Durrr w/Esser // Pure Groove // JDH + Dave P

Don't Do It attended the Esser show at Durrr last night with Pure Groove Records DJs and a special set from JDH and Dave P. Esser were enjoyable, though a little less animated than usual. Their brand of bouncy electro pop is giddy and inoffensive; enjoyable though unremarkable. Erol Alkan, who has just finished wrapping up the new Late of the Pier album for release, was in attendance to see the band, and seemed genuinely enthusiastic about them. He was also enthusiastic about New York/Philly DJ duo JDH and Dave P., who host Fixed at NY ravespot Studio B, and deservedly so; the pair tore through a solid electro/house set that kept the crowds dancing, mixing remixes of/by the likes of Cut Copy, Midnight Juggernauts, Armand Van Helden and Hot Chip. We definately recommend you try and check them out if you can.

Next week Durrr will play host to underground DJ legend Whitey, Baltimore-based band Video Hippos and Erol Alkan, which is guaranteed to be a superb night.

Esser - I Love You

JDH myspace
Dave P myspace

Durrr

DON'T DO IT @ Trash Palace TOMORROW!

This month Don't Do It's special guest is a Bugged Out regular and has residencies at All You Can Eat and Girlcore. NAOMI// has played at some of London's finest clubnight's and shared billing with some of the best DJ's and live acts around including Boys Noize, D.I.M., Midnight Juggernauts, Skull Juice, Crookers, Herve, Pilouski and Metronomy to name but a few. Broken Hookers put it rather well when describing Naomi//; "Expect a little bit of this, and a little bit of that, and a little bit of the other thrown in for good measure."

We can't wait.

Propping things up with a bit of tech, a dose of electro, a spot of disco and a dash of what's in between will be Don't Do It residents AUTOMAT JUKEBOX, and techno whiz kid and rising star CABIN BETA.

LIVE: The Dodos at The Amersham Arms

Don't Do It attended the Dodos gig, hosted by Eat Your Own Ears, at the Amersham Arms last night. The San Francisco duo's second album Visiter, released last month on Wichita Records, is an exciting and spasmodic deconstruction of psychedelic folk, blues and rock music that could be rather crudely described as something akin to Animal Collective channelling the White Stripes. The band are joined on-stage by a third instrumentalist, opting to retain the few overdubs evident on the album instead of stripping them away, which is a pleasant surprise. Lead singer Meric Long sings sweetly over spiky guitar riffs, occasionally using a loop pedal to lay down vocal or guitar drones, while drummer Logan Kroeber's rapid rimshots sound like rattling bones, and are mixed with almost exclusive use of the toms, to create pounding, tribal rhythms. Their set is mostly made up of material from Visiter, (The misspelt name of the record came from a drawing a child did for them when they played at a special education class at Dorsey High in South Central on a road trip down to LA.) with highlights including Joe's Waltz and Paint The Rust. The Dodos are sensational on record, and perhaps even better live, and we highly recommend you get familiar with them if you haven't done so already.

The Dodos - Fools (Courtesy of Hate Something Beautiful)
The Dodos Myspace

Eat Your Own Ears

Moshi Moshi // Fleet Foxes // White Williams // F. Lunaire

Don't Do It attended the Moshi Moshi Records gig last night at Hoxton Square Bar to witness the increasingly hyped (and acclaimed) Fleet Foxes play live, following their DJ set and signing at Rough Trade East just a few days ago. Here's how it went down:


The first act of the evening was London based F. Lunaire who opened his set with a keyboard and vocal led track that showcased his highly emotive voice, switching back and forth between caressing croons and Waits-esque growls, and his sensuous piano playing. His gritty urban tales are infused with a melancholy romance that, when it works, is haunting and effective. Though he (and his backing band) only played a short set, it was impressive and we're in no doubt that he has great potential as a serious pop act. The Mondestrunken EP is currently out on Stiff Records. You can also catch Lunaire playing keyboards for Kid Harpoon's band The Powers That Be.

F. Lunaire - La Lune (Live) (courtesy of Eyes For Indie)
F. Lunaire on Myspace


The next band on the bill were White Williams from Cleveland, USA. Lead singer Joseph Williams apologised for any "technical problems"; apparently some of their gear had gone missing during their travels and indeed this did effect their performance. The band got off to a rather shambolic start, Williams clearly exhausted and frustrated, but after a few songs they hit their stride, at which point they wielded their chaotic sound with intent. Mixing influences as varied as surf, stadium rock, electronica, calypso and pure pop they certainly made an interesting impression. Forced to cut their set short due to time restrictions, despite cheers from the crowd for more, they finished with a rather soulful rendition of 'Going Down', sounding like the experimental evil twin of Vampire Weekend. Their well-received debut album Smoke, mostly recorded by Williams on his laptop, is available now courtesy of Tigerbeat6 and we highly recommend it.

