Jets' Soph Release To Be Next Monday (3/24)

Whew! You're away from the computer for one day, and this is the stuff you miss. Mystery Jets announced yesterday the release date for the UK release of sophomore album Twenty One -- next monday! Quick turn around, that one. No complaints here, though.

So if you're in the UK you can buy Twenty One almost anywhere in any format: Banquet Records, HMV, Amazon, iTunes, you name it. I would suggest getting it from HMV or Play.com, as both offer free shipping.

Album review will be up ASAP, along with, fingers crossed, dates of the American release and tour. Meanwhile, check out this live version of "Young Love," played at the Duke of Uke, a ukulele and banjo emporium in London:

www.myspace.com/mysteryjets

Need to Know: 1000 Robota

Most days you roll out of bed not expecting anything out of the ordinary. Most days you're right. This is not that day.

I was doing a bit of routine Myspace wankery -- clicking and reading and listening to friends of friends of friends' profiles. And I happened upon a band profile whose music shot electrodes through my headphones, down my aural passages and into the pit of my heart.

Hamburg post-punkers 1000 Robota are to blame. They mix sharp melodies and staccatoed percussion with intense German vocals for a truly enthralling sound. I have no idea what they're singing about, yet every song is curiously hypnotic.

Somewhat shockingly, the band is helmed by 17 year olds Jonas Hinnerkort and Sebastian Muxfeldt, and 18 year old Anton Speilmann. That the trio has already carved a sound so particular, and plays it with such confidence, surely foreshadows great things to come.

They've just released a five-track EP, Hamburg Brennt, on Tapete Records. The title track is as catchy as it is manic, speeding furiously for two minutes before coming to an abrupt halt. "Sachen Erleben" is another gem, especially intriguing for its complex arrangement and dark bass line.

The end track is a cover of "Wir Bauen Eine Neue Stadt," originally by early 80s German avant-rock/post-punk/dadaist rock band Palais Schaumburg. It is basically a contemporary take on the song, minus the details (no trumpet!) that make the original so damn cool. Still, it's a decent track, and I always get the warm fuzzies when bands pay tribute to their ancient influences.

Highly recommended.


Hamburg brennt - 1000 Robota


For fans of: Palais Schaumburg, Electricity in Our Homes, Nelson, Wire, Gang of Four.

www.myspace.com/1000robota

An Evening of Confectioned Revelry with teletextile

Mmm. I love cake. I love the Cake Shop. The brilliance of bringing together pastries, old vinyl and hard liquor is quite on par with the invention of motion pictures and the Internet. Well, almost.

On Saturday night, the Cake Shop added chamber rock group teletextile to their list of goodies. The band's characteristic lush arrangements and Pamela Martinez's indulgent vocals proved to be a smart addition to the line-up.

To get to the dungeon-dark basement of the Cake Shop, one must descend a steep, concrete stairwell. Inside, the room thumps to a grittier vibe than the cheery pastry and music shop above it. The spare room is dotted haphazardly with seating against one side of the wall and a bar on its opposite. The only lighting comes from the glowing red of the bar with its transmogrified, faux fireplace log sconces, and on the stage, where dozens of white Christmas lights illuminate the band from above, casting weird shadows.

As if playing on those shadows, teletextile opens their set with a hypnotic hum of synths before launching into "Ampm Two." The song is long familiar to me now, but the band plays it enthusiastically -- hungrily, almost, and the deep reverb of bass and drums pulses inside me and I'm hooked. Martinez's live vocals are as crisp and soul-shaking as her production vocals; a too-rare occurance in today's era of studio polish so thick even bad vocals can be transfigured into mediocrity.

"Heartquaker" and "Girl" followed suit, with the version of the former being especially energized and spectacular. Changing it up on the fly, teletextile then banged out a cover of Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence." Despite Martinez's claims that she didn't know the keyboard part, nothing seemed out of place musically, and it was a fun way to lighten the atmosphere. Still, it lacked the intense spark of their original stuff, and I would have preferred to hear another original in its place.

The next song more than made up for it, however. "Gesso" was a delightful surprise, as I had not heard it before. Lyrically rich and intriguing, it is probably their most pop-oriented, radio-friendly song. This was the highlight of the show for me, because I wasn't expecting it and because the melody is just so damn enchanting.

As shows at the Cake Shop are apt to be, this was a short one. "Distant Places" closed the set as the sixth and final song. Its steady climb to an eventual eruption of lyrics and sound was a perfect closer to a well-rounded set.

On the whole, none of the songs were black spots, but the Depeche Mode cover was a disappointment simply because I almost always prefer to hear original works before covers. I do realize, however, most people like an upbeat atmosphere during shows -- and the crowd seemed to enjoy it, after all.

teletextile are working on two new songs after a creative explosion ripped through their practice session the other day. They were so new, Martinez said, that they weren't ready for debut Saturday night. Perhaps they will be ready for their next New York show on March 19, at Brooklyn's Trash Bar. Fingers crossed . . .

Sample MP3s:

- Gesso
- Ampm Two



www.myspace.com/teletextile

Need to Know: Teletextile

Playing Saturday, March 8th @ the Cake Shop! 8pm Sharp!

This Brooklyn quartet plays lush chamber rock and uses lead singer Pamela Martinez's unique vocals and penchant for clever arrangements to create a sound both timeless and totally different than anything you've heard. The band's minimalist-to-indulgent musical arrangements provide the perfect playground for Martinez's vocals to regale emotion, whether climbing to an epic peak or snaking softly through layers of piano, violin, guitar, beats, harps and accordians.

Teletextile self-released their debut album, Care Package, in 2006, garnering comparisons to Sigur Ros and Bjork -- a reviewer from the Boston Phoenix even went so far as to call Martinez "the American Bjork." If forced to compare them to their musical contemporaries, elements of Final Fantasy, Eluvium, Dresden Dolls and, yes, Bjork, are apparent. Still, the end result is much more than an amalgamation of borrowed parts:

Perhaps their best song, "AMPM 2" is a brilliant track that will probably go unnoticed by a large percentage of the population because of its complexity. The vocal arrangement is complicated and can be difficult to grasp initially. At the same time, this is what makes the song so intriguing. The elegantly swaying melody, layered with repeating noises and clicks, sewn together loosely with sharp bursts of violin, neither overwhelms the vocals, nor loses its relevance alongside the complex vocal arrangement. It provides instead the perfect background for a reflective soliloquy, which is ultimately the vibe "AMPM 2" harnesses; this song would not be out of place in a new Broadway show.

"Safer in a Down One" is like an ode to Eluvium with its gentle build up of piano over a steady hum of strings and white noise. It fades into "Safer in a Down Two," keeping the same mood musically, but adding Martinez's fervent vocals for an arresting three minutes of song.

At the moment, Teletextile is working on new material for a follow-up and touring like mad. This Saturday night, in fact, they're playing the Cake Shop on the Lower East Side, alongside indie-pop veteran School of Language (David Brewis of the now-defunct Field Music). I'll be there to do a live review, so stop by and check them out if Teletextile sounds like something you'd dig.

If you haven't been to the Cake Shop yet, I can't recommend it highly enough. Part pastry cafe, part music shop, part live music venue with a fully-stocked bar. It caters mostly to local indie rock bands, and is open until the wee hours of the morning. Jesus. What else could you need on a weekend?


***

www.teletextile.com

www.myspace.com/teletextile


"AMPM 2" video: