BON IVER

Justin Vernon, founder / lead singer / the man with the really high pitched voice, was basically sick in a cabin in the woods for 3 months and happened to have a lot of time on his hands. Being involved in multiple music projects before this, he was no stranger to a new collaboration. And so Bon Iver was born.

Bon Iver is most popularly known from ‘Skinny Love’ fame (even though the best track off For Emma, For Ever is ‘Re: Stacks’). They recently won a Grammy for Best New Artist after releasing their masterpiece of an album entitled, Bon Iver. The album, it’s a story. You need to really listen to the whole thing.

This album is incredibly brilliant. The melodies and harmonies; the blurry lines between vocal and instrumentation (“but the voice is also an instrument?!”); the effects and voices that you only hear after a good couple of listens; the story told by the music; the fact that the album is a lot more contemporary than it would seem; how the music can be so madly beautiful after being laced with such sadness, loss, realisation… So emotive, but still so rad. It’s something thats needs to be understood rather than explained.

Explore some of their songs and videos here.

Listen to ‘Holocene’ performed live at Coachella on Saturday. This version gets me incredibly emotional. So beautifully performed. So pure.

“And at once I knew I was not magnificent / High above the highway aisle…”

The next video is interesting as Justin Vernon and Sean Carey tackle a few of their own tracks in an effort to simplify them. The new album is so layered and complex that this is a fresh take on the same material. (Thanks to Sarah for this video.)

They’ve developed so much since their previous album, I’m very excited to see what the direction they go in. Hope you enjoyed it!

- Gorilla x

Listen and Love: Machineri

I don’t know who has seen Machineri live. If you haven’t, you should. I have been following them around since the first time I watched them at The Bo in Joburg. I saw them again at Kirstenbosch last Sunday playing with Taxi Violence. I really dig Kirstenbosch gigs. They’re still so special to me because I don’t go often enough to get used how incredible the environment is for live music. (The ‘burbs are far away, OK?)

Once again, there were great collaborations. It seems that the Up The Creek Friday line-up rubbed off on these bands in a really great way. Inge Beckman got back on stage with each band. The crowd was pleasured with great harmonies, strong sounds and epic tracks.

Machineri’s sound is so raw but not too rough. They’re intense live, yet still somewhat mellow. Sannie Fox has such great talent and strength within her singing and stage presence. Nevermind how stunning (daaahling!) she looked in that hot red dress. She’s a bit aloof on stage which is such a contrast to her vocal performance. Then there are Andre Geldenhuys’ guitar solos. They are an experience in itself. I got a few pictures of him rocking out.

This band is precise and real. Their music is deep and soulful. So below I have given you 3 amazing Machineri tracks to enjoy. If my footage from the show is semi-decent (which would be largely miraculous), I may stitch a little video together and put it up for those of you that missed out.

Machineri virgins – go forth, listen and looooooove!

Searchers

Father Gun

Cold Sister

Here are some pictures from the show:

- Gorilla x

LARK – STOLE THE MOON

My very very talented friend, Dave Meinert directed the new music video for Lark.

This complex shoot involved sending a camera up in a space balloon thing, veeery high into the air. Dave tried to explain to me exactly how high he was sending the camera, but it took watching the last minute of the video to truly understand. Its a bit of a mind fuck.

They shot in wet underground city tunnels. Inge also sang backwards, which gave an awesome effect, especially on the road scene. I love the look of this scene!

Never seen anything like this before. Check it out.

- Gorilla x

Listen and Love: Escape

I was pissed off when I sat through an entire Kongos set at The Creek and they didn’t play this song. WTF! It’s your latest single! It’s doing the rounds on the airwaves! This (and another song, that I can’t for the life of me find out what it is called) is the only reason I watched their set. They’re a fucking tight band.

Escape by KONGOS

- Gorilla x

SURPRISE

I wrote the following article for the Studio 7 blog:

Studio 7 is truly the most intimate venue. They weren’t lying when they said that. Everyone was comfortably cramped around a lounge, appreciating the opportunity to do something interesting and exciting yet chilled on their Monday night.

