Admittedly, this wasn't the most convenient show to get to. But I've driven from San Francisco to Coachella before, and it's not the most terrible drive in the world. Pioneertown is about as far away as Indio is from the Bay Area, and a friend and I managed the 505 mile drive in about 9 hours.
Me: "So, I think I get it, but... why this place?"
James: "I produced an album out here for someone else and we have friends out here. We've actually been practicing at a friend's house the last few days. The opportunity for this venue came up, and, well, the timing was just right."
Still, what the fuck is Pappy & Harriet's? Did I really just point my car in the direction of nowhere to get stuck in the middle of the desert?
Pappy & Harriet's is a place that seems very well suited to country music bands, or psychedelic rock fueled by acid. It's an interesting place in the desert--I'll give it that. It has a quaintness about it wrapped in mysticism, like the Mos Eisley Cantina, except you don't have to worry about getting shot. I think. Apparently it was largely a bar for biker gangs from 1972 - 1982, but has since been used for movie shoots, and more notably a place for notable performers like Sean Lennon and Spiritualized.
Unfortunately, we didn't know it was an open-air venue, and it gets cold in the desert at night. Another friend met us there whose warmest clothing was a light sports coat; but at least he classed up the place. Well, it actually paled in comparison to the old guy dressed in nothing but sequins. But we traveled far, and we huddled together. And we sat through the psychedelic, experimental rock band that went on before SMD.
James: "Traditionally, rock bands come together and record an album by jamming. That's what we wanted to do here."
I overheard some talk at will call--about 50 people had asked about getting a ticket for the show that night already. I had to admire the people who stuck it out, waiting to see if the sold-out venue could hold any more extra spots. I think everyone who wanted to get in got in--the outdoor space was spacious indeed.
As the rock band cleared out and SMD began to set up their newly-acquired gear, people began to gather at the front of the stage. The techies tested the fog machine, which unfortunately had little effect in the wind. Nonetheless, they filled the stage with as much fog as they could as the beginning tones of the synths began to fill the air.
People cheered as the lights dimmed, and everyone prepared to hear the debut of the first new full-length material from SMD in over a year. It was a new setup--an adventure in music-making--and it was a welcome surprise.
James: "We wanted to do something completely different. . . . There's no pre-recorded music, nothing is pre-sequenced. Everything is live."
There is something about the barren desert that seemed to fit with the debut of Simian Mobile Disco's new music. The opening of their set, and presumably the new album, was pure energy, ambient and formless. The setting gave it a feel of adventure, and from a musical standpoint, that's exactly what it was.
The beauty of SMD's sets in the past, for me, have been in the way that they seamlessly blend all of their music together, and the best moments have been when you're dancing to an entirely different song, not realizing that the past song has ended. The spontaneity of Jaz and James has, in the past, been nothing but impressive.
For this performance, at least, they doubled-down on that spontaneity. It was wonderful to hear them playing around with the synthesizers and slowly making their way from one track to the next, sometimes with fantastic results.
The most notable thing about the album is that not all of the music seems to be driven around creating music to dance to. There are a number of tracks, it seemed, that were a bit more Aphex Twin style, where the composition of the music was not really meant for dancing, but rather a landscape for a different sort of experience.
I closed my eyes for most of the set and let myself drift with the music. It was an absolutely enjoyable drift. As is the style with SMD, some of the noises that came up were a bit jarring at first--uncomfortable at first and eyebrow-raising--but the noise blended with the main parts of the song, as it always does, and it made sense in the end.
After the album was done, they came back on for an encore. The crowd kept moving, dancing away when the kick drum kicked in, and then all of a sudden, a few familiar notes were heard. The timid opening line. The pleasant melody of Cerulean. And everyone moved in unison.
It was a new presentation of the old material, and I could tell they were having fun playing it. Which then begged the question... are they going to play anything else? They're on their encore, after all.
An arpeggiated synth line. Again, something pleasant. And some familiar chords. And HOLY FUCK THEY'RE PLAYING SLEEP DEPRIVATION.
And holy fuck indeed. I had hoped that they would play some old tracks, but I didn't expect anything. Better to just go in and expect to hear the new album, and leave without feeling like you missed out on something. But having them play their most well-known song helped to round-out the set and give it a more complete feel, something that everyone wanted to hear. And hearing it in an entirely new way, performed with an entirely different feel to it was a wonderful experience.
