This Is Halloween

Happy Halloween Cheetah Lovers.

In the 90's there was this wonderful little move called Nightmare Before Christmas. And in the 2K8's there's a brand new cover album featuring all the songs of the original soundtrack recreated my modern rock bands.

Devotchka, Album Leaf, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Polyphonic Spree... And tons more. It's a pretty wonderful album if you are a fan of the bands or the movie.

And then there's this. Blow your mind on this for a second.
This is Halloween-Marilyn Manson (OS)

Passion Pit at The Middle East

We board the eighty-six bus, transfer at Harvard, ride one stop to Central, and walk to the Middle East. IDs are checked and we walk down the stairs. It's a basement, no windows, walkway along the left side, two bars, and people standing on the floor. The ceiling is ten feet tall, but it reaches over our heads and presses towards the ground. The crowd is anxious. They have come for Les Savy Fav. A band whose wikipedia page is being considered for deletion doesn't interest them, they are indie rockers, hard rockers.

The show is sold out, but the crowd hasn't arrived. People come in, people leave. Jeff Apruzzese, the bassist, makes out with a girl behind the stage. He wears my purple Ben Sherman short-sleaved button-up, and I can't stop watching it. Passion Pit moves to the stage. People clap, they clap and the show begins. We watch Michael Angelakos play his tiny keyboard, his facial hair swaying with the rhythm. Dancing comes slowly, but soon the crowd moves to the left, to the right.



"You're gunna drive me crazy, you're gunna drive me mad"

The boy next to me jumps up and down. His hands are marked with black crosses, between eighteen and twenty-one. This will not be another boring under-appreciated show. This will not be sad. I look at Christine, I smile, we begin to dance. We are Portlandia and Cascadia. The next song is Live to Tell the Tale. It is flawless, of course.



"This is the room where we always dreamed, of grass and splendid evenings"

We fall into movement, crushing the space around us, nodding heads and kneading feet. I start yelling and throwing my arms in circles, Christine smiles and shakes her head, everyone around is my friend. Then I look back and see a roomful of absently standing people just moving to the music, completely missing everything.



"Have you seen me cry, tears like diamonds"

The music scene of Boston is here tonight, they dance with us, they stare and sigh at us, they check the time on their cell phones. "Passion Pit," I yell, "I fucking love you!" Between up and down jumping I see indifference and amusement. There isn't anywhere but the basement, Passion Pit in the basement, and dancing in the basement.


Passion Pit performs here at their home and nobody fucking cares. Maybe it's fitting that they're just another opener in a city of missed opportunities, but what Christine and I had with Passion Pit was beautiful. It was perfect. We dance, dance, danced. I was ready to quit school, to live underground, on a mountain, or next to the road. It didn't matter that everyone around us was a filthy shadow of what we had in Portland. I didn't care that this was one night out of two months. Passion Pit makes me feel good. That's all.

[photos from the flickr stream of marc.espowood]

Passion Pit - Sleepyhead
Passion Pit (MS)

Live Music: Minitel Rose @ Cargo de Nuit (Arles, France)

The lady and I made our way over to Arles last night to catch a glimpse of my new favorite electo pop band (excluding Passion Pit, which is too godly too compare) Minitel Rose. Hailing from Nantes, the band, a trio, is signed to Valerie, the clear leader in new wave 80's electro so far as record labels go (imho). Their name is inspired by a form of pre-internet cybersex, from France in the early 80's. This band is a minitel rose for your ears.

The venue had an incredible setup. Two bars at the back where you walk in, right into a large open space with tall ceilings. Stairs going up to another large area on a balcony. Some tables in back and some benches on the wall. An insane amount of lights and lasers. And a fog machine that didn't fuck around. Overall, the venue was pretty small. Though I don't doubt you could pack A LOT of people in there, the venue had a very comfy feel. cheers.


Cargo de Nuit (Arles, France)

We stood through a pretty decent opener, Delete, that absolutely stank up the stage. Their music production was wonderful, but they were a long way away from good delivery. As much as I love to just stare at four bodies standing there, making music... it just doesn't make for a good show. There was a group of five 12 y/o's that were the only people dancing in the venue; it was just a little embarassing. Nevertheless, the music that came from the band called Delete was a nice band the just chill to. I think they would fall into the genre of electro funk, as the majority of their music was driven entirely by a single emotionless man with a bass guitar. Though, at other times they were certainly on different parts of the map. You can tell that they are a very new band, and I think they have a long way to go. Delete, if you are reading this.... DON'T SING. It's not working with your music for now.


Delete @ Cargo de Nuit (Arles, France)

Minitel Rose was explosive right out of the gate, and the crowd was susceptible to their wiles. They hit the stage like no one's business, and they didn't mess around, opening their concert with two songs from their freshman album <>, including the incredibly catchy "Magic Powder." They threw down some new songs on the crowd, one in particular that had an incredible energy behind it; and energy that could rival, perhaps, the likes of Justice. I'm excited to hear these songs when they're polished and packaged. All three members of the band were crowd pleasers, and did a very good job getting people moving and creating an atmosphere. Their sound was punchy and precise, again, great production here. At one point during the show, the lead singer ripped his keyboard off its stand and played it over his head like he was about to smash it at any second. He didn't smash it, thank god.


