“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.
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.
If you haven’t heard Mikaela Davis before, then you’re in for a real treat. This harpist from Rochester is currently honing her craft at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music, an expansion to an impressive resume that includes starting the harp in 3rd grade and spending four years in the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. To simply describe Davis’s sound, her voice is stunning and her musical talents are humbling.
She occasionally returns to her hometown to grace us with a show, and luckily we’re in for an exceptional evening of music when she shares the stage with Shara Worden at the Bug Jar on Saturday, January 14, opening for a My Brightest Diamond solo performance. If you’re in the area, this is sure to be a show that you won’t want to miss.
The video is of Davis covering Sufjan Stevens’ “Casimir Pulaski Day” from his Illinois masterpiece. It’s a wonderful rendition that possesses enough similarity to pay tribute to one of her influences and enough of her creative arrangement to showcase her musical prowess and claim the song with a style of her own. You’ll want to return to this one again. I promise.
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.
OK, I will admit it. I am a pretty shitty videographer. But it is pretty gosh darn hard to keep a video camera steady when an entire audience is swaying and the floor is shifting. (OK, maybe the floor wasn’t shifting, but the audience surely was.) As seen in my earlier video, I probably should invest in a better video camera, but the one I have now is small and compact. It also does a pretty solid job in picking up sound. I must also admit that I might have been the only one dancing at this point. Regardless, WU LYF live is pretty fucking incredible. It amazes me that the young quartet from Manchester, England (not yet legal to drink in the United States), possess such a unique aesthetic and singular focus/drive.
This is a video I shot at their November show at Toronto’s Horseshoe Tavern. The first video posted featured the band’s sterling encore. This one presents the opening song “L Y F.” The song opens with the simple organ chords and then it begins to groove.
001: Joywave - Ridge/Traveling At The Speed Of Light 7"
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Upcoming Western NY Concerts
NOTE: Concerts are in Rochester unless otherwise noted.
1/5: Les Racquet
1/12: Joywave with Old Tapes, Dave & Marissa
1/13: The Dads
1/14: My Brightest Diamond
1/17: Josh Netsky Band with Cuddle Magic
1/18: Tycho (Buffalo)
1/26: Avicii
1/26: A$AP Rocky (Buffalo)
1/28: The Crystal Method (Syracuse)
2/11: Blind Pilot (Ithaca)
2/22: William Fitzsimmons
2/24: Mike Doughty
2/25: Charles Bradley (Buffalo)
2/29: Summer People
3/3: Matthew Good
3/5: Evening Man
3/23: The Men
3/30: tympanogram’s 3rd Birthday with Born Gold, Old Tapes, TBA
4/20: fun.
4/23: Cults (Buffalo)
5/6: Bear In Heaven (Ithaca)
5/7: M83 (Buffalo)
an examination used to test the condition of the middle ear and mobility of the eardrum, and the conduction bones by creating variations of air pressure in the ear canal.
Basically, it sounded like a cool name for a blog intended to be primarily about music. We’d both had other blogs previously, but over beers it was decided that more damage could be done as a joint venture. And here we are.
We share a passion for the undiscovered and under-appreciated, and hope that you’ll be able to find something you love as well.
Disclaimer
The music offered on this blog is for sampling purposes only. If you enjoy something you hear here, please go out and buy the music, see a show, or purchase some merchandise. Posted mp3s are available for a limited period of time only.
If there are any materials featured here that are your intellectual property, and you would prefer them removed, please notify us and we will be happy to oblige.
Contact Us
Do you have an artist or band you think we should hear? Please feel free to let us know and we'd be glad to give it a listen.
Submissions can be sent here, or email us for an address if you wish to send physical submissions.
Please note that we try our hardest to respond to all submissions, but we get a lot of requests, so we will get back to you as soon as we can.
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About the Author: Dave
I like music. I can't describe how I came to like the music I do, because I don't know how or why, I just do.
Many years ago, Napoleon's brother, my great-great-great-great-great-great Grandfather, came to America. He was asked his name on Ellis Island while being processed as an immigrant. Not understanding English, he was under the impression that he was being asked how he had arrived in the new land. So he turned around and pointed at the sea vessel and said, 'LaBarge.'
About the Author: Andy
I come by my music taste of my own free will. My friends listened to 2Pac, my parents to contemporary Christian and me? Sunny Day Real Estate. I can’t explain it.
“Music, true music, not just rock ’n’ roll, it chooses you. It lives in your car, or alone, listening to your headphones…” - Lester Bangs
![king krule [mp3] King Krule // Has This Hit (Live at Converse Rubber Tracks)](http://tympanogram.com/files/king-krule.jpg "king krule")
![sbtrkt [mp3] SBTRKT // Blue Cassette (Friendly Fires Cover) (Live on BBC Radio 1)](http://tympanogram.com/files/sbtrkt.jpg "sbtrkt")
