Lykke Li @ Bowery (CMJ): Look For The Swing

Absolutely magnetic! Fave TMS track of the evening: 'Breaking It Up'. Photos below.













MP3: Lykke Li - I'm Good I'm Gone (Metronomy Mix)

Friendly Fires @ Bowery (CMJ): Twist & Shout

Another phenomenal set from UK based trio. Visit Friendly Fires on MySpace. Photos below.









MP3: Friendly Fires - Jump In The Pool

Joan As Police Woman @ Bowery: An Eternal Flame

Four months ago I saw Joan As Police Woman at NYC's Mercury Lounge. On that spring evening, the trio (led by Joan Wasser) previewed a bevy of tunes from their romantic sophomore LP, To Survive. Now, with the album's release under their respective belts, Joan & the gang performed a proper 90 minute set which, once again, included myriad selections from the aforementioned record, as well as an assortment of tracks from their magnificent debut, Real Life. While the gig was undoubtedly alluring from start to finish, there are two moments that easily stand out for yours truly. One of which would be Joan's tremendously passionate take on Jimi Hendrix's 'Fire'. The other would be the surprise guest appearance by none other than Rufus Wainwright for the set closer, 'To America'. A genuinely beautiful collaboration. Read Joan's interview with The Guardian here. Visit Joan As Police Woman on MySpace. A handful of photos, the complete setlist & a Real Life era MP3 follow.









(Setlist) Honor Wishes. To Be Loved. The Ride. To Be Lonely. Holiday. Hard White Wall. Feed The Light. Magpies. Start Of My Heart. I Defy. Fire. Eternal Flame. Christobel. To America. (Encore) Real Life.

MP3: Joan As Police Woman - Eternal Flame

The Walkmen @ Bowery: Thunder & Lightning

Over the past two years I've seen The Walkmen perform demo versions of You & Me tracks more times than I can possibly remember. At last night's hometown gig, their second of two promoting the stellar new LP, all scattered puzzle pieces fell into place with eloquent precision. From the quintet's roaring take on the record's first single, 'In The New Year', to their exquisite rendition of the mellow yet stunning, 'I Lost You', The Walkmen easily proved that they've created yet another masterpiece with their latest opus. Well received classics included Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone's 'That's The Punch Line', 'Little House Of Savages' (off of Bows & Arrows) and the show closing magic of 'Louisiana' (from A Hundred Miles Off). Catch The Walkmen alongside Golem on their forthcoming fall trek around North America. Photos of frontman Hamilton Leithauser & an MP3 below.








MP3: The Walkmen - On The Water [alt link]

Anni Rossi @ Bowery: A Burgeoning Force

It was roughly a month ago when I first discovered Chicago's Anni Rossi. Upon listening to a handful of her violin centric tunes, I was quick to compare Anni to Joanna Newsom. However, when she graced the Bowery stage last night, I could easily tell that she's been heavily influenced by the likes of Final Fantasy, Regina Spektor & Nellie McKay. Anni's sound is both all encompassing and entirely her own. The brief show was met with the loudest applause when she turned out highly entertaining covers of Ace Of Bace ('Eyes Of A Stranger') & The Cure ('In Between Days'). Learn more about Anni at her MySpace page.

MP3: Anni Rossi - Ecology

The Tings Tings @ Bowery: Girl Boy String Drum

Thanks to a #1 UK album, an MTV smash and of course, a ubiquitous iTunes commercial, The Ting Tings have become a household name within a few short months. Last night marked their Bowery debut. The 9 song, 40 minute set focused exclusively on their debut LP (We Started Nothing) and was akin to a poptastic roller coaster ride. The British duo has not reinvented the wheel by any means with their catchy three minute tunes but something about each track is instantly addicting and full of arrant flair. Read my recent interview with The Ting Tings here. Visit them on MySpace. Photos, setlist & MP3 of 'Great DJ' below.







(Setlist) We Walk. Great DJ. Fruit Machine. Keep Your Head. Traffic Light. Shut Up & Let Me Go. Be The One. That's Not My Name. (Encore) We Started Nothing.

MP3: The Ting Tings - Great DJ

Pela Covers The Pixies In NYC

Another fab moment from last week's gig. Catch Pela on 6/21 @ ATJ Fest '08.


MP3: Pela - Good Foot On A Bad Doorstep

Pela Unleashes New Tune In NYC

Enjoy 'Juarez' below. Read my review of the Bowery gig here. MP3 at bottom.


MP3: Pela - Lonesome Hearts (Cassettes Won't Listen Remix)

Pela @ Bowery: Cavalries In The Desert

Over the course of the last twenty four months, I've seen so many Pela gigs that I've honestly lost count of the grand total. Whereas all of those shows focused on their out of print EP, Exit Columbia Street, and their debut full length, Anytown Graffiti, last night's emphasis was placed upon a handful of their new selections. Pela's latest tunes introduce keys & saxophone into the melting pot. Additionally, frontman Billy McCarthy even tackles one song entirely a capella (the result was nothing short of dandy). The band's sophomore record is due out sometime before Christmas 2008. Enjoy two photographs of BM below.

Visit Pela at their MySpace page. Download an Anytown Graffiti track at bottom of post.

MP3: Pela - Lost To The Lonesome

The Big Sleep @ Bowery: Eyes Of Tigers

As an ardent follower of A Place To Bury Strangers & The Secret Machines, it should come as no surprise that I'm a massive fan of New York City's brilliant post rock trio, The Big Sleep. While the band incorporates keys, bass & guitar into their live show, it's painfully obvious that the strongest force within the trinity is The Big Sleep's outstanding drummer, Gabe Rhodes. With an unparalleled intensity and agility, his striking skills are indisputably entrancing. View a couple of photographs from last night's monumental gig below.

