Photos from The Brooklyn Vegans Club Premiere with OMSK at Korjaamo 19.2.2010

First of all. Thanks to you all for a great premiere yesterday. We both had a blast and we were surprised about the amount of people that came through the blizzard. At its best it was almost impossible to move at the space. I want to thank Korjaamo for giving us the opportunity to fulfill our dream of having our own relular club in Helsinki, I want to thak Omsk for being extra great as always they are something exceptional in finnish music scene, I want to thank Mikko for these photos and I want to thank YOU for coming and supporting the club. We had a blast and we will be posting you for upcoming events when there's a bit more clarity. Subscribe to our blog and keep posted!

Top songs yesterday:

Junior Boys - Double Shadow
The Drums - Let's Go Surfing
Neon Neon - I Lust U
Belle and Sebastian - White Collar Boy
Mark Ronson / Amy Winehouse - Valerie
Röyksopp - Circuit Breaker
Amadou et Mariam - Sabali
Kleerup featuring Lykke Li - Until We Bleed
The Millioners - Body Into Use
Strokes featuring Eddie Vedder & Joss Homme - Mercy Me

Columbia Records proudly announces the North American release of Congratulations, the keenly awaited new studio album from MGMT, on Tuesday, April 13

"With Congratulations, MGMT unlock a new musical world whirling in its own space/time grid infused with hints of music from the past five decades. Soulful and complex, Congratulations is a surprising and delightful quantum step forward in MGMT's ongoing pop revolution."

I can say I've been waiting for this news quite eagerly for some time now. As we all I've got sick and tired to Electric Feel and especially Kids but the other songs on the record Oracular Spectacular promise there is an avalanche of talent rushing to our veins with the upcoming record. I read through a Steve Lillywhite interview (he is the guy who produced The La's album and scooped MGMT to Columbia). He stated that Oracular Spectacular is the tip of an ice-berg too big for many to understand. That without doubt MGMT is the most spectacular thing happening in pop music by miles. And I think this talk is not just for blowing his own bubble. I've met these guys two years ago on a work occation and got a little peek on what's going to happen to them after this record and the visions blew me away. Their precise description of the bands future had a ton of stuff I haven't heard from other bands included.

They are truly a band that doesn't comfort in sticking to a formula and they are bothered to think outside the box. A fact is also that they are really young and succeeded drasticly with their debut album so I can't imagine what to wait for. The stuff can be anything from a hit parade to a psychedelic avant-garde experience. I hope that they carry on with what the first one offered to us. Maybe without Kids of course. So much for the obvious babble and waste of your time.

In the promotional letter there was also a name put out as the producer. Mark Kember is one founding half of legendary Spaceman 3, which split up and the other hald Jason Pierce started the fabulous Spiritualized. Mark took on group Spectrum. He has also recorded as E.A.R. (Experimental Audio Research) - the two projects have existed in parallel, and recordings under both names occasionally only feature Kember. Kember has also played and collaborated with Stereolab and Yo La Tengo. This in consideration of the future of MGMT must mean that Mark might give out expertise in experimental sounds and hopefully that the record focuses on the psychedelia in comparison to straigh out pop hit-parade.

Congratulations is a collection of nine individual musical tours de force sequenced to flow with sonic and thematic coherence: "It's Working," "Song for Dan Treacy," "Someone's Missing," "Flash Delirium," "I Found a Whistle," "Siberian Breaks," "Brian Eno," "Lady Dada's Nightmare," and "Congratulations."

and the record can be pre-ordered at whoismgmt.com

The Brooklyn Vegans at club Telemark 28.1.2010

I have write all this down as long as I remember what happened yesterday, and the truth to be told, a bunch of details remain as mysteries to me so I´m glad my dj-partner Antti "soijanakki" A wrote a shortlist of the things that happened.

