FRICTION NYC

Gorillaz Takeover the Guardian

Virtual music crock potters Gorillaz takeover the UK’s Guardian as only the likes of U2’s marketing team could have conjured up. Their new album Plastic Beach, one of 2010 most anticipated albums, is streaming now in its entirety on the site. Former Blur frontman and Britpop king Damon Albarn as well as comic-book artist Jamie Hewlett continue their own bizarre journey into hip-hop, electronic/traditional orchestration and dub, all categorized as alternative rock since their first Gorillaz release in 2001.

What first stands out is the diverse ‘featuring’ collaborations with the likes of Mos Def, Lou Reed, Mark E. Smith, De La Soul and The Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music. Their knack seems to be that there’s something here for everyone. Bobby Womack standouts on ‘Stylo’ and ‘Cloud of Unknowing’, how great would it have been to have Snoop Dogg on these tracks, but this would have been too easy for Gorillaz. The synthy chill-wavesque ‘On Melancholy Hill’ might as well be the breezy hit of the summer. Our only complaint is that Lou Reed falls flat and seems like an out of touch grandfather on ‘Some Kind of Nature’, which would have been better served with the likes of Lee Renaldo. We’re curious as to how they bring it all together live as this year’s headliner at Coachella. One thing is for sure, Snoop Dogg will be there as a collaborator on ‘Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach’.

On first listen this is the sort of album you would play at your own party after all the pesky party crashers have left and only the cool kids are left. Time to get the party started by busting out the top shelf stuff you’ve been hiding and wait for the sun to rise.

Stream the whole album now with no strings attached on the UK’s Guardian

FRICTION NYC presents: Pretty & Nice, Fugitive Souls, The Valley Arena | 8.01.09 @ littlefield

Get Hype!!! FRICTION is back from a break with a night at new performance and art space littlefield in Brooklyn. Headlining this month’s post mid-summer classic are NYC’s The Forms with Special Guests. On the bill are Boston’s Pretty & Nice who bring their form of frenetic and danceable form of pop and punk. Just added are Fugitive Souls with their dark, guitar-based angst mixed with electronic flourishes. All the way from Long Beach, melodic post-punkers The Valley Arena open up this as usual exciting night.

Advanced tickets are available at littlefield website. Doors open at 8 PM, flyer, mp3’s, and more below.

…Pretty & Nice re-imagine the playfully manic, barbed-wire sounds of Devo, XTC, and This Year’s Model-era Elvis Costello. Their approach is so guileless and giddy, you’ll get drunk on that spazzy, sneering sound all over again. Though the rousing, delightfully messy songs on their sophomore album are neither pretty nor nice, they do show off some masterfully economical riffs and herky-jerky (if not outright dance-y) rhythms. …swells with energy and amphetamine-addled pop hooks, making it hard to ignore and near impossible not to like. [Pitchfork]
[MP3]: Pretty & Nice “Tora Tora Tora”

 

Brooklyn’s Fugitive Souls are here to serenade you with the dark, romantic melodies on this week’s free download, “Hang On”, off their debut EP, Strangers. Singer, Mark Allen, formerly of the The Shapes, delivers an intimate, yet powerful performance akin to Muse’s Matt Bellamy. Beautiful piano chords punctuate Allen’s vocals while disco rhythms beat across the drummer’s hi-hat…[Our Stage]
[MP3]: Fugitive Souls “A Secret Weighs A Ton”

 

Long Beach’s Valley Arena deliver a dynamic, well-crafted modern rock album—I guess you could say that their sound has evolved and grown up, but they bring enough of their old building blocks to the studio to have assemble something mostly new, yet hazily familiar. They’re able to strike that delicate balance of their noisier/more frenetic elements with newly focused song structure that lends itself well to their individual playing styles. The real brilliance on this record is found in the guitar/bass tones… [L.A. Record]
[MP3]: The Valley Arena “Grayscale”

 

FRICTION NYC presents: The Golden Filter, Heartsrevolution, Pink Skull | 1.30.09 @ (Le) Poisson Rouge

We’ve followed the golden fox, held the golden key, and have seen the golden light. The band that’s piqued everyone’s curiosity for the last six months is about to shed their veil of mystery. On January 30th, New York City’s nu-disco outfit, THE GOLDEN FILTER, will make their North American debut at (Le) Poisson Rouge. HEARTSREVOLUTION with their distorted, punchy electro 8-bit and fine purveyors of dirty Philly tech-house bangers, PINK SKULL, round out this modern-day disco rager. FINGER ON THE PULSE DJs drop the jams all night. Presented by FRICTION NYC and (Le) Poisson Rouge. GET HYPE!

