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Adrian 12/7/12 Adrian 12/7/12

[Listen] YACHT - "Second Summer"

This month marks the 10-year anniversary of YACHT, the wacky electropop outfit from Portland, Oregon. To celebrate the occasion, the band has recorded an awesome new track titled "Second Summer", which comes paired with an equally awesome animated video. The video, directed by ADHD, stems from the band's appreciation of the director's previous work:

We’ve been unabashed fans of ADHD & Ben Jones’ work since his days with the art collective Paper Rad and jumped at the opportunity to channel his rare strain of visual damage into YACHT’s world. This video represents the ultimate manifestation of our spirit animal, the Smiangle, morphing from an impersonal signifier of mystical subtext into something completely alive, surreal, and psychotropic."

Watch the animated goodness below. As well, in even more celebratory news, YACHT will be performing at the Echoplex in Los Angeles on December 8th. If you're a longtime fan of the band and live in the L.A. area, make sure to get your ass over there tomorrow night.

Adrian 8/21/12 Adrian 8/21/12

[Outside Lands 2012 x Interview] YACHT

Photos by Samuel Boardman Parker

Everyday is full of experiences, whether it is an uneventful one or an undoubtedly strange one. Whatever the case may be, it is an experience nonetheless. When it comes to music festivals, though, chances are those experiences are some of the most unique and odd you'll come to encounter. Ridiculous costumes, people from all over the world, the infusion of drug after drug after drug, and the inherent love and passion for music all combine in one location to make for unforgettable happenings. Outside Lands Festival proved to embrace that time honored tradition.

I found myself in one of these memorable encounters on the second day of Outside Lands, meeting up with Claire Evans and Jona Bechtolt of YACHT under the same trees that Electric Guest and I found ourselves in one day later. The quirky contingent that is The Western American Utopian Triangle proved to be an absolute joy to talk to, as photographer Samuel Boardman Parker and I dished out questions regarding YACHT's live performances, the danceability of their music, and what Claire's favorite dish at Olive Garden is. Stream the full interview below.

Adrian 8/8/12 Adrian 8/8/12

[Outside Lands 2012] Top Five High Energy Shows to Dance at Till You Drop

This Friday marks the beginning of this year's Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco, the fifth edition of the cultural highlight. SKOA will be attending the festival this year, and each day leading up to the festival we will be dishing out a feature focused on the bands set to appear at Outside Lands. Today, our spotlight is focused on the top five high energy shows to dance at till your knees are trembling.

If you're willing to put the time, effort, and money into going to a show, then it is immediately worth it. One aspect that makes a show much more worth it, though, is if you show up and you're dancing from start to finish. When a band has a stage presence that is so energetic, and when the music is paced perfectly so that you don't stop moving for the entire set, that is when you know it was a good show. Take a look at the top five picks for the most danceable acts at this year's Outside Lands after the jump.

Justice: The moment Justice becomes a topic of conversation, the song "D.A.N.C.E." is almost always brought up. The French house duo has become iconic for their Parisian brand of electronic music, a brand that translates perfectly to the dance-hungry crowd. Whether you're playing Justice at a house party or seeing them live in concert, the dirty, sexy basslines and unwavering barrage of synthesizers plays perfectly into high energy, non-stop dance-a-thons. When it comes to dancing, Justice has you covered. Just make sure you have a full day afterwards to recover.

YACHT: This Portland outfit continiously impresses with their infectious electropop sounds, and in a live setting, it's impossible to prevent the onslaught of dancing crowds. Who wouldn't dance to "Dystopia (The Earth Is on Fire)" or "Shangri-La"? It's all just so damn catchy. YACHT knows how to do danceable, groovy beats right, so do yourself a favor and check them out.

MSTRKRFT: Jesse F. Keeler and Al-P know how to get a party started. Every song they release under the MSTRKRFT moniker is a party in itself, with pounding kick drums, ever-evolving synthesizers and altered voice samples. MSTRKRFT is the kind of thing you would play for a group of people on MDMA, and that's exactly why it's the perfect brand of music to dance until you drop.

Franz Ferdinand: Something about this Scottish quartet is so captivating, whether it's the music itself or their unrelenting and energetic stage presence. Each one of their three full-length albums are full of numerous catchy post-punk tracks, every one of which is perfectly suited for the live stage. If you've ever wanted to dance our heart out during an outdoor concert in the pouring rain, who better to do it to than Franz Ferdinand?

Passion Pit: If you've ever watched footage of Passion Pit performing live, there is no doubt that their catchy pop sounds are perfect for crowds of eager fans wanting to dance to their heart's content. Manners was packed with danceable song after danceable song, and Gossamer is no different. The Massachusetts outfit knows how to deliver a fulfilling pop song, and fans of the band know perfectly well how to dance to it. Seeing this band live is not something you should pass up.

5/23/12 5/23/12

[Listen] YACHT - "I'll Be Your Mirror" (Velvet Underground & Nico Cover)

YACHT have been a little quiet bar their cover of Brigitte Fontaine's "Le Goudron" last month when they announced a string of tour dates. Today we get another cover from the Portland band. They've taken on the Velvet Underground & Nico's "I'll Be Your Mirror". You can see what you think of the pretty great sounding cover below via The NJ Underground.

