Har Mar Superstar

 

April 2nd at Annex

   Awww....  Har Mar Superstar.   What wonderfulness can you bring to our fair city?  This beautiful man with an angelic voice was introduce to me by my coworker along the same time I was introduced to Leslie and the Lys.  When I first heard him, I couldn't figure out how he wasn't bigger then he was.  He has a great voice.  His music is catchy and danceable.   Then I actually sawpictures of him and saw how sleazy some of his antics were on stage.  Although that actually gives him more credit with what I like to call the Peaches crowd, I can see how mainstream music wouldn't care for it too much. 

  Har Mar Superstar is the essence of Pop.  I would go so far as to say that he takes all of the great things that describe pop and masters them into his songs.  It's all usually about shagging or trying to get this or that person to fall for you.  He will throw in some great background female vocalists to oooh and ahhh him just enough to have the audience member picture Har Mar covered in beautiful women.  I mean, if you actually want to visualize that.  

His newest single from his new album  Dark Touches, Tallboy is a great song that should definitely get more airplay then it has.  When I spoke to him during his last visit, I mentioned how many of the people in the audience for his show were gay men and how he felt that his performance and songs seems to be appreciated more by them.  He admitted this was true, and I feel that his song Tallboy was an ode to his gays.  Should you see him live?  Yes.  Though I recommend if you are a female in the college age range that you don't stand too close to the stage or you may get a face full of sweaty underwear or worse, a Har Mar Superstar who wants to make out with you.

Dark Touches (2009)

Tallboy 

 The Handler (2004)

Body Request 

DUI

The Big Pink

March 19th at Turner Hall Ballroom

w/ A Place to Bury Strangers

The Big Pink is composed of Robbie Furzo and Milo Cordell.  Both had worked on a music label called Hate Channel and Milo had his own record label called Merok Records.  Merok had released some songs that would fit in the "noise rock" genre which you can hear in some of the songs on the Big Pink's debut album, A Brief History of Love. When interviewed, Robbie and Milo said that the entire album was made up of love songs.  But love isn't always something that is easy, light and jubilant.  Sometimes it's rough and dark, full of longing and misunderstandings.  I like this concept and even more so, I like how The Big Pink was able to create this album where the songs all sound different and unique while expressing these different phases of love.  

The Big Pink are originally from Britian.  Thinking of electro dance bands from the U.K., Hot Chip may come to mind.  But I'd more put their style to 80's dark electro, a beat that is a little harder and rough added with a great lead male crooning voice.  Guitar distortions, voice distortions and some slightly industrial sounding music all play apart in this album.  

A Brief History of Love

Videos

Velvet 

Dominos 

Phantogram

April 18th at High Noon Saloon

   Not only am I excited that Phantogram is coming to Madison.  I'm also excited that they are opening for The Antlers who I saw last year and I'm excited to see again.  I'll write up something about them in a later post.  I also believe that  Phantogram is another band that Ryan Lucas turned me on to.  I at least remember him telling me I should check them out if they swing on through Wisconsin.   

   

Phantogram is a duo consisting of Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter.  Considered an electronic music band, Sarah brings the breathy female vocals while Josh lays down some amazing beats.  Sarah's vocals remind me of Alison Goldfrapp's, who is the lead singer of Goldfrapp.  Her voice fits in perfectly with the music, crooning at the listner as in their song When I'm Small.  Everywhere I searched Phantogram on the web, people said that their live performances were amazing.  If anything, seeing this band and The Antlers together has to be one of the first ultimate shows this year.  I can guarantee that they will blow up either this year or next, so see them now at such a great venue while you can.

These are all live videos

Mouthful of Diamonds  

Let Me Go    

Tally Hall

March 11 at the Frequency

   Five guys hailing from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Tally Hall has been together since 2002.  I would describe their music at cute pop rock, similar if a college all male acapella group added guitars and drums.  The vocals are great, the music can go between generic pop rock to rap covers.   Their first and last released album was Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum, which the name alone sounds awesome. So this band is slightly out of my musical tastes just because there is a good deal of familiarity in the music and vocals (if you haven't noticed, I tend to enjoy music or vocals that push slightly into the experimental) but hey, it's 5 cute guys who can harmonize.  I'm down with that.  Here's some of their music and videos.

Good Day

Ruler of Everything 

Woodhands

March 28 at The Frequency

    There's something about Canadians that makes me feel like they are lovable misfits who break grounds in social evolution. What better thing to reflect a society or culture but the music.  Alanis Morsette, Tegan and Sara, Kids in the Hall (they had some songs) all are beautiful, beautiful Canadians.  Well, here is another Canadian group that will make you want to pack up and move.
       Woodhands is composed of Dan Werb and Paul Banwatt.  And their music is composed of dancey electrowave with passionate and sometimes punk -ish vocals.  Which is kind of how I like my crazy dance music.  They performed a few years ago at Project Lodge and I can say I'm really happy they are coming back to Madison.  Their debut album, Heart Attack, puts out the beats with some amazing tracks.  I Wasn't Made For Fighting being one of them.  So listen to these attractive boys and hope you come out to the show at the Frequency.

Heart Attack (2008)

I Wasn't Made For Fighting
Can't See Straight

Cold Cave

 

February 26 at Project Lodge

  

     Originally from my home area, Philly, PA, Cold Cave now resides in Manhattan, possibly to get some of that Brooklyn vibe that seems to be all the rage these days. Cold Cave is composed of Wesley Eisod, Caralee McElroy (from Xiu Xiu) and Dominick Fernow. Just in case you want to say hi to them before and after the show. Speaking of such, I hope there is room to get in. This band I'm thinking will bring a pretty decent crowd.

Cold Cave reminds me of a more danceable less punky version of Crystal Castles. There is distortion used on the voices giving them an echo and 80's goth kind of sound to them. Doing some research, I guess the term for this type of music is "Darkwave".
Behind the vocals are some fun dancey beats that will even more remind someone of 80's Joy Division. Actually that last bit was how a friend of mine described them. Their debut album was released on Matador Records (say hello to Brad Oberhofer for me!) and is titled “Love Comes Close.”

Love Comes Close
Life Magazine

Brad Oberhofer

 

Oberhofer - Demo

Starting off as an intern at Matador and also a student at NYU, Brad Oberhofer decided to share the demo of his music to some higher ups at Matador.  After listening to it, they knew right away that they had an amazing talent working in their office.

Brad Oberhofer was a one man band when he started creating music, saying that he would grab musicians from other bands to fill in whenever he performed live, whether that was within the bursting Brooklyn Indie rock scene or back at his native grounds of Tacoma, WA.  But creating and playing music alone doesn't take away from the complexity and fullness of Oberhofer's sound.  He takes some of the best traits from already well known bands and makes them his own.  There definitely a feeling of MGMT with his dance beats as well as connection to Wavves with his use of distortion on his voice.  Oberhofer is able to take all of these sound bits and yet his sound still sounds unique.  Check him out for yourself and hope that he does a tour of the country sometime soon and plays in Madison.

  Demo

Away From You  

I Could Go 

Dead Girls Dancing