
looking for something specific? search our archives:
#skoaradio 10/03/2015 liner notes
If you don't like music you can't sit with us.
It's chill af in NYC today. Literally. Like I'm having a hard time getting out of bed because I like my feet not being popsicles. I am writing this whilst I am still in bed. That said, the chill means that all the glorious fall albums are under way and CMJ is quickly approaching. I've also been on a steady streak of shows lately, which I will get up ASAP for you to see and be jealous of me. I'm also working to backdate all the show notes I kept saying I was upping and then rage quit because as you can see below these posts are intense as hell, you guys. OH WELL IT'S WORTH IT BECAUSE I LOVE DOING THIS!
Enjoy this weeks jams and be sure to grab the Spotify playlist below if you want to keep this mix around. As always, I'd love to hear from you so feel free to drop me a tweet and let me know what you thought of this week's show.
<3
- Jacuzzi Boys - "Happy Damage"
- Happy Damage EP out now!
- Playing some shows on the other side of the pond in November.
- Aeroplane (feat. Benjamin Diamond) - "Let's Get Slow"
- New EP Page One Is Love out now!
- Just wrapped some shows in the US. I missed him in NYC. I am sad. :/
- Beck - "Dreams"
- Dude had low key hangs with Sir Paul McCartney this week for a PETA thing. #SQUAD. FRIKKIN. GOALS.
- Big Data (feat. Rivers Cuomo) - "Snowed In"
- Edward Snowden joined Twitter this week (this song was inspired by him). Forgot rule #1 of Twitter: TURN OFF YOUR NOTIFICATION EMAILS. Whoops.
- Touring like freaking crazy still. Will we see you at Webster Hall on November 6th with RAC?
- Late of the Pier - "Heartbeat"
- Sam Dust (the singer for LotP) is in a new project called LA Priest! See below. Yes, I played him twice in my show because IT'S MY SHOW AND I DO AS I PLEASE!
- Dillon Francis - "Coming Over"
- Still on tour with Zedd and the gang.
- Pick up This Mixtape Is Fire to keep you warm on those chilly fall nights.
- JR JR - "Gone"
- JR JR is out now! GRAB IT!
- Touring to support the new record like every good band should.
- Darwin Deez - "Time Machine"
- Pick up Double Down now!
- Touring the UK now, US up next! Wooo!
- Unknown Mortal Orchestra - "Ur Life One Night"
- Oops. Looks like the limited edition pink vinyl I have is sold out. You can haz a blue one tho. Or grab MP3s. Whatever.
- I don't think these guys are ever going home. Still touring. Bless you, fam.
- The Kickdrums - "Things Work Out"
- Breathe Again EP out now.
- Peep his latest project with Duckwrth too called Nowhere. It's goooood.
- Weaves - "Do You See Past"
- Grab their self-titled EP and their latest track "Tick" to get ready for their CMJ shows! (wow I really need to talk to them about organizing their tour dates better)
- Phases - "Betty Blue"
- Big Black Delta - "Its Ok"
- GIVE THIS MAN YOUR MONEY OKAY? But really, pledge your brains out for his next album.
- Just upped a new song from his upcoming album, Tragame Tierra, with Debbie Gibson (YES, THAT DEBBIE GIBSON).
- Passion Pit - "Let Your Love Grow Tall"
- Kindred has been out for awhile, still worth your dollars if you haven't bought it yet.
- On tour now.
- For Lean - "Just A Little Spirit"
- Quiet Day dropped this very week! YAYYYYY BROOKLYN BANDS!! They have some sexy as hell yellow vinyl on their website for this release, so hollllerrr at a band on their website if you wants it.
- Phoenix - "1901"
- Grab their latest Bankrupt! (or Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix so you can have the song I played)
- LA Priest - "Oino"
- Debut album Inji out now.
- I caught this lil cutie at Baby's All Right in BK this week. That writeup is coming soon. I promise.
- Supporting Tame Impala's shows in NYC and PA. Bust. They're all sold out already :(
- Also his website is trippy but fun to play with, so look at that.
- The Drums - "Money"
- Pick up their latest Encyclopedia now!
- Just announced 3 shows at Baby's All Right! ALL RIGHT ALL RIGHT ALL RIGHT!
