No Jens Lekman album this year, but at least I saw him twice
I feel like I've been spending way too much time on Ukulele Hunt and not enough on blogging. H. just told me that I haven't posted in a blog century. So, as the year is nearly coming to an end, it's time for the "Best of 2008" lists. I started jotting down a rough list in my notebook a couple months ago, but I'm sure I've missed plenty of records that were released in the early part of the year. Some of these albums have somehow changed my tastes and thoughts on music. Others are just too much fun to not enjoy. Life-changing or not, these records are the ones that have shaped my year. It's funny how I can listen to one of these albums and be transported back to the place/time/weather that I associate with it.
As a little refresher, I've looked up my personal list of 2007's top albums. Oh, the hilarity.
Top Albums of 2007 (in no particular order):
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (Blue CD-R Demo)
!!! (Chk Chk Chk) - Myth Takes
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Simian Mobile Disco - Attack Decay Sustain Release
Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals
Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
Fujiya & Miyagi - Transparent Things
Radiohead - In Rainbows
Peter Bjorn and John - Writer's Block
I know what you're thinking. Where is Bon Iver on this list? Bon Iver turned out to be more of a 2008 thing for me. I've spent many hours attempting to play "Blindsided" on my acoustic. Can I count Bon Iver's debut as an album of 2008 since it was re-released in February? Oh, you may also be asking me what the hell I was thinking with a couple of these on my list. Things change? Also, I think Beirut should have been on that list. I've been listening to a lot of The Flying Club Cup recently. Perhaps, that is also ukulele-influenced. Then again, there are many 2007 albums that I didn't have the opportunity to appreciate until 2008...
Anyway, some of these albums have continued to be classics for me. Just a few minutes ago, I was playing Jens' "Your Arms Around Me" on the ukulele (If anyone has the ukulele version of that, please please send it this way). Just recently, I've been listening to a lot of Vampire Weekend. Judge me if you will, but I associate Vampire Weekend with the fall and early winter, which was when I was listening to their demo on repeat last year. And, a year ago, I never thought that VW would blow up in the way that they did. Now, I'm sickened by how often I hear their name. I can admit it: I am jealous. But, I can't deny that "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" is a great pop song. Unfortunately, since their demo made my list in 2007, their proper debut will not be on my 2008 list since the two are roughly the same.
If you're a relatively frequent follower of this blog, you will find that some of the albums on my list are predictable. Clearly, I've greatly favored a handful of bands this year. But, there will be surprises since there are some awesome albums that I never got around to blogging about.
Your Arms Around Me - Jens Lekman
Top Albums of 2008:
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Atlas Sound - Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
The Dodos - Visiter
Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes/Sun Giant EP
The Walkmen - You & Me
Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line
TV on the Radio - Dear Science
Department of Eagles - In Ear Park
Deerhunter - Microcastle/Weird Era Cont.
December 1, 2008
Top Albums of 2008: A Reflection
October 22, 2008
BrooklynVegan CMJ Showcase - MHOW 10.21.08
Note: Blogger took down the original post due to DMCA issues
Passion Pit
Singing DJ Jens Lekman
via Escape Sounds
Passion Pit = HOT
As you can see to the right, Passion Pit has been one of my current obsessions since their pre-Forkcast days. To put it lightly, they killed last night. Without much surprise, these guys have definitely grown since their first show at Pianos. I'm sure that it helps that everyone is talking about this band. Talk about a great confidence booster. I'd wondered how Passion Pit would fare on the larger stage of MHOW, but it turned out that a bigger setting was more appropriate for PP’s sound and energy. Compared to the Pianos set, everyone looked visibly more comfortable and as if they were actually (gasp) having fun. What really caught my attention about this performance was that Michael Angelakos varied up the vocals a bit so that he wasn’t singing in his upper range the entire time. There were some concerned comments about that from the first Pianos show, and it seemed like Angelakos had taken them to heart. Passion Pit played a great version of “Better Things,” which was one of the first tracks that hooked me into this band. I like when bands sound slightly different live and still manage to deliver. Isn’t this the point of seeing any show? Anyway, there was a song (or two?) that I didn’t recognize, since they’re not on Chunk of Change. Setlist, anyone?