Adrian 4/24/12 Adrian 4/24/12

[Watch and Listen] YACHT Cover Brigitte Fontaine's "Le Goudron," Announce Tour Dates

In anticipation for their just announced European and U.S. tour dates, Portland duo YACHT have unveiled a cover of Brigitte Fontaine's 1969 song "Le Goudron." The accompanying video for the cover is available to watch above, while the audio itself is available to download or stream below.

As for the band's tour dates, they've announced that on April 26th they will kick off a European tour, which will take them all the way to May 19th. From there, the band will be back in North America to tour through till mid-June, including two festival appearances in August at Outside Lands and North Coast Music Festival. Take a look at their full tour itinerary after the jump.

SHANGRI-LA TOUR 2012: PT.2 EUROPE

04-26 Nantes, FR – Pôle Etudiant

04-27 Tours, FR – Le Temps Machine

04-28 Paris, FR – KEEP PORTLAND WEIRD @ Gaîté Lyrique

04-30 Heidelberg, DE – Halle01

05-01 Frankfurt, DE – Zoom

05-02 St. Gallen, CH – Palace

05-03 Dublin, IE – Workmansclub

05-05 Belfast, UK – Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival

05-06 Bristol, UK – Simple Things Festival

05-08 London, UK – XOYO

05-11 Brighton, UK – The Great Escape @ Digital

05-13 Norwich, UK – Norwich & Norfolk Festival

05-14 Amsterdam, NL – Paradiso

05-15 Brussels, BE – Les Nuits De Botanique Festival

05-16 Lyon, FR – Nuits Sonores Festival

05-17 Barcelona, ES – Music Hall

05-18 Madrid, ES – Charada

05-19 Guimaraes, PT – Vila Flor

SHANGRI-LA TOUR 2012: PT.3 SOUTHERN U.S.A.

05-24 San Diego, CA – The Loft @ UCSD

05-25 Tucson, AZ – Plush

05-26 El Paso, TX – Neon Desert Music Festival

05-28 New Orleans, LA – One Eyed Jacks

05-30 Gainesville, FL – Double Down Live

05-31 Orlando, FL – The Plaza Live

06-01 Tampa, FL – Crowbar

06-02 Miami, FL – Bardot

06-04 Atlanta, GA – The Earl

06-05 Nashville, TN – 12th & Porter

06-06 Memphis, TN – Hi-Tone Cafe

06-07 Dallas, TX – Club Dada

06-08 Austin, TX – The Mohawk

06-09 Houston, TX – Fitzgerald’s

06-11 Norman, OK – Opolis

06-13 Santa Fe, NM – Sol

06-14 Phoenix, AZ – The Crescent Ballroom

06-15 Pomona, CA – The Glass House

08-10 – 08-12 San Francisco, CA – Outside Lands

08-31 – 09-02 Chicago, IL – North Coast Music Festival

2/20/12 2/20/12

[Watch] YACHT - "Shangri-La"

As YACHT point out on their Vimeo page, "you can't spell Shangri-La without L.A.", as they unleash the easy on the eye video for their album's title track. The video sees all sorts going on from group dances to healthy juices flowing, and don't take that in a dirty way, that's just wrong. The band state that they believe "Utopia, like reality, is not a physical experience, nor one dictated by the boundaries of a particular space. Rather, it's a movable feast, defined by its capacity to adapt and change to new surroundings. Basically, any place can be Utopia. But it doesn't hurt when that place is already Los Angeles." I'm yet to visit LA but let's see what they are talking about in the lush looking video at the top. Hat tip to Disco Na ïveté for the heads up on this one.

Adrian 1/12/12 Adrian 1/12/12

[News] YACHT Announce 2012 Tour Dates

In support of their latest studio album Shangri-La, which was released last June, Portland electro-pop duo YACHT will be touring throughout North America starting next month. The tour begins in Bellingham, WA on February 7th, with the duo performing in Seattle and Portland before heading east. The band will perform shows throughout the Midwest, in Canada, and the East Coast of the U.S., with a final show in Salt Lake City, UT on March 6th. You can check out all of YACHT's tour dates after the jump.

YACHT 2012 Tour Dates:
02/07 – Bellingham, WA @ Western Washington University
02/08 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
02/09 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
02/12 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux
02/14 – Lincoln, NE @ Bourbon Theater
02/16 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
02/18 – Dekalb, IL @ The House Cafe
02/19 – Columbus, OH @ The Basement
02/20 – Pontiac, MI @ The Pike Room @ Crofoot Ballroom
02/22 – Ottawa, ON @ Ritual Nightclub
02/23 – Toronto, ON @ Wrongbar
02/24 – Montreal, QC @ IIl Motore
02/25 – Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
02/26 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
02/29 – Gambier, OH @ The Horn Gallery at Kenyon College
03/01 – St. Louis, MO @ Plush
03/02 – Lawrence, KS @ Jackpot Saloon
03/03 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
03/05 – Fort Collins, CO @ Aggie Theater
03/06 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge