May 6, 2010
Elephant Parade | Bedroom Recordings
2007 | Earsay Records
There’s a special place in my heart for bands like Elephant Parade; that is, bands that are sort of innocuous and unselfconsciously adorable. Those more callous than myself could probably sum up this record’s cuteness by using their index finger to gag themselves. Okay, perhaps that’s an acceptable reaction, especially if one considers the following lyrics, from “For You”: “I like you / You don’t make me cry / I like you / You always make me smile.” As far as I can tell this is delivered without irony or sarcasm. To me, that’s one of the main reasons this record is enjoyable.
It’s a short record, clocking in at about 22 minutes, and as evidenced by the aforementioned lyrics, it’s relatively harmless. They sound like a stripped-down version of Camera Obscura or Au Revoir Simone. It’s an acoustic record, male and female harmonies, with a lo-fi sound to match its title, Bedroom Recordings. The track “Boat Song” shows the band’s potential beyond simple acoustic songs, featuring a beautiful, floaty keyboard arrangement and a breathy melody; I wish the entire record was closer to this sound.
Like a lot of decent pop music, their songs are shallow enough that enjoyment of them beyond the few first listens is contingent on the positive experiences which the songs accompany. I also imagine that one or two of these tracks could nicely round out a mix tape.
by Joe Veix
More Elephant Parade music on iLike
Atlanta Metal Giants Mastodon Working On Score For Hex Comic-Turned-Big Budget Movie; Let’s Hope This Is The Beginning Of A Long Mastodon-Movie Relationship [Brooklyn Vegan]
Stream Neon Indian’s Remix of Brooklynites Au Revoir Simone’s “Another Likely Story” – It’s Funny, But Usually When I Listen To Au Revoir Simone I Fall A- Whoops, Sorry, Dozed Off There [Gorilla vs. Bear]
Lil Wayne Made $42 Million Dollars On Concert Sales Alone In The Last Year…Well, I Hate To Say It, But That’ll Buy A Lot of Cough Syrup [Idolator]
Bjork Premieres New Micachu and the Shapes Video “Turn Me Well” – This Song Samples A Dentist Drill, And Ironically Isn’t Very Flattering Of Frontwoman Mica Levi’s Dental Work [Spin]
24-Hours After Jay Z Released The JM.com Deemed “Clusterfuck” That Is The Blueprint 3, Jay Says He’s Already Working On It’s Hyper-Experimental Follow-Up [MTV]
After Missing For Five Days, Glasvegas Frontman James Allan Turns Up In New York; Who Can Blame Him: If I Was About To Go On Tour With Kings of Leon, I’d Get The Fuck Out Of Wherever I Was [Spinner]
Watch New Riceboy Sleeps (Sigur Ros Side Project) Video, “Sometimes I Get Scared” – All I Know Is, I’m Incredibly Uncomfortable Watching Six Minutes Of A Little Girl In Slow Machine [Pitchfork]
UK Female MC Speeche Debelle Wins Mercury Music Prize; Upsets Bat For Lashes and Glasvegas [Idolator]
Stream Michael McDonald (Yeah, The One From The Doobie Brothers) Singing Grizzly Bear’s “While You Wait For The Others”…The Best Indie Crossover Ever? Maybe [Hype Machine]
compiled by Max Sebela
LIVE JOURNAL
JezebelMusic.com @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
May 29, 2009 | Au Revoir Simone w/ the Antlers
Photo by Jen McManus
Brooklyn darlings Au Revoir Simone and The Antlers’ tour is heavily underway, but I thought we could all do a little musing in their absence. The gang began their journey a few weeks ago at a fittingly sold-out Music Hall of Williamsburg show, the crowd an even blend of creatively coiffed underage girls, nerdy MacWorld attendees, and (surprise surprise) self-proclaimed members of the press. Interestingly enough, no one was really dancing; something about the eight-dollar cocktails and the professional stage lighting. For Au Revoir Simone, the setting made perfect sense. But for The Antlers, I for one would have rather seen them in some parent-free suburban basement.
Their rollicking, dense sound can be likened to the Arcade Fire, but with a fraction of the people onstage. Peter Silberman, Darby Cicci, and Michael Lerner aren’t just three guys capitalizing on the usual tropes that come with pedals and loops. They are three guys playing six instruments at once (especially Cicci, whose Wurlitzer was topped by another keyboard, and supported below by organ pedals, which he proceeded to play with his socked feet.) Each song is melodically simple, lyrically verbose, and gently fleshed out through the layering of musical parts. Silberman’s vocals are trembling, yearning, wailing, painting the perfect scene of lost potential and malaise. The build is epic, often celebratory, and backed by some of the tightest drumming I’ve heard at a show. At the end of the set, they loosened the reins a bit to let Lerner really fly, exemplifying what live music should be – spontaneous, underpolished, and passionate
More on Au Revoir Simone & The Antlers @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | 05.29.09
SEE IT LIVE
JezebelMusic.com @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
May 29, 2009 | Au Revoir Simone & The Antlers
[All images copyright 2009 Jen McManus]
The Antlers
More on Au Revoir Simone & The Antlers @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | 5.29.09
