By Jodi Root

Complete and utter dance party chaos took hold of Chicago’s Empty Bottle last evening as YACHT headlined a night of pure energy to the sold out venue. Making their second Bottle appearance in less than six months, you could tell the duo (backed up with an actual band vs. their AV set up this time around), had some time to revamp their set-up. Never ones to disappoint, the crowd was constantly going absolutely insane for Mr. Jona Bechtolt and Ms. Claire Evans. Backed up by opener Bobby Birdman and a drummer, the noise was loud and the presentation was fierce. As soon as the opening slinky, jungle intro to “Ring the Bell” kicked off, the crowd was taken on an hour long trip into an electronic playground full of madness. Sporting their signature white/black contrast get-ups, YACHT repped several tracks from 2009’s See Mystery Lights including “I’m in Love with a Ripper,” “Summer Song,” “The Afterlife,” “It’s Boring/You Can Live Anywhere you Want” and of course, “Psychic City.” The set list didn’t vary too much from their past Chicago dates, but a few other numbers were slipped in rotation. To be honest, I didn’t get too much info scribbled down as I was too damned busy shaking my ass with the rest of the crowd which Bechtolt at one point even jumped into and got down with. To say this show was one of the top dance parties of my lifetime would be an understatement. If you get the chance to check these two rock it out, do not pass it by – YACHT is one cruise you do not want to miss.

Buy: YACHT – See Mystery Lights

By Jodi Root

Aaron Ross is hardcore—although you would never guess it by meeting this smiling, soft-spoken, personable 26-year-old Chicagoan. With a musical resume boasting several guest stints and inclusions on various hardcore/punk bands, including a recent tour with Harm’s Way, you’d never suspect he’s the alter-ego mastermind responsible for Chicago-based indie outfit Maribelle. Listening to Maribelle’s latest album, With Teeth Sharp as Old Friends, it’s a wonder he would even attend a hardcore show, let alone assist in creating them. Turns out, dude’s got a sensitive side.

Ross, the leadman of Maribelle since its birth in 2007, has created an 11-track collection of earnestly open, delicate and minimal, melodic tales seeking hope and of desperation. With the most basic instrumentation, Maribelle grips at your heart strings through the usage of Ross’s pleading vocals, bare guitar strumming, accordion, piano and minimal percussion. It’s impossible to not be taken by the vulnerable purity of the album.

Maribelle kicks off their East Coast tour in support of With Teeth Sharp as Old Friends with their record release show this Saturday, February 27th at Chicago’s Ball Hall along with fellow acts Dropjaw, Toby Foster, Quistum with paintings by Varg kicking off at 9:00 PM. For more information, you can call visit Maribelle’s website or call Ball Hall for show details at 773.252.8373.

Stream: With Teeth Sharp as Old Friends

By Jodi Root

I almost feel like St. Vincent and I are some pair of star crossed lovers. That might be pushing it a bit, but the past 3-4 times I’ve tried to see her live, something or another has prevented it last minute from coming to fruition. Used to the disappointment, I was a bit on the skeptical side so I wouldn’t get my hopes up when I got confirmation for her Thursday night at the Metro. Well, sweetheart, I’m pretty sure after last night, we are meant to be. Along with several others in the sold-out full house Chicago venue, I finally had my Annie Clark rite of passage–and I gotta say, I had severely underestimated what this mighty songbird guitaress rock star is capable of.

Unsure what to expect, I wound up getting in just as St. Vincent had kicked the set off around the 10:00 PM mark. It was as if I had walked into a lush, sweet dream sequence twisted with honey dripped madness – the band was in full throttle, in the midst of “Save Me from What I Want,” with a gorgeous Miss Clark slyly seducing the mic. The next hour passed in an incredible whirlwind – Clark is definitely more than a pretty face with a nice set of lungs – the girl can wail on her guitar and she owns the stage. Even with her petite feminine frame and full head of curls, Clark makes rocking look simple with her adorable stage banter and walking in place, strutting dance moves. The orchestration of the back-up band was downright jaw dropping; from the variety of chimes, keys and light percussion to the smooth sounds of sax, the light flute and clarinet melodies, dreamy violins and of course, heavy guitar work and molasses-coated harmonic vocals, I felt as if I had stumbled into a twisted, party dimension from Alice in Wonderland.

