more to come soon. I swear.

Considering Susanna and the Magical Orchestra (the moniker of Susanna Wallumrød and Morten Qvenild) had never played in America before, the Nordic duo were quite nervous prior to their back to back shows at Rochester’s Lutheran Church. The church, which was a venue for the Rochester International Jazz Festival, was the perfect venue for Susanna ATMO with its gorgeous acoustics and three ornate stained glass panes that acted as the background. Nine hundred people packed into the church for the sold-out 7:30 show, while the second show, was a less crowded and more intimate affair.

The duo started with their haunting cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”- which wrenched all of our hearts. Susanna’s presence which is so calm and gentle contrasts with her voice perfectly, which is like a beast that’s finally set free. While singing, the only movement seen came from Susanna’s fingers, which twitched ever so slightly like she was devoting every ounce of energy in her body to control her extremely tonal voice. This voice, which was a bit less powerful than Bjork’s, yet more exotic than Natasha Khan’s of Bat for Lashes, sang many of the covers featured on the act’s Melody Mountain. AC/DC’s “Long Way To The Top” which was introduced with “I think this is the only time AC/DC will ever be played in this church…” as well as “Love Will Tear Us Apart” were among the highlights.

The duo did play an array of originals as well, which really showcased Qvenild’s talent on the synthesizer. Stand-out  track “Palpatine’s Dream” utilized such a bombastic electronics and gave the band’s sound more life and texture while giving the audience a bit of a necessary wake-up call. After seeing Susanna and the Magical Orchestra live, their name becomes obvious. There is Susanna… and then there is Qvenild, surrounded by an absurd amount of magical boxes and machinery, creating the illusion that an enormous orchestra is present…In fact, magic is an understatement…Susanna and the Magical Orchestra was surreal.

photo: elrik lande

So with this years’ tidal wave of fuzzy lo-fi bands its all about survival of the fittest. And my favorite (besides Best Coast obviously) is Japan’s latest export The Suzan. Their single “Home” (below) comes out on 7″ in July on Fool’s Gold, and most importantly their full-length  Golden Week for the Poco Poco Beat will hit you in September. Is it just me or would a tour between them and Lykke Li be kind of perfect?

Download audio file (Home1.mp3)
Download.

When Beach House took the stage and guitarist Alex Scally started sliding all over his guitar on “Walk in the Park” it was like a wave of warm bathwater flooded the intimate Town Ballroom in Buffalo on Sunday evening. For the next hour and fifteen minutes, Victoria, Alex and their tour drummer, gave such a provoking performance, it was as if they were emotionally wringing out each and every audience member like a wash cloth. The set consisted of the band’s latest release Teen Dream in its entirety, with a few oldies thrown in for good measure. The lights stayed dim for most of the show, giving the atmosphere an even more dreamy quality, while five glistening silver diamonds spun behind the band (as seen in the video above).

For those that believe “seeing beach house live is a waste..they’re too ‘chill’”- as I heard from many friends prior to Sunday, this attitude couldn’t have been more wrong. As, first of all, the drumming and percussion live is in a league of its own and gives every song a more powerful backbone. I found myself dancing to almost every song…that’s right..dancing to beach house.  Okay, so maybe it was more of a rhythmic sway, but either way- it was hypnotic. Secondly, as we all know, vocalist Victoria Legrand has a mean set of vocal cords and can effortlessly hit any note; and  live it is even more apparent. During songs like “Master of None” and “Take Care” (as evident in the video at :40 above), Victoria added extra flourishes of emotion and power. Lastly, although the environment was calm and the songs’ BPM rates aren’t outrageously high , the band knows how to bring out the energy on stage. While Alex swirled around with his guitars on some songs, Victoria couldn’t keep her black heels still, swiveling her hips and whipping that voluminous head of hair she has everywhere. The band ended with the gorgeous “10 Mile Stereo”, and when they thanked us all and hit the lights, we all snapped back to reality.

Although beach house can make time stand still live, once they stop playing you’re sucked back to earth and have nothing better to do than go to Mighty Taco and get a half-assed burrito…and that’s exactly what I did.

People of all ages packed into the Water Street Music Hall’s club on Wednesday night to see Mates of State and Philly rockers Free Energy. However, before the music took place, listeners had to endure a magician and a comedian. It was kind of like watching “America’s Got Talent” on Wednesday– watching a 60+ year old local magician wobble through an awkward yet charming routine, before acclaimed actor/comedian Todd Barry took the stage. Those two “sets” aside, the show was pretty memorable.

