2G1K Reunion - Deep Dish style

A little over a year ago, the 2G1K gurlz traveled across the East coast for a long-awaited rendez-vous in New York City. From there we headed to DC for the Rally to Restore Sanity (or Keep Fear Alive, depending on which side of the aisle you stand). Despite getting to the rally late, not actually being able to see/hear a thing in the crowd, and eventually taking refuge in the Museum of Natural History's food court, it was a jolly good time.

FLASH FORWARD a year later - 2G1K reunion in Chicago!



We wined, we dined, we...wined again. Tilly saw Thom's new life in the Windy City; and what a life it is! L trains are pretty neat. You know what else is neat?

ADORKABLE ENGLISH BANDS. Like Metronomy. Yeah, we saw them in Chi-town. It was awesome. Even more awesome than our initial discovery of this English gem at SXSW back in 2007 (seriously, 2007!!), where we saw the original all-synth, three-man band make a push-button light show.

[Archival photo-documentation.]

Nowadays, with a new lineup (and more instruments!), Metronomy puts on a great show - lights included!



Tired of 2g1k's permanent Metronomy-gasm? Well, then HOW DARE YOU.

...I suppose we could compromise by recommending Metronomy's opening act to you: Class Actress. Hailing from Brooklyn (don't they all?), this duo puts out dreamy, sultry synthpop that's definitely worth a listen.

Class Actress - "Journal of Ardency"


Class Actress - "Keep You"


Experiencing life in a new city, seeing the sites and going to a good show.

Now that's classic 2G1K.

City of the Winds

Dearest Tilly,

The moment you returned from the New Yorke, I was uprooted by a powerful gust and sent to the City of the Winds. This city is much different than my life in The District or even our hometown in the great Lone Star state. It is a place of grit and grime. It is a place of wires that go on for miles, lights that fill the night, and buildings that kiss the sky. Chicago – city of the damned it is, and it is in this damned city that I now take residence.

My daily life is nothing of the norm that it once was. The people I surround myself with are the seediest creatures of human life; from iron mill workers to bootleggers to social media experts, I find myself in the company of a surly bunch. The following video is an accurate portrayal of the life I now live.



After exhausting days of labor, the only thing one can do in this place is to go to the streets and let the music revive your withered soul. Music pulses through the veins of these Chi-town cats. It is the kind of music that drags you out of bed at night, the kind your mother always warned you about. Well, maybe not your mother Tilly, but my mother certainly did. "Stay away from those vagabonds, those riff raff who associate with violins and guitars and keyboards and drums," she would say to me. "Nothing good will come of it."

She also warned me about the dangers of not doing your laundry on a regular basis and for this I am rather thankful.

But the music Tilly, the music. Here I am away from home, away from my mother and look at the creature I have become. The music has consumed me and I ain't never coming back, especially after hearing Chicago native Andrew Bird's sinful jazz compilations from his aptly named 'Bowl of Fire.'

"Depression-Pasillo" - Andrew Bird


"Shake It and Break It" - Preservation Hall Jazz Band & Andrew Bird


Complete smut! Heed my mother's warning and stay away from the city, Tilly, lest you lose your purity. It is too late for me.

Although, if you do happen to come to the city let's visit the Art Institute of Chicago.

As always, give your mother my regards.

Sincerely,
-Thomas

In the Windy City [insert narrative here]

I'm moving to Chicago soon [insert story of a girl from the hill country moving to the big city]. I've packed t-shirts and snowboots, my laptop and camera, and not much else. I'm not sure what to assume of my life in the windy city, but I look forward to whatever lies ahead [insert cliche personal discoveries, life changing decisions, lack of sleep].

I love the following examples for their representation of Chicago. First up, Wilco's "I am trying to break your heart." On its own, the video stands as a good introduction to Chicago aesthetics 101.



Next up, Ferris Bueller and The Beatles' "Twist and Shout." What suburban youth doesn't fantasize about their own Bueller-ticker-tape parade moment?



And of course Sufjan, how could I ever forget you (and Karen O?!).

"Maps to Chicago" - Sufjan Stevens vs. Yeah Yeah Yeahs



I'm ready for this place [insert Chicago, Windy City, Chi-town].

Tilly and Thom's Favorite Things - Hot & Sweaty Summer Edition

To say it is a little hot outside would be an understatement and so us 2G1K gurlz have some tunes to cool you down. So sit back, crank up the AC, pray for rain if you're Gov. Rick Perry, and get ready for some sweet songs to beat the heat.

