My Music Monday: GvsB5 Lineup

I have been having a rough time coming down from that amazing Peter Hook & The Light show from last Friday in Dallas so today is an exciting day because the first lineup for GvsB5 was just announced! Gorilla vs. Bear is one of my favorite music blogs out there that I discovered a few years ago thanks to Blog Radio on Sirius XMU and if you're into new music, you definitely need to pay them a visit. For the last five years, the GVB gang has hosted a night of music at the Granada Theater in Dallas. Past lineups have included The Chromatics, Glass Candy, Grimes, and Panda Bear. I have been anxiously awaiting this year's lineup because I was hoping it would include a certain band from Baltimore and Chris certainly delivered. Not only will Lower Dens be performing, but the lineup will also include Jamie XX from the band The XX, Yumi Zouma, Tei Shi, and Prince Innocence. More bands will be added in the following months. And because GVB has grown over the past few years, this year's fun will not only include The Granada Theater in Dallas on Friday, July 31st, but will also head over to The Mohawk in Austin on Saturday, August 1st. Tickets will go on sale this Friday! And I will see you in Austin GvsB5!

Today's My Music Monday features the bands from today's GvsB5 lineup announcement starting with my current loves, Lower Dens. This band came into my life a few years ago thanks to a suggestion from a friend who knows me and my music tastes pretty well. I dug their sound initially, but it wasn't until their latest release Escape from Evil that I have absolutely fallen in love with this band. I've said it before that bands and songs seem to find me at the right moment, and this album deals a bit with relationships and Jana Hunter's lyrics basically say everything I've wished I'd been able to say to someone about how I felt about them. The first single released, "To Die in L.A.", immediately captured my heart with it's throwback synth sound and melodic guitars. The video was filmed in L.A. and also carries that '80s vibe and even features a cameo from fashion designer Marc Jacobs. Since I have listened to the album about 500 times by now, it is definitely in my top albums for the year. I will do a feature post on Lower Dens later but for now here is the first single from that album.

Another band that came into my life I believe at the recommendation of that same friend was The XX. Since their last album release, one of the members, Jamie XX, has been working on a new solo album entitled In Colour which will be released in the near future via Young Turks records. In anticipation of the album, Jamie has released a few tracks, one of which,"Loud Places", features fellow XX bandmate Romy Madley Croft on vocals. Upon the lineup announcement today, a new video for the track "Gosh" just debuted and features the same house, electronic sound as his other tracks. 

Tei Shi is an artist I'm only recently discovering thanks to GVB. She recently took over the music blog's website for a day which allowed fans to get a deeper sense of her style. Her EP Verde is available in a digital format with physical releases slated for May. I am quickly falling in love with her sound. 

Yumi Zouma is another recent discovery. I haven't been able to catch Chris' show on Thursdays too much lately, but did get a chance to listen some last week and heard this track. Are you able to see a trend here with sounds today? 

Prince Innocence is an artist I hadn't heard of until today. They seem to have been around for a few years and have sort of a chill electronic sound. I chose an older track from them today called "To My Right" because it flowed well with the other tracks from today. 

My Music Monday: Joy Division

As a teenager growing up in the '90s, I was never attracted to the mainstream sounds of grunge or whatever else was playing on the radio at the time. I didn't understand why everyone had to be screaming to get their point across. Instead, I latched onto bands from earlier years. Obviously, The Cure was an important band as were Siouxsie and the Banshees, Depeche Mode and New Order. Internet was just getting started during those days so finding music was not as simple as a quick download and to find the music I wanted to listen to required a little digging and research. I was probably about 14 when I had learned that New Order was first an entirely different band named Joy Division.

Joy Division, a band synonymous with the post-punk movement in music, credited as pioneers in the darker sound that came with it thanks to their driving bass lines, haunting melodies and singer Ian Curtis' deep, baritone voice. The first Joy Division song I remember fully embracing was actually a cover of "Dead Souls" by Nine Inch Nails from The Crow movie soundtrack. From there, Joy Division became one of those bands that were more than a band to me. I was going through a pretty rough time during my teenage years with my parents' divorce, that feeling of not fitting in that most teens feel and just the overwhelming urge to escape and find my own place in the world. Their music was like an old friend that understood everything I was feeling. Joy Division released two albums in their short career. Prior to their U.S. tour, Curtis took his own life and the band eventually continued on as New Order.

  

 

This Friday, a few friends and I will be making a trek to Dallas to see bassist Peter Hook and his band The Light as they perform those Joy Division albums Closer and Unknown Pleasures in their entirety along with a special set of New Order tracks. As I have gotten older, those songs have taken on a whole new meaning to me as I am able to relate more to the words because of my own life experiences. Friday night will definitely be a special night for the young teenage girl that still lingers inside me who would spend hours in her room listening to these songs over and over. Below are a few of my favorite tracks.

 

"Transmission" was released in 1979 as the band's first single and has since been covered by Bauhaus/Peter Murphy, Hot Chip, and the cast of the Ian Curtis biographical film Control.

 



"She's Lost Control" first appeared on Unknown Pleasures before it was released again as a more electronic version in 1980. This song features a bass sound where Peter Hook played higher up on the neck.
 

 

One of the earliest songs recorded by Joy Division, and it is also said to be the last song performed at their May 2, 1980 show.
 

"Love Will Tear Us Apart" is probably the most popular or at least most recognizable Joy Division song. The lyrics not only represent Curtis' deteriorating marriage to his wife Deborah, but also his state of mind at the time. It is still my favorite of all their songs, followed very closely by the next one.
 

