The titles of Lotus Plaza's two albums reveal a lot about the project's shifting aesthetics. 2009's The Floodlight Collective (Kranky) was a light-saturation exercise in an extremely literal sense, a suffocating gush of effects pedal-generated and otherwise so outsized that it was impossible to tell where instrumental parts, songs, or even Plaza principal Lockett Pundt ended or began.

Meanwhile, the followup Spooky Action at a Distance (also on Kranky) is a definitive grower that unearths its gifts by degrees: an admiration for the clarity and subliminal pacing of tunes like "Strangers" and "Eveningness" gives way to an appreciation for the way Pundt's vocals are closer to front and center, and then, just like that, diffidently confident songs rooted in traditional indie-rock aesthetics that seemed achingly familiar suddenly become companionable and comfortable.

There are bits and pieces of Stereolab, Flying Saucer Attack, Deerhunter (Pundt's main gig), and dozens of other acts in Lotus Plaza's gurgling, chiming flow, but once the current seizes you, it can be difficult to break free of it, or to even want to.

SOTC emailed with Pundt about Spooky Action, how his collaboration with his fiancé Shadya Yavari Nice Weekend came about, and the origin of the name "Lotus Plaza."

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Taken with an Apple product out of brand loyalty

Deerhunter
Soho Apple Store
Tuesday, September 28

Better than: An intro course to GarageBand or whatever the hell ordinarily goes on in here.

These Apple in-stores are super-weird. The tech-seminar vibe, the folks politely seated close enough to get popped in the face by an errant windmill chord, the PowerPoint-ish image of whatever band's latest album cover projected behind them, the crowd-wide sea of iPhone screens charting how much attention we're all paying in real time, the 800 or so Apple employees rocking out extra conspicuously (headbanging, Rock Faces, etc.) at the room's perimeter. Plus they seem to go out of their way to pick loud, gnarly, amp-rattling guitar bands -- Sonic Youth, say, and now Deerhunter, who inspire said 800 Apple employees to toss packages of earplugs into the crowd before the fun begins. Ain't no app for tinnitus, after all.

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Deerhunter's aptly named Halycon Digest is out today, and Bradford Cox & Co. seem poised for a lively fall, with a beloved new album and a looming date at Webster Hall in the band's near future. But first, one of those awkward but usually quite lovely free stands on the second floor of the Soho Apple Store, following in the footsteps of everyone from Phoenix to Sonic Youth. This one will likely be just as hard to get into; the band goes on at 7 p.m., but you can apparently drop by the store anytime starting at 9 a.m. and ask for the wristband that will guarantee admission. Our guess? These are gone by noon. Their live chops certainly seem to be in order--consider this recent footage of the band playing new material underneath a Chicago overpass:

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The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Exclusive - Backstage with The Flaming Lips and Deerhunter
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Protests

True story. Dare we say Colbert found some certain inspiration here?

--Taylor Swift was on The View this morning, talking about what it was like to be the other person on that infamous VMA stage: "I think my overall thought process went something like: 'Wow, I can't believe I won... This is awesome... Don't trip and fall... I'm gonna get to thank the fans, this is so cool... Oh, Kanye West is here!... Cool haircut... What are you doing there? And then, Ouch. And then, I guess I'm not gonna be able to thank the fans.' " Our guess is that transcription is not verbatim, and that there were probably a few other things in there between the 'Ouch' and the fans. But yeah, the fans!

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Sam Horine, tons more photos from the show over here

No Age/Dan Deacon/Deerhunter
Brooklyn Bowl
Sunday, August 2, early show

The story of this past weekend's outdoor festivities was, regrettably, the grumbling skies. No different with Sunday's installment of Jelly NYC's Pool Parties, which for the second weekend in a row, saw its idyllic skyline setting threatened due to an ugly, and seemingly relentless, downpour. So we learned mid-afternoon via e-mail, text message, and Twitter that the long-awaited, entirely excellent Deerhunter/No Age/Dan Deacon headlining bill would be the first-ever Pool Party held indoors, postponed a few hours (doors went from 2pm to 6pm), and relocated nearby to the freshly opened Brooklyn Bowl. The unfortunate consequences of the venue move? Capacity was limited, the VIP list erased, no ogling at/judging dodgeball players. The positive? The show would still go on, and it would go on twice--once around 7:30 pm, and again around 10 pm--and there would be no ogling at/judging dodgeball players.

