Post-All Points West Friday, I felt like all my energy and enthusiasm for live music were drained out of me. I don't know how you 3-day ticket holders did it. I missed a whole bunch of awesome weekend happenings like No Deachunter and M Ward, and I almost bailed on going to see Foreign Born at The Bell House. Thankfully, Hippies Are Dead reminded me of how much they enjoyed seeing Foreign Born at The Independent, so I got my act together and started walking to the venue.
This show was the last one of the nearly month-long North American tour of Foreign Born and The Veils. Spirits were high, and the band was downing shots at the beginning of their set. Although the audience at the Bell House was sparse after The Veils, Foreign Born seemed to enjoy themselves so much that I couldn't help but smile. I guess APW didn't squash the love of live music out of me. In an earlier post, I shared the highly repeatable "Early Warnings." Truth be told, Person to Person is full of little lines that find a way to bury themselves into your memory. The catchiness of the album became more obvious to me during the Foreign Born set, with each song having an addicting guitar riff. Some of you would disagree with me, but I really believe that the upper-range guitar lines are the isolating factor for why Foreign Born leaves an impression on listeners while sounding pleasant to the ears. Now, if we could only get them to abandon their seizure-inducing stage lights, maybe I would be able to pay more attention to what's happening onstage.
Also posted below is a saccharine summer song called "Surprise Hotel" by Fool's Gold. Fool's Gold includes two members of Foreign Born, as well as former members of We Are Scientists, The Fall, and Glasser. Micachu & The Shapes recently remixed the song, also below.
Early Warnings - Foreign Born
Surprise Hotel - Fool's Gold
Surprise Hotel (Micachu & The Shapes Remix) - Fool's Gold (via RCRD LBL)
August 6, 2009
Foreign Born - The Bell House 08.03.09
May 19, 2009
"Early Warnings" - Foreign Born
via Dim Mak
Introduced to me by Ed Droste of the much-loved Grizzly Bear, Foreign Born is a folk rock band hailing from L.A., a music city that I tend to overlook. Foreign Born has been around since 2003, but I only recently started listening to them, starting with their forthcoming album Person to Person. There's something strangely familiar about Foreign Born's sound, probably because I associate certain techniques with specific artists. Listen to the intro to "It Grew on You," and tell me if you hear Radiohead as I do. Whatever their influences may be, Foreign Born uses the elements to mold a new incarnation, one unlike anything else I'm listening to at the moment.
The latest free song off Person to Person is "Early Warnings," a tune that plops down in your head and refuses to move. Starting with a cascading, African-inspired riff played on a hollow body guitar, the song has an instrumental melody that one might expect from a certain Upper West Side Soweto-influenced band. Lead singer Matt Popieluch's vocals are finished with a touch of reverb, which gives it an M. Ward-like quality. There's nothing groundbreaking about "Early Warnings," but it's so delightful that I can't help but leave it on repeat.
Person to Person will be released on June 23rd. Pre-order the album here. Foreign Born will also be supporting Grizzly Bear at a couple of shows before embarking on a nationwide tour with The Veils.
Early Warnings - Foreign Born
Vacationing People - Foreign Born
