Well today is the last day of the San Francisco Popfest and probably the best day to attend one of the shows. After all today is Dear Nora, Eux Autres, ChEAP RED, Birds of California, and the ever so wonderful Botticellis at Café du Nord. This is a great opportunity to witness the best in local music and up and coming bands that you’ll be listening to later on because your friends told you to or Pitchfork gave them a 8.1 and you figured, “Hey! They’re good but certainly not the most innovative or cred-boosting I’ve hear this year.”
Right.
Anyway, you also have The Dears, Great Northern and Eulogies playing The Independent tonight as well as the biggest midget in the game Lady Sovereign and Chester French at the Rickshaw Stop. Monday, Flight of the Conchords and Arj Barker bring the laughs to the Berkeley Community Theatre.
Tuesday hosts Animal Collective and Grouper at the Fox Theater in Oakland. I’ve been waiting months to finally see these guys and hear the new tunes live. Could this be the best show of 2009 for me? We’ll see. In San Francisco, you have Boston’s Passion Pit rocking out at Bimbo’s 365 Club to a sold out crowd. I remember seeing them at the Middle East Downstairs in Cambridge playing for like 5 people and thinking to myself, “…cool.” Now look at them.
Wednesday I’ll be zoning out at the Mezzanine with M83 and James Yuill. I haven’t seen M83 live yet but from what I’ve heard they’re fantastic. Also St. Vincent returns to the Bay with Pattern Is Movement to play Bimbo’s 365 Club. I would have liked to go to see her but my heart belongs to M83 right now. Our good friends at Ears of the Beholder are going and will most likely be giving a report of the festivities. So stay tuned.
Thursday explodes with Black Moth Super Rainbow and School of Seven Bells at the Bottom of the Hill, the lovely Jenny Lewis at the Fillmore, The Prodigy at The Warfield, King Khan & The Shrines making noise at The Great American Music Hall, and Japandroids with No One and The Nobodies & The Happy Hollows at Hemlock Tavern. No lack of options here.
Friday Friday Friday! Wolf Eyes and Black Dice at the OCD Warehouse and Sun Kil Moon and Mia Doi Todd at The Great American Music Hall. I HIGHLY suggest attending Sun Kil Moon even though Langhorne Slim will be folking it up at The Independent. It’s tough, but a wise choice.
Saturday wraps up the week with indie-punks The Thermals at the Bottom of the Hill, The Roots at Davies Hall in San Francisco, and goth-tronic band Woven and instrumental locals Cloud Archive at the Hemlock Tavern. Woven made our top 20 Best Albums of last year with Designer Codes and are definitely worth checking out if you’re into dark electronic Aphex Twin vs Elliott Smith music.
Here it is. Click on the album covers to purchase the album and keep reading, I have a few more surprises up my sleeve before this year ends.
20. Woven – Designer Codes: Listening to this album was like watching Alien for the first time. Terrifying, moving and pieced together with Goth -like architecture and supernatural sounds.
Woven – Fragments
19. Nada Surf – Lucky: What makes me love Nada Surf is that poetry + pop mix that they mash so well. Lucky is not as abstruse as Let Go, but it’s certainly a straight up fun rock record.
Nada Surf – These Bones
18. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes: Indie rock’s version of the Byrds arrived this year with this gently harmonic record debut that warms the heart and sooths the soul. It’s the kind of record that rewards with every listen.
Fleet Foxes – White Winter Hymnal
17. Facing New York – Get Hot: Balls out entertaining rock music is hard to come by these days. But lucky for our benefit Facing New York decided to overcome some changes in line-up and enhanced their style to this clap-demanding super catchy rock & roll with Get Hot.
Facing New York – Me N My Friendz
16. Girl Talk – Feed the Animals: Whether you consider this an album for A.D.D. indie brats or a genius mish-mash that is a view in the future of party music, you can not deny that Feed the Animals is a shining star in today’s sky of pop culture.
15. Beck – Modern Guilt: Beck paired with DJ Danger Mouse seemed like a good idea on paper, but no one really knew what to expect. What we got was Beach Boys-like surf music with that special Beck tweak. This record was made for convertible cars.
14. The Walkmen – You & Me: This disarming and dramatic record was slow to grow on me. However, after a few more listens, I was marveled by its well structured songs and throwback to classic rock ‘n’ roll.
The Walkmen – The Blue Route
13. The Mae Shi – Hllyh: There aren’t that many bands out there like The Mae Shi and there wasn’t any album like Hllyh this year. This spastic yet charming record screamed in my face yet for some strange reason…I enjoyed it.
