Thanks to the chaos and hectic lifestyle inherent in today's world, we are often looking to learn new and effective ways to relax. A new car, bigger house, or expensive plasma TV might all be good choices, but are usually impractical ones. So what would be a cost-effective alternative that might end up being even more effective in the long run? Flowers are the answer. When you are seeking ways to relax, look no further than a florist. Scientific studies have proven that flowers help to lower stress levels and increase our overall feeling of well-being. In addition, they are known to cleanse the air of pollutants and chemicals, meaning that they are one of the best and healthiest ways to relax. Simply decorate your home and garden with beautiful floral arrangements and you'll find yourself relaxing in no time at all. A decorated home will also allow friends and family coming by for a visit to find their own ways to relax. They will appreciate the bright atmosphere and clean air and enjoy the great time they have there. If you're trying to make up your mind about ways to relax while at work, you may wish to think about bringing in flowers to the office. You can place a few plants around your desk, hang them from the ceiling, or decorate doorways and corner spaces with stand-up varieties like the snake plant. The beauty of flowers will also make what was once boring and bland seem more exciting and pleasant, providing you with more ways to relax in a place where we often find it very difficult to. If you're curious about finding more ways to relax using flowers, go online or contact a florist. Their site will allow you to browse their selection, and their staff will be more than happy to use their experience to help you pick the best flowers for your home or office. In addition, a florist can improvise new ideas based on descriptions you provide of settings in both places. So remember, whenever you're thinking about ways to relax without spending thousands of dollars on new electronics, consider flowers as an option. Not only are flowers natural and healthy, they also lend a beauty and elegance to any room in your home or office. You'll appreciate their soothing presence and the cleaner air that they provide, meaning that you'll perhaps not need to find more ways to relax - you'll have everything you need already! If you're interested in these suggestions about new ways to relax and brighten up your life, contact a florist today - they'll be eager to assist you!
| W♥M059 [download (51 min, 47 mb)] |
BRITPOPCAST #6: THE GIRLS OF BRITPOP (wave 2)
The show was actually longer, but I'm including more Jarvis-stalking festivities until next week. This week is all about the second wave of girls of Britpop (the first wave consists of Powder, Sleeper, Salad, Echobelly, Elastica). Since we've talked so much about them already, I thought talking about the second wave was a little more interesting.
Second wave:
- Kenickie (Lauren Laverne - all girls band)
- Kenickie, believe it or not, was the only all-girls Britpop
band. There was another band called Fluffy around this era, but they
were more hard-rock than brit-pop. While Fluffy's ultimate was branded
with "eight tits no talent", Kenickie was more loved in general. While
their music is often more polished punk/pop early on, they shifted
their sound to more lounge for their second album. Obviously the band
was still in their infancy ... but eventually broke up shortly after
the second album.
- Lush (Miki Berenyi & Emma Anderson)
- In early Lush's history, they were two best friends, Miki
Berenyi & Emma Anderson. They were fanzine producers, and started
their own band based on their love of shoegazing music with their EPs
and debut album Spooky. You can hear their love of melodies as
they sing in and out. Of course, when you have two songwriters, they
often clash if they have other interests. In this case, at the time Split came out in 1994, some of the songs were clearly "britpop"esque. Even the naming of the album (Split)
was an indication, between aggressive pop songs like "Kiss Chase" and
"Hypocrite" - the britpop songs would later continue with "Ladykiller"
and their ultimate britpop moment with Jarvis Cocker on "Ciao!" While
I did tend to like the Miki songs, Emma did coin a few great pop gems
like "Shake Baby Shake" (which is about the love of her car).
- When we heard that drummer, Chris Acland committed suicide by
hanging himself, we all knew the band would be split up after this.
And it's true, they never quite recover. I was lucky enough to catch
them before the tragedy and continued to follow to see what the band's
been up to. The last I heard, Emma is in Sing-Sing, which had a great
pop song called "Feels Like Summer".