- The Getup Kids - "Holiday"
- You should probably own this record if you don't already. It's so perfect for the fall.
- Uh, they're playing a 20TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW in Brooklyn? Good Loki I'm old. Oh yeah, they're playing elsewhere too.
- The Streets - "The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living"
- I miss you Mike Skinner. Please come back to us.
- PS If you haven't checked out The Story Of The Streets it is a great read. It's even cooler if you get the audiobook because Mike Skinner narrates it. I loved it.
- Tame Impala - "Yes I'm Changing"
- Go buy Currents. I absolutely love Currents. You must have Currents. (My colored version is sold out, #sorrynotsorry.)
- On tour now (remember our friends LA Priest are opening for them next week?)
- Francis & The Lights - "In A Limousine"
- Son Little - "Lay Down"
- Pre-order his debut album before it drops on 10/16! GET THE VINYL! GET READY TO SWOON!
- Touring like a madman and I love his mush face for it!
- Mansionair - "Pick Me Up"
- Grab their new EP Pick Me Up now!
- On tour in support of CHVRCHES!
- Show writeup from me ASAP! Saw them twice in a week! #blessed
- Run The Jewels - "Meowrly (BOOTS remix)"
- When you're done squealing in delight you can grab Meow The Jewels for $FREE.99. IT'S ALSO AVAILABLE ON VINYL AND I AM SERIOUSLY DEBATING IT.
- Don Diablo (feat. Maluca) - "My Window"
- Lots of stuff going on with his label, Hexagon
- When is this guy not touring, srsly?
- PS have you read my interview with him yet?
- Also I really hope this rumor/possible legit leak is true.
- Justice - "DVNO"
- IT'S BEEN CONFIRMED! THEY'RE IN THE STUDIO! ALBUM #3 IS COMING! THANK YOU #SHEEZUS!
Topics discussed!
Vinyl Is Making More Money Than Ad-Supported Streaming
While US Apple Music Trials Are Ending, China Is Ushering In New Users
#SKOARADIO 07/18/2015
me going through all the new music this week
Oof. Really stoked for this show and because I submitted it late it was a little borked airing. You didn't even get to hear the last two segments. :( All good though! There's always next week (not to mention the podcast that will be attached to this show shortly). But yeah, trying to get back to digging out those little diamonds in the rough that I enjoy supporting. Plus HELLO NEW KENNA!! *praise hands emoji* A lot to be excited about. Expect more posts in between this show and the next with more info on the bands we're featuring.
As always feel free to let me know what you thought of this week's show either by dropping a comment here or hitting me up on Twitter.
Until next week!
<3
- Breakbot (feat. Ruckazoid) - "Fantasy"
- DID YOU SEE GUYS!? We're getting SO CLOSE to a new Breakbot record! We've hit the mastering stage of the process per his post on Instagram. Eeeeee!
- Miami Horror - "Love Like Mine"
- North American tour now. August = Australia dates.
- Big Black Delta - "It's Ok"
- Pledge your life and hard earned money away. If you need convincing that BBD is worth the money always and forever we have not one but two interviews with him.
- Rainer - "Marry"
- Grab dat album doe.
- Gothic Tropic - "Puppet Master"
- Playing a couple of dates with Surfer Blood. Debut album Fast or Feast slated for early 2016 release.
- Madeon - "Pay No Mind"
- Heading out on tour with Zedd and Dillon Francis. Snapchat won't know what hit it tbh.
- Tame Impala - "'Cause I'm A Man"
- Go buy Currents! It's so good! Hopefully you made it out to one of their listening parties like I did!
- Tour is in full swing and dates are selling out fast so GRAB THEM WHILE YOU CAN.
- Death In The Afternoon - "'82"
- Available to purchase everywhere August 28. Until then, obsessively listen over on Soundcloud.
- Phases - "I'm In Love With My Life"
- Can't believe I have to miss them on Tuesday (7/21) At The Studio at Webster Hall.
- On tour now if that wasn't obvious from the above.
- Someone we love at SKOA did a fun remix of this song. Any guesses? It was our broadband buddy Big Data!
- ARRWS (feat. FEM FEL) - "The Dark"
- From his upcoming EP Motionless For Hours.
