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She & Him on NPR (6/11/08)
Rounding out a string of radio session posts, and fresh from watching The Go-Getter, here’s She & Him‘s Steve Lillywhite session for NPR. With due credit to the Lillywhite/NPR, sounds a lot better than the sessions they did for KEXP and KCRW. They perform 3 songs, which are interspersed with a short interview, where they talk about hooking up (musically) after their duet that played over the end credits in The Go-Getter.
M83 on KCRW (5/19/08)
Last month M83 performed live with Southern California “edgey” and “eclectic” music stalwart Nic Harcourt on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic. The performance, surprisingly well-mixed for a live radio recording, reinforces Anthony Gonzalez’s return to his shoegazer roots. The five tracks selected, four off the new album, Saturdays = Youth, released April 15th on Mute Records and one off the 2005 release Before Dawn Heals Us, blend almost seamlessly. Recording credits for the recent release go to Ken Thomas (known for his work with Sigur Rós, The Sugarcubes, Boys in a Band, Cocteau Twins and Suede), Ewan Pearson (who has also produced for Tracey Thorn, The Rapture and Ladytron) and Morgan Kibby (of The Romanovs, and Morgan and the Hidden Hands).
Okkervil River on WOXY (4/23/08)
Because I use this site more to recommend upstart bands and forgotten favorites, I’ve spoken more in private than on here about my affinity for Okkervil River. I was excited when Pitchfork reported that, just as Black Sheep Boy merited an Appendix of excellent tracks that were brushed aside in crafting the album, The Stage Names leftovers will take the form of The Stand Ins. The first hint at the new album came in their recent session for WOXY, which was kicked off with “Lost Coastlines.”
i love you but i’ve chosen wilderness
The last time Wilderness came through L.A., they headlined a show that was under-attended and inexcusably short. I don’t remember exactly how few songs they played, but it was a 30 minute or so set, and my disappointment with their lack of stamina overshadowed what was otherwise a pretty engaging show. They played almost entirely songs off of their recent release at the time, Vessel States, but based on what appeared to be a disdain for the L.A. audience (combined with their relative silence since), I got the impression that it would be the first and last time I’d have a chance to see them.
Frightened Rabbit on WOXY (3/13/08)
Among the many bands that WOXY was good enough to record in Austin during SxSW 2008 was Frightened Rabbit. Being that I’m counting the days until their 2nd album sees release (April 15), I was more than excited to hear a bunch of the new tracks from Midnight Organ Fight (in a convenient acoustic format). Below are the songs only; make sure to go to WOXY for the entire set along with an interview; in which Scott takes full ownership over the songs and threatens to kick his brother Grant out of the band. Ah, the mental warfare that goes on between brothers… “Old Old Fashioned” is especially awesome. I remember hearing that from their visit to L.A., and I love the pace to the song: more upbeat and rocking than the typical Frightened Rabbit ballad.
Les Savy Fav : El Rey
I lied. As I should have realized, Les Savy Fav never get old, and much like the Tim’s claims in “We’ll Make A Lover Of You,” you get what you put in at their shows. I’m super thankful that having Andrew Reulard as a 5th member has brought “Scout’s Honor” back into their setlist for the first time in 7 years. Thanks, Santa. I like it so much better when we sweat together.
Les Savy Fav on BBC Radio 1 (10/22/07)
As promised, here is Les Savy Fav playing live on BBC Radio 1. Usually I edit out the interview parts of these shows, but with L.S.F., the interview can sometimes be the best part. They talk about the climate of their new album/regrouping, as well as the timing of that Jetplane Landing song.
Frightened Rabbit : The Wiltern
After months of using friends in New York to get my Frightened Rabbit fix, they finally made it out to L.A. and opened for Pinback last night. Coming off of a hangover from a Halloween rager the night before, I was excited to see them, but was only running at 70% or so.
The Twilight Sad on KEXP (10/4/07)
At the beginning of the month, KEXP broadcast a series of shows from Chicago. They posted a session by The Twilight Sad on the KEXP blog. It is a good collection of tracks, including some of the better songs from their full length, Fourteen Autumns And Fifteen Winters, as well as my favorite, “Watching That Chair Painted Yellow,” the b-side of “That Summer, At Home I Had Become The Invisible Boy.” I tried to fix the levels a bunch (I think they were so loud in the studio that the engineer recording them kept turning the volume down), and left out the interview in which John Richards reveals (at least to a non-Rob Reiner fan like me) that the title for “That Summer, At Home” was taken from Stand By Me.
Band of Horses on KCRW (9/6/07)
Band of Horses played KCRW last week, showing off 5 new songs from their upcoming album, Cease To Begin. I was a little concerned about how the new one might turn out after Mat Brooke’s departure. My fears were calmed when they sounded good despite a lackluster crowd at the Hollywood Bowl in July (I know, big surprise, right?), and they sound good here too. “Ode To The LRC” is my favorite of the new ones, even if it begins to sound like a Decemberists’ song at the end. As usual, I edited out the dead air and pumped up the volume like I’m Rakim. For the full set with the interview, check KCRW’s archives.