- Catatonia (Cerys Matthews)
- Since we previously talked about Catatonia in our previous Welsh Britpop bands, I'll only briefly mention them here. The thing with Catatonia for me was that each of their song was either a hit or miss... no inbetween feeling. I either hated or love it. But the songs I really love, I really love, so that makes up for them. I love the way Cerys sings, in fact, all Welsh people have a particularly weird accent to them and it's always a nice earful when you do hear them sing or talk. It's like they're speaking English, but learned it from another planet.
- Favorite songs: "Mulder & Scully", "I Am the Mob", "Karaokee Queen", "Road Rage", "Dead from the Waist Down"
- Theaudience (Sophie Ellis-Bextor)
- This was a very brief band from 97-99, fronted by Sophie
Ellis-Bextor - who went on to have a series of very successful
Eurodisco releases. I must admit, I never followed the band that much
- they arrived a little too late for me. I didn't buy their debut
album (it was never released in the US), but managed to get their debut
single, "I Got the Wherewithal". The song is quite good, and even
their b-side "Penis Size and Cars" is amusingly catchy.
- Bis (Amanda MacKinnon)
- I love this Scottish band. Although they were far too
"kiddish" in their cute unreadable spellings and anime-influence, they
were pretty damn cute and catchy. Songs like "Kandy Pop" topped many
playlist around this time, although in retrospect, looking back, it was
a pretty mindless dum (dumb as in DUM) song. Unfortunately, many
people, including myself, didn't regard Bis as a Britpop band, but
they're often grouped in. My favorite song: "Action & Drama"!
Honorable mentions:
- Black Box Recorder (Sarah Nixey)
- Very catchy/dancey, but not Britpop. Their bassist is Luke Haines, formerly of the Britpop band The Auteurs.
- Dubstar (Sarah Blackwood)
- This British act came out during the birth of Britpop, but they
were far too alternative-dance/electronica to be considered Britpop.
The singer is Sarah Blackwood, who, I reckon the band ditched toward
their later music releases.
- Sneaker Pimps (Kelli Dayton)
- Fluffy
- Republica (Saffron)
- Fat Les (Lily Allen sings on their last single???)
12/30/2009 03:45:48 ♥ vu (
) ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥news.weheartmusic.com
You're here asking this website to give you the symptoms of stress and we're going to do exactly that. Then we're going to go one step further and show you how you can use flowers to alleviate them. Give me the symptoms of stress from commuting The first details we're going to give you involve the symptoms of commute-related stress. We're all familiar with this since many of us commute or know someone who does, which is what makes it so easy to give you these stress symptoms. There are any number of things that can give you the symptoms of stress, not the least of which is the daily routine. You get up early every morning, leave your home and drive to work, often leaving your city entirely depending on location. Putting up with the traffic and noise can give you any of the symptoms of stress, including: headaches, nausea, depression, fatigue, irritability, even a general inability to concentrate. It's always best to consult with a physician when experiencing symptoms as they very suited to give you treatment for stress. Continue reading while we give you some more symptoms of stress caused by different stimuli. Give me the symptoms of stress from the office We're all extremely familiar with stress symptoms being the result at work, and it's the most likely environment to give you them. Coming to the office day after day for years on end wears down even the best of us, which makes it no surprise that the place will give you many or all of the symptoms of stress. Irritability is a big issue with workplace stress, which can itself be caused by other symptoms such as ones that give you insomnia. Other stress symptoms work can give you are headaches, migraines, dizziness, nausea, disorientation, loss of appetite and even more serious things like stomach ulcers. Work is perhaps the most notorious culprit since it is known to give us all the symptoms of stress on a regular basis. For more details about the symptoms of stress, contact your family doctor and have them give you some detailed information. Give me the symptoms of stress from home One unfortunate reality is that even our home life can give us the symptoms of stress. Marital problems, children, house maintenance, bills and more are all likely candidates to give you stress symptoms, and are perhaps the hardest to overcome in our daily lives. Family and friends are with us all the time, which makes it a challenge if they give you stress symptoms. An ornery spouse, misbehaving kids or dilapidated home can all add up to give