TRAUERMUSIK is a three-part concert series curated by Los Angeles neo-nonprofits eighteen-thirty and HumanEar. It is an extended meditation on the purpose, function and power of sorrow in music. The curators selected three historical texts to convey three profound notions of melancholy, attempting to createa kaleidoscopic experience of sadness that is far from the dreary monochrome that might come to mind.

The project sets aim for an understanding of sadness as colorful and paradoxically complex as rain on a sunny day. By challenging their artists to create original works outside their comfort range and by pairing artists from genres as diverse as experimental classical, ambient electronica and avant-pop, it would seem
they are attempting to break the uniform gray into a dizzying spectrum of subtleties. Its title – borrowed from German romantic composers’ favorite term for “Mourning Music” – is a clue to the overarching plan. Three concerts, devoted to the melancholy of longing, the melancholy of excess and the melancholy of contentment, respectively, are titled only by the historical quotations used as “instruction sheets” to the artists involved. Ultimately, it may be Friedrich Nietzsche, Georges Bataille and Claude Baudelaire, who with their inscrutable notions of pain and suffering guide the course of these starry nights.

DATES
1 August 2009
Soft-Boiled Eggies I Geneva Jacuzzi I Oscar “Sister Mantos” Santos

15 August 2009
Indian Jewelry I John Webster Johns I Julia Holter I Im Kino

29 August 2009
William Basinski I Jason Grier I Mark So I Sound Installation by Lucky Dragons

ADMISSION
$7 per night I $15 full pass
Doors open 8pm

www.trauermusikfestival.org
www.eighteen-thirty.com

So first hearing Desire you think, “Nice! Montreal is coming up!”. Dreamy French Canadian synth pop. The last Canadians to drop something this amazing, along this line was the Junior Boys, but we all know how the recent album sounds . The real genius behind Desire is actually from Portland’s own Glass Candy. This is Johnny Jewel’s new project. You know anything he touches in the studio turns to gold. Basically what I get from Desire is Glass Candy if they were darker, sexier, French Canadian, and even deeper. Although the lyrics could be a little bit more original the music as a whole is amazing and still takes you to a land of French Canadian sexiness. Here are two tracks off the demo CDR which definitely catch the ear. The track names sound like they should be switched but I left it as what it was labeled as on the demo.

Desire Myspace

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Desire- Primitive Desire

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Desire- Mirroir Mirroir

My Apologizes Jason’s Review accidentally got deleted I am not sure how. But here it is again with a newer MP3.
Jason DEBO. For one of the most modest/timid front men in the history of modern music how pretentious is it to refer to your last name in all CAPS? In either case, DEBO’s new CD Eucalyptus Fields of Sugar Cane draws comparisons of a well produced/not drunk Guided By Voices and Versus. If you want to take it even one step further, Whysall Lane, a Versus side project emulates a similar aura and tone. The song on the album that stands out the most is Wrong Thing, Right Place, a stripped down acoustic power/pop endeavor. This song reels you in with a hook catchier than a fleet of Japanese fishermen and captivates your attention with it’s use of a strategically placed 2nd acoustic guitar. However, I must say that after seeing Jason DEBO live he relies far too much on his backing band to create a wall of sound to hide behind. The power of his guitar strums on the recording do not match the subtle innocence of his lackadaisical hand live. It would be interesting to see DEBO unplugged, as he would eviscerate an anti-rock star vulnerability. For what it’s worth DEBO is pushing the envelope with his down to earth presence and straight forward anthems. In a world of music plagued by bands so quick to jump on the idea of genres and false pretenses, this disc is a safe investment for connoisseurs of the natural progression of rock/pop.

Review by Vince from Myspace Records

Jason Debo-Wrong Thing Right Place

Myspace

So remember that post where I was bashing shoegaze bands from LA. Heres one that is pretty good. They sent me their new EP, Sometimes They Collide, gave it a listen and was quite surprised. The Hectors have all the shoegaze elements correct, except the vocals which are recorded in a pop manor which could be good or bad. For me personally I really wanted to here some dreamy shoegaze vocals but you can’t always get what you want. I do enjoy the powerful instrumentals. Anyway, they are worth checking out. They are playing a FREE show tomorrow in Hollywood, so if you are in the area come on down!

The Hectors-Proof For Sale

Myspace
Official Band Website