Pukkelpop: part 3

As WorthyNonse already pointed out; Patrick Wolf kinda ruled Pukkelpop. So I won't go into that again (he's still right though). But allow me to mention some of my other favorites.

First of there was Spoon. The week before I went Britt Daniel and his band had filled my internal jukebox with their new songs and they kept on playing without pause. Without. Pause. The songs from Ga ga ga ga ga (I’m still not sure if it’s a really good or a really bad album name) are such finely crafted pop songs that you start to wonder why they're not played on every radio. But then 'The ghost of you lingers' starts with it's hauntingly repetitive raw piano and screeching effects and you know. They kicked ass on PP although favorites as the forementioned song and 'Japanese cigarette case' were notably absent from the set.

Even funkier were Fujiya & Miyagi (I'll say it one more time: not Japanese, not a duo) who elevated the (to be honest, sometimes a bit boring) album tracks with more...well, swing in their live versions. However, they could’ve done something about their appearance and their show, which were like, totally absent. They looked like three business information architects (add other nonsensical business card buzzwords as you see fit) but rocked like three...uhm...well, they just rocked.

Something completely different was Low. I've seen them a while ago and was moved by their honesty and integrity. Like Fujiya & Miyagi, Mimi and Alan might not be very sexy and there were no dancers or cornea-scorching laser shows but their music was more than enough. Unearthly harmonies and the heaviest drums you've ever heard. If I had to choose the best song as played on PP I'd choose....okay, so I can't choose. It'd be a tie between Patrick Wolf's 'Accidents & Emergencies' and Low's 'Take Your Time'. I’m not afraid to say some tears were cried.

Other favorites were Architecture in Helsinki who were a lot better than the last time I saw them and ruheeeellly know how to build a party (or to overdose on caffeine).
The new version of 'Do the whirlwind' and the new ‘Do the whirlwind’ 'Heart it Races' were the highlights of the party.

Kings of Leon were the band that sounded best on the main stage. Caleb’s voice screeched with a husky passion and they showed us why their music could be called arena-rock (although that does bring up associations with bands like U2 or Coldplay, but that’s not what I mean here).

Spoon didn’t play this one: Spoon – My Little Japanese Cigarette Case (mp3)

Really nice video: Fujiya & Miyagi – Ankle Injuries (video)

Now you can cry too: Low – Take Your Time (mp3)

One of many fantastic remixes: Architecture in Helsinki – Do the Whirlwind (Haima Remix)

The singer’s raw screeching chills me to the bone: Kings of Leon’s – Charmer (myspace)

And as a bonus a remix: Kings of Leon - My Party (Kenna and Chad Hugo Remix)

Pukkelpop: part 2

Now, almost a week after our First Time at Pukkelpop, I found out where the festival got it’s name. Zits (pukkels) is what you get after trying whatever kind of festival food you can get during those three days, whenever you’re not going for the eight euros fruit shake. Waffles, hamburgers, spring rolls, it just didn’t matter. But, let me tell you, you’re lucky if zits are the only physical outcome of what I just summed up…

(bridge)

Who also found something out are The Pigeon Detectives. While Matt Bowman was performing his little microphone circus act on stage, apparently his girlfriend back home in England was seeing someone else. The rest is history. Matt became an enthusiastic nationalist, confusing everything white and red with the English flag. But let’s give the guy a break. Referring to it as simple chauvinism kind of makes him and his fellow detectives look a little nicer and the music is not all that bad. Pacing up and down the stage slinging your microphone is probably just a sign of boredom after an exhausting tour… especially when your girlfriend back home etc etc etc…

Bonde do Rolê on the contrary are the kind of people who leave their boyfriends/girlfriends at home waiting, while themselves whoring and groupieing their way through a festival season. And if need be, all that can just take place on stage. If that isn’t economic, what else is? What’s not very economic is the fact they’re making use of a wide range of samples, such as the guitar riff of The Darkness’ I Believe In A Thing Called Love and the intro of Summer Nights from Grease. On the other side, that makes their show attractive to people who aren’t familiar with them yet. Their performance was marvellous and band member Pedro D’Eyrot and me share at least one thing: our favourite Bonde do Rolê track is Divine Gosa (mp3)!

From Divine tot Patrick Wolf is just a small step (I promise this was my last forcedly constructed textual bridge). The album versions of his little jewels are true pieces of art, and what happens to them when played live is probably the exact contrary of what happens to a Pop Levi track when performed on stage. If I were a song… I would want to be The Libertine by Patrick Wolf. I would have the finest violin lines and people would stare at me with their mouths open. They would all say: “how does this Gepetrick Wolf turn his creatures even more vivid on stage, whilst they already shake the needle of my record player temptuously from side to side when I play his record at home? I guess we’ll never know…

Pukkelpop: part 1

Last week a team of enthousiastic ulkedoofs/ulkedoofers/ulkedoven (pick one) consisting of WorthyNonsense, Ruben and myself visited the Belgian festival Pukkelpop. We wore the custom made ulkedoof t-shirts and captured that on camera, however someone (I'm not saying it was the fat English drunk next to us) captured said camera. So no shirts or spectacular photo's of shows but just plain text, I'm kidding of course (some text will be italic or even bold). I know what you're thinking "does this mean we won't get that obligatory Stars post?".
Yes, that's what it means! So go listen to the new Stars record already, it will be reviewed later (wait; it's brilliant. done.).