Clark and co. primarily showcased several tracks from Actor, along with a handful of Marry Me numbers as well. Perhaps the highlight of the evening, however, was Clark’s adorable spoken interpretation of Ice Cube – “I mean, how nice is it to have someone cook you breakfast?,” she joked – “You don’t get your car jacked either – I feel like that happened a lot in the 90’s – wait do carjacking still happen? Things to think about after the show, maybe not with the mic.” Charisma at its best, Clark continued to woo the crowd with her simple humor, “He wins at dominos and craps, then meets a girl he bones, smokes hydro and gets drunk – When I say this aloud, it’s not as romantic as I thought. . .” Half expecting her to start into some folksy rendition of “It was a Good Day,” I was not let down in the least when she instead led into her “folky, melancholy analog to Ice Cube,” – a cover of Jackson Browne’s “These Days.” Eloquent and heartwarming, girl killed it.

Closing her sweet one-night affair with Chicago, whom she reflected upon saying multiple times how nice it was to be back playing, after having “spent many nights here doing terrible things, so it’s nice to do constructive things . . . for the planet,” Clark concluded the set with a 2-song encore with a solo rendition of Marry Me’s “Paris is Burning” and the band, backed-up, “Your Lips are Red.” Every detail, from the Metro’s sharp acoustics, quality of sound, and warm, red/blue and green/violet lighting and overall energy contributed to what I believe may be one of 2010’s top stellar performances. Until you see St. Vincent live, you may never know Miss Clark’s full musical capabilities – while her recordings are beautiful and melodic, her live performances are pure majesty, magnified tenfold.

Setlist:

1. Save Me from what I Want
2. Laughing with a Mouthful of Blood
3. Actor out of Work
4. Jesus Saves, I Spend
5. Just the Same but Brand New
6. The Bed
7. These Days (Jackson Browne cover)
8. Black Rainbow
9. Marrow
10. The Party
11. Paris is Burning (solo – encore)
12. Your Lips are Red (encore)

Elsewhere: Photos: St. Vincent (Pitchfork)

Buy: St. Vincent – Actor | St. Vincent – Marry Me

By Jodi Root

If members of The xx, Metric and The Kills managed to produce some form of love child, (or children, rather), in a hot, musical orgy, the final result would sound a lot like Phantogram. This Saratoga Springs native outfit first came across my radar this past October at CMJ. The 30 or so minutes I had spent in a random bar basement checking this sexy, sultry synth pop duo stood out as the most impressionable find in my week long NYC adventure and I knew this shit was about to blow up. Fast forward to last night, where I joined a mass pack of friends and other eager fans at Schuba’s to find my prediction to have come more than true.

Opening up the night was Illegal Art’s Junk Culture, who typically presents as a two-man outfit, but was missing his drummer due to “getting married, which is a pretty good excuse,” as Deepak Mantena explained to the crowd. My first time hearing Junk Culture, it was pretty decent for having to pull off as a one-man show. Homey leapt around behind his synth set up, at one point even jumping into and around the crowd like a sweaty, mad, animal outta the cage. The set was very Animal Collective-esque, and you could totally tell he shares his label residence with Girl Talk with all his dancey influences. Even though JC may not have been the reason I was there, I gotta give credit to Mantena for his enthusiasm and energy – at one point he even led the crowd into a Happy Birthday sing-a-long for Sarah, (who, I’m assuming is the same Sarah as Phantogram) and other members of the audience who drunkenly shouted their way into inclusion (thanks Caroline, but it was NOT my birthday). All in all, it was a decent warm-up for what was about to come.

Around 10:20, Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel approached the dark, intimate stage illuminated by strobe effects and an intense audiovisual backdrop of city scenes. Murmurs of eager anticipation floated amongst the enveloped crowd, “This is gonna be so good,” and more than a handful of “Oh my god’s!” built and eventually ceased as the club exploded with bass, combustive guitar action and mad synth work. The next forty-five or so minutes of the set passed like a dream – the sound was top notch and the chemistry between Carter and Barthel was undeniable. Barthel seemed to channel a lush vocal style similar to Emily Haines, which complimented the sultry and sexy contributions of her partner.

