Earlier this year frontman Jónsi has released an album of solo material not far from the Sigur Rós vein, and with it comes this most recent live-performance video for his song Go Do, performed for the dead-eyed hipsters at Origami Records in Echo Park:

Immediately following the performance, which was supposed to have been a series of intimate record store sets called the Go Closer tour, Jónsi’s management issued an apology alongside the immediate cancellation of all planned appearances.

According to Jonsi’s website:

“We, the management, are going to take the blame here, since it was us who thought this was a great opportunity to counterpoint the weight and scale of production at his theatrical shows with something super low-key and intimate. we talked him into it. and we stand by the fact that it is a great idea… on paper. jonsi himself, however, was always sceptical about how in would pan out in reality. and standing there nose-to-nose with fans in the cold light of day the other day in origami records, los angeles, he had the sudden and undeniable realisation that this is not the environment in which he flourishes.”

The site continues on to say “to those of you who saw it in echo park, cherish it, because it ain’t going to happen again.”

So congrats you goddamn hipsters, you killed some more great live music for us all.

Opening with reference to their clear ‘no ads’ music licensing policy, the Icelandic band references a common event that follows their refusal to add one of their tunes behind a plug for the latest brand name product: They often find the ad with a backing track nearly identical to the track requested, often discovering the fact via secondary sources such as message boards. We’d link you to an example, but fuck them; besides, Sigur Rós already has.

Yet they make note that there is “insufficient evidence in the music to support a claim for infringement of the copyright”. The band pushes the notion that legally it’s the big guys with the upper hand here, even going as far as suggesting that some of what they could say “might get us sued (which would be ironic)”.

Whether or not you subscribe to a belief in copyrights, it certainly takes a level of moral indecency to use an underhand tactic to use a piece of art for profitable means when not permitted by the artist. But it’s also a reflection of the world we live in: when one channel has a prime-time hit, for example, you can expect every other to have a variant of that show next fall.

On the bright side, Henry Rollins may have said it best on his IFC show when it comes to advertisers and musicians: “The reason the music of these interesting and alternative bands are being recruited is because their fans are now the ones calling the shots. In other words: we have arrived.”

But by the end of the year, we had all had our fill of Moby, and of Fatboy Slim, and well, nobody listens to Techno anyway.

Over the years since, Moby released three more records, and while each had a few good songs, nothing blew our skirts up.

And so I didn’t expect much when I got my hands on a copy of his newest album, Wait For Me. I had seen a video, directed by David Lynch, but the visuals just dragged on over an instrumental track uncharacteristically devoid of hooks.

But Wait For Me is actually Moby’s best album since Play, with touches of his truly brilliant Animal Rights.

Apparently, the approach was inspired by a talk Lynch gave at BAFTA in the UK. Moby paraphrased a suggestion of Lynch’s thusly: “too often an artists or musicians or writers creative output is judged by how well it accommodates the marketplace, and how much market share it commands and how much money it generates.”

So Moby focused on making a record for himself, with no concern over how it might be received commercially. And if that’s something that he needed to make a conscious attempt to achieve, it’s really no wonder that his last few albums haven’t been very special from our standpoint.

Placed into context, the aforementioned instrumental track, Shot In The Back Of The Head, helps to complete a beautiful tapestry bookended by elegant vocals by a friend of Moby’s named Amelia on Pale Horses (video to follow), and a very trademark Moby song entitled Study War, featuring period samples of hymns, over a dance beat that weaves in and out of drawn out synth pads.

Amelia appears on several other tracks on Wait For Me; The title track, and Walk With Me- both among the album’s best- and also on the less outstanding Hope Is Gone.

JTLF is another noteworthy cut, though I’m not quite sure if the vocals are supplied by Amelia exploring the higher end of her range, or another vocalist entirely.

Moby provides the vocals himself on Mistake, which is unfortunately mediocre. However most of the disc is held together by elegant instrumental compositions, all of them mixed with the help of Ken Thomas of Sigur Rós, entirely on purely analog equipment in true stereo. Such snobbery alone does not a good album make, but in this particular case, the humble methods perfectly complement what is clearly one from the heart.

