Mirrors

Yacht cover the Velvet Underground...Beach House performs on Later with Jools Holland...Is sex, drugs and rock n' roll for real?...Beck shares new single snippets...Haim and more...

I saw Yacht perform at Emo's a couple of years back (as I probably mentioned before), and they were excellent. Not only do they have a significantly viable stage presence, but I actually prefer their live sound rather than their studio recordings, but I'm only a humble admirer, considering that the only song I truly truly admire from them is "The Afterlife," but I'm sure I'm not alone on that front. Anyhow, the band has recently covered The Velvet Underground's famous track, "I'll Be Your Mirror," which is one of my favorite VU tracks. I was surprised that I actually liked Yacht's version, especially considering that those are some pretty huge shoes to fill, and though they don't come close, it's still a welcomed rendition. You can hear that below:



Moving along...I've been in this weird Beach House whirlpool. Every time I read music news, there's something about them, and every time I go to listen to music, something is always urging me to give them a listen. Maybe there's some weird Beach House magic in the air that keeps bringing them to the forefront of my mind, and I wouldn't even call myself a fan. Though, I have been listening to their first LP, Beach House, and I like that they've never significantly changed their sound, considering that their new stuff stays along the same wavelength. And it's nice to know that if I ever decided to see them live, their music bodes well for them in that their live performances seem to sound almost exactly the same, which for some people, is a telling sign of a great performance. You can view their Later with Jools Holland performance of their track "Myth," below:



Also, NME recently published an article that spoke about a link between sex, drugs and rock n' roll, and if that is an actual legitimate claim...Well, apparently it is. Some scientists (?) or sociologists (?) from the Netherlands distributed questionnaires to 944 people, and basically came to the conclusion that people who listen to loud music are more likely to smoke marijuana and have sex. So, as NME concluded, I guess it's safe to say that sex, drugs and rock n' roll go hand in hand. But, would we really have it any other way? You can read their actual report here.

Lastly, anything having to do with Beck is news to me...having said that, Beck recorded a new single, which is out via Jack White's Third Man Records on May 28. Beck has shared some snippets of both songs on the single, titled "I Just Started Hating Some People Today" and "Blue Randy," and let's just say from listening to the samples, I'm buying this when it comes out. Enough said. You can listen to them at the Third Man Records site, here.

LISTENING: Well...yesterday was a great day for music listening for this journalist. From about the time I got home from work to the time I went to bed, my stereo was extremely busy. One new band I listened to is a trio of sisters from California, called Haim. And they've released a 3-song EP, titled Forever, which is available for download on their website. My first impression was that I like how they incorporated many influences, but rock isn't one of them, even though many news outlets that have featured these sisters describes their blend of "classic rock and r&b." The r&b is there, but the rock isn't, so once again...a sample of false advertising. Now, don't get me wrong, these gals are catchy as fuck, not saying they're bad. Listen to the track below to see for yourself: (Side note: My niece walked in on me listening to it, and asked, "Why are you listening to Gloria Estefan?")



Other than that, I've been listening to some Modest Mouse, this other band I heard of called Pinemarten (though, they were a little too atmospheric for my taste), Gladys Bentley, and this other dude named Karl Blau, and this particular song, titled "Slow Down Joe," stuck out to me. So you can listen to that one below:



That's all. PEACE.