Thom:

This summer has been the summer of tUnE-YarDs (or is it Tune Yards, or TuNe-yARDs, or TUNe-yARDS?). It is powerful, raw, fun fun stuff. The first song that got me going for Tune Yards is the song 'Bizness.'



The band's fantastic, ukulele-playing, leading lady Merrill Garbus has put a temporary rift in indie-music that does not promote some sort of dancing. Need more kinetic proof? Just listen to the seductive-slow-dance-to-the-point-that-it-is-kind-of-dirty inducing "Powa."

"Powa"


mmmph.


Tilly:

Mmmph, indeed! (Thom's on to something there.) But sometimes I want some music with a few more miles on it. Like, 35 years of miles, ya herd? I'm afraid modern indie kids don't often appreciate music older than themselves. Hopefully I'm wrong, but if not, here's a late great musician for homework:

Warren Zevon. He had macabre wit and impeccable songwriting skills, which created some of the best lyrics (and songs) of the 70s and beyond. The most successful of these songs was "Werewolves of London," from the 1978 album Excitable Boy. Enjoy the killer lines (pun intended!) and adorably hokey werewolf while watching the video below.

I saw a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic's; his hair was PERFECT.



After a lifelong phobia and avoidance of doctors, Zevon was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 2002, but he took it in stride. During his final public performance, on David Letterman, he incited nervous but genuine laughter in the audience by declaring that he "may have made a tactical error in not going to a physician for 20 years" and that he was "reminded to enjoy every sandwich" in the face of his illness. He worked hard to finish recording The Wind, an impressive and collaborative album, before his death in 2003.

So kids, check out ol' Warren, and remember to enjoy every sandwich.

Until next time,
Tilly & Thom

Comebacks

Hello all!

I'm here to tell you about the grand return of Cold War Kids, Metronomy, Peter Bjorn and John, and (I daresay most importantly?) 2 GIRLS 1 KEYBOARD! We are going to stop being deadbeat 20-somethings and start writing more often. Starting now.

Cold War Kids: Mine is Yours


It's been 3 years since Loyalty to Loyalty, the most recent album from solid 2g1k favorites Cold War Kids, but it didn't make much of a splash back in '08. I've previously noted this lack of Cold War Kids goodness, but they have returned!

Mine is Yours is a new but really good sound for them. A little less Southern bluesy, a little more inspirational, a whole lotta catchy and pretty tunes! It's worked well for the band--they have gotten popular enough to make an appearance in little ol' Albany, NY at Tulipfest 2011, which I had the pleasure of attending. Look carefully below, and you'll see a great example of a native Albany college student in all his douchebaggery.



Here's a few of my favorite tracks, since oddly I've never loved the single which has made them so popular of late, "Louder than Ever."

"Finally Begin"


"Sensitive Kid"


***

Metronomy: The English Riviera


Metronomy, how we have missed you! Thom and I are pretty big fans. Thus the three year wait since Nights Out has been sad, but The English Riviera has arrived...and it's magical.

As with Cold War Kids, this album represents a newer, more refined sound for the band, but with very good reason--the departure of one of the original three band members and addition of two new ones! Gabriel Stebbing, or as I sometimes call him, "The Hot One," amicably left Metronomy, then Gbenga Adelekan became the new bassist and Anna Prior the new drummer. (GIRL DRUMMER FUCK YEAH.) See them below in the music vid!

"The Look" (showcasing the quintessential adorable Metronomy music video style)


"Everything Goes My Way"


***

Peter Bjorn and John: Gimme Some


Just like the sandwich, PB&J always satisfies. Though only two years after their great album Living Thing, Gimme Some is really refreshing. It brings back the upbeat, hypercatchy, quirky strangeness of their golden years, complete with endearingly imperfect English lyrics.

"All art has been contemporary, dig a little deeper"
...well said, young Swedes!

"Second Chance"


"Dig a Little Deeper"


Hopefully some of these songs strike your fancy! Stay tuned for a soon-to-come Favorite Things post from both of us.

Until next time,
Tilly

The Hero's Homecoming

Dearest Tilly,

I am home, I am home, I am home: what a wonderful thing to say. A magnificent thing to say. The best thing a person can say. Yes, there were points when I struggled during my time in The District and I even became frustrated with the prospects of returning home. But Hell, I made it Tilly. And it is great to be back.

After leaving your good company in The New Yorke, I arrived safely in Austin by aeroplane. As soon as I set foot off the vessel I heard cheering Tilly, cheering. All of the inhabitants of this great city were there to greet me with accolades and ‘hurrahs’ and warm loving embraces. It was a homecoming fit for a queen. It was the hero’s homecoming.

The crowd engulfed me as I got off the landing strip and into a motorcade; I was driven past the hill country, past Zilker Park, past Auditorium Shores; I was driven into the heart of the city, straight down Congress Avenue. A marching band proceeded ahead of me and tickertape fell from the sky. We surged ahead to the Capitol, and it was there that I met the Mayor. Wearing his top hat, monocle, and unwavering pride on his shoulder, he grasped my hand and placed something in my palm. It was a key, and not just any key, but a key to the city itself!

And then, a dirigible flew overhead and fireworks shot through the air. It was grand Tilly, absolutely grand; there is nothing in the world as beautiful as this city of ours. I celebrated in the streets with the inhabitants from dawn until dusk and right as the sun was going to bed, who should serenade me but those lovable ragamuffins and precious scamps - Weezer. They knew I had arrived and played a fanfare, a selected group of their songs and the entirety of the Pinkerton phonograph record.



Stay strong Tilly, for it is only a matter of time before you escape those cowardly Yankees and join me in Austin. I look forward to your return; Austin looks forward to your return.

As always, give your mother my regards.

Sincerely,
-Thomas

Austin - who needs that place?

I'm serious. I've lived there my entire life and now that I'm gone, I can proudly state I do not miss it. Not. One. Single. Bit.*



Let's start with the obvious: the heat. Saying it is hot three hundred and sixty four days out of the year is not a stretch. It permeates your very being. You just sweat and sweat and sweat everytime you go outside - and this is only in April. Just wait until that late-July/early-August heat saunters in. Your pores become a gelatinous oozing blob unless you take refuge in Barton Springs, which I do not miss at all. In comparison, it has not even broken eighty-five degrees in DC yet; this is what a real spring feels like. Yeah, that's right Austin. Seasons. You may have heard of them?

Another thing I don't miss about Austin is that void chunk of land the city seems to associate itself with called 'Texas.' Jeeze, just thinking about that place, like all of it (and there is certainly a lot of it), makes me glad to be out of there. If you want to go to another place it takes nearly an entire day of driving. In DC, I can go through two other states - just on my bike! And if I'm feeling really adventurous I can take a four hour trip and be in this little place you may heard of called New York City. If I spend the same amount of time driving in Texas I can get to Abilene. Woo hoo.

Really, Keep Austin Weird? I've heard that sooo many times. Let's just stop it already and grow up a little. The motto where I live now is Keep DC Straight-Laced, Obsessively-Heteronormative, and Moderate-to-Somewhat-"Wild" on the Weekends and people here like it like that! As soon as I got here I exchanged my skinny jeans for dress pants, ironic t-shirts for matching blazer and skirt power-suits. Haven't looked back since.

Sure there are things about Austin I miss, but that doesn't mean I haven't found replacements that are just as good. Take music for example: I absolutely love that stuff. In Austin I would go to shows all the time, spend all my money and lose my hearing. I had to buy earplugs because I saw too many shows. In DC I don’t have to worry about that, and now I have a new object of obsession in my life – sports. Sports sports sports sports sports. That’s all people talk about here, all the time. Sports teams from the East coast to be exact. Never has caring about sports teams from Virginia played such an active role in my life. Honest to God, Virginia. Luckily, I really like sports. Otherwise, that stuff would get real old, real fast.

Here are some bands that are from Austin and are OK, I guess. Although, I’d recommend this great native DC band called Good Charlotte. If you think bands from Austin are good, these Good Charlotte folks are going to knock you out of the ballpark. See that? I made a sports reference.







"That's the Way We Get By" - Spoon


"A Stone" - Okkervil River


"Introduction" - Voxtrot




*I lied. I really really really miss Austin but can’t afford a plane ticket home. I miss the heat – it is still like forty degrees here. I don’t think it will ever be warm again and I’m freakishly pale. Also, Texas is a beautiful state and the people are welcoming and friendly there. And I miss Austin’s weirdness, I do I do I do; you don’t realize the things you take for granted back home. Finally, I absolutely despise sports, especially teams from Virginia. People here overlook the fact that collegiate-level sports detract substantial resources and time from academic institutions and give athletes biased and preferential treatment, while condoning inappropriate and sometimes criminal activities they commit outside of athletics.

And Good Charlotte? Really DC?