Manchester Orchestra Frightened Rabbit Grouplove

POZ Review: Manchester Orchestra, Frightened Rabbit, Grouplove - Collaborative Split 12”

Andy Hull is an exceptional songwriter, and what separates him from many of his just “good” peers is his ability to write in such a wide breadth of styles and levels of aggressiveness without losing any amount of proficiency or sincerity. In collaborating separately with Frightened Rabbit and Grouplove on this release, one can juxtapose the variety of music that Hull is adept at creating (not to undermine the obvious contributions of the collaborating bands and Mr. Hull’s bandmates in Manchester Orchestra).

The Manchester/Frightened Rabbit track, titled “Architect,” is actually a collaborative effort between only the primary songwriters of the respective bands (and a song completed without the two ever meeting one another in person). Almost impossibly, the song manages to be both sparse and lush. The sparseness comes from the skeletal instrumentation and lack of percussion, while the relentless fingerpicked acoustic guitar riff provides the momentum and drive that often lack from a guitar-and-voice-only approach. 

As for the vocals, well…I know I can be prone to hyperbolic statements, but the vocals on this track are breathtaking. Scott Hutchison’s throaty, consistent delivery meshes perfectly with Hull’s nasal, loud-to-quiet delivery until each individual singer is nearly indistinguishable. The melodies and harmonies are sad and evocative without being mopey or obvious, and the song doesn’t linger, ending in a tidy four minutes. The most impressive part of this track is its balance: between the two songwriters, between the aforementioned fullness and sparseness, and between poetic ambiguity versus meaninglessness in regards to lyrics, “Architect” manages to walk the proverbial tightrope. 

As implied in the introductory paragraph, the other song in question is something different entirely. Opposed to the two-man show that was “Architect,” “Make It to Me” is a boisterous little ditty, complete with note-dragging synth riffs, a variety of vocalists, and a perfect combination of Manchester’s indie rock prowess and Grouplove’s dance-infused goodness.

Positive vibes flow from this song from the very beginning, and though the lyrics could be construed as potentially macabre, the whole thing is just too danceable and too much damn fun to feel down.  I made the unfortunate mistake of reading user comments on SoundCloud as I listened to “Make It to Me” for the fourth or fifth time (we all know how productive reading user comments can be), and let me squash something here and now: there is no dubstep in this song; nothing of the sort, in fact. Look, I like the genre as much as the next guy, but it’s simply not applicable to this particular song. There are electronic beats and hooks, yes. So what? Stop being pretentious and enjoy yourself, for god’s sake.

As a matter of opinion, I prefer “Architect” over “Make It to Me;” this isn’t surprising, since I prefer Frightened Rabbit to Grouplove (and “I Can Feel a Hot One” to, say, “Tony the Tiger”). I mention this only because all of the press that I’ve read about this release is rather vague regarding whether it will indeed be just one release (as opposed to two separate records). I’ve seen different cover art for each track, leading me to believe these will separate releases. Moral is: if you’re pinching pennies, get Architect. If you can swing both tracks, they’re both certainly worth your time.

UPC with indie band GROUPLOVE

UPC switches spring concert music genre with indie band GROUPLOVE

A switch from the mainstream to indie shouldn’t hinder attendance at this year’s University Program Council concert, UPC members said.

Indie artist GROUPLOVE will headline Thursday night’s concert, but UPC members said they expect comparable attendance numbers to the hip-hop shows of the past.

“Over the last few concerts, we’ve been working to make the spring concert an annual tradition for students on campus,” said Matt Heng, UPC financial manager and a junior advertising and public relations major. “We hope that students trust UPC to bring them great entertainment at a low out-of-pocket cost, so we don’t anticipate the artist being an ‘indie’ artist to have a huge effect on attendance numbers.”

GROUPLOVE will take the stage inside the NU Coliseum at 8 p.m., with Omaha-based Icky Blossoms opening. The free concert was originally scheduled to be in the Nebraska Union greenspace but was moved indoors because of a cold and rainy weather forecast.

