Primavera Sound 2012 Wrap Up

San Miguel stage, photo by Dani Cantó

Published on thebomberjacket.com

The Parc del Forúm is an excellent location for Primavera Sound, because the Spanish heat gets intense, particularly in the front row crowds, but there’s always a cool sea breeze that hits you just at the right moment. The three main festival days were full of a lot of excellent performances and I even had the chance to catch some of the shows at other sites. For example, Yann Tiersen played on Sunday at the Arc de Triomf with the crowd in the rain and lightning behind them.

I also had the opportunity to hang out with a lot of the Spanish bands and labels that I’ve been interviewing as there were some booths set up for labels from all over Europe. I spent some time with Beach Beach and a really nice guy from their label La Castanya. The band’s live set was excellent as well, and I was bummed that I didn’t get to see another buddy of THE BOMBER JACKET, Picore. Overall, the festival went down well, filled with a lot of really nice people and memorable moments. A bunch of them are listed below.

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Primavera Sound 2012 Wishlist

Published on thebomberjacket.com

Barcelona’s Primavera Sound is one of the best indie music festivals that Europe has to offer (if not the best). They’re able to gather some of the most interesting and talented international acts out there, as well as showcase lesser-known bands, particularly Spanish ones. It takes place in the Parc del Forum, a breathtaking stone park that is right on the Mediterranean Sea and is studded with trees (that you can even pick berries from) and modernist architecture. Bands play with the backdrop of sailboats and Barcelona’s signature cinderblock cubes (or cindercubes) that jut out of the water in every direction.

I went to Primavera Sound last year and crossed a bunch of names off my list of bands to see before I die. Among them were Sufjan Stevens, Animal Collective, Deerhunter, The National, M. Ward and Belle & Sebastian. The festival unofficially started yesterday, and officially starts tomorrow (May 30). This year has just as many heavy hitters, including Neutral Milk Hotel’s Jeff Mangum, but I’ll get to that.

Watch a teaser below.

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VIDEO: Jeff Mangum playling on the street for Occupy Wall Street

Jeff Mangum turned up in the crowd to support the economic protests in Liberty Square in New York. Watch the guerrilla video below::
He played:
 a cover of the Minutemen's "Themselves,"
"Holland, 1945,"
 "Ghost,"
"Song Against Sex,"
"Two-Headed Boy Part 2,"
"In the Aeroplane Over the Sea,"
"The King of Carrot Flowers Part 1,"
and "Oh Comely."

occupywallst.org

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Neutral Milk Hotel :: Wild World of Beards Incorporated

walkingwallofwords.com

Get the mix here.

Below the Jump is a mix of Neutral Milk Hotel Rarities. I like to call it "Wild World of Beards Incorporated" (hear: "World of Wild Beards Explanation") or "Sweetness Sings From Every Corner." Some of the live tracks and rarities fill in the gaps to explain the long, long radio silence from the band. There's an interesting little explanation that you can listen in on at the end of the live track for "Everything Is..." on the mix.

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TRACKS: Jeff Mangum :: Roky Ericson Cover and Live set in Toronto

MP3: Jeff Mangum :: "I Love the Living You"

Jeff Mangum Live at Trinity St. Paul's in Toronto, 2011

southernsouls.ca/jeff-mangum

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After a series of super secret living room and basement shows, Jeff Mangum now has a public nationwide tour. Tickets are impossible to find and are being sold on ebay for around 5,600 bucks apparently. Download Jeff's whole echo drenched show in Toronto at the site Southern Souls here. His set included a cover of Roky Ericson's "I Love the Living You," which you can check about above.

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The Apples in Stereo's Robert Schneider Invents Mind Controlled Synthesizer

Robert Schneider of The Apples of Stereo has invented an instrument that plays synthesizers using brain waves called the Teletron. Which, sounds very made up, but the proof is in the video below the jump. The first performance with the instrument was by none other than Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Mangum at Duke University during a Neuroscience class. There's no word yet on whether or not there will be a repeat performance.

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The Music Tapes :: For Clouds and Tornadoes

Julian Koster has explained his main project The Music Tapes as ‘post cards from his imaginary world.’ If this is true then their latest album For Clouds and Tornadoes was post marked nine years ago. That’s how long it’s been since the band released 1st Imaginary Symphony for Nomad.

The new album is a lo-fi journey into the wintery shallows of Koster’s mind. It is much more accessible than 1st Imaginary, which was characterized by experiments in sound and noise, audio clips cut together and storytelling, all blended in song. For Clouds and Tornadoes is reminiscent of Koster’s work with Neutral Milk Hotel, however the band is in no way trapped in the shadow of Jeff Mangum and stands by itself amazingly well. The only darkness looming over The Music Tapes is that of the sonic tornado Koster has created.

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