All posts by hokey

Music, SXSW

Russian Rocks and Mumiy Trolls

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The greatest Russian rock band ever!   Today’s SXSW showcasing artist, Mumiy Troll,  hails from the red land of Russia.  Vocalist and songwriter Illia Lagutenko leads Mumiy Troll  into Austin with a swagger not yet heard from the eastern nation.  Their first North American tour ever was just last year but it was so popular they are coming back.  Apparently they are huge in Japan, China, and Europe.  Little know fact: Their video for “Vladivostok 2000” was the first music video broadcast on Russian MTV.

Okay, so this is the only Russian rock band I’ve heard, but that’s okay.  The grooves are great, they have nice hooks, and they aren’t too mainstream.   Lagutenko describes Mumiy Troll as something called “rockapops.”  It’s kinda like if the Doves and Franz Ferdinad had a baby in the USSR and drank alot of vodka.  Thing is, this band was around in 1983, way before those two.  We got a Benjamin Button thing going down.  Check out one of their rare English language songs in “Oh Paradiso” from their “Luxury Wafers Sessions.”

[audio:http://146.190.132.255/audio/MumiyTroll_OhParadiso.mp3]
Music, SXSW

Tripping Out with The Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Praiso U.F.O.

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The Acid Mothers Temple is a massive collective of musicians from Japan not unlike the Polyphonic Spree.  Where the Spree was more happy psychedelic music, the Acid Mothers Temple is more trippy psychedelic music.  When they say collective, they mean mean it too.  There are groups within this group that have performed live and released albums.  The most prolific groupling is the Melting Praiso U.F.O. This one features collective founder and guitarist Kawabata Makoto.  These guys have been doing eastern freak outs since 1995.

The Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Praiso U.F.O. is perfect background/meditating music.  Most songs start out slow, quiet, and brooding but it builds up to some clashes and thrashes.  The ebb and flows take over in the midst of  the 50+ minute jams.  It’s a roller coaster ride but it left me calm and focused.  If you can stomach the random yelps and clangs sprinkled through these sets, check them out.  Hopefully they will crank out an epic set at SXSW this year.  In the meantime, check out one of their smaller jams in “Ange Mécanique De Saturne” from their album “Univers Zen Ou de Zero a Zero.”

[audio:http://146.190.132.255/audio/Acid_Mothers_Temple_-_Ange_Mecanique_De_Saturne.mp3]
Music, SXSW, Tunage

Going Rogues while we Kick Off the Whole Shebang

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If you are talking about the Rogues, then you should be talking about the European Alt rock band and not the punkers from Brooklyn. Give a listen to Carnival below and you can understand why. The bass rhythms and driving guitar remind us of some early Placebo. Lead singer Pearse MacIntyer sounds just a little deeper than Brian Molko, but the influence is there. If you want good driving music, this one works.

We’ll be blasting this ditty while we cruise on down to Austin here in a couple of months for South by Southwest 2010. It’s our first time there and we’re are stoked to go. The Rogues are gonna be there too. While we are packing and planning, we’re going to take a look at some of the artists showcasing at the annual event that caught our ears. The Rogues kick us off so turn this one up.

[audio:http://146.190.132.255/audio/Rogues_Carnival.mp3]