The Sky Report TV

Check out some of the recent videos uploaded to our YouTube channel - theskyreportTV. The first three clips (Pass Kontrol, Shadowbox, Lady Magma) are taken from our first show, Make Music New York at Northeast Kingdom. It was a stormy outdoor show that got forced into the tiny NK Den. Madness ensued.

New WAVVES Video - No Hope Kids

I guess the moral of the story in this video is no matter how hard you live or how fucked up you get, never forget to read a book? Let's hope Wavves gets his shit together.

SXSW - Day 1 Wavves, Vivian Girls, Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and more

-Wavves

The first official day of SXSW was loaded with wonderful performances all over the place. I spent the daylight hours at the Forcefield/Terrorbird blow out at Red 7 and caught a really brief, but awesome set by Wavves. Backed with just a drummer, he lived up to the hype machine surrounding his new album. I was also really taken with his jovial stage presence and his frequent use of the word "psych".



The band Lake were a new discovery for me. Their adorable indie pop was perfectly suited to the early time slot on the outdoor stage. I also really enjoyed the Swiss electronic duo Larytta, as well as Shout Out Out Out Out, and Rainbow Arabia.

-Vivian Girls

A pair of Brooklyn darlings closed out the outdoor stage - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, followed by Vivian Girls. Both bands sounded really great live, particularly Pains..., who kicked off their set with the potent 1-2-punch of "This Love is Fucking Right" and "Young Adult Friction".

The Thermals really blew my mind. I'm not very familiar with their catalog of music, but their set was ferocious and captivating - short punk songs that nearly smashed into each other. I loved it!

Loney Dear and Fol Chen also played and sounded good, but their music isn't really my cup of tea.

-The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

Beach House closed out the indoor stage, but it got so hot and crowded I only lasted about half a song. Their moody, dreamgaze sound would have put me into a heat coma and then bad things could have happened. Better safe than sorry!

WAVVES - "So Bored (live at Different Fur, SF)

This Wavves video is awesome. It starts with a very casual interview, then launches into a live rendition of "So Bored", a standout on the forthcoming sophomore LP.


Wavves Part 1 by Yours Truly from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

Review WAVVES - Wavvves 73%

[EDIT: This review is based on a very early promo copy. As it turns out, the actual release has a very different tracklist, including the new single "California Goth". I may re-review the disc, for now please take this info in consideration when reading this review.]

In less than 30 minutes, Nathan Daniel Williams (aka Wavves) takes you on a mind-bending ride through layers and layers of deep distortion and nihilistic doom on his second LP, aptly titled Wavvves. Carrying on with the recent trend of Southern California nu-punk outfits (No Age, Health, Crystal Antlers), Wavves challenges the boundaries of this exploding genre, infusing it with a twisted intellectualism that directly contradicts itself.

This shotgun of an album gets started with the disorienting ambience of instrumental prelude “Rainbow Everywhere”, a fitting opening for the controlled chaos that ensues. “Sun Opens My Eyes” follows with jangly percussion and psychedelic melodies, further accentuated by a heroin-tinged guitar solo. But the fire really gets unleashed on the rocket-fueled “Get In the Sun”, on which Williams sings…

“I’m just a boy with nothing to say,
I’m just a boy with nothing to do”

All the finer talents at work here really come together on this track. With its catchy riffs and toe-tapping sing-song delivery, the track perfectly captures the “going-nowhere” attitude and theme of the album. The same can also be said of “No Hope Kids” and “So Bored”, a pair of (not-so) timely anthems for an uninspired generation. Sure, these songs were recorded before the new hope of Obama arrived, but with all we’ve endured over the last eight years, we can surely relate.

That said, some tracks here are like experimentations gone wrong and, unfortunately, they really stand in the way of making this an amazing album. The warped and demonic “More Fur” completely lost me. Experimental is one thing, but this track goes way too far and sinks annoyingly into the background. As well, “Summer Goth 2” and “Ghost Ramp 4” sound too much like bedroom demos rather than fully realized songs.

Wavvves aims to capture the cry of a young generation at a loss for dreams and ultimately, any solid future. The album may not be a full-fledged tsunami, but it definitely grabs your attention and stays lodged in your memory. I have a feeling the big one will hit before we’ve had time to prepare.

-Scot Bowman
Originally published at kevchino.com.

Best of 2009? WAVVES - Wavvves

Wavves is:

-22 year-old Nathan Daniel William from San Diego.

-about to release his second LP, titled Wavvves.

-almost guaranteed to hit big in 2009.

Touted as "the sound of today's american youth", William has gone from music blogger to blog sensation seemingly overnight. But it's not at all without merit. Within the last year, his collection of bedroom recordings has spawned itself into two highly addictive, lo-fi beach punk LPs that really get under your skin. His prolific output alone should certainly grab your attention.

Wavves, the first LP, is available now via Woodsist/Fuckittapes, while Wavvves, the second LP, is released February 3 on De Stijl Records.  Check out the first official mp3 for the track "So Bored" at the bottom of the post.

Wavves - So Bored (mp3)