Yeah Yeah Yeahs @ the Orpheum

So who needs Red Bull when you can have a fix of Karen O?


O... O... Oh my god.
When I first listened to It's Blitz I couldn't stop.  It became an immediate fixation.  I had to listen to it all-the-time... while reading, when walking, during a bike ride, even before going to bed.  It was my little secret delight.  Now, after seeing the Yeah Yeah Yeahs live for the second time, I can't honestly say this will become a healthy addiction.


I'm almost certain the rest of the Orpheum can relate.  The YYY's played most of the new album and a few from their previous hits, including "Cheated Hearts", "Honey Bear" and "Gold Lions".  And... opened with my favorite: "Runaway".


Karen O was unstoppable, Nick Zinner kept moving from the guitar to the synth and Brian Chase, well... I think we all owe Chase a big one for making "Heads Will Roll" a great dance-until-you-can't-dance-no-more song.  There was nothing that could stop EVERYONE from shaking it "like a ladder to the sun", not even the Orpheum's awful seating arrangement, which, by-the-by, gives you less leg space than many airlines in this country.

One minor detail... After seeing their performance live at All Points West, I must admit that their stage design is made for bigger spaces.  Everything looked crowded and the Eye just wasn't the same.


Of course, "Maps" had to be in the track list... oh... yeah...

Julian Casablancas | Going solo. Alone, Together?

For some, The Strokes are a religion.  I am NOT kidding! I've heard people say it out-loud first hand.  And if the Strokes are a religion, then that would make their frontman... the prophet? the Messiah? the chosen one?


Julian Casablancas - 11th Dimension



Julian Casablancas released his first single 11th Dimension on September 18th.   His PR staff must be deliriously happy because it seems that the entire blogging community is talking about it and fans have it on permanent loop.  What a tease! Keeping his followers on the verge of ecstasy, just waiting for the final release of his solo album Phrazes for the Young.


Like it? Yes. Love it? No.
You can't blame me for expecting a Strokes-esque single.  
It is rather jolly and we owe that to the synth - the 80's are back to stay!  Now, don't take me wrong -and this might sound pretty awful- but I was expecting something sinister, angry, playful and witty all at the same time... what I like to call optimism with overtones of realism and apathy.  Sorry for being so crude.


I'll remain faithful to the band... for the time being, but I'm stubborn and have detachment issues and I like my Casablancas with some Moretti, Hammond, Fraiture and, especially Valensi on the side.  Cut me some slack.


and... it's Friday.  So, like Julian says:

"Drop your guard, you don't have to be smart all of the time"

***NOTE:  He also released the album cover.  Now THIS I really like. No text , just great photography, high contrast, and muted colors blended with neon details.  The design makes Julian appear as the king and master of the music studio and for some reason, makes me think of Dorian Grey, Dada and collage.  Yup, a mixture of the classical and the new.

Damian Ortega | DIY "Mexican Style"

DIY -- Do It Yourself.

Trying to define, compare or begin to explain this acronym has been quite a challenge.  Even before writing this, I had a hard time arranging my thoughts and, to be completely honest, even after doing some research and going through sleepless nights thinking about it, I am still intrigued by its meaning.

I was given the awesome opportunity to be present in the curatorial/staff walk for the new ICA's exhibition Damian Ortega, Do It Yourself, where Ortega himself was giving a full disclosure of his works.  For art lovers, like myself, this was pure bliss.  And, I mean, is it possible not to be remotely interested in his exhibition when you are welcomed by his Cosmic Thing?  I was drooling all over it when I first saw it.

DIY is a term usually used for things related to home improvement, like building and repairing things without professional help - think about the Ikea phenomenon.  In art, it evokes ideas of breaking things down, reassembling, and manipulating everyday objects in such a way that they are brought out of their usual context.  Without getting into technicisms... DIY has a lot to do with ready-mades and the Duchamp and Damien Hirst legacy.

Ortega naturally brings a lot of his Mexican heritage into his pieces; references to his natal country are not evident, but definitely present.  This survey of the last decade covers his Coke bottle sculptures, leather floor plans, mirror cubes, chair sculptures, videos and photographs... the list goes on.  Though, in a brief Q&A session he admitted to be identified, hence, driven to work with bricks.