you a great many stress symptoms, especially if you suffer from all of them at once. Again, consulting with a doctor about stress symptoms is the best choice, since they are most qualified to give you information. This article, however will give you some extra useful advice for dealing with the symptoms of stress. Read on to find the answers that you seek. Give me a cure for the symptoms of stress We can't promise to cure stress symptoms entirely, but we can give you a very good strategy for alleviating them. The answer lies within flowers. Scientific studies have proven that flowers have beneficial health effects by cleaning the air and triggering pleasure centers in the brain thanks to their pleasant appearance and aroma. This combination can give you relief from the symptoms of stress. A decorative arrangement or beautiful bouquet of flowers would suit your office nicely, and will also serve the dual purpose of helping to increase productivity while there. This will give you an advantage come bonus time, since the company will owe you something for helping to reduce stress symptoms for everyone. Flowers at home can give you relief from the symptoms of commute-related stress by being a welcoming presence in the morning, and can help give you daily relief from stress symptoms with their constantly pleasing presence. If you would like to know more about how flowers can give you effective relief from the symptoms of stress, call a local florist today. They'll be happy to help and lend you their services!
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01/02/10 Kitty Cat Klub, Minneapolis
01/08/10 Club Jager, Minneapolis
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Dear Minnesota,
I’ve been a little busy performing Christmas miracles, lunching with the Obamas, and bestowing bad karma. But I wanted to send you a quick note to say I’m sorry. Sorry for the snow. If it makes you feel better, I was aiming for Wisconsin.
Love,
GOD.
Cold, sad Midwest, warm
your hearts this season with a music video.
Inspired by the misery of being on weather lock-down, our friends in
UltraChorus spent the holidays shooting a video for “Margins” (from the
recently released Ultra-Def). The finished product is both wistful and
mildly unsettling (the shaky camera, bright lights, creepy slow walking, and
2:24 – 2:30 reminds me of a dream I once had wherein the unassuming drifter killed me in the end). Check it out!
Also, Minneapolitans, mark your calendars: UltraChorus is playing at the Kitty Cat Klub
this Saturday, Jan. 2nd (2010!).
Visit their Myspace or website for more information.
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/lara206.vox.com)
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ultrachorus.com ♥ myspace.com/ultrachorus Nothing can be more important than the health and safety of your child, which is why the early years of their growth are so crucial in their development. During this stage you're going to want to make sure that your baby has only the best stimuli to help along his or her development. This article will suggest some unique ways you can do this through floral gifts. Why to use unique gifts to help speed the development of your baby The early stages of development for babies are the most crucial in ensuring they grow up to be strong, healthy and intelligent. There are many ways to accomplish this, many of which are used best in combination with one another. One tested and scientifically proven method is to surround your child with interesting and positive stimuli to help support their growth. This isn't exactly an old theory, since the basic mobile you hang over a crib is an example of this tactic. The mobile is just one example of something interesting and unusual to catch your baby's interest and to help develop his higher cognitive functions. As a mother or father you're probably here looking for additional and unique gifts for your baby. We have some great suggestions which are detailed below in the second half of this article. Our ideas focus around using flowers and floral arrangements to liven up your baby's nursery and bedroom. The natural beauty of flowers combined with their air-purifying qualities and pleasant aroma make them a great choice for gifts to give your baby. For some unique suggestions continue reading below, where we've outlined for you a few ideas. Flowers as unique gifts for your baby Flowers make perfect unique gifts for your baby. They have so many advantages that it's not only wise to consider them, but actually recommended by doctors and professionals as a surefire method of improving your baby's developmental environment. There are a large variety of floral displays parents might wish to consider, and outlined here are several that we recommend for you. Including the health benefits of having living