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File under Summer 2009's Worst-Kept Secrets: Jelly NYC is, again this year, throwing a slew of free Sunday-afternoon shows in Williamsburg. As pretty much everyone and your L-Train-puking pug already knew (except AM New York), this season's location is 90 Kent Ave a/k/a the Williamsburg Waterfront a/k/a the place where a few weekends ago I taunted a hippie-pirate-juice truck from a moving car. Anyway.

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Deerhunter at McCarren Pool last summer, photo by Rebecca Smeyne

No Age, Deerhunter, Dan Deacon--the CMJ 2007 All-Star trifecta--just announced a summer tour, and the schedule includes an August 2 date at the Jelly Space 2009. Excellent news, since this officially confirms that Jelly NYC are throwing Sunday-afternoon shows in Williamsburg again this year, despite losing McCarren Pool as a home. The new spot--a/k/a Jelly Space 2009--is apparently that strip along the East River between North Eighth and North Ninth Street, best known for its inescapable bird shit, public dry-humpings, and stupid nickname ("Hipster Beach"). Also worth noting: you can definitely finish a 16-oz Turkey's Nest margarita on the walk here from North 11. Daytime drunks, rejoice, your summer Sundays are set.

Moses Archueleta and Christopher Bear; photo by Cami

Deerhunter vs. Grizzly Bear, Interpol DJ sets
Other Music
Saturday, April 19

Saturday was saw celebrations for both Earth Day and Record Store Day—somebody really should've also christened it Newspaper Day for the whole loser-take-none trifecta. Could've been Drummer Day too, at least in the East Village: Other Music had billed their drive-time DJ slots as "Deerhunter vs. Grizzly Bear" followed by "Interpol." I envisioned this to mean Bradford Cox blasting Kim Deal tunes for 90 minutes while GB bassist Christopher Taylor looked on amusedly, followed by Carlos D playing records only from acts who wear suits. Instead it was each band's respective kit-pounders who spun the wax, i.e. Moses Archueleta, Christopher Bear, then Sam Fogarino.

The DJ booth was set up in Other Music's far corner, like the dairy aisle in a grocery store—no quick in-and-out for this Blue Milk. Christopher Bear and Moses Archueleta hung out back there, politely answering what-is-thises about B-sides chosen from unfamiliar compilations (i.e. Golden Flamingo Orchestra's "The Guardian Angel Is Watching Over Us" from Uptown Disco Juggernaut). Meanwhile, at least 50 people rubbed butts in the narrow-passaged racks while shopping or pretending to shop and spying on the DJs. Except for the pair of jerks who held the A-C bins of the "In" section hostage for 20 minutes while they babbled about Slowdive—could you get your man parts away from that Blood on the Wall record, please? In another corner, a long-haired waif who knew enough to know better asked a clerk what she should buy: "I've been listening to Destroyer. And somebody gave me the Black Mother Super Rainbow record and I like that fine. But I could use something new. What do you recommend?" Uh, the Internet?

But bringing up the Internet on Record Store Day is kinda like going to see Interpol in a Joy Division shirt. And so a few minutes after five, Sam Fogarino showed up with a stash of vinyl, introduced himself to Moses and Chris, and put on some disco. Meanwhile outside on the sidewalk, a long-haired dude about to enter the store stopped abruptly and cursed: "FUCK!" Long pause. "I forgot what T-shirt I was wearing." It was a Joy Division classic, the Unknown Pleasures cover—might as well have been an iTunes face-tattoo. He stood there for a second, then went inside anyway. Somewhere Amanda Palmer was in her underwear.

Atlas Sound, the other project of Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox, will be at a space TBA. Would guess this'll be just Bradford Cox solo and not the full Atlas Sound Music Group. It's Deerhunter. Also, it appears that Deerhunter will be playing with the Black Lips at McCarren Park Pool this summer. Sometimes hiatus actually means "temporary break."

P.S. Please save us a ticket!

SUPER-RAD TOP-SECRET TICKET-SELLING UPDATE

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Friday April 11th @ LOCATION TO BE EMAILED TO TICKET HOLDERS

:: ATLAS SOUND + secret longtime buds band
:::: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome WOLF
:::::: more guests tba

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==\/== ATLAS SOUND + SECRET BUDS - ADVANCE TICKETS ==\/==
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we're selling advance tickets to next Friday's ATLAS SOUND + secret
buds show. Only ticket holders will be emailed the location.
----> tickets go on sale @ 5PM SAT, 3/5 @ CINDERS GALLERY
----> [ 103 Havemeyer St @ Hope St - 718.388.2311 ]
----> location will be emailed to ticket holders @ 7pm night of show
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==/\== ATLAS SOUND + SECRET BUDS - ADVANCE TICKETS ==/\==
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