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.

Upset The Rhythm: Xiu Xiu, Chris Garneau, Telepathe, Soiled Mattress & The Springs live!

Don't Do It attended the Xiu Xiu gig at the University of London Union last night, hosted by Upset the Rhythm, with support from Soiled Mattress & The Springs, Telepathe and Chris Garneau. Here's how it went down:

A little before 8pm NY brio Soiled Mattress & The Springs, consisting of one sax player, a keyboard player and a drummer, took to the stage with their kinetic intrumental jazz pop, sax player Matthew Thurber diving into the audience during songs, and making jokes between them. Their set was enjoyable, but ultimately their music lacked any distinctive qualities to make it worth recommending.


The next band, another trio from NY, called Telepathe, made a much bigger impression. Lead singer Melissa Lidaudais strides across the stage with confidence, warning the audience of the coming bass assault. She triggers a thundering sequence through her sampler, percussionist Busy Gagnes providing extra beats and guitarist Ryan Lucero layering in atmospheric drones with his reverb-soaked guitar, over which Lidaudais begins to half speak/half sing over, teetering on the edge of the stage in a trance. The band's set mixed elements of hip hop with the occassional pop melody to great success, and left us eager to hear their upcoming Dave Sitek-produced debut album Dance Mother.


With minimal change-over times we finally arrived at the last support act, Chris Garneau, performing solo. Unfortunately the excitement built up thus far was deflated by Garneau's dreary love songs, almost all of which were addressed to an un-named "you", either saying goodbye or professing a regret for leaving. Though the man is blessed with a stunning and emotive voice, his songwriting is highly repetitive and banal. One suspects he may have been selected to boost the impact of Xiu Xiu's set...


...which was simply incredible. The current incarnation of the band includes, aside from primary songwriter and composer Jamie Stewart, Stewart's multi-instrumentalist cousin Caralee McElroy, drummer Ches Smith and bassist Devin Hoff, all of whom performed on every song of the night. A number of tracks from latest album Women As Lovers were played, including I Do What I Want, No Friend OH!, F.T.W. and Master of the Bump, and they all came to life spectacularly, and more often than not revealed elements that one might have not noticed on record. The songs were generally more aggresive, employing more striking elements of metal and noise, even on previously intimate and subdued songs such as Master of the Bump, which have been re-worked and mutated. Old favourites such as Clowne Towne and A Clover mixed well into the set under this new aesthetic, which lent every track a new unpredictability and energy. Despite the confrontational aspect of the music, moments of intimacy and tenderness, as well as quiet foreboding, were given plenty of space to breathe, and were as affecting as ever. The audience remained eerily silent throughout the whole set, apart from cheering and applauding between songs, and Stewart hardly spoke. The tension was palpable. Despite a good ten minutes of cheers for an encore the band did not reappear, not surprising; Stewart is hardly one to give in to convention or expectations.


Soiled Mattress & The Springs - Tidal Wave
Telepathe - Chrome It
Chris Garneau - Black and Blue
Xiu Xiu - I Do What I Want When I Want

ON THE SLOPES

Hello you. Here's a copy of my new track. It appropriates a lot of the ideologies which underpin everything else I've ever done (introspection, deconstruction of the Western pop aesthetic (repetition/nonrepetition, melody/nonmelody blah blah bleurgh) although I've played with linearity here too. Unlike the others, it's designed exclusively for the dancefloor. It's a mix of Marcell Dettmann and Ben Klock's Scenario single. Specifically it's a mix of the b-side Blank Scenario which is somewhat more skeletal although retains the fundamental elements of subversive pop (in this case the construction of melody from rhythmic instrumentation). 

Marcell Dettmann And Ben Klock - Blank Scenario (Cabin Beta's Alpine Rework)

REVIEW: Scarlett Johansson - Anywhere I Lay My Head

After listening to this album I felt a strong urge to post about it, especially after reading some remarkably unfair reviews that completely miss the point and simply attack Johansson for producing what some view as a 'vanity project'. I'm sure you're all familiar with the situation; A-list starlet Johansson has assembled a stellar ensemble of talent (Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio, Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, David Bowie and more) to cover a selection of Tom Waits songs, mostly from the latter half of his career, and provide one original track, written by Johansson and Sitek. The result is a gorgeous slice of shoegaze that will no doubt leave a lot of people scratching their heads, or merely shrugging their shoulders indifferently. While Johansson definately gives a new spin to these songs, this is hardly aimed at Tom Waits fans. It seems less like a decision to pay homage to one of her favourite songwriters, and more like a result of not having enough confidence to write her own material. Johansson has been heavily criticised for her subdued, subtle vocal performance; is she holding back? Or is it intentional? If this issue is likely to infuriate you, then you will not enjoy this album. There are moments that come across as uncomfortable, when she sings "I will drink you under the table" there is a strong sense of 'phonyness'; it does indeed sound forced. Yet there is something intriguing about listening to the young Hollywood actress take on this role, attempting to inhabit Wait's world of seedy characters and lonely old towns; she clearly does not belong there, you can tell by the way she sings, even if you didn't know who she was. It is a fantasy, another role for her to play, but one that remains beyond her reach. Creating the backdrop for this fantasy is skilled producer Dave Sitek, who lends the album its lush soundscapes. Sitek layers ambient elements over subtle drums and droning guitars to create a sprawling sea of noise that flows around Johansson's often deadpan vocal, submerging the listener, though he maintains a sense of space that keeps us from drowning; the vast, open America is not forgotten. With the only original track on the album, Song for Jo, Johansson provides the one completely honest moment here, as she sings "do you rememember how we'd fallen asleep on the bathroom floor... cold as the sound of your daddy's house... you are alive today". The melody and lyrics provide a strong feminine counterpoint to the Waits tracks (even if it is unclear as to whether she sings from a male or female point of view), and the result is possibly one of the most enjoyable songs on the album. With this in mind I would like to make a plea to Ms. Johansson and Mr. Sitek to make an entire album of original tracks as soon as possible.

Scarlett Johansson - Song for Jo