Little Joy on DAYTROTTER

the sunshiney band stopped by the Daytrotter studios to perform two songs, "No One's Better Sake" and "Keep Me in Mind"

the article ends: "Little Joy is this fountain of gorgeous optimism that will always force your day into turning out better than it otherwise would have."
I couldn't agree more.

read the article and download the free songs HERE

is it just me or is the guy all the way on the right the guitarist from The Dead Trees?

Hanan's Top Ten Records of the Year

This is my first year end list, and I have put much thought and deliberation into it. The sad truth is, 2008 was not a spectacular year for music. Therefore, I feel even further obligated to do justice to the handful of solid releases this year. All but two of the albums are debut LPs, that should tell you about the disappointment of returning artists this year. The top 5, I consider essential to everyone's musical library. So, here goes:

10. Little Joy - Little Joy

Fabrizio Moretti's side project was one of the most pleasant surprises of the year. This album is so easy to listen to from beginning to end, bursting with sunshine-y sweet melodies. "Unattainable" is sung by their female band member Binki, and I find myself overlooking my I-hate-female-vocalists thing and really enjoying it.

click here for a -> record review

visit them on MYSPACE

9. Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line

Following the tragic death of their drummer, John Ryan Pike, Ra Ra Riot released a beautiful and often heartbreaking debut with lyrics that often reference their loss. In addition to the standard rock instruments, they incorporate a cello and a violin. This record is GORGEOUS. "Dying is Fine" draws its chorus from a poem by e.e cummings. You might find yourself listening to their cover of "Suspended in Gaffa" on repeat. "Ghost Under Rocks" begins like Mika's "Love Today" but the similarities end there, as it delves into a ballad which unmistakably eulogizes Pike which will give you shivers.

visit them on MYSPACE

8. Liam Finn - I'll Be Lightning

The son of the acclaimed New Zealand musician Neil Finn, Liam quickly establishes that his father is not the only one in the family with talent. A genius in the making, Liam's live performances are simultaneously breathtaking and energizing, leaving the audience in awe and dancing along. Each of these songs is a GEM, but the energy of the songs diminishes as the record comes to a close. The last few songs are slow and beautiful, "Wide Awake on the Voyage Home" (the second to last track) being my absolute favourite, made even more special by the fact that Liam played it after I requested it before his show.

visit Liam on MYSPACE

7. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

It's really a good thing that they included "spectacular" in the title, I cannot find a more fitting word for this incredible record. I had initially thought this would be an album of a few lead singles and some filler but I was shocked to find that the entire album is a masterpiece. Ever wonder where the future of psychedelic rock lies? Look no further than Oracular Spectacular. While their live performances are not mind blowing, they still are a lot of fun and the duo's energy more than makes up for their lack of bravado.

click here for a -> record review

visit the band on their WEBSITE

6. Delta Spirit - Ode to Sunshine


I don't know how this band isn't famous yet. They excel at something which a lot of bands have attempted to do: combining the Americana, folk and rock genres BEAUTIFULLY. Originally self released with the grey album cover and later rereleased by Rounder Records in August with a new version of "Streetwalker", this is a rare band that manages to pull off a very Bob Dylan-y vocalist. I have nothing bad to say about this band, either on record or live. They blew me away this year. Do check them out.

visit the band on MYSPACE

5. The Virgins - The Virgins

For a band that pretends to be sexually inexperienced, these songs are a bit out of place: they are oozing with sex sex sex. Hailing from NYC, comparisons to The Strokes are inevitable, and the band doesn't seem to mind too much. Their bass player Nick demands your attention in lead single "Rich Girls" and all over the rest of the record. The ultimate dance record of the year, The Virgin's debut is a winner on all levels. They will chew you up and spit you out like the gum on their album cover, but you will come back begging for more. These guys are AMAZING live too, so catch em when they swing by your neck of the woods.

visit them on MYSPACE

4. The Killers - Day and Age


The Killers came back more powerfully than ever before with their third album, drawing from equal parts of 80's and futuristic sounds. A joy ride indeed, this album will leave you dazzled and confused and dying for more. The bonus tracks then step in and oblige.

for a song by song analysis of why this record owns you, click HERE

visit the boys on MYSPACE

3. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend


do you remember getting hyped up on sugar as a kid? if that feeling had a musical manifestation, it would be Vampire Weekend's amazing debut record. These boys compensate for being over-educated by providing songs that anyone can dance too. Why all the haters? Because this band was hardworking and successful and produced excellent songs that brightened up the rainy season. This was going to be album of the year for a while, but it was recently replaced by two better crafted records. It still remains one of my favourite records of all time, sweet perfection from start to finish. Vampire Weekend's goals were to play classical music with rock instruments, but they throw in some African beats too. If you buy this record and don't enjoy it, I will reimburse you and then punch you in the face for being musically and human-ly retarded.

