A beer, a bass and Jeremy Messersmith

Minneapolis is home to one Jeremy Messersmith. When he is not busy being a resident of Minneapolis Jeremy manages to devote a little bit of time to being a really universe-rocking singer-songwriter. He has released three albums; The Reluctant Graveyard, The Silver City and The Alcatraz Kid.

I first came across his most recent album; The Reluctant Graveyard on a music forum a few months back. I enjoyed it from first listen, the wonderful melodies and quirky lyrics really sold themselves to me. A few days after seeing The Antlers in Chicago I noticed in a paper that Jeremy had been playing on the same night I was rather disappointed to have missed him.

Being from Ireland, you don't hold high hopes of your favourite relatively obscure Minneapolis based singer songwriter appearing in a theatre near you very soon. Upon crossing a large amount of the country and finding myself in Berkeley I plunged into the local gig listing and there it was. Standing alone and proud in black generic print. 'Hotel Utah Saloon, July 20th, Jeremy Messersmith'. The quoted price was 10 dollars, not too shabby I must admit.

And so on the evening in question my girlfriend and I donned semi-respectable clothes and hopped aboard the Bart, the Hotel Utah Saloon our destination. We got the venue and it was just a small cosy bar with a little stage and a little standing area a half floor below the bar. We listened to the two opening bands whilst choking down some inappropriately and formidably hot chicken wings. Having undergone the pain of handing over 14 dollars for two JD and coke's we moved to Pabst Blue Ribbon at a measly 3 dollars a pop.

We were in flying form by the time Jeremy took to the stage with his band. As you see in the photo he plays an improbably cool acoustic guitar with a white patch in the middle of it. He switched to another uber-cool instrument; a small Paul McCartney-esque bass guitar for some songs. I could tell you the songs he played or you could refer to the picture of the setlist which I now own having chatted up the guitarist and plundered it.

Lazy Bones and Dilinger Eyes both from his latest album really got the gig going for us. We sang along at the tops of our voices, tragically being the only people in the small crowd doing so. We couldn't help it really such was the infectious brand of indie pop being played by Jeremy and band. The guitarist in particular was amazing.

One song you will not see on the set-list is A Girl, A Boy And A Graveyard, upon which the title of this posting is loosely based. It is not included on the set list but Jeremy did play it after outlined encore.

'Well, why did he do that huh?'

He played it because we urged him too, honestly the two of us and a third chap we did not know started asking him to play it, calling out to him, beckoning him to ease our blues. The rest of the band the violinist apart had departed the stage for the bar. This didn't seem to deter Jeremy though as he produced a truly splendid, perfect and soothing version of the song. It was the highlight of our night. We also got a chance to speak to Jeremy at the end of the gig and he turned out to be a really nice and genuine guy, he took the time to talk to us and then posed for a few pictures with us.

Peace

3 from yesteryear; Roskilde

Roskilde is a festival that goes off once a year, in June. It is in southern Denmark. I don't know much about Denmark; kroners, cold, Copenhagen, beer and Roskilde. Nothing wrong with Denmark I've just never really found it interesting, it never makes the effort, never sends a card or anything.

Roskilde though seems to be the bees-knees. I have been scooting about the interweb like a deranged mole all morning (read afternoon) seeking out the best of the bunch of recorded performances.

Bob Marley all the way back in 1978 is the first one.

One of the top comments reads;

Oh..that beautiful Danish summer of '78...those rhytms, the crowd in front of the 'store scene' was like a boiling jamming ocean. I was in front of the stage, enjoying the concert with a beautful Danish girl (daugther of a priest) who ended up staing in my tent.. Nobody can go unaffected of Marley's rhytms. He died the next year, glad I got to hear him live. What a memory.

Krudtbamse 1 year ago 25 

The next video is the live performance of Radiohead's Reckoner by Gnarls Barkley. 

Leonard Cohen, Roskilde 1988.

Peace

Space Is Only Noise - Nicolas Jaar

 Jaar was born on the 10th of January 1990 and so missed out on being born in the eighties, which frankly disgusts Calvin Harris. Born in NY, Jaar spent most of his childhood in Santiago De Chile. He was interested in music from an early age and credits his movement into electronic music with his early days of tampering with a midi keyboard and Reason.