Wait For Me
June 30, 2009
Little Idiot

1. Division
2. Pale Horses
3. Shot In The Back Of The Head
4. Study War
5. Walk With Me
6. Stock Radio
7. Mistake
8. Scream Pilots
9. JTLF 1
10. JTLF
11. A Seated Night
12. Wait For Me
13. Hope Is Gone
14. Ghost Return
15. Slow Light
16. Isolate

Anyway, Animal Collective’s ninth album has been ecstatically anticipated by many, and on paper I can understand why. They proved their soundscapes prowess with Here Comes The Indian, and the depth of harmonic texture and melodic hooks made Sung Tongs a magnet for new fans. Merriweather Post Pavillion blends the two, but dilutes the potency of each strength by doing so. Put simply, this album is only as good as the drugs you’re on while listening to it.

Pavillion opens as if rising from some murky, churning depth, a tiny organ glow building and radiating a hazy ambience until Avey Tare’s voice rises in a warbly, waterlogged depth, providing the only rudder for the song for a full two and a half minutes, until the line if I could just leave my body for the night, at which point the whole thing bursts into a galloping burst of harmonic weirdness and divinity, pounding away in some undetermined direction. This leads into the high 80s synths and failed attempts at soaring melody that is My Girls. In the span of nearly six minutes I’m reminded of almost every reason I’m so very thankful that we’re out of the 80s.

People are calling Summertime Clothes a masterpiece- a perfect example of the type of hyperbolic hysterics that allows me find sympathy for those who resent Radiohead’s impact on the music scene. The song is a delirious trip to nowhere nostalgia. It feels like a VW commercial that’s already been done. The next catchy Gap ad. It’s a few notches above useless drivel, sure, but by no means is it great. 

When it leaked, Pavillion was being hailed by music mags and bloggy rags as the best album of 2009- and the year hadn’t even begun yet. Look- In Rainbows was a really good album. It stood for more than just the music, and will be remembered in the future as a pivotal album in the history of the downfall of the music industry. But it wasn’t meant to spawn a new music renaissance. If we’re really shooting for honesty here, there hasn’t been enough quality material to warrant one of those in more than a quarter century. We’ll get there, but not yet. Not anytime soon. Not while people like Taylor Swift and Britney Spears bathe in limelight and outsell brilliance.

Anyway, for all its meandering indulgence, there’s certainly redeeming qualities to the Merriweather Post Pavillion, precisely the elements that snotty hipsters and loyalists will rally behind in rebuttal to the raw, uncircumcised truth in reviews like this one. Daily Routine is a wonderfully dreamy, string-laced beatfest, while Bluish dips a toe in the Postal Service pond and Guys Eyes hits the ears like a Beach Boys / Beatles collaboration. On acid. In the summer sunshine. Furthermore, a great deal of care’s been taken to fill out the low end, and the new focus on a bass foundation is an added bonus that gives anchor to the fantasy dreams Panda and Avey spin. But there’s no redefinition here, no mind-blowing new directions being taken. This album will not be a landmark.

Songs like Lion In A Coma and No More Runnin’  dissolve into their own weirdness, while album capper Brothersport is a ridiculous, repetitive Eurotrash bounce-fest that doubles as consolation over the death of a father. As the beat rises, there’s an impression of ravers thrashing like epileptics on speed. “Open up your throat,” sings Panda, and we do, but we can’t hear ourselves over the electric fairy parade.

The hype is large, the expectations high, and Animal Collective do their best to meet them- but this is no second coming. It’s good mixtape source material, or just a solid album to put on when you’re really high and feeling good about life. File it next to Talkie Walkie and Ágætis Byrjun.

