Passion Pit

Passion Pit is an American electronic band from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Formed in 2007, the group consists of Michael Angelakos (lead vocals/keyboards), Ian Hultquist (keyboards), Ayad Al Adhamy (synth/samples), Jeff Apruzzese (bass) and Nate Donmoyer (drums). They may be from Cambridge but every little boy in Billysburg, NY dreams that they will live off of Lorimer on the L line and play their birthday party.

The band’s first full-length studio album, Manners, was released on May 18, 2009 in the UK and May 19, 2009 in the United States and Canada. I think you will like it.

[tags]passion pit, passion pitt, brooklyn, cambridge, manners EP, chunks of change, the reeling, sleepyhead, music videos, youtube, vimeo, Michael Angelakos[/tags]

The Sugarcubes

The Sugarcubes (Sykurmolarnir in Icelandic) were an Icelandic alternative rock band formed in 1986 and disbanded in 1992. They received critical and popular acclaim internationally.

They first came to notice in the UK when radio DJ John Peel played “Birthday”, later voted by his listeners as a single of the year. The band’s music was characterized by a psychedelic post-punk sound sometimes reminiscent of The B-52’s, whimsical yet heartfelt lyrics, and the imploring, girlish voice of vocalist Björk Guðmundsdóttir, who later went on to great success as a solo artist. While not as successful as Björk’s solo career would be, the band is still very highly regarded and was the most influential Icelandic group until the rise of Sigur Rós.

The Sugarcubes dissolved in 1992 as different members of the band had realized they all had different ambitions; instead of risking their friendship, the band went on an indefinite hiatus. They remain friends to this day and are all still involved in the management of record label Smekkleysa (Bad Taste Ltd).

[tags]the sugarcubes, 1980’s, 1990’s, icelandic music group, Björk Guðmundsdóttir, Björk’s first music group, bjork, albums, live performances, youtube videos, concerts, birthday, hit, deus, eat the menu, music videos, artist of the day[/tags]

Metric (Again)

Today’s artist of the day is Metric. As detailed in a previous Artist of the Day, Metric is a new age/indie/new wave rock band. Originally formed in 1998 in New York City, they are currently based in Toronto, Ontario and Oakland, California. Their latest album was released last week, entitled Fantasies. The album received a 6.4 on Pitchfork, saying in the new album “there is a dreamy quality here that eschews the vague, easy rhymes and lyrical polemics of past Metric records in favor of romance and sex.”

From the most recent album, Gimme Sympathy:

An acoustic performance of Help I’m Alive:

And an on-tour live performance of Collect Call:

[tags]metric, metric band, metric music, fantasies, new cd, new album, new lp, new singles, help i’m alive, live performances, on tour, band information, collect call, gimme sympathy, give me sympathy, acoustic, youtube, videos, reviews, band reviews, emily haines[/tags]

Here We Go Magic

The artist of the day is Brooklyn-based Here We Go Magic [ myspace ]. I just picked up their self-titled album off of emusic and I can’t stop listening. The vocals remind me a lot of Paul Simon, but it’s a nice mix of electronic and 70s folksy sounds. Here’s a youtube:

They is playin at Le Poisson Rouge in my new-hometown of NYC on Mar. 3rd, and in my old-home hometown of Bloomington, IN on Mar. 11th at the Cinemat. They are also doing two of the best midwestern music blogs around, Daytrotter and My Old KY Blog. Word.

Timothy Lim (a.k.a. Ninjaink)

The artist of the day is Timothy Lim [ deviant art ]. Though young, Mr. Lim has roared onto the geek-art scene with a rousing series of film noir style movie posters. Here are some favorites:

Swingin’ Spider-Man by *ninjaink on deviantART

With the recent election, Mr. Lim has also been using his art to lend his support to his candidate of choice, John McCain:

While we at PBH disagree with the politics, the dedication and artistic mastery of Mr. Lim is commendable.