I genuinely loved this show.  But, i know... Contemporary installation art can be scary and slightly confusing.  As a friend said, it's hard to be face-to-face with a piece that many times needs to be explained to be understood; a piece that isn't necessarily 'pretty', with bits and pieces of a foreign culture.

If you feel this when facing Ortega's work, then I say: Eureka! Success! He brought you out of your comfort zone, and triggered curiosity.  Maybe even made you questioned your own stance.  

The ICA will have his show 'til January 2010.  Enough to see it once, twice or maybe three times?

DAMIAN ORTEGA

WHITE CUBE PROFILE   |   THE PHOENIX' PHOTO GALLERY OF EXHIBITION

Urban Art: Surviving the Whitewash

And so the random encounters with the anonymous creatures continues.  Ahhh... beautiful.

Chorus Gallery | When Art and Bicycles Come Together...

I have recently acquired a new addiction: biking.  It's not about style or going green.  I fully admit that it came as the final solution for my final problem: boredom.  Being a recent graduate and "funemployed" all of a sudden was not that fun. My bicycle not only became a distraction in itself, it also led me to find new and bigger escapades.  Now I openly pledge my love for the two-wheeled vehicle.


Of course, when I heard Open Bicycles had reopened its doors in Somerville, I was lured to visit the store.  What came in as a true surprise was to see that the store had a gallery as part of its complex, the Chorus Gallery.  


It is a rather small exhibition space, much too small for my taste.  But it's never been about quantity, its about quality, right?  Upon navigating the interwebs and doing a little research, I noticed this gallery dedicates its space to eclectic, contemporary art.  Its artists have a clear design-related background and tend to focus on the city.  Broad enough?  Well, by "the city" I mean it has an urban feeling - the themes, the subject matter, the colors, or just the vibrancy of the metropolis present in the style.


The current exhibition Momentum is dedicated to Matt W. Moore known for his vektorfunk psychodelia.  Appropriately enough, Moore transfered his kaleidoscopic geometry to four bike frames, which accompanied his canvases.  I must admit I am an not a fervent follower of his style, but there is something about this exhibition that happened to attract me... a lot.  The canvases were static but there was an undeniable sense of movement in them.  An orderly chaos.


So by the time I parted, I was stuck with these rather interesting visuals.  On my ride back I couldn't help but think how dull some bike frames appeared to me... they needed some color, some vektorfunk in their lifes.

OPEN BICYCLE

"IT AIN'T THAT SERIOUS" OPEN BICYCLE SHORTFILM   |   SHORT DOCUMENTARY

The Grates - Aussies invade the Bean

One word: cute.
This is true! The vocalist of The Grates, Patience, is the embodiment of cuteness.  How can you resist a lovely, bouncy girl with an adorable, golden shinny dress and a yellow cape?  Her gleeful presence is just contagious.


The Australian band paid a visit to the Bean and shared the stage with three other local bands (Verb the Adjective Noun, Viennagram and, my favorites, YCBW) at the Mid East.


Their music came in as a lovely surprise.  I mean, it seemed they were unknown to the larger crowd, including myself.  Best description? In a few... they're a combination of pop with grunge, punk and electro. One thing is for sure: their energetic vibe is bound to infect all listeners.  


Patience  joined everybody on the dance floor, and they loved her.  In between a dancing frenzy, hilarious remarks about spirit fingers and elbow indicators for hi-fives, she became one of them.  "And they said Boston was a hard crowd.  You guys are amazing!" she said.


DO listen to their tracks and dare to dance to a couple of them... possibly with minor garments in front of a mirror "Cameron Diaz in Charlie's Angels" style.  And be on the look out! They've scheduled a full US-tour to keep on spreading the love the way only aussies can.


Note: Pay attention to their drummer, Alana.  This lovely lady is a-mazing!

THE GRATES

MYSPACE   |   WEBSITE

Urban Art: Surviving the Whitewash

Boston is a hub of urban art.  No coincidence! It is a full-grown metropolis (the largest of New England), the college capital of the world, and a Fung Wah bus ride away from NYC... there is a constant influx of creativity.


