via The A.V. Club
And, on to the month of March. Well, this one shouldn't be a surprise. Turns out I blogged about the Dodos three times this year, and they were once a "Current Obsession" of mine. Every time I went to a live show, I was always impressed/dumbfounded by Meric's ridiculously fast finger-picking and Logan’s drum workout. To this day, I still wonder how often Meric has to reapply the acrylics to his right hand. Does anyone have any idea?
Read more about why I like the Dodos and their live shows here.
Red and Purple - The Dodos
Winter - The Dodos
Other Top of 2008 Albums:
A Reflection
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Atlas Sound - Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
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 12, 2008
Top Albums of 2008: Visiter
July 19, 2008
Siren Music Festival 2008
The Dodos
Ra Ra Riot
I survived 90+ degree heat to see Ra Ra Riot and The Dodos. I saw the Dodos back in April and two nights ago (which I'm glad I did because the Dodos' music is best suited for a small, intimate venue), but I hadn't seen Ra Ra Riot since they opened for Tokyo Police Club at Mercury Lounge back in the spring of '07. After that show, I couldn't stop playing "Each Year" on my iTunes.
Ra Ra Riot is a great live act, and it is no wonder that they are gaining a lot of hype without even releasing a full-length album (The Rhumb Line is due on August 19). I wanted to catch them at the Bowery Ballroom this past spring, but I waited too long to buy tickets and the show sold out. This band has a lot of energy, and I always have a lot of fun watching them perform. The string instruments definitely add a refreshing classical influence to Ra Ra Riot's music.
I'm going to go nurse my sunburnt face now... Even though I was in ridiculous heat while I was traveling, the weather at Siren was especially unbearable. I wanted to stay for Broken Social Scene, but I just couldn't stand the heat of the sun and crowd anymore. Needless to say, there was even less dancing than I would usually expect at a New York show. I definitely prefer the crowd at Pitchfork Music Festival, but my friend told me that the Saturday was rainy, humid, muddy, and overall very unpleasant.
Each Year - Ra Ra Riot
Dying is Fine - Ra Ra Riot
A Manner to Act - Ra Ra Riot
July 18, 2008
The Dodos - Cake Shop 07.17.08
Secret show at Cake Shop. The Dodos will be performing this Saturday at the Village Voice's Siren Music Festival. I think I heard Meric mention that he was terrified. They will also perform at Pitchfork Music Festival on Sunday.
The Dodos at Cake Shop from sarahana on Vimeo.
Check out my past post for music and observations.
April 7, 2008
The Dodos - Mercury Lounge 04.06.08
The Gothamist borrowed this photo. I'm quite flattered since I am not a photographer, and the LCD screen on my camera is broken. Someone at the show looked at the screen and laughed at me.
Trombone intro to "Fools."
Aside from Fleet Foxes, the Dodos are my favorite discovery of 2008. Last night's show at the Mercury Lounge was sold out and the venue was completely packed. AND, it was a Sunday night. I bought my tickets nice and early, because I suspected this show would eventually sell out. The post-SXSW hype surrounding the Dodos is exponentially growing. Also, I suspected that Pitchfork followers would be drawn to the show since Visiter had been listed as Best New Music. So, no surprise that Pitchfork was there last night. Again, I don't really agree with Pitchfork on a lot of things. But, they're sorta right about the Dodos in that they are awesome.
If I could describe the Dodos show in one word, it would "sweat." There was sweat everywhere. Sweat on Meric Long's guitar from his right strumming arm, sweat soaking Logan Kroeber's shirt, sweat dripping down my own face from dancing in close proximity to a lot of people. If you listen to the Dodos' music, it's not hard to see why performing is like an intense cardio workout for these guys. For one, as I mentioned before, Logan does not have a kick drum. Every single drum is on a stand. Watching him play was so jaw-dropping, because it was very apparent how hard it was to play the rhythms that he was pounding out. Even more incredible, his energy did not drop once throughout the entire show. On guitar, Meric Long was also playing fast patterns (Check out "Chickens"), along with some looping. He used three acoustic guitars, no picks. Halfway through the show, I started concentrating on his playing when I noticed that he had very long, acrylic nails on his right hand. I don't think I've ever seen that before, but I can see why they'd be useful for finger picking and strumming. After the show, I went to go shake his hand, but he didn't offer his right hand. Instead, he just awkwardly slapped me a high-five with his left hand. Maybe he sensed that I was going to ask about his nails. Right you were, Meric.
Check out his nails. Acrylic, no? FRICTION agrees.
The Dodos' high-energy show went by quickly, with little to no transition in between songs. I feel like the set was a decent length, at least 10-12 songs. But, they didn't play "Winter," which is one of my favorites. In general, they didn't showcase many slower songs, such as "Park Song" and "Winter." These songs would have balanced out the show a little more, adding some variety to the high-energy set. But, hey, maybe the Dodos enjoy sweating it all out. And, let me tell you, their perfermance was impressive as hell. The way that they were squeezing in the rapid notes and beats reminded me of Charlie Parker's famous improvisations (FYI, Charlie Parker was one of the first so-called hipsters). Meric and Logan are true virtuosos of their instruments.
The Dodos are currently on tour with Joe Haener (on percussion and xylophone) as their third band member. They return to New York on July 19 for the Village Voice's Siren Festival, as confirmed by brooklynvegan. They're also playing Pitchfork Music Festival the next day in Chicago. Man, these guys are busy.
No Kids and Silje Nes opened for the Dodos. I'll be putting up a post on No Kids soon.
If you have the setlist for this show, please leave a comment. Thanks! Check out my past post for more songs.
The Season - The Dodos
Park Song - The Dodos
The Ball - The Dodos
Chickens - The Dodos
March 9, 2008
The Dodos
It's my favorite time of the year, when SXSW releases their list of participating artists. I usually spend many hours pouring over the ridiculously long list of names instead of studying for midterms. However, my hard work is always rewarded. The Dodos, a duo from San Francisco (not Brooklyn!) are one of my favorite discoveries this year.
The Dodos are Meric Long (guitar, vocals, trombone) and Logan Kroeber (drums). Unlike most duos, the Dodos don't try to force a big sound out of themselves by playing and singing as loudly as they possibly can. Instead, they add color to their music by using more complex rhythmic patterns and having very little empty space. As someone pointed out to me, Logan doesn't use a kick drum. He has a bass drum that he plays as a regular stand drum. If you watch their MP3.com tunnel performance, you'll understand what I'm talking about.
Recently signed onto Frenchkiss Records (of Les Savy Fav and The Hold Steady), the Dodos will be releasing their sophomore record, Visiter, on March 18. The Dodos return to NYC on April 6th at Mercury Lounge.
Fools - The Dodos
Winter - The Dodos
Red and Purple - The Dodos