air purifiers in your baby's room, a bouquet of fresh flowers will provide a pleasant blend of colour and aroma for your family to enjoy. Consider a bouquet of something light and pleasant, suitable for a baby's room. You can also design personalized arrangements that can be hung on the wall or elsewhere to help decorate and liven up the room and furniture. The baby's name surrounded by flowers, perhaps, or a heart made out of blossoms. Customized baskets are another fun way to provide your baby with unique gifts to speed along their growth. A basket could include flowers, scented candles, and a teddy bear along with a card or other special item of your choosing. If you have any questions about the best floral arrangements to choose, your local florist would be happy to provide their assistance. Where to find unique gifts and more for your baby With the high level of importance attributed to the growth and development of our children, we need a reliable place to turn when we're shopping for beautiful and stimulating things for them to enjoy. Fortunately for you, the local florist has everything you require free of hassle or a need to spend lengthy hours hunting around for just the right thing. As a mom or dad, you want to be able to devote as much time as possible toward spending with your baby, which is why florists strive to offer unique gifts that you can all enjoy without fuss. The high level of customer service you can expect from a florist is due to their years of experience and genuine desire to help brighten you (and your baby's) day with beautiful arrangements of flowers and other unique gifts. If you have any questions about what might be a good choice for your baby, feel free to call or visit a florist's shop. They'll be happy to use their expertise to help suggest the right arrangement or basket for your needs, and will also be able to point out other possible combinations you might not have considered.
brettanderson.co.uk ♥ myspace.com
Those who follows our W♥M Podcast, you'll know that between Sally, Kristen, and I, that we really, really love our Britpop music. When Suede burst on the scene, with all their hype*, I was a bit, what's the word? Resistant.
I eventually got over it when I heard Metal Mickey, a nice rock n roll glammy track with aggressive Butler guitars and Anderson's unique voice. The songwriting duo of Anderson/Butler did not last for long, and Butler's replacement, Richard Oakes, seems only a pale copy of the original. I think everyone knew that, and eventually, Bernard Butler and Brett Anderson got over their differences and re-united - but not as Suede... they were then The Tears. I think everyone was confused on how to interpret it at first (personally I think it's like tears/crying, not ripped/tear).
The Tears didn't live for very long, and by 2007, Brett Anderson releases his inevitable solo self-titled album. I never bought his solo stuff, because I don't think his music post-Suede's Head Music** were ever re-release or re-marketed to the US audience, so the few promo downloads that he's made available for free, I wasn't so impressed with. I remember thinking his debut solo album was trying to be orchestral (based on what I've heard).
Imagine my surprise when I got a chance to listen to a few tracks from his latest album, Slow Attack, officially via We7.com. It was all very operatic, almost minimalistic in its approach of piano and percussions. I did like that it brings out Anderson's voice loud and clear, but it generally made all of his music to be on the sadder end of the scale.
While I think one or two slow songs would be OK for a full length, all of the tracks I sampled were in that very similar tone. Kind of ballady and depressing. I kind of miss the old Suede stuff. The only redeeming value is that at least, his voice isn't altered/over-produced as with Suede's Head Music and Coming Up.
I suppose, Anderson's much older now, wow you can see his cheek bones sticking out of his face... such a difference of imagery, from a time when mean-spirited fans were calling him "fatty" (we all kind of knew it was the getting off the drugs that was causing the weight thing... allegedly).
Anyway, if you were looking for the glory rock days, don't bother looking into Slow Attack. If you're a hardcore fan, chances are you probably own the limited edition anyway. The album will probably not be released in the US, as were all his previous releases. Import costs are generally cheaper these days, but expect to pay about $20 for an import album (Amazon is listing $19).
Brett Anderson is touring in 2010, so if you live in the UK, you can relive your youth days. If he were touring the US, I might leave my hibernation to see him. As you know, I've met the band before at a special "after-party", I'm sure he'll have no idea who I am.