Minitel Rose @ Cargo de Nuit (Arles, France)

As they left the stage the crowd erupted in cheers and clapping and stomping and whistling, truly an amazing call for an encore. Five minutes passed, and Minitel Rose did not show their faces. It's kind of a dick thing to pull after such a great show, but honestly, I think the band just ran out of songs. A sad move really. I hope they consider saving one for the encore in the future. The crowd was really dissapointed :-(

Anyways, overall it was a wonderful show. Delete flopped and Minitel Rose more than made up for it. Incredible stage presence mixed with some inredible sound production, NOT TO MENTION fucking sweeeeeeet lights, it all made for an excellent spectacle.

Now listen here...

Delete (MS)
Minitel Rose (MS) - Be With You|Magic Powder

A note about country music

"Three electro posts in a row" you say? Time to shift to the opposite end of the spectrum.

Country music.

"Jon," you say, "you are truly insane. To suggest that you'll be posting a country song on such a fantastic blog... well that's just pure madness!"

Electro and country music, they have two things in common: they have been muddled through the years with negative stereotypes. I say, country music has gotten the even worse end of the stick. Hailing from it's roots in folk and gospel music, "country music" swept the southern United States in the 20's. As wikipedia kindly notes, the term "country music" wasn't adopted until the 40's, when "hillbilly music" was deemed as degrading.

Since then it's become the trumpet of absolutely shitty music. The term conjures up thoughts of "patriotism," "guns," "my baby," and songs about drinking shitty cocktails in the rain. Truly, the stereotypes are well deserved. However, as every musical form hails from some classic root, every musical genre has something to offer in the terms of "music."

mu·sic (myoo-zik)
The art of arranging sounds in time so as to produce a continuous, unified, and evocative composition, as through melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre.
An aesthetically pleasing or harmonious sound or combination of sounds.

I say to you, my dear doubting friend, country "music" is, for most all of it's entirely, not music at all. However, lest we forget the roots of modern music all together, we must note that country music is, just about, the oldest, most consistent modern genre of music that is still around and readily listened to today*. It heralds back to the day when terms like "melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre" were actually thought of before composing a song.

Because of that, the genre still has a bit of my respect. And with that, I bring some new tunes from my favorite country artist still kickin' the can.

Presenting Mr. Ben Kweller (MS)|(OS) and a few songs from his new EP "How Ya Lookin' Southbound? Comein..."

(Songs are arranged in a particular order. I suggest gapless playback.)
Ben Kweller - Things I Like To Do
Ben Kweller - Sawdust Baby
Ben Kweller - Sawdust Man

Mr. Kweller is currently on a massive tour. Check his OS for details.

<3

*With respect to the current genre of folk music. Also, gospel hella doesn't count.

Artist Profile: Danger

While Cheetah Love may be running a risk of becoming a bit too electro-centric, there is one artist whom I cannot wait any longer to spotlight, and that artist is the single most bad of the badass, motherfuckin' DANGER.

Danger is the mask wearing alter ego of Frank Riviore, a 23 year-old Parisian graphic designer currently signed to Ekler'o'shock. I first heard of heard Danger early this year, after a heads up from the phenomenal blog Good Weather For Airstrikes (R.I.P.), shortly after his first EP featuring the celebrated "11h30" dropped in Europe.

Danger's particular brand of speedelectro evokes at first a reiteration of the stark electronic minimalism and insistence of artists such as Kavinsky and Blackskirt. Also markedly present in his music is a manipulation of hip-hop bass aesthetics, highly comparable to the thunderous remix work of SebastiAn.


What makes Danger so particularly remarkable and, honestly, better than these titans of French Electro House is his ability to so fluidly manipulate the melodrama of sound and tension to influence the real feelings and emotions imparted from his music, a feat matched perhaps only by the unfuckwithable Justice. That, coupled with the careful manipulation of image being presented by the artist help combine to make Danger sound not only like that elusive sensation of danger itself, but to embody the very essence of it. Danger's myspace page is perhaps the most excellent example of this, the tight composition of mysterious and sinister imagery coupled with his innately intriguing music turning the site from a mere information gathering resource into a visceral element of his music itself, changing forever the way one identifies and connects with the actual sound of Danger. Again, the only other electro group that can be observed matching such a complete degree of control with this element of their music is Justice, whose adoption of the "religious-symbolism-through-the-lens-of-70s-era-metal-iconography-and-also-leather-jackets" look has created one of the most intriguing images a band has enjoyed in years.

Unfortunately, one of the great annoyances regarding Danger is the sheer difficulty of collecting any information regarding him. Only one EP has been released, titled 09/14 2007, and both his system of naming songs - such as "00h00" - and his name itself do not exactly lend themselves to simple Google searches. Even more frustrating than that is that the most informative looking sites containing information about Danger are in French, and the French happen to be one of the few cultures with audacity to produce amazing music and then not feel obligated to explain it in English.


