Jewellery is one of the most gloriously messy albums I've heard in awhile. This is youth and exuberance AND legitimate creativity. Mica Levi and Matthew Herbert both get an A+ for the keyboards and overall production/composition.
Now that the Fork finally got around to reviewing them, (although regretfully withholding "Best New Music" status), they deserve their own thread, don't they? Or do we keep them locked up in the 2009 thread forever?
Full Version: Micachu
Outstanding album.
Seriously, seriously weird stuff. I mean, "Eat Your Heart" has to be one of the weirdest songs I've ever heard.
Having said that I am in love with this shit. And "Golden Phone" is definitely one of my top 5 tracks of the year so far.
Having said that I am in love with this shit. And "Golden Phone" is definitely one of my top 5 tracks of the year so far.
I've gushed over this album enough in the 'slept on 09' thread, so ill keep it brief:
This is the freshest and most forward-thinking album i've heard in a long time. The pfork review was pretty otm calling this the future of pop music or whatever. Herbert has leaped up to legendary status in my books for producing an album this messy and still making it so damn enjoyable.
This is the freshest and most forward-thinking album i've heard in a long time. The pfork review was pretty otm calling this the future of pop music or whatever. Herbert has leaped up to legendary status in my books for producing an album this messy and still making it so damn enjoyable.
Although I recognize that there are better 09 albums than this one, I've probably gotten the most enjoyment out of this.
certainly super original, but so far it's not really my thing at all...
It starts off with a bang, but tails off too soon.
They've been doing the support band circuit most of this year, and I've seen them without meaning to before Patrick Wolf and Late of the Pier now. They certainly outplayed the latter in terms of interest in their own music.
Overall, a good live band although it has to be said they don't exactly expand their sound all that much. Loads of the album was done by recording random sounds anyway. But yeah, "youth and exuberance AND legitimate creativity" is about right... in fact, it is pretty much the most original and inventive pop record i've heard for years.
Overall, a good live band although it has to be said they don't exactly expand their sound all that much. Loads of the album was done by recording random sounds anyway. But yeah, "youth and exuberance AND legitimate creativity" is about right... in fact, it is pretty much the most original and inventive pop record i've heard for years.
mine just arrived in the mail today.
i have had it digitally for a few weeks now and i love this shit. new music that actually sounds "new" is pretty refreshing.
i have had it digitally for a few weeks now and i love this shit. new music that actually sounds "new" is pretty refreshing.
QUOTE (solace @ Apr 15 2009, 08:14 AM) 
certainly super original, but so far it's not really my thing at all...
At least admit you like Golden Phone...
I saw them supporting Late of The Pier earlier this year and Slow Club last year. As said above doesn't sound that different on stage but they do get the vacuum out.
this is a great record to play to piss off friends in the car.
Listened to this on the train on the way home from work today...bizarre commuting music.
I do love the album, but I'll admit that I prefer it when she tries to write a more conventional-type song (i.e. Golden Phone, Calculator, Just In Case) than some of these one-minute-long flurrying cacophonous things.
I do love the album, but I'll admit that I prefer it when she tries to write a more conventional-type song (i.e. Golden Phone, Calculator, Just In Case) than some of these one-minute-long flurrying cacophonous things.
listened to it on the train on the way in to work, indeed, very strange commuting music
first listen today. not sure about it yet, will retry in better listening environment
first listen today. not sure about it yet, will retry in better listening environment
4 and a half songs in. This just sounds like someone who doesn't know what they're doing.
Don't like the voice either.
Will listen through to Golden Phone at least...
Don't like the voice either.
Will listen through to Golden Phone at least...
my main issue/hangup with this band so far is def w/ the voice.
it's not awful, but i'm def not into it yet either unfortunately.
it's not awful, but i'm def not into it yet either unfortunately.
Golden Phone is actually pretty good. Going to keep me hanging in there for more...
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.p...oryId=103421130
oof...
that video kinda reminds me of what I sounded like playing guitar when I was like 12
oof...
that video kinda reminds me of what I sounded like playing guitar when I was like 12
QUOTE (solace @ Apr 24 2009, 10:21 AM)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.p...oryId=103421130
oof...
that video kinda reminds me of what I sounded like playing guitar when I was like 12
oof...
that video kinda reminds me of what I sounded like playing guitar when I was like 12
holy...that was awful. I actually haven't seen a clip of anything from SXSW this year that doesn't sound awful.
NPR.org, April 24, 2009 - It was an early morning in Austin when we caught up with Micachu and the Shapes singer Mica Levi. Maybe it's the hairdo, maybe it's the look of SXSW-induced exhaustion, but she looked like she'd just rolled out of bed.
or maybe it's because she did just roll out of bed because it was an early morning? I really don't like All songs considered anymore. They used to showcase unexposed music outside of the P4k catalog. Those days are long gone.