12. Man Man – Rabbit Habits: Man Man can’t exactly bring their famous frenzied live show to your living room, but listening to Rabbit Habits is the closest you’ll come to it. The gypsy psycho freak band has probably made their finest record to date.
11. Foals - Antodotes: Sounding like Bloc Party’s evil twin, Foals entered the scene with their swarming guitars and sketchy vocals and left me in awe. Songs like Two Steps Twice and Hummer are electrifying in execution and make this record a perfect driving soundtrack.
Foals – Balloons
10. Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago: This is not your average folk record. Bon Iver’s emotional record paints pictures of snowy pine trees and the pain of a guilty man. This record must be handled with care and loved for its delicacy.
Bon Iver – Skinny Love
9. Quiet Village – Silent Movie: Like some kind of 70s soundtrack mixed with RJD2-like sampling, Silent Movie is what I miss from proper easy listening music. Be careful though, your mom might like this too.
Quiet Village – Circus of Horror
8. Santogold/Diplo – Top Ranking: There is so much going on in this masterfully manufactured mix tape. Mashing dub-step, reggae, dancehall, and the extremely talented Santogold is an ideal equation for the perfect party music.
Santogold – Creator (Mumdance Mix)
7. Q-Tip – The Renaissance: No hip-hop artist came close to even evening out to this masterfully constructed album. Q-Tip has more than proven that he can hold his own as a solo artist with a little help from the late, great J Dilla.
Q-Tip – Life Is Better (ft. Norah Jones)
6. Max Richter – 24 Postcards in Full Colour: The concept is almost laughable but this Berlin based 21st century composer brings on the emotion by showing that love and loss can happen in small increments of time.
Max Richter – H in New England
5. Black Mountain – In The Future: Rough, wicked, and wailing with desert rock brutality; In The Future is a Frankenstein-monster built from the best aspects of classic rock and prog-metal.
Black Mountain – Tyrants
4. The Notwist – The Devil, You + Me: Gracefully trekking musical ground that has been graced a million times over; The Notwist somehow make electronic rock music interesting and touching again.
The Notwist – Good Lies
3. TV on the Radio – Dear Science: If you list out all the elements that make up Dear Science, you’ll wonder how an album stock pilled with so much could be so amazingly catchy. This album is a grand picture of what to expect in coming future of rock music.
TV on the Radio – Red Dress
2. Portishead – Third: I can’t tell you how much a loved this record the day it came out. I don’t normally listen to a record on repeat in fear that I may ring it dry of all its magic, but that is not the case with Third. It’s yet another masterpiece from this deeply mysterious band.
1. Sigur Rós – Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust: Along with one of my favorite live shows of the year, Sigur Rós also made my favorite album of the year. I guess you could say that they were my favorite band of the year? Maybe. But I can without a doubt say that this album is a flawless piece of work. How could a band so epic in execution take on a more upbeat direction? This album is the answer to that question. It struck me in a time of my life that involved a lot of changes and therefore will always have a special place in my heart.
If you’re in the Bay Area, here’s a few concerts to attend this week…
Sunday:
Woven / Phantom Float / ghost tree
The Crepe Place
1134 Soquel Ave
San Jose 95062
United States
Monday:
A Place to Bury Strangers / Sian Alice Group / The Blacks
Bottom of the Hill
1233 17th Street
San Francisco CA 94107
United States
Tuesday:
My Bloody Valentine
The Concourse
620 7th Street
San Francisco CA 94103
United States
Wednesday:
MSTRKRFT / Felix Cartal / Congorock
Mezzanine
444 Jessie Street @ Mint
San Francisco CA CA 94103
United States
Thursday:
Noah and The Whale
Popscene
330 Ritch Street
San Francisco CA 94107
United States
Friday:
Sigur Rós / Parachutes
Greek Theatre – U.C. Berkeley
Gayley Rd.
Berkeley, CA 94701
United States
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 8 (Friday – Sunday)
Iron & Wine / Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy / Gogol Bordello / Alison Krauss and 37 more
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco
United States
Saturday:
Deerhoof / Okay / The Happy Hollows
The Great American Music Hall
859 O’Farrell Street
San Francisco CA 94109
United States
Not only will I be seeing the amazing electro-rock band Woven tonight at the Rockit Room in San Francisco but I will also be so lucky to witness the shoegaze band, Foxtail Somersault. Siting influences like My Bloody Valentine, Broken Social Scene, Sigur Ros, and Cocteau Twins; Foxtail Somersault combines those influences and extracts them into a dreamlike sound that can put any listener into a relaxing trance. This is headphone music for the Gods!
