[playlist] Hump Day Power Play (12-12-2012)

Now That's What I Call 2009!

I had so much fun making the 2008 HDPP, I figured it was only fitting to follow up with my favorite hits from 2009. There were so many great albums to choose from, but as I discovered during this exercise, it is very hard to put together a cohesive mix as it seems my favs were quite an eclectic collection of styles. Since today is 12-12-2012, I really tried hard to reduce this list down to 12 songs... but 15 is as close as I could get (you can see what I left off the playlist here). While listening, I hope this mix evokes as much nostalgia for you as it does for me.

Stream the playlist below (or by clicking here).

:: Hump Day Power Play (12-12-2012) ::
01 ::"Ephemeral Artery – Neon Indian
02 ::"1901" – Phoenix
03 ::"The Lady Vanishes" – White Rabbits
04 ::"Stroke Their Brains" – Spoon
05 ::"Apollo and the Buffalo and Anna Anna Anna Oh!" – Sunset Rubdown
06 ::"Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh" – Say Hi
07 ::"Two Weeks" – Grizzly Bear
08 ::"Officer Of Hearts" – Handsome Furs
09 ::"The Akara" – Beirut
10 ::"Skyscraper" – Julian Plenti
11 ::"Day By Day" – Taken By Trees
12 ::"Basic Space" – The xx
13 ::"Seven" – Fever Ray
14 ::"Beijing" – Patrick Watson
15 ::"Day Glo" – Brazos

:: Get Spotify ::

[playlist] Hump Day Power Play (8-29-2012)

Paul Banks Mix

This week's HDPP is a collection of my favorite Paul Banks hits. Most notably known for his work with Interpol, Banks has also released some great jams under his solo moniker Julian Plenti. While I've never been a fan of his sunglass choice, he does know how to write a great song. I hope you enjoy them, too.

Stream the playlist below (or by clicking here).

:: Hump Day Power Play (8-29-2012) ::
01 :: "Obstacle 1" - Interpol
02 :: "Slow Hands" - Interpol
03 :: "Barricade" - Interpol
04 :: "Games For Days" - Julian Plenti
05 :: "C'mere" - Interpol
06 :: "Who Do You Think" - Interpol
07 :: "Evil" - Interpol
08 :: "PDA" - Interpol
09 :: "On The Esplanade" - Julian Plenti
10 :: "Lights" - Interpol
11 :: "The Heinrich Maneuver" - Interpol
12 :: "Say Hello to the Angels" - Interpol
13 :: "NARC" - Interpol
14 :: "Summer Well" - Interpol
15 :: "Pace Is the Trick" - Interpol

:: Get Spotify ::

[mp3] Interpol's New Song "Lights"

New music from Interpol

After Paul Banks proved that he is a skyscraper, Interpol began working on their follow-up to 2007's Our Love to Admire. No word on what this long-player's title will be or when it will drop, but we now have our first sample. Above you can download "Lights", a new five and a half minute track, and hear it for yourself. And is it just me, or does their new band logo look like Metallica's ca 1996?

[review] Julian Plenti @ Chop Suey (11-16-2009)

Paul Banks and Co bring Seattle something special

Last night at Chop Suey, Interpol's frontman Paul Banks debuted his alter ego Julian Plenti to a crowd of energetic and enthusiastic fans, eager to be only the second audience to ever witness this band perform live. The entire album was conceived and recorded by Banks himself, but to help bring this music to the stage, he was accompanied by The Giraffes' guitarist Damien Paris, as well as a bassist, drummer, and an amazing cellist. Plenti of songs were performed on the rainy Monday night, as you can see by the set list posted below. In fact, the entire debut album Julian Plenti Is... Skyscraper was played, as well as three others.

The night kicked off with a very chill opener, a post-rock-influenced instrumental introduction song that served not only as a sound check, but also set the the tone for the night, showing us how strings can enhance any performance. The band immediately catapulted into "Fly As You Might" and ensnared the crowd (Video of both songs are posted above, but mind the poor audio quality). With very little in-between song chatter, the opening riff for "Fun That We Had" evoked a eruption of cheers. To my surprise, the newly put together 5-piece sounded like they'd been playing for years. And for once, it actually looked like Banks was having fun on stage.

The set took a chiller mood when "No Chance Survival" hit our ears, but the band quickly followed with one of the best songs of the night, "Unwind." Afterwords, Banks commented on the setting of Chop Suey, saying how much he loved the intimate venue's "hot, sexy, and dirty" feel. After performing for years to arena-sized crowds with his other vehicle Interpol, I'm sure the Plenti tour will be a refreshing change of pace and a more personal experience. Multiple times in the night, you could see Banks taken aback by the warm welcoming reactions from Seattle's fans. He was very appreciative, which translated to the fantastic performance for all.

The best string of songs on the night began with "On the Esplanade," followed by a rendition of "H" that would make Explosions In The Sky jealous, and finished up with the title track "Skyscraper." At this point my night was complete, thinking that the only song left for the encore would be "Games For Days." However, to my surprise, we were treated with a bizarre set closer: Banks first began singing the Christmas classic "Let It Snow" which broke into either an unknown cover or an unreleased Plenti original, which after the song we were informed that it was "Goodbye Toroonto" (a video is posted below, but mind the poor video quality).

