#nora keller

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MUSIC MONDAY PLAYLIST: Nora’s Picks

Happy Monday! Here's my mood-boosting playlist. Ideally you'd listen to this playlist outside. I listened to it dancing around the city streets and soaking up the sun on my lunch break. However, if you're stuck in a windowless cubicle somewhere, I'm hoping this playlist will still brighten your day. 🌞

-Nora Keller

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MUSIC MONDAY PLAYLIST: Nora’s Picks

10 Songs from The Grage: See if you can crack the code. It's very high level stuff.

-Nora Keller Instagram: @norakeller

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MUSIC MONDAY PLAYLIST: Nora’s Picks

The theme of this week's Music Monday is "Summer Breakup." I'm not going through one or anything, I swear! The whole thing was created as a nerdy personal challenge. I feel like the songs we associate with summer are always upbeat!, positive!, sun-soaked! - AKA totally inappropriate for personal pity parties. Frankly, most breakup songs are total winter songs. Joy Division? Winter. Leonard Cohen? SO winter! Elliott Smith? WINTER AF! Here's my attempt to close the gap.

I'd like to throw it out there that today at work I made someone in my office cry when I put on this playlist - success! As a follow-up, I think it helps to follow up these summer sad-boy jamz with phase 2 and phase 3, but that's a playlist for another week.

-Nora Keller

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ACROSS THE POND: Bristol

For my birthday weekend, I decided to get out of London and head over to Bristol to visit a friend. It seems to be the general consensus among my Londoner friends that London is the only worthwhile city in England. I have to say, they are sorely misinformed. Bristol is a city brimming with life. It’s full of amazing, interesting people, art (see: street art – after all, this is Banksy’s turf), food, and most importantly, great music. My Bristolian friend, Maeve, made the point that Bristol is kind of like England’s answer to San Francisco. It’s a port city with a bunch of hills, colorful houses, and a famous bridge. It also seems to be a magnet for environmentally conscious and crunchy offbeat types, so the analogy fits.

My visit just so happened to coincide with Bristol’s Simple Things Festival.  I couldn’t be luckier! The festival bill was full and all encompassing, and it’d be impossible for me to cover everyone I saw. So, I will just focus on a few highlights (mostly based on which bands I took the most notes on). I feel I should say something about the fact that none of the bands I am choosing to cover are electronic bands. House music is huge in Bristol, and that type of music easily accounts for half of the line-up. Frankly, while I enjoy this type of music, it’s not exactly my “thing,” which is to say I wouldn’t even know where to begin to discuss, much less write an article about it.

Penguin Cafe was the first full set we checked out. This is an electro/swing mini-orchestra made up of a few string players, two percussionists, a pianist, and a couple guitar players. The music is a wild, genre-bending experience.  Everyone in the audience seemed awfully cultured. The performance made me feel really bad about the violin that’s been gathering dust in my closet since arriving in London.

Hilariously, across the hall playing at the same time as Penguin Café was a band called Sex Swing. They are a loud, metal-ish(?), band which most notably features both a screaming man and a bari-sax. I wrote down “fog-horn-core.”  After about 5 minutes after we entered the room, Maeve shouted to me, “I feel like I’ve joined a cult!” Be sure to check them out if that’s your thing.

Mild High Club was playing later that evening in the lobby. Maeve and I only decided to check them out because their name was funny; we were so glad we did. We both agreed that they were probably our favorite band we’d heard that day. They have a laidback, Mac Demarco vibe. I found out later that they have opened for him before, which makes so much sense. Maeve committed treason by saying she likes them more than Mac (blaspheme!!). The crowd watching them was small, but very into it. They all danced like no one was watching and cheered so loudly it made up for their size. Afterwards, a lot of people went up to the band. I eavesdropped on a few of these conversations, and it seemed like absolutely no one there had heard of the band before – which is super impressive for the overwhelmingly positive response the band was getting.  I bought one of their CDs. I suggest you do the same.

Micachu was the band Maeve really wanted to see. Immediately, I understood why. Their set was fantastic. The band features a gravely-voiced girl singing lead. She broke a string about 1 song in, but the beautiful thing about festivals is that there are plenty of guitars around.  Some guy from another band let her borrow one. Meanwhile, the band did an off-the-cuff, stripped down song – which was unbelievably cool. We weren’t the only Micachu fans in the house.  The crowd was wild. The “stage” was just a sort of makeshift pop-up in the foyer of Colston Hall (a fancy arts center with multiple stages and theatres – not unlike The Kennedy Center). The crowd overflowed from the lobby up 3 flights of stairs and onto 3 floors of balconies looking down at the band. It was quite a sight.

