She's Got It.

                                                                                                          Yukimi Nagano 

Okay, so, Coachella.

You already know. Gorillaz: unbelievable. Thom Yorke: life-changing. Muse: epic (what? I know). Shreds like you wouldn’t believe. Yadda yadda yadda.

But I gotta harp on one woman, because she is rocking my world…

Yukimi Nagano, lead singer of Little Dragon.

I’ve seen Little Dragon twice now (at Music Hall of Williamsburg on 3/25/10, and then at Coachella), and both shows were un-real. With the exception of a couple songs (mostly from their first CD), the emphasis is on dance. The band creates incredible improvised dance spaces by letting each song ride out and become more fleshed out than its recorded version, never letting it get too long before morphing into another.

Now for Yukimi. 

First of all, the lady can move. You can't take your eyes off her; all you can do is just try to understand how her body gets the music like that. She’s fresh and spunky and she bugs out. She's so into it-- there was a moment during both shows where she grabbed a pair of sticks and pounded on one of the drummer's cymbals (a move that Oliver from The xx also pulls, with less effect). Here's a video of a dance break during "Looking Glass" at Coachella.

And here’s a Yukimi mixtape, which really shows off her versatility. I love how her sound changes between the Little Dragon material and the earlier jazz stuff.

Your New Favorite Band: Berzerkulosis

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If you like gum, sock puppets, or slow-mo (or even if you don't... but why wouldn't you?), you'll love this video for "Big League Chew" by Brooklyn's hottest mock rap group*, Berzerkulosis.

Check out their other stuff too, which includes a song about fish that grow legs and crawl out of the ocean (AKA evolution).

You're welcome.


Berzerkulosis - "Big League Chew" from David Lombroso on Vimeo.

*Sorry Das Racist, but that Beastie Boys bullshit was whack.

Friday= Time to Get Mashed.

Coming from Cali, I've always waved the Tupac flag. Now that I live in Brooklyn, though, I gotta admit that I'm down with Biggie.

This mashup rules. Check out other stuff from wait what here.


juicy-r [the notorious b.i.g.'s juicy vs. the xx's vcr] - wait what (mashup) from wait what on Vimeo.

The xx at Webster Hall, 3/31

Watch: The xx at Webster Hall

Seeing The xx last week reminded me why I didn’t like concerts as a kid. The sound was way off; I didn’t even want to sing along it was so quiet. And I was standing in front, next to a tower of speakers. They sounded better in my room.

Overall the evening was just pretty snoozy. Nosaj Thing from LA opened with a great set, but was followed by boring jj. I really wanted to like jj—I find their music interesting and some of the songs catchy, and I really dig the whole Lil’ Wayne thing, but... blah! You can’t just stand on stage at Webster Hall singing softly and hiding behind your hair. Even if you are Swedish. Even if you are projecting a video of an Italian soccer match behind you (what is this, a sports bar?).

The xx’s stage presence was just as unimpressive. They seemed more confident than when I saw them in October, but not better. Romy doesn’t have to do much to please; her voice is captivating. There were cheers whenever it got to her part of the song, every time (and let’s be real—hers are the best parts). Oliver was less loved. His vocals were uninspired, which made it feel like he was just killing time until Romy came back on. Plus he kept waving his guitar around like a wannabe guitar hero. Jamie, the band's unsung hero, was the most impressive, running between drums and keys, making everything happen. But that was hardly a surprise— Jamie's responsible for some of the best remixes yet this year. He's got it worked.

I know that The xx’s music is subdued, but what makes it great is that each song really builds at the chorus. There was no build at Webster Hall. None at all. The whole performance was flat. And the worst part was, after a two-song encore (which the crowd didn't exactly demand), their version of Florence and the Machine’s “You Got the Love” began to play...... right as the lights went on and the band walked off the stage! It was background music, to leave to. I felt slapped.

Did I mention that no one danced? Maybe it's wrong of me to judge how good a show is by how many people dance. But isn't that what it's all about? Isn't there something wrong when you're at a show and you don't want to move?