The band left the stage, but the cries of the fans soon brought the humbled Banks and company back on stage to perform their encore set, which included the America cover "Horse With No Name" and the night closer "Games For Days." All in all, a fantastic way to spend your Monday night. This show ranks up there with the best of the year. I strongly recommend trying to catch these guys in a city near you; however, these dudes currently have an extremely abbreviated set of tour dates. Perhaps more to come?

Set list - Julian Plenti (11-16-2009)
Instrumental Intro
Fly As You Might
Fun That We Had
No Chance Survival
Unwind
Girl On The Sporting News
Madrid Song
Only If You Run
On the Esplanade
H
Skyscraper
Let It Snow / Goodbye Toronto

Encore
Horse With No Name (America cover)
Games For Days

[tonight] Julian Plenti @ Chop Suey (11-16-2009)

Photo Cred: Gabi Porter / MetroMix.com

Julian Plenti Is... Playing Tonight

This is your last chance to catch Julian Plenti (aka Paul Banks of Interpol) performing his live solo material from his debut album Julian Plenti is... Skyscraper. To help bring this one-man show to the live stage, Plenti will be accompanied by members of French Kicks and The Giraffes. The all-ages show will take place at Chop Suey - doors open at 8pm. Tickets are only $16 and include stage support from I'm In You. See you there.

Who? Julian Plenti
Where? Chop Suey
When? November 16, 2009 (doors @ 8pm)
How? $16 (tickets here) all ages

[reminder] Julian Plenti @ Chop Suey (11-16-2009)

Julian Plenti Is... Playing Seattle

For those of you unfamiliar with Julian Plenti, it's the moniker that Paul Banks (of Interpol) has been using for his solo material. His debut album Julian Plenti is... Skyscraper is one of my top albums of 2009. There's something about Banks' cryptic lyrics and otherworldly grooves that just works so well for me.

Julian Plenti will be playing a show later this month (November 16) in the very intimate Chop Suey. I've not read many reviews for his solo shows, but I have a strong hunch that this concert is going to be one of those really cool experiences. What I do know is that he's backed onstage with a bassist, guitarist, cellist, violinist, and a drummer. Give him credit for experimentation!

Tickets are still available at the box office or online at Ticketweb. Tickets are only $16 and include stage support from I'm With You. Doors open at 8pm - don't miss it. Also, check out these instrumental artistic music videos from Plenti himself.

Who? Julian Plenti
Where? Chop Suey
When? November 16, 2009 (doors @ 8pm)
How? $16 (tickets here) all ages

[tour dates] Julian Plenti is... Playing Chop Suey (11-19-2009)

Plenti of new tour dates

Paul Banks, most notably know for fronting Interpol, has just announced his first solo tour with his new project/pseudonym Julian Plenti. Starting this November, Plenti will hit up the West Coast before making the jump across country (stopping shortly in Chicago) for a few dates in the Northeast.

Plenti appears to be playing very intimate venues, so this has the potential to be one amazing tour. In Seattle, he will be playing Chop Suey with fellow-Brooklynites I'm In You on November 16. Tickets are available online here for $16.

Julian Plenti tour dates:

November
14 San Diego, CA - House of Blues *
16 Seattle, WA - Chop Suey *
17 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom *
18 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall *
19 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre *
21 Chicago, CA - Metro *
23 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club *
24 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom *
25 Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl *
27 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church *

December
01 Dublin, Ireland - The Academy
02 Manchester, England - Academy 2
03 London, England - Scala
05 Brussels, Belgium - Botanique
06 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkweg
08 Cologne, Germany - Kulturkirche
09 Berlin, Germany - Festsaal
11 Vienna, Austria - Arena
12 Milan, Italy - Magazzini
13 Paris, France - Alahambra

* with I'm in You

[review] Julian Plenti - Julian Plenti is... Skyscraper

Julian Plenti is... Really Good

Paul Banks is... the frontman for Interpol, yet on Tuesday he released his first solo effort under the moniker Julian Plenti. And for those of you who are fans of Interpol, you should definitely get your hands on a copy of his pseudo self-titled album Julian Plenti is... Skyscraper. The best way to describe the sound is maybe as more of a dance-driven version of Our Love To Admire with lush orchestrations and complex textures. Julian apparently hired session performers for all the string and horn arrangements, and also had a little help from Mike Sroud of Ratatat. It's a great supplement for anyone looking for new Interpol material; however, it stands on its own as a great release for 2009. I haven't been able to wear this album out yet, and each listen brings more appreciation than before. Go check it out. Below are a few songs off the album: the dance-rocker "Fun That We Have," and videos of the dream-trip/album closer "H," as well as the very Antics-esque "Game For Days."

And don't miss Julian on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, which airs tomorrow night (August 7).

MP3: Julian Plenti - "Fun That We Have"
(buy :: Julian Plenti is... Skyscraper)

Videos:

Julian Plenti video #2 from Julian Plenti on Vimeo.