James Blake didn’t skip a beat. On the heels of his Weekend 1 Coachella performance, he came straight to San Francisco for not one, but two nights of his soulful singing and bass heavy tracks. Last nights performance at the Mezzanine left me with a huge amount of respect for Blake: he knows how to make his experience one of a kind.

James Blake has mastered the art of simplicity with intricacies. When performing “Digital Lion” off his new record Overgrown, he gave life to every aspect of the song. The keyboard and drums built upon themselves with a steady pace, as if to lead the audience into an unknown place. And once there, we were given the grand tour of the song: gushing synths and tumbling drums soothed by Blake’s smooth projection that ever so slightly, would quiver for brief moments. Then came the break. Like a loud exhale, after an exhausting spill of emotions, the song approached its end. A simple beat, alone, was all that remained. Our mind awash, easing forward. Then another track would follow, repeating a similar juxtaposition, and cumulatively painting this landscape that only Blake creates.

Like his music, a similar air of simplicity is projected in his public persona. As he approached the stage he waved hello, said a few words (including that he was playing sick) and then began to play. Later, his attention to detail showed. As he started playing “CMYK,” he noticed a note on his keyboard was out of tune and stopped playing. “After playing that song for two years, it’s never sounded like that,” he explained. He reset his keyboard. It was a simple detail, easily overlooked by most.

He ended the night with “A Case of You.” It was perfect. In it he sings, “I’m frightened by the devil, and I’m drawn to those ones that aint afraid,” describing exactly what it’s like to be drawn to his music.

 There’s a stigma to the end of a tour: a tired artist with their tired band gives a tired show. It happens to the best of acts, as tours can be utterly exhausting, especially when you add in the other appearances an artist has to make while they’re bopping around the country in the back of a van with a few too many people piled in.

The Independent in SF was the last stop on the MS MR + Jessie Ware tour. It could have been a tired show with tired acts and a tired audience.

But this was the last stop of the MS MR + Jessie Ware tour.

This New York + London connection could never be anything but vivacious and energetic, especially in San Francisco! A city that has embraced both young acts in every appearance they’ve made.

MS MR was exactly what you’d assume a dream-pop, art rock, dark-wave group out of New York would be: fabulously punkish in that they didn’t perform on-stage, they played. Lizzy Plapinger led the group with her intoxicating voice and personality. She spent the night in an endless dance with the audience, the mic stand, and MS MR main-man, producer Max Hershenow.

Following such a filling set, I was worried Jessie Ware would be too far of a calming step down. Her music is filling, but in an entirely different way. For me it’s like comparing a quick set of sprints on the track to a long-distance run. Both are exhausting, but in entirely different ways!

But then Jessie took the stage, in every sense of the phrase. Her set was a witty mixture of stand-up comic and fabulous musician. Clearly an old hand, I have no doubt Jessie would be equally comfortable on any stage in the world. As Lizzy said at the end of MS MR’s set, “She is the exact dreamboat you expect her to be.”

MS MR and Jessie Ware are the rare types that sound great on the record, in the car, in a theatre, or on the grassy fields of Golden Gate Park. That’s right, San Franciscans, you’ll find both these acts are going to kill it at the 2013 Outside Lands Music Festival August 9-11th.

The drums rumble on “Fantasy” like a war cry as Lizzy Plapinger sings repeatedly, “How could you be what I wanted to see?” Dissolution is a battle. On “Fantasy” Plapinger coyly details losing sight of herself, as she comes back to reality. This is the fifth song released off their debut album, Secondhand Rapture, which is scheduled for release on May 14th. Like “Fantasy” the aforementioned tracks are equally filled with hard hitting drums and sunny synths accentuated by sullen lyrics.

Currently on tour supporting Jessie Ware, the duo is scheduled to perform at The Independent this Thursday (April 11th).  For those folks outside of San Francisco, below are their upcoming dates.

MS MR on tour:
* w/ Jessie Ware
4/3 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg *
4/5 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall *
4/6 – Toronto, CAN @ The Opera House  *
4/8 – Vancouver, CAN @ Commodore Ballroom *
4/9 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile *
4/11 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent *
5/4 – Leeds, UK @ Live at Leeds
5/11 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavillion
5/15 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
5/16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
5/19 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern
5/21 – Columbus, OH @ The Basement
5/22 – Toronto, CAN @ WRONGBAR
5/23 – Montreal, CAN @ IL Motore
5/25 – Boston, CA @ Boston Calling Music Festival
6/7 – New York, NY @ Governors Ball

The contemplative stillness looms over “Our Love Has No Rhythm.” Simple words–direct and unwavering–wash cooly over the gentle loops of guitars and soft drums. “Talk and I will listen,” sings Fiona Jane, and we do. But like the video’s minimalism, even the most apparently mundane statements hold a weight of meaning that goes beyond anything said or shown. “Our Love Has No Rhythm” is the second video single by the UK group, Woman’s Hour. Touted by the BBC Radio 6music and Radio One, the group have taken a perfectionist’s amount time, meticulously crafting their music since emerging in 2011. Like their earlier single, “To The End,” Woman’s Hour combines the melancholy pop of The Weeknd with soulful undertones from the “Quiet Storm” era.

We are very excited by these guys. Their show this Wednesday at Rickshaw Stop with Mac Demarco is sold out, but we’ll be sure to share with you any future performances. (We haven’t been this hooked by a local band since our early days with Geographer.)

Make sure to check their graffiti and hip hop culture inspired video for “Nuanca.”

Is this change a part of the public reception? Is this an isolated example? I’m interested to here the rest of the album.

Thank goodness international musicians come to North America to “make it,” otherwise we’d have to move to Australia. Home of San Cisco, Flight Facilities and Tame Impala, Australia has a new artist you need to take note: Flume. This isn’t the first time we’ve mentioned the 20 year-old DJ. His self-titled debut blends Pretty Lights’ (listen to “On Top“) energy with aforementioned, Flight Facilities, chilled-pop sensibilities (“Left Alone“).

Along his tour north, Flume has stopped at BBC’s Radio 6, The Boiler Room and SXSW. He’s set to perform to a sold-out crowd at Rickshaw Stop this Thursday. If you’re able to snag a ticket, however you can, do it.

Check out below Flume’s video for “Sleepless” featuring Jezzabell Doran.

Almost seven years ago Alex Levy (ex Epic Records and Rolling Stone executive) started assembling a tribute party to Bob Dylan called, Dylan Fest. The idea was simple, get a backing band and a lot of great singers (past performers include Norah Jones, Steely Dan, Kings of Leon, etc) to pay tribute to the artist. Well, the idea has been applied to Tom Petty and BAM! this Wednesday Petty Fest will come to San Francisco’s The Fillmore for the first time ever.

The billing already includes a pretty stellar cast including performances by Nick Valensi of The Strokes, Boz Scaggs, Chuck Prophet, Tom Johnston of The Doobie Brothers, Tim Bluhm of The Mother Hips, Nicki Bluhm, Matt Sorum & Ace Harper, Butch Walker, Ryan Miller of Guster, Jesse Malin, Har Mar Superstar, Jenny O., Jody Porter of Fountains of Wayne, Ewan Currie of The Sheepdogs and Howlin Rain, with many more surprise guests.

This is fifth installment of a series of post “Behind the Lens” of a music blogger. For the full series click here. 

Remember that whole “Behind the Lens” series we were doing? Well, we just finished it with a big bang here. We want to thank the folks of Sony for letting us participate in their Hidden Project. You can check out the best photos from all of the bloggers here.