Mutek Day 4: Ben Frost

Hi all, I am going to do a super super condensed post because I am now in New York. Anyways, went to the Piknik yesterday to see Minilogue and DJ Koze who rocked the shit out of the island, even in the rain. Ah. That’s what I love about Montreal, rain, snow, or shine, we never lose our fight to party and to dance. Oh ye.

BUT, easily the best the show of the FESTIVAL was Ben Frost. Mon dieeeeeeeeeeuu. From what I recognized, he didn’t play very much from his most recent album By The Throat. His songs were at least 20 minutes long filled with lulling drones and layers of nature and wildlife…whales crying and wind blowing through the forests…I sat down and closed my eyes and his set took me places…it ended so quikly I felt. His show was the subconscious awakening, vibrating inbetween the walls of our skin and the walls we were encased in…so intense, surreal, and wonderful all at the same time. This man is incredible. I share with you two amazing tracks from said album!

I hope you all had a great time at Mutek like I did!

MP3: Ben Frost – Leo Needs A New Pair Of Shoes

MP3: Ben Frost – Through The Mouth Of Your Eye

Mutek Day 1: Bernier + Messier, Matmos, and [The User]

I haven’t been to Mutek the previous years, but this year it is mainly focused on very lo-fi, minimal, experimental, and IDM type of music. Walking into the venue, I realised that it is not like most electronic music venues. Mutek is being held for the most part at Monument National, which is a huge venue that hosts many mini rooms that I imagine are more meant for orchestras, small theatre, plays, etc etc. I walked into the room and sat amongst everyone else, excited and curious. The huge screen was perfect for the quality of the visuals and the room, for the insulation of the music. I thought to myself after the show today, why don’t we have more of this?!?! We go to films, plays, theatre, and we sit down and we watch, we feel, we experience. We go to shows and we stand, we dance, we chat, we drink, we feel, we experience. Mutek, or at least the A/Visions showcases, combine the best of both. Sitting down comfortably disengaged with a good view and a good ear for all that’s in front. But combined with the music and the visuals, we completely become re-engaged…tripping out on our sensory neurons which are, at least for me, just going crazy!

I mean, most lo-fi, minimal, noise, IDM, and so on do usually have intense visuals because well, otherwise we’d get really bored, fall asleep, or really not get it. However, of the shows I have seen within these genres, they have been in conventional electronic music venues: standing, shitty sound, shitty sight, uncomfortable heat. I propose that all chill out, lounge, ambient, and so forth genres be held at Monument National. Seeing Air there instead of Métropolis would have been so much better. I can only imagine what it would be like seeing Flying Lotus or Fuck Buttons there. Tonight, Mutek has more than ever reiterated the importance of melding visual art together with sound, how integral they really are to each other, especially within these music genres because the creativity is just a different kind when compared with house, jazz, pop, indie, hip-hop, and how the way we experience music can go beyond just the regular…as these artists being showcased throughout the 4 day festival no doubt do.

After the jump for recap, music, and videos!

Songs to Start the Week: Beach House and Beak>

Outside of Four Tet, another album that has been on constant repeat for me is Beach House’s Teen Dream. Yes, I know, a bit behind the times as the album leaked a few months ago and the hype on this band is bigger than what I remember for Wavves and Vampire Weekend. I decided to wait a bit before listening to the album and I regret not buying into the aged hype which is totally deserved. This album is like Washed Out but dreamier, slower and more magnetic. It’s the Fleet Foxes of dream pop mixed with lo-fi goodness that is listenable whenever and where-ever. A++++

On the other end, I recently listened to Geoff Barrow’s (from Portishead) solo album/project called Beak>. After having had it for nearly half a year it all of a sudden popped up on the playlist right after Beach House! Just like Portishead, the great weaving instrumentals and bone rattling bass puts you in a darker mood, an absolute conversation stopper. You just gotta stop and listen. The Portishead  influences are definitely there but I feel like this album is much more psychedelic and noisier than the former. It’s a bit more abstract  but the entire album flows so well. Plus, it is a killer album to listen to stoned. Quite fantastic and Portishead lovers should cop this! A

So, I share two of my favorite songs off these albums! Also a mixtape should be out by the end of this week! It is truly great and one of my favorites so far…that’s for sure! So stay tuned for that!

P.S. Happy Chinese New Year!

MP3: Beach House – Silver Soul

MP3: BEAK> – Blagdon Lake

MJF Day 11: Beirut and Flying Lotus (AAAAH!)