White Williams - Going Down (courtesy of Cubik Musik)
White Williams on Myspace

As soon as Fleet Foxes launch into their opening song after setting up it is clear by the audience's reaction who most people have come to see tonight. The band themselves are surprised by the extent of the rapturous reception, nervously smiling at one another and thanking the audience. For us it may not be so surprising; their self-titled debut album, set for release on June 3rd, has already been extensively hyped in the UK, receiving the album-of-the-month award in numerous publications, including Mojo. When we spoke to the band before their set they admitted to being rather oblivious to the media, frightened by the potentially destructive force of the hype machine. For the moment at least, they can enjoy the praise; their brand of harmonic American folk is certainly pleasing to the ears and is destined for wide appeal, falling somewhere between Iron & Wine and Yeasayer. Lead singer Robin Pecknold has an incredible voice; even singing a cappella with no accompaniment he remains pitch-perfect and expressive. The Seattle based five-piece showcase much of their new material, which the audience are already familiar with; "that's the internet for you" laughs Pecknold at one point, seated centre-stage on a rickety wooden chair, with nothing but affection, and rightfully it is nothing but affection that the audience returns to them tonight. Their self-titled LP is available through Bella Union and Sub Pop, and their equally brilliant EP, Sun Giant, is also out now.

Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal
Fleet Foxes on Myspace

Moshi Moshi Music

LIVE REVIEW: Sunset Rubdown at the Luminaire 22/05/08

Don't Do It were lucky enough to attend thursday's Sunset Rubdown show at the Luminaire, the first London performance for the Canadian five-piece. The band's sophomore album Random Spirit Lover, released last year on Jagjaguwar, was extremely well recieved by critics and fans, appearing in many end of year lists of best albums. Spencer Krug, the brains behind the operation, has been highly prolific of late; continuing to record as part of Frog Eyes (Tears of the Valedictorian another one of 2007's best), Wolf Parade (sophmore album prepped for imminent release) and the Frog Eyes/Destroyer/Krug collaboration that is Swan Lake, whose sophomore album is currently in the mixing stage. With Sunset Rubdown Krug is best able to show off his talent for merging beautiful melodies with a ghostly atmosphere and intelligent, emotive lyrics. Perched precariously on the edge of his stool, leaning forward, fingers dancing across the keyboard, he sings as if posessed by the spirits of the ghosts that inhabit his songs. Michael Doerksen's frantic guitar work compliments Krug with arresting precision. Wicked/Winged Things is even more chilling than on record, Trumpet Trumpet Toot! Toot! swathes the 200-odd capacity venue in a thick mist of noise and fan-favourite Stadiums And Shrines II, from the band's debut Shut Up I Am Dreaming, is met with rapturous cheers and applause. Shut Up I Am Dreaming Of Places Where Lovers Have Wings morphs into The Taming Of The Hands That Came Back To Life half way through. Pleas for For The Pier erupt throughout the night, the band repeatedly apologising for not being able to play it as they "don't know how" but they promise to learn it for the future. Three brand new songs are showcased; all of which are brilliant, perhaps even more anthemic than anything on the latest album. Highlights of the night include a highly energetic performance of The Mending Of The Gown and a rousing updated version of the haunting Little Lord, saved for the encore, after which the band disappear humbly backstage. As the cheers finally die down the chatter confirms what everyone was already thinking; "that was amazing".

Sunset Rubdown - The Mending Of The Gown

Dont do it in London mixtape1: The Broken Hookers

The first of what i hope will be a running series of guest mixes, we proudly present the Broken Hookers for our first installment of the Dont Do It mixtapes.

The Broken Hookers hail from Middlesborough, have held residencies for Club NME, Polaroid and are responsible for the ArePeopleReal podcast series which runs bi-weekly on thursdays. Previous guests include, Kissy Sellout, Yuksek, Duke Dumont, Hannah Holland, Matt Walsh, Curses!, Midfield General and this week's guest is none other than Joe and Will Ask. To subscribe to the ArePeopleReal podcast simply go to: www.myspace.com/arepeoplereal

They have also been working hard in the studio producing a couple of funky tunes. Dig This is a piano based groover whilst Get People is more of a laid back slower affair. These are the first two in a line of tracks that they have been working on. I suggest you head over to their myspace and check it out... BIG TUNES.

www.myspace.com/brokenhookers

It is hard to pin the mix down to any genre of music but the result is brilliant to say the least, funky and eclectic. The selection of songs is that of a duo who know what they like as opposed to what is dictated to them on blogs. Forget heavy basslines and ridiculous remixes, they have opted for style and substance.

