At the very pinnacle of restless anticipation, strobe lights burst into the anxious eyes of the crowd. A giant swell of violent energy exploded from both the stage and the audience at the same time. Everyone began shoving everyone else as "Tell 'Em," the opening song off of Sleigh Bells' freshman LP Treats, tore through the venue.
Levi's, in a project called "Pioneer Sessions," has released 13 covers since May in an attempt to, in effect, celebrate the endurance of truly great songs (and to generate music for new commercials, no doubt).
She is (if we must make a comparison) Regina Spektor meets Lady Gaga, maybe a little bit YACHT. Marina Lambrini Diamandis (Marina and the Diamonds) on her first album, The Family Jewels, offers an addicting take of social commentary with poppy hooks and a stunningly bold and orchestral voice. Maybe you're familiar with tracks like "I Am Not A Robot" and "Hollywood," but these don't do the album justice. Because, while these songs give a fair synopsis of what Marina seems to be about (I have a big dream, I'm true to myself), they don't cut in the way "Oh No" does or explore the enveloping quality of her art as in "Numb."
And it's not just her range that's incredible, but how somehow, in her own effortless way, she manages to evoke this energy that literally gives me goose bumps. There are lyricists who struggle to sing convincingly about self-awareness or any sort of Rajasic power because, well, they don't sound strong or uninhibited. Not the case in this work. She could have used less instrumentation and mixing because, honestly, she doesn't need it. But I'm still going to be listening to her in the car for the next month at least.
In sum, The Family Jewels beckons the listener to question, to scream, to simultaneously be here while flying there. "Better to be hated than love, love, loved for what you're not." And is it not almost too sexy to hear a woman say, "I know exactly what I want and who I want to be? Keep your ears open for this one. She's in your face and she knows what she is talking about. But Welsh-Greek soon-to-be star is going to "take over the world" without selling sex. Let's applaud that, at least!
Courtney Morra
Robert Schneider: I have a son who's 9 years old, and we always act futuristic on the phone… I'll be like, "I'll see you in the future, future, future" (voice fades), and he'll be like "Okay Daddy, daddy, daddy". My wife said I should use it on stage.
On Wednesday, April 28th the Impact presented the Apples In Stereo's live show at the Pike Room in Pontiac.
We talked to Robert Schneider, frontman of Apples in Stereo, and the only remaining original member. He started the Elephant 6 music collective, with members like Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel), and Will Cullen Hart (Olivia Tremor Control).
The show started with psychedelic rock band Laminated Cat, from Athens Georgia. The members are young and the band even includes twin brothers. Next was the Generationals from New Orleans.
Finally, the Apples in Stereo came on in matching silver space outfits. The band played a phenomenal show with tons of energy. After the show we asked Robert about them and he said they were designed by Rebecca Turbow, who also designs outfits for Of Montreal. Robert explained, "We're a spaceship crew. We're supposed to be in uniform. I'm kind of like the guru, that's my role in the crew. We all have our characters."
Here's the set list:
Hey Elevator
Dignified Dignitary
Go!
Energy
Please
Dance Floor
Told You Once
Sun Is Out
Rainbow
Seven Stars
Next Year
No One In The World
Same Old Drag
Can You Feel It
Tidal
The band came out for a couple encores including "Strawberryfire." Check the Impact YouTube channel for video of the show. See more photos on our flickr stream here.
A big thanks to the Apples in Stereo and the Crofoot/Pike Room and Yep Roc records for making this all happen!
5/10/2010 at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor
Nick Van Huis: I know Gorilla Manor was named after the house you guys lived in. How did the experience of living in that house influence the album?
Ryan: I think it definitely shaped the way that we write songs together. I’ve come to find that we are very weird, in that we are so collaborative. I think a lot of bands are centered around one guy who just writes all of the songs and tells everyone what to do. But we would wake up on Saturday morning or whatever and literally just get together in the main room of the house and just write songs together around a piano and two acoustic guitars and we did a lot of the songs that way just hours and hours on end of everyone just putting in their ideas and shaping the song that way.
The Detroit area has been buzzing over the past few weeks in high anticipation of indie group Minus the Bear making a stop in town on their current tour. The Seattle based band is in the process of promoting their forth full-length album, Omni, and played at the infamous St. Andrew's Hall on April 25th, to much enthusiasm from local fans.
Two years is too long to wait for another Hold Steady album, but come May 4th, the wait will be over. Fans had been teased for some months after a video of a new song popped up on YouTube titled “Heaven Is Whenever”— now titled “We Can Get Together”— but then the internet went silent. That was until word had spread That Franz Nicolay had left the band, devastating news that left the band significantly less mustachioed.
