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June
29, 2006
Juana Molina
Jose
Gonzalez, Juana Molina, Psapp - Bowery Ballroom $20
Tonight
isn’t gonna be easy. The intense vocal performances of Diamanda
Galás have always been unparalleled. Marc
Ribot is one of my favorite musicians to ever pick
up a guitar. Tim
Berne and Okkyung
Lee, though from relatively different sides of the
spectrum, are two of the more fascinating and prolific improvising
composers going. And Fiery
Furnaces, who I write disproportionately about, are
one of the more unusual and ambitious pop bands to come around in
recent years. But tonight the most interesting bill is the rather
adulty international one at the Bowery Ballroom – featuring
three acts that are all relatively new to me.
The
headliner,
Jose Gonzalez, is Swedish Argentine troubadour who
emerged in the last year or so, is currently riding an unprecedented
wave of UK success to America. The better stuff is the eerie skeletal
songs built by immaculate picking and sparse vocals. Of course someone
with my taste feels uncomfortable treading in certain places in
almost every acoustic singer/songwriter’s repertoire. But
this guy’s about as good as it gets.
Juana
Molina is another Argentine acoustic guitar-strumming
vocalist – who actually resides in Argentina. A successful
comedian with her own TV show in the Spanish-speaking world, Molina
writes, produces, and records elegant electro-acoustic records where
subtle loops, synths, and exotic instruments conjure shades of ambience
under her rhythmic guitar work and gorgeous voice that’s a
more distinctive contemporary take on everything you’ve always
sought out in a soft bossa nova vocal delivery. If this sounds like
your cup of tea, I highly recommend her new record Son.
I’m
still on the fence about the opener, Psapp,
a quirky London duo that play giddy yet elaborate compositions.
What I’ve heard so far is a bit cornball and twee for my personal
taste, but that seems to be what they're going for in the first
place. Plus, their music is neither boring or unrespectable.
Either
way, this is an ideal way to catch up on three unique voices from
around the globe with very little effort on your part.
MEDIA
VIDEOS
Jose
Gonzalez, "Stay In the Shade" MOV
Juana
Molina, "Sombras" MOV
Juana
Molina, "Vias" MOV
Psapp,
"About Fun" MOV
SOUNDS
Jose
Gonzalez, "Stay In the Shade" MP3
Juana
Molina, "No Es Tan Cierto" MP3
Juana
Molina, "Tres Cosas" MP3
Psapp,
"Tricylcle" MP3
LIVE
Aloke,
Americans, Right on Dynamite, No One & The Somebodies - Northsix
$10
Diamanda Galás - Joe's Pub $30
Dirty on Purpose, Say Hi To Your Mom, The Little Ones, A Place to
Bury Strangers - Mercury Lounge $10$12d
Fred Wesley – The Iridium $30
Land of Talk, Tokyo Police Club, The Ballet, DJ Ramesh from Voxtrot
– 98 Ingraham (toddpnyc.com) $8
Mancino, The Isles, Secret Life of Sofia - Sin-e $10
Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog – Tonic $12
Okkyung Lee – The Stone 8PM $10
Paul Motian Band - Village Vanguard
The Feverfew, Baby Calander, La Pieta – Cake Shop
The Fiery Furnaces, Man Man, Standing Nudes - Webster Hall $20
Tim Berne – The Stone 10PM $10
We Are Scientists, The Double, Au Revoir Simone - Warsaw $16.50
LIVE
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