Show Review: Niki and the Dove

I had the pleasure of attending Niki and the Dove's performance at the El Rey, and it was something.  I'm not sure entirely what I was watching, but I was there and something was happening.  Malin and Gustaf took the stage, wearing light up rings and what seems to be whatever Malin could find that resembled clothing, and began their set.  They started to play music.  They played some of the hits.  They played some experimental stuff.  I might have gotten into it, I don't know.  Malin absorbed the music and let her body move on its own.  It was something.

All in all, it was an entertaining set.  Gustaf did a great job covering all of the music himself as Malin sang.  They are definitely a talented duo.  They showed up, did stuff on stage, and I enjoyed it.

--Kyle

DJ of the New Moon: DJ Irias of Sonic Shamanism

DJ IRIAS of SONIC SHAMANISM

DJ Irias, the Sonic Shaman himself, oversees the transition from Monday to Tuesday with a potent blend of house, folk, reggae, hip-hop, and whatever else may mesh with the evening's potpourri. No genre, style, or era is off-limits for the Shaman; he'll use whatever tools he needs to evoke the strongest images and emotions that tie into the night's theme. Past subject matter has included "Deep Space", "Insomnia", and "EVERYTHING IS ALIVE". The best part is that this dude is mixing all of his disparate elements together on the fly, creating a seamless blend of spiritual healing and ecstasy for the night owls. 

DJ Irias has represented KXSC at The Central SAPC, warming up a STRFKR DJ set with a set of loungey grooves. He also employs visual art from friend Kimberly Morris, works on KXSC staff as a recording engineer, and uploads each and every show to his personal Mixcloud. 

New This Week: My Bloody Hummingbirds from Nowhere

My Bloody Valentine - m b v: FROM THE MOMENT I PRESSED PLAY, I KNEW...jk

Recommended Tracks: "New You", "Only Tomorrow", "In Another Way"

Local Natives - Hummingbird: Some folks may dismiss the Natives' sophomore release because there's nothing quite as bombastic or immediately electrifying as, say, "Sun Hands" from 2010's Gorilla Manor. However, I think this album is fairly brilliant in its subtleties; producer Aaron Dessner of The National gives a remarkable sense of space to these compositions, and Taylor Rice offers his best lyrical work to date.

Recommended Tracks: "Colombia", "Breakers", "Heavy Feet"

Darkstar - News from Nowhere: Disclaimer: I'll add anything Warp Records puts out.  With that being said, we have a very solid 2nd release from an English electronic trio that began with dubstep experimentation before transitioning into synthpop on their first album for Hyperdub. Here, the group tries psychedelia on for size and ends up with something in the vein of Animal Collective.

Recommended Tracks: "Timeaway", "Armonica", "A Day's Pay for a Day's Work" 

Unknown Mortal Orchestra - II: I always confuse this band with Manchester Orchestra. I'm pretty sure this is the good one. The follow-up to UMO's self-titled debut expands on that record's psyched-out soul and places a heavy emphasis on Ruban Nielson's exceptional guitar chops. Some of the noodling gets a little tiresome, but the hooks hit hard despite complex chord changes. A slight yet engaging evolution from a group that will be very interesting to hear develop in the coming years.

Recommended Tracks: "So Good at Being in Trouble", "Faded in the Morning", "Swim and Sleep"

New This Week: True Elements of the 21st Century

Pantha Du Prince and the Bell Laboratory - Elements of Light One of my absolute favorite producers contrasts his minimal techno stylings with a live orchestra of marimbas, xylophones, chimes, and this monstrosity (known as a bell carrion).  Pantha has always employed bell sounds as a prominent motif in his compositions, but the live instrumentation adds a real sense of expansiveness and depth here.  You can feel an outright humanity running through this album as the players command different timbres, weaving around and brushing up against one another in pursuit of a singular musical idea.  Some of these tracks are quite long but very much worth the wait if you let them breathe on your show ("Spectral Split" in particular).  Otherwise, "Photon" should be the go-to for the majority of you.

Recommended Tracks: "Photon", "Quantum", "Spectral Split"

Foxygen - We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic - I'm sure you can understand why I was leery when this one arrived in our inbox.  Against all odds, this duo from LA has crafted a collection of slinky, hooky pop that actually makes the name Foxygen tenable.  This is a record that bursts with energy, bounding gleefully from genre to genre to see what fits (sometimes within the same track).  The shapeshifting "Shuggie" and "On Blue Mountain" ingeniously stitch together wildly diverse ideas, while "San Francisco" doubles down on its impossibly catchy yet puzzling chorus: "I left my love in San Francisco/(That's OK, I was born in LA)".

Recommended Tracks: "San Francisco", "Shuggie", "We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic"

Solange - True - Slowly but surely, Solange Knowles is hammering out her own artistic identity away from the towering shadow of her older sister.  After trying her hand at uptempo R&B and dusty Motown on her first two records, Solange began to show a greater interest in our sort of music, bringing Hov & B to a Grizzly Bear concert in Williamsburg and performing "Stillness Is the Move" with the Dirty Projectors.  On her latest EP, the 26 year old works with producer Devonté Hynes to create accessible electronic-tinged pop with a Madonna vibe circa 1986.  Bolstered by Knowles's strong vocals, these songs simmer with yearning, doubt, and resentment.

Recommended Tracks: "Losing You", "Lovers in the Parking Lot", "Locked in Closets"