video: Wavves at Santos Party House

"The Thing In The Back Of My Brain"

Last Thursday, our boy Ray Concepcion and I headed down to Lafayette St to catch Alex Bleeker & the Freaks, Ganglians and Wavves at Mr. Andrew WK's pad. It was an interesting evening. Lots of kids, speakers, liquor, and, surprisingly, no fights! Ray, who was all over the place that night, covering nook and cranny of Santos, before heading back uptown, captured Wavves blistering set in a short three part mini-movie. Check it below, or head to Ray's Vimeo page to watch that shiz in HD. As you'll notice, it was basically "The Zach Hill Show." No surprise there.

video: Ganglians "Unknown Song"

"Take A Walk In The Park"

Another choice c. axel capture from Ganglians set at the Market Hotel. Not sure what this one is called, think it might be new, either way, it features more killer axe work. Ganglians have a new 7" out on Capture Tracks, a thousand copies, but I heard that its already sold out, most likely to distributors only. Pick that up, "Blood on the Sand" is killer.

video: Ganglians "Never Mind"

"Call Me, Call Me, Call Me"

Hours before the now infamously retarded Wavves vs. Black Lips brawl, vibes were real strong. Beach Fossils opened the night at Market with another stellar set, one that included a first time played song they'd just practiced that afternoon. (Again, no vocal tremolo. Maybe it's gone forever?) Then Ganglians arrived. Prior to their set I talked furry trolls, DMT and "The Void" with lead Ganglian Ryan Grubbs. Soon after that the band launched into a set wrought with the fruits of cave living. As many have noted, the band did not dabble in Monster Head Room territory (much to the dismay of some), however, what they lacked in ethereal jangle, they made up for with tweak ragers, bombastic chants and a epic guitar onslaught. As you can see above, Ganglians have one of the best guitar players around, a dude not afraid to shred. Nice to see in "indie rock."

comp: Brasil Could Be Your Life

Wild Animal Kingdom, Indeed

Wild Animal Kingdom is one of my favorite upstart labels and they've been churning out a lot of choice material over the past few months. Recent releases include Pill Wonder's Jungle/Surf, which would definitely prove an apt score for this vid of dudes surfing the Amazon, and the first installment of the must purchase WAKR Monthly Mix-Tape Club. The latest WAKR issue finds the Olympia-based dudes mining the fruits of South America. Brasil Could Be Your Life was curated by Lilian De Munno, a friend of the WAK who resides in Brasil, so yeah, her take on the music of Sao Paolo and Rio is probably more authentic than yours. The new mix is simply described by the following: "Q: How endearing is it to hear Portuguese speakers sing about t-shirts and love in English? A: Very." Truth. An early standout has to be "e o sol brilhou sobre o verde" by Supercordas, a psych act from Sao Paulo whose upfront use of theremin and tape loops recalls Elephant 6 and Smile-outtakes, as well as tropicalia. Bearhug's "A Storm, A Night Out (edit)" is another doozy, fusing lo-fi pitterpat drum beats with skill saw melodies. It's defiantly lo-fi and charming. Highly recommended, especially if you aren't sick of fuzzy vocals.

Supercordas- e o sol brilhou sobre o verde
Bearhug- A Storm, A Night Out (edit)

CMJ: 10/20 Bobka, OESB & UP are Straight Chillin'

"House of Mirrors"
(Big ups to Mimoun of Family Portrait/UP for Poster Art)
The first time I went to Monkeytown I knew I'd have to throw an event there. And now the time has come. Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my extreme pleasure to unveil the first of a few Chocolate Bobka CMJ shows. If you've ever been to Monkeytown (peep rad pic here), you know one thing is up; straight chilling. Therefore, it felt pretty logical to call up my favorite super chillerz and see if they would come down to cool out, play some tunes and trip out to some tweaker visuals. And that's exactly what we'll do on Tuesday October 20th 2009. I'll be honest in noting that I basically curated this lineup for myself. Just bands that I want to see while 'laxing out on some of the most comfortable couches in New York, while visual masterminds Richard Law, Alice Cohen and Todd Ledford space my face on the four massive, wall sized projection screens. A little run down of the evening.