A surprise gig is a weird thing to attend. Hoping that the secret was worth not chilling on the couch, I arrived at the venue, quite excited for a bit of live music after a week out of town. The band had been billed as ‘massive’, so the suspense was increased. Sitting in the kitchen thinking about how Studio 7 started, I found the set up really homey, and I appreciated how different the vibe was.

Finally the act was announced. The Parlotones. Hooray. They wanted to be a part of what Patrick created Studio 7 to be. Apparently, they didn’t charge for the gig. Could it be possible that a gig like this was done to make The Parlotones reach people on a very different level, trying to give people a changed idea of them? Could it be possible that it worked, whether it was an intentional move or not?

I’m going to be honest, I’ve never been a fan, but when Khan leaned into the microphone to sing (ever so sweetly and slowly) ‘Anti-cliiimax’, I realised that that he is fully aware of people’s perception of them, positive or not. And he has a sense of humour. It made him less of an annoying pop-figure and more of a real person.

I find it endearing that this band started out in a lounge, such as this, and ended up in a lounge, coming full circle. It made me take them seriously, for the very first time. The show was so cozy that you could feel the drums vibrating along the beautiful wooden floorboards. Kahn’s voice was incredible, it seemed like it could shatter and break at any moment. I still found it annoying, however much less than when you hear it on radio. In skinny’s, a vest and a cap, all previous images of him disappeared. No make-up. No dramatics. No KFC. No 3D. The only thing that remained was the music.

Photography: Metoikos Cadmus & HJ Lombard

They started out playing their hits. 5 or 6 songs later, they dived into their new material. Fucking up the first song, no one really cared. Once again, it made them more human. It was refreshing to hear a song of theirs that had not been played to death on the airwaves. I was able to absorb them more.

Its funny how the artists I dislike, always are a mind changer when they hit the acoustic versions of songs. I suppose it’s because I like different. The tracks off their new album ‘Journey Through the shadows’ seem less desperate, less try-hard. Its like they’re more comfortable in their own skin now, and have a sense of who they want to become, what they want to sound like.

The idea behind these parties is great. I’m stoked that a band with such huge success is keen to be a part of events like this. It was also great to not have seen the usual crowd at this party. Exclusivity is not something that is common in Cape Town. People came for the music, for something different. For me, Monday really gave the event series a sense of credibility. Not because of the Parlotones, but because this is one of many shows, and The Parlotones just happened to be the first.

-Gorilla x

Compact Diskaholic’s Anonymous

I’m a bit of a CD fanatic. I’m addicted to these circular items in square pieces of plastic. Normal people put books in shelves, but not me. There are few things better than the excitement of a new CD, holding it and thinking about all the joy it’s going to give me. It’s more exciting than Christmas. Today, I can’t buy CDs like I used to. I’m nicely surprised by the selection appearing in our stores, but more shocked at what we’re expected to pay for a bit of happiness.

I had always felt like a cheapskate when I went to London and ransacked the HMV shelves finding all the ‘2 for £10’ and ‘3 for £12’ stickers on the CD. Even though my average spend was £100, the value for money was unbelievable. It was totally worth the risk of a potential customs saga on arrival home. Awfully so, I delighted at the failing record companies being forced to have such discounted pricing. Now who’s laughing? Well it ain’t me. This failing industry is the reason why CDs are so damn expensive.

Last Friday before going to The Creek, I went past a CD store and bought three CDs: Florence & The Machine, Bon Iver and The Black Keys. R500 later, I was wondering what the fuck I had just done. If I was in London, I would be walking away with 12 albums. Driving out of the waterfront and cursing at my reckless spending, I (impossibly) attempted to get that stupid plastic off the jewel case so that I could at least listen to my million dollar music. Fuck, this was turning into a mission. Two broken nails later, a spilt coffee and nearly destroying my mother’s car, I decided that just because women can multitask, doesn’t mean we have to at every possible moment.

So I pulled over, and after a few desperate bites on the CD wrapper, we were off.

Now, a week later, I haven’t stopped listening to these albums. Totally enveloped by the sounds.

Pick any song, take a listen, enjoy.

http://boniver.org/

http://www.theblackkeys.com/

http://www.florenceandthemachine.net/

Some things in life are just totally worth the drama.