Tracklisting + URL:

Lindstrom - Music In My Mind
LCD Soundsystem - Freak Out
Aretha Franklin - Rock Steady
Aeroplane - Aeroplane
LCD Soundsystem - Starry Eyes
Arcade Lovers - Fantasy Lines (In Dub)
Hot Chip - Keep Falling
Lindstrom - Let's Practice (Dub Version)
Crackhaus - Accidentally Brilliant (Machine Gun Edit)
Portishead - Machine Gun
Hercules & Love Affair - Hercules Theme
Low Motion Disco - Love Love Love (Aeroplane Remix)
Matthew Dear - Don't Go This Way
Ali Renault - Zombie Raffle
Daft Punk - Short Circuit
Broken Hookers - Get People
Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic - Planet Rock (Westbam Remix)
Modeselektor - Dancing Box (Feat. TTC)
Black Devil Disco Club - Constantly No Respect
Brett Johnson - Flashback
Westbam - Monkey Say, Monkey Do
Tittsworth - Peanut Butter Jelly Time (Acapella)
The Brand New Heavies - I Don't Know Why I Love You (Kenny Dope Beats)
Cowboy Bebop - Tank (Luke Vibert Remix)
Menu - Moss Eisley (Tomski Fredboy Tarteledit)
In Flagranti - Silver White Boy
Matthew Dear - Dog Days (Acapella)

http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=0D10931412DA5BE3

Next week we hope to have a Bugged Out floating resident guest mix. Watch this space.

Golden Massey.

x

REVIEW: Islands - Arm's Way + Interview

Arm’s Way is everything a sophomore album should be. Islands return with a record that is bolder, more confident, and more ambitious than one might have expected. Debut album Return To The Sea was quirky, fun and showcased some serious talent, but stunning tracks such as Swans, Volcanoes and Rough Gem made the more low-key moments seem less accomplished and interesting. Despite clocking in at a rather intimidating 70 minutes, Arm’s Way is stellar throughout. Opening track The Arm immediately sets the tone for what is to come, a crescendo of violins builds only to be attacked by lead singer Nick Thornburg’s menacing growl, launching a wave of Eastern-European sounding riffs, twisting together against a backdrop of pounding drums; a heavier sounding Islands. As the vocals come in we are reunited with the old familiar Islands sound, Nick singing with more confidence than ever before over muted guitars and lush strings. The two personalities battle against each other with equal flair until they are vaporized amongst a flurry of violin runs, with the leftover pieces falling and unravelling like confetti, signalling to the listener that this is the beginning of something new. The first half of the album delivers a slew of shorter gems, the Unicorns-era ‘Abominable Snow’ finally given the definitive treatment, while the second half of the album opens up to a more epic style, ‘To A Bond’ and ‘Vertigo’ containing some of the most beautiful and affecting moments the band have accomplished thus far. The production is clean, and provides enough space for the various instruments and noises to breathe, while maintaining an atmosphere of unity. The Chow Brothers compliment Thornburg’s vocals with some nice strings and synth work, while the rhythm section, including Patrice Agbokou’s legendary bass skills (he played for Prince at age 12), keeps everything together with energetic aplomb. Thornburg’s lyrics are often ambiguous and even surreal, keeping a strong balance between absurd fun and genuine emotion, and even when his voice begins to break, reaching beyond its grasp, he keeps going as if he believes these songs are the greatest thing ever. Give this album some time and you might just believe the same.

Don't Do It caught up with Islands drummer Aaron Harris for a brief chat:

DDI You joined Islands in 2006, how did you originally meet Nick and get involved?

AH Nick and I met eachother through mutual friends, before "Return to the Sea" had been released...everyone seems to know everyone in Montreal...its like one giant fucking ski lodge.

DDI You grew up in Pittsburgh, what was it that attracted you to McGill University in Montreal?

AH I thought that I wanted to go to McGill for a great music education; it turned out Montreal is an excellent city for, among other things, drinking. Whoops, there goes my education!

DDI You recorded some backing vocals for the new album, do you do any of your own songwriting?

AH I used to be in a band where I was the lead singer and co-songwriter but I always sounded like I was auditioning for a role on Broadway. I was more than happy to sing backup on Arm's Way.

DDI What's your favourite thing about being in Islands?

AH What's my favorite thing about being in Islands? Being in a band is awesome. Everyone knows that.

DDI What have you been listening to most, recently?

AH I really love the Dodo's new album, which is what I've been listening to recently....I'd love to tour and/or collaborate with them.