Chocolate Bobka, Olde English Spelling Bee & Underwater Peoples are Straight Chilling.
Fluffy Lumbers (rare solo set)
Family Portrait ("Western drone set")
Alice Cohen (solo)
Julian Lynch live via Satellite broadcast on 4 Walls
Ducktails
Africa Germany Germany ETC (Live NYC premiere)

Stoked? Me too! If you've ever been to Monkeytown, then you probably know the drill. Besides the inevitable straight chilling, the venue also offers some of the choicest food in NYC, just take a peep at their Fall Menu. (Different types of Sliders: Elk curry chimichurri, Ostrich bbq’d garlic relish, Venison juniper shallot jam & Wild Board Apple Chutney--are you freaking serious?!) The show will cost a measly $7, and as with all Monkeytown shows, there is a $10 minimum, which means you have to have at least 2 beers. If you don't plan on having at least two drinks, well, this probably isn't your type of show. In order to gain access to the show, which is unofficial CMJ (aka no badges), one will have to make reservations with Monkeytown. (Do so here.) This event will sell out fast, so I encourage you to get on this asap. Peep below for some choice media from participating artists.

PS. Bring medical edibles.

Fluffy Lumbers- Cruisers
Ducktails- Parasailing

Family Portrait w/ Julian Lynch "Super Cool"

Alice Cohen "Black Pepper"

Julian Lynch "Garden 2" (Directed by Richard Law)

bootleg: Lotus Plaza 9/22/09

"Red Oak Way"
I never really thought Lotus Plaza would play any shows, so it was quite a pleasant surprise to see this pop up on the Deerhunter/Atlas Sound/Lotus Plaza blog this morning. "Direct from the mixing desk courtesy of Nathan Brown & Robby Kee," two dudes behind Tree Creature, this set finds Lockett Pundt's beginning with a hazy warble of synthetic mist, before exploding into a sonic barrage about ten minutes in. Of course, the barrage gives way to some blippy, ambient pops and skips. Not as wrapped in ten layers of gauze as you might expect, the bootleg finds Pundt channeling friend Noah Lennox's realm of sampled percussive rhythms and bouncing, looped vocals.

Download Lotus Plaza 9/22/09.

new: Girls "Life in San Francisco"

"La La La La La"
(photo by sandy kim)
Girls Album just arrived on my door step, along with the new "Lust for Life" b/w "Life in San Francisco" 7-inch and, of course, a Girls poster. This is how records are supposed to be packaged. (Big ups True Panther.) At first spin, the record sounds absolutely gorgeous. Really dense and warm, which is no surprise considering Album was "committed to an analogue recording tape via a mess of cables run into a single channel r.n.p. preamplifier into a distresser generally set up at 6:1 ratio with 6db of gain reduction followed by a soundworkshops spring reverb." A note inside the record goes on to read "We have no chairs in the studio and usually the tracking and mixing process is done sitting cross legged on the floor or lying on our stomachs. On most occassions the progressive metal band which practices at un-godly volumes next door also makes it's way into the following recordings. Sleeps is generally a luxury..."

After spinning the B-side of the "Lust for Life," "Life in San Francisco," a non-album track that finds the band indulging in a playful ode to their hometown, I was baffled to find the tune on LaLa. Peep it below, then have fun trying to get it out of your head for the next two weeks.

Life In San Francisco - Girls

video: Yo La Tengo 'Take Away Show'

"Because We're On Our Way"

The first Yo La Tengo record I ever bought was Fakebook. In retrospect, I probably meant to get I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One, but I figured, ya know, that their records would sound pretty similar. Boy was I wrong. A really mellow, acoustic covers album is what I had purchased, when all I really wanted was the surreal pop fuzz of "Sugar Cube" and the droning rhythmic bass of "Moby Octopad." While it wasn't what I thought I wanted, it turned out to be one of the greatest purchases ever, exposing me to the stripped down Yo La and proving them to be refined, sophisticated, pop masters. Of course, their cover of the Troggs "Girl Like You," featured in Part 1 of this Take Away Show, doesn't appear on Fakebook, rather its garage rock sister Fuckbook, however, it would fit perfectly alongside "The Summer," "Yellow Sarong" and "Here Comes My Baby." Part 1 of Vincent Moon's Take Away Show with YLT also features And then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out fav "Our Way to Fall," one of the most romantic in the Yo La catalog. Part 2, consisting of a stripped down version of "Sugar Cube" and Popular Songs single "Periodically Double or Triple" is also worth a gander.

