Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Take Away Day

This is why I can't live without La Blogotheque. Take Away Shows make me believe in the joys of raw, organic composition; simplifying songs to find celebration. Like modern troubadours performing in the most creative of locations, participating artists like Lykke Li and El Perro del Mar are innocuously inspiring an artistic renaissance. Music: Meet the world. Production: Meet your maker. Collaborations/Split Series like these are rare, making this three song set all the more precious. Here is their cover performance of Wendy Rene's "After Laughter (Comes Tears)."



Check out the other two songs from the set here. Make sure to watch Lykke's "Dance Dance Dance." I'll only give you a one word enticement: Kazoo. If you haven't already explored the whole site, be warned. It will become your new addiction.

I'm Going on a Hunt

I'm going on a hunt for the Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band. I'm no wilderness buff and I don't even like shooting aliens in Halo, so lucky for me this is not that kind of venture. This search is less redneck, more shameless stalking. Local even, as MSHVB are straight out of this amazing city I call home. Stay tuned for a full piece on the quirky Seattle quintet in the next few days. They're moving on up past buzzworthy to full blown cool.

Sometimes even the rainy city can surprise you with it's warmth. Live @ the construction site of the soon to be reopened Crocodile, here's MSHVB performing "Going on a Hunt" for their One Shot at The Croc segment.




P.S. Their drummer (lead singer Benjamin Verdoes's adopted brother) Marshall is only 14. How much cooler are they now?

Flashing Lights Will Make You Blind

Mixtapes by Mick Boogie popped up twice on my iTunes DJ this morning. Since there are no big coincidences or little coincidences, just coincidences (Seinfeld, anyone?) I thought I might need to blurb about them.

First, Mick Boogie lays his magic on Grammy-Award winning Adele and her debut album, 19 in his 1988 mixtape. I love on it for the sole reason that sometimes even songbirds benefit from a beat. My favorites:


Mick and Terry Urban tear up the Grammy nominees on 2009: The Grammy Remix Album. Don't grab your best stationary though; there's nothing to write home about. Considering the talent pool this year (Jonas Bros, Katy Perry, Coldplay, John Mayer?) seems to me they do a decent job of hammering silver out of tin, mediocre out of ... well, you decide.

My highlight. Radiohead is always magic.

I won't go on another tirade about how the Grammys have gone downhill. I'll just submit a quick opinion for public record. Under no circumstances should The Jonas Brothers be allowed to attend the same awards show as Radiohead, let alone be nominated for a similar honor. Parents invented the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards for a reason. Some artists deserve Grammys and some deserve surf boards and green slime. I'm just sayin'...