[video] Bon Iver // Holocene (Live on Saturday Night Live)

Category Archives: Live

[video] Bon Iver // Holocene (Live on Saturday Night Live)

Written on February 7, 2012 by Andy in Live, Music, Video

Bon Iver brought their wares to the Saturday Night Live stage this past weekend, performing “Holocene” and “Beth/Rest” for the program. (I’m posting only “Holocene,” however, because I like that song better.) The performances themselves are pretty great, but I’m a biased observer because Bon Iver was my favorite album of last year. How many times do you think Channing Tatum had to practice saying “Bon Iver” to get it right?

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[mp3] King Krule // Has This Hit (Live at Converse Rubber Tracks)

Written on January 25, 2012 by Andy in Live, Music

“Has This Hit” isn’t a new track from King Krule per se, as it came out back in 2010 when he was still performing under the Zoo Kid moniker. But this version of the song, aged a couple of years and now recorded live in Brooklyn and Converse’s Rubber Tracks studio, showcases Marshall’s obvious talent, along with the band he plays with.

The track is wise beyond Marshall’s not-even-eighteen years lyrically, and displays a hurt that people his age shouldn’t have to feel, let alone be able to articulate. Musically, the band never gets in the way of Marshall’s emoting. The song is withering in its content, but shows off brighter influences as well, particularly in the extended instrumental section toward the end of the song.

King Krule’s self-titled debut EP was one of my favorite releases of last year, and hearing this cut doesn’t do much to diminish my excitement for an eventual album.

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King Krule // Has This Hit (Live at Converse Rubber Tracks) [mp3]

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[mp3] SBTRKT // Blue Cassette (Friendly Fires Cover) (Live on BBC Radio 1)

Written on January 11, 2012 by Andy in Live, Music

Friendly Fires’ 2011 release Pala wasn’t my favorite, but there were a couple of songs that I enjoyed off of it; the other day I saw that London producer SBTRKT (whose debut, self-titled album was one of my favorites of last year) had covered “Blue Cassette,” – one of those couple of songs I enjoyed from Pala, so I was forced to take a listen.

The cover was done for a BBC Radio 1 show called Live Lounge, in addition to a version of “Hold On” from SBTRKT. In this particular live setting, the artists are able to make their electronic wares seem more intimate; “Hold On” is stretched from its normal, 3.5 minute length on the album to over 7 minutes here, and while the Friendly Fires cover is fairly faithful lengthwise, it relies more on Sampha’s vocals than the blast of instrumentation of the original. Listening to the two play live, it’s obvious that the chemistry between SBTRKT and Sampha is undeniable.

The live version of “Hold On” is available for download through the Young Turks Soundcloud page as well.

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SBTRKT // Blue Cassette (Friendly Fires Cover) (Live on BBC Radio 1) [mp3]

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[video] King Krule // Portrait In Black and Blue (Live)

Written on January 6, 2012 by Andy in Live, Music, Video

There is always a modicum of concern for me that a band I enjoy won’t translate as well in a live setting. It should probably be expected that a band should be able to play their instruments and/or sing to some extent, but that’s not always the case. With King Krule, whose frontman hasn’t even reached voting age (in the States at least; I’m not sure about Great Britain’s voting restrictions), any reason to believe that his excellent debut EP wouldn’t hold up live should be dispelled with this video, shot by Yours Truly at CMJ this past October. Watch him do a killer version of “Portrait In Black and Blue.”

Connect with King Krule // Facebook

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[video] The National // Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks (ft. Justin Vernon)

Written on December 13, 2011 by Dave in Live, Music, Video

The National were on CBC Radio’s “Q” show in Toronto last week, and lightning rod Justin Vernon joined them for a live rendition of “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks.” Here is the evidence.

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