Yo La Tengo Part 2: "Sugar Cube" & "Periodically Double or Triple."

wknd: Spanish Prisoners, Zeroes, Big Troubles

"Sick Dayz"
(Big Troubles at Market Hotel)
Lots of stuff going on this wknd, including the opening of Lombardy St, a new Todd P venue in Greenpoint (f yeah!), which launches with a show by True Panther synthetic tweakers Lemonade. In other North Brooklyn DIY news, Spanish Prisoners will play their 7" release show tonight at Shea Stadium, with My Teenage Stride, I'm Turning Into, and Baby Birds Don't Drink Milk. Spanish Prisoners, who have played shows with Daniel Johnston, but sound more like a celestial pop band, have been nice enough to send along a copy of Los Angeles Guitar Dream, their new 7" , to give away. Send name and address to {mcgregor [at] me.com} with the title "Spanish Prisoners" to enter. If ya don't win, you can pick up the limited edition vinyl at InSound. Spanish Prisoners also play Saturday night at Don Hill's in Manhattan.

Also on Saturday night, Rachel from PopJew is hosting a Rosh Hashanah rager at the Silent Barn with Bobka favorites Big Troubles, Dream Diary, and the Kezners. Big Troubles have been crushing it, so I highly recommend heading out to the Barn. Apples & honey, like whoa.

Sunday is the closing party of Abbey Braden's PunkPhoto 5th Anniversary Show at Littlefield. Aside from viewing Abbey's photos, which, apparently, she'll be giving away, Montreal band Zeroes will make their US debut. Zeroes, which contains members of Land of Talk, Kill the Lights, Silver Starling and Young Galaxy, produce a heady, four on the floor based blend of dark, electro-rock, for lack of a better term. Think a more ethereal Rapture rolling deep in a K-hole, which should go nice in dark confines of Littlefield. Peep "Mudslinger" below, and click here to pick up the new EP.

Zeroes- Mudslinger
Spanish Prisoner- Los Angeles Guitar Dream
Big Troubles- Sick Days

video: Family Portrait "On the Floor"

"There's My Baby"

As we continue to mine the fruits of the Chocolate Bobka Presents show at Cameo a few weeks back, we come to the lads of Family Portrait, a rather dapper group of young gentlemen who know a thing or two about Elvis, kung-fu movies and bowling. This version of "On The Floor" almost never was. After a behemoth first time played jam, possibly dubbed "Babies" or "Western Drone," the band kindly thanked the crowd and began to pack up. The audience, all sorts of riled up and bewildered, would have none of this. Not one bit. And so, after a minute or so of "One more," a few "Family Portrait" chants and a call for "On the Floor," Mimoun put his cymbals back on, Brody plugged back in and Sawyer warmed the leg kicks back up. Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you, "On the Floor."

ep: Woodsman Humdrum

"Supernal Radionics"

Since news that Mexican Summer would be releasing a Woodsman 12" later in the year, the Denver based astral explorers have received some pretty choice attention. Granted, "Sunglass," the first cut to emerge from the upcoming 12", is a lucid jam in all the right places. Digging on "Sunglass" I decided to delve into Woodsman's catalog, and have been raging the Humdrum EP, released last year on Fire Talk as CD-R. Containing five songs and coming in at over 44 minutes, Humdrum is the interstellar, exploratory psych that guides comets into orbit and subsequently to their death. It's, like, the vibration of life, duude. A point of reference is surely Woods, sans lyrical song structure, like when Woods let it all out, giving the mist life and setting embers ablaze. If your looking for some far-out vibes to help usher in the new moon, Woodsman have got you covered.

