them live for the first time back in April at Coachella, but thanks to Icelandicvolcanogate 2010, this was not to be. And after seeing them live, I’m sure that an early afternoon Coachella set would have been epic beyond epic. When I found out that The Hundred in the Hands would be rounding out this stellar lineup, I knew it was going to be a pretty great night.

Jason and Eleanore of The Hundred in the Hands got things off to a great start with their high energy blend of guitar, synth and beats that I remembered so well from my first time seeing them back in the spring opening for The Golden Filter. I was pretty sure most of the crowd had never heard of them before, but I’m sure that they definitely have some new fans after this one. I’m pretty sure I’m the only person besides themselves to make it to attend both of their Detroit shows, so hopefully I’ll keep that streak alive. I was slightly embarrassed for my city when I mentioned to Jason after the show that I was at that first show to which he commented, “That was…an interesting show”. No doubt in reference to the less than abundant crowd. Hopefully my city will step it up a little in the future, but the joke was on all them who missed out on that extremely intimate performance with THITH and The Golden Filter.

The Hundred In The Hands – Pigeons (Foals XIII Remix) by thehundredinthehands

I could hardly contain my excitement as the stage was set for Delphic to perform. You have to remember that they went from top 5 most anticipated Coachella acts to acts I never thought I’d get a chance to see to acts amazingly coming to Detroit two months from now to acts I was about to see in 5 minutes. The band’s four members took the stage about 15 minutes after their scheduled slot (which I think sadly resulted in a 30 minute performance rather than 45) and immediately opened up with the opening notes of “Clarion Call” and it became abundantly clear that they’ve gone to great efforts to make sure that their densely layered album did not suffer in the live show, as every member had both traditional and electronic instruments set up in front of them. They moved through “Doubt” and “This Momentary” before the beautiful “Red Lights”, complete with the band bathed in, you guessed it, red lights, but it was much less cheesy than it sounds. It’s not often that I can’t control myself within the confines of the photo pit, but I don’t even think I could have stopped dancing if I wanted to. The last three songs played were continuous and almost seamless from one to the next and the band finally stopped to announce “Halcyon” which went straight into their closer “Counterpoint”.

I talked to a few girls before their set began and they asked me if I’d heard the band playing next. At which point I obviously went into a ten minute dissertation on what I love so much about Delphic and how high my expectations were for their live performance. And when I saw them again after the set, they confirmed that everything I’d told them about the band was spot on. I only hope I get to see them again under full headlining circumstances. In summary: high expectations met/exceeded, and I like Delphic way more than is OK.

Delphic – This Momentary (LightsoverLA Remix)

Last up was The Temper Trap. Despite headlining, I don’t really know much about them other than a few songs, but was pretty sold after talking to the guy next to me raving about their Bonnaroo performance. I did catch some of their set at Coachella, but I was far back and not really paying much attention as it was just arriving early for Eddie Sharpe & Co. But I gotta say they’ve got a flare for the dramatic. The set began with a backlit silhouetted band playing slow tribal beats before breaking into some more high energy tunes. They offered us the only slow moment of the entire evening, but it was in the context of a big buildup, so I allowed it. The lighting throughout the show was pretty fantastic and probably the best I’ve ever seen at St. Andrew’s Hall and near the end of the set, they pulled out some Blue Man Group shit when they backlit everyone while lead singer Dougy Mandagi wailed on a liquid-topped drum sending streaks of light in every which direction. I wasn’t particularly excited about their set as I was the least familiar with their tunes, but they definitely gave me something to think about. All in all, a stellar triumvirate of bangin tunes, and a pretty nice way to spend a Monday night in Detroit.

The Temper Trap – Resurrection (Penguin Prison Remix)

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05/05/2010

April Most Popular Tracks

April was a pretty exciting month. I turned another year older, attended my first Coachella festival, and heard many long-awaited albums. But Crystal Castles also had a pretty good month, as you’ll see below, dominating the top 2 spots in our most popular tracks of April. Hear them again or for the first time below. You can see the original post by clicking on the song title.