GAAAAAAAAAAAH I am so stoked today! It is the second last day of the festival! It is POURING rain outside. Hopefully it clears up a bit before…BEIRUT! HOOOORAAH! I am hoping it ends early enough because after I am jetting off to Club Lambi to see the one and only, FLYING LOTUS! Oh what a day what a day!

BEIRUT IS SOLD OUT. And people are selling the tickets which are orginally $30 for $100 on craigslist! For. Shame.
FLYING LOTUS IS NOT! $15 AT THE DOOR! See you there?

Edit 14 07 09: I know, I’m horrible. It’s uh…been a few days since this concert…BUT I have a valid excuse! I am painting my room and am plastering and priming and all that jazz…and I have been using my laptop and speakers as a form of music in my new place…Hence no laptop here where I’m currently living. I PROMISE. Yes that’s right readers, I am promising a deadline to you. By Saturday I will have the recap of Beirut (incredible!), Flying Lotus (inspiring, and it killed me), and Ben Harper (boooooring), as well as my Best awards for the 12 day fest! Enjoy my previous posts and I shall see you on Saturday! =)

Edit 20 07 09: The post still isn’t updated. Ok, so I am officially a liar. I knoooooooow I promised Saturday but gaaah I have good excuses. Still painting my room, Fantasia (I watched three movies in ONE day today, I WAS IN THE THEATRE FOR 8 HOURS…),  and not being in my new apartment where my computer is makes it pretty tough for me to do updates since I don’t have the music or pics I wanna share…So I won’t make another promise that I can’t keep BUT I will say that once this post is updated (hopefully at least by the end of this week), lots of goodies will be floating your guys’ way!

Edit 27 07 09: FINALLY THIS IS UPDATED. AFTER THE JUMP FOR BEIRUT LIVE VIDEOS AWESOMENESS and FLYING LOTUS AURGASSSMSSSSS!!!

Shout! Out Out! Out Out! Shout! Out Out! Out Out!

Edmonton’s own Shout Out Out Out Out had their second show here last night, after quickly selling out their first followed by a huge demand for a second, for the release of their second LP called Reintegration Time being released by Nrmls Wlcm Records TOMORROW March 3rd which you can buy here.

I actually didn’t know about the added show until a friend told me (thanks Derek!) and quickly snapped up a ticket. I’ve heard such great things through and through about SO4 ever since they first released Not Saying/Just Saying back in 2006. I’ve heard how crazy their live shows are and how SO4 are the epitome of neurotic dance music, inducing major epileptic dance seizures from most of their fans. Despite having their music on my media player, I never got around to listening to them but, going to a live show usually proves to be better than the LPs themselves and are strong indicators of how great artists really are. And so, I geared up and headed on over to the Starlite Room–IMO the best venue in Edmonton–in anticipation of sweating off 70% of my body water.

Two Fingers – Two Fingers LP (2009)

Their EP which I mentioned a while back has been turned into the LP! GAAAH! Two Fingers will be released in Canada April 14th. Of the reviews and descriptions I have read, none describes Two Fingers more accurately than Paperbag:

“Imagine if Timbaland were kidnapped and held hostage in a council flat in Tottenham. Imagine then, that elite robot agents aligned to the New World Order were sent into rescue him with laser cannons little knowing that the kidnappers were in fact an underground cell of benefit-cheat Jedi. Imagine hip hop recapturing the sheer brutality of classic-era Public Enemy without it becoming a retread. Imagine if “urban” music was made not for the charts but the heart. Imagine Two Fingers ”.

Women – Women (2008)

Women are a group from Calgary! I can’t think of any other group/artist that has come out of Calgary other than CvGaalen that has made this big of a jump into the music scene. Unsurprisingly, their self titled debut released last year was produced by CvGaalen over the course of four months. Women sounds like noise pop, experimental noise, shoegaze, and indie rock all rolled into one.

Telefon Tel Aviv – Immolate Yourself (2009)

OOOO TTA!!! How I love thee!!! This Chicago based electronic group (Josh Eustis and Charlie Cooper of New Orleans) produces electronic music that isn’t for h-core dancing, raving, glow-sticking, yada yada yada. No no, it is ambient drone…meant for seemingly meaningless activities which hold underlying grandiose significations.

Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009)

This image has been memorized onto my retinas for the past few months. This album cover will be burned into our memories as one of the best albums to be released in 2009 and probably one of the most inventive albums in a long long while.

Animal Collective’s album is due to drop in less than two weeks but music bloggers everywhere have pretty much been looping this for months now. I’ve read a lot of reviews, most of which are good, especially P4K’s 9.6 review on MPP.