* "Best Band in Britain" before releasing their album? Really, Melody Maker, really??)
** Suede's last album, A New Morning was never released in the US.
TRUE NATURE
truenatureband.com ♥ myspace.com
As you know, I also run a website on artist George Perez, and it's rare when my music and comic website mix. How does True Nature and George Perez cross paths, you ask? The cover artwork for True Nature's EP, Feels Like Centuries, stars actress/model Tonya Kay (with some artwork and directions from Glen Wexler).
Perez, through his associations with Fetish Con, have actually drawn Tonya Kay as a print, for Fetish Con's "Who's the Best Bondage Super Heroine?" contest. The original artwork was auctioned off for charity.
So, there's the connection. As for True Nature's EP, Feels Like Centuries, based on the cover artwork, it looks like they're also marketing themselves as somewhat of a spiritual rock band. I reckon if you like classic American progressive-type rock, you might enjoy this EP. Despite having only five tracks, the EP is "centuries" long (so long that it felt like a chore to get through). It's not that I dislike singer/songwriter, Lou Barlow's vocals, it's just really not the type of music I enjoy.
Their best track is the opening song, "Truth I Have To Steel (Simple Heart)", which started off strong and remain steadily so throughout the song. You can sample the entire track on their official website.
You can pick up Feels Like Centuries at CD Baby or Amazon. Although, not really my thing, I'm glad that there was at least a common connection for me.
12/26/2009 19:48:38 ♥ vu (
) ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥news.weheartmusic.com
You might have been suffering from warts for some time and only finally got your courage up to go and talk with your doctor about it. But now you want to know how to get rid of warts. This is a question which has plagued many people the world over, and the answers you get back are in some cases astonishing. To begin with, on the topic of how to get rid of warts, you have a few main choices to make. These go along the lines of whether you want medical treatment in the form of prescription medications and surgical treatments, or whether you want natural remedies to help you get rid of your warts.You have the option of trying out treatment methods such as Acupuncture, Acupressure, Herbalism and Ayurveda amongst other things. These are normally classed as Naturopathic treatments as they deal primarily with natural - as opposed to chemical or surgical - treatment methods. If this doesn't appeal to you, you always have the other two options open to you, that of medications and surgery. If you're wondering how to get rid of warts through medical procedures, don't worry there are many treatment options available to you. These range from prescription medications such as Imiquimod cream, Podofilox gel, Interferon, and Trichloracetic acid to Polyphenon and Fluorouracil. There is also the option to go the surgical route in your campaign of how to get rid of warts. These options include, but are not limited, to surgical excision, electrocautery, cryotherapy, laser therapy, and Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure (LEEP). All of these methods have been known to work in getting rid of the physical signs of warts. If on the other hand you want to go through with natural treatments and remedies, you will find that there is no shortage in that field either. You will be able to find out how to get rid of warts using these methods from a qualified herbalist or a naturopath. Some of the better known methods of how to get rid of warts includes the use of garlic. This Nature's wonder drug can normally be found in your kitchen and if you can just stand the pungent smell you can get rid of warts by peeling and halving a garlic clove and then rubbing it on the affected area. You will need to do this at least twice a day until the warts are gone. If you're wondering how to get rid of warts without the use of something as pungent as garlic, you also have the option of using herbal tinctures, or suppositories. The tinctures can be bought form a naturalist store, or you can even make it yourself. As for the suppositories these are best made fresh at the time of needs. To find out about suppositories you can either ask your herbalist, or naturopath, or you can get this information on how to get rid of warts from other sources such as herbal remedy books.
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elizabethandthecatapult.com ♥ myspace.com
The last time we mentioned Elizabeth and the Catapult, the song "Race You", went straight to the top ten on The Hype Machine. And it's easy to see why, the song is such a fun and cute pop song.
This Christmas song, "Christmas with the Jews", is also fun and cute (and not to mention quite short). But what you're thinking when you're listening to this song, is "er, aren't you forgetting Hanukkah?"