Hooray!
Schubas Monday 07/13/2009 7:00 PM | All Ages | $8.00. Wonder if a late 21+ show will get added.
I bought a hard copy of Jewellery last week, after a fun couple of weeks of pilfered mp3s. I like it a whole lot. It sounds like 1978 DIY post punk, with young British kids kicked in the ass by punk rock music picking up instruments for the first time, and their creativity and imagination far outpacing their instrumental prowess.
Schubas Monday 07/13/2009 7:00 PM | All Ages | $8.00. Wonder if a late 21+ show will get added.
I bought a hard copy of Jewellery last week, after a fun couple of weeks of pilfered mp3s. I like it a whole lot. It sounds like 1978 DIY post punk, with young British kids kicked in the ass by punk rock music picking up instruments for the first time, and their creativity and imagination far outpacing their instrumental prowess.
It's like every band on earth is trying to sound more irritating than the rest.
QUOTE (solace @ Apr 24 2009, 10:21 AM)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.p...oryId=103421130
oof...
that video kinda reminds me of what I sounded like playing guitar when I was like 12
oof...
that video kinda reminds me of what I sounded like playing guitar when I was like 12
"musicianship has nothing to do with the decline in the quality of rock music!"
QUOTE (demoncleaner @ Apr 18 2009, 12:07 AM)
4 and a half songs in. This just sounds like someone who doesn't know what they're doing.
Don't like the voice either.
Will listen through to Golden Phone at least...
Don't like the voice either.
Will listen through to Golden Phone at least...
The latter part of the album is much better than the early songs.
I like the album. haphazard but interesting. Like them less live but still ok. My mate looked stunned watching them live though.
QUOTE (andystripes @ Apr 25 2009, 08:11 AM)
QUOTE (demoncleaner @ Apr 18 2009, 12:07 AM)
4 and a half songs in. This just sounds like someone who doesn't know what they're doing.
Don't like the voice either.
Will listen through to Golden Phone at least...
Don't like the voice either.
Will listen through to Golden Phone at least...
The latter part of the album is much better than the early songs.
Nah man, the first four tracks are the shit. "Vulture" and "Lips" are total jams.
The back half has "Turn Me Well," tho, which is the best song on the album.
QUOTE (Woodland Runner @ Apr 26 2009, 01:07 AM)
QUOTE (andystripes @ Apr 25 2009, 08:11 AM)
QUOTE (demoncleaner @ Apr 18 2009, 12:07 AM)
4 and a half songs in. This just sounds like someone who doesn't know what they're doing.
Don't like the voice either.
Will listen through to Golden Phone at least...
Don't like the voice either.
Will listen through to Golden Phone at least...
The latter part of the album is much better than the early songs.
Nah man, the first four tracks are the shit. "Vulture" and "Lips" are total jams.
The back half has "Turn Me Well," tho, which is the best song on the album.
Don't get me wrong, I like the whole thing, but I'm a big fan of "Calculator" and "Just In Case"...and "Turn Me Well". "Vulture" is fun, but to me, a lot of the front half is almost too inaccessibly messy.
"Golden Phone" though, for me is still the clear standout.
I think "fresh" describes my feelings towards this album perfectly. Weird, crazy pop music, I thoroughly enjoyed Jewellery.
Loved, LOVED Micachu's show at Schubas tonight. I was grinning ear to ear for most of it. Whoever said that they weren't too much different live than on record, was mostly correct. But just as I could say that I've never heard anything quite like them on record, I can also say that I've never really heard or seen anyone quite like them on stage either. They were a bit more percussively cacophonous, with cymbals and tin cans and cowbells and wine bottles getting crashed and smashed all over the place.
Nice crowd. Mica seemed surprised that the crowd was quiet and respectful, although we did erupt when they finished a song. It's just that the hootin' and hollerin' would stop before they started the next number.
Also nice to get home before dark on a school night.
I'm going to see these guys on thrusday. I started off by not really liking the album at all but I listen to it more than anything else this year save japandroids. A really good album
At the show right ow. Pretty sure the percussionist overheard my phone coversation while telling my George forman that mica really looks like a dude. Saw her making out with some chick. They didn't play yet you guys are all gay cept chrono. Hah.
This was a really good show. The bad sounds great live and, for as much as everyone talks about matt's production, the band is really doing this on their own. Fantastic set and worth seeing.
QUOTE (Cinnamon P. @ Jul 16 2009, 09:38 PM)
as much as everyone talks about matt's production, the band is really doing this on their own.