Towards the end of our night, we headed over to the O2 Academy Bristol to check out some grime. Grime is a fairly new genre of music that is thoroughly British. It came out of London in the early 2000s, and the rest of the world is still catching up. I’m not sure if you can even make grime if you aren’t British; the accent seems important. I am by no means an expert on grime (or anywhere close to an expert), so please forgive me if I get some things wrong.  It is really difficult to describe because it’s a sort of “fusion” music – a cross between hip-hop, Jamaican dancehall, UKG, drum & bass, and a million other things.  What I do know, and can assert definitively, is that it’s great. I LOVED these shows.

Ruff Sqwad and J-Cush were on when we got in. They were/are, according to my friend Charlie who knows more about these things than I do, very important to early grime. I loved watching the crowd react at this show. There were about 6 guys near the front screaming every lyric whose facial expressions reminded me of that of One Direction fangirls. These bands are like royalty. I figured it was just going to sound like hip-hop, but I immediately realized that grime is definitely its own thing. However, the hip-hop influence is as clear as day. All of the guys were dressed like ‘90s hip-hop artists. Like, seriously, everyone there looked straight out of a Run DMC and/or ATCQ video. We’re talking track-suits and gold chains. You can also see how the music has evolved.  The newer songs have a serious trap feel. The music seemed almost chaotic at times – one guy was actually scatting at one point. Ruff Sqwad went on for a half an hour longer than they were scheduled. “Last song, last song,” they kept repeating. Clearly, they like what they do.

After Ruff Sqwad and J-Cush came two of the biggest names in grime. I’m sure most of you have already heard Skepta and his brother JME. They are likely the most recognizable grime artists to us in the States. Skepta actually played a 9:30 Presents show at U Street Music Hall back in July.  They actually took the stage early. You can really tell they love performing, and their energy together was unmatched. They were basically peacocking across the stage; the whole performance was hyper-masculine. The music was, of course, fantastic. The crowd (including me) was unfortunately a bit tired. This was pretty understandable seeing as the set started at 1 AM and this festival had been going on all day. There’s only so much coffee a girl can drink. I was getting delirious. At one point, at least 4 songs after Skepta had performed ”Too Many Man,” I shouted at Maeve, “Oh my god!  They’re so right!  There really are too many men!!!” before slumping down onto the bannister for a 2-minute emergency power nap. Despite the exhaustion, I am so very glad I got to experience this show. I have wanted to check out a grime show ever since I found out I’d be in England, and I really hit the jackpot with this one. I feel like I’ve discovered a whole new world.

Bristol rules. Grime rules. Simple Things rules. England f@!*ing rocks.

P.S. I also saw Lee Scratch Perry, but I was too excited to take notes. All you really need to know is that he was fantastic. Speedy Ortiz and Lower Dens were there and rocked as always, but they already get a lot of love on this blog. :)

-Nora Keller

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ACROSS THE POND: Swim Deep

Live shows and concerts by professional musicians are, of course, at the core of a music scene.  However, there are many other entities that together contribute to the musical atmosphere of an area: record stores, instrument shops, open mics, radio stations, local fun-dealers, welcoming basements, etc.

One of London’s most successful and beloved musical gems is Rough Trade Records.  The first shop was established in 1976, and soon after, it spawned England’s favorite label, Rough Trade Records.  The shops are technically separate from the label now, but ties clearly remain.  I’ve been hanging out at Rough Trade East, which is situated in Brick Lane in East London.  Brick Lane (and East London in general) is a very happening part of London.  Rough Trade East is sort of a hipster’s wet dream.  The store contains a fair-trade coffee shop, free music stage, and (of course) an endless collection of vinyl.  All of the vinyl/CDs/tapes have little descriptions written by Rough Trade – which makes it a great place to get lost in music discovery.  There’s a bargain bin – buy 2, get 1 free – with marked down records.  I usually find in most stores that these bins are full of dead/unsellable records.  Rough Trade’s, however, is actually full of wonderful finds and great deals on some lovely records.  

The first time I went into Rough Trade, I walked in with a mission.  It was October 2, and I went in to pick up the new Wavves album (V – which you should all listen to immediately).  I figured I’d only be there for a few minutes – I ended up browsing for about an hour.  It’s easy to get lost in that place.  I was so immersed in the shelves that I didn’t notice that a band was setting up on the stage over in the corner of the store or that a sizable crowd had come in.  As I was checking out at the register, I heard someone strike their guitar and the lead singer mumbled, “Hey, we’re sasldkfjasdlkfj.”  Who? I didn’t quite catch that.  The cashier handed me my receipt, and I figured I might as well go check out the band (because you should always check out the band).

