The opening act, Monopoly Child Stars, did their part to entertain the crowd and had quite an unexpected unique sound, but then, like a fresh summer breeze, Ducktails drift onto the stage. With no introduction whatsoever by the previously solo artist Matt Mondanile, the five piece band instantly launches into an upbeat tune as equally laid back as it is confident. The crowd instantly light up, awakened from their previous comatose state.

Keyboardist Dorian D’Angelo is excellent, completing the groovy, happy vibes emitting from the stage. After a few songs Matt finally addresses the audience, mentioning that they literally just stumbled out of the van from Chicago and that he feels extremely thankful to everyone for coming out. What he lacks in public speaking expertise, he compensates for in his musical persona, oozing confidence, his long shaggy hair swinging around, back and forth in a trance-like way.

Ducktails smooth their way through songs with nostalgic lyrics of younger days. “And you can whisper in my ear…do you want to go outside?  It is a place where we can run to… across the street from your house…we will be as one no sleep and no fear, stars that shine.” Seemingly one song, those snippets of lyrics are actually from several tunes. Each track sounds remarkably similar and they all have coordinating lyrics so it inevitably blends into one great big super song, which is nevertheless enjoyable.

Matt puts down his guitar and switches to the keyboard for his track ‘Assistant Director’, which is off this year’s album, The Flower Lane. The lead guitarist, bassist and drummer all remain in a zoned out calm the entire show, never glancing up, except to swig of their pints. Most of the songs they played were off the latest album including the title track ‘The Flower Lane’ which continues the flow of psychedelic, chill vibes. Suddenly, they fully smash out the final instrumental track and transport the audience into a trippy, time-space continuum, which really hypes the atmosphere. Then they float away, just as smoothly as they floated on, with just a couple quiet words.

The post Ducktails live at The Garrison appeared first on Quip Magazine.

DJ Shadow, originally known as Josh Davis from San Jose, California, is universally acclaimed for changing and defining the instrumental, electronic and “trip hop” genres.

He first hit the scene in 1996 with his debut album Endtroducing. It was made completely from samples and rare clips fused together and was almost indefinable, genre-wise. Following the massive success of his debut, DJ Shadow went on to create nine other solo albums and several other successful pieces with respected artists such as Cut Chemist and UNKLE.

Reconstructed is a blend of past and present. Its melodic, electronic waves, soulful vocals, and other worldly vibes take the listener on a transcendent journey into the deep subconscious. DJ Shadow is renowned for being exceptionally unique and expanding musical limits. It’s enough to creep in and pleasantly explode anyone’s mind. The album also has two previously unreleased tracks. ‘Listen’ features vocals from the very talented Terry Reid. His voice is smooth and surging with emotion, with creative melodic mixes weaving through the background. ‘Won’t you be,’ the other newly introduced track, is a smooth sadness mixed with jazzy beats, creating a feeling of melancholy, which seems to hang throughout the entire album. Each song is unique and never ceases to surprise, with new unexpected sounds and instruments leaping out at every turn.

“Organ Donor,” which is an extended, re-edited version of the original, from the album Endtroducing, is an upbeat song with organ instrumentals that will get your body moving. Its catchy and fast pace modernizes the classic instrument, taking the organ from the 17th century symphony and repositioning it rightfully in the present day night club scene.

The way he so creatively blends many different genres may be why he has been critically acclaimed all across the world. “You can’t go home again” from the 2002 album The Private Press, has a reggae, modern, island feel and ‘”I’ve been trying” from the 2011 album The Less You Know The Better, has the southern twang of Johnny Cash and the catchy, classic melody of the Tragically Hip, with Celtic flutes injecting between lyrics.

DJ Shadow seems to take pieces of music from each culture and remix them into a new super genre. “Blood on the Motorway,” originally from The Private Press, is a heavy, hypnotic excursion into the deepest parts of the mind. It builds to an epic, unexpected climatic place of exploding feelings.

The whole album has a way of touching every humanistic emotion, all at the same time. It’s no wonder DJ Shadow has been regarded, in his most recent press release, as “one of the most influential and consistently innovative artists to emerge from music in the last 20 years.”

The post Deconstructing DJ Shadow’s “Reconstructed” appeared first on Quip Magazine.