Merriweather Post Pavillion
Domino Records
January 13, 2009

1. In the Flowers
2. My Girls
3. Also Frightened
4. Summertime Clothes
5. Daily Routine
6. Bluish
7. Guys Eyes
8. Taste
9. Lion In A Coma
10. No More Runnin’
11. Brothersport

[Skwerl says:] I’m delighted that Johnny picked my Tomahawk selection to lead off the mix, because it’ll help me articulate an important difference between experiencing music via iPod, versus the live experience. There are bands- Tool for example- that are “great” live, in that everything is so tight and calculated, you get to hear the music exactly how you expect it, with the benefit of the full dynamic range only a live band in front of your human ears can produce. Many are immensely satisfied by this, but not me. I’ve been to many concerts, and when I try and pick out the top three or five most amazing experiences, the ones that surprised me bubble to the top. Also, many factors that have nothing to do with the music factor in for me- how crowded the venue was for instance, or how anal security was. I saw Tomahawk at the Trocadero theater in Philadelphia in 2001, and it remains ranked among my top concert experiences of all time, for a number of reasons. But most of all for the energy this band has, led by the non compos mentis Mike Patton is nearly unrivaled among today’s working bands… The (International) Noise Conspiracy being the only exception I can think of at the moment. This video is a pretty good example.

Radiohead- Idioteque

My intention was to include Radiohead’s performance of Idioteque from their SNL appearance a bunch of years ago, for the simple fact that Thom Yorke flails around like an epileptic elf monkey the entire time. Then I found this version, from a show they did in Paris, which effectively kicks the shit out of the one I had in mind. The delivery, the frantic energy, the lights, the atmospherics- it captures everything that’s awesome about a live Radiohead show.

The White Stripes- Ugly As I Seem

[Skwerl says:] I knew Johnny already had a great White Stripes track picked out, but I couldn’t cut this selection. There are guitarists more technically skilled than Jack White, but few can communicate through their instruments with such flair, with such soul. I get chills when the chorus hits.

Jane’s Addiction- The Price I Pay

[Skwerl says:] I should hate Dave Navarro- he’s entirely too good looking to be a respectable musician. But Jesus Christ. This is magical. I saw this lineup of Jane’s Addiction in 2003, and they fucking killed.
[Johnny:] Goddamn right. These guys wrote the book on hedonistic junkie gypsy rock. 

Pete Philly & Perquisite- Womb To Tomb

It blows my mind that so few people are familiar with this hip-hop duo from Amsterdam. After two impressive albums of inimitably smooth flow over sick breakbeat / jazz / soul instrumentals (Mindstate and Mystery Repeats), Pete Philly & Perquisite are a bright red blip on Antiquiet’s radar. We expect big things for them in ‘09.

Nine Inch Nails- The Becoming (Still Version)

[Skwerl says:] So many bands try to be Nine Inch Nails by stacking up layers of distortion and noise on 128 guitar tracks, screaming through filters and hiding behind effects. What makes Nine Inch Nails so fucking awesome is that they can unplug everything and be just as powerful.

Queens Of The Stone Age- Long Slow Goodbye

[Skwerl says:] If I could pull up a high quality video of any performed version of a particular song, my first choice for this one would not be this version from Sessions@AOL, but the one dedicated to the late Natasha Shneider that closed her tribute. It was the most emotional moment I’ve ever experienced at a show. Regardless, this has always been a great song, and this is a great performance of it.

Pearl Jam- Given To Fly

Easily the most difficult selection of the batch, for the simple fact I can rattle off a good 25 unforgettably awesome Pearl Jam performances without a moment’s pause. This is from the band’s Single Video Theory mini-doc, which chronicles the making of their nearly flawless 5th album, Yield. The song is a personal favorite- not necessarily for the Going To California melodic nod or Christish narrative, but because of the arrangement and passion behind the delivery. It helps set the inner compass.

Mos Def- Close Edge

I remember seeing this on Chappelle’s Show a few years back and losing my shit. The stupid grin on Dave’s face said it all as he drove around town with Mos Def riding shotgun, spitting rhymes over a backing tape and making it look easy enough for anybody to do. The casual performance made the track that much more captivating, because it comes off like a freestyle (it’s not- you can find it on The New Danger).

The White Stripes- Death Letter  

It may be a cliche, but that doesn’t make it untrue: to fully appreciate the White Stripes, you’ve gotta see them live. On a bad night, Jack White’s a six-string demon waist-deep in delta blues- but when he catches fire onstage, there’s no stopping the guy as he tears off solo after squealing, stuttering, frantic solo, throwing verses from other songs into the mix and generally acting like a man possessed. Their Coachella set in 2003 changed my life, due in no small part to the fact that Jack was furious that he couldn’t hear himself in the monitors, and channeled his frustrations into a jaw-droppingly blistering performance that easily ranks among the top live shows I’ve ever seen.

