2010 April Archive - The Recommender

THE GIG LIST – NUMBER 39

Last time around we had live music from The High Wire and we were all cast under their gorgeous spell. Foreign Office shook up the room with their awesome pop and David Byrne looks, (…circa Once In a Lifetime). This time around we have some of London’s hottest talent on show.

There’s gonna be upbeat drums, spikey guitars, harpoon-sized hooks, claps, cowbells and more at this monster indie session. Of course we also have Eleni Mettyear’s photobooth setting up so get planning your shot. Her last session resulted in the busiest flurry on Facebook that we’ve ever seen, with a monster tagging session.

Obviously the Recommender’s next mixtape (#5) will be handed out, alongside the usual badges, stickers and other goodies, so make sure you pick up one of these too. Below we list the 4th mixtape, available to download, purely so you can see what you’re missing!

THE RECOMMENDER MIXTAPE # 4

JUKEBOX COLLECTIVE – We are just as excited to see this support band as we are the headliners. Not since the power of Sunshine Underground have indie tunes sounded so sharp, punchy and jammed with addictive hooks. This is a band that we predict will surely be back to headline next time around.

WILD PALMS – They may well have some of the best razored indie riffs around, but beyond the enticing guitars there’s a stack of intelligent, well-designed songs packed into their lockers. All of these are carved out with skill, showing them off as a triumphant, energetic group well deserved of their current NME and Radio One attention. They’ve also had some extraordinary remixes done for them, (see the below track).

BATTERY POWERED DJs – Our resident DJs will round off the evening, playing tracks exclusively from the blog, so expect cutting edge, razor sharp selections. If you want to know what tunes you should be listening to this year then check out this set from Brighton’s scenester DJs.

Tickets are available from Ape, Resident and Rounder Records. If you can’t get to the shops in person, simply phone them up and ask them to put a ticket on the door for you and they’ve agreed to help. It’s only £4 advance and £6 on the door. Come and see the monthly party that everyone in Brighton is talking about…

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Published: April 20th, 2010
Author: The Recommender
Category: The Gig List
Tags: Battery Powered DJs, Eleni Mettyear, Jukebox Collective, The Gig List 39, Wild Palms

THE RECOMMENDER – NUMBER 87 – NUMBERS GAME

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Doc Matthews is one of those wonderful, rare, mould-breaking types. You know the sort. He’s one of those guys that has creativity, invention and ideas pouring out of him like an Olympic fountain. It’s the same fantastic affliction Beck Hanson or Lou Reed has. They always stand out from any other trend that’s going on around them and you couldn’t stop their production if you strapped them to a nuke and fired it into an active volcano. Doc seems to be just as happy directing films as he does music, such as his You Should Be Throwing Parties series, or his work on Animal Collective‘s video for In The Flowers. It’s his music that’s earned him entrance to The Recommender though, as his strong concoctions have us dizzy with appreciation. He declares that he’s writing “anthems for The Bummer Republic“, which suits his music’s San Francisco/Californian hazy disposition. However, you don’t have to be baked out of your mind to appreciate the genuine musical ingenuity that’s found in his compositions. Like his films, it all has a very DIY feel to it, which, apart from the fact he writes every song, plays every instrument and does all the production himself, means the sound is unpolished and loose, like all great slacker canticles. The grunge basslines, guitar riffs The Stooges would be proud of and echoing vocals often seem lost in the dope smoke, but the palpitating beats, breaks and well placed details manage to allow each song to leave the room for a bit of air. This is unlikely to be material that aims for the number one spot, but in reality it’s creative minds like Doc’s that are the unrecognised kiss of life to the progression of music with each generation. This is music that spans the genres so well it will send vibrations through most teenagers grey matter, for it has the alternative feel of indie, the beats of dance, the attitude of punk and the mood of grunge. There are dangers when you’re producing music this brave though, for when you try to span too broad a gap you can lose your balance and fall over. In the mean time, whilst this independent creator is at work, we suggest you all stand up and take note. (MB)