Information is out there, however, as evidenced by this poorly translated interview posted at Trash Menagerie.

Equally essential to experiencing Danger is his amazing AV presentation, as can be glimpsed here.

But, of course, beyond all of that is Danger's unbelievably fantastic music. His original work is, quite simply, mind blowing. This is evidenced by hard to find cuts of "00h00", "13h12", and "19h11". Some of his greatest achievements, however, lie in his remixes, which demonstrate beyond anything the sheer range of his versatility. In his amazing reworking of "American Boy (feat. Kanye West)" by Estelle, he is able to completely transform a wholly boring and mediocre song into an wonderfully expressive sonic adventure. Further representation of his incredible talent can be seen in his galactic remix of Sebastian Tellier's "Divine" as well as in my personal favorite, "Revolte at 22h10", original artist unknown.

"Revolte at 22h10" - Danger ((cheetah <3s))
"00h00" - Danger
"13h12 (Live Edit)" - Danger
"19h11" - Danger
"American Boy (Feat. Kanye West) (Danger Remix)" - Estelle
"Divine (Danger Remix) - Sebastian Tellier

What I've Learned About French Electro

If you've been sleeping through the new electro movement, you might have missed the fact that many of the gems that are emerging are coming from France.

"Electro house," to be more exact, is led by the likes of SebastiAn, Danger, and Teenage Bad Girl - all French artists. Bands like Justice and MSTRKRFT are injecting new alt/indie/new rave sounds into the rapidly expanding genre, bringing us to electro today which is, as Keegan so perfectly put it "creating some of the most intense, energetic and driving music being produced."

Electro is quickly becoming a choice genre of the altkids and slowly taking over the mainstream. In the coming years it will surely shed the stereotypes that have plagued it for generations. In fact, don't be surprised if electro alone completely changes the face of the world... bringing with it flying cars, plastic clothes, and SPACE!!

But you don't need me to tell you about electro. You know.

And here's some hot shit from France.

Anoraak - Nightdrive With You
College - Teenage Color
sayCET - Opal [Opalowsky Error::Love remix)
Jupiter - Starlighter
Metronomy - Heartbreaker (Jupiter Remix)
Minitel Rose - Magic Powder
Blackskirt - III
Teenage Bad Girl - Cocotte
Mustard Pimp - Oh La La Satan
Justice - Planisphere

PS Cheetah <3s Valerie!
The eighties are back yall!
love love love

State of Electro 2008

To kick off my contributions to the cheetah lovefest I present to you a mix of the hottest of the hot: ELECTRO. This movement, fueled by the unstoppable energy of the French dance scene superstars such as Justice, Daft Punk and Sebastian, represents the inevitable reemergence of disco sensibilities through the fusion of electronic and more guitar based rock. While electro's home is certainly the dance floor, this sythesis has created some of the most intense, energetic and driving music being produced today.

While this mix may not represent the newest electro music available, it is certainly some of the most essential. Beginning with the a celebration of that most essential life-blood of electro in the form of the "ecstasy trilogy" and moving directly into some of the most fantastically hedonistic dance music ever created, these songs are the absolute pinnacle of one of the greatest genres to emerge in the last decade.


State of Electro 2008


Boys Noize - "& Down"
Thieves Like Us - "Drugs In My Body"
Soulwax - "E-Talking"
Boys Noize - "Let's Buy Happiness"
Justice - "D.A.N.C.E. (MSTRKRFT Remix)"
Simian Mobile Disco - "Tits & Acid"
Justice - "DVNO"
Digitalism - "I Want I Want"
Daft Punk - "Around The World/Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger"
Mylo - "Musclecar Reform Reprise"
MGMT - "Electric Feel"
Justice - "Waters of Nazareth"
Danger - "Revolte at 22h10"
Justice - "Phantom Pt 3 Ghettoruckus Remix"
Kavinsky - "Testarossa (SebastiAn Remix)"
Bloc Party - "Halo"

Matt and Kim

Hurrah! One of my absolute favorite bands finally pushes something new into the world... and into the hands of Cheetah Love... and into your ears. A perfect way to kick off the LoveFEST 2008.75!!!

TWO new songs from our favorite band that slipped back into obscurity after the relative fame gained from their debut LP, from their forthcoming LP "Grand". <3!!!
Matt and Kim!(MS)|(OS)
Matt and Kim - "Daylight"
Matt and Kim - "Good Ol' Fashion Nightmare"

Cheetah LOVES! don't you?

Cheetah Love

Cheetah Love!

A blog about music. Presented by people who love cheetahs.

As an internationally based organization, with offices in locations as diverse as Seattle and Aix-en-Provence, France, our blog will bring together the finest new music being made across the globe. Our musical tastes span all musical genres and truly only have one thing in common - unparalleled quality. So, please, join us in our quest to discover and appreciate the great bounty that Good Music has to offer, always keeping one vital fact in mind...

Cheetahs are awesome!