Not saying I know for sure (Mica certainly has her own resume as a musician), but at one time, Matt Herbert was known to follow a personal rule that he would not produce any music that could not be replicated live. i'm guessing he followed the same rule with Jewellery.
From wiki: "In 2000, Herbert wrote a manifesto titled "Personal Contract for the Composition of Music (Incorporating the Manifest of Mistakes)",[3] which served as a theoretical guide for much of his ensuing work. Often referred to as PCCOM, some of its eleven goals includes a personal ban on using drum machines and pre-existing samples, and ensuring that anything created in the studio can be replicated in live performance."
US tour for the fall has been canceled
forgot about this record for a few months there... sounds so good tonight.
also downloading this mixtape:
1. "Metal" - Micachu (0:00)
2. "Freefire" - Ghostpoet & Dels (1:54)
3. "(untitled)" - Brotha May (5:45)
4. "Monster's Waltz Rework Medley" - The Invisible (7:34)
5. "Violina" - Dels (12:12)
6. "Epping" - Kwes ft. Elan Tamara (14:41)
7. "Morning" - Ghostpoet ft. Micachu (16:48)
8. "One Pure Thought" - Hot Chip (19:31)
9. "Radio Ladio" - Metronomy (24:05)
10. "Wok On By" - Kwes.(26:08)
11. "Stay" - Micachu ft. Miss Bienek (26:18)
12. "White Hair" - Cibelle (28:24)
13. "True Romance" - Golden Silvers (31:14)
14. "Shape/Shift" - Dels (35:34)
15. "Closer" - Kwesachu ft. Romy of The xx (39:07)
16. "Camping In England" - Johnny aka Man Like Me (42:33)
17. "Love Blind" - Micachu ft. Ghostpoet (43:41)
18. "Bread Before Bed" - Kwes. (45:04)
19. "Butterflies" - Finn Peters (47:10)
20. "Exi(T)le" (50:57)
[edit] Notes
Tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 11, 16 & 17 produced by Micachu
Tracks 2, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 18 & 19 produced by Kwes.
Tracks 9 & 13 produced by Micachu & The Shapes
Tracks 4 & 15 produced by Kwesachu (Kwes. & Micachu)
also downloading this mixtape:
1. "Metal" - Micachu (0:00)
2. "Freefire" - Ghostpoet & Dels (1:54)
3. "(untitled)" - Brotha May (5:45)
4. "Monster's Waltz Rework Medley" - The Invisible (7:34)
5. "Violina" - Dels (12:12)
6. "Epping" - Kwes ft. Elan Tamara (14:41)
7. "Morning" - Ghostpoet ft. Micachu (16:48)
8. "One Pure Thought" - Hot Chip (19:31)
9. "Radio Ladio" - Metronomy (24:05)
10. "Wok On By" - Kwes.(26:08)
11. "Stay" - Micachu ft. Miss Bienek (26:18)
12. "White Hair" - Cibelle (28:24)
13. "True Romance" - Golden Silvers (31:14)
14. "Shape/Shift" - Dels (35:34)
15. "Closer" - Kwesachu ft. Romy of The xx (39:07)
16. "Camping In England" - Johnny aka Man Like Me (42:33)
17. "Love Blind" - Micachu ft. Ghostpoet (43:41)
18. "Bread Before Bed" - Kwes. (45:04)
19. "Butterflies" - Finn Peters (47:10)
20. "Exi(T)le" (50:57)
[edit] Notes
Tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 11, 16 & 17 produced by Micachu
Tracks 2, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 18 & 19 produced by Kwes.
Tracks 9 & 13 produced by Micachu & The Shapes
Tracks 4 & 15 produced by Kwesachu (Kwes. & Micachu)
Bump.
Vote for this.
Vote for this.
No can do. :/
I don't really get this girl/band/whatever...I've been giving this a shot but it just doesn't work for me. It just feels like some merely ordinary indie songs with a lot of clatter on top for show.
QUOTE (Saskadelphia @ Dec 6 2009, 08:53 AM)
I don't really get this girl/band/whatever...I've been giving this a shot but it just doesn't work for me. It just feels like some merely ordinary indie songs with a lot of clatter on top for show.
Don't agree witht this. The clatter is the songs. There's nothing I hate more than slight songs drowned in noise for noise sake, this feels much more like everything is deliberate to me£
Well, I don't hear ordinary indie songs, more just idiosyncratic post-punk that sounds like some actual care was put into it. I especially dig how what I'm going to assume is a pretty significant Slits/Raincoats/Homosexuals influence informs the compositional and vocal stylings. And Matthew Herbert's production is a totally perfect fit for it all.
