WHO KNOWS, WHO CARES

Local Natives’ Gorilla Manor is amazing.  Let me know if that requires any further explanation.  The latest from the L.A. indie outfit is a video for my favorite track off the album, “Who Knows, Who Cares.”  The video provides some feel-good visuals for the feel-good track as the band and friends frolic in the sunny countryside.  Would have been nice if this was released a couple months ago though — rest in peace summer.  If you were lucky enough to get tickets, make sure to check out Local Natives at their sold-out 9:30 Club show tonight.

MP3: Local Natives – “Who Knows, Who Cares”
MP3: Local Natives – “Who Knows, Who Cares” (bretonLABS Remix)

Love,
Adrian

KLAXONS: LIVE AT THE 9:30 CLUB

Klaxons‘ show at the 9:30 Club with Baby Monster this past Tuesday was long overdue.  Having sparingly made any live appearances since 2009, this tour was the first chance for stateside fans to catch a glimpse of the band since their rise to indie stardom off of the seminal Myths of the Near Future and in anticipation of the US release of their second album, Surfing the Void.  The band split their set pretty evenly between the two albums.  It was nice to hear live renditions of Surfing, especially given that the band was forced to re-record it after being told by their label that the album was too experimental.  Although the final result is far from inaccessible, you could get the sense at the show that the band’s latest work is a bit darker and more psychedelic than their older material.  That is, until they exploded into “Echoes,” the first single off of new album and perhaps my favorite Klaxons track yet.

Although the show was a great exhibition of Klaxons’ new material, it was also a powerful reminder of how amazing Myths of the Near Future was.  It’s unbelievable how many amazing tracks were packed onto that album.  There were no glaring omissions in their set list as Klaxons powered through the record’s best, including “Golden Skans,” “Gravity’s Rainbow,” and “Two Receivers.”  The highlight of the show (aside from the Peace Walker) was the closer, “Atlantis to Interzone.”  The raucous new-rave anthem set the room on fire and brought a pleasant end to what had been an amazing night.

MP3: Klaxons – “Echoes”
MP3: Klaxons – “Atlantis to Interzone”

Special thanks to Jeffrey Martin for taking these awesome shots of the show, the rest of which you’ll find after the jump.

Love,
Adrian

I’M A SPHERE THEY A SQUARE THEY CAN’T EVEN COME AROUND

Love him or hate him, Wale is basically the only hope D.C. hip hop has to make a mark on the national scene. So yeah, his debut LP was a big disappointment. Yeah, he’s somewhat unwilling to accept some blame for his album’s failure (you’d understand if you follow his twitter). Most of his mixtapes, though, have always allowed Wale to display his true colors. Unquestionable talent oozes from every clever turn of phrase and imaginative verse. No recent track demonstrates this better than his freestyle over Gyptian’s “Hold Yuh.” From cheeky pop culture references to confident bravado, it gets me excited to see Wale remember how he built a cult following, and play to that. Yeah, Wale’s always been egotistical, but on “Hold Yuh,” he’s the good kind, the rapper kind, not the ‘it’s not my fault my album was a flop’ kind.

MP3: Wale – “Hold Yuh (Freestyle)”

Love,
Zack

DISAVOW THE PLEASURE

If you don’t already know, The Twelves are a Brazilian electro-pop duo that have been making waves in the indie world for their energetic remixes of blog buzz artists like The Black Kids, The Virgins, Radiohead, and Metric. They are technically flawless, and their DJ sets have built them quite a nice cult following. I am lucky enough to get to see them at U St. Music Hall tonight (tix available here) along with ATG favorite Will Eastman, and you should absolutely come out if you live in the D.C. area. Ever since the duo dropped a dirty remix of M.I.A.’s “Boyz” back in 2007, they have been steadily building a stable of remixes that, in my opinion, trump the originals in most cases. Check out their take on Radiohead and The Black Kids, and go see them tonight.