- VOWWS - "The Great Sun"
- Debut full length The Great Sun expected to drop this fall!! ON TOUR NOW!
- Boots - "I Run Roulette"
- Playing the Lollapalooza after show with some other dates. Supporting Run The Jewels this fall. More over on his site.
- On An On - "It's Not Over"
- And The Wave Has Two Sides out on July 24th! Check out the cool game on their website that they used to unlock their next single, "You Can't Escape It".
- Example - "Whisky Story"
- HE DID THE WHOLE BLOODY MUSIC VIDEO IN ONE TAKE ON THE LONDON UNDERGROUND! WHAT!!!?!??!
- Oh yeah I interviewed him back in 2012 at his first show in NYC. Is he ever going to break in the US? I sure hope so.
- HEALTH - "STONEFIST"
- DEATH MAGIC is out on August 7th and it is AMAZING (trust me) so pre-order it.
- Like every smart band they're hitting the road to support their new album. Dates over on Facebook.
- PS you can get STONEFIST for free over on their website.
- Ratatat - "Cream on Chrome"
- Magnifique is out now, too! GO GET IT!
- "Guess who's on tour?" "I guess Ratatat!" "YOU GUESSED RIGHT!"
- Sivik - "U Got"
- There are some fun remixes of this song on Soundcloud.
- SEØUEL - "Subtle"
- Reykavik EP drops on July 24th. I'm into it.
- Galantis - "Call If You Need Me"
- Kid Cudi (feat. MGMT & Ratatat) - "Pursuit of Happiness"
- Playing a couple of festivals this summer.
- Man on the Moon III expected to drop sometime this year. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- Monarchy - "Black Widow"
- ReVision out now.
- Earlier this week they released a video for their Blur cover of "Girls And Boys" featuring Dita Von Teese that's a bit trippy.
- Kenna - "Sleep When We Die"
- Something must be coming because Kenna has been posting a lot of videos on Facebook lately. (Spoilers: something is, but I can't say because I've been sworn to secrecy).
- Tropics - "Hunger"
- Big Data (feat. Bear Hands) - "Sick For Me"
- On tour basically forever. Dates with RAC coming soon so that's cool!
- Too Many Ts (feat. Great Scott) - "Same Thing"
- You know you can get their latest EP with this song on it for free, right?
- Fair amount of shows this summer. None near me for Too Many Hugs tho. :/
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THE MUSIC BIZ STUFF I TALKED ABOUT:
What Really Happened With Taylor Swift and Apple Music
Soundscan's 2015 Half-Year Report
Concerts and Festivals Create Passion Fans (Who Spend) Says Study
NOW ONTO THE MUSIC!
Some Kind of Awesome Radio - 07/11/2015
Typing up all the show notes this week for once because I love you, fam.
YES! I'M ACTUALLY DOING SHOW NOTES FOR THIS WEEK! #sorrynotsorry but like I said in this week's episode I've been dealing with a bit of blogger burnout and even though doing the show is very therapeutic for me when you see how thorough I intend to be moving forward you will understand why I put this off for as long as I could. Again, I really appreciate those of you who listen and never get the promised show notes. NO MORE BROKEN PROMISES! Just quality #content in addition to a bunch of other new things in the works right now.
Hope you enjoyed this weeks show! Feel free to drop a comment here or hit me up on Twitter. I'd love to hear what you thought of this week's picks!
Until next week!
<3
- Tuxedo - "Do It"
- Hitting the road for a mini tour this month! You can check out tour dates over on their site.
- Studio Killers - "Eros & Apollo"
- Ain't No Love - "Cry In The Rain"
- Dillon Francis - "Bruk Bruk (I Need Yo Lovin)"
- Hitting the road this month! Tour dates over on his site.
- This Mixtape Is Fire drops on August 14. You can pre-order it if you're into that.
- Vowws - "The Great Sun"
- Shows in July and August. More info over on Songkick.
- Ratatat - "Club Amnesia"
- Magnifique is out July 14th. You can stream the album in full via NPR.
- The Kickdrums - "Breathe Again"
- Monarchy (feat. Dita Von Teese) - "Girls & Boys (Blur cover)"
- Few shows lined up in the next month or so.