Buy Woodsman's Humdrum EP here.

Woodsman- Makokata Cave (from Humdrum EP)
Woodsman- Sunglass (from the forthcoming Collages) (via MBV)

new: Frat Dad 7"

"Just a Freak of Nature"

What happens when two kids bash out music in their parents basements while eating Cool Ranch Dorito's and ripping on all the douchey tool bags in their classes? Frat Dad. As Underwater People's Chinese Diplomat Sawyer Carter Jacobs notes, "Frat Dad is like going over Niagara Falls in a barrel, then landing in a Middle School Cafeteria... on Mexican Pizza Day." I couldn't agree more. It's all the pent up, retarded angst slow cooked and marinated for years in suburban middle schools and high schools across America. Add a kilo of sugar and a dash of nicotine and you get the latest revival in pissed off, sloppy, distorto teen, fuck you punk. It's not the stoney, drift away chiller vibes Underwater People's are known for releasing, rather a welcomed kick in the ass for all you punters hung up on chillwave blah blah.

Pre-order the "Greg the Nerd" b/w "Freak in Nature" 7-inch here.

Frat Dad- Freak in Nature

video: Girls "Summertime"

"Soak Up The Sunshine With You"

With both Labor Day and ATP officially in the rear view mirror, it's safe to say that summer is over. While NYC temperature's might have you in disbelief, believe me, it's over. Unfortunately for us, one of the season's most encapsulating albums, Girls Album, wasn't released in time to soundtrack many an excursion to Rockaway Beach. However, this Fader video of "Summertime," my favorite song on Album, is similar to Beach House's "Used to Be," in that it forces one to reminisce on good times spent with good people. "Grow out my hair, go anywhere, sleep in all day, afternoon, Summertime, soak up the sunshine with you." Summer, you will be missed.

polaroid: All Tomorrow's Parties New York 2009

"what costume shall the poor girl wear"
Panda Bear.

Caribou Vibration Ensemble playing ping-pong.


Ed Rodriguez of Deerhoof outside P4K room.

The Low Lows.

Deerhunter setting up.


Leopard Darth Vader dude.

The Sammy Davis Jr. Wing at the Raleigh.

Playground.

Post- Animal Collective hotel lobby dance party.

Kutsher's check-in.

Saturday sunset.

WFMU guys playing tonal piano.

polaroid: The Flaming Lips at ATPNY

"A Spoonful Weighs A Ton"

Haven't slept since returning from ATP, nor did I really sleep at Kutshers, but none of that really matters. What does matter is that, as expected, the Flaming Lips curated All Tomorrow's Parties was epic. From the Caribou Vibration Ensemble to Deerhoof, Oneida, Boris, the Boredomes, the list goes on and on, Sunday could not have been a better. That said, enjoy these 'roids from the Flaming Lips closing set, while I catch up on my zzzz's.

video: Real Estate "Fake Blues"

"I Don't Want to Live at Home"

While I was fortunate enough to head to Kutsher's this past weekend for ATPNY, more on that later, there was certainly no lack of choice shows in the city. Between the Grouper/Julianna Barwick/Tim Hecker Wordless Music Series at the Miller Theatre Friday, Big Troubles/Zola Jesus/Desolation Wilderness/Real Estate gig Saturday at Silent Barn and the secret D'Angelo show last night, it's safe to say that even if you didn't get to ATP, you could have easily taken in a weekend of extremely beautiful music. That said, I wasn't too surprised to received a text from c.axel post-Animal Collective Saturday night that read, "This is the best 'Fake Blues' ever." Skeptical, at best, though optimisitic as Axel has seen his fair share of Real Estate gigs, this video finds Real Estate capturing the essence of seasonal change; the different manifestations, the morphing and evolving, the light and dark. It's all here. While much is often noted about Real Estate and the beach, and yeah it's certainly a touch point, I can't help thinking about the long winter afternoon's I spent with tunes like "Suburban Beverage" and "Fake Blues," both of which are as dreamy, mellow and perfect for autumn, as they were summer, as they were spring and winter before. It's not summer music people, it's life music.

video: Sore Eros at Cameo Gallery

"Second Chants"