September 25th 2008 9:00P
w/ Woven & Cloud Archive
The Rockit Room
San Francisco, California
Today marks a very important day for the LA electro-rock band Woven; their much delayed new record finally sees the light of day. After numerous holdups, the band is proud of release their third and definitely best record to date, Designer Codes. This record mixes an array of influences from Aphex Twin to Elliott Smith. However, Woven makes it very clear that they are creating their own individual sound while still creating a listenable atmosphere reminiscent of truely honest electronic acts like The Notwist and Portishead. This album re-paints the gloomy side of electronic music into a darkly sensual and cinematic fusion of trip-hop rhythms, soulful vocals, and dub grooves. The band will be touring all over the United States this fall; you can check if they’re coming to your town here.
Lead vocalist/guitarist Ory Hodis took the time to talk with Kata Rokkar about his thoughts on the new album, artwork, touring, and toys that sound like Satan…
Kata Rokkar: How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard you?
Ory: That’s always a tough one. I’d first describe it as a if Nine Inch Nails was having breakfast with Pink Floyd and also invited Elliott Smith, Aphex Twin, and Fugazi.
K: That’s quite a breakfast.
O: Yeah, it’s hard because I always have to describe our band by naming numerous other bands because all five of us have such different influences that cover the entire musical spectrum except for new country. When we combine it, it really sounds like a whole lot out there.
K: How do you feel about the new record?
O: I love it. I think it’s the best one yet. It’s the first time we didn’t focus on one process. On 8 Bit Monk we focused too much on the computer aspect and less on the band as a whole. This one is like, really song specific so every song was done differently. Some songs were done with the band as a whole; some songs were done on the computer, taken out and then flushed out as a band. On a whole it sounds less like a project and more like a band. Even though on 8 Bit Monk we all played our instruments, this album is more organic sounding.
K: You can definitely tell in the song “She Blows My Amplifier,” that the band sounds much tighter.
O: Yeah
K: What’s the story behind the album’s title,Designer Codes?
O: We actually wanted to call the album, in the beginning, “Perception Whore.” Which is still my favorite title. But one of our favorite artists, Jeffery Scott, we ended up using our favorite pictures that he’s done for the title. We didn’t want people to get the impression that “Perception Whore” was related to women at all. So we scratched that name. But “Perception Whore” is more of a state of mind and can be applied to both men and women. We wanted something that is related to society’s state of mind right now. “Designer Codes” which we feel is…it’s a funny title but I like the two words because they have nothing to do with each other. It’s just how we’re all thinking about people’s codes; codes of ethics, codes of honor, what are the codes that people live by. Then were having a conversation about, this is kind of strange but about how clothing even…like you have your designer jeans that look like you have oil on them and made to look like they are tattered. No one wants to do the time anymore. So we kind of combined the concepts and how people codes and everything are so designer right now. It’s like you can see right through them. They look like they have these certain codes of ethics or codes of honor but it’s just a façade. Kind of a jaded title but that’s what we came up with. Plus we’ve all been through some crazy shit this year.
K: Is there any concept behind the album?
O: The thread that goes through the album is; I think change in general. A lot of the lyrics are due to changes in relationships and ones that I have been coming to grips with. And they span a long range of like seven years. Different changes in my life that seem to happen so suddenly and then I tried to flow with everything. In the end you just have to own it and it’s a hard trait to realize. That you have the power say, “You know I’m not going to take my moment and waste it just because some fucked up shit happens.” So I guess that definitely is the theme. The song “Fragments” is definitely the flagship song because it encompasses everything on the album.
K: Is the new album politically charged at all?
O: No not really. 8 Bit Monk was really politically charged. I think we definitely moved away from that. I made it more personal because the more I think about our political situation that more I think that it’s there because we let it happen. That relates on a personal level. You can only blame people so far. We elected him. I’m not out there protesting every single day. Everyone is so concerned about their daily grind that sometimes it can come off as just complaining and I don’t want to feel like a complainer. I felt as if I should focus on myself.
K: How did Jawnee leaving the band affect the direction of their sound?
O: I played with the guy for like 12 years. He is definitely more than a brother to me and I spend more time with him than I spend with any family members. We’re definitely going to keep playing with him. I don’t know, we haven’t written a new album without him (laughs). So it will be interesting. But I know on a personal level he’s wanted to branch out. And in a relationship, if you’re not willing to make changes, you kind of have to introspect or leave. We as a band were willing to make changes for him but he wasn’t for us so I think it’s a really positive thing. Also the album is about change. Things got really scary in the beginning and we had a lot of hard changes but we look back on it and think, “Wow this is was the best thing that could have happened.” So one of our best friends, Barack (Steddie), is playing bass for us right now. Plus, our band dynamics are much more mellow.