I'm not sure words would describe the love I have for this song. It was one of the last songs that Ian Curtis penned. When New Order formed, they re-released the song and that version has gained more popularity over the years. Curtis' words, "Heaven knows it's got to be this time" will probably just always clutch a special place in my  heart. RIP Ian.

34 Years of Faith

On this day in 1981, The Cure released their third studio album, Faith. Considered by many to be the second of their "dark trilogy" albums which also includes 1980's Seventeen Seconds and 1982's Pornography. With Faith, we saw the band cut back to a trio that included Robert Smith, Laurence Tolhurst and Simon Gallup. This album also marks the first time Smith would use a six-string bass creating their signature sound for many years to come. The cassette release was backed by an instrumental piece entitled "Carnage Visors" that was the soundtrack to a short film the band would feature at the beginning of their shows. I remember falling asleep to CV since it was so light and ambient and was perfect for drifting off to dreamland. In 2006, a deluxe remastered edition was released which also featured the non-album single, "Charlotte Sometimes", an alternate version of "Carnage Visors" and many previously unreleased tracks from the recording sessions of the album. While there are many beloved tracks on this album, the title track "Faith" is probably the most popular with it being one of those elusive live show songs that rarely got played for many years. The most popular performance of this song would be the Rome show in 1989 in which Smith dedicated it to those that had lost their lives that day in China's Tiananmen Square. That version is below along with some other live treats from that album. Happy Anniversary to Faith!

Faith album cover designed by Porl Thompson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Music Monday: Johnny Jewel

I had originally planned for a different band to be featured today to go along with a theme for next week, but then something awesome happened last week. Anyone that knows me knows that I kind of have a slight love for Ryan Gosling. Aside from those boyish good looks, I appreciate his ways of approaching films and he also has pretty great taste in music as there is this lovely photo of him and my rebel brother iAN out there from a BRMC show in L.A. from years ago. Plus he just seems like a really cool guy to hang out with. Ryan has recently made his directorial debut with the film "Lost River", released last Friday in limited theaters, including Austin, as well as On Demand. Knowing my love for Ryan and how I had been anticipating the release of this movie, a friend informed me that Gosling would be in Austin at the Alamo Draft House conducting a Q&A session in addition to the film being shown. Tickets quickly sold out for that showing, but then a later showing was announced that would feature a live introduction to the movie by Ryan himself so of course I immediately purchased my ticket and I am so excited to say that Thursday evening, weather permitting since that seems to be my curse with ATX lately, I will be making a burn & turn trip to see my beloved Ryan Gosling and the film "Lost River", which features a soundtrack composed by another favorite of mine, Johnny Jewel.

I first discovered Johnny Jewel from Gosling's movie "Drive" which was released back in 2011. The native Houstonian is the mastermind behind synth-pop bands that I have come to adore, The Chromatics, Desire, Glass Candy, and Symmetry. He was originally Gosling's first choice to compose the score for that film, but director Nicolas Winding Refn decided to go a different route and instead featured songs by Jewel's bands. It's no secret that Jewel's music helped create the atmosphere for the movie so when Gosling was setting out on his first endeavor as a film director, he contacted his old friend and asked him to score the soundtrack. "Lost River" is a film that is described as a "dark fairy tale about love, family and the fight for survival in the face of danger." The film opens with the song "Tell Me", featuring actress Saoirse Ronan who plays "Rat" in the film. The song serves as sort of a lullaby that Rat sings to herself every night as a way to deal with everything dark going on around her. The story behind recording the song is that Saoirse was in L.A. doing voice overs for the film and Ryan contacted Johnny to get the track laid down. Ronan had never recorded a pop song before and was very nervous to sing so Jewel and Gosling barricaded themselves with Ronan in a kitchen at the sound stage where they were recording and with nothing but an 8-track and a single microphone, the trio turned off all the lights, sat on the floor and the moment was captured. It is a lovely song reminiscent of something that would have been on "Twin Peaks" and I have been listening to it non-stop since it was first released two weeks ago. The soundtrack will be released on Jewel's Italians Do it Better label and will include a limited edition vinyl as part of its release. In spite of the critical bashing this film has received so far, I've also seen many positive reviews and I am looking forward to seeing it on Thursday. And Ryan as well of course. I hope you enjoy this track as much as I have. Happy listening!

 

 

When I was looking for the link for the "Tell Me" video, I stumbled upon a cover The Chromatics did of Joy Division/New Order classic track "Ceremony" which I am posting below as it goes along with the theme for next week. It's different, but nothing drastic from the original. Just a different take and it is growing on me. The description says it features Glass Candy vocalist  Ida No, but I think it's only Chromatics front woman Ruth Radelet that is on the track.  



 

My Music Monday: Ceremony

This week I am launching a new feature called "My Music Monday" where I will feature bands I have recently discovered or old bands that already had a special place in my heart. Ceremony is a band that I recently discovered thanks to Sirius XMU. This California based band, usually known for a more hardcore punk sound, are about to release their fifth studio album entitled The L-Shaped Man via Matador Records next month. They recently released the first two singles for the album, "The Separation" and "The Understanding" as one long video directed by Ross Thomas. Both songs  help tell the story of singer Ross Farrar’s recent breakup and features a more stripped down version of the band. When I first heard "The Separation," I immediately thought that their sound reminded me of fellow post-punk band, Wire, along with a little Joy Division, which makes sense as both bands are listed as influences. I am looking forward to hearing more from this band as they do share a label with a few others I like, Interpol and Perfume Genius to name a couple. L-Shaped Man comes out May 19th so check them out. I hope you enjoy their sound as much as I do. Happy listening!