Ringing out like a psychedelic surf prom band on bad acid, Sore Eros set at the Chocolate Bobka Presents show at Cameo was a total trip. Ecstatic walls of luminescent sound took over the room, as the wiggling chandelier danced the night away to the tune of air conditioning and Sore Eros narcotic blend of unclassifiable ether music. Of course, Mad Scientist Ray Concepcion was there to capture all the glory on beautiful Panasonic DVX100b.

vinyl: Juliana Barwick Florine

"Away"

No secret that we at Chocolate Bobka love the ethereal movements of Julianna Barwick's voice. The fluttering, angelic wisps and whirls of her looped and dubbed voice have had us floating on cloud 10 since we first came across her atmospheric siren songs a while back. Her recently released Florine, an EP that finds Barwick channeling the spirit of Sanguine while taking her craft to new heights, is an astonishing, albeit short, record full of warmth and love and wonderlust and all the other wide-eyed feelings one experiences while starring at the clouds. Released digitally and on CD, I've been dreaming of the day when Barwick's sound would hit wax and I could hold it in my arms and give it a big bear hug. Without a label, Julianna has taken matters into her own hands, starting a KickStarter fundraising campaign to fund a white vinyl issue of Florine.

hello, everybody. i'm julianna barwick and i make music in brooklyn. i would love to put the florine EP out on vinyl and it would certainly help out if i could get some friends in on it, since i self-release all of my music.
the plan is to do a very limited run of 200 exclusive, numbered, (and hand-signed, if you want!) EPs on white vinyl. white vinyl! i'm pretty psyched about that part.
anyway, it would be fun to do this together. i'm very excited to team up with the awesome guys at kickstarter to try and make this happen.
thanks a lot for reading!
julianna

So far only 20 people have donated, and there is more than $2,000 that needs to be raised in order for the world to see this project come to fruition. Think about it this way, a $20 donation by a hundred people would basically fund the super limited, white vinyl. There is only a little more than a month left to donate, so please get on it, if only so you can see my face fill with fat kid smile upon receiving my copy.

interview: Ghostface Killah

"The Legendary Ghostdini Might be Dead? Never"
When Ghostface speaks, the world listens. And so is the case everytime shuffle sends up this classic interview with Tony Starks conducted somewhere around 2004. To be honest, I can't really remember the context or origin of the interview, though I believe it was with a Dutch or Swedish music publication. (If anyone knows its origins, let me know.) Ghost, whose new album is about to drop, really opens up in this interview and drops some serious gems. And while it may be the first thing he says in this 20+ minute audio interview, I'm pretty sure my favorite bit of Ghost wit is : "The sky don't even look the same no more. It used to be bluer. The grass was greener. You felt the warmth back in the days, now everything's cold and its cloudy, it don't feel right. But people are so caught up in the world that we don't know."

This interview is worth a download and listen if only to hear Tony Starks recount the time he was with the legendary Stylistics and they got in a shoot out. Seriously. Ghostface's new "for mature audiences only" video below.

Ghostface Killah Interview

WARNING: NSFW (but really awesome, in a "This is Hardcore" kinda way)

Ghostface "Stapleton Sex" video trailer from Miss Info on Vimeo.

video: Beach Fossils "Vacation" from Bobka Show

"Nothing to Worry for"

The Chocolate Bobka show last Saturday night was easily one of the best nights of the Summer. Stacked with a cohesive lineup of up-and-comers, Cameo Gallery felt like, well, the place to be. Beach Fossils closed out the night with their meandering surf psych bashing through the room. Marred by technical difficulties, and the fact they don't really have that many songs, after finishing an extremely short set that included "Daydream," "Lazy Day," "Vacation" and a few others, the band launched right back into the same set. That's right, two sets from Beach Fossils in the same night. While they were practically identical, the second hash through the band's catalog was, for whatever reason, a lot more fun. Possibly because the crowd wouldn't let them stop. Dustin repeated said "We don't have any more songs" to which the crowd responded "We don't care, keep playing." And so, they did. My guess this is the second version of "Vacation," which had the room in a pogo-sway you'd think only Gigit or Dick Dale could inspire. More videos from the Cameo Gallery show by Ray Concepcion in the coming days.

