Cheep & Snail

Modeselektor and Low Limit @ Music Hall of Williamsburg 4.17.12

Last year’s release of Modeselektor’s bouncy third LP Monkeytown filled us with giddy and lying in wait for some live action. After all, studio versions are fine but the live show’s the thing and it was only a matter of time until Gernot and Szary would come around with our favorite bangers. On this fateful day, our set wishlist in our brainpans, we were more than ready for this jelly.

A righteous stuffing of pizza and beer from Fornino prefaced the party at Music Hall. Low Limit made bodies rock with his mixmastering. One dancer in particular wowed us with his graceful undulating movements. I christened him AZN Child (said like Beyonce says it in her stellar role a protective wife and mother in Obsessed), he was like an angel whose badassery put us all to shame.

Much like Modeselektor and Pfadinderei awesomeness always does.

Fresh computer interface-themed visuals and our favorite monkey mascot reincarnated as a blue light portrait flashing behind them, our boys turned it out, working down a fantastic mix of new and old for a packed floor at our sixth Modeselektor show — third at this venue. Wasting no time, we went hard from the get-go to opening bassy bouncer “Grillwalker.”  Super-favorite “Pretentious Friends” made us go ballistic. Classics like “2000007” and “Godspeed” were not left behind but our bodies began to malfunction. Having gulped 2 lame beers each and becoming increasingly dehydrated by the second, we were put out of commission pretty quickly. Despite the ultra-cotton mouth and physical lag, stopping the dance was not an option.

During “Evil Twin” we missed Otto Von Schirach an “OTTOOOOOOOOO!” escaped us. Maybe he’d magically appear in his lucha libre mask and bejazzled grandma sweater from Highline Ballroom where he was opening for Atari Teenage Riot, again, but alas he did not. Everyone went cray as expected to their mega hit “Black Block” and their staple champagne showers. By the time “Shipwreck” came up we gathered enough energy to go nuts during this glitchy Thom Yorke collab. Like last time, Moderat’s beautiful “A New Error” was our closing encore.

Unlike before, there were no remixes, Siriusmo songs or disturbing comedic art from Fantastic Nobodies :(. Also, after what feels like an eternity of waiting, WE FINALLY GOT OUR MONKEY SHIRTS, too!  Now we can be red pants Thom Yorke for Halloween — or every day — as we’ve daydreamed.

Tore up from the floor up from the night’s madness, we still entertained the idea of seeing the German duo play Bowery Ballroom the next day. Maybe we could finally meet and bear hug the poop out of these bringers of fun and happiness but it didn’t work out. Again. Will we ever bite the bullet and tell these dudes in the least creepy sounding way possible how amazing they are to our lives? Stay tuned to find out on the next “C&S see Modeselektor Live for the umpteenth time.” —Cheep

Photo from Coachella 2012 by David Andrako via BrooklynVegan

Tanlines/Rewards/Tezeo @ Bowery Ballroom 4.12.12

There’s a problem that’s plagued us for years: missing bands we love play live. Consecutively. For no good reason at all. It happened with Battles and it happened more recently with Tanlines. The city’s best tweeting band have slipped past our radar every time since we first listened to them, last year’s MoMA PS1 free show hurting the most. Needless to say, on the day of our first Tanlines show, mundane tasks were damned and restlessness and exciting anticipation ruled us.

This feeling lingered through the opening sets and during the excruciating wait for the headling act to come on. Soon enough, everything was its right place.

On a stage littered with neon lit plastic plants and matching psychedelic backdrop, our beloved purveyors of winky-sadnesssinger/guitarist Eric Emm and synth master Jesse Cohen owned the night with tropical-splashed electronic pop featuring jammies off their new record, Mixed Emotions. From an ideal dancing spot against the wall, we got down like it was the best club night ever during the likes of crowd fave “All of Me” and “Real Life” (!!!!!!) and chilled just as hard on slower tracks. Betwixt songs, kind-eyed Cohen was acting MC throwing out adorable quips, stories and a sweet compliment or two at his buddy who reserved his voice and coyly smiled at his friend’s entertaining banter.

This night wrapped up in the best way with a total dance riot during non-encore “Real Life.” As time does tend to fly when you’re having fun and a band’s catalog is a couple of releases long, it felt all too fleeting but well worth the wait. Our band crush now in the redzone, we picked up copies of the Mixed Emotions limited edition tan vinyl and swooned into the night. —Cheep