Below was my thought process as they started to play:

“Man, they’re pretty good.  Haha, listen to that - of course, this is the country that produced Blur.  The bass player looks like the dudes in DIIV.  Wait, I know this song… something, something cause I’m in love something oooh oooh – OH S**T, it’s Swim Deep!”

Swim Deep is an English indie-pop band, and a pretty beloved one at that.  They were there promoting their new album, Mothers.  Apparently, I was supposed to buy the album and get a wristband to gain entry to the show – oops!  Anyway, the band was great.  I didn’t recognize them immediately because their sound is markedly different on this new album.  They sound much more spacey/krautrock than their previous, poppy hits.  Honestly, I like the change.  They still sound like themselves, but this new sound seems more mature and complex. 

After the gig ended, I immediately updated my Facebook status because I’m a freaking millennial.  I went to a record store to buy my favorite new album and got to see a band I totally love for free and by total dumb luck.  I had to tell the world of the miracle that just occurred.  “That is only something that happens in my dreams,” my friend/fellow 9:30 blogger Helen commented.  She’s right.  I could not have imagined this happening anywhere else.  London is a city of dreams.

-Nora Keller

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ACROSS THE POND: Phobophobes and Vague

Greetings!  This is my second write-up from London.  The previous blog featured what turned out to be a fairly popular band that drew a small, but spirited crowd.  The most recent event I attended, unfortunately, was neither well attended nor had an enthusiastic crowd.  Two bands performed that night:  Phobophobes, a local London-based psych rock group, and Vague, an Austrian surf rock band.  The venue was Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen, an unbelievably hip restaurant/bar in a trendy part of town with a great layout and amazing deals on pizza.  More than being a typical “music venue,” the place is more of a bar and pizza joint with a stage tucked away in a back room.

I rolled up to the venue with my friend from UMD (that’s Boy A, for any of you who read last week’s edition).  We got there a bit early so we decided to try some of the place’s famous pizza.  Much to our excitement, the place had a deal going where we could get two WHOLE, ENTIRE PIZZAS for 6 pounds.  Do you know how much everything costs in London?  If you think DC is expensive, you’d probably burst into tears watching your banking account shrink daily here.  That pizza deal was a sweet miracle!  At that point, even if the bands had been total letdowns, I would’ve called the night a success.  Luckily, the bands weren’t too bad either.

In fact, the bands were quite good!  Phobophobes started to play, and all I wanted to do was dance.  The lead singer had a cool Jim Morrison vibe going with weird dance moves and a compelling baritone.  He really was quite the showman.  A lot of modern bands these days label themselves as psych rock, but no, really, these guys are an actual, in the flesh, ‘70s-style, psych rock band.  The band had a guy on keyboard who, and I kid you not, had an organ solo.  The bass player was wearing a funky patterned, long sleeve shirt.  Everyone had long hair. Phobophobes are such a treat to see, and I’m so glad they’re local because I absolutely would like to see them again.  It is completely unfair, but I counted 8 people in that room watching the band when it started (including my friend and me).  Some people gradually trickled in, but at its height, there were only about 13 people in the room.  I know this isn’t great for the band, but honestly, I took the tiniest bit of joy out of this.  It went through my head at some point in the night that, “Wow.  I am, right this moment, one of the 13 hippest people in London because it is completely impossible that there is anything at all in London going on that is cooler than this.”  Call me hipster - go ahead. If Phobophobes ever come to DC, you should go see them and become one of the chosen!  At some point during Phobophobes’ set, my Italian friend came in to meet us at the venue.  He was, admittedly, not a big fan of Phobophobes.  It was a bit too loud for him, he said.  Italian ears must be more delicate; perhaps it’s all the opera.  Well, you decide.