A Singing DJ is exactly what you’d expect
I should have gone into this with no expectations. Instead, I dreamt of Jens’ emotionally manipulative voice, serenading the crowd with lyrics about how his heart has been set on fire. So, maybe I set myself up for this letdown, because a singing DJ is exactly that – a DJ who occasionally sings. Singing DJ Jens Lekman's set was interesting, to say the least. He spun “Fantasy” by Mariah Carey,which is arguably one of the best pop songs of the ‘90s (Confession: Fantasy may have been one of the first CDs that I'd owned). Regardless of good DJing choices, Jens’ performance of “Sipping on the Sweet Nectar” was not enough to satisfy. I wish there would have been less spinning and more singing. I guess I was hoping for a DJing singer.
I kinda liked Ponytail (K., don’t kill me)
Ponytail confused me at first, and now I’m intrigued. Is Ponytail my new Animal Collective? Will be listening to them when I get home today.
Also...who is Thor of Shearwater?
Wikipedia tells me that he is a musician, painter, and carpenter. His instruments include “found instruments and homemade instruments.” All I know is that he wears a braid, played a hammer dulcimer, and people kept on yelling out his name. A great name, too.
Official BV announcement here.
More Passion Pit here. More Jens here.
April 5, 2008
Jens Lekman - Webster Hall 04.05.08
Jens opens the night with a song about cutting out the bullshit, "I'm Leaving You Because I Don't Love You."
**Note: Pictures were blindly taken. The LCD screen on my camera is broken.
It's impossible to see Jens Lekman perform and not smile. It's like when I walk out of Pinkberry/Red Mango/Forty Carrots with my froyo; a huge smile just spreads across my entire face. Not that I'm comparing Jens to frozen yogurt, because I would easily give up the froyo for a long while to see my favorite Swede play again. Last night, Jens Lekman played a sold-out show at Webster Hall with his back-up ensemble. And, he is every bit as silly and funny in real life as he is in some of his songs.
Jens started out the night with a small request, asking the audience not to record any videos to put up on YouTube. No videos have popped up yet, but who knows if people actually listened to him. From there, he transitioned into a song about cutting out the bullshit, "I'm Leaving You Because I Don't Love You." Jens played some new songs, songs off of the amazing Night Falls Over Kortedala, and older material off of When I Said I Wanted To Be Your Dog and Oh You're So Silent, Jens, a compilation of his EPs. "New Directions" is a new song that Jens wrote when he left Kortedala for the last time. Apparently, the roads in Kortedala form some sort of labyrinth. While it's easy to end up inside, it's hard to get out. So, cab drivers request that passengers come prepared with Google map directions. These Google directions were the inspiration for his new song.
Jens' antics continued with his many entertaining stories and commentaries. One of the most memorable moments was when Jens told us about a show he played in Florence. He told the crowd how nice he thought Florence was and how much enjoyed being there. Apparently, this turned out to be a huge mistake. Two guys approached him after the show, and they were all worked up because Jens said that their city was a nice place. So, in New York, Jens was not taking any chances. With a deadpan face, Jens said, "Fuck you, New York." He went on to complain about the pigeons and tall buildings. It was quite endearing. My favorite performance was an extended version of "A Postcard to Nina." The song itself is a great anecdote, and Jens made it even better with extra details and quotes. And, yes, it is a true story.
To add to the credibility of his live show, Jens Lekman completely won over the crowd and convinced them to play along with him. The New York crowd is not very impressionable, but they were still singing, whistling, clapping, and snapping along with Jens. Although he had band members on drums, bass, violin, cello, saxophone, trumpet, and a laptop, Jens played a few songs by himself. Friday Night at the Drive-In Bingo, one of the songs, was completely transformed with the audience whistling the instrumental melody. The crowd also provided vocal support during Pocketful of Money, singing "I'll come running with my heart on fire."
The only disappointing part of the show last night was when it came to an end. I would have been happier if Jens continued to play for another hour or two. Basically, if he had performed every single song he had ever written, I would have been ecstatic. Also, I would have loved to have seen him perform "Kanske Ar Jag Kar I Dig," but it was a great show, nonetheless. Jens invited the entire crowd to a house party in Brooklyn, where he planned to continue playing. You can find coverage on the house party here. Last time he played in New York, he wanted to continue his show at Union Square. Unfortunately, he didn't know where it was or how to get there. Oh, Jens.
We all need a little (or a lot) of Jens in our lives.
Playing an imaginary triangle at the end of "The Opposite of Hallelujah."
Making airplanes with their arms during "Sipping on the Sweet Nectar" (I think? Please correct me if I'm wrong).
A Postcard to Nina - Jens Lekman
Kanske Ar Jag Kar I Dig - Jens Lekman
Your Arms Around Me - Jens Lekman
A Sweet Summer's Night on Hammer Hill - Jens Lekman
