Alt-J (∆)

If you follow any music websites, you’ve probably heard of Alt-J (∆), likely in the comments section from one of the band’s enthusiastic fans who sing their praises every chance they get. I covered their great “Breezeblocks” video over at Seen Your Video, but it wasn’t until recently that I heard the UK alt-pop band’s debut album. I’ll admit what sold me at first was the fact that their single “Matilda” is named after Natalie Portman’s iconic character from Léon: The Professional, but after a few good listens I now count myself among the Alt-J faithful.

Their debut album An Awesome Wave spans multiple genres and influences and it’s experimental tendencies has garnered comparisons to Radiohead and TV on the Radio. Guitarist / singer Joe Newman is certainly one of the most interesting vocalists I’ve heard in some time, his peculiar, hushed falsetto is one of the unique highlights of the album. The whimsical, scatterbrained instrumentation is beautifully arranged to give the music an intelligent, avant-garde feel, while being centered in melody pop enough to remain accessible and catchy. It’s a fantastic balancing act and the band pulls it off with incredible ease.

MP3 Breezeblocks
MP3 Something Good

Listen to all of An Awesome Wave at Alt-J’s Soundcloud.

Hot Chip @ Pitchfork Music Festival (6/14)

On the title track to Hot Chip‘s sophomore album the British electro-pop band warns that “Hot Chip will break your legs, snap off your head” and watching all the wild, celebratory dancing happening in the crowd during their Saturday evening set, you could be sure they weren’t joking around. The band’s euphoric dance anthems incited an all out dance-riot, even their mid-tempo songs like “Boy From School”, which opened their set, were given upbeat live makeovers with emphasis on the throbbing percussion and soaring keyboards, while the infectious melodies ensured that the songs stick in your head.

The band played a wonderful set, hitting just about all of their big singles like “Over and Over” and “Ready For The Floor” (which awesomely featured a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Everywhere” in the middle), plus a bunch of highlights from their newest gem of an album, In Our Heads. I though “Don’t Deny Your Heart”, “How Do You Do?” and “Flutes” came off particularly strong, matching the energy and bravado of their classics. Lead singer Alexis Taylor doesn’t bother much with banter, weaving one crazed disco rave into another and delivering easily the funnest set of the weekend, and one of the best I’ve seen in my years going to this little festival.

MP3 Don’t Deny Your Heart
MP3 And I Was A Boy From School

Follow the jump for more Hot Chip photos. Click here to see the full set.

Chromatics @ Pitchfork Music Festival (6/14)

Chromatics released one of my favorite albums this year in Kill For Love, so despite soundcheck difficulties that had them start twenty minutes late, I stuck around to watch the Portland electro-pop quartet. The band opened with “Tick of the Clock”, the instrumental which was featured in the opening scene of Drive, which led seamlessly into one of the many highlights from their new album “Lady”.

The band’s vibe of gently throbbing electronica, ultra-melodic guitar lines and wispy vocals may be best suited for slinky dance clubs and late-night drives, but I thought it worked just fine during their early evening set. Before I booked it to watch Hot Chip, I got to hear the hypnotizing “Kill For Love” with it’s grandiose New Order-like synths and disco beats, and that made me very happy.

MP3 Kill For Love

Follow the jump for more Chromatics photos. Click here to see the full set.

Don't Curse Me: Frank Ocean's "Channel Orange"

It is rare that a new artist fulfills their early promise. Often, an untested talent will falter under the expectations heaped upon them. We remark to ourselves that we knew they did not have what it takes, not realizing that we were part of the cause. Artists are then left with a choice: pack it in or plug away? They may want to cut their losses, or they could move forward and hope their misstep was a fluke, a trick of pressure.

Expectations were certainly high for Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange, but Ocean seems to exist outside the cycle. Perhaps it is a result of being jerked around the label system; his debut was shelved — twice. Or perhaps his world is isolated; removed from hype and cynics, he is free to see his vision through without disturbance. No matter the cause, Ocean has created a record that feels complete, that rare accomplishment of an artist capturing things exactly as imagined.

Sleigh Bells @ Pitchfork Music Festival (6/14)

Going into Sleigh Bell‘s set at Pitchfork Festival I wouldn’t claim to be too big a fan of the band, but I think that’s because I never experienced them in the correct environment. On record, I find that the clashing guitars and saccharine vocals can be abrasive, but put them on a stage with stacks of speakers and hundreds of screaming fans and all the bombast and ear-shattering noise starts to make sense. Simply put, the band puts on a hell of a live show. Lead singer (and total babe) Alexis Krauss commands the stage with a ferocious punk energy, whipping her hair, leaping onto the front speakers, and shrieking into the mic, while the dual guitarists rip into guitar licks that would make Dethklok proud.