Heng said UPC members are hoping attendance numbers at the GROUPLOVE concert will be similar to numbers at past large-scale concerts, but he said no official attendance goal has been set.

“With so many factors affecting the show, specifically the weather this year, we don’t have a defined number attendance goal,” Heng said.

UPC organized its first large-scale outdoor concert in fall 2010, when Big Boi and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis came to campus. In spring 2012, UPC brought Mike Posner and began an annual tradition of a large-scale spring semester concert. Attendance at both of those concerts was around 5,000 people, according to UPC documents.

This year’s decision to bring in a different type of artist was primarily driven by student feedback gauged from two campus-wide surveys that asked respondents what genres of music they would like to see on campus, Heng said.

“By far, the top three genres were hip-hop/rap, country and indie/alternative,” Heng said. “Since our Homecoming Concert is a country artist and the past two City Campus shows have been in the hip-hop/rap genre, it made sense to listen to that student feedback and bring GROUPLOVE.”

Last semester’s country-oriented Homecoming Concert featured Gloriana with the Emmett Bower Band and had an attendance of about 2,000 people, according to UPC documents.

Several UNL students said they are glad UPC decided to switch up the genre of this year’s spring concert.

“I love the sound of indie rock music, and it’s a free concert,” said Kristy Cullan, a freshman business administration major who said she is planning to attend. “I think UPC switching to an indie artist this year is a great idea to give students a different variety and expose them to different music.”

Mackenzie Ryan, a junior accounting major, said she is also planning on going to the concert, but she isn’t sure if the attendance numbers will be as high as at past UPC concerts.

“I think the switch to an indie artist is a bold switch,” said Ryan, who also attended the Big Boi concert her freshman year. “I don’t think many students have heard of GROUPLOVE so attendance might be an issue. But it’s important that UPC has some variety when picking who is coming to our concerts.”

Indie rockers Grouplove bring friendship

Indie rockers Grouplove bring friendship and fun to Live @ Veishea

Grouplove, an indie rock outfit based out of Los Angeles, will perform immediately before headliner B.o.B. at the Live @ Veishea concert Saturday, April 20, 2013.

Grouplove released their first album, "Never Trust a Happy Song," through Canvasback/Atlantic Records in September 2011. Three singles from this album saw success.

Their first single, "Colours," peaked at No. 12 on USA TODAY's alternative chart and was featured in many sports-related video games. Their second single, "Tongue Tied," reached No. 42 on the U.S. charts, peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart and sold more than one million singles in the U.S. Their third single, "Itchin' on a Photograph," went to top 10 at Modern Rock radio.

"Tongue Tied" came into the mainstream's eye when it was featured on an iPod Touch commercial. This attention won Grouplove live performance appearances on Conan, Late Night and Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Grouplove has been touring since their formation in 2010. That same year, they toured with Florence and the Machine. In 2012 they headlined their own tour and opened for No Doubt in a few concerts during November 2012, according to Grouplove's official website.

According to Grouplove's biography on the band's official Facebook page, Grouplove began with an extraordinary meeting one year before its official formation. Hannah Hooper, singer and keyboardist, met Christian Zucconi, singer and guitarist, one night on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The two instantly connected. So much so, that Hooper, who had been invited to an art residency in Greece on the island of Crete, invited Zucconi to come to Greece with her.

"We had only known one another for a few days, but are both so inspired and alive when we are together that going to Greece seemed like a magical and natural thing to do," Zucconi is quoted as saying on the group's Facebook page.

On Crete, Hooper and Zucconi met the musicians who would become the rest of Grouplove: Sean Gadd, a London-bred songwriter and bassist, Andrew Wessen, a professional surfer and musician from Los Angeles and Wessen's childhood friend, Ryan Rabin, drummer and producer.

