No Age - Boy Void

The building given the spotlight in this video is L.A.'s D.I.Y. venue The Smell, its sign edited by an artist friend of the band's (Amanda Vietta). No Age - guitarist Randy Randall and drummer/vocalist Dean Spunt - are vegan, former members of the band Wives and totally punk rock. They've got that makeshift Minutemen-influenced attitude, except it's more drenched in sunshine. When I saw them open for Liars, the show was punctuated by their jokes, energy and, eventually, the passing of Randy's guitar into the crowd. This video showcases that carefree yet socially involved vibe: No Age taking over The Smell, drunken nights captured in photographs, and all the kids having a blast.

lackluster lazerbusted

It's been a rough week... therefore today I Shamelessly proffer a minimum of blog work by riding the glittery coattails of the lovely Monica's great and uplifting, summer flower festooned post (below) and fire back with my own favorite La Blogotheque episode. also, I shall include this picture what was done by Ghostco. It's pretty nice.

It's a fresh spring, so let's sing.

The Yeasayer Take Away show.

La Blogotheque's Take Away Shows - where the bands sing a capella, impromptu, in the most random of places (subways, streets, apartments) - are beautiful. The bands are revealed pared down, bare; the vibe becomes both communal and DIY. Yeasayer themselves exemplify that concept; I have no trouble taking their psychadeli-primitive-electronic grooves seriously. Their lyrics are earnest, their sounds heartfelt and their live shows: a spiritual release for some, a dance-punk-style party for others.

They seem meant for a Take Away Show - even the "Yeah yeah, we can all grab at the chance and be handsome farmers!" verse of "2080" calls to mind drink-raising coupled with cathartic yells of truths manifested in song. Considering the linked article above was written by someone who didn't like the band at all, you should be convinced they were incredible: "However, two hours after, we left an apartment at Jourdain, exalted, light-headed, convinced that we lived one of the craziest, most free sessions of all the Take away shows... with a band I didn’t like."

Even if you didn't like Yeasayer before, please watch them laugh mid-song as they slide down staircases, tap out beats on the floor and ceiling, and sing with their whole being[s]. I posted the second half of the show, 2080 and Tightrope, because of its resonance and the feeling it gives you while watching it. You want to be there drinking and singing along.

Beaches, waltzes, finals

Summer draws closer and, in the nick of time, Beach House's new album, Devotion, presents itself as even more beautiful than its predecessor. Home Again sounds like a waltz on a breezy, seashell-encrusted seashore (preferably on the west coast, because the beaches have cliffs and bluffs over there). Victoria Legrand's voice echoes like an aquatic ghost trailing liquidy satin through the whole song.
"Home Again" on Savefile

But we should not forget it's still spring. Here in New York City, the blossoms are looking more spectacular than ever and it seems like the collective bad mood of Manhattan-and-Brooklyn-ites has melted with the snow. Jonathan Richman wrote about this phenomenon: in New York, spring truly puts itself on its most beautiful and romantic display.
"Springtime in New York" on Savefile

And now, it's back to work for me:

whats that? Oh it's a giant plastic bag monkey.

Witnessed by lucky lucky folks in New York.

dynamic subway current/plastic bag street sculptures by Joshua Allen Harris

found this stuff on Wooster Collective along with many other lovely things.

Oliver Triumphant

This is my dog, Oliver. He lives in the hills and forests of Georgia, with my Mom and Sister, and is the cause of much glee and frustration. While the ladies are out, he ravages furniture and unsettles the cats. He is often discovered glad eyed and beaming, incongruently sat amid a wasteland of twisted soggy destruction. I miss him pretty bad.

Brownie Mcghee - me and my dog blues (savefile)

tense and nervous? yes.