On to Pukkelpop! The highlights! the lowlights! the stagelights! Which were the best shows? Which shows dissappointed and which surprised? Since we are a whiny people we'll start with the dissappointments (we know you love those).

As much as I looked forward to the show and as good as they were the Arcade Fire performance was kinda ruined by the terrible sound. They could have (for instance) turned on the mic. Despite the abominable quality of the sound their brilliance shone through and was at a height with 'No Cars Go' (which might just be their best song).

Then there was Pop Levi who seemed to be born to be on stage. Imagine a whiter, rockier and slightly taller Prince and you're halfway there. The way he handled his guitar, as an extension of his body (or of one specific part at least) was great but he kept getting lost in his own solo's and the endless intro's and outro's.
The album sounds quite raw and spontaneous but live he took it too far resulting in the structural abuse of his own songs. A shame really because he can certainly entertain a crowd.

Another let-down was Lo-Fi-Funk who apparently relied solely on their youth and looks. There was no show to speak of and the songs were a mess. They were young and cute though.






The last real let-down was Justice who were billed as 'Justice (live)', well...I guess the glowing cross was live. Maybe the two silhouettes in the back of the stage boxed in by the giant towers of amplifiers were turning some buttons and flicking some switches, but we might never know for sure. The music sounded sublime though.



Arcade Fire - No Cars Go (mp3)

Pop Levi - Pick Me Up Uppercut (Myspace)

Lo-Fi-Fnk - Wake Up (video)

Justice - The Party (mp3)

Cucumber-time

Summer of 2007. As we speak I’m about to leave home to go working. I’m afraid of depths, as I do not dare to look up. The sky is lacking any kind of natural sense whatsoever, I mean, this year’s official summer anthem is called Umbrella(-a-a-é-é-é) for God’s sake!

With fellow critics Choquolage and Stefansa I have been travelling Spain a couple of weeks ago. Musicwise I can’t say it has been much of an inspiration. Cucumber-time, as we call silly season in Dutch, has finally arrived, but better times will come shortly. Pukkelpop is on it’s way and will be honoured with a special Ulkedoof visit. A delegation consisting of four of our finest music reviewers will make or break swallow or puke any live performance and accordingly determine your taste in music for at least the next half a year.

I’m guessing the first Pukkelpop reviews will be posted approximately two weeks from now. For the meantime, some personal anthems that made my summer bearable:

Chromeo – Fancy Footwork (Guns ‘n’ Bombs Remix)

Battles – Ddiamondd

The Cribs – Men’s Needs (CSS Remix)

Bonde do Rolê – Divine Gosa

Biffy Clyro – Folding Stars

and, finally…

Malle Pietje and the Bimbos - Tienerhoer (Seymour Bits Remix)

Sounds like Ian

A few weeks ago, two bands which are constantly compared to Joy Division released their new album. I’m not gonna compare them to the band fronted by Ian Curtis, although I’m tempted to do so, if only to piss fans off saying you can’t compare those bands.

Starting with Interpol, I must compliment them for only ‘leaking’ three songs before the release of Our Love To Admire. In their pre-OLTA-release shows, where you’d might expect much new songs, they only played Heinrich Maneuver, Mammoth and Pioneer To The Falls. Were they ashamed of the other songs? Did they need money to finance their real tour? I don’t know. But I do know that I’m not wildly enthusiastic about Our Love To Admire. The single Heinrich Maneuver (not to be mistaken for Heimlich Manoeuvre of some Swedish band which was, in the weeks before the OLTA release, accidentally on purpose mistagged for Interpol) is just a very mediocre, static pop song with even worse lyrics. ‘How are things on the West Coast’? You gotta be kiddin’ me! It even gets more worse when you see their video.

More songs on the album are like this. They lack the dark epic but hooky sound with the strong bass riff of bassist Carlos D. which especially made Turn On The Bright Lights and to a less extent Antics great albums. Some people see this as a positive thing, because they supposedly stopped trying to be like Joy Division. But when TOTBL is made by an Interpol trying to be like Joy Division, they can count on my support! And what’s so bad about a band that can be compared to Joy Division if they produce some quality stuff?

Between the mediocre (‘but at least it doesn’t sound like JD’) songs, there are still some fine songs left. Opening track Pioneer To The Falls is immediately the best song on the album. And Pace Is The Trick (which, by the way, begins more or less the same as Pioneer and Wrecking Ball) is my favorite because of its graceful ending. Then there are songs like Mammoth and Rest My Chemistry which are also nice, but just not nice enough to turn on Our Love To Admire instead of Turn On The Bright Lights, arguably one of the best albums of the 00’s.


The review of the new Editors album will be posted soon...



The Japanese got lucky again: Mind Over Time (bonus track)