100 Shows of 2010 - #82: Die Antwoord/Rye Rye @ 9:30 Club, 10/27/10

Some of you quite very possibly remember a little band called the KLF. They came from Britain, and they got the kids movin' and groovin' with their big bastard songs. They reached rather stratospheric heights of popularity, and even went as far as to burn one million pounds, just because, well, they could. Turns out, it was all a big joke. Fast forward to now and we have perhaps another example of the joke band phenomena. When it comes to South African duo Die Antwoord, one must ask "are they or aren't they" when it comes to being legit. Bona fide bandness aside, one thing probably can't be disputed. Seeing Die Antwoord live is a pretty amusing and entertaining way to spend an evening.

MINI RECAP: Rye Rye = For Real! Die Antwoord = Who Cares! Overall Score: B+

Ok, so you can totally question whether Die Antwoord is for real or not. However, this question most certainly cannot be asked of Miss Rye Rye. No sir. No way. No how. This lady is all sorts of for real. I mean, anyone who brings along three strapping, shirtless fly boy dancers cannot possibly be anything other than straight up For Real. From the giant mega beats and seriously funked up grooves to the early 90s nod of the dancers (including Lady Rye Rye herself, let it not be said that chickadee doesn't work hard up on that stage), her set was mostly killer, very little filler. You can see why MIA is a fan of hers, what with the sassy lyrics and intrepid dance moves. I was beyond impressed by this girl, y'all. Hot damn.

Die Antwoord, oh Die Antwoord. Are you faking it? I have to say, I probably am closer to believing in their KLF-ness than their legitness. But that begs a question of its own: Does that even matter? When it comes to being straight up entertained, Die Antwoord, faux or no, get the job done. Their DJ, especially, impressed me. Behind that silly ape mask is a man (or large lady) who knows how to lay down some bitchin beats. The dastardly duo out front, too, know how to work a crowd. The pauses between some songs were too long and gaping, but the banter and the overall stage presence were pretty fine overall. And they worked the rather large crowd into quite a lather. They seem to be obsessed with ninjas, though, but who doesn't like a good ninja every now and then? Perhaps Die Antwoord does have a case of the KLFs, but perhaps sometimes it's good to have a giggle at the sillier side of the music industry. And hey, if they're totally serious, well, that's also pretty funny.

I wasn't expecting too much out of this night, for some reason, but I have to say I had a really good time. On the one hand, Miss Rye Rye threw down some serious good times, and on the other hand, well, there was the tomfoolery of Die Antwoord. And I had a smile on my face all night.

mp3: Enter The Ninja (Die Antwoord from $O$)

Video Vixens: All Sorts of New to Newish Stuff

i've been meaning to do a Video Vixens post for a while now, even having gone so far as to compile a list of things i've watched lately that i wanted to share. As i've mentioned in the past, MTV lost anything resembling relevance to me decades ago, and so i wrongly assumed that videos were dead, too. Au contraire, mon frere. Seems nothing could be further from the truth. As long as we're sticking to the truth, however, i should probably point out that i've lost that aforementioned list, so there probably are a couple of gems i wanted you to see that now may never come to pass. Try not to lose any sleep over that fact.

Die Antwoord apparently is a "fake" band, but regardless of that fact, they've actually got a pretty decent sound. Their angle is that they're a South African hip hop group, clearly playing up the "inner city" side, so if you don't understand half of what they're saying and you don't happen to be South African yourself, there you have it. That being said, who else out there it touting their ninja-ness in this day and age? Not nearly enough folks. And is it just me, or does Yo-Landi Vi$$er (the borderline albino singer) have a lil' sumfin sumfin going on?

mp3: Enter the Ninja (Die Antwoord from $0$)

i've always dug St. Vincent, and i still feel bad that i slept so much on her Actor, which clearly is a stellar piece of work. Here she is with the wonderful THUNDERANT, getting her bookstore groove on.

mp3: Laughing With a Mouth of Blood (St. Vincent from Actor)

Dude, it's a love story with Ronald McDonald. And it's a kick ass tune. 'Nuff said.

mp3: When I'm With You (Best Coast from Black Iris 7")

Clearly, the most fucked up video you will see today. Well, maybe. It's good to see Janeane Garofalo working again, though. Not for the faint of heart. Or crotch, for that matter.

mp3: We Are Water (Health from Get Color)

José James is a jazz singer who recently teamed up with Wunder-Producer Flying Lotus. Yes, the following is a K-Swiss commercial, but this track is so damn smooth, it had to be shared. Plus, maybe you need new shoes. i don't know. i'm just trying to be helpful.

mp3: Blackmagic (José James from Blackmagic)

A lot of people thought Q-Tip's last joint was pretty good, but i didn't think it was all that and a bag of chips. This track with Norah Jones, though, was out-of-the-park fantastic. The video's not too shabby, either.

mp3: Life is Better (Q-Tip ft. Norah Jones from The Renaissance)

You really liked that fucked up Health one, didn't you? Who am i to deny the sick bastard in each of us? i pity the fool that would even try to pull that shit.

mp3: Theme from the A-Team (Mike Post and Pete Carpenter from The A-Team Soundtrack)

No music in today's closer, but it's something to think about nonetheless, particularly if you're trying to figure out what your kid's school play should be next year. And that's the fudging truth, baby.

mp3: A Children's Crusade on Acid (Margot and the Nuclear So and So's from Not Animal)