I heard via word-of-mouth about the X-Men mural and, to my dismay, I found it already gone.  Given, many residents don't really appreciate any of the tagging, especially in areas like Back Bay and the South End. Understandable.  Yet, is it a sign of an ever-growing generational gap?  A matter of taste?


In honor of the now gone Sentinel, I've decided to pay tribute to the few surviving stencils and tags I found on my way there... Urban artists!!! Keep on 'rad-i-fying' the city... 

It Might Get Loud, the Movie

So their once was the good, the bad and the ugly.  Now the equation goes like this: the guru, the enlightened and the witty.

Three guitarist, three hometowns, three genres, three personalities... Beautiful.


It Might Get Loud is protagonized by Jack White from the White Stripes/Raconteurs/Dead Weather, the Edge from U2 and Jimmy Page from Led Zepellin - guess whos who in the equation.  The film is a documentary of three music generations put together to discuss the electric guitar; it goes beyond a mere examination of the instrument, it explores the significance of it in their lives.  


The film is full of visual memorabilia and is a great opportunity to share the experience with anyone; sooner or later you'll identify with one of the three virtuosos. In fact, the movie theater was loaded with quite a mixture, from old-school rockers to youngsters that clearly dragged their parents to the screening.  I was delighted to catch more than a few bopping their feet.


The soundtrack is awesome and quite varied (of course, it had to be like that considering the sources of inspiration), although some transitions were slightly off and you'll find unexpected animations inserted now and then.  They just didn't work out for me, but nothing to be upset about. Still worth watching.


Sadly, the movie is being screened only in Kendall and Coolidge Corner theaters.  Onwards! Enjoy!


           

IT MIGHT GET LOUD

WEBSITE   |  REVIEW: THE PHOENIX

You Can Be A Wesley... Album Release

So right now it seems indie rock bands are "hip". Yes, to the delight of many, the disgust of others, the hipster scene has taken over the main cities, but... you know what they say: if you can't fight 'em, join 'em...


I'm not trying to build a case in favor of the plaided shirts, the greasy one-week-without-washing hair do's, the fixed gear bikes and the Pabst tall boys.  In fact, it has nothing to do with the new wave! Don't take me wrong.  Honestly, I hate the derogative connotation of this term, and the fact that it has become an over-misused social label.  But I might be digressing...


The bottom line is that in terms of music, I have to say that what some people like to call hipsters DO know what's going on.  And I applaud them.  At least they're daring to put their music out there and put on last minute gigs in basements, local cafes and small bars.  

I say: keep - it - coming!

A few weeks ago (July 20th), I had the chance to see an Allston-based band that go by the name You Can Be A Wesley.  In fact, it was at the Middle East Upstairs on the release party of their album Heard Like Us where I got to sway at the beat of their tunes.  Their bass and guitar riffs inevitably remind me of the Strokes and the Pixies; the vocalist's voice and the dreamy, airy, sweet lyrics are in the style of Of Montreal or Los Campesinos! and... their strong drums are reminiscent of Phoenix? TV on the Radio?  If you love/recognize any of these bands, then you will love this quartet.


Now... what makes YCBW different from any other local, improvised, we-met-back-in-college rock band?  The answer lies on the effect they provoke on the crowd.  I remember talking to a friend a few days ago and arriving to the conclusion that rock concerts were no longer IT.  The crowds were dead, static and pretty much... lame.  But YCBW managed not only to break the crowds, but to elate them and bring them to a complete sing-along hysteria.


They're planning on making it big (yes!) and rumor has it they will begin a US tour soon (which we hope it's true for the benefit of all you indie-music junkies out there).  In the mean, and should you be in the Boston Area... they have scheduled two shows for the month of September:  Middle East Upstairs (Sept. 3rd) and Great Scott (Sept. 26).


Fav tunes:  "Rearrange the Sea", "Balloon Head", "Make Up For God" and "Feed the Moon Starve the Sun".

YOU CAN BE A WESLEY

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