click for a -> concert review

visit Vampire Weekend on MYSPACE

2. Wild Sweet Orange - We Have Cause to be Uneasy

This debut from the Birmingham based band is heartbreaking in every sense of the word. The lyrics express the childhood anguish which is more or less universal. The guitar riffs from "Either/Or" will be stuck in your head indefinitely, and the lyric "All the things I've hated, I've been before" reminds me of "Between the Bars" by Elliott Smith: "people you've been before that you don't want around anymore". If the opener, "Ten Dead Dogs" doesn't get you hooked, nothing will. The lead singer's voice will penetrate your soul but the music will distract you from the lyrics. Sometimes I have to double back and listen to the words again, and then I am left breathless again. The album presents the ugliness of the human race in the most beautiful way possible. In a way, they redeem us for the cheating, lyric bastards that we are.

click here for a -> concert review

visit them on MYSPACE

1. Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight

I was first exposed to this band via the blogosphere, first hearing the songs "The Modern Leper" and "Poke" . I subsequently purchased this Scottish band's second full length album. I listened to it once, it didn't strike me as particularly amazing. Once more, I thought. Nope, no avail. I put it on my shelf, shrugging off another meh record. A fellow blogger mentioned that it was his favourite album of the year thus far, which got me to pick it back up and listen to it meticulously, poring over each note and lyric. Then it started getting under my skin. I started listening to it ENDLESSLY, on the BART, at the gym (and this is NOT your average work out album), in bed, everywhere. This album is a reality check to how modern life has alienated us from one another, but the music itself may help us come together and fix ourselves. Please please please take my advice, go out, buy this record and listen to it through five times. They don't have to be consecutive. Just make sure you give it a chance. This album surprised me, and I'm sure you'll love it too.

visit the band on MYSPACE

honourable mentions:
Beck - Modern Guilt
Ben Sollee- Learning to Bend
The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
Panic at the Disco- Pretty. Odd
Albert Hammond Jr - Como Te Llama
The Dodos- Visiter
The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age of Understatement
The Morning Benders - Talking Through Tin Cans
Margot and the Nuclear So and So's- Animal
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Pershing

Concert Review - Little Joy @ Slim's 09 Dec

LA based Red Cortez were the first opening band. They were decent, I didn’t like the lead singer’s voice very much, though. I liked that the drummer used maracas as drum sticks, that was awesome. Their fast songs were the best of the bunch, but when they played slower songs, it just didn’t work very well. When the lead singer pulled out a harmonica, it just went downhill. Stay clear of that, boys, keep up the good guitar work and you might have a chance to get signed someday. The lead singer banged the keys of the keyboard with his elbow on the last song, which I guess was meant to be cool but it was just kind of disrespectful. They had this weird energy thing going on, where they didn’t know where they belonged: slow folks-y songs or let’s-get-trashed-and-rock-out attitude. But yeah, their guitarist and drummer redeemed the set, which was a tad too long (at 40 minutes).
2/5

visit them on MYSPACE

Next on came The Dead Trees, from Portland, OR. These guys more than made up for the mediocrity of the previous band. They had everything a band should have on stage: good energy, excellent sync and an awesome sound. I would classify them as somewhat bluesy, but more edgy rock-ish. They had an extra member playing with them, bass player Tad’s brother Tory, who was on an extra drum kit and keyboards. Their songs were strange at times and tambourines were busted out in a quick frenzy, but they pulled it off somehow. The crowd was dancing along; the Dead Trees put us right in the mood for Little Joy.
3.25/5

visit them on MYSPACE

Little Joy was superb. They felt like a family on stage. They were having so much fun, and the crowd was LOVING it. They were joined by Matt Romono (the drummer from Albert Hammond Jr’s band) for most of the set. For the last song, “Brand New Start”, they were joined by The Dead Trees, and the three people who Fab thanked profusely (“without whom Little Joy would not have happened”): Noah Georgeson (their producer), Devendra Banhart (“the coolest fucking musician I have ever met”), and Greg Rogove. Greg later wore a scarf that we argued about, he insisted that it was Persian and not Palestinian, and I asked if he was Persian and he seemed offended. It was quite hilarious.

Despite the fact that they experienced some technical difficulties, as Fab’s guitar stopped working midway through the set forcing Binki and Matt had to keep the crowd entertained with an intermission of sorts, the set was perfect. They insisted that they kept messing up, but a few minor mistakes was nothing in the larger scheme of things. A funny point in the show was when someone yelled out “for no one’s better sake”, and Roderigo replied “we’ll play that in a minute!” and then Fab went “NO, we already did that one!”

