Songs to listen to when out on a cold night at sea
DJ Krush & Toshinori Kondo – Shoh-Ka
Futurecop! – Eyes Like The Ocean
Myrtle K. Hilo – Lover’s Prayer
Hazel Nuts Chocolate – Yo-Ho-Yo-Ho
Mario Nascimbene – Carol on the Sea
Venetian Snares – Hajnal
The Ruby Suns – Blue Penguin
of Montreal – Nickee Coco and the Invisible Tree
The Apples in Stereo – Coda

Download Episode 11!

the OCMD Mixtape: “Sayulita”

A few days of that and you get this – my Sayulita Mixtape.  Yup, this suits my state of mind right now. Just add surf, sand and cerveza and hit play. Enjoy.

1. Washed Out – “Feel It All Around”
2. Here We Go Magic – “Tunnelvision”
3. Atlas Sound – “Quick Canal”
4. The Ruby Suns – “There Are Birds”
5. Radiohead – “These Are My Twisted Words”
6. LCD Soundsystem – “Someone Great”
7. Flaming Lips – “Sagittarius Silver Announcement”
8. Built To Spill – “Done”
9. The XX – “Shelter”
10. Speck Mountain – “Angela”
11. The Shortwave Set – “Harmonia”

Calminha…

As originally published here on Stranger Dance.

The Dodos’ homecoming show at Bimbo’s proved to be an excellent celebration of the band’s success circa Time to Die. Controlled chaos and pronounced energy filled Bimbo’s elegant walls, through the Dodos’ experimental folk and the Ruby Suns’ infectious, tribal-infused indie pop. Photos for both bands after the jump.

The Ruby Suns:

The Dodos:

(sorry about the shit quality pic folks-the Blackberry Storm has the brightest flash on the planet making discreet photo snapping next to impossible)

I caught a great, GREAT show last night at the Bowery Ballroom and feel the need to share the love with the Blogosphere.  So I’ve been jammin’ out on The Dodo’s new album “Time to Die” since they hosted it (along with videos of the boys shootin’ the shit and lookin fooooine in the process) on their website this summer.  I nabbed tix to the show early, which was lucky for me because it ended up selling out.

So I cruised to the show with my girl Hillary.   The two of us Colorado girls totally got down on the uber-fun island jamrock beats of New Zealanders The Ruby Suns.  Their set was short but Sha-WEET and came complete with set props that conjured memories of Jamaican beach getaways. A great light hearted warmup for the main event.

The Dodos set completely rocked my life. Watching Meric Long play guitar with such intensity had me mesmerized to begin with, but when the group shut the lights and he whipped out gloves with LED lights in the fingertips he nearly blew my mind.  Long then preceded to whip out some crazy cool moves with Keaton Snyder on the vibraphone and I was beyond smitten.  By the time the end of their set rolled around they had nearly the entire crowd of hipsters hand-clapping and head-bobbing. They also had the early-40-something drunk guy behind me dancing his brains out.  I couldn’t tell if it was the pre-show Sierra Nevadas or just the complete awesomeness of the show that had me permagrinning and dancing along with him-but of course I didn’t care. The set came to a close-as all good things must-with a euphoric roar from the crowd and drunky screaming in my ear “Now THAT’s a Fuckin’ Rock Band.”

The one’s for you drunky-sealed with a kiss and a big fat “I concur”

When Ryan McPhun ( yes, McPhun is his real name… I think) moved to New Zealand from California, he started playing with few bands, including The Brunettes before finally creating his own band originally titled Ryan McPhun & The Ruby Suns in 2004. The name has since been shortened to The Ruby Suns and they have also signed with Seattle label Sub Pop, this would probably have something to do with their tour of the states. Unfortunately they won’t be making a stop in C-Bus, but you can check out a couple songs from their second album titled Sea Lion.

The Ruby Suns – Ole Rinka

The Ruby Suns -There are Birds

Last night I was most fortunate to hang out with Ryan Mcphun (The Ruby Suns) and Bevan Smith (Signer / The Ruby Suns / Skallander). Both New Zealand welling gents are true gems of human beings and were kind enough to spend an evening with me. I failed to feed them gourmet hot dogs or east side vegan eats, but managed to get them to Mother’s Cafe & Garden for a delicious meal. Then we grabbed a bite of my wife’s amazing pecan pie.

