So as a result of talking about Beach House being on tour with Grizzly Bear, I realized that I hadn’t given Beach House their dues. Came across this positively lovely song, “Used To Be” which is so beautifully sung, as well as another (In addition to previously posted “Gila”) fantastic track off of Devotion. I initially described Beach House as being like a beautiful dream, and I stand by that, you’ll see.
Beach House – Used to Be
Beach House – Astronaut
In memoriam of those fallen tickets, you get to listen to my favorite Phoenix remixes. Bonus Chief adventure.
Phoenix – If I Ever Feel Better (Chief Remix)
Phoenix – Lisztomania (Chico Love Remix)
Phoenix – Rome (Neighbours + Devendra Banhart Remix)
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I have beeen MIA and so flaky lately, but I just got an iPhone and have been partying a little too hard, so I kind of got sucked in to that. Anyhow! On this Sunday the weather is turning out to be much nicer than it initially seemed, and I want to share this lovely song with you. I never really listened to much Télépopmusik, except for the epic track “Breathe”, which still remains one of my all time favorites, probably largely due to the fear that anything else might disappoint. Well this song is positively lovely, and though I initially intended to post it on a Tuesday, it definitely has that Sunday kind of sound. I adore short songs, as they are simple and sweet, and don’t leave time to mess everything up. Smooth and liquid, this song will ease all of your pains.
Télépopmusik – Tuesday feat. Mau
Télépopmusik – Breathe
In my pursuit to go to more concerts in DC, I found out that Ra Ra Riot is playing here next week (thank you City Paper), and in my quest to garner that ticket, I discovered on Monday that The Walkmen were going to be in town the very next night! I hadn’t been to the 9:30 club since high school, and why on earth had I stayed away so long? Fantastic sound in a beautiful space. Granted, paying $7 to drink beer out of a red solo cup is not exactly the dream, but paying $15 to see two phenomenal bands surely must be. Here We Go Magic opened for The Walkmen last night to a packed house.
Here We Go Magic, a dash of pop-y wonderfulness, let their songs build and build and build until the point of bursting. Sometimes I wonder how it’s possible to sense so much sound. I hadn’t heard that much of their stuff, only the tracks that Epsilon recommended, and those two, “Fangela” and “Only Pieces”, were definitely my favorites out of the set. Taking it past the neat recordings, they drifted and swelled until I almost forgot that I had been listening to the same song for what seemed like ten minutes (in the best way!). They sweetly paved the way, but The Walkmen truly ruled the show.
“It’s good to be home”, the lead singer of The Walkmen declared, and there’s nothing like seeing a band on their home turf (all of them save one went to high school in DC!). I’d forgotten how much I love The Walkmen, and they put on a damn good show. It also didn’t hurt that they were playing the most beautiful guitars. They had a horn section (featuring the frontman’s wife, how cute) that really heated things up, and added a much appreciated punch to several songs. They delighted us with new material, which is as blissful as the old. There was so much passion in every single performer, the drummer and a fierce triangle player instantly come to mind, and are one of the few bands that I think outdo their recordings live. I always think that encores are a little bit silly, we’ll all pretend that you’re gone, but you always come back. This time was well worth the wait, however, as The Walkmen reeled us back in with not one, but three more songs, including “The Rat”, “When I used to go out, I would know everyone that I saw. Now I go out alone, if I go out at all” , high school memories came flooding back. Hands down the best show I’ve seen in the past couple of months, and if they’re coming your way, don’t think, just go.
The Walkmen – In the New Year
The Walkmen – The Rat
I am an idiot. I had never listened to Grizzly Bear until last week. I am an idiot, there I said it twice to seal the deal. There are no excuses for this one, I guess I just missed the boat. Stumbled into Veckatimest after watching the video for “Two Weeks”, which made me feel mostly uncomfortable, but the music went rushing into my brain, and has stayed there ever since. It’s classic and refreshing and simple and poignant. Kind of like discovering that secret bangin’ empanada place down the street, this is the favorite album you (or maybe just I…) never knew you had. They’re on tour right now with Beach House (who I just found out are from Baltimore, woohoo!), and I’m bummed that they won’t be hitting DC. Maybe you can catch them on the road somewhere. Bonus: a tune from Beach House, they’re like a beautiful dream. It’s officially fall as well, in case you forgot.
Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks
Grizzly Bear – Cheerleader
Beach House – Gila
p.s. I’ll most likely end up going to see The Walkmen / Here We Go Magic tomorrow, so stay tuned to hear more about that.
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Washed Out – Feel It All Around (Toro Y Moi Remix)
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Vermont is taking over the world, or maybe that’s just my life this past week, or I suppose my relationship with it is stronger than I remembered. Our other pal Will Stratton has released a new EP, Vile Bodies. There is something about fall that demands that everything slow down, and for me Vile Bodies fits right in to the shift. These new songs seem more delicate and intricate to me than his past work, or perhaps the real word I’m looking for here is personal. There is an overwhelming sense of melancholy, which I think works in its favor. Of course, in addition, any song referencing an Edward Hopper afternoon is worth a listen.
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This has been a week full of tunes coming from the north. Our pal Jackson Emmer, a fellow Vermonter (via CA), has just released a new album. “The songs and works constructed on “PEN – PAL” are all based on human correspondence.” writes Emmer himself. Filled with nostalgia and folk and banjos (!), these songs are remarkably earnest. Among my favorites is “Playground Sweethearts”, with lines like “If we weren’t seven years old, you wouldn’t have shown me yours and I wouldn’t have shown you mine.” what’s not to love?
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I’ll never forget the first time that Alex Bleeker approached me about engineering a show for his band Real Estate. He told me it was their third gig, and they really just wanted to sound like they were underwater. Since then, Real Estate have found themselves on some big sites and considered pioneers of the lo-fi scene. I was lucky enough to engineer another show for them last week, and they played one solid ass set. It was crazy to hear how well their sound has evolved over the last year. Every song they played was magic. Bonus closing with their version of Mountain Man’s Animal Tracks.
One of the best parts of the show was a set by Twigz, the neo-psychedelic/experimental brainchild of Tom Greenberg. I’ve been able to hear snippets from his No Picnic EP, and I really think it’s gonna leave some deep impressions in a lot of people. Lots of chaos combined with something beautiful. Hopefully they’ll be able to hit some cities when the EP is complete.
5 comDipped in Dollars (D.I.D.) is the brainchild of Chief and Danger. While attending a crazy liberal arts college in Vermont, we realized our mutual love of righteous dance music, art, and the people behind them. D.I.D. exists to share this love with you and hopefully turn you on to something new. More about the brains behind the brawn, here.
This site exists to promote artists, if you hear something you like, think about throwing the artist(s) a few dollars, buy an album, go to a concert, show them you care. If any artists or official people want us to take any of our links down, just shoot us an email and we'll take care of it. Happy Listening!