Free Energy took the stage around 9:45 and started with a boom. Opening with their own anthem “Free Energy”, the boys harnessed the attention of the anxious audience, and had toes tapping in less than thirty seconds. Free Energy is the type of band that is so catchy and accessible, they can’t help but become huge. Simply watching them in a small venue gives you goosebumps knowing you’re seeing them right then and there, but in a year from now they’ll surely be playing Arena shows opening for a legendary rock band like the Stones. Lanky singer Paul Sprangers had quite the swagger, swingin’ his hips and fist pumping the night away.  In fact the whole demeanor of the band was nothing short of genuine. Every once in awhile you stumble over a band that is in it for the fame and glamour…Free Energy is not one of them. One of the many highlights of their 45 minute set was unarguably thanks to a wasted audience member (who I later found out is friends with the band), who pushed  through the crowd to get front and center, grabbing audience members left and right and making them fist pump with him…later he bought the whole band shots of tequila four songs in..and probably had another four himself.

Finally the main attraction hit the stage- the wonderful, cute, and talented Mates of State. Not having played in Rochester since the very early 2000s at a venue 1/4 the size of Water Street, the visit was long overdue. The husband and wife duo, Kori and Jason, played with the addition of a guitarist and trumpeter, to create the fuller sound that appears on the bands most recent full-length Re-Arrange Us. Starting with an epic instrumental build the band launched into “The Re-Arranger” (despite some organ/tech problems faced by a frustrated Kori). The whole set was a great mix of the group’s catalog, sadly only going as far back as 2003 release Team Boo when they dedicated “Ha Ha” to a group of dancers in the front row. Other highlights included fan favorite “Goods (All in your Head)” as well as “Think Long” which was followed by a birthday cake being brought out on stage to celebrate Kori’s 30th birthday…and here I thought she was 25…

Mates of State did play a handful of covers, in support of their new covers album Crushes, and to my surprise, they were fantastic. On the record the songs are a bit bland, and don’t highlight the Mates of State charm I fell in love with years ago- it almost plays like an album they created to keep themselves busy. Live however, the songs come alive and have a special twist! Especially their cover of Tom Wait’s “Long Way Home” which I found increasingly different from their recorded version.

all photos courtesy of Martha Ormiston

HOTEL REVERIE

BEACH FOSSILS

read the Cornell Daily Sun’s review of the show hurrrr.

all photos by Mike Grippi

Do you realize that one of the most epic concerts took place at Barton Hall last night? The Flaming Lips took over the Cornell campus on Sunday evening, proclaiming that they were determined to put on the second best show this town has ever seen, right behind the legendary Grateful Dead show of ‘77. After performing for the last 27 years, the band has their act down. I am not a Flaming Lips fanatic, but the combination of glitter, Wayne Coyne’s human sized hamster ball, and contagious enthusiasm created an extremely enjoyable atmosphere.

The highlight reel includes: the band being birthed on to stage from the crotch of a woman (what a way to make an entrance!), an avid fan in a Captain America costume headbanging to “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots,” and hearing “She Don’t Use Jelly” live (a personal fave of mine). Another noteworthy part of the evening was the band’s performance of Pink Floyd’s “Brain Damage.” The group’s rendition was pretty good, but it also affirmed the fact that I probably don’t have to go out of my way to catch the Flaming Lips play the whole Dark Side of the Moon album on the summer festival circuit. Still, the show was satisfying, to say the least.

more pictures below:

photos: scott pollack

(All photos @ Mike Grippi)

setlist after the jump:

new song
knockout
sweetness
new song
gems
force fed
lightening
keys
ride wave
shine on

So who is this duo? Well it’s Justine Mainville and Kevin Steinhauser, who create catchy 8-bit/electro music that juxtaposes light lyrics and content matter with heavy casio beats. They just returned  from playing their fair share of SxSW shows last week and will be stopping by Ithaca this weekend to play an Ithaca Underground show on Saturday. For fans of acts like: Mates of State, Matt and Kim, Casiotone for the Painfully alone, or hell, Ozma, this is a show not to be missed.

The pair also recently phoned into Ithaca to do an exclusive interview with the Ithaca Underground free zine, read it over here so you know what they mean when they mention candy trail mix this weekend.

Download audio file (05-Tour-De-Friends-1.mp3)
Download audio file (math-the-band-why-didnt-you-get-a-haircut.mp3)
DL: Math the Band – “Why Didn’t You Get A Haircut”

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Ithaca Underground presents:
MATH THE BAND
Beach Parade
Speak Daggers

When: Sat, March 27th at 8 PM sharp
Where: The Shop (312 E Seneca St, Ithaca)
Details: $5,  ALL AGES