K: Do you have any videos planned?
O: Hopefully. We’re looking for someone. Actually we have one video planned for Cosmonaut. We are just tapped for money. So we’re looking around for some talented individuals that want to do videos. But it costs a shitload of money to put out a record. I did not even realize. (laughs) I mean it is insane. Thousands and thousands of money.
K: Tell me about the artwork and your decision with Jeffery Scott.
O: A lot of our album is very post-modern and it has this kind of desolate Mad Max sound. You know when you’re watching one of those post-apocalyptic movies and you see the costumes and they look like patch work from different times on their bodies. You’ll see some old 50s kind of style pants with a trench coat and it’s torn with random garments thrown on. That’s kind of what I think of our music. A lot of that with mellow vocals with this crazy industrial beat that you would hear on a Ministry album or something with a kind of Jane’s Addiction riff. When we looked at Jeffery Scott’s photos, you look at it and think, “Ok, this looks like a really nice vintage photo from the 40s.” But you look closer and there all these things that are woven into the photo that are just patched in there from different periods. Also the way he created it too was completely artificial and a lot of our songs are created that way. The beats and other sounds are created solely on the computer. And they’re brought out of the computer and we play them. To cut a long story short; we talked to him and about his process and how he treats his photos and it turned out to be the same process as us and how we play our music. I thought it was very fitting.
K: Any plans on touring with your buddies from dredg again?
O: I really hope so. We really love those guys and we stay in contact with them. I know we’ll be playing shows but as for a full tour, I’m not sure yet.
K: Do you plan on doing any national touring again?
O: Yeah, actually in late September we’re taking off for 2 months all over the U.S. and playing about 40 shows.
K: How well did your last tour go?
O: It went really well. It was nice seeing fans we haven’t seen in a while. I think this tour is going to be off the hook. It’s going to be awesome. A tour is a mindfuck for us because we’ll have show with a huge crowd, I don’t how it happen, like one person told the next and told the next and then we’re feelin’ great and the energy is there. I remember sometime ago we opened up for They Might Be Giants. They’re a super amazing band and a great bunch of guys. So we played in front of like 5,000 people and then the next day we played in front one person. The fucking bartender! Talk about a mindfuck. I went from thinking we’re the shit to “what the fuck happened?” We actually had to play for like 2 hours but it worked out because we just improvised the whole time. So the bartender loved it.
K: What was the last book you read?
O: The last book I read was from Reed Ghazala and it was about circuit bending. It’s like when you take electronic toys from toy shops and you open them up and poke around and re-do the circuitry inside and you create different effects and synthesizers. So I do that a lot with casio keyboards.
K: Is there a lot of that on the new record or the tour?
O: No, but there’s going to be because I’ve been sampling the fuck out of my instruments. So the next album is going to be everywhere. I have some really cool toys. My favorite one is the Yamaha DSS-3 and it’s this toy sampler. You can like, record your voice in it and play it off the keyboard. So the sampling chip, if you rearrange all the routing and cut out all the leads; you create this matrix of switches. Dude it is crazy! You record your voice into it and you flip these switches and it’s so random and evil, it’s awesome. Plus there’s like 50,000 different possibilities, it’s just endless. But that was just a manual. I guess the most recent book I read would be Narcissus and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse. Which was amazing; totally amazing.
K: One more question. What have you been listening to lately?
O: I’ve been listening to a lot of Beirut. A ton of Beirut. Umm, The Cure, Tom Waits, Cocteau Twins, Depeche Mode, Aphex Twin, I can’t get enough of that guy. Peter Gabriel, Sunny Day Real Estate.
K: I was actually lucky enough to catch Jeremy Enigk live on his solo tour.
O: How amazing was that?
K: Holy shit man, that guy is the real deal. And he played Sunny Day Real Estate songs too.
O: Wow. He did that all on acoustic guitar?
K: Guitar and piano.
O: Damn that is incredible! Fuck, he’s one of my favorite singers. The range on that guy is insane.
K: Yeah he’s amazing. Well that’s it. Good luck with the record and I’m sure I’ll see you soon when you’re on tour this September.
Kata Rokkar is a place where you can download free mp3 from artists and bands that I currently love and listen to. They are only for sampling purposes and to influence you to go out and support these artists by purchasing their records and going to their concerts. If you are a record company or an artist that is displeased with a song being displayed, feel free to contact me and I will remove it ASAP. Thank you and enjoy!
Intro from XX 