Fab invited me and a couple of other people backstage, and I got to talk to the band, who were all SUPER down to earth. Roderigo told me that he wanted to move to the city because he really likes it here. I encouraged him to do so. I also told him that Little Joy really surprised me, as I just expected a mediocre side project-y thing, but what I got instead was one of my favourite records of the year. I told him I haven’t stopped spinning it since I first got it, after which he pulled out the record and said “ah! It’s alive!” and then proceeded to point out how cool it is that they hand engrave the number on the inside of the record. I never knew that before. Binki told me that the boys are teaching her Portuguese, but they tell her that her accent is perfect. And then Fab told me that what he loves about Little Joy is it is a lot more laid back from the Strokes (no duh haha). “Don’t get me wrong, I fucking love those guys, I’ve known them since I was 13, but the band is too obsessed with getting that perfect sound.” “Well yeah,” I said. “You are all very meticulous”. “It gets to you sometimes, though. Like tonight. We were all messing up and nobody cared. Not the band, not the fans. Everyone was having a great time”. He then offered us some beer and cookies, and about an hour later, Matt came in yelling “who ate all of the fucking cookies?!” hahaha

Set List:
The Next Time Around
How To Hang a Warhol
No One’s Better Sake
Unattainable (live at Slim's) [mp3]
Shoulder to Shoulder
With Strangers
Keep Me In Mind
*a cover of a Spanish/Portuguese song, I am sorry, I am culturally deprived and cannot identify it*
Eat At Home (Paul McCartney cover)
Don’t Watch Me Dancing
Brand New Start

4/5 because they are just that awesome

visit them on MYSPACE

photos:

new video: Little Joy-Next Time Around

watch the band's first video for their first record's first single below:



for a record review and mp3s, click HERE

Band of the Week: Little Joy (+record review)

according to my iTunes, Little Joy is classified as "Tropical" music

now that made me laugh out loud. literally.

the band consists of:

Fabrizio Moretti – Guitar/Tenor Guitar/Piano/Bass/Drums/ Percussion/Melodica & Backing Vocals

Binki Shapiro – Vocals/Guitar/Glockenspiel/Percussion & Backing Vocals

and
Rodrigo Amarante – Vocals/Guitar/Piano/Bass/Ukulele/Organ/ Melotron/ Percussion & Backing Vocals

the album insert also thanked other contributing artists, including Nick Valensi (Fab's fellow Stroke) on background vocals and miscellaneous instruments



I really dig this record. Quite simply, it's happy music. No depressing Conor Oberst vocals in sight: this band sounds like sunshine. "Brand New Start" reminds me a bit of Rilo Kiley's "Silver Lining". You get a bit of Portuguese lyrics here and there, and the closer "Evaporar" is entirely in the beautiful Brasilian dialect of the language. "How to Hang a Warhol" resonates with Strokes fans who are aware of Fabrizio's incredible capacity as an artist (as in art school, which he attended for a few years before pursuing the Strokes full time). "No One's Better Sake" delves a bit into reggae. Binki sings background vox throughout, and sings lead in "Unattainable" and "Don't Watch Me Dancing", singing a la Kimya Dawson in the latter. Alongside "Brand New Start", "Keep Me in Mind" is the strongest track on the record, because the guitar sound is ambitious and explores territory the other songs don't. For an album which was released on Election Day, it's surprising how un-political the collection of songs is. Little Joy is lounge music in every sense of the word, so whip up some margaritas, pull out that bong, and enjoy. I guarantee that Little Joy will give you more than their name suggests. What else would you expect when the Strokes' sexy and talented drummer collaborates with his girlfriend and good friend?

3/5

Little Joy - Brand New Start [mp3]

Little Joy - Keep me in Mind [mp3]

visit the band on MYSPACE

For fans of: Sondre Lerche, Rilo Kiley, Vampire Weekend, and of course, the Fab Four

Fab Moretti talks about his side project Little Joy

The Strokes have been busting out side projects like nobody's business

from Julian's collaboration with N.E.R.D and Santogold

to Albert Hammond Jr's July record (he's had a solo career since 2006)

to Nikolai's excellent new project, Nickel Eye

anyhow, Fab has collaborated with with Binki Shapiro and Rodrigo Amarante to produce Little Joy. an eponymous record will debut on November 4th, the tracklisting is as follows:

01 The Next Time Around
02 Brand New Start
03 Play the Part
04 No One's Better Sake
05 Unattainable
06 Shoulder to Shoulder
07 With Strangers
08 Keep Me in Mind
09 How to Hang a Warhol
10 Don't Watch Me Dancing
11 Evaporar

some tour dates for you:

09-24 San Diego, CA - Casbah
09-25 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
09-26-27 Big Sur, CA - Festival in the Forest
09-28 San Francisco, CA - The Independent
09-30 Seattle, WA - Neumos
10-01 Portland, OR - Doug Fir

visit Little Joy on MYSPACE