- Gorilla x

Plastic / Fantastic

Deliciousness. That’s how I like to describe The Plastics. My god. Have you listened to them? I’ve been to so many of their shows and they keep on proving why they are one of the best bands in this country.

I first took notice of them when I saw their music video for Caves. Everyone was talking about Sharks this and Sharks that. Then I was introduced to The Plastics, and with this video. Pretty cool vibe down below, would have loved to have been behind the scenes having a severe laugh filming this!

Next up, I heard this one playing every week on Jon Savage’s radio show – its actually the reason I started going to their gigs. It’s such a tight track. It packs a bit of a punch between the thin verse and the thick chorus. The vocals are always so rich. I feel so much bitterness in this song. Maybe thats because they never play this track live. I’ve asked them about it before, and they mumble things about pianos and stuff. Bastards.

Jukebox by The Plastics

Lastly, a new single. It’s getting really great rotation of 5fm and has been number 1 on Jon’s local chart for at least the last 2 weeks now. Totally worth it, it’s been on high rotation in my head since Tuesday evening. Pascal’s lazy sexy drawl on the song below is sooooo nice to listen to.

Stereo Kids (reprise) by The Plastics

Enjoy!

- Gorilla x

OK Go

You have to love OK Go’s videos and their latest is no different. Take 4 months of prep, 4 days of shooting, 1000 instruments, a dessert and a chevy and this is what you end up with…

 

And who can forget these 2…

 

 

Die Antwoord – again

I actually have some issues with Die Antwoord. I’m a fan of the music and I think that, artistically, Ninja is one of the greatest to come out of the country. With that said, the evolution of Watkin Tudor Jones is one that leaves me a little uneasy.

Reinvention is the key in this industry and Ninja is a master at it – from school shirts in Max Normal to tight-ass tennis shorts in Constructus to his suit and tie combo in Max Normal.TV and obviously his Zef style now. But I have an issue with letting that spill over into your daughter’s life. She didn’t choose to be a Zef side mannequin complete with Scar haircut and shitty name.  Seeing her on the cover of Rolling Stone then raised a whole series of new questions for to – How involved are they getting this child in the circus of their lives? Is she going to be the 4^th member touring the world with them wearing black contact lenses and rat on her shoulder – cause we only have to look to likes of Macaulay, Drew, Britney  and Michael to see how well adjusted kids are when they are in the lime-light.  And what about when the Zef phase dies out and they move onto their new persona? Now, I’ll admit that this is all very to say from the outside looking in and I’ve never met them on a personal level so I can’t comment on how good they are as parents, but I just hope that they’ve thought how their actions are going to influence Sixteen.

Now that that is off my chest I can focus on the music… As a group they are head and shoulders above just about anybody else around today.  After their first album one had to wonder if they could follow it up, and do you know what… they nailed it! Ninja’s lyrics and showmanship are always enthralling, Yo-Landi’s delivery is captivating and intriguing and DJ Hi-Tek’s contribution does more justice to his pedigree than the $O$ offering.

Those around the group have big plans for the album and those that have heard it all agree that its going to be big – I’m excited and I think you should be to.

(Check out the their website to check out all their offerings… Die Antwoord)

 

Swan

Die Antwoord

Die Antwoord appeared on David Letterman last night. They performed their new single off Ten$ion, I Fink U Freeky. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of the trailer, and then this performance happened. The end is hilarious when Letterman gets on stage so make sure you watch straight through.

Rolling Stone South Africa have Die Antwoord on their February cover, joined by their daughter Sixteen. Diane Coetzer interviews them, read an excerpt of the article here or buy the magazine to get the full story. Having met Ninja and Yolandi on a couple of occassions, I could not agree with Diane’s take on them more.

“We make pop music. We don’t make intellectual music. Our shit is hostile-takeover shit. What the fuck you going to do about it? Nothing!” – Ninja

Last week I saw this on Hurricane Vanessa, also taken from Rolling Stone. A picture really is worth a thousand words.

It really seems like Die Antwoord have no intention of going anywhere, or morphing into something else besides a better version of themselves. This seems to just be the beginning of something enormous. They clearly enjoy the challenge of pushing all sorts of creative / musical / managerial boundaries and the more they exist, the more they seem to evolve.

What do you think? Take our poll below and let us know your opinion.

- Gorilla x