The AV presentation transitioning from city night life to country fields took the audience on a secret journey into a digital underground of pulsing bass, electrified guitar, entrancing synth work and sexy vocals. Their hypnotic, pounding, electronic lullabies lulled the crowd into a deep trance – subconsciously getting everyone to move in unison, while being both mesmerizing and unforgettable at the same time. The transition from track to track in the set was seamless, and the coordinating black rockstar uniform sporting duo owned the night. I can honestly say that I have not enjoyed a show to this extent in quite some time. For only two people, they sure made a helluva loud sound. Dark, dancey glam pop at its very best – Phantogram is going to own 2010.

MP3: Phantogram – “When I’m Small”
Buy: Phantogram :: Eyelid Movies

By Jodi Root

IRM may be one of Beck’s finest records released to date. The only thing is, it’s not really Beck’s album – it’s Charlotte Gainsbourg’s. You may know of Miss Gainsbourg as an actress, (Science of Sleep, 21 Grams), maybe you’re familiar with her past two albums as a musician, or it’s highly probably you just recognize the surname and are familiar with her famous parents, fellow French musicians Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg. If this is the first you’ve heard of her, it’s a task that’s long overdue – Gainsbourg released her third full length LP this past week, IRM, and it’s simply breathtaking.

Written, produced and recorded by the creative genius of Beck, his influences are highly visible on every number of the 13-track album. Gainsbourg even borrowed Beck’s back-up band, (and his father on strings!) with Beck himself backing up vocals on numerous songs, particularly highlighting the ever catchy single, “Heaven Can Wait.”

IRM, which is French for MRI, was chosen as the album title to reflect Gainsbourg’s head injury due to a skiing accident in 2007. She was haunted from the sounds of the machine, and wanted to capture this influence in her album – listening to IRM, it’s apparent with the usage of Beck’s signature synthetic and electronic production how they sought out this sound. Before I even did any digging around, the comparisons of IRM to Beck, particularly his latest effort, Modern Guilt, were on the top of my radar. I found myself thumbing back and forth on my iPod, linking similarities between the two albums, especially with the ghostly tambourine space travel influence of chimes, doorbells, reverb and synth work of title track “IRM” and the first few seconds of “Orphans” or “Chemtrails.” It’s more than apparent that Beck’s influence was the main driving creative force in this recording.

This isn’t to say that Gainsbourg herself didn’t contribute her fair share, however. Without her delicate, child-like, lush vocals we would just have another Beck record. Gainsbourg’s ability to clutch at your heart, and seep like sticky honey into your listening pleasure is phenomenal. She’s not just your average pretty face, singer-songwriter. From the Hawaiian luao-esque guitar picking strums of album opener, “Master’s Hands,” Gainsbourg desperately and needingly grasps the listener with her delicate, yet whispering instructions to “Breathe out, come alive – give me a reason to feel.” It’s a solid invitation, layered with several different beds of instrumentation – guitar, synth, percussion and hauntingly feminine vocals, yet pieced together so simply to reflect a genuine, upbeat pop song.

“Heaven Can Wait,” the first single, is a spectacular example of how Gainsbourg can utilize her melodic and song-bird vocal abilities effortlessly. Her casual and cool, almost monotone delivery would normally annoy me with other singers, however, her flat diction just emphasizes how beautiful her voice really is, perfectly harmonizing with Beck’s similar style. The song is just damn right catchy, too – even earning a stripped, ethereal organ featured remix of the track on the iTunes LP from Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor.

Perhaps the biggest stand-out track on the album, “Trick Pony,” is a delectably dirty and gritty throwback to what electro-grunge may have sounded like, if it was a genre, say in 1950. Gainsbourg rocked this single live on Letterman this past January, and it’s an excellent sample of her versatility from sugary-sweet songbird to dirty, sensual rocker. Following its darker pace, the electronic infused “Greenwich Mean Time” keeps the transition flowing with its simple, stripped vocals and series of bass thumping, electronic feel of synth work. Strewn within the 13 songs, Gainsbourg sings in her native tongue in the gentle and orchestral, “Voyage,” the sensual, yet heavily Beck produced, “Le chat du Café des Artistes,” and in bits of the dreamy, tranquil and light album closer lullaby, “La collectionneuse.”

