The Bowery Presents

Music Hall of Williamsburg upcoming shows

Chris Pureka

Xylos / Peasant

Venue:
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Date:
Mon 4/12
Notes:
18+
Doors: 8:00 PM / Show: 9:00 PM
$12 advance / $14 day of show
Tickets
Chris Pureka
official website
myspace
In an age of fleeting success and temporary notions, Chris Pureka is an artist of substance, armed with an eye for detail and an emotional intelligence that can switch from withering to compelling with a subtle inflection. Her third studio album, How I Learned To See In the Dark, adds bold new elements to the base she has built over her six-year career. From non-traditional percussion, to lyrical abstraction, to a new unrestrained vocal quality, to Pureka’s choice of co-producer (longtime friend Merrill Garbus of tUnE-YaRds), this record signals an exploration of broader musical soundscapes.

While maintaining the unique alchemy of longing, loss and hope Pureka sets to music, there is a sonic adventurism on How I Learned to See in the Dark that marks a new stage in Pureka’s musical evolution. Even from the first notes of the album’s opening track, “Wrecking Ball”, longtime fans and the newly converted will sense that How I Learned To See In The Dark is a bigger album, deeper and more vast than anything she’s released to date. “I wanted it to feel different right away,” Pureka explains. “And ‘Wrecking Ball’ exemplifies many of the elements that are different from the last record.” That difference is a newfound edginess, coupled with a more abstract sound: there is a musical depth and complexity that shines through each track, all the while maintaining the space and creative instrumentation Pureka is known for. Standout track, “Landlocked”, showcases Pureka’s technical prowess with the finger-picking style that won her so many accolades on Dryland while “Broken Clock” is the rhythm driven, heavy hitter bound to be on your next break up mix. “Wrecking Ball” mixes a playful quirkiness in production with an underlying paced anger, laced with twangs of percussive guitar. Finally, album closer, “August 28th” is the deep breath following the emotional tumult that precedes it – a return to quiet contemplation for the writer and the listener: “I think the whole world needs a shoeshine/I think we’re all living proof.”
Xylos
official website
myspace
"Formed just over a year ago, this quintet has enjoyed a quick rise up the ranks of the Brooklyn buzz-bin — an almost meteoric ascendance that belies the band’s tender sound. Xylos’ fractured dream-pop gently brings to mind Yeasayer and the Flaming Lips. In fact, on opener “In the Bedroom” founding member Aaron Mendelsohn's voice evokes the wistful croon of Wayne Coyne while he bittersweetly sings about failed romance over tropical synths and twirling guitars. Meanwhile, the swooning harmonies on “This House We Built” virtually demand a coed campfire sing-along under the stars — that is, if the textured rhythms, boy-girl vocals, and ethereal strings throughout this debut EP didn’t sound so magical in stereo."
Xylos' debut full-length, produced by Britt Myers (Yeasayer, Chairlift) will be out this summer. In the meantime, check out the first single, "Not Enough," at xylosmusic.com.
Peasant
official website
myspace
Although he's been on the road a lot lately, this Peasant has a home. And home for Damien DeRose is the small town of Doylestown, PA; a quaint and charming place outside of Philadelphia where the birth of Peasant's time-honoring (yet unique) sound makes a lot of sense.

Having drawn comparisons to acts like Elliott Smith and Simon and Garfunkle, Peasant creates his own style by channeling his analytical personality through a guitar and soothing, yet troubled lyrics.

Maintaining a humble and engaging personality, Peasant almost contradicts himself with his emotion-evoking songs and composed nature on stage. He has continued to display an ability to quiet nearly any audience with a simple acoustic guitar, an awe-inspiring vocal style, and a personality of timid confidence.

DeRose's lyrical honesty and almost sepia-toned sound inspire both feeling and mental imagery. And it is these lyrics, coupled with the lucid sound of his guitar, that justify the popularity of his first release, Fear Not, Distant Lover.

This spring, Peasant gained new ground, with his sophomore release "On the Ground" (Paper Garden Records debut).... once again leaving fans begging for more.
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