Interview With Charli XCX
Interview With Marina and the Diamonds
Interview With Neon Hitch
Interview With Kerli
Interview With MNDR
Little Boots has released the video for her thumping nu-disco single, “Broken Record,” and it’s already stuck on repeat. Aglow under a soft pink light, the singer spends the clip swaying onstage during her performance at a glitter-bathed roller disco. Take a look:
Check out Little Boots on Facebook here.
Back in March, just before the release of her awaited ‘Utopia’ EP, I curled up with rave-pop angel Kerli in her cozy dressing room right after her electric set at Perez Hilton’s One Night In Austin show. Sipping on green glowing cocktails, we chatted about her then forthcoming EP (it’s incredible, if you haven’t listened yet), her favorite things about SXSW, her eternal love of platform shows (the higher the better), and much more! Check it out:
What’s been your favorite thing about SXSW?
I love the energy. I went last night to an underground dance club. Everyone just has so much fun and gets hammered and listens to good music.
And what’s been your favorite thing about Austin?
I think that I just love the energy. Their tagline “Keep Austin Weird” is really working. I saw this bar that’s actually the tiniest bar in Texas… They just have cool stuff. They have cheap rent also, so that’s just a huge added bonus.
Do you have a favorite fan experience so far?
I always love to meet people who are on a mission. There was this one time I met this 18 year old who was a clean water activist. So that was impressive to me. I always love bringing people backstage and hearing about their lives. It’s always amazing.
What’s your dream tour destination?
Japan! I would love them and they would love me.
And all the shopping!
Oh my God! All the platforms I could buy!
Besides your microphone, what are your top three tour essentials that you bring with you?
Platform shoes, eye liner, and my breath-work tape. I do this breathing technique that makes me really appreciate what I have.
What is your tour staple wardrobe piece?
(Lifts feet up.) Platforms!
What is your craziest tour memory?
Well, last night in fact… It seemed like everything that could go wrong went wrong. But then you know, it’s like screw it, and you do an acoustic song.
If you could collaborate with anyone dead or alive who would it be?
Cole Porter. Biggest songwriter of all time.
Whats on your iPod right now?
Brazilian music! I like a little salsa. It reminds me to feel good. I was actually just there and it was the most amazing time I have ever had on tour. We did meet and greets and the people down there are so great. They really know how to live. They love music and they actually had these heart shaped balloons, so when I said, “Put your hearts up,” they all brought out their balloons. I mean hundreds of them!
The first thing that crosses your mind when you step on stage is…?
I’m really nervous and kinda like a bitch to my friends. (Laughs.) I apologize later because after the performance I just feel completely elevated. I just get really fucking nervous actually!
Growing up, which album or artist really inspired you?
The first album I had on repeat was Phil Collins. Actually it was a cassette. I just think Phil Collins has such great songs. However, when I started buying my own albums and music, I became a huge fan of Bjork. So when I discovered her, she definitely became my favorite artist of all time.
You’re about to drop your EP, ‘Utopia.’ Describe it in one sentence.
Sweaty angels raving in the desert. (Laughs.)
When people listen to your music, how do you want them to feel or react?
Well, there is this one song called “Love Me or Leave Me,” which is a little more confrontational. But it’s taking a strong point and basically saying that you are going to give me your everything or you’re just going to let me go. This whole album is coming from a very strong place. I just hope people feel elevated and excited to be alive when they hear it.
What is your personal utopia?
I actually thought a lot about utopia while making this album. I also read a lot of literature. America is kind of a utopia in a sense. There is always something to do. Everything is so convenient and for a lot of people that is a utopia. The big city is also utopia for a lot of people.
My utopia is me just trying to find the peace and love inside me. There’s times where you feel very elevated and in sync with everything. It doesn’t matter what you look like or how much money you have. None of that matters. So utopia for me just is a symbol for inner peace. I called the EP that because I have, more than ever in my life, looked for heaven on Earth for myself. And now I moved into my dream place.
A special thanks to Kerli, her management, and Stephanie and Bruce at Chalkboard for coordinating. Kerli’s new EP, ‘Utopia,’ was released on March 19. Stay tuned for more information on Kerli and visit her on Facebook here. Featured photos by Brian Ziff.