From start to finish, Gainsbourg manages to take her listeners on a dreamy journey from delicate eloquence to dirty addiction, all whilst doing it seemingly effortlessly and coolly. She’s proven herself as a pertinent pop star and it makes me wonder what the music scene would look like today if we all had sustained head injuries and were friends with Beck.

Buy: Charlotte Gainsbourg – IRM
Video: Charlotte Gainsbourg ft. Beck – “Heaven Can Wait”

By Jodi Root

Owen Pallett graced the stage of Schuba’s as the headliner of three breath-taking live performances on Saturday night’s instilment of Tomorrow Never Knows. Pallett, following incredibly powerful and intimate sets by Peter Wolf Crier and the lovely Sharon Von Etten, fell nothing short of concluding an amazing evening of music. Having caught his November set opening up for the Mountain Goats at Metro, (while he still fell under his Final Fantasy moniker), I knew this would be no surprise. The only difference this second time around (unless you count my brief flirtation introduction to this magnificent multi-instrumentalist’s sound at Pitchfork this past July), is that was I now much more familiar with his song catalogue, especially with the recent Jan. 12th release of Heartland.

Schuba’s was long sold-out; with me bumming that I was going to have to miss the set until a last minute confirmation came through – I seriously felt like I had won the lottery. The walls of this cozy music hotspot was packed with people shoulder-to-shoulder (with a surprising 9/10 male to female ratio), making it extremely easy to forget it was a frigid January evening in Chicago. Warm amber lighting illuminated the sometimes one, sometimes two man set-up on the small wooden stage.

Pallett took to the stage at approximately midnight, to a suddenly stone silent, hushed crowd who were anxious for what was about to come – I could actually hear the humming of his amplifier before he kicked things off with Heartland’s “E is for Estranged.” A second musician joined Pallett on stage off and on for several songs of the 70-minute set—breaking right into another new track, the amazingly catchy “Keep the Dog Quiet.” While the majority of material came from Heartland, some older favorites were accounted for as well including “This is the Dream of Win and Regine,” “He Poos Clouds,” “The Butcher,” and the encore “The CN Tower Belongs to the Dead.” A newer track I didn’t recognize without the help of my good friend Google was the catchy, “Honour the Dead or Else.”

Incredible musicianship overall, Pallett maneuvered seamless transitions into various usages of his violin – plucking, strumming, bowing, shouting, the man is a musical genius. For a mere two man show, the usage of his loops, pedals and techniques made quite the jaw-dropping experience come to life. The only noticeable difference from his November Chicago set was the absence of his wise cracking charisma, woven between songs to which he later apologized to the crowd for not being “in full showgirl mode,” due to feeling under the weather. Sick or ill as he may have been, other than his lack of witticisms, the crowd would never have been able to tell – the show was dead on, and everyone in attendance seemed equally impressed – even the loud, drunk dude bros behind me were getting down.

Pallett again apologized at one point later in the set, but this time for all the new songs. But the fact that he utilizes his live performances as his forum for new music is what makes his performances so enjoyable – sure, you probably have the fans here who just want what they know, but even in November prior to Heartland’s January release, Pallett was showcasing numbers from his fourth album. With today’s addiction to internet’s download immediacy and music, fans should appreciate the live instant gratification of new material even so much more. Definitely good stuff.

From start to finish, Pallett showcased an incredibly quiet yet loud, intimate yet powerful, breath-taking performance. As always, I definitely encourage checking out his live sets – while you may not be sold on his recorded works, I assure you his live interpretations can and will easily change your stance on this magical musicianship.

Set List:
1. E is for Estranged
2. Keep the Dog Quiet
3. Lewis Takes Action
4. Oh Heartland, Up Yours!
5. The Butcher
6. He Poos Clouds
7. This is the Dream of Win & Regine
8. Many Lives
9. Midnight Directives
10. Honour the Dead or Else
11. The Great Elsewhere
12. Lewis Takes Off His Shirt
13. (Encore) The CN Tower Belongs to the Dead
14. (Encore) This Lamb Sells Condos

Buy: Owen Pallett – Heartland