If there is anything negative that I had to say about the experience, it's that it was entirely too short--but then again, their sets are always too short. The new album seems to be around an hour in length, and I can only hope that their live sets will become a little longer in the future, especially with so much material to work with.
For now, I'm eagerly awaiting the new album, and can't wait to hear how they integrate the album into their live sets in the future. I am proud of Jaz & James for pushing themselves into uncomfortable territories, trying new things, and producing some wonderful, new auditory landscapes to venture into.
God speed you two.
Forum
Simian Mobile Disco's Next Album: Whorl
MultiQuote
#2
- Spritual lifter
-
- Group: Members
- Posts: 4352
- Joined: 03-May 05
- LocationSan Francisco, CA
Posted 28 April 2014 - 10:29 PM
Also, if any of you are on Reddit, I started a subreddit for Simian Mobile Disco over there. 
http://www.reddit.co...ianmobiledisco/
http://www.reddit.co...ianmobiledisco/
#4
- Brother
-
- Group: Members
- Posts: 259
- Joined: 23-March 11
- LocationAustria
Posted 29 April 2014 - 6:36 PM
This sounds interesting! Do you think that this was a one timer or will they repeat this at future shows?
I've just seen that the play twice in Vienna in the next months and seriously consider going (from what I've seen from Youtube-videos it would be nice anyway, wether they use the new no-presequenced setup or their conventional one).
For the gear junkies out there, here's their setup for the show in Pioneertown:
Source: https://twitter.com/...892776721596419
I've just seen that the play twice in Vienna in the next months and seriously consider going (from what I've seen from Youtube-videos it would be nice anyway, wether they use the new no-presequenced setup or their conventional one).
For the gear junkies out there, here's their setup for the show in Pioneertown:
Source: https://twitter.com/...892776721596419
#5
- Spritual lifter
-
- Group: Members
- Posts: 4352
- Joined: 03-May 05
- LocationSan Francisco, CA
Posted 29 April 2014 - 6:50 PM
Ben_j, on 29 April 2014 - 3:07 AM, said:
Man I'm so jealous ! I can't wait to hear the result as an album
To rub it in, they did an hour-long DJ set at the end of the night inside of the bar. The space was tiny. You know the Boiler Room? It was smaller than that. Everyone was dancing around a table with the decks on it.
It was like partying with SMD while they DJed. The vibe was unreal. Unreal.
(psst: I was also on a lot of drugs)
#6
- Spritual lifter
-
- Group: Members
- Posts: 4352
- Joined: 03-May 05
- LocationSan Francisco, CA
Posted 29 April 2014 - 7:04 PM
Stefan, on 29 April 2014 - 11:36 AM, said:
This sounds interesting! Do you think that this was a one timer or will they repeat this at future shows?
I've just seen that the play twice in Vienna in the next months and seriously consider going (from what I've seen from Youtube-videos it would be nice anyway, wether they use the new no-presequenced setup or their conventional one).
I've just seen that the play twice in Vienna in the next months and seriously consider going (from what I've seen from Youtube-videos it would be nice anyway, wether they use the new no-presequenced setup or their conventional one).
From what James said they're going to work with what they've recorded so far, keep what they like and work with it in the studio to finish and master the album. So far they have a few dates where they're performing Whorl in full, and they may very well continue recording to see what they come up with.
I read another interview where they said they were going to release the album sometime in the summer.
#7
- Chimney Fisting !
-
- Group: Members
- Posts: 7490
- Joined: 25-January 05
- LocationParis, France
Posted 01 May 2014 - 12:40 AM
Stefan, on 29 April 2014 - 8:36 PM, said:
For the gear junkies out there, here's their setup for the show in Pioneertown:
Source: https://twitter.com/...892776721596419
Source: https://twitter.com/...892776721596419
Seems a bit sparse, I'm guessing they had a bit more than that, at least the 909 or another drum machine and the Prophet 08 for more complex, polyphonic stuff
EDIT :
Or maybe not ? Apparently not
#9
- Brother
-
- Group: Members
- Posts: 367
- Joined: 15-January 03
- LocationMelbourne, Australia
Posted 19 June 2014 - 2:42 PM
Not dangerous for me.
I hope the album is different to the delicacies album. I gotta admit I like the more structured songs with vocals. The unpatterns album I liked and that was a departure from the more accessible tracks front there debut.