Maybe you can ask them if you see them live:
- 01/28/10 The Barn Clinton, New York
02/05/10 World Cafe Live Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
02/06/10 8x10 Baltimore, Maryland
myspace.com ♥ twitter.com
When I first heard of The Joy Formidable last year, I was impressed. I said I saw "lot of potential" in this band. Based on the free Christmas song, "My Beerdrunk Soul is Sadder than a Hundred Dead Christmas Trees" (available at musicglue.com), I'm still loving the vocals by Ritzy.
Maybe there was a problem with my download, but the MP3 track is 4:56, where the last 30 seconds of the song is complete and utterly garbage... it sounds like it was encoded in error and not part of the song. I've edited out the crap part for you.
The tour information they sent me is as follows:
- January 2010.
Fri 8 USA New York Terminal 5 w/Passion Pit.
Sat 9 USA New York Terminal 5 w/Passion Pit.
Mon 11 USA New York Union Hall.
Tue 12 USA New York Pianos.
February 2010.
Sun 21 Norway Oslo John Dee w/The Temper Trap.
Mon 22 Denmark Copenhagen Vega w/The Temper Trap.
Tue 23 Denmark Copenhagen Vega w/The Temper Trap.
Wed 24 Sweden Stockholm Debaser Slussen w/The Temper Trap.
Fri 26 Germany Hamburg Molotow w/The Temper Trap.
Sat 27 Germany Berlin Postbahnhof w/The Temper Trap.
Sun 28 Germany Cologne Gloria w/The Temper Trap.
March 2010.
Tue 2 Germany Munich Atomic Café w/The Temper Trap.
Wed 3 Germany Frankfurt Nachtelben w/ The Temper Trap.
themanchesterorchestra.com ♥ myspace.com
We're on Day 10 of the 12 Days of Christmas, so hurry on over if you're a fan of the Manchester Orchestra. Each of these songs are acoustic live versions of their song. My only complaint is that you have to listen to these songs on the computer - so if you've got 30 minutes to spare, sit and listen away.
My favorite track is "One Hundred Dollar", you can simply hear the anger as singer Andy Hull asks to borrow $100. While the song is short and doesn't offer much explanation, you, as the audience makes up your own background to the song. Anyway, the song is from their latest album, Mean Everything to Nothing, they'll probably be playing loads of their new songs on tour:
- 01/29/10
Salt Palace Convention Center^ Salt Lake City, Utah
01/30/10 The Fillmore^ Denver, Colorado
01/31/10 The Black Sheep* Colorado Springs, Colorado
02/02/10 The Marquee* Tulsa, Oklahoma
02/03/10 Juanita’s Cantina Ballroom* Little Rock, Arkansas
02/04/10 New Daisy Theatre* Memphis, Tennessee
^ with Brand New
* with Harrison Hudson
siamusic.net ♥ myspace.com
Finally, we have Sia. This actually has nothing to do with Christmas, unless you count getting a new music video as a holiday gift. But just talking about the video for "You've Changed" isn't enough to warrant its own article, so I thought I might as well stuck her here.
Sia has always seem to me to be this child trapped in a grown-up's body. The latest video is wonderful, it features this weird stop-motion, "dress up" video-gamey feel to it. I don't know who's idea it was, I'll bet it's a combination of Sia's child-mind and director Dennis Liu of @radical.media, but it came together pretty great.
Be sure to watch the high-resolution video of it (you'll need it to read the song lyrics scrolling at the bottom).