Flame-haired gypsy-pop princess Neon Hitch has released the stirring music video for her latest ‘Happy Neon‘ EP single, “Midnight Sun.” Released exclusively through Karmaloop TV, the video finds a much more toned-down Neon this time around.
Gone are the feathered head-pieces and sparkling gypsy-drag couture, replaced instead by Old Hollywood glamour and a classic red pout. Raw and emotional, just like the powerful track itself, Neon spends the video rolling in the sheets with her lover and sadly pondering the one-sided nature of her relationship.
Thematically, the clip is very parallel to Marilyn Monroe’s one-sided love affair with the public. Stripped and vulnerable, it’s a side of Neon we haven’t seen much of before, but nonetheless hope we see more of from here on out. Take a look:
Visit Neon Hitch on Facebook here.
Norwegian electronica artist Annie is back in full force with a brand new single, the infectious, ultra-90′s throbbing club banger “Tube Stops & Lonely Hearts.”
Armed with Annie’s quintessential airy vocals, “Tube Stops & Lonely Hearts” is a little edgier than the frothy nu-disco of her 2009 ‘Don’t Stop’ era, this time delving into the late 90′s rave scene with pulsating beats and hypnotic atsmospherics. Take a listen (and a look) at the lo-fi video for the track, below:
Visit Annie on Facebook here.
When Canadian synth-pop artist Lights released her acoustic reworking of her debut ‘The Listening’ back in 2010, the understated, acclaimed ‘Lights. Acoustic’ EP, it was a precious glimpse into the raw, unfiltered artistry and emotion evident in Lights’ songwriting abilities. Stripped down and self-recorded, the album was a favorite among long-time fans of the artist eager to hear the singer’s crystalline vocals a la mode.
On Tuesday April 30th, Lights is returning with a fistful of raw music to tide fans over until the third album. The ‘Siberia Acoustic‘ EP will see the artist return to her singer-songwriter roots with stripped acoustic renditions of her originally glistening, electronic ‘Siberia’ tracks.
The EP eases into itself with a bluesy, head-bobbing rendition of ‘Siberia’ single “Banner.” Stripped of its original swelling electronics, the anthem is transformed into a sweetly upbeat, lo-fi front-porch jam. Next is “Cactus In The Valley” which – originally first heard on Lights’ 2010 acoustic tour – began as a melancholy country-twanged guitar track before its synthy resurrection on her sophomore album. This time around, though, the song is a crisp piano-driven ballad assisted by Owl City front-man Adam Young.
“Where The Fence Is Low” is a swelling guitar-pop hymn here, with shimmery strings that help drive along the singer’s sugary vocals. And the piano-assisted version of title track “Siberia” is just as infectious as the original, this time with layered harmonies and a feature by Max Kerman that lend a romantic overtone.
One of the more electronic tracks off ‘Siberia,’ “Suspension” is a totally new track in acoustic form. Stripped of its cosmic synths and throbbing electronics, the track is raw and weighty. You can hear the artist’s fingers as they slip nimbly from guitar string to string, adding an earthy vibe to the song. “Toes” is another track mightily changed from its original twinkling pop version. A raw and edgy rock ballad, this acoustic version is a little more melancholy and moody than from the album, creating an entirely new listening experience for the former single.
Next is “Peace Sign,” which has been been given an airy, whimsical makeover alongside shimmery guitar chords, sweeping strings, and flowery verses sung in French compliments of French-Canadian artist Coeur de Pirate. Somewhat similar to its album counterpart, “Heavy Rope” is slow, choral, and sad, weighted by heavily emotional lyrics and stirring vocals.
Drastically turned down from its album version is “Flux and Flow.” And where it lacks the massive chorus and frenetic atmospherics of the original, the underlying melody is more audible than ever, with Lights emoting subtly above the guitar chords. Rounding out the acoustic EP spectacularly, “…And Counting” is a sweeping piano-driven love ballad that celebrates Lights’ understated production and melody-crafting abilities, a subdued testament to her craft.
Whether you prefer your Lights acoustic or electronic, downplayed or dramatic, ‘Siberia Acoustic’ is a welcome return to the raw emotional power and vocal prowess that fuels Lights’ music. For more information on the EP release, visit Lights on Facebook here.