Was great you got to experience that btw pooter. once in a life time.
I hope the album is different to the delicacies album. I gotta admit I like the more structured songs with vocals. The unpatterns album I liked and that was a departure from the more accessible tracks front there debut.
Was great you got to experience that btw pooter. once in a life time.
Come out from the cold and into the setting sun. It's where it all began for me (not in Afrika), like it was out of control. Then after that life was sweet. So dream on into the pioneer skies of the fourteenth century and rise from the sunshine underground.
#10
- Spritual lifter
-
- Group: Members
- Posts: 4352
- Joined: 03-May 05
- LocationSan Francisco, CA
Posted 25 June 2014 - 10:09 PM
Someone produced a rather entertaining short documentary about the show SMD performed at Pappy & Harriet's and a bit about the process of creating the album.
At the end, you can hear a bit of their performance of Sleep Deprivation. ::chills::
At the end, you can hear a bit of their performance of Sleep Deprivation. ::chills::
#11
- Chimney Fisting !
-
- Group: Members
- Posts: 7490
- Joined: 25-January 05
- LocationParis, France
Posted 25 June 2014 - 11:06 PM
MadPooter, on 26 June 2014 - 12:09 AM, said:
Someone produced a rather entertaining short documentary about the show SMD performed at Pappy & Harriet's and a bit about the process of creating the album.
At the end, you can hear a bit of their performance of Sleep Deprivation. ::chills::
At the end, you can hear a bit of their performance of Sleep Deprivation. ::chills::
#12
- Chimney Fisting !
-
- Group: Members
- Posts: 7490
- Joined: 25-January 05
- LocationParis, France
Posted 01 July 2014 - 1:59 PM
#13
- Spritual lifter
-
- Group: Members
- Posts: 4352
- Joined: 03-May 05
- LocationSan Francisco, CA
Posted 02 July 2014 - 2:57 AM
Ben_j, on 01 July 2014 - 6:59 AM, said:
It appears that they've released two tracks from the album :
http://www.deezer.com/album/8002486
http://www.deezer.com/album/8002486
Sadly, Deezer isn't available in the U.S.
But I did get to check their edit out on Soundcloud of Tangents!
https://soundcloud.com/simianmobiledisco/tangents-radio-edit
#14
- Brother
-
- Group: Members
- Posts: 367
- Joined: 15-January 03
- LocationMelbourne, Australia
Posted 07 July 2014 - 12:19 PM
I really like Tangents. Its quite mellow but seductive. I hope the other tracks are addictive like that. Of course some more up beat ones would be cool too. All instrumentals?
Come out from the cold and into the setting sun. It's where it all began for me (not in Afrika), like it was out of control. Then after that life was sweet. So dream on into the pioneer skies of the fourteenth century and rise from the sunshine underground.
#16
- Spritual lifter
-
- Group: Members
- Posts: 4352
- Joined: 03-May 05
- LocationSan Francisco, CA
Posted 02 September 2014 - 7:40 PM
FYI -- you can stream the entire album on NYTimes.com.
It's largely ambient, but there are three tracks that stand out for me: Tangents, Iron Henge, and Calyx.
I don't love the album so far, but I certainly do love those three tracks when the moment hits just right. Iron Henge in particular I think is quite compelling.
Looking forward to seeing them live despite them having "quieted down" over the years. I hope that they bring it back up a few notches at some point.
It's largely ambient, but there are three tracks that stand out for me: Tangents, Iron Henge, and Calyx.
I don't love the album so far, but I certainly do love those three tracks when the moment hits just right. Iron Henge in particular I think is quite compelling.
Looking forward to seeing them live despite them having "quieted down" over the years. I hope that they bring it back up a few notches at some point.
#20
- Brother
-
- Group: Members
- Posts: 712
- Joined: 29-January 12
Posted 25 September 2014 - 3:04 PM
Jas Shaw is quite amusing on twitter. For example:
Jas shaw @Jas_shaw It took a second for the enormity of it to dawn on me but I'm moderately certain that the pilot winked at me as I got off the plane.
and
Jas shaw @Jas_shaw Note to myself from last night: The BBC are auctioning off an 11 meter wide satellite dish. You know what to do.
Quote
Jas shaw and
Quote
Jas shaw