We’ll soon hear more from Ryan & the Suns, but for now we’ll turn our ear to the brilliance and sophistication of Bevan’s latest record.   Available as vinly only from Carpark is the the fourth record by Signer entitled Next We Bring You The Fire. It’s absolutely incredible. The record is dreamy, haunting, and grows with lush synths.

Bevan was nice enough to share his new LP and I offered to help spread his intriguing music. So for your listening pleasure, the Porch presents Signer’s latest release!

:::  DOWNLOAD > Signer – Next We Bring You The Fire :::

We took down the full album, but here’s is an exclusive mix featuring tracks from Next We Bring You The Fire.

::: DOWNLOAD > Signer – The Porch on Fire Mix :::

Tracklist:
1. +kicks and kicks
2. unprotected walls
3. languidly toot
4. the glass ceiling

I strongly encourage you to purchase the vinyl and check him out live during his 2010 tour. Until then, you can catch him touring with the Ruby Suns as they support the Dodos. You might have already seen him live because this nice fellow has toured with Panda Bear, Ariel Pink, Beach House, among others.

More info on the Carpark press page.

By: Ronak Ghorbani

In July I headed down to Harbourfront for Mexi fest and I have to say it was a blast. Tropi-punk band Los de Abajo played and it was an insanely fun set. I’ve been going to Harbourfront for a while now and I have never, ever, seen a crowd go as insane as they did that night.

Now, if you’ve never been to Harbourfront here’s a brief description: it’s an outdoor stage by Toronto’s waterfront and it’s seated so it really isnt ideal for any kind of dancing. Well, leave it to Mexican kids to find a way, but we started moshing in between the aisles. Los de Abajo started with a more Mexcian traditional sounding set but after an hour into playing, they start up this bombastic ska sound and everyone starts to skank – it was epicly amazing. I’ve always been a fan of Mexican and Latin American music and I knew that there was a big emo and punk scene but I never knew how sweet their alt. seen is.

Besides Los de Abajo, Chikita Violenta played (I missed their set). These indie rockers are signed to the Mexican branch of Canada’s Arts & Crafts records. They have an airy quality to their sound with thunderous percussion that I absolutely love.

Stepping out of Mexico, there are tons of bands that are influenced by the country’s regional music. Take for example hardcore band The Bonx’s side project El Bronx (thanks to Jessica Lewis for showing them to me). El Bronx is a straight-up mariachi band that plays a split set with The Bronx when on tour.

Next, let’s jet set to other side of the world and land in New Zealand. Lots of cool things come out of New Zealand, like the set of Lord of the Rings and indie-dark comedy flick Eagle vs. Shark. Well, the country just got a whole lot cooler thanks to The Ruby Suns. I love it when indie bands shake things up and take in global influences. They have the standard sugary pop tunes but then they have mariachi inspired song too and it’s really compelling and catchy.

Basically, ¡Mexico! rocks.

The Ruby Suns

Sea Lion LP

There Are Birds

This song There Are Birds from the Album Sea Lion

www.myspace.com/therubysuns

There Are Birds

Como lo prometido y es deuda, y la semana pasada dijimos que adelantaríamos en la medida de lo posible nuestro resumen semanal de los conciertos del fin de semana en Madrid, aquí lo presentamos hoy miércoles, añadiendo además alguna propuesta para hoy mismo.

Miércoles 1
Final Proyecto Demo: El concurso organizado por la revista Mondosonoro llega a su fin, el premio: Una actuación en el Festival Internacional de Benicassim. Y para todos los asistentes el premio está garantizado, ya que además de ser entrada gratuíta, tienen la oportunidad de ver el nacimiento de grupos muy prometedores (En ediciones anteriores estuvieron Klaus&Kinski, We are Standard…). Los tres finalistas de esta edición son: Astradyne, Ozores y Ratolines. Sala Heineken, 20:00h. Gratis con invitación.

Jueves 2
PAL: Sala Costello, 21:30h, 12€ (CD incluido)
Tulsa: Fotomatón (Plaza Conde de Toreno, 2), 21:30, 8€. Dentro del ciclo “La vie en Rose” y con la actuación además de Hiperactivas dj’s.

Viernes 3
Franz Ferdinand + Mando Diao: El gran acontecimiento del fin de semana, al menos, en cuanto a megalomanía, ya que a pesar de la inmesidad del recinto las entradas se encuentran agotadas. Franz Ferdinand presentando su nuevo disco, y con la gran colaboración (a mí me gustan más los teloneros que el grupo principal) de los suecos Mando Diao. Palacio de los Deportes de la Comunidad de Madrid, 20:00h. Entradas agotadas, en la reventa oscilan sobre 50€.