Learn more about The Big Sleep at their MySpace page. Enjoy a TBS MP3 at bottom.

MP3: The Big Sleep - Pinkies

The Presets @ Bowery: Chew My Mind Up

Following an intense opening set for The Rapture (circa '06) & a ferocious headlining slot at Studio B (circa '07), I expected nothing short of magnificence at last night's Bowery gig. Thankfully, that is exactly what I received. On the pen ultimate evening of their 2008 North American trek, the Aussie duo transformed the L.E.S. stronghold into one giant electro carousel. Fists were raised highest for Beams favorites in the form of 'Are You The One?' & 'Down Down Down' in addition to Apocalypso's first two singles: 'My People' & 'This Boy's In Love'. However, my most cherished moment would have to be their sultry take on 'Steamworks'. It was immediate, perverse & absolutely riveting. View a handful of photos, the complete setlist (courtesy of Miss Punk Photo) & an MP3 of 'My People' below.







(Setlist) Talk Like That. Down Down Down. Girl. Untitled New Track. A New Sky. Yippyo Ay. Are You The One. Together. Aeons. Girl & The Sea. Steamworks. This Boy's In Love. Kicking & Screaming. My People. (Encore) Anywhere. I Go Hard I Go Home.

MP3: The Presets - My People [alt link]

Clinic @ Bowery Ballroom: Earth Angels

Donning Hawaiian button down shirts, matching gray khakis and their signature accessory (surgical masks), Clinic stunned NYC with a no fuss rip roaring 21 song mega set. The first half of the evening focused solely on their brand new release (Do It) and it was flawless. In particular, 'The Witch' & 'High Coin' radiated elegantly throughout the 600 capacity venue. For the latter portion of the gig, Clinic highlighted a selection of psych/punk favorites from their earlier efforts, stretching as far back as 1998's 'Kimberley' & 'Monkey On Your Back'.

Loudest cheers of the night would easily be awarded to Clinic's most well known track - 'Walking With Thee' as well as the 1-2 closing punch of Internal Wrangler's 'The Return Of Evil Bill' & '2/4'. For an act with eleven years under their collective belts, the Liverpool based noncomformists sounded as hypnotic and masterful as ever. In fact, I'd declare that the quartet currently rests upon their aural pinnacle. Visit Clinic on MySpace. View four more photos, analyze the complete setlist & download a Visitations era MP3 below.





(Set 1) Memories. Tomorrow. The Witch. Free Not Free. Shopping Bag. Corpus Christi. Emotions. High Coin. Mary & Eddie. Winged Whell. Coda. (Set 2) Animal/Human. Monkey On Your Back. Children Of Kellogg. The Second Line. Kimberley. Pet Eunuch. Walking With Thee. Family. (Encore) The Return Of Evil Bill. 2/4.

MP3: Clinic - Children Of Kellogg [alt link]

Team Robespierre @ Bowery: Solid Gold

I'm no stranger to Team Robespierre's shenanigans. In February, I witnessed their incomparable shtick while opening for Foals. Down in Austin, I stumbled into one of their late night sets and declared it a favorite of SXSW Day 1. The Brooklynites meld keyboard randomness, gratuitous shouting and crowd blitzing into an art form. Learn more about Team Robespierre at their MySpace page. Download '88th Precinct' at bottom of post.

MP3: Team Robespierre - 88th Precinct

The Teenagers @ Bowery: Take Your Pen, Write It Down

The last time I caught The Teenagers and their brilliant salacious tomfoolery was on a chilly January evening at NYC's Mercury Lounge. Since that gig - their 2nd ever in the US - the French trio has expanded their sound (via use of additional on-stage musicians), perfected their odd-yet-delightful dance moves and gained a new legion of fans singing along to every naughty lyric. Opening the 45-minute set with 'Feeling Better' and concluding on 'Sunset Beach', The Teenagers warmed their place in my heart once again. Visit The Teenagers on MySpace. A handful of photos & an MP3 of Reality Check's 'III' follow.





Setlist: Feeling Better. Fuck Nicole. Love No. III. Starlett Johansson. Trouble. French Kiss. Make It Happen. Homecoming. Streets Of Paris... Sunset Beach.

MP3: The Teenagers - III [alt link]

Calvin Harris @ Bowery: Stepping Out In Black & White

Let me take the time to profess my undying love for the Scottish it-boy before I continue with this review. I simply adored his eight song mini-set last September at Mercury Lounge, I was highly amused by his witty/charming responses to my '8 Questions With' session & I maintained my respect for Calvin when he allowed Germany's Next Top Model to feature one of his tunes ('Acceptable In The 80s') in their promotional campaigns. With that in mind, I can honestly admit that last night's gig felt somewhat disappointing.

For the first half of the 60-minute show, Calvin seemed apathetic to the overwhelming response he received from the sold out crowd. There was an obvious disconnect between the fanatical attendees and Calvin's overall demeanor. I'm not sure if he's grown tired of performing his debut LP (I Created Disco) or if something was lurking underneath the surface but regardless of the reason, sparks didn't fly until Calvin started toying around with his brilliant new tracks ('Jerusalem' & 'Back Door'). From that point onwards, the gig was gold. The closing trio of 'Vegas', 'I Created Disco' & 'The Girls' was nothing short of magical. Enjoy more photos, the full setlist & an MP3 below. Visit Calvin on MySpace.



Setlist: Conjoined Skin. Certified. Disco Heat. This Is The Industry. 80s. Merrymaking. Neon Rocks. Back Door. Jerusalem. Colours. Vegas. I Created Disco. The Girls.

MP3: Calvin Harris - I Created Disco [alt link]