A special record, IMHO.
A special record, IMHO.
Mitch OTM, of course... it's all very precise. I'd almost say borderline avant-prog at times. Vocals + melodic sensibility are weird enough to support/justify the presence of the perfectly distributed "clutter," which manages to be a successful manifestation of Mica's classical background and Herbert's production skills, respectively.
Pretty delightful on headphones, too.
Pretty delightful on headphones, too.
I like this record. I haven't listened to in a while, but it's on my to-do list of "'09 albums I need to listen to again before attempting to make a year-end list".
I'm also with Mitchell in that I don't view this as a record of ordinary songs that had noise put on top of it to seem cool or "indie" or whatever. It doesn't seem forced and it doesn't give off that feeling of "this would be a normal indie-pop song, if it wasn't drowning in noise" vibe that a lot of things in the last few years have reeked of.
I'm also with Mitchell in that I don't view this as a record of ordinary songs that had noise put on top of it to seem cool or "indie" or whatever. It doesn't seem forced and it doesn't give off that feeling of "this would be a normal indie-pop song, if it wasn't drowning in noise" vibe that a lot of things in the last few years have reeked of.
This is by far my favorite album of the year. One of the most original releases I've heard in a long time. As mentioned, great headphone music. Layered, inventive pop music with great production value. In a year with a ton of muddy sounding DIY releases, Jewellery is sonically crisp ear candy. Love everything about this album.
"Golden Phone" is growing on me...it reminds me of Can's more playful moments.
QUOTE (Pavement Ist Rad @ Dec 6 2009, 03:12 AM)
Slits/Raincoats/Homosexuals
OTM. I'm on board. Also reminds me of Odelay Beck in that idiosyncratic way. Golden Phone sucked me in from the singles list and the album is even better than I expected.
Very pleasantly surprised by these guys' set opening for Spoon tonight. They remind me of Skeleton Key in some ways, but are vocally more whimsical. It all works.
http://www.roughtraderecords.com/micachu/3...chopped-screwed
QUOTE
Exciting news from Micachu & The Shapes’ camp! The trio have collaborated with London Sinfonietta, one of the world’s leading contemporary orchestras, to create the album ‘Chopped & Screwed’. Recorded live in front of an audience at Kings Place, London in May 2010 the album will be released by Rough Trade on 28th March 2011.
This will be both Rough Trade and Micachu’s first ever classical release.
The concept behind the album was inspired by the popular “chopping and screwing” technique in American hip-hop which was developed in Houston in the 1990s. The technique involves halving tempo, skipping beats and affecting portions of the original music. The approach was thought to have been developed by DJ Screw and largely influenced by Purple Drank, a codeine-based cough syrup which creates the effect of slowing down the brain, giving mellow music its appeal.
For this exciting, innovative project Mica Levi and David Sylvester handmade the instruments played by Micachu & The Shapes on this recording. Mica explains: “Our own instruments sound a bit percussive, a bit like samples, a bit different. When I write songs on a guitar I find my hands falling into the same bar chords all the time, but if you have something new in front of you there are no rules. No one else has ever played one before so you can approach music differently just make it up as you go along.” She adds, “Doing a project with the London Sinfonietta is an amazing opportunity for us.”
This will be both Rough Trade and Micachu’s first ever classical release.
The concept behind the album was inspired by the popular “chopping and screwing” technique in American hip-hop which was developed in Houston in the 1990s. The technique involves halving tempo, skipping beats and affecting portions of the original music. The approach was thought to have been developed by DJ Screw and largely influenced by Purple Drank, a codeine-based cough syrup which creates the effect of slowing down the brain, giving mellow music its appeal.
For this exciting, innovative project Mica Levi and David Sylvester handmade the instruments played by Micachu & The Shapes on this recording. Mica explains: “Our own instruments sound a bit percussive, a bit like samples, a bit different. When I write songs on a guitar I find my hands falling into the same bar chords all the time, but if you have something new in front of you there are no rules. No one else has ever played one before so you can approach music differently just make it up as you go along.” She adds, “Doing a project with the London Sinfonietta is an amazing opportunity for us.”
Awesome.
I said this about Jewellery: I've never heard anything quite like it. And when I saw her/them live I'd never seen anything like it.
I'll say this about Chopped & Screwed: I've never heard anything quite like this either.
Maybe it's just where I am right now. Natural disasters and nuclear meltdowns. A lot of disgust with politics. A little too much alcohol for a weeknight. But this sort of fucked-up art-noise sounds pretty much perfect right now. A suite of carefully-composed, sawing, stuttering, warped dissonance that makes me happy to be alive.
Has this leaked?
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