With the release of his second album, the heralded Overgrown, in April, talented singer-songwriter James Blake has taken his act on the road, heading out from London town to bring his new tunes across the world. The North American leg of that tour is winding down now, and Thursday’s show at Terminal 5 is already sold out (although tickets remain to see him tonight). However The House List just so happens to be giving away two tickets. So if you’d like to go, try to Grow a Pair. Make sure to fill out the form below, including name, e-mail address, which show you’re trying to win tickets to (James Blake, 5/9) and a brief message explaining why live music is much better in May than in April. Eddie Bruiser, who’s recuperating from Jazz Fest, will notify the winner by Thursday. Good luck.
Take Flying Lotus beats out of headphones or tinny computer speakers and into a club and they become sometime else entirely. On recordings, he is the manufacturer behind chilled-out and jazzy shape-shifting beats. But played live in a jam-packed venue, before a screen with mind-altering visuals and the bass turned up so high that it’s felt in the knees, and you have an almost unfamiliar experience. It’s like comparing a wild tiger to one in the zoo—the setting changes the music in a fundamental way. His natural habitat is the club, where beats can roam free, bouncing off every corner of the venue and sweeping up an audience in the process. So do yourself a favor and step into that natural habit to see Flying Lotus—along with Ultraísta and Thundercat (with a band)—not once but twice: Sunday and Monday at Terminal 5. —Dan Rickershauser
Jacob Gossett and Thomas Mullarney III met while studying visual arts at Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute. They began making music together and the electronic-pop duo Beacon was born. The two first appeared on people’s radar with the release of a couple singles followed by a pair of EPs. But Gossett and Mullarney have taken a big step forward with their debut full-length, the just-released The Ways We Separate (stream it below), which finds them deftly mixing electronic music and R&B. Beacon (above, doing “Last Friday Night”) celebrate the album’s release tomorrow night at Mercury Lounge. Come join in on the fun.
Brother and sister Rachel (vocals and percussion) and Rob (vocals and guitar) Kolar started making music together “just for fun in the beginning, an acoustic duo sort of thing,” says Rob. But it became something bigger, a five-piece—with Lauren Brown (drums), Oliver “Oliwa” Newell (bass) and Aaron Robinson (guitar)—called He’s My Brother She’s My Sister, making what the band calls “glam-a-billy,” “vaudeville blues” and “flamboyant folk.” Thanks in part to the party-onstage vibe of their live shows, the band generated plenty of buzz in their native California even before their debut full-length, the upbeat Nobody Dances in This Town (stream it below), came out a few months ago. The album earned He’s My Brother She’s My Sister (above, doing “The Same Old Ground” on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson) comparisons to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, plus it brings them to Music Hall of Williamsburg on Saturday night.
You may have first come across Russ Manning as the bassist for Twin Shadow. But Manning’s interests go beyond filling out half of a rhythm section. The Brooklyn-raised musician, who studied jazz at Oberlin college, says he’s always had an interest in pop music. And he’d increasingly wanted to do something on his own, plus he “wanted something masculine, and I wanted something dark and mysterious.” Last year, as Rush Midnight (above, the video for “Crush”), Manning released his debut EP, +1 (stream it below), expertly filled with bits of disco, reggae and New Wave.
Producer-performer Erin Rioux, also a Brooklyn guy, makes cool electronic psychedelic music that gets people moving. So you can expect a full-on dance party with Rioux (below, live in studio) and Rush Midnight at tomorrow night’s late show at Mercury Lounge.
Husband Jace Lasek (guitar and vocals) and wife Olga Goreas (bass and vocals) are music people. They own the Montreal recording studio Breakglass Studios and formed the Besnard Lakes in 2003. The couple self-recorded the majority of Volume 1, the band’s debut album, at their studio when time allowed, and then self-released it. They later added band members Kevin Laing (drums) and Richard White (guitar), and a second album, The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse, in 2007. Their third disc, The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night, filled with slow-building, psychedelic-tinged music, followed three years later. And right on time, the Besnard Lakes (above, playing “Devastation” live in studio for Radio K) are back with their fourth full-length, Until in Excess, Imperceptible UFO (stream it below). Released about a month ago, the album has plenty of pop hooks and ethereal sound. And you’re sure to hear plenty of it on Friday night at the Bowery Ballroom.