There is another anecdote about the web which tells of his conversion to electronic music. Apparently aged 14 he heard Tiga's DJ Kicks mix playing. He decided on the spot that he was going to like electronic music. His father around Christmas time obviously moved by his sons interest walked into a record shop and said 'Give me the most forward-thinking electronic music album right now.' He was given Ricardo Villalobos' 'The Au Harem D'Archimede'. He lists composer Erik Satie, the minimalist modernist  who is often tagged as the Godfather of ambient music as his primary influence along with Ethiopian jazz legend Mulatu Astake. 


With such a varied smorgasbord of influences it is perhaps easy to see why Jaar's music is as, well, Nicolas Jaar as it is. His album 'Space Is Only Noise' is almost unclassifiable genre-wise and I always struggle to compare them to anybody else when trying to explain what they are like. There are in my opinion two signatures to his music a very deep funky bassline and the percussion which takes slightly irregular beats and seems to skit around the basslines.


Below is the title track; Space Is Only Noise (If You Can See)

The album is available here on Nico's site; Open In New Tab

Peace

Stopped With My Tracks

Being stopped in ones tracks is the bane of the easily surprised that's why I prefer to stop with my tracks. It's a life choice thing, you probably wouldn't understand. Hence I just sit down and listen to a few songs or an album or something. In my humble opinion it is vastly superior to the gut wrenching ache of those stopped in your track moments. But hey, it' just a ride.

It's coming up to six in the evening, I was meant to work but that did not come to fruition. I actually got up at 6.57 this morning, which really bummed me out. To make matters worse I had to lounge about a closed train station for an hour before giving up on the whole thing altogether. So now I am taking the time to stop with my tracks.

Indian Summer were an influential post hardcore band from the San Francisco bay area. There is precious little information available about them easily findable on the interweb. Although apparently they never named any of their songs and the songs have simply assumed the names that fans call them. Legendary for the gravity of the emotional experience one went through at their concerts. I have become particularly fond of Woolworm/Angry Son . It seems to have it all complete with a cathartic and powerful finish.

I listened to it with a friend the other day and whilst discussing it we took a trip down memory lane. It brought us around to Ultimate Spinach, a set of Boston based psych rockers. Their music has that almost buttery feel, lie paint sliding down a wall and oozing together at the base. Fifth Horseman Of The Apocalypse is split into 3 sections each as beguiling, intriguing and enjoyable as the last.

Bon Iver's new album, titled twice, for effect or maybe a subtle hint at some self perceived duality in the Bon Iver set up. Who knows? Title aside, which I really don't like. I can sometimes understand the use of the bands name as a debut album title. That is alright, like a 'hello this is us'. However for a second album, the title; 'Bon Iver, Bon Iver' let me down. It is though a fantastic album it has a certain ambient or soothing quality I love.

Peace

3 Catching This Eye

Morning, evening, night open the links in new tabs.

How is your eye? Mine is fine, 20, as is the other one. I skip and jump across the interweb trying to find something to listen to a number of times any given day. Mid skip and jump the other day I peered down at the screen and saw the big blonde head of Erika M Anderson. She shortens it to EMA when releasing music, which makes googling her a no-go zone, you just get loads of hits for the European Medicines Agency. This all means that when she gets picked up, polished up and handed repetitive dross to record she will have some brand new google friendly moniker. However right now she has released a corker, an absolute stonker of an album; Past Life Martyred Saints.

Pitchfork gave it a pretty good rating, so good that it made their uber cool 'best new music' section. Clipper Johnson (who will be sharing his thoughts on Nicolas Jaar soon) also e-mailed me with a youtube link to the track California.

 Leaving aside how epically cool Erika is behind that lies a brilliant song resplendent with dark lyrics and a strong and booming sound. The runaway tempo of the vocals runs perfectly on a slower treadmill of deep drum beats, deep key chords and a wandering synth line. 

The album as a whole is a powerful experience too, from the echoes of the Fake Plastic Trees bass line (1 minute or so in until it kicks in) present in the opening song; The Grey Ship.

To the impressive vocal harmonizing present on Coda to the six minute closing epic Red Star. As I listen to it and write this the Radiohead comparison jumps out at me again. The drone and synth opening could very easily be that of a song on In Rainbows minus the cymbals maybe. Erika's vocals then take over and she sings of a beautiful boy with green eyes. This is further augmented by the introduction of some gentle guitar interspersed around the song at the perfect time it seems.

I am still only in the very dormant stages of getting to know this album hence the slightly loopy feedback thusfar. She will be back here though!