Sábado 4
Los Punsetes + Manos de Topo: Noche de indie nacional de actualidad y de letras cargadas de humor e ironía. Dos de los grupos más llamativos de la escena indie se dan lugar en la Sala Galileo, además Manos de Topo vendrá presentando su nuevo trabajo, El primero era mejor. Sala Galileo, 21:30h. 13/15€

Y ademas:
The Ruby Suns: Sala Moby Dick, 21:00h,
Cooper: FNAC Callao, 19:00h. Gratis.

El disco importante de esta semana lo ocupa “What Crisis? This Crisis“, el nuevo álbum de
Underwater Tea Party.

En este segundo trabajo de los madrileños, nos encontramos con una colección de singles arrebatadores.

Un repertorio de canciones de factura impecable que resume los mejores momentos de la música pop.

De Sergei Gainsbourg a Stereolab, de The Beatles a The Delgados, de Pink Floyd a Flaming Lips.

Seguimos con el sorteo de entradas para los conciertos de:

• Le Punk (2 Abril. Valladolindie 09)
• La Mala Rodríguez (16 Abril. Valladolindie 09)
• Love Of Lesbian (18 Abril. Valladolindie 09)
• Carvin Jones Band (4 Abril. Valladolid)

+ Info en: sorteo/concursos

Y además sonarán en el programa: Herman Dune, Zipper Cremallera, The Shins, Death Cab For Cutie, Pumuky, Mi Pequeña Radio, Depeche Mode, Margarita, The Divine Comedy, Je Suis Animal, The Ethnobabes, Le Punk, The Ruby Suns y Franz Ferdinand.

The new video for “There Are Birds” from The Ruby Suns album Sea Lion.  One of my favorites!

I see Phil has already done a review of Golden Plains so I’ll just stick to writing about one of the best bands on the bill and the fantastic sideshow they played the other night. But first up were The Ruby Suns, probably my favourite band from New Zealand. I mean, I only know very few bands from New Zealand and have seen even less live but I’m pretty sure they couldn’t live up to The Ruby Sun’s brand of shimmering rhythmic pop. They seem to do fine with just the two people but they excel when they invite some guests up on stage to help out with drumming and bass or whatever. It makes me wonder if they should perhaps just get a permanent third member, I’m sure they’d still each have a lot to do and it could help fill out the mostly sample based sound. But in saying that, the two of them sill put on a catchy fun show as usual and the new stuff they played sounded great and quite danceable.

Of Montreal put on the show I was pretty much expecting. Exciting, different, theatrical and amazing. Front man Kevin Barnes was dressed in a multitude of colours and wearing some blue eye shadow while the rest of the band were similarly bright and fun to look at. Not to mention the projected images including an animated Jesus with a cartoon mouth in his stomach and other crazy things. There was almost no banter from the band and instead they preferred to express ideas with theatre. There was a man who’s job was, from what I could gather, helping the band express themselves by dressing up in weird stuff. He dressed up as a monk and delivered blessings before changing into the devil and later came out dressed in a pink leotard eating fruit he had stashed in his crotch during the sexually charged “Beware Our Nubile Miscreants”.

The band almost exclusively stuck to playing tracks from their two newest albums which both have a strong electronic influence. There was a drum kit on stage but around half the tracks just used laptop beats instead, while the band did an amazing job of getting the sounds of the albums to work well live. I loved them opening with “We Were Born The Mutants Again With Leafling”, the dissonant chords and funky bass line blended so well to create a great atmospheric introduction to the band and the night. “She’s a Rejecter” was completely rad and my highlight with the whole front of the crowd busting some mad dance moves while Kevin wailed over synthy indie pop deliciousness. While “The Party’s Crashing Us Now” was a nice throwback to some of their earlier work.

The set list was one giant party and it all just flowed extremely well, never really letting up on the danceable beats. The band was tight and the crowd were all having such a good time, one of those shows where you are just so glad to be there and when you look around at people dancing you can’t help but smile. No dickheads, only good times and a fantastic vibe. Plus a man dressed up as a tiger and another guy dressed up as a dinosaur played a song together in the encore and it was pretty much the greatest song by a tiger and a brontosaurus ever.

