You know what’s terrible in summer? Tiny spaces filled with people. Just the thought of standing in a crowd when the thermometer goes above 25°C makes me go claustrophobic. The concert last night at WUK was different. Not only were most people in the audience mature enough to be respectful of one’s personal space, the venue was also about 2/3 full, allowing for toilet breaks now and then – being certain that after dropping by the bar you’d manage to get back to your original standing spot around the fifth row. I came late because of mingling at a fashion exhibition opening and only saw bits and pieces of Sir Tralala’s set, but the last song (which he referred to as “noch ein Liebeslied”) really touched me intensely, for some reason. He’s got a particular – whiny, weird and noisy – voice that I liked a lot.
I’ve been told more than once this past week that Lambchop are an excellent live band, and I’m glad I was there to witness it. The band make music ranging from americana and country to traditional blues; I’m not a fan and couldn’t even name more than 10 songs by them. They always stood a little bit in the background for me. Nevertheless, by the second song I was mesmerized. Kurt Wagner – vocalist and only constant member of the band – has a voice that really fills the space, like that of a lonely and grumpy soul singer. Only, he isn’t grumpy at all. In-between numbers he’d thrown in little anecdotes and make the crowd giggle a little more during his songs so complex in their simplicity and his subtly ironic lyrics. And finally, a band that USES all the instruments on stage, because they have a purpose and not just to make it sound louder! Musicians that allow experimentation to guide their fingers when strumming their guitars! And a PIANO! They were like puzzle pieces coming together to create a beautiful picture; a band who play for the pure LOVE of music.
Dare I even say that Lambchop have succeeded where Bright Eyes are failing? Yes, I do.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are playing in Vienna tonight.
And I am not going. And I know that I’ll be missing out because Karen O is crazy and puts up really great shows, but at the same time I am not so sure I want to spend that much money for a band I’ve grown to, if not dislike, then at least disapprove of a bit. Where’s the noise gone? I’m sure I wouldn’t find these new songs halfway as bad if it wasn’t for the fact that Karen O used to be a girl punk icon. Off With Their Heads desperately reminds me of an electro-remix of Gwen Stefani’s What You Waiting For? -and that’s a pretty terrible thing. It’s a bit like Magik Markers, who used to be clinically insane (see Panegyric and I Trust my guitar) and then, from one day to the next, pretty much started playing acoustic folk. (And not great folk, either)

I am rambling about this because I just found a CD-R I made a while back (according to the date on it, 5 years 4 months and 8 days ago) which I titled “Girls in Rock: Volume 1″. haha. and it really makes me smile, because it’s got a lot of bands I don’t really listen to anymore but used to be crazy about. Like Le Tigre, the aforementioned YYY, Tsunami Bomb, Jack Off Jill, Scarling., etc etc.
my little heart melts as I’m typing this. And since I named this blog after a YYY song.. here it is. ART STAR!

Oh God, I miss you too much.

This movie reminds me of very good and very sad times. Eternal Sunshine will always be my #1 Michel Gondry movie, but the Science of Sleep is a close second; it’s so intense and cute and makes you want to pick up random little objects to create a whole, amazing world with them. Besides, I never thought I would like Alain Chabat in a movie, ever. He tends to have really stupid and uninteresting roles, but this movie shows his potential.
The morning after we saw this, we went out in the pouring rain to go to the playground and then we raced back to the house. Completely soaked, we watched Slam – it made me cry, actually – before you headed to work. To think back like this – and to think in two weeks’ time every thing will be different – makes my heart skip a beat.

Mini-Playlist: The Science of Sleep

1. Mazzy Star: Flowers in December
2. Placebo: Sleeping with Ghosts
3. Daniel Johnston: Dream Scream
4. Great Lake Swimmers: She comes to me in my dreams
5. Rilo Kiley: Science Vs. Romance

I am not a painter, I am a poet.
Why? I think I would rather be
a painter, but I am not. Well,

for instance, Mike Goldberg
is starting a painting. I drop in.
“Sit down and have a drink” he
says. I drink; we drink. I look
up. “You have SARDINES in it.”
“Yes, it needed something there.”

“Oh.” I go and the days go by
and I drop in again. The painting
is going on, and I go, and the days
go by. I drop in. The painting is
finished. “Where’s SARDINES?”
All that’s left is just
letters, “It was too much,” Mike says.

But me? One day I am thinking of
a color: orange. I write a line
about orange. Pretty soon it is a
whole page of words, not lines.
Then another page. There should be
so much more, not of orange, of
words, of how terrible orange is
and life. Days go by. It is even in
prose, I am a real poet. My poem
is finished and I haven’t mentioned
orange yet. It’s twelve poems, I call
it ORANCES. And one day in a gallery
I see Mike’s painting, called SARDINES.

-Frank O’Hara
(more…)

Finally! finally, I managed to see Clara Luzia live!
And even though every year I tell myself I will not be going to the Donauinsel festival again (too crowded, too many drunks, I get a little agoraphobic), I dragged myself there once again, and it was absolutely worth it. There wasn’t too much confusion around the stage (breathing space at shows = good) and it was just really cosy. Clara was laid back and lovely – I’ve never seen anyone forget their lyrics so often and so gracefully. I also loved how much of an unusual setting it was, up there, for a cello; and the fact that the musicians that were accompanying her really seemed to be having fun on stage. She played a bunch of songs from the new album The Ground Below, sadly skipped one of my favorite songs (Heartattack), played the crowd favorite Morning Light with synchronized handclaps, and some other songs from both Railroad Tracks and The Long Memory, such as Narrow Margin, My Body is a Diary, Lucky Gal, Tidal, My Body is a Diary and even (if I am not mistaken) a Trouble Over Tokyo cover. Overall a really nice experience.