1. Bloc Party – Hunting for Withces (Crystal Castles Remix)

2. Crystal Castles – Not in Love

3. The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition (RAC Remix)

4. The Bloody Beetroots – 31 Seconds to Die

5. Duck Sauce – The Motion

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04/25/2010

the temper trap – sweet disposition (RAC mix)

I kind of think that “Sweet Disposition” by Australian band The Temper Trap is one of those songs that everyone knows and loves. A great example of this was at Coachella as we were walking to see the band. I was trying to explain to my cousin’s friend who The Temper Trap sounds like, unsuccessfully, because she had never heard of them. But as soon as the song started, she screamed, “I LOVE this song!” We’ve actually already featured a great remix of this tune by Mr. Alan Wilkis before, but now we’ve got another fantastic take on the tune by our friend Andre Anjos, better known as RAC. This one actually reigns the song back a bit, removing that really quick rhythm that permeates throughout the track. Instead, we are treated to some nice synth overtones that sort of become more apparent as the tune goes on. It’s kind of how this song would sound had it been written in another era, but the interesting part is I cant tell if it sounds like a throwback or the next generation. In the times of Saved by the Bell, is this the original middle school version, the one with Miss Bliss, whose niece young Zack Morris falls in love with, only to find out that she leads a double life as rock star Stevie? Or is it a look into the future, to The College Years at a time when dorm rooms and suites were so much bigger than they are today, and co-ed!? You decide.

The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition (RAC Mix)

Thanks to philippe leroyer for the pic.

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04/18/2010

coachella day 2: low expectations lead to huge success

Day 2 started out with extremely low expectations. I was up really late the night before and couldn’t sleep in that late, so I thought I would be a little out of sorts all day. But luckily after 3 breakfast burritos (the third with extra jalapeno and hot sauce) and a few bottles of water, I was feeling a little more like myself again. I took a look at the set times for the day and while I was looking forward to a few acts, I hadn’t made any decisions about the night, and nothing really struck me as must see.

And I think its because of these low expectations that day 2 of Coachella was one of my favorite festival days of all time. It started out simply enough, with us sitting outside the Mojave tent to listen to a few tunes from Camera Obscura. I’d decided that since I just saw Beach House, I would head over to the Outdoor Theater to see The Temper Trap, but not until I met up with my cousin who was also in town for the fest. By the time he and his friends were ready to head to the Outdoor Theater, we could only catch “Sweet Disposition”, which was good and kind of made me wish I’d seen the rest of their set.

But up next was one of my festival must-sees, none other than Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Their album is a favorite of mine, and it’s one of those that I just love every single song so much, so I couldn’t wait to see it live on stage, complete with their huge cast of characters. They opened up with “40 Day Dream” and went into “Janglin’” and their performance was exactly what I’d expected (though this was one part of the day that I did have high expectations for). About 10 people on stage, all playing various instruments from trumpets to pianos to guitars to washboards, and some of the happiest music on Earth. The love and energy up on the stage really carried through. My personal favorite was “Up from Below”, which really came to life on stage. A few songs after that were a bit out of key at times, but the set finished strong with perennial favorite “Home”. Various members of the band jumped in front of the stage to crowdsurf at various times, and Alex Ebert lent his shirt to a young man in the front who had a cut on his head. Hopefully that young man doesn’t have any sort of infection now. Just kidding, Alex, we love you kids. And special thanks to girl on guy’s shoulders #2834 for taking a few pics for me from up there.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – Om Nashi Me

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At this point, my two highlights of the weekend were hilarious because they were COMPLETE 100% opposites. The upbeat, free-love Edward Sharpe et al, and the dark, haunting Fever Ray. The mere fact that I got to experience both within just a few hours of each other said enough about this weekend.

Next up, we decided since we were already at that stage that we would just stay for the XX. I wasn’t particularly excited to see the XX mostly because I thought that it would not live up to the happiness of Edward Sharpe, but I gave it a shot and really enjoyed it in all its minimalist glory. I was surprised to see that they didn’t have a drummer, but rather a sort of live beat-maker. And Jay-Z even showed up, since he loves the indie rock now. Also notable was that during their set, the top of the main stage seemed to catch on fire, with black smoke billowing away. But it stopped after about a minute fortunately.

After stocking up on water for the rest of the night, we headed back to Mojave to catch some of the Dirty Projectors. It was great to see them again with their interesting compositions and incredible and versatile voices. We didn’t stick around too long because we all needed to stock up on some food and water before spending some time at the Sahara tent.

Now, let’s take a minute to talk about the Sahara tent. If you recall from my Lollapalooza recaps, I spent a lot of time at Perry’s last summer. Perry’s, which was expanded last year and I believe is being expanded again this year, is the DJ section of Lollapalooza. It’s all open air and under the trees, and the crowd forms a sort of semi circle around the DJs, and there’s always some great dance music going on. It’s the perfect place to spend some time when there isn’t really another act going on that you want to see.

The Sahara tent is the same concept, only it is in a humongous tent which has a crazy light setup both on stage and throughout the whole ceiling. I described it on twitter today as Perry’s times a million on crack. Just unreal. I can’t wait to get this video put together next week so I can show some of the radness that goes on there.

After devouring a delicious falafel wrap and some garlic fries, we headed into the Sahara tent to catch the rest of Kaskade’s set. It was fun beyond belief and we had such a great time that we decided to stay for David Guetta, who, as you may recall, I had a ticket to see in Rio last summer before we unexpectedly cancelled the trip. So it was sort of fate that I was going to see him on this night. And wow, did he deliver. Some of the hotter drops that I can remember were Imogen Heap’s “Hide and Seek” (she seems to be a positive recurring theme this weekend) and with Major Lazer performing at the same time next door in the Mojave tent, Guetta paid tribute dropping in “Pon de Floor” at one point.

On the walk back to the other stages, I noticed the large string of balloons again in the air that stretched from basically one end of the fest to another, blowing violently in the wind, which had changed in color from white the day before to purple today. They were also flying free in the morning and tied down in the evenings, or so I thought. I’d been wanting to check out the pot of gold at the end of the balloon rainbow, basically to see how this thing was held in place without going away. And today I found out. There is a human being who literally holds this GIANT string of balloons down all day. I was so shocked that I had to take a picture. And all the while he’s just chatting up a storm with whoever’s around, as if it’s no big deal. But believe me, it’s a big deal, and crazy.

So, I skipped Hot Chip, MGMT, and Faith No More, but it was all worth it. We danced our behinds off for hours between Kaskade and Guetta, but the best part was, Tiesto was still to come. We made it back to the main stage in time to catch the end of Muse’s set, which I wasn’t planning on since I’d just seen them, so that was a nice added bonus. Then, like salmon swimming upstream to fertilize their eggs, we fought the crowd leaving Muse to see just how close we could get for Tiesto’s night-closing set. Amazingly, we ended up nearly dead center, about 20 rows back. This is not that impressive unless you’ve been to a night-closing set at a main stage of a major music festival. I’ve never even been remotely that close before in a similar scenario, so I was pretty pumped.

After the 40 minute wait between sets, it finally began. I couldn’t believe that the day had turned into a straight up electronic music festival, and had not planned on that at any point throughout the day, but as Tiesto killed it over and over again (man, those lights/lasers were intense!), I was glad that this was the way the day had turned out. Some of my favorites were his take on Editors “Papillon”, a song I didn’t particularly care for when it first came out but that I loved on this night. The other songs I recognized that found their way into the mix were Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Heads Will Roll” as well as “Feel it in my Bones” and Tiesto’s Adagio for Strings remix, which he introduced by saying “Here’s the old Tiesto classic of the night”, or something like that. Once energy had reached a fever pitch, the set ended with a Flaminglipsian touch, with gobs upon gobs of confetti being thrown into the crowd. As we walked out of the show, the ground was pretty much completely covered.