- ReVision out now. As is Abnocto.
- Caribou - "Silver"
- On tour now so get on it! Tour dates here.
- Interpol - "My Desire"
- On tour now! Sprout and I will be heading to the show in Broooklyn at the Prospect Park Bandshell. Will we see you there?
- Tame Impala - "Cause I'm A Man"
- The video for this song is super fun and full of puppets.
- Currents drops on July 17 - CAN YOU EVEN HANDLE IT BECAUSE I CAN'T. #zerochill
- Tour is in full swing and dates are selling out fast so GRAB THEM WHILE YOU CAN.
- Hot Chip - "Love Is The Future"
- They just upped these really fun Peanuts shirts in their merch store. I think I want the Snoopy one? idk
- Very much on tour right now.
- The Streets - "Two Nations"
- Fairly quiet in the Mike Skinner camp other than that single he did as The D.O.T. last year. Sigh.
- VHS or Beta - "Can't Believe A Single Word"
- Weaves - "Tick"
- Kenna - "Karma Is Coming"
- Things are in the works in Kenna camp! He just posted a series of videos on Facebook explaining his Land 2 Air Chronicles series. I know more because I'm awesome but can't say just yet. KEEP YOU'RE EYES PEELED FOLKS!
- Maiday - "Wish You'd Met Me First"
- More on Maiday in the coming weeks as I get to the bottom of this woman and her bru-tiful jams. Also getting into one of the producers on this track. More on that next week. :)
- Big Black Delta - "It's Ok"
- NEW ALBUM COMING SOON. Open your hearts and wallets and PLEDGE YOUR BRAINS OUT. (hey buddyyy!) Dude deserves this to get the crap funded out if it considering all his gear got stolen and his dad passed away. Rough year for Jonathan Bates but It's Ok.
- For now you can grab "It's Ok" over on Soundcloud.
- Kate Boy - "Midnight Sun"
- Do not ask me why you cannot buy this yet in the United States of America. I don't get it either. Take it away, UK!
- Few random tour dates if you're in other parts of the world.
- Don Diablo (feat. Emeni) - "Universe"
- I can't keep up with this dude. He's already gearing up to release another single called "On My Mind" which drops on July 27. This teaser for it has got me wanting to dance in space.
- Voting is open for Top 100 DJs so get to voting so my chocolate chip cookie recipe can have more street cred since they're Don Diablo (and Mama Diablo) approved.
- Lily Allen - "Close Your Eyes"
- Animal Kingdom - "The Art of Tuning Out"
- ANAMAI - "Lucia"
- Few shows coming up.
- Dangermouse & Sparklehorse / Dark Night Of The Soul (feat. Julian Casablancas) - "Little Girl"
- Until The Ribbon Breaks - "Taste of Silver"
- Biffy Clyro - "Stingin' Belle"
BONUS JUST FOR YOU FAM! I'm also making playlists on Spotify for every single show. NO SHUFFLE THO BECAUSE THAT'S CHEATING! Additionally, as the shows become available on iTunes I will update each post with a link to the show for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!
[Watch] Kanye West Unveils Dark Animated Video for "Black Skinhead"
Kanye West's first video for Yeezus isn't quite what I expected. The brooding clip for "Black Skinhead" shows an animated and very buff Kanye rapping in the darkness while lights flash and twisted imagery interjects. It's... interesting. Not nearly as cool as his black and white projections or the Scott Disick-starring American Psycho parody. Watch it below and let us know what you think.
UPDATE: Kanye took to Twitter to say that the video released was unfinished and leaked, and he was not happy about it:
The BLKKK SKKKN HD video that leaked yesterday was not the official version.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) July 9, 2013
And to who ever leaked the video… FUK YOU!
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) July 9, 2013
While Yeezy was busy getting animated, former collaborator and producer Hit-Boy—he produced "Niggas In Paris" and "Clique"—has reworked Yeezus highlight "New Slaves" to his own liking. Check out the redubbed "New Chains" below with an accompanying music video.
In even more Kanye West tinkering, Nate Belasco mashed up "Black Skinhead" with Tame Impala's urgent, raucous number "Elephant." The two songs work amazingly well together, driving forward with relentless guitars and aggressive verses. Stream it below or download it here.
