We saw them a few weeks ago at our clutch venue First Ave and despite a small mishap towards the end with their PA system they were phenomenal. We danced our tails off and they provided a wonderful time. I nearly forgot to do a post about the show until I saw this ad for Brooks Brothers. yeeeeooowwwww.
It was a cold night so we swung into a local pub close by to warm up before the show...
Hot Toddy
Michael Angelakos
G took some video at the show so hopefully she'll be by soon to show off the experience!
Check out their latest album Gossamer and their first single:
Disclaimer: We at Girl Palace strive to bring you the BEST music with our Music Monday series. Beware, this is one of the best we will post ever.
As of 24th of September I found my most recent obsession: Babel. What is Babel you might ask? No, not the 2006 movie featuring Brad Pitt, no not the ancient city in the land of Shinar, but the sophomore album released by none other than Mumford & Sons.
If you are unfamiliar with the aforementioned group please, take the time to read this lengthy post in full, you will not be disappointed.
As I said, Babel is the follow up album from these cuties.
Their debut, Sigh No More, was enough to get me interested and I knew it wouldn't take much to achieve adoration but Babel has led to pure obsession.
Sigh No More is a complete labor of love. It is painful and touching and artistic and raw. None of these qualities are absent in Babel but it is a departure from the freshman project. If at all possible, Marcus Mumford and his comrades have exceeded harmonic perfection and topped it with sentiment. The reflective compositions show a vulnerability only achievable with the effortless, raspy, addicting voice of Marcus Mumford.
Their sound is similar to that when they emerged but maturation is obvious and the familiarity of their hum is more impressive with each listen. There are plenty of critics out there saying they managed to fill an entire album with the same sound and songs with different words, I disagree. I am a lover. This will be purchased on vinyl and blasted throughout our apartment as G becomes familiar with tracks and eventually falls in love as well.
My first obsession:
"Below My Feet"
I also enjoy the title track "Babel" and "Lover of the Light." I do listen from start to finish though without skipping a single track. They are releasing new tour dates every week--you can bet on us purchasing tickets when they come through Minneapolis! < Hopefully soon.
I'll admit it. I wasn't as pumped as I should be for this show. The Grizzly Bear concert kind of crept up on us, so much so that I forgot that it was happening until only a couple days beforehand. Nonetheless, I dragged my tired and slightly sick self to the concert with my lovely friend Katy, after we stuffed our faces with some Chipotle burritos. We both finished them. We are so good at eating.
First Ave is becoming a second home to Girl Palace. If we are not at our apartment, work, or a thrift store, we are at First Avenue (now you know the top places to look if we go missing).
Very full, Katy and I showed up at First Ave just before the opener--Lower Dens--took the stage. We found a standing spot on the upper level, which worked out quite well. I don't think the concert was sold out, but it was pretty packed by the time Grizzly took the stage. I hadn't heard of Lower Dens beforehand, and overall, I did enjoy their music. Katy and I decided that the band's music was good, but not really that exciting live. More like, study music. And that's just my opinion--but no one in the crowd was really dancing or bobbing their heads. Maybe they were all just taking it in like me.
Here's a good one:
Lower Dens takes the stage
So all in all, would I buy tickets to a Lower Dens concert? Probably not. Will I add a couple of their songs to a (calming, relaxing) Spotify playlist? I think so.
On to Grizzly Bear...
These guys did NOT disappoint. There's nothing I love more than seeing a band perform that actually looks like THEY are having a blast, too. These boys were dancing around, talking to the audience...very engaging. Everyone's heads in the sea of people below were bobbing in unison (including a dude with a realllly sweet afro), and after a couple of songs, many were dancing along with the band. Their stage set-up really added to the experience, too. Gauzy lanterns hung at different levels around the stage, that lit up to the beat of the songs, creating a whole light show to go along with the performance. This concert was great to hear AND see. Take a gander:
I only really knew a couple of Grizzly Bear songs well before this, so I was going into this concert kind of blind--and they definitely sold me. I've been listening to old and new Grizzly Bear stuff (new album JUST came out a couple weeks ago) and I'm really liking their sound. Here are some of my faves:
So all in all, this was a...beary good night of music and entertainment. (TC Bear &) I give it two thumbs up.
From one Bear to another...
Next on the concert docket: Passion Pit at (you guessed it...) First Ave!
I have a problem. I am pretty sure I have fallen in love with 6 people all at one time. And they all happen to be members of the same band: The Head and the Heart.
The Head and the Heart at First Ave was quite magical--this group really knows how to put on a show and get the crowd belting the tunes just as loud as they are (I like to pretend I sound as good as Charity, but let's be honest--no one can ever EVER sound as good as she does...)
H & I (plus our lovely friend Kim) got to the concert in enough time to see Blitzen Trapper sing some tunes, and I've got to say, I will definitely be adding them to my next Spotify playlist. Here's one of their tunes. I like their country/folk style--it reminds me a lot of Dr. Dog, who we saw not long ago in the same venue...
We found our way to the side of the stage, where we were not in direct view of the band, but right by the backstage and in a good spot to move around and boogie.
Each of us had our one song we were most excited about. But as the night went on, I realized that I was super excited about each and every one of their songs. Cats & Dogs? Rivers & Roads?! Sounds Like Hallelujah?!?! My excitement grew more and more as the night went on, and a lot of me wouldn't have minded buying another ticket for their second show at First Ave the next night. Wait--why DIDN'T I do that!?!?! If you have a chance, I'd definitely recommend seeing these guys live. It will undoubtedly be a heavenly time. And if you're reading this...Josiah Johnson, Charity Thielen, Jonathon Russell, Chris Zasche, Kenny Hensley, and Tyler Williams: will you guys be my boyfriends/girlfriend? K thanks bye.