Then we left the parking lot with no wait, again driving over the fence that someone had knocked down the day before, and proceeded to blare fantastic 80s tunes the whole way home. A great ending to a great day and night.

So, the moral of the story is, sometimes music fests turn out exactly the opposite of how you expected them to, and sometimes that’s for the best. Looking forward to day 3, which features some of my favorites. Plus I get to see my friend Sarah spin at 3:45 in the green zone area, or whatever it’s called, between Mojave and Sahara.

I probably forgot a lot, but I’m glad I’ve been able to get down in writing whatever I can remember from each day, and I hope you’re enjoying it too. How I wish, how I wish you were here.

Again, sorry for the lack of pics, but I promise you I will make up for it with my video, if I can figure out how to use iMovie once this fest is over. My goal is to get a full glimpse of all aspects of the fest, and I think I’ve done a decent job at capturing lots thus far. But I really really like the picture below of the girl on the guys shoulders. So I’ve got that going.

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03/31/2010

penguin prison – worse it gets (RAC remix)

So many great remixes making their mark as of late. And one of my favorites is this reworking of Penguin Prison’s “The Worse it Gets” by RAC, aka Remix Artist Collective, which is led up by Portland resident Andre Allen Anjos who does most of the remixes himself. He always does a great job of picking out subtle pieces of the songs he’s remixing and highlighting them. It is often the case that subtlety is much more challenging than in your face beats (though we like those too). Since we are friends on the google talk (gtalk? gchat? I think I like calling it gchat the best, don’t ask me why), I asked him if he could take a few moments to talk about what his inspiration was for this remix and why he chose this song.

Something that I love about Penguin Prison is that it’s shameless pop. As it should be. Pop music can carry a negative image with lots of people and I’m glad there is somebody doing it ridiculously well. With this remix I just tried to bring out those elements with a little more focus on the groove. I’ve been wanting to do a track win an “Around the World” bassline and this is my take on it.

I kind of have to agree that sometimes we just need some shamless, shameless pop. So what’s next for Andre? Well, he shared with us that he’s in the middle of working on the second album of remixes. It’s a bit too soon for him to reveal anything about the album or what songs may be getting the RAC treatment, but he did say that there are lots of big name artists involved. If you can’t wait that long, he also informed us that he’s working on another Edward Sharpe remix and in the even nearer future, he will be releasing a Temper Trap remix, so keep an eye out for that. Sounds like there’s lots of good stuff to be heard from Mr. Anjos in the near future.

One thing we especially like besides good music are artists who just seem to be nice, down to earth people, and we feel that Andre is one of those people, so show some love to him and the RAC if you got it.

Penguin Prison – Worse it Gets (RAC remix)

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10/16/2009

the temper trap – sweet disposition

the temper trap

todays your lucky day. not only are you getting a great new track, but youre also getting a crazy good and out there remix of it. id been planning on posting “sweet disposition” by the temper trap hailing from australia and even though i just heard this song for the first time a few weeks back, it seems that it was a pretty big hit down under in 2008. sounds about right.

when i heard this crazy alan wilkis remix, i couldnt even decide which version i wanted to post, so i posted both. plus, this remix is the type that i love, the type where it still holds true to the main feeling of the song but just adds a whole new dimension to it without completely dissecting the song so you hardly recognize what it was to begin with, and for that reason, i think its important that you hear both the original and the remix, not only to get some sort of perspective, but also so you can see how great both versions are. if you came here looking for a long sentence, then the last sentence was for you. with the driving original version and the electronically inspired remix, theres a little something for everyone.

the temper trap – sweet disposition

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