12/23/2009 04:58:16 ♥ vu (
) ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥news.weheartmusic.com
When a person contracts the HPV infection, at times it can be difficult to diagnose it as such. This is due to the fact that some people might not display the physical signs of HPV warts, or they might not display the signs in a clearly visible area.It can also happen that some signs of HPV warts are mild and not visible to the naked eye. For all of these cases there are various testing methods which can help physicians to diagnose whether or not a person has genital HPV warts. The most common method of testing for genital HPV warts is through a visual examination. The physician will be able to determine through a visual exam whether a person might have genital HPV or not. If however, the person is not displaying the physical signs in the form of HPV warts, but displays some of the other more commonly associated signs of genital HPV, the physician will proceed to the next step.Depending on a variety of factors this can be a cervical smear, or a colposcopic exam. In some cases the physician will first daub some acetic acid over the suspected area. This in turn will turn white any HPV warts which may be present in the skin but which are not readily discernible to the eye. This state of being almost invisible can arise as result of the HPV warts being small, or even flat in size and appearance. For the most part though, HPV warts will be largish in size and sometimes have a cauliflower like appearance. Some HPV warts will be flesh colored lesions, while others might take on the appearance of an angry red rash at first. HPV warts come in all shapes and sizes, just as HPV warts testing methods comes in a variety of forms. These go from scientific medical treatment methods to natural, folk or home remedies. HPV warts are highly contagious though, so if a person displays signs of warts they should have a medical examination as soon as possible. Sexual intercourse should also be avoided with a partner who has genital HPV warts, and this includes vaginal sex, anal sex, and oral sex. HPV warts spread through skin to skin contact and so can spread to a partner if sexual intercourse is not avoided until the infected person is cured of HPV warts. It's also a good idea not to use or share the towel or other personal items such as clothing of a person who has genital HPV warts. This state of affairs should continue until the HPV warts have been cured or removed. Any toweling, clothing and linen which came into contact with the infected areas should be laundered separately for maximum effect.
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Tour Dates
01/23/10 Ampere München
Discography
01/24/10 Studio 672 Köln 01/26/10 Magnet Berlin 01/28/10 Rocking Chair Vevey 01/29/10 Ziegel Oh Lac Zurich 02/01/10 Prinzenbar Hamburg 02/09/10 Thekla Bristol 02/10/10 Hare & Hounds Birmingham 02/11/10 Brudenell Centre Leeds 02/12/10 ULU London 02/13/10 Audio Brighton
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The straitjacket incident was obviously the most epic moment of the night, but the theatrics didn’t end there. There was interpretive dancing, rogue boomerangs, and a pretty intimidating box accordion. Throw in a picturesque stage setting and a watering can attached to the drum kit, and it wasn’t an average Webster Hall show. The band managed to take a spacious, relatively normal venue and shift the atmosphere to match that of the album: warm, enthusiastic, and frenzied.
Frontman, Simon Balthazar, led the charge in a bowtie and further proved my belief that Swedes are musical messiahs when it comes to penning a good pop song. Though he was the lead singer, the audience seemed to focus on the band as a whole as they constantly exchanged instruments and shared singing duties. The arsenal of instruments that night included a banjo, mandolin, violin, clarinet, and a brightly colored melodica – the required instrument for every chamber pop band out there. True, they occasionally succumbed to a few clichés (see: the rampart Arcade Fire comparisons), but their sincerity shone through. When you take away the fanfare, there’s still a pulse to their music that drives it past most conventions. Hence the epic-ness.
With only one album, they had a limited supply of songs to play. My personal favorite, “I’m a Pilot,” drew from the band’s most appealing quality: their infectious camaraderie. This was most apparent during the encore, when they had run out of songs to sing, so they resorted to the obligatory cover, Low’s “Just Like Christmas,” featuring opening band, Freelance Whales. Anything holiday-related is instantly a cheese-fest, but throw in a cavalcade of instruments and a dozen earnest musicians and it becomes easy to suspend any cynicism.
(I really wanted to end this review by writing, “...and by the end of the night, you could say that the entire audience had shed an emotional straitjacket – and put on a fringed vest of love.” But I won’t. Swearsies.)
Photos by Dave:
12/22/2009 00:12:42 ♥ kateg (
)
♥ fanfarlo.com
♥ myspace.com/fanfarlo
















