Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna

If you've seen a Gang Gang Dance live show, with four drum kits and random noises coming from a dozen directions at once, no explanation is necessary. If you haven't, the new Saint Dymphna album is their most melodic and accessible, sounding a little like a Putumayo world-music compilation as played by OCD/ADD-addled robots. Liz Bougatsos veers dangerously close to becoming a diva on a couple cuts, at least a diva of the Bollywood variety. Above is a clip from Tokyo, and another interesting London performance is here. Watch them in high resolution, and catch them when you can.

Yellow Swans RIP

Sure, it's always better for a musical project to break up before it gets too old and predictable, but I will sincerely miss Yellow Swans. Glad I caught Gabe and Pete live a couple times, nothing else in the universe quite matches their mania.