Clutch- Profits Of Doom 

Finding a good live Clutch video was no small feat, as the band’s had a nasty habit of touring shitty clubs for the nearly two decades that they’ve been together. Doesn’t exactly make for good audio/visuals in replay. I was determined, though, and found this tasty gem off their landmark Blast Tyrant record. You can find this version on the Sounds Of The Underground Vol. 1 DVD.

Ben Harper & Eddie Vedder- Indifference

Nevermind that this performance took place at an ill-fated Nader rally at Madison Square Garden in 2000. There’s no mistaking the humility and respect between these two musicians as they play the final cut off Pearl Jam’s Vs. By the look on Harper’s face as he introduces the song’s author, it’s clear that this is a special moment for him. As a huge fan of both artists, it was for me as well.

Sigur Rós- Staralfur 

This song reduces me to iridescent jelly every time. It could serve as a doorbell chime to heaven or a soundtrack to crushing heartbreak, or both, depending on the listener. This version is from their Heima documentary, a must-see for anyone curious about the best thing to come out of Iceland since Bjork.

Honorable mentions:
Bruce Springsteen w/ Tom Morello, The Ghost Of Tom Joad
Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament, John Densmore, Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, The Long Road

A title like Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust strikes the eyes as an obnoxious display of pretense, but it actually translates to With A Buzz In Our Ears We Play Endlessly, and that’s a pretty badass name for a record. It’s the first that the band has made outside their native Iceland, and they recorded in New York, London and Cuba with Nine Inch Nails knob-turner Flood. Undoubtedly inspired by the acoustic performances that were featured in last year’s Heima, the band set out to adopt a looser approach, as evidenced not only by the production but the fact that it’s being released barely a month after its completion.

In addition to replacing reverb-drowning cello-bowed guitars with actual string sections and horns, the album follows a more focused, traditional song structure than Sigur Rós’ previous efforts. The effect, however, is an advancement of their sound through a less-is-more simplified philosophy that doesn’t stay entirely constant, but remains the prevailing mindset of the album. 

The lost-in-space aimless wanderings of Festival are counterbalanced by the straightforward poptastic action on Vi Spilum Endalaust, almost as if Death Cab For Cutie moved to Iceland and renounced the English language.

The feather-light pensive piano piece All Alright features the first English-language vocals on a Sigur Rós release, but it still sounds as if singer Jónsi Birgisson’s got a mouth full of marbles. Album opener Gobbledigook, on the other hand, is as upbeat and optimistic as the limits of imagination will allow for this band. Layered vocals, drums and handclaps in 8ths, fairy “lalalalalalala” vocals and coos chase you down before breaking into an interesting intermingling of chants and acoustic guitars. This one’s a keeper.

There’s a repeated part in the third minute of the lovely Illgresi that somehow echoes Bryan Adams’ Heaven, and the song is forever ruined as a result.

Stripping songs to the point where sometimes the loudest sound is that of fingers sliding on layered acoustics, this is Rós laid bare and beautiful as ever, but veers with unexpected velocity towards the epic with the appearance of a 70-piece orchestra, a 5-piece brass section and a boys’ choir, as well as an appearance from Icelandic string quartet Amiina. Bi-polar as it may be, on the whole the album delivers.

Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust is a beautiful display of Sigur Rós’ ability to create the perfect soundtrack to the soul’s departure from the body, a series of frozen moments bathed in a hazy light, like the distant sound of a trumpet across the battlefield as a dying warrior falls into darkness. It’s hardly an album you could cut into tracks and sell as singles. There is an essence to the whole that amplifies the sum of its parts.

Hit up last.fm or sigurros.com to hear it for yourself.

Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust
EMI, XL Recordings 
Available June 23, 2008

1. Gobbledigook 
2. Inní Mér Syngur Vitleysingur 
3. Góðan Daginn 
4. Við Spilum Endalaust 
5. Festival 
6. Suð Í Eyrum 
7. Ára Bátur 
8. Illgresi 
9. Fljótavík 
10. Straumnes 
11. All Alright