MP3: Radiohead – “Reckoner (The Twelves Remix)”
MP3: The Black Kids – “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You (The Twelves Remix)”

Love,
Zack

Just Keep it Cool Baby, I Don’t Wanna Know

I know I’m about, oh, a year and a half late to the U.S. Royalty party, but that’s not going to stop me from posting about a song that I literally cannot get out of my head. I downloaded “Keep it Cool” around the time that it was making it’s rounds on all the taste makers, but for some reason it just sat in my iTunes to rot. I hit up shuffle a few weeks back, and lo and behold, the Bo Flex (Yes Giantess) remix of “Keep it Cool” serenaded my ear drums, at which point I proceeded to listen to it, you know, about twenty times on repeat. The punchy drums, catchy-as-all-hell chorus, and warm synths reminiscent of Passion Pit, come together like Voltron to form my Summer jam of 2010, even if I am a year late.

I am particularly embarrassed because the band is centered in my hometown of D.C., and just played at my favorite venue (U St. Music Hall) and I missed it. For shame.

MP3: US Royalty – “Keep it Cool (Bo Flex Giantess Remix)”

Love,
Zack

You Know it’s Gonna Make it that Much Better

Springtime officially hit D.C. last week, with temperatures hitting the low nineties, literally everything blooming (including the Cherry Blossoms), and my nose and eyes itching uncontrollably. After a long winter, the nation’s capital deserves some warm weather, and with that comes a shift in my music listening. Introspective artists like The National and Beirut are replaced in favor of carefree classics from Van Morrison, Free Energy, and The Beach Boys. Speaking of that last group, I recently came across two very entertaining remixes of their iconic songs. The first is a dance-worthy remodeling of “Wouldn’t it Be Nice” courtesy of The Girls Can Hear Us!, and the latter is a Stanton Warriors retake on “Good Vibrations.” These songs are ushering in what seems to be a short Spring and epically long Summer here in D.C.

MP3: The Beach Boys – “Wouldn’t it Be Nice (The Girls Can Hear Us! Remix)”
MP3: The Beach Boys – “Good Vibrations (Stanton Warriors Remix)”

Also, I know they’ve been blogged to death recently, but Tanlines’ “Real Life” is right up there in terms of epic-Spring-jam-ness. As is another song which I’ll be passing along to you tomorrow.

MP3: Tanlines – “Real Life”

Love,
Zack

ANNIHILATE THE WEEKEND

I’m well aware that I may be jumping the gun in the titling of this post, but some of us just can’t wait to surrender ourselves to the glory that is Friday.  Some of us also happen to be writing posts on a mix of the same name.  ATG friend and favorite Will Eastman is here to cure all your work-related woes with Annihilate the Weekend, a thirty-six minute ode to raging.  Annihilate features remixes by Will himself as well as dance, punk, and indie favorites that should keep everybody more than satisfied.  Head on over to the Blisspop blog for the track-listing.

MP3: Will Eastman – “ANNIHILATE THE WEEKEND Mix”

This weekend happens to be special for Mr. Eastman.  On December 11th, he’ll be releasing his single, “Feelin’,” on iTunes and Amazon.  Make sure to grab that when Friday rolls around.  For those of you who can’t wait, the track (as well as remixes by DC natives Nadastrom, Tittsworth, and Dmerit) is available for early download over at Beatport.

Love,
Adrian

Blisspop Gets Its Blog On

[Photo credit: Dakota Fine, BYT]

If there are two things we here at ATG love, it’s music and DC.  When we get the opportunity to talk about both in a post, you know we’ll take it.  For that reason I’m proud to announce the birth of the Blisspop blog.  For those of you don’t hail from our nation’s capital, Blisspop is the project of DC’s resident/favorite DJ, Will Eastman.  The man hosts dance parties year round in the DC area under the Blisspop banner, bringing along some of his favorite bands and DJ’s along for the ride.  Now that Blisspop’s made a home for itself on the interwebs, you can keep better track of what Mr. Eastman’s up to as well as snag exclusive downloads from other artists that carry the Blisspop spirit.  Below you can check out Classixx’s remix of Yacht’s “Psychic City”, one of the latest features on the new site.

MP3: Yacht – “Psychic City” (Classixx Remix – Fabio Pop Dancefloor Rework)

If you find yourself in the DC area this weekend, then go and check out Blisspop’s next party over at the Black Cat this Saturday, November 28th.  Yes Giantess will be showing some love with their own DJ Set along with Will, so you don’t want to miss it.

