Habibi is an all girls band from Brooklyn that brings all sort of sunshine to this dreary winter. They just released their self titled debut off the always great Burger record. The song, like the album, has got great harmonies with a nice retro-motownesque vibe while maintaining that trademark Burger Record garage rock aesthetic. People looking to celebrate diversity will also note that band member Rahill Jamalifard sings some parts in Farsi and that the band’s name is in Arabic.
or as our web designer Vik says “they’re like pipettes meets ravonettes meets JAMC”
They are definitely worth checking out. Coming to a music festival near you.
Things that make me cranky:
1. Getting to H Street (such a trek!).
2. Breaking 10PM Sunday curfew (I get so sleepy!).
3. Sold out shows (it’s so crowded!).
Things that over-ride crankiness:
1. Infectious tunes.
2. Great band personalities.
3. Killer dance moves.
4. Awesome venues.
Thank GOODNESS New Politics‘ show at Rock and Roll Hotel on H Street delivered on all four counts of amazingness.
As any DC-ite who doesn’t live in the up-and-coming H Street corridor knows, Rock and Roll Hotel offers one of the best times in the district, but is a nightmare to get to in the best of circumstances. Weekend nights in particular are not ideal, as – in its great wisdom – the DC transit authority decides to shut down trains before midnight. Needless to say, although I was super pumped to see New Politics and rock out to Harlem, I was a bit nervous about the logistics of the event.
I shouldn’t have worried.
First, Rock and Roll Hotel took amazing care of my friend and me by letting us both in to the sold out show although my plus-one ticket had somehow gotten lost in the shuffle. Then, the bartender (who sported the coolest mohawk I’ve seen…. ever) literally mixed up the most delicious lemon-y H-20 (aka water) drink I’ve ever been served after patiently and good-naturedlly listening to me ramble about the dangers of drinking too much Mad Dog 20-20. Such a good sport.
Second, the show itself was such a fun time. The Danish (except for one New Yorker) trio bounced onto stage at 10:02 (extra points for punctuality!) to a roaring crowd. They immediately endeared themselves to the already enthusiastic audience by effusively thanking everyone for coming out. “We appreciate this sardine sound!” they commented of their noisy reception, acknowledging the smooshed and sold out audience who were still managing to eek out their cheers despite compressed body and lung space.
The trio jumped into some of their most well-loved tracks, including Give Me Hope and Dignity. In between their tracks, the lead singer busted out KILLER dance moves including some unforgettable break dancing. The only other times the jamming was interrupted was when the band urged everyone to stay for the meet and greet so they could hand out some “sweaty European hugs.” Sign.me.up.
Although, real talk real time, I wasn’t cool enough to make it to the meet and greet, I did stay to rock out to Harlem, which lived up to every expectation.
Brooklyn act Blue & Gold has this nice bluesy-rock vibe to them. They just recently released an self-titled EP and have been playing a lot of shows around New York, including one of my new favorite places – The Brooklyn Bowl. I hope Questlove paid them with Fried Chicken, cos that stuff was so, so delicious and I have noticed a lot of bands are really skinny. Maybe they aren’t skinny, maybe they are just malnourished. However, malnourished jeans wouldn’t really sell, so skinny it is.
Anyways, before I go even further off the cliff, their track, It’s Only You caught my ear. It’s got a nice guitar solo and yearning lyrics laid against a 50’s era rock backdrop. It makes me feel like this was a song Michael J Fox could sing in the movie Back to the Future to impress his future mother.
I think they are playing SXSW because they asked us if they could be on our showcase, which we really don’t have since we just go there to drink. Having said that, listen to their song.
The so called sophomore slump is a predicament in which many bands have found themselves. The pressure to live up to a promising debut album is doubly so when said band has had to deal with a radical overhaul, as London indie rockers Yuck did for their latest, Glow and Behold. After the departure of former frontman Daniel Blumberg, guitarist Max Bloom was left to take over the role. With this move, the band ran the risk that the new incarnation of the band wouldn’t match their previous heights, but Bloom and his bandmates seem up for the challenge and based on the evidence from Friday’s show at The Garrison, they’ve acquitted themselves quite well.
Even with a bit of an overhaul in the band’s lineup, Yuck’s MO is pretty much unchanged – their sound still hearkens back to the big fuzzy sounds of ’90’s indie rock. Yuck has always been a bit of a spot the influence band, with their songs evoking the likes of Teenage Fanclub, Dinosaur Jr, Superchunk and many others from that era to varying extents. One song, “Rebirth,” even had a riff which, just for a second, reminded me slightly of The New Radicals’ “You Get What You Give” if it was slowed down and put through some kind of My Bloody Valentine filter. Maybe that’s just me though.
They’re not just about ’90s influences though. The band payed tribute to the ’80s as well with a nice cover of New Order’s “Age Of Consent, ” which had some of the fans upfront singing along, although I’d hazard a guess that at least a few of those in attendance may have heard Yuck’s version first.
Overall, it was an enjoyable performance with Yuck proving that there is life after the departure of a frontman.