The night of our lifetime started superbly. People came to watch really early. There was a bunch of people waiting to get in at 9PM. We started with a pacey indie rock set and the tempo remained quite high as we two ejoyed our asses off, we danced there like hamsters on ecstasy and took advantage of the good buzz of playing together after a little break.

The Casbah http://www.myspace.com/thecasbahband had evolved a lot from the last time I had seen them. their setlist had gotten a lot better and transitions were smoother. And the new songs rocked the boat. Yes please! http://www.myspace.com/yespleaseband must have played the best song of the evening in my opinion. A discorock song and I can't remember what's it called. Maybe you can help me. One thing that surprised me was that they functioned well without a drummer. It brought neww depths and elements to the music. Interesting. And Leaders Of The Republic http://www.myspace.com/leadersofficial were as religious as ever when they played as headliners. They get a sound like no other band in Finland I was proud as hell to be a Finn when I see them play. Their biggest problem is that they can't do warming up no more this this big of a sound. They are ment to be headliners from here to eternity.

I also like to thank the girls and boys requesting good songs and especially the exchange student from Munich. You gave us a confidence boost really. And Samu from Bra's and Undies Club, I can't wait to see the photos and I would be glad to post the here. And I will be attending your club if I'm at Finland then. Definetly. Good stuff from all of you people. I had the time of my life and hope you people did too.

Here's a little recap on what we played yesterday. Something to you people with spotify again.
http://open.spotify.com/user/linkkakuski/playlist/3SqpBmFeSjiLFfCf6Lquvj

To you people who don't have it. Here's a top 10 of stuff that rocked the boat yesterday

The Magic Numbers - Runnin Out
Local Natives - Sun Hands
Radio 4 - State Of Alert
The Strokes - Last Nite
Tiger Lou - Sell Out
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Higher Than The Stars
The Raveonettes - Boys Who Rape (Should All Be Destroyed)
Miike Snow - Song For No One
Friska Viljor - We Are Happy Now (lalala)
Phoenix - 1901
Jesus And Mary Chain - Head On

More music videos (art school girls turn my legs to spaghetti).

I posted a collection of my favourite music videos few days ago and it burned in my soul that I had to post more. These resemble a different style than those I posted the last time. These all seem to have been made my professional director with an art school background. I can admit that I have a thing for these art school girls like those on warpaint. I love it when a cute girl has encouragement to express herself in this brave manner.

El Perro Del Mar
Sometimes it is really great when the video has no resemblance to the song on the background. When it lives a life of its own. This is a school exemple of that. El Perro Del Mar's song is really etheric and on it's it's really nothing special but it really supports this video with two acrobatics.

El Perro Del Mar "Change Of Heart" from The Control Group on Vimeo.

Zebra And Snake
This video is something I really admire. It symbolises the hectic atmosphere you have when you get an epileptic fit and does it well. Well I don't really know how it is to have a fit but I could easily imagine it to be like this. En epileptic fit is also somthing that supports nicely the theme of this image of the band

Zebra and Snake - The Colours from miikka lommi on Vimeo.

Warpaint - Stars
This song is dominated by its psychedelic video art quite similar to Pippilotta Rist's Elixir works I saw at Kiasma Twice. I really loved it then and the ideas on this video make me excited aswell. Take a look at it.

Warpaint - Stars from Adam Harding on Vimeo.

Yeasayer - Ambling Alps
This video has something special I really can't put my finger on. I would like to understand all the effect on it but I can't. In a way it's like making live action role playing cool (again) and in a way it is like an artier version of those color vomiting MGMT videos that came out a time ago. I really enjoy this one.

Yeasayer "Ambling Alp" from Team G on Vimeo.

and finally
The Hours - See The Light. This video is something I really adore. The song in itself again is quite generic but this video is a homage to Andy Warhol's heroin documentations he did with Edie Sedgwick in the late sixties. The video is directed by legendary overprized conteporary art mastermind Damien Hirst and contains quite disturbing things like Sienna Miller on something I wouldn't like to try and butchered cows on the wall. Viewer discretion is adviced.

I didn't find it on youtube or Vimeo so I had to put a link here

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7oy57_the-hours-see-the-light_music

I hope you'll enjoy these videos as much as I do.

godspeed.
-anttiwalker-

music videos are a love of my life

This blog won't be a purist music blog or a endorsement to our ambitions as dj's. It will be a surprising channel to all kind of purposes. I've been thinking about all knds of stuff to write about and there will be things about new bands of course but also different kind of honorary writings towards people that inspire me and like now a list of music videos that inpire me right now. It will be a handy catalogue for me at the same so when I'm going to direct my next videos, these videos are here in a good entity for viewing. I personally have bought a few super 8 cameras and got a HD-handheld camera as a present and I'm figuring out what to use those on. There are some good plans on great videos but I won't force the stuff out. You just wait and behold the new Michel Gondry. But you'd have to wait for a few years.

I belong to the great MTV generation, which needs a good video to go with a good song. Of course those times are long gone that you could watch good videos on MTV but evidence of good new videos linking together a song and an image still exist. Let me demonstate it to you.

Anssi 8000 & Maria Stereo - Zombie

Anssi 8000 is a great artist with a variety of stuff he likes to do, from video art to scrap sculptures. Everthing I've seen from him is easy to relate. He doesn't have the urge to perfectionism and leaves some rew edges there. This band is him and his wife that live on a farm away from the city life playing tohether and the video is shot on 8mm or 16mm, you tell me. All I can say is that I love the smooth image and the mystic video.



Helsinki 78-82 - Cruising
Unlike the previous song this one is clearly made on HD and has a tighter vibe on it. This video is practically an advertisement to Pelago Bikes, which is a bicycle brand here in Helsinki but it doesn't zer out the great vibe on this video. The video in itself acts out like a plan for what I'm going to do in Helsinki next summer. Buy a new bike and cruise around Kallio with it. Enjoy life. I also want to point out that this video has got essential tips on how to make a grande-style video with a low budget.

HELSINKI 78-82 - CRUISING from Top Billin on Vimeo.

The Drums - I want to go surfing
This has been a powerplay song for me for a month now. I just love the simple idea on the song. Also a quite low-budget performance but still succeeds to make a great point and present a band in a good light. And the lightning text on it makes me happy. It reminds me of the 90's refused videos.


Fujiya and Miyagi - Ankle Injuries
This one is something I just found. Reminds me of the legovideo on White Stripe's Fell In Love With a Girl Michel Gondry made years ago but this one's took it up a notch with wices. Inspirational video I reckon.

The Battleship Potemkin

"In April 2003, Philip Dodd, director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, approached Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe and suggested that they might write a new score for the film (Battleship Potemkin) and perform it as a free concert in Trafalgar Square as part of a series of events organised by the Mayor Of London" - information from wikipedia.

This was the starting point to something extraordinady in 21th Century recording. There is a few records as concentrated made in the "Noughties" and this one was even rudely ovelooked in the common media eventhough the public event gathered 26.000 people just to watch the greatness. 

The record itself has been named as a Lowe/Tennant/Dresden Sinfoniker-record but for me and many others it is one of the essential Pet Shop Boys records. More ambitious than anything they've done before and maybe that might the reason they scored it in their own name. Anyhow it is a superb combination of ambitious electronic pop and symhony orchestra arrangement unlike anything other I know in its class. I suits perfectly as some kind of background music to everything you are doing or what's best, it can also be put in pieces and be played in combination with something else at a dj-gig or whatever. Just a perfect progressive multi-purpose album. 

I hope you find yourself listening to it. I haven't tried it with the Eisenstein film yet, but will do it anytime soon and I will comment on how good it fits with the film material as soon as I'm done. 

Listen to the album here:Pet Shop Boys – Battleship Potemkin