Tag Archives: shoegaze

[Show Review] Deerhunter at The Observatory North Park, San Diego, CA

Deerhunter is one of our favorite experimental rock bands around right now. We’ve been following them for years, and to finally get to see them in concert was an occasion. On Friday night the Atlanta-born musicians took to the stage in San Diego, CA and delivered what we consider to be a performance solidifying their place as neo-rock superstars. Their music live seems to be the only way we want to listen to them from now on.

Lead singer Bradford Cox had a stage presence that was anticipated, but proved surprising in one respect. While we expected his presence to be profound, we weren’t expecting it to get so dance-y. It was much to our pleasant surprise that waves of dancing erupted in the crowd more often than not, namely the movement session that accompanied the latter part of “Living My Life”—a single from their latest album Fading Frontier that was accompanied by a saxophone in this live rendition. And who could forget the seductive stripping of Cox’s suspenders that followed not long after.

Towards the middle of the show the band dedicated a performance to the memory of Cox’s stepmother, set to the song “Take Care.” The song is already an enchanting piece on its own, but the band altered and extended the breakdown, taking the song to new depths that it hadn’t possessed previously. The percussions in particular led a crescendo that left the crowd in complete silence, only to erupt moments later in a reverent roar.

Following an encore, the band did a few of their older classics like “Desire Lines,” in which guitarist, vocalist and Lotus Plaza-creator Lockett Pundt sang it in its entirety. The passion and talent of the duo together was truly a sight to see. Following this came a few songs from the album that first got us started on Deerhunter, Microcastle and hearing the songs “Cover Me Slowly” and “Nothing Ever Happened” live were moments that we had hoped for but did not expect given the older date of that record.

The set wound up being, overall, everything that we could have asked for, and more. It’s sent us into a week long phase of listening to their discography, and has us being very appreciate of being able to catch them live. Hopefully, it won’t be the last time

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[Event Review] Wild Nothing @ The Larimer Lounge – Denver, CO

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Wild Nothing // "A Dancing Shell" (OFFICIAL SINGLE)

Living in the mountainous urban sprawl that is Denver affords some of the staff here at TMN the chance to see an amazing live show, on any given night of the week, at any number of sonically intoxicating venues throughout the Mile High City. On a blustery Tuesday night at perhaps the most intimate music room in the state, The Larimer Lounge, we had the fortuitous opportunity to revel in the anglophilic, shoegazey dream-pop that is Jack Tatum and his bedroom project turned critically acclaimed headlining act, Wild Nothing. A certain vivacity filled the small room and adjoining bar, radiating an energy that I hadn’t felt since seeing buzz-bands in the early 2000’s like The Futureheads, Okkervil River and Rogue Wave before the blogosphere world really took hold and so directly told us what was in or who is talented. The live music climate then was more focused on the reception surrounding a band’s newest EP, rather than a spread they recently did with “X” online publication of the month, and that era felt well represented. For both openers, the 20-something year-old dominated crowd would flock to the show floor as soon as any sort of live music began to erupt out of those dingy monitors – including the Larimer Lounge’s consistently give-and-take sound checks – leaving the smoking areas and bars almost barren and a blissfully jam-packed main room, which I am sure would have been a treat to perform for. Wild Nothing’s weekday performance contained one of the most musically unified crowds we had seen in some time, marking a totally refreshing return to concert attending. Continue reading

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[Shoegaze] Sulk – The Big Blue

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The Big Blue

With wavering distorted guitars reminiscent of classic 90’s tunes from the likes of Pearl Jam and the Stone Roses, we are introduced to Sulk for the very first time. This London based five piece has a nostalgic sound that’s truly infectious. A shoegazy blend of Britpop and Psychedelia, Sulk is the perfect soundtrack for a rainy London day, with a pint in one hand and a joint in the other. Lay back in the grass and soak this one in.

This single is out on May 20th via Perfect Sound Forever.

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