Catching the other sectors of my eye, and ears of course, this week is Jeremy Messersmith. I have been listening to him quite extensively and am going to see him soon.

July 20th
Hotel Utah
500 4th St
(between Harrison St & Bryant St) 
San Francisco, CA 94107
Neighborhood: SOMA


That is where it as at folks. I'll buy a drink for anyone who actually goes having read this, email me for details, we'll call it a competition! 

Rounding up tonights three is Nicolas Jaar. You will be getting to read a piece about him in the next few days. His unique brand of laid back techno deserves more than this cursory mention. 

So that is that. 

Generic title, writing about The Antlers again.

In a nightmare, I am falling from the ceiling into bed beside you. You're asleep, I'm screaming, shoving you trying to wake you up.And like before you've got no interest in the life you live when you're awake. Your dreams will follow storylines, like fictions you would wake.

I've said it before, and you know what? Hot damnit I shall say it again: THE ANTLERS! I was lucky enough to see them a while back in Chicago. I was given the tickets for my birthday by my girlfriend. I was also urged by a close friend and musician (Clipper Johnson) who you will be hearing from soon to post an immediate review of the gig.

I contemplated running back to my apartment and posting it, like an eager little bear. In the end I decided not to as I was having trouble with bed bugs. I really was, it was terrible. In some ways I am glad I held back with the review of the gig. Of late my page views have showed an alarming dip, I am a bit obsessed with the page views. Sad, I know. So know, just in order to rally against the diminished views I will write a piece so captivating, so fucking eloquent, that it will grab the attention of the world at large.And so concludes my apology for not posting a piece on the gig any sooner.

It was fantastic, truly mind-blowing, spiritual and orgasmic, it really delivered. From the moment we walked in, collected a JD and coke from the bar to the final round of applause it was a breathtaking few hours. Peter and the band took the stage in an unassuming having all been out to fine tune their set-ups. They smacked of a group of guys who cared for their music. They opened with Parantheses, a track from the new album; Burst Apart. In all they played nine from Burst Apart and four from Hospice. I was lucky enough to have listened to Burst Apart extensively and so the emphasis on it was to my liking. I would reason that to the Hospice fan it could have been a let down.

I reckon, personally, as time has gone on, that Burst Apart is a better album in it's entirety than Hospice, even if Hospice, maybe contains the highest points the band has reached. Kettering was played next and it was amazing. Judge for yourself (open in new tab or this page will move to), go on read the rest of it. Silbermans falsetto vocals were the highpoint of the night. It was a great joy to realise he does not need auto tuning or other record company shit.

The next song; No Widows was probably my discovery of the night. Pre-gig I considered it a good album track, not much more. Re-listening to it now brings me back to it's opening bars at the gig. I was immediately transfixed, the echoing melody simply entraps me. 'No shirts to hang or fold, no kids out in the cold,no widows on the wall, no widows on the phone'. The melancholic singing combines with the positive words to create a beautiful contradiction, a true expression of sorrow in joy.

Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out is one of my stand out tracks from Burst Apart. Sadly not from the gig I was at, the song is undeniably interesting. There is a fantastic scope, and the vocals are again interesting and compelling. 'You and I; divorced but not devoured, every night my teeth are falling out'. The interesting lyrics and equally interesting delivery combine to create a very good song here.

They closed with Wake, THEY CLOSED WITH WAKE, they closed with wake. It was sublime, beautiful and amazing and really good and just fucking great. I have it recorded on my shitty Nokia. I am not going to rave about it here. Just listen to it. Go on buy the album!

The picture above is a picture from the gig and it's taken from roughly where I was standing from what I can tell.

Peace

My Threesome, of remixes.

I feel lazy so I think I am just going to embed three little remixes I have been taken with recently and you can do the analysis or just listen to them maybe, or not. I don't care, I am taking a hard to get approach with this.


First up Nicolas Jaar brings his funky percussion and laid back techno style to an Ellen Allien track from the brilliant album Dust

Next in line is a slowed down, indie'd up take on The Suburbs by Arcade Fire. It slows it down and chills it out, so that it barely resembles the pulsating anthem we thought we knew.

In third place, which I was always told is nothing to be ashamed of is Miami Horrors reworking of Gorillaz Empire Ants. I enjoy it most at the start of an evening of drinking. You might enjoy it in other scenarios, I wouldn't judge.

Thoughts on a postcard or in the comment box

Peace