CHECK OUT THE BLISSPOP BLOG.

Love,
Adrian

Matt & Kim, Diplo, Major Lazer @ Rock’n’Roll Hotel

Guest blogger and former college roommate Josh Walker attended the Matt & Kim, Diplo, and Major Lazer show at Rock’n’Roll Hotel last Saturday. He was kind enough to give us some insight into what exactly went down:

Diplo and Major Lazer put on an epic set at the Rock and Roll Hotel in D.C. on Saturday. 500 or so party goers cramed into the intimate venue to hear all three artists spin sets well into the night. While I regrettably missed the Matt & Kim set, I arrived just in time to see Diplo and Major Lazer take the stage together. The two spun mind-numbing and irresistably danceable beats while scantily-clad dancers put on a show fit for a strip club. The night redefined what constitutes a true dance party. Well done Bacardi for putting this show together.

MP3: Dead Prez – “Hip Hop (Diplo Remix)”

MP3: Major Lazer – “Hold the Line (ft. Mr. Lexx & Santigold)”

Check out some more pictures after the jump.

All Things Go @ Kid’s Inaugural

Concert reviews have been somewhat of a rare occurrence here on All Things Go, but every once in a while Zack and I get to go to a show that we just have to write about.  It’s these shows that force you to look in the mirror and ask yourself: “Who am I really?”.  It’s these shows that encourage you to look back at what you’ve done in life and question whether you’ve been true to yourself.  It’s these shows that change who you are as a person.  That’s why All Things Go would like to thank the Jonas Brothers for encouraging us to look deeper into our souls and learn who we are as people.

It’s safe to say that the place to be this weekend was the nation’s capital.  With manifestations of Obamania at the corner of every street in the district, Washington was more alive than it had ever been in recent history in the lead up to the inauguration of our nation’s 44th president.  And as is usually the case every four years, there are plenty of inaugural events and balls that occur in the several days surrounding this momentous date.  One of these was the Kid’s Inaugural, a Disney-hosted concert held in honor of American military families.

On the night of this event, the Verizon Center was abound with hordes of little children, all absolutely psyched to see Miley Cyrus and the Jo’ Bros.  The concert also included performances by The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift‘s Bow Wow, rising Disney stars Corbin Bleu and Demi Lovato, and appearances by Jamie Foxx, Usher, Rosario Dawson, and the one and only George Lopez.

Although Zack and I got pretty pumped up by all the performances that night, our awkward attempts at dancing to Miley Cyrus and making cat-calls to George Lopez were shrouded by the shrieks and screams coming from the thousands of Disney-ites in attendance.  But you can’t blame these kids for being so excited — several of the night’s performances were legitimately entertaining.  The event kicked off with a four-song set by Miley Cyrus, which included the ever-popular “See You Again” and a duet with Billy Ray Cyrus which, to our chagrin, was not a father-daughter rendition of “Achy Breaky Heart.”  The remainder of the night was filled with a slew of celebrity appearances and performances, most of which were fine and amusing (although Demi Levato’s second song, “La-La Land,” closed out with a pretty-awesome-but-I-guess-you-had-to-be-there breakdown).

The musical highlight of the night was by far the Jonas Brothers.  Would I have been furious if they didn’t play “Burnin’ Up”?  Yes, incredibly.  Fortunately, I didn’t have to throw a hissy fit.  The Jo’ Bros rounded out their four-song set with their hit single, bringing every tween girl in the room to their knees.  To be honest, the three siblings are great entertainers.  I was surprised at how much I seriously enjoyed their performance, not for its novelty value, but as an actual concert.

However, the true highlight of the event was having Michelle Obama and her two daughters, Sasha and Malia, at the event.  Michelle did give a speech towards the end of the show, but the best part was having the presidential family around for the entire show and seeing them dance the night away to the Jonas Brothers, Miley, and co.  The two Obama girls seemed to be having the times of their lives, a good start for their stay here in the nation’s capital.

So was the concert a blast? Yes.  Am I somewhat ashamed?  Sure.  Does that make me lame?  You be the judge (Yes.).  But in the end it was a fun part of the weekend-long celebration here in Washington, DC that it was truly special to be a part of.

Love,
Adrian