Events, Music April 11, 2012 By Isis Madrid

kraftwerkpost2 Kraftwerkheader9 Kraftwerk
Strap on your bleep bloops and fire up your bloop bleeps because the O.G. electro-pioneers known as Kraftwerk are playing at New York’s Museum of Modern Art every single day for the entirety of this week, Tuesday to Tuesday. The legendary German outfit will be performing Kraftwerk – Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8, a sonic and visual exhibit of almost their entire catalog: one album at a time, one night at a time in the Donald B. and Catherine C. Marron Atrium.

When they first came about in 1970, Kraftwerk was like nothing else on the radar. Their futuristic tunes incorporated vocoders and computer speech software, a far cry from the traditional guitar wielding troubadours of the time. Their practically prophetic ability to channel a world steeped in technology and expressed largely via keystrokes and split wires make them one of the most influential bands, ever. Today, their impact is felt in almost every genre, from auto-tuned love letters to Kim Kardashian by Kanye West to the always lovely bedroom dreampoppers Beach House to Kathleen Hanna’s multimedia electroclash outfit Le Tigre to sweeping synth warrior M83. In 2012, we are all the robots that Kraftwerk predicted four decades ago.

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Music April 7, 2010 By Isis Madrid

filler44 Laura Marling: I Speak Because I Can

Astralwerks Records

Astralwerks Records

lauramarling title Laura Marling: I Speak Because I Can
Laura Marling’s rustic sophomore offering goes down like a smoldering shot of your finest bourbon. Once inside, her poignant verses kick your guts around before soaking in to warm your belly and leave you feeling eerily serene. The twenty-year old British folk princess, who has already had an album nominated for the prestigious Mercury award, murmurs rigorous thoughts on love, faith, fear, and loss through measured beats and intricate banjo plucks on this melancholy effort. Her backing band features a rolling cast of characters throughout, including talented members of Mumford and Sons and Noah and the Whale. The organized cacophonies that they weave using flutes, twangy guitars, pounding drums, and more add texture and authenticity to Marling’s moody lyric-centric tracks. Her words remain thoughtful and adamant as ever, reflecting the temperamental process of filling out emotionally as a maturing woman.

Buy this at iTunes.

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