[Watch] Check Out Highlights from Vampire Weekend, Alt-J, The xx, Tame Impala and Jessie Ware at Glastonbury 2013
Pilton, UK saw a flood of musical talent enter the Glastonbury festival grounds this past weekend, and it'd be a shame not to share some highlights with those who weren't able to attend.
Vampire Weekend performed songs both old and new. Before joining Mumford & Sons on stage for a cover of The Beatles' "With a Little Help From My Friends," they dished out great renditions of "Diane Young" and "A-Punk."
Tame Impala continued their exstensive festival circuit, burning through fan-favorite "Elephant" with as much passion as ever.
Alt-J were there too, causing an uproar of cheers with their intricate An Awesome Wave highlight "Breezeblocks."
The xx took hold of the crowd, performing their emotional and minimal single "Angels." They really are mesmerizing to watch. I witnessed this at Sasquatch!, and you get a good sense of it even by watching a YouTube clip.
Jessie Ware took things in a dancier direction, booming her vocals across the stage with a sensual rendition of "If You’re Never Gonna Move" (formerly known as "110%").
Check out all of these highlights after the jump, and check out more of BBC's coverage of the festival here.
Pilton, UK saw a flood of musical talent enter the Glastonbury festival grounds this past weekend, and it'd be a shame not to share some highlights with those who weren't able to attend.
Vampire Weekend performed songs both old and new. Before joining Mumford & Sons on stage for a cover of The Beatles' "With a Little Help From My Friends," they dished out great renditions of "Diane Young" and "A-Punk."
Tame Impala continued their exstensive festival circuit, burning through fan-favorite "Elephant" with as much passion as ever.
Alt-J were there too, causing an uproar of cheers with their intricate An Awesome Wave highlight "Breezeblocks."
The xx took hold of the crowd, performing their emotional and minimal single "Angels." They really are mesmerizing to watch. I witnessed this at Sasquatch!, and you get a good sense of it even by watching a YouTube clip.
Jessie Ware took things in a dancier direction, booming her vocals across the stage with a sensual rendition of "If You’re Never Gonna Move" (formerly known as "110%").
Check out all of these highlights after the jump, and check out more of BBC's coverage of the festival here.
Vampire Weekend:
Tame Impala:
Alt-J:
The xx:
Jessie Ware:
[Sasquatch! 2013] Recap: Day Two
As the weekend of Sasquatch! festivities continued, the weather got better and so did the overall mood. The sun beamed down and the festival goers were waking up eager to party. The smell of bacon was met with the crack of beer cans opening, and campers were quick to set up ladder golf or throw a frisbee around. Day two was already off to a fantastic start and the nighttime was even better. The xx, Bloc Party, Holy Ghost!, Porcelain Raft, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, a hilarious stand up set by Nick Offerman and more, Saturday really impressed with some of the best performances of the festival. Check out the recap of day two after the jump (and read our recap of day one here).
As the weekend of Sasquatch! festivities continued, the weather got better and so did the overall mood. The sun beamed down and the festival goers were waking up eager to party. The smell of bacon was met with the crack of beer cans opening, and campers were quick to set up ladder golf or throw a frisbee around. Day two was already off to a fantastic start and the nighttime was even better. The xx, Bloc Party, Holy Ghost!, Porcelain Raft, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, a hilarious stand up set by Nick Offerman and more, Saturday really impressed with some of the best performances of the festival. Check out the recap of day two below (and read our recap of day one here).
Photo by Christopher Nelson.
Much of Saturday was spent hanging out in the campgrounds, meeting our neighbours, drinking beer and enjoying the sun, putting us all in a good mood. Spirits were high as well as being consumed, and around two in the afternoon my girlfriend Katherine and I headed off to the festival grounds. Over the next couple of hours, we spent some time in the backstage and media areas doing interviews (these will be appearing on the blog over the next five days) with some fantastic musicians. Everyone we met was so interesting and fun to chat with and that's the feeling I got throughout the whole festival. There was always someone new to meet.