♫ Clara Luzia: Fine ♫

Buy her music here.

Since the Whitest Boy Alive (Erlend Øye’s side-project) was formed, Kings of Convenience have been playing hide and seek with the press. Now and then though, they send out newsletters and emails to reassure their fans: Kings of Convenience are still alive and kicking, and working on a new album.
Back when I lived in Bergen (KoC’s hometown) I had the chance to see them live. Actually, Erlend would be popping up at after parties or hanging out in the bars I went to quite often. He is quite the peculiar guy: onstage he’s wild, but after the show he sits quietly in a corner strumming his guitar. Out on the street, he can be seen at all times (no matter the weather or temperature) with an old-fashioned cardigan from his cardigan collection. I had such a great memory from this show, because it was one of my first ones in Bergen and because I’d been waiting for years to see them – though it seemed like they weren’t doing many concerts anymore.
Aaand if you have time to waste (I know you do! you’re reading this!), go to their website and take a look at the Bergen postcard on the front page, you can see my academy! (it’s the yellow building on the water, right in the middle of the card. next to the red building) Also, I used to live behind the pretty little wooden houses in the detailed view. I miss it a lot sometimes..
Anyway. The Whitest Boy Alive have released a new album called Rules, and they are touring this summer. I already got my ticket – August 18th, here I come! Happiness!

I don’t think I’ve mentioned enough how much I adore the Unicorns. The fact that they broke up years ago, that not enough people know about this wonderfully hilarious and insane band, and that I will never get to sing along to Jellybones live makes me a little sad. Today is a rainy day and I’ve tried to fight the rainy sadness – after 4 hours of sleep and the exasperating thought that my mom has just left to Sydney and that I miss travelling SO much… – with a lot of electronic indie-cute weirdo music. The Lovely Feathers (a cross between XiuXiu, Islands and Eagle*Seagull), Octopus Project (a killer electronic/instrumental band) and the aforementioned Unicorns.

I was Born (a Unicorn) is apparently their most played song on last.fm. It’s the opener to their second (and last, sigh) album Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone?

Jellybones is one of my favorite music videos in the whole world. It’s just so absurd and low-budget; and the song is wonderful.

And this video by the Lovely Feathers sort of kills me.

Their new album, named Fantasy of the Lot, is coming out this summer. Get a little preview here.
I wonder if any of the songs will be as good as Pope John Paul; that song is just so fun to sing along to! (”Cracow Poland! Cracow Poland!”)
Oh, why are Canadian bands so goddamn good? (see Metric, Stars, Tegan and Sara)

As I’ve already mentioned almost two months ago, Uno Møller Ch has self-released a new EP. Hola! he said with a friendly voice is comprised of seven songs, of which a slow and dreamy cover of Billy Idol’s Dancing with Myself. A while ago, he sent me five copies of the EP to give away (possibly in Austria but not necessarily), for free. Free music! Aren’t you excited?

As Seymour from Ghost World would say, “It is five of only 29 known copies!”
So if you want one, drop me a line (girl[at]alicetragedy[dot]org), or post a comment. It’s first come, first serve. Hurry hurry; and while you are at it, make sure you also check out Uno’s other project Wintermare – intense rock music from one of the most beautiful places in Norway the world.

..especially when it is love for a young and talented boy from Norway. Since Norway is sort of my favorite country in the world, how could I not be a little bit in love with Sjur Lyseid too? Because Sjur makes lovely bedroom romance winter songs – that’s the best I can describe them in five words. After singing in quartet Monzano, Sjur started the one-man band The Little Hands of Asphalt. There is a lot of bitterness in there – but sweetness, too. Like eating the last ice-cream of the summer, or leaving your old house behind to move to a new place. There is an acoustic guitar and softly-spoken, honest poetry. There’s Spit Back at the Rain, a free EP of outtakes from his album Leap Years. There’s the fact that Sjur was apparently my friend Christian’s roommate. There’s his song Oslo, which I overplayed slightly too much in the last month or so. And there’s beauty, and so much more, in what Sjur Lyseid has to offer to the world. Open your ears, your eyes, and your heart.

so let’s meet outside the library doors
I’ll trade you a notebook and some fresh oxymorons
for the smiles that tend to throw me off course
(The Little Hands of Asphalt: Love Song for Young Novelists)

(if you don’t know what this is then you are a little uncool)

I’ve been wondering how much of our feelings actually matter. I read a really cool Iggy Pop interview on the plane back from Cologne; who would have thought that he would someday make me stop and think. He said something about how when you’re young, you only care about yourself. Then, slowly, you realise that there are other people in the picture and suddenly you don’t want to be telling your story anymore, but that of others. I’m still trying to tell my story and I am failing. (miserably, even)
However; there are some rare moments in life where – in spite of what statistics, and your age, and of what the people older than you say – you forget that you exist. Because someone else’s existence is much more important than your own.

there’s not a single doubt in my mind, not a single one.
and where I go none of the roads lead home. [...]
and I don’t care just how that sounds I just want so bad to be where you are right now.
(everton: bluebird)