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Beyonce Crashes Solange’s Stage & More | Coachella 2014

one small seed — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 08:13:14 +0000

If it wasn’t for Pearl Jam, Coachella might not exist — at least not how we know it today. In 1993 the Seattle band boycotted ticket master due to their monopolizing redistribution system and staged an alternative concert at the Empire Polo Club, establishing the venue as a suitable place for live music. Coachella now takes place at the same venue and — somewhat ironically — has become one of the most profitable music festivals in the US and showcases performances of some of our biggest stars. This year, it was no different, and the popular festival was host to guest performances by none less than Beyonce, Gwen Stefani, Debbie Harry, Justin Bieber and Slash. And what’s more, although it looks like Andre 3000 and Big Boi are lacking the energy of the old days, the main stage was the setting for Outkast’s reunion after 12 years. Here, we’ve selected some of those memorable and much-talked-of moments of Coachella 2014, so you can relive them all in one post!

Gwen Stefani joins Pharrell Williams on stage

Image: beaconstreetonline.net

Debbie Harry and Arcade Fire

Image: www.billboard.com

The Pixies – ‘Vamos’

Image: www.veooz.com

Beyonce joins her sister Solange on stage for ‘Losing You’

Image: www.dailymail.co.uk

‘Hey Ya’ – Andre 3000 and Big Boi reunite at Coachella

Image: atlantadailyworld.com

New Release: The Pixies | ‘Greens and Blues’

one small seed — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 10:24:40 +0000

Seemingly taking a break from loud-quiet-loud, The Pixies’ new track ‘Greens and Blues’ is a mellow track more suitable to unwind to on the couch than in the mosh pit. The nostalgic fan might get teary eyed remembering Black Francis screaming ‘then god is seeeveeen’ or ‘debaseeeer’ and call the track bland, but as a new discovery the song is more than worth a couple of listens — it is a Pixies track after all. After replacing their original bassist Kim Deal with Kim Shattuck of The Muffs and then with Paz Lenchantin (she has played with Zwan, A Perfect Circle and The Entrance Band) for their 2014 tour, ‘Greens and Blues’ is the third track of their most recent release EP2 following 2013’s EP1.

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Words: Christine Hogg

Beirut – The Rip Tide Album Review

one small seed — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 14:29:27 +0000

There are certain obvious influences for musicians currently in their twenties. They were probably first inspired by Britpop or The Pixies or something like that and have spent their career thus far trying to sound a bit like Radiohead. But there is strong evidence to suggest that Beirut frontman Zach Condon, rather than listening to Marquee Moon and hoping to one day be like Television, spent his childhood in Santa Fe listening to Eastern European and Balkan folk music and wanting to grow up to be like them instead. Which he has done. Kind of.

Before even listening to recent releases like their last full length album The Flying Club Cup or EPs March of the Zapotec and Holland, the album artwork of these present you with foreign images. The picture on the former appears to be from early 20th century Europe, and the cover of the latter features a tuba. How many children do you think jumped around their bedroom playing the air tuba? My point is that Beirut are already quite interesting because of their unusual influences and methods.

From previous releases we have come to expect from Beirut an interesting and rich sound, made possible by a wide array of instruments such as flugelhorn, violin, trumpet and Bouzouki, to name just a few of many used by them. This, in tandem with Condon’s voice, which is also a bit unusual, make a distinctive sound. While actually quite cool, his deep delivery isn’t always smooth, sometimes bearing a slight resemblance to a drunken slur.
The Rip Tide gets off to a promising start with “A Candle’s Fire”, a typical Beirut song with its various wind instruments. “Santa Fe” is also very good. These are followed by “East Harlem”, the first single which appeared in June and generated some excitement for the album, while seventh track “Vagabond” is a personal favourite.
Some of the other songs, such as “Goshen” and “The Peacock” show a more sombre side to Beirut, but all still feature the various instruments that add colour and life to the music.

The Rip Tide will appeal to fans of Beirut’s previous releases. Though it may have had some different influences, such as not being recorded in Teotitlán del Valle, Mexico, with help from the locals, like the March of the Zapotec EP, it’s still quite similar to much of their previous work. It will be released via Condon’s own label, Pompeii Records, which ensures the band have complete creative control by not including a major label. Rock on.

As I said earlier, Beirut’s diverse influences, many instruments, and the lack of any corporate overlords calling the shots help to make The Rip Tide an interesting listen. Of course, interesting doesn’t mean great, and The Rip Tide isn’t an amazing album, but it still stands out by sounding different to much of what we hear coming out of America. These are New Yorkers who look to far-away lands and long gone times for inspiration, mixing the exotic with the familiar, and making some decent music out of it. I think that they’re definitely worth a listen.