Alexis Taylor IS Christine McVie: Hot Chip at Columbiahalle, November 1, 2012

"A church is not for praying/it's for celebrating the light that bleeds through the pain"

November 1, Dia de los Muertos, and one of my favorite Scottish people has organized an unwieldy group of seven to attend Hot Chip, on tour to support their latest album Motion Sickness. Now, last time I saw this band was when they opened for Animal Collective at the Fillmore San Francisco in 2005 (name=dropped).  Now during that show (supporting Coming on Strong) I remember...I remember... dancing? There's been a lot of head trauma since then but I did buy the album and absorbed them, they were a nice complement to Animal Collective. 
I am happy to say the ultimate British geeks have grown, expanding their minimalist pop for more synth heavy, danceable tracks that owe everything, and I mean everything to New Order. They played most of the new album, highlight was a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Everywhere" (of the 1986 album Tango in the Night, oh the 80s) , and I love it when men sound like women, that probably indicates some latent issue in myself I know. [Please follow that last link even if you can't watch it, check out the top comment, internet gold.]  Highlights included a great version of "Motion Sickness" and "How Do You Do?" where the header lyric comes from.  So if you want something to dance to that has actually substantial lyrics, the soundtrack that will speak to all you ugly sweater wearing computer geeks who secretly press roses between the pages of classic literature while watching it rain, then check them out.

sometimes the best is at the beginning

Helmut.Is and Beirut, Columbiahalle, September 19, 2012

O fuck me it’s Wednesday.

I bought tickets to see Beirut back in May, and after obsessively listening to the latest album Riptide (see an earlier post that is laced with lots of hyperbole) it seemed perfectly reasonable to buy tickets to show five months in advance. However, let's just say prior to the show I was not feeling it, what with it being mid-week and all, and plus I believe Columbiahalle may be one of the worst venues in Berlin.  Saying the acoustics are better inside my oven may be an insult to my oven.  A sold out show at Columbiahalle is like a boat evacuation of a war torn land: everybody wants on and there is only so much space. However, yours truly is a brave little cadet and shoves all the workaday things aside to maybe go hear something transcendental that will make stepped on toes and arguing in German worth it.

Beirut

And...I will cover the headliner first because the pleasant surprise was the opener, Helmut.is.  So Beirut came and readily admitted they were ragged after lots of touring.  The wear and tear was definitely evident, while the playing was excellent (the lead is definitely a virtuoso, and they have three horn players AND an upright bass) the band seemed to lack energy and enthusiasm.  They treated us to many gems off the latest album, including "Santa Fe," "A Candle's Fire," and the wrist-slitter "Goshen."  The highlight was "East Harlem."  What this band needs to be appreciated for is how they incorporate Eastern European influences without descending into camp.  Beirut knows how to make horns sound plaintive and needy, the soundtrack to nostalgia.  Put this on when far from home, and when Zach Condon tells you there's "a thousand miles between us," you have permission to yearn.

And the special guest and pleasantly surprising opener was Helmut.is.  No, he's not from Iceland, he's from Berlin.  Taking the stage before the sweaty, antsy throng that is the Beirut crowd, with the requisite combed over bangs and facial hair, Helmut.is is the modern one man band. Sitting before a buffet of effects pedals, he starts by strumming a chord, then looping it back, snapping his fingers, and repeating that track, building up a song piece by piece.  Normally wary of tons of effects which can mask crap musicianship, I am here to tell you this is the real thing.  Let's call it the layer theory of song building.  Highly recommended the seven minute jam "sepi," which tells you to "stay put/to regain control."  Put this EP on when the sky is gray and close, and you can't decide if getting up is at all possible. The album will decide for you.

Helmut.is

Three Shows in Three Weeks

April 17^th, 2012 Boy and Bear – Roter Salon

April 23^rd, 2012 Manel – Lido

May 2^nd, 2012 Foster the People – Columbiahalle

Like any well rounded person, I try to include a variety of cultural offerings and the previous three weeks were no exception. Within the boundaries of Berlin I heard a band from Australia, Cataluña and Los Angeles. Let’s begin

Boy & Bear / Boy & Guitars

Boy and Bear – okay the Roter Salon is a lovely venue and reminded me of San Francisco places like the Great American Music Hall and the Regency Ballroom. Off to the side of Volksbuhne, it had decent acoustics and that small, living room feel that makes for a great indie show. The crowd was about 99% Aussie, and so therefore loudly drunk. I didn’t realize I knew this band (Bronwen invited me and I excepted on the “free ticket” premise) until they played “Mexican Mavis” with was featured on the SXSW 2011 sampler which you can download on itunes.  Let’s call them very very Fleet Foxish.  They are also a non-encore band, who just announces they don’t do encores and play another song without leaving the stage. Lead singer told the story of people waiting around for ages at their last show waiting for an encore and he felt bad…well obviously not bad enough to play a few more songs! I thought it was old when the Supersuckers did that.

I have no idea what he's singing

Manel – Heard about this band from an Andalusian coworker, who sent me these links to entice me, note the awesome Pulp cover.  And also, he told me “Estos chicos cantan en Catalan, pero son majos! Yo tampoco los entiendo!!” so off to see a Catalan band that I most certainly won't understand. Now Lido was packed with more Spaniards per square meter than I’ve ever seen in Berlin, and I’ve been to Gorlitzer Park on a Sunday. What impressed me most was the mandolin and (no shit) an oboe incorporated into their version of melodic folk pop. Reminds me a bit of my favorite bit of 70s psych folk, Secos e Molhados.  Not-annoyingly-earnest vocals backed by sweeping melodies and solid musicianship.

ohmygod is it really you mark?

Foster the People – At the pinnacle of my recent show experiences. Now I was pretty bummed when they moved it from Astra Kulturhaus (leaky concrete box) to Columbiahalle (sweaty concrete box with crap acoustics). Now about fifty critics described their album Torches as the soundtrack to summer…but it is! Beautifully danceable electro-pop with catchy-as-hell lyrics. but the band live, oh live… the frontman, Mark Foster, has that break dancing, all over the sweaty stage charisma that makes live shows 10 million times better than listening on your ipod.  The most touching moment was when he brought a brace-eted skinny teen girl on stage, who was brandishing a sign that said “We love Mark!” (there are two in the band). He asked her how many people she was with, and brought her 3 girlfriends and one guy friend onto the stage too.  He asked the to stay on stage and dance with them to this song, and she just kept mouthing “Ohmygod!” while awkwardly keeping time. I’m sure it was the highlight of her 13^th year, just as pogoing crazily to “Call It What You Want” was the highlight of my May.