After the summer residency ended, the group pooled their funds and brought Hooper, Zucconi and Gadd to Los Angeles to record with Wessen and Rabin in Rabin's studio.

"We all understood how rare it is for five strangers to feel as close as family and create passionate music together. We couldn't just return to Brooklyn and let the music we all made fade into a memory of that summer we had in Greece," Zucconi shared on Grouplove's Facebook page.

Hooper's artwork, which originally brought Grouplove together through her residency in Greece, now serves the band in a different way. Hooper draws and paints all of the group's album and single covers, images on promotional materials and images used in the band's website.

Grouplove recorded their self-titled EP in 2010 and have been sharing their music with the world ever since. They site life as their main musical influence and say on their Facebook page that they are "bonded together by an undeniably creative kinship."

Grouplove, really?

Grouplove, really? Ten performers that would be more welcome at Spring Fair

Wait, who?
That was essentially my reaction upon discovering that Grouplove would be performing at this year’s Spring Fair Concert. Granted, a quick YouTube search brought me to their music video for “Tongue Tied,” a song I vaguely recognized from an Apple commercial, but I can’t help but be disappointed by our performer choice. Obviously, there’s no problem with booking indie artists, but after having a Grammy award-winning artist like Common, and a gold-selling band like Brand New perform at Spring Fairs past, we have seriously downgraded. Here are ten better choices for a Spring Fair performer. Let’s consult this list when planning for Spring Fair 2014:
1. Kendrick Lamar: With Lamar being arguably the best rapper out right now, who wouldn’t love to see him at Spring Fair? Besides, it’s about time we brought some hip-hop back to this campus.
2. Baauer: As much as the obnoxious New Yorker in me despises the “Harlem Fake” craze that has taken over college campuses and army bases worldwide, I can’t really blame Baauer for that, can I? The man makes some infectious beats — my favorites are “DumDum” and “HIGHER”. If Spring Fair is looking to support lesser-known artists, Baauer is definitely the better choice.
3. Childish Gambino/Donald Glover: He’s an overemotional rapper and a borderline inappropriate comedian, all wrapped up in a medium-tshirt-sized package. Furthermore, as a self-proclaimed “blerd” (Black nerd) he can relate to all of us at Hopkins; he’s smart and awkward, we’re smart and awkward: it’s perfect a match.
4. Beyoncé: If she does anything like what she did at the Super Bowl, think about how much money Hopkins could save on its electricity bill after she hits the stage – probably even more than it would cost to book her in the first place. Also, honestly, who could say no to Beyoncé?
5. A hologram of Jimi Hendrix. Or The Beatles. Or any other artists who were insanely popular before their untimely deaths: This is Hopkins. We can make it happen.
6. Dennis Rodman: If he’s good enough for Kim Jong-Un, he’s good enough for us. No clue if he has any real musical talent, but maybe he could tell us a thing or two about the legitimacy of the unicorn lair in North Korea? Or, you know, how much time we have to live.
7. Boo, the World’s Cutest Dog: The fact that YouTube videos of this puppy have more views than all of Grouplove’s music videos proves that we can do better.
8. Tupac: The Homewood campus is filled with secrets, and I’m convinced one of them is that Pac has been hiding out in the basement of Krieger since his “death” in 1996. A Spring Fair performance would definitely compensate for 17 years of deception.
9. JHU researchers: With Hopkins being the top research institution in the universe (or something like that), what could be more exciting than hearing the results of the innovative studies that make this university so well-known? Just kidding. Unless they have free t-shirts.
10. A Kanye West rant: Many are divided on whether or not Ye’s music is as iconic as he thinks it is, but there’s one thing we can all agree on — his rants are pretty entertaining.  His recent admonition of corporate sponsorships and Jay-Z’s collaboration with Justin Timberlake, albeit slightly disconcerting, still got tons of laughs. And who else but Kanye would auto-tune a rant while performing in Dubai? Forget an indie band; an angry Kanye West would make for the best Spring Fair Concert — wait for it — of all time.