Our brilliant guest blogger, Britt Lundborg, attended last night’s gig and offers a full report! Broken Bells have been widely touted in the press as the snazzy collaboration between Shins front man, James Mercer, and producer extraordinaire, Danger Mouse. Last night they played their first gig in New York at the Music Hall Of Williamsburg and, rather surprisingly, sold it out. Well, perhaps it isn’t surprising given the Shins’ rabid shoegaze fan base. I was a little amazed that Shins fans even knew where Williamsburg was. The image of Broken Bells we’ve been fed is of two guys (one a sad troubadour, the other a morose knob-twiddler), so imagine the shock when seven dudes stroll out on stage. I suppose you need an extra large crew for tunes as well-wrought and highly-orchestrated as Broken Bells’ are. Now, I would be lying if I said that Mercer and co. then proceeded to get freak-busy on the mic, but they did kick up some nicely-mannered dust. By nicely-mannered, I mean they played their entire album front to back and inserted tiny flourishes when it mattered. On ‘Ghost Inside’, a grinding bass line pulsed the floorboards and threw the song’s aching sexiness all the way to the back of the house. James Mercer’s voice sounded beautifully soulful, like a hopeful bird chirping down a dark mine. Danger Mouse tended to stay behind the drums, but showed off his musical dexterity strumming a guitar and playing the keyboard during their encore. For this, they played 2 covers: Neil Diamond’s ‘Don’t…’ and Tommy James & The Shondells’ ‘Crimson…’, which were both epically great. Perhaps playing songs written by others untethers them.
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Stunning yet again! TMS Rating: 10/10. Watch ‘The Sweetest Thing’ here.
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BRILLIANT! Again. Watch ‘Whole…’ here. Visit The Horrors on MySpace.
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The jazzy stepsister of Fiona Apple? A modern day Carole King? A PG version of PJ Harvey? A more refined Regina Spektor? The indie Vanessa Carlton? I’m struggling with a proper description of Elizabeth & The Catapult’s music but I think the aforementioned references should direct you to the appropriate ballpark. Last night’s piano heavy set could have easily been a snoozer. However, the Brooklyn based trio truly impressed me with a delightful and engaging collection of tunes (drawn heavily from their debut LP: Taller Children) which proved to be the perfect soundtrack as summer ends and autumn nears. Watch their official video for ‘Taller Children’ here. Be certain to visit Elizabeth & The Catapult on MySpace.
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ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! No More Stories… will shatter you! 10/10!
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Raunchy, brilliant, sensational & one-of-a-kind. Official TMS Rating: 9/10.
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Our guest photographer, Greg Jacquin, dropped by BV’s Northside showcase.
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Our guest photographer, Greg Jacquin, dropped by BV’s Northside showcase.
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Having read myriad reports of how ridiculous, over the top and downright enjoyable a Fischerspooner show can be, I still left last night’s gig in an utter state of shock. Maybe I should have been prepared for all of the following props: 4 modern dancers, 12 costume changes, 2 massive vertical mirrors on wheels, ample wigs, video projections, TV monitors, strobe lights, exquisitely applied make-up, helmets & bright blue kneepads (just to name a few features of the performance). But I was not! As Casey Spooner exclaimed before ‘Emerge’: ‘Aren’t you sick of this song yet? The newspapers said it was over. Fuck the newspapers, the internet made me famous!’. Brilliance! Oh, and Madonna was hiding out in the balcony. This is the kind of event that can be much better explained via photographs, so I’ll let the pictures do the talking this time around. Visit FS at their official site. Entertainment is out now.
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Mystical, enthralling & unabashedly beautiful. Official TMS Rating: 10/10.
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