After opening with “Demons”, Alexis ripped off her leather jacket and the band played an electrifying version of their breakthrough single “Crown On The Ground”, which stirred the crowd to an uproarious frenzy (when the song finished I heard someone  in the front row exclaimed “that was the best song I’ve ever seen”). From then on it was continuous rush of huge beats, huge riffs and Alexis thrilling antics, inducing mosh pits, sing-a-longs and crowd-surfing, which Krauss took part in herself during “Rill Rill”. I’m still probably not going to be blasting Sleigh Bells out my car stereo on a regular basis, but if they’re playing anywhere near me live, I am totally there.

MP3 Crown On The Ground
MP3 Comeback Kid

Follow the jump for (lots more) Sleigh Bells photos. Click here to see the full set.

Wild Flag @ Pitchfork Music Festival (6/14)

Whether they were fans of Carrie Brownstein’s comedic turn in the hipster sketch-comedy show Portlandia or they’re fans of bands like Sleater-Kinney, Helium, and The Minders of which the bandmembers used to play, or they’re just really into girl-power, people turned up in waves to check out Portland super-group Wild Flag. The band started things off right opening with a cover of Television’s “See No Evil” and continued to melt faces with their upbeat and extremely catchy guitar rock.

Carrie and Mary Timony both took lead vocal duites as well as guitar, giving them both plenty of opportunity to carry out wild, feedback-heavy guitar solos and badass guitar poses (windmill strums and guitars thrusted over the head abounded). Meanwhile Rebecca Cole added the pop to the proceedings with her cooing harmonies, infectious keyboard riffs and dancing, while Janet Weis injected some of her colossal drum fills. From psych-jam freakout “Racehorse” to the sharp, refined guitar-pop of “Romance”, the gals destroyed all in their path. And although the temptation was great to yell Portlandia lines at Carrie like “Hey-Ooh River” or “Put A Bird On It”, thankfully I was able to refrain and just enjoy rocking out.

MP3 Romance

Follow the jump for more Wild Flag photos. Click here to see the full set.

Youth Lagoon @ Pitchfork Music Festival (6/14)

Youth Lagoon‘s palette of soft, intimate keyboards and subtle electronica doesn’t always translate well to outdoor music festivals, but I doubt that deterred any fans of the band’s deeply emotional dream-pop. Trevor Powers didn’t attempt to intensify their music and spent little effort engaging the audience, letting the seeping beauty of the songs speak for themselves. While newcomers may have been turned off, listeners like myself that fell in love with songs like “Cannons” and “Montana” from The Year of Hibernation, couldn’t help but be entranced with the gorgeous melodies and soaring crescendos emitting from the speakers.

MP3 Cannons

Follow the jump for more Youth Lagoon photos. Click here to see the full set.

MP3: Lord Huron – Time To Run

Ever since hearing Lord Huron‘s fantastic Mighty EP back in December of 2010, I’ve been hugely anticipating their debut album and although it took almost two years, it finally has a release date, plus a debut single! “Time To Run” is our first taste of the album (entitled Lonesome Dreams) and I can’t imagine a better introduction. With it’s galloping rhythm, exuberant bursts of tropical instrumentation and soaring harmonies, it transports the listener on an exhilarating journey. After this breathtaking track, I can’t wait to hear what else Benji Schneider has up his sleeves.

MP3 Lord Huron – Time To Run

Lonesome Dreams will be out 10/9 on IAMSOUND Records. Also, Lord Huron will be playing Pygmalion Festival on September, 28th! MUST-SEE!

Cults @ Pitchfork Music Festival (6/14)

It made sense that just before Cults began to play their sunny, throwback retro-pop, the sun came out at Union Park. The Brooklyn group certainly has grown a lot since I saw them two years ago, when they were still the mystery buzz band with just a few songs to their name but their live show is just as fun as ever. Madeline Follin’s still a pleasure to watch, swaying in her low-cut dress and ruby red lip stick stage and her vocal presence has definitely improved, especially on the powerful soul-pop of “You Know What I Mean”. A full band gave that extra oomph on tracks like “Never Heal Myself” and opener “Abduction”, helping to emphasize the dynamic tempos and soaring crescendos that make Cults stand out among their indie-pop peers.

MP3 You Know What I Mean

Follow the jump for more Cults photos. Click here to see the full set.

Cloud Nothings @ Pitchfork Music Festival (6/14)

Cloud Nothings‘ ferocious performance kicked off Saturday at Pitchfork Festival in the most awesome way ever. Focusing solely on tracks from their amazing 2012 release, Attack on Memory, Dylan Baldi and co. tore through tracks like “Stay Useless”, “Fall In” and “Separation”.

Nothing compared though, to their epic 15-minute version of “Wasted Days”, which was played such an absolute swirling fury that the heavy downpour of rain that started mid-song seemed inevitable, as if the skies had been cracked open by the power of punk rock. With wind blowing the rain directly onto the band drenching the stage, the house speakers were cut off and sound techs urged the band to stop. Yet even in the face of electrocution, the band played on with the crowd helping to amplify the climatic phrase “I thought I would be more than this!” over and over. Cloud Nothings – 1 Torrential Rain Downpour – 0.

MP3 Wasted Days

Follow the jump for more Cloud Nothings photos. Click here to see the full set.