At around 6 o'clock, we made our way to the El Chubacabra tent to see Nick Offerman. For those unfamiliar, get familiar. Offerman is best known for playing Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation as well as being married to Megan Mullaly of Will & Grace fame. The guy is hilarious, with a very straightforward, dry Nick Offerman. Photo by Matthew Lamb.delivery, and it all works into his American everyman style. He strutted out without a shirt on, calmly stating, "You were warned that minor nudity was included." Putting on an American flag button-up, he offered attendees his "10 tips for prosperity." He encouraged the consumption of plentiful meat and bread, to practice romantic love and to do it often, as well as the safe use of drugs and intoxicants. He also dished out a few songs on his guitar, and at the end even brought his wife and actress Stephanie Hunt on stage. They did a mashup of Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man" and Cypress Hill's "Hits from a Bong" that was simply awesome. You can check out the mashup here, but be warned the sound quality isn't the best.
Next up was Holy Ghost!, who performed at the Honda Bigfoot stage right after Offerman's set. It was good timing and I was really excited to see these guys live again. Rest assured, they did not disappoint. The sun was still bright when Alex Frankel and Nick Millhiser tore up their hour-long set. With a full touring band supporting them, they sounded great. Kicking it off with their new single "Dumb Disco Ideas," the New York duo then dished out loud, dancey renditions of "Hold On," "Wait & See," "Do It Again," "Hold My Breath" and pretty much their whole debut album. I didn't stop dancing that whole hour.
Still on a bit of an energy high from Holy Ghost!, we caught the second half of Bloc Party's set at the main stage. While we showed up late, what we did see was fantastic. I caught them last year at Outside Lands Bloc Party. Photo by Christopher Nelson.Festival in San Francisco, and they sounded as good if not better this time around. Sitting comfortably up on the hill, their set sounded so tight and it was a treat hearing songs from all four of their albums. While most of the set was material from Four, hearing old highlights like "Helicopter" was great. They even debuted a new song titled "Ratchet." Crowds were high-energy for this one.
With a bit of free time on our hands, we caught a short bit of Porcelain Raft at the Yeti stage. I had never seen Mauro Remiddi live but I really enjoyed his debut album Strange Weekend, so I was excited to find out what he sounded like in person. After hearing both "Drifting In And Out" and "Put Me To Sleep" I was very impressed. Remiddi's dreamy tunes sound great live, floating effortlessly through your eardrums. After what I heard, I was sad to leave, but The xx was waiting right around the corner.
Heading back to the Sasquatch stage, we prepared for The xx. Tucking into the left side of the stage, we made our way into the crowd and up to the front left. With a great, up-close view, we parked ourselves inRomy and Oliver of The xx. Photo by Christopher Nelson. place. As the band walked on stage the sun was giving us it's final minutes of light, giving way to the band's dark attire and stunning light show. All I can say is these three blew me away. Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim and Jamie xx know how to build and atmosphere and completely own a crowd. Their stage presence is minimal and quietly charming, and for good reason. They let their instruments and sounds do the talking, using heavy bass kicks, explosive claps, rolling basslines and dazzling light arrangements to put you in a trance. It was so mesmerizing to see and hear "Reunion" live, being carefully strung along by the slowly-encompassing atmosphere. "VCR" was met with roaring applause, and then complete silence as the crowd gave way to the music. As was "Islands." As was "Swept Away." "Angels." "Crystalised." Seriously, it was like that with every song. I had no expectations going into it, but I left that stage in awe.
Walking away from the main stage, my mind was lost, still in a daze. We wandered to the El Chupacabra for a change of scenery. It was a drastic shift going from the minimalist beauty of The xx to the pulse-pounding electronic beats of Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. That didn't matter. My excitement for TEED quickly took over. Easily securing a spot against the front barrier, our eardrums were met with a barrage of pulsating bass and synthesized sounds. Surrounded by flashing lights, he kept the crowd moving for an hour straight, never letting go. TEED assaulted the senses with a well-paced set, and fans responded with high-energy dancing. He threw down tracks both old and (mostly) new, including "Your Love," "American Dream Pt. II," "Garden," "Stronger" and more. This was my first taste of electronic music at the festival, and it was so good.
Following TEED's set I had a ton of energy, so my friends and I bounced around to different stages for a while. First, we headed to the main stage, reaching the crest of the hill overlooking the tail end of Sigur Rós' set. The view was beautiful. A clear black sky speckled by stars dominated while the band doled out their final songs. It was a brief visit to the main stage—only 10 minutes—but it was a mellowing follow-up to TEED. My attention was occupied by something else, though, as Sigur Rós' quieter presence lost out to Tame Impala's raucous sounds at the nearby Yeti stage. We brashly decided that the party should continue and headed in that direction.
Tame Impala were supposed to perform at the Honda Bigfoot stage at 10pm, but due to their gear arriving late they were moved to an 11:15 set at the much smaller Yeti stage. That didn't matter, though. By the time we arrived at Yeti, the crowd was massive. Thousands of dedicated fans amassed around the stage, and the band responded with a fuckin' rowdy set. They brought songs from both Innerspeaker and Lonerism and Empire of the Sun. Photo by Matthew Lamb.unleashed them in loud, blistering fashion upon us, enveloping vocalist Kevin Parker's fragile vocals in warm, psychedelic sounds. It was incredible to hear "Elephant" roar to life, causing the excitement level to explode, and to lose yourself in "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" as it drifts along in a dream-like manner. The highlight was easily the end of their set, as "Solitude Is Bliss" so very loudly echoed from the stage, leaving everyone with the words "You will never come close to how I feel" etched into their minds.
Still feeling the reverberation of Tame Impala course through my body, we set our sights on the final show of the night: Empire of the Sun. Gladly choosing this band over Laidback Luke's set at El Chupacabra, I prepared for the bright, colorful extravagance of Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore. That's exactly what we got. Booming explosions of light and smoke introduced the band, donned in absurd outfits and accompanied by bizarre dancers. Apparently, they needed over an hour to prepare the stage and costuming for the show, and it certainly showed. This is pure showmanship, with stage-wide visual wonderment. The music was fantastic too. It was great to finally hear "Standing on the Shore," "We Are The People," "Half Mast" and "Walking on a Dream" live, but it was the new material that really stood out. "Alive" was anthemic and the whole crowd was chanting along energetically, while brand new songs from their upcoming album Ice on the Dune really showcased a catchy '80s dance vibe. I did get the sense that their was a lot lip-syncing going on, but I admit I didn't care because it was so bright and theatrical and fun. Fuck... is that a bad thing? It was just so good!
Day two really showcased all of what Sasquatch! has to offer: amazing music diversity, stunning vistas and weather as well as tons of memorable experiences. It was a day full of continuous high notes, amazing performances and ridiculous fun, and the story continues tomorrow with a recap of day three.
By Adrian McCavour.
[News] Tame Impala Bassist Nick Allbrook Announces Departure from the Band
Nick Allbrook, second from the right.
Success can be a lot to deal with, and this past weekend we saw evidence of that. Australian psych rock band Tame Impala have been a runaway success since their debut album Innerspeaker was released back in 2010, continuing even further with last year's Lonerism. The band's bassist Nick Allbrook has decided that he will be taking a step back from the limelight, announcing his departure in an official statement. It states that he "is hopping off the Tame Impala band wagon so that he can try and screw his head back on, and make an attempt to assimilate back into society. A task the rest of us fear we will one day have to perform..."
As Allbrook bows out gracefully, his shoes will be filled by Cam Avery, a member of fellow Australian pysch rock outfit Pond. Funny enough, Allbrook is the frontman of Pond. While the departure may seem sudden, it is an understandable decision: "All bands and projects and stuff will keep going, it's just hard to keep them all going if you're touring all the time. The only bad part will be not seeing my mates every day. I love them more than anything," [said Allbrook to NME].
Allbrooks final show with Tame Impala was this past Saturday, but the band will continue touring throughout the summer.
[Watch] Tame Impala Covers Outkast's "Prototype" for Triple J
If you had to guess one of Tame Impala's "favorite songs ever" what would it be? I bet you wouldn't have guessed that it's Outkast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below cut "Prototype." Visiting Triple J studios, the Australian outfit chose to cover that song for the radio station's ongoing "Like A Version" segment. The band turns the mellow funk-laden jam into a reverbed psychedelic number, and it's actually really good. Check it out below.