Last week, I posted an irrelevant blog referencing The Head and The Heart. When I was getting into the band, I searched all over Youtube for concert footage and discovered many strange setups for live performances. These would generally feature a semi-unknown band playing to a small but earnest audience in places both logical (a room with good acoustics), and, er, less logical (a moving van, sort of).
During this process, I started listening to sessions from a Seattle-based public radio station called KEXP. For some reason, all of their performances were excellent. These days, whenever I look for live performances, I always start by checking if KEXP has anything for my band of interest (1).
Over the past few years, I've listened to a number of great clips from the station. Here is a short, unofficial list of my favorites. Enjoy!
The first good clip I found: 'Lost In My Mind' by The Head and The Heart
This was the first band I saw in a concert. I had heard they were pretty good live but the first half of the performance was a little dull. They played this song about halfway through and the band came completely alive. From there, the rest of the show was superb.
The clip from KEXP is the closest I've found to the concert performance I enjoyed so much.
Most surprising performance: 'Shook Ones (Part II)' by Mobb Deep
It might not be the 'definitive nineties rap song' as they say in the clip but Mobb Deep's 1995 hit has earned each of its many accolades. The most memorable pop culture reference for me is its use in 8 Mile's final freestyle battle; apparently, its lyrics also made it into Hamilton.
When I found this song, I could not believe it made it onto KEXP. The cookie-cutter KEXP performance involves one of the following ingredients: acoustic instruments, little known group, a song unlikely to crack a top-25 list for its decade. And in general, rap is the last genre I thought would find its way here.
I should also add my surprise to learn Mobb Deep was still performing.
Favorite clip: 'Untitled' by Of Monsters And Men
It's a great performance of a favorite song I fear is bound to be forgotten. And for whatever reason, I really like the idea of the band having the song completely figured out before naming it.
Eventually, OMAM would go with 'Sloom', a word meaning a light sleep or slumber. I think this was a good decision.
Footnotes / imagined complaints
1. Well, duh!
By the way, it took me a long time to figure out the reason the bands sounded so good on KEXP. Most of the time, the shows were recorded while the band was on tour. Since most groups play four to six times a week while touring, it makes sense that these appearances would showcase the artists at their sharpest.