Advanced tickets are available at the (Le) Poisson Rouge website. Doors open at 10:00 PM, flyer, mp3’s, and more below.

 

 

“New York City’s THE GOLDEN FILTER may have just put out one of the sexiest jams of the summer with ‘Solid Gold’ and no one knows a single thing about them. A revved up, glittery disco-bassline and icy synths anchor your feet to the dancefloor while airy female vocals breeze past on rays of golden light – a combination that’s enough to cool you on the most humid of days.” [FRICTION NYC]
[MP3]: “Solid Gold”

 

“Beware; those who enter the HEARTSREVOLUTION world may never leave. Ben and Lo’s music takes hold of you with its silvery, digital clutch – cut’n’paste, overlapping beats, dream-like synths and mantra lyrics – and never lets you go.” [NME]
[MP3]: “C.Y.O.A.”

 
”
PINK SKULL’s first full-length released earlier this year (Zeppelin 3), plays like a time- and genre-transcending masterpiece like nothing you’ve heard — a mélange of soundscapes ranging from dancefloor killers to experimental funk to psych-rock to ultra-low-key acoustic folk.” [Prefixmag]
[MP3]: “Unicorn Harpoon”

 
In part with:

FRICTION @ Mercury Lounge w/ Violens + Telepathe + Picture Picture + Zaza | 11.20.08

GET HYPE one last time in 2008! Prior to the mad-rush of the holiday season, FRICTION is back at The Mercury Lounge for one final show in 2008, closing out three full years of shows. This lineup features Violens, Telepathe, Picture Picture, and Zaza, four local acts you’ll be hearing plenty more from in 2009.

Advanced tickets are available on The Mercury Lounge website. Doors open at 7:30pm, flyer, mp3’s, and more below.

 

 

“VIOLENS clearly draws from the mid-’80s U.K. indie scene (Aztec Camera, the Pale Fountains, Prefab Sprout) but doesn’t sound derivative of anyone; the group’s evocation of that era’s internationalist style and wit comes wrapped in a cool emotionalism that also characterizes Violens’ onstage vibe. The only issue with their shows is that we can’t get them to play a song more than once.” [Time Out NY]
[MP3]: “Violent Sensation Descends”

 

“TELEPATHE forge largely improvised guitar gusts, woodsy chirps, wraithlike Bjorkian harmonies, and powerfully jabbed drums into minimalist baroque.” [Village Voice]
[MP3]: “Devil’s Trident”

 

“PICTURE PICTURE are nestled pretty nicely in the Brooklyn nu-psych scene that’s birthed MGMT, Yeasayer, and Chairlift. ‘Liftoff’ begins with an off-tempo blues sample that’s then doused in squirming moogs, autotuned falsettos and enough jagged editing to make your skull shake. It’s heady, for sure, but it’s also strangely enjoyable, never once seeming complacent or cliché, unless to be ironically so.” [RCRD LBL]
[MP3]: “Jealous Change Of Mind”

 

“New York-based two-piece, ZAZA, let their echo-laden vocals wash over waves of gothy, post-punk-influenced guitars and muscular percussion for a sound that is, at once, sensual and suspenseful. Erotic thrillers would be well matched with these eerie, enticing songs, which can make crime scenes and sex scenes alike seem more mysterious.” [Rumblefish]
[MP3]: “Sooner Or Later”

 
In part with:

FRICTION NYC & FLYING V present: Crystal Antlers, Pink Skull, Mythical Beast | 10.26.08 @ The Barbary

Making their Philadelphia debut, Long Beach, CA’s CRYSTAL ANTLERS (Touch & Go) bring their combustible live show to The Barbary on October 26th. With an explosive build-up of noise and melody blended with raw vocals and twisting riffs, this quintet has mastered the art of thrash. Philly’s hypnotic, dance-floor-friendly enthusiasts, PINK SKULL (first-ever all ages show!!!), and Kansas City’s fine purveyors of dark psych, MYTHICAL BEAST round out the bill. Be sure to knock back a couple of extra Bloody Mary’s at brunch and/or an extra six-pack of Kenzinger during the game before heading over to The Barbary for this Sunday evening jawn.