This friend, however, thought the next band was wonderful.  I have to say I agree!  Vague is, like Phobophobes, very clearly connected to a certain era of rock music. Unlike Phobophobes, Vague channeled a bit more proto-punk than psych-rock.  Their sound was chilled out with a surf vibe.  The band sort of reminded me of some modern bands like DIIV, with its circling guitar riffs.  The main singer of the band sounded uncannily like Lou Reed (which I shouted, like, 6 times, embarrassing my friends).  The band experienced a few technical difficulties and had trouble staying on pitch due to a broken monitor, but they powered through like champs.  The band’s often lyric-less floating jams were calming and completely sublime.  I’ve been taking notes at these shows in order to write these blog posts, and all I have written down under Vague is, “I feel so good right now.”  Some bands have the power to make you forget where you are. Their last song did that for me.  I wasn’t in a bar.  I wasn’t in London. I wasn’t anywhere.  I was just happy.

Oh, Boy A?  He didn’t quite get Vague.  He preferred Phobophobes.  He thought they were funkier and livelier.  I think he missed the mosh pit from last week.

-Nora Keller

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ACROSS THE POND: Pretty Vicious

Greetings, everyone!  Just a short introduction – Across the Pond is a column started by my lovely, fellow contributor, Spencer Swan, during his time studying in Ireland. Since he is no longer there, I decided it’d be a great idea to steal it from him. Currently I’m studying for four months in London, England. So far, it has proven a fantastic place both in general (OMG, the Indian food!) and for music. While I’m here, I intend to do everything I can to soak up the local music scene. I’ll be going to as many shows as I can muster each week, and blogging along the way.

The first show I checked out was Pretty Vicious playing in the Dome in Tufnell Park, which is located just north of central London. The band was listed as a Welsh four-piece rock group from Merthyr Tydfil. (Ten points to anyone who can tell me how to pronounce that.) The show was cheap and the band looked loud.  I booked my ticket and invited some new friends – Boys A and B.  Boy A is an adventurous frat boy also studying abroad in London from my home school and had never been to a punk show.  Boy B is a metal-kid Londoner whom I’d met the night before and told me punk isn’t a thing in London anymore. WHAT?! *Screams internally.*

Before arriving at the gig, I had no idea what to expect. I had never heard of the band, and this was my first time at a local venue. When I got to the place, I was thrilled to see a line of drunken, angry-looking, leather-jacketed people wearing combat boots. My people! I took note of a Speedy Ortiz poster on one of the walls and thought, “This is a good place.”  

Inside, a quick scan of the crowd revealed a strangely large range of ages. There were middle-aged/older men and women shouting along to the Sex Pistols songs playing over the speakers as well as kids who looked like they were about 14. The room was nowhere near filled. What a downer. In my experience in DC, whenever a room has that much empty space, the crowd doesn’t tend to be very fun.

When Pretty Vicious came on stage, both of my friends skeptically remarked on how young the band looked. I had to admit they did look a bit young, but lots of bands I like these days are full of people younger than me. God knows I love me some Twin Peaks. Maybe I’m just getting old.

As soon as the band started playing, all of our doubts melted away. The band had so much energy, hardly ever stopping between songs. Occasionally, the lead singer said a few words of banter, but mostly, they were just interested in playing – which is good because I honestly had no idea what he said. Welsh accents are a bit tricky. The crowd may have been small, but every single person in that crowd was a total super-fan.  The room didn’t seem so big when everyone moved close to the stage. Even the middle-aged crowd was singing along and lots of people were shouting requests. At about five songs in, the band played one of their hits and something absolutely beautiful and miraculous occurred. That tiny crowd was moshing. “Oh. My. God. This is a great show,” I thought, right before the second miracle of the night occurred.  Boy A jumped into the pit. Boy A, “frat boy, EDM bro, I-played-multiple-sports-in-high school,” moshed for the first time at his very first punk show.  He loved it. By the end of the night, Boy B who said punk was dead in London recanted his statement.

Dear Pretty Vicious,

Come to DC. We need you.

Love,

Nora

-Nora Keller

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KEEP YER EYES PEELED: Phantom Party

Phantom Party is a little poppy, surf/garage rock band with just over 250 likes on their Facebook page. I found them when they followed me on Tumblr. I checked out their recently released EP, Stellar, and was instantly hooked.  Despite hailing from the landlocked Arizona, the band still manages to nail the surf-rock, west-coast vibe. The lo-fi recordings, combined with the lead singer’s style, immediately brought California garage punk twins, The Garden, to mind.  However, I must note that Phantom Party’s music is perhaps a bit more accessible. The songs themselves are very catchy; I found myself humming the lead track, “Catholic School,” to myself a couple days later after my first listen.  The band only seems to be doing local tours right now, but I’d love to see them come to the east coast soon!

-Nora Keller

RIYL: The Garden, Wavves, Cloud Nothings, The Smiths

Follow phntmprty on Tumblr.