bobkast #29: A Sunflower Earth

"Some People Chew Gum for Fun"
(hand drawn cover art by cuti ballve)
The humidity is fading like a bad tattoo. The days don't seem to drag all that long. And all of the sudden I keep finding myself reaching for a cardigan. That's right kids, summer is slowly sinking into fall. Fortunately for all you sun seekers, summer ain't going away overnight. Instead, its a prolonged transition, with nights hitting wooly lows and days scorching Umbro highs. It's a bit bi-polar, but in the end it makes sense. One season gives way to another and so on, and so forth. This mix is meant for those days that run the gamut; chilly morning breezes sweep through apartments until giving way to swampy lunch breaks that melt your PB&J making the whole wheat a bit too soggy for premium enjoyment. By nightfall things have calmed down. The wind picks up a little and all of the sudden your reaching for the wool blanket, the one your grandma knit you when you were born. It's a good feeling, ya know, seasons, change, evolving, etc. Of course, if ya don't like it, you can always move to San Diego. They say it's lovely there, but I don't buy it.

I should also note that this is the first Bobkast that will be available in a very limited quantity on cassette tape. Yep, cassette tape, that obsolete medium that the kids can't seem to get enough of. The tape, of which only one will be produced for each Bobkast, comes with handmade art and will be produced and packaged with loving hands at home. To acquire said tape, pictured here, email me your favorite wild flower at mcgregor{AT}me{DOT}com. Contest will be open for one week starting....now.

Bobkast #29: A Sunflower Earth
1. Takeshi Terauchi & the Bunnys- Tsukuba-San
2. Paralyze Humanity Sequence- Hammock
3. Pill Wonder- What We Know
4. Henry Pedro- Midnight Sun
5. Sunnybrook- Big Waving Hands (demo)
6. jj- Are You Still in Vallda?
7. Pure Ecstasy- You're In It Now
8. Alex Bleeker & the Freaks- Prisoner
9. Mountain Man- Animal Tracks
10. The Fresh & Onlys- Arm's Advice
11. Jana Wenderen- Drifts
12. Atlas Sound- Walk the Thin Line (Fleetwood Mac Cover) [over "Drifts"]
13. Taken By Trees- Watch the Waves (Memory Cassette remix)
14. Nancy Sinatra- Sundown Sundown
15. The Olivia Tremor Control- "Various bits " (McG's OTC sound collage)
16. Grateful Dead- New Potato Caboose
17. Julian Lynch- Waiting Music
18. Desolation Wilderness- Boardwalk Theme
19. Galaxie 500- Here She Comes Now
20. Woods- Rain On Radio
21. Liam the Younger- Beneath the Weeping Willow Tree
22. Ganglians- To June
23. White Antelope- Silver Dagger (traditional)
24. Marissa Nadler- Cortez the Killer (Neil Young cover)
25. Kurt Vile- Nicotine Blues (Live on WFMU)

Download Bobkast #29: A Sunflower Earth (direct download)

video: Holiday Shores "Bradley Bear" "Dens"

"Before This Night"

It goes without saying that Holiday Shores is a bit, um, "beachy," but on an overcast August afternoon in Greenpoint, the spray of ocean mist isn't as apt a comparison as say an empty, sun scorched industrial avenue near the Newtown Creek. The water is a stones throw away, but it couldn't be further mentally. The sun is nice, but the dirty streets, well, not so much. Nevertheless, the effervescent four piece used the afternoon to their advantage, mellowing out tunes from Columbus'd the Whim with a touch of sweet tea and a new pair of Blu-blockers. At least, that's what it looks like. Appropriately, that's what it felt like too. A bunch of good for nothing, twenty somethings sitting around a living room, while a bunch of other good for nothing youngsters strummed some guitars. The premise is quite simple, but the vibe, and trust me things were "vibing," could not be more complex, as if Holiday Shores cut out all the pretense, leaving the audience with just the good stuff. Enjoy the good stuff for breakfast.