This is an ALL AGES EARLY SHOW!!! with doors opening at 6:00pm. Advanced tickets available here. The Barbary is located at 951 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19125 (215 634-7400).

GET HYPE!

 

 

“Existing at the cross-section of so many styles, CRYSTAL ANTLERS debut EP (Touch & Go) finds the band at a more important nexus of potential and realization. In person, Crystal Antlers look like outcasts from six different bands, and at various points on this record, they sound like it, too: Merging psych, garage, lo-fi, prog, and countless other influences, the group easily maintains consistency despite a complete inability to be pinned to any specific movement or trend.” [Pitchfork, Best New Music]
[MP3]: “A Thousand Eyes”

 

“PINK SKULL’s first full-length released earlier this year (Zeppelin 3), plays like a time- and genre-transcending masterpiece like nothing you’ve heard — a mélange of soundscapes ranging from dancefloor killers to experimental funk to psych-rock to ultra-low-key acoustic folk.” [Prefixmag]
[MP3]: “Unicorn Harpoon”

 

“Steeped in the darkest recesses of psych’s heart, MYTHICAL BEAST’s tracks [on their debut album, Scales] smolder with scorched earth and the black taste of doom. But there is light at the edges of Mythical Beast’s universe and though the themes are dark there’s a sad hope that looms present behind the clouds of destruction. The band has pulled itself to the forefront of modern psychedelia, and this album [recorded with Greg Weeks at Language of Stone in Philly] will more than likely serve as a jumping off point for great things to come.” [Raven Sings the Blues]
[MP3]: “Cycle/Circle”

**FREE** CMJ Afterparty w/ Crystal Antlers, Best Fwends, & Ninjasonik | Tonight! @ Cake Shop

FRICTION NYC and FUCK YEAH FEST bring a little bit of the right coast, left coast, and in between to the Cake Shop for this CMJ Afterparty TONIGHT! Austin, Texas’ BEST FWENDS, along with Long Beach, California’s CRYSTAL ANTLERS, and Brooklyn’s very own NINJASONIK get hype for CMJ. Best Fwends gets shit moving at 1AM. No RSVP bullshit — just show up and GET HYPE! Free PBR while it lasts!

I didn’t even write any of this people, I put in something else earlier. Justin changed my shit up, another case of not being able to delegate and being controllingly anal. -Nghia

“BEST FWENDS’ music is a big attention-deficit-disordered smash-up of punk, early Beastie Boys and unrefined 8-bit sounds. It’s a kindred sound to those of British bands like Gay Against You and Applicants: frantic, but rooted in pop and/or rock. It’s trashy, cheap, headachy noise, but noise that a lot of love has clearly been put into.”
[MP3]: “Orange Marker”

“Existing at the cross-section of so many styles, CRYSTAL ANTLERS debut EP (Touch & Go) finds the band at a more important nexus of potential and realization. In person, Crystal Antlers look like outcasts from six different bands, and at various points on this record, they sound like it, too: Merging psych, garage, lo-fi, prog, and countless other influences, the group easily maintains consistency despite a complete inability to be pinned to any specific movement or trend.” [Pitchfork, Best New Music]
[MP3]: “A Thousand Eyes”

“Looking for a good time? You might want to call NINJASONIK. These Brooklyn art-hop pranksters combine spiky beats with rhymes about grabbing asses and the skinny jeans they wear…Mostly, though, people have been talking about these foul mouthed Ninjas for their debauchery fueled live shows, which has seen plenty of crowd diving and drunken punk rock antics…Whoa! Don’t say we didn’t warn you.” [Brooklyn Radio]
[MP3]: “Tight Pants”

10.19.08 FRICTION: IN PICTURES

More pictures from Sunday night’s FRICTION show with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Women, The Beets, and Katie Stelmanis on Flickr. All images © 2008 Nghia Nguyen