EP Review: Monster

Inu is an intriguing new collaboration between a few established musicians. The group consists of producer Count, guitarist Tim Hingston, and cellist Zoe Keating. Count has produced, mixed, remixed, and engineered with some of the greatest; everything from Radiohead to Frank Sinatra to DJ Shadow. Tim Hingston is the guitarist from the Nyles Lannon band. He performed with them at SXSW in 2008. Zoe Keating has played with the Dresden Dolls, toured with Imogen Heap on five tours, worked on solo albums, and was in the band Rasputina (a personal favorite). She creates a unique sound as a cellist by mixing spacey electronics through the use of a laptop controlled with her foot.

Inu’s Monster EP is going to be one of the best 2010 has to offer. Every song on the album is an intriguing mix of electronica and rock. The record starts with “The Bailing,” a track that seems to be inspired by Radiohead’s Amnesiac. The mix of electronic soundscapes, guitar, and percussion is near perfect and highlights the unique talents of each member of the band. The most straightforward “rock” track on Monster is “Stephen Colbert.” The synthesized vocals, distorted guitars, and consistent down beat of the snare drum are elements of an elaborate and beautiful composition. All five tracks on the EP are standouts, but the most impressive track is “Captured,” with its soaring vocals and Keating’s haunting cello. Monster is an impressive EP; I can’t wait for the full length album!

You can stream Inu’s entire Monster EP on their MySpace page:

http://www.myspace.com/inuband

Live Stream of Amanda Palmer Play Tonight

Over the last two months, Amanda Palmer (Dresden Dolls) has been rehearsing with her old high school’s drama department and theater director. The production is called With The Needle That Sings In Her Heart and is inspired by the Neutral Milk Hotel masterpiece “In The Aeroplane Over The Sea.” It’s not completely certain what Palmer’s role is, but from the information gathered it looks like she will be both playing music for and appearing in the play.

As she does often with her solo gigs, Palmer made several tickets to the show (at Lexington High School in Massachusetts) available to fans who replied to a message on Twitter. Fans in the Boston area may be lucky enough to check out the play, but for those not able to get there or acquire tickets, tonight’s production is being streamed live (see below) at 7:30pm. Palmer tweeted that Michael Pope, who directed all of the videos for Amanda Palmer’s solo record, will be directing a five-camera setup for the live stream.

Here is a short slideshow I put together of Twitpics posted by Palmer recently:

The first official review of the first performance can be read here. If you’re not up for the read, a short video giving some background on the process of creating the production can be watched below:

The live stream of With The Needle That Sings In Her Heart can be viewed tonight at www.partyontheinternet.com at 7:30pm EST.