(Thank you to Thao Du for the great photos)

The Ruby Suns Myspace
Of Montreal Myspace

A while back, during one of my aimless walks about the internet, I stumbled across a New Zealand-based band, no, not Flight of the Conchords, called The Ruby Suns. It was a series of video performances done for Paris-based video producer Vincent Moon on his website www.blogotheque.net that first drew me into their jovial, summer time music. When watching the videos I couldn’t help but agree with Moon’s assessment of the performances, when he states that, “The Ruby Suns swooped in and branded the city with sun and light,” and “the only thing that seemed to be missing was a good, old fashioned barbeque.” Halfway through the first song, “Criterion,” I was hooked. I recalled The Beach Boys special guest appearances on Full House and Uncle Jesse playing the bongos to “Kokomo.” All and all the band made a great first impression. I watched all the videos a second time and then proceeded to hound their Myspace page for more songs.

Obviously, the songs on their myspace page are much more produced and polished than those found on Blogotheque, but they still clearly capture the simplistic, “grass skirt shaking” feel that I was initially enamored with. Sadly, I put the band on the back burner when I received Radiohead’s, “In Rainbows,” and a couple other albums from friends. However, I was reintroduced to them via another up and coming indie-pop duo, The Brunettes, who are under same record label (Lil’ Chief).

The Brunettes, who are also from Auckland, New Zealand, take on some similar Beach Boy-esque characteristics as The Ruby Suns. The Brunettes blend a vast array of instruments and genres to create an ornamented, cutesy, pop sound that reminds me of a blending of The Shins, Mates of State, and The Pipettes. Which comes as know real surprise as they have recently toured with such acts as The Shins, Rilo Kiley, and Clap your Hands Say Yeah. Overall, I am impressed with these two bands from Auckland and their solid mixtures of pop, Polynesian surf rock, Harry Nilsson, and indie that often borderlines on new-wave psychedelia. I strongly suggest listening to them on a day that needs a little brightening up. Photos courtesy of The Ruby Suns’ Myspace page.

Thanks to Bex Miller for tipping The Brunettes.

(Originally written on 3/12/2008)

Air France – June Evenings

From the No Way Down EP

The Beach Boys – Girls on the Beach

From the All Summer Long LP

Beach House – Heart of Chambers

From the Devotion LP

Jens Lekman – Your Arms Around Me

From the Night Falls Over Kortedala LP

The Ruby Suns – Adventure Tour

From the Sea Lion LP

Aretha Franklin – I Never Loved A Man

From the Rare and Unreleased LP

Lil’ Chief Records: The Ruby Suns and Little Pictures do a nice little cover each.

Nice Athur Russell cover by NZ’s Ruby Suns.

ENJOY!!

Andrew Bird – “The Happy Birthday Song”

Sufjan Stevens – “Happy Birthday”

The Very Best feat. The Ruby Suns – “Birthday” (Beatles Cover)

Cut Copy – “Lights & Music” (Boyz Noise Happy Birthday Remix)

It's debatable

…posted this in a few places but didn’t even think to put it on this blog.  Anyway, the band I am in is called the Authors.  Justin and I put up our top releases of 2008 and for the interest of the music lover who might stumble across this blog, it’s listed below.  Most of these have already been featured here although I need to get on the ball and put up the “Very Best” Esau videos(thanks to gorilla vs bear for turning me on to them).

Justin’s:
1. Cut Copy “In Ghost Colours”
2. Friendly Fires “Friendly Fires”
3. Vampire Weekend “Vampire Weekend”
4. Fleet Foxes “Fleet Foxes” & “Sun Giant EP”
5. TV On The Radio “Dear Science”
6. Esau Mwamwaya + Radioclit “The Very Best Mixtape”
7. Hercules & Love Affair “Hercules & Love Affair”
8. Kanye West “808 & Heartbreak”
9. M83 “Saturdays = Youth”
10. Crystal Stilts “Alight of Night”
——————————————-

Ben’s top 11 in no particular order
Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours
Vampire Weekend – S/T
Fleet Foxes – S/T
Hercules and Love Affair – S/T
M83 – Saturdays=Youth
Dr Dog – Fate
The Ruby Suns – Sea Lion
Chad Van Gaalen – Soft Airplane
Little Joy – S/T
Women – S/T
The Walkmen – You and Me

Honorably mentioned
Vivien Girls – S/T
Atlas Sound – S/T
Nigeria 70 (compilation)
Esau Mwamwaya + Radioclit – The Very Best Mixtape
Crystal Stilts – Alight of Night