Lullatone

Lullatone played an innocently and unashamedly joyous set of whimsical ditties at the Judith Wright Centre on Thursday night (before the easter four day weekend) at another unique Room 40 event

the performance space was transformed, with all of the theatre seats rolled back to reveal a huge open area strewn with rugs and cushions and a small stage at floor level with a selection of drums, keyboards and a table full of electronic goodies

we were invited to wear pyjamas and to bring pillows or cushions to this event and some people even brought their children, all of which completely suits the lullatone aesthetic

local duo dollface (who have chosen a cyber-free existence) played the first set and seemed a bit shy and occasionally giggly, which only added to the charm

with drums, a selection of keyboards and xylophones and even one song accompanied by tap dance (an under-utilised rhythm instrument) it was an appropriate start to the evening. as the girls played their slightly off kilter mix of experimental pop ditties and instrumental meanderings i was occasionally reminded of the melodic mayhem of circus and cartoon theme music

there were xylophone or drum and keyboard duels, some of which ended in more giggling, but there were also some complex melodies thrown into the mix. keep an eye out for dollface if you're in Brisbane

Lullatone also didn't anticipate the response they received from the audience (there were whoops and woos from the start)

there were repeated efforts to involve the audience in the performance, with a "beatbox" sing-a-long, balloon raindrop volleyball (in "honour" of the China Olympics). a number of instruments were distributed amongst the crowd for several of the songs throughout the performance, building to an orchestra throughout and including the audience for the final songs (i got to play the red bell!)

performing before a huge screen projection of the band's home creation using lots of stop motion camera, cardboard cut out shapes and great imagination, it was all cutely DIY

there was a consistent dialog between the band and the crowd, with frontman Shawn James Seymour seemlessly flipping between performer, maestro and MC mode. he also played a mean melodica

it was a fun evening of homemade cartoons, toy instruments and simple, soft breath and lyrics

Lullatone originated after Shawn James Seymour moved from his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky to Nagoya, Japan, to live with his girlfriend and bandmate, Yoshimi Tomida. the couple had earlier met in America where Tomida had been studying

after moving into their tiny japanese apartment Seymour (who had trouble sleeping) composed his child-pop tunes using an orchestra of toy instruments and whatever else he could find ... pillows, whispers, heartbeats, xylophones, keyboards, music boxes, sine tones, harps, toy drums, ukuleles, cymbals, shakers, wood blocks, bubbles and daydreams and a lot of fun and laughter

Lullatone recently provided the theme music for a Hello Kittie exhibition and have just released their new collection of tunes on The Bedtime Beat

with their sing-along lap top jap pop, it's all such sweet fun

Lullatone - The Bathtime Beat

Lullatone - Good Morning Melody


Do you want to hear more tunes from Lullatone? Check out these links:-

Explosions In The Sky

February was an amazing month for live music experiences, as well as the aforementioned PJ Harvey and Sonic Youth gigs we were also lucky enough to catch a number of other shows, which I am still to blog.

Seeing and hearing Texan post rock group maestros Explosions In The Sky was a wonderful way to celebrate Valentine's Day.

None of that Hallmark Holiday claptrap! Just the one I love (yes, I managed to drag Dr E away from her never-ending research) and cinematic, instrumental music played with passion and emotion.

The band had little to say, deciding to let the music speak for itself. And it did that in volume(s) (both soft and loud) as the four piece brought their guitar dynamics to The Zoo.

Alternating between two guitars and bass, or three guitars, and with an amazing powerhouse of a drummer, they would build their epic tracks from a gentle touch on the strings, slowly growing to a loud and powerful, overdriven yet still very clean, cacophony. With no lyrics at all, the music speaks for itself and creates its own narrative.

If you're a bit of a guitar geek like me and are interested in what gear they use, you can check that out here.

Explosions In The Sky have produced six releases since they first got together in 1999 and were seemingly well supported and appreciated from the moment they began.

Explosions In The Sky are also curating the All Tomorrow's Parties music festival being held in the UK in May 2008.


Explosions In The Sky - Greet Death

Explosions In The Sky - The Birth and Death of the Day


Do you want to hear more tunes from this great band? Check out these links:-