Penguin Prison w/ DWNTWN, Jhameel, Y Luv, and Special Guests
Thu. 02/14 | 9:00PM @ Central Social Aid & Pleasure Club (map)
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- Penguin Prison: Even if you never find out what a Penguin Prison is, there’s no denying Chris Glover aka Penguin Prison has made a brilliant record. If you’re a fan of New York disco, as accessible as it is angular, all burbling bass lines, resonant rhythms, shimmering synths and heavenly melodies, then you’ll love the new Penguin Prison album. Imagine, if you will, Chic produced by James Murphy, or a collaboration between Prince and The Human League. It is some measure of Penguin Prison’s skills in the studio, on vocals and in terms of songwriting, that such illusory marvels have been achieved on this superb self-titled collection, that some critics have gone as far as to hail it a modern day Off The Wall masterpiece. “It’s not a concept album about Michael,” says Prison, or maybe we should call him Penguin, of his all-time hero “But it’s definitely been influenced by him.” To say he was an early starter would be an understatement. From the age of 10 he was singing in the local gospel choir. When he was 11, he got an agent and began recording jingles. By 12, he had learned to play guitar and was into punk rock, the American variety – bands such as Green Day, NOFX and Bad Religion. He even performed as a teen at the legendary CBGBs with his band The Museum. Chris became Penguin Prison at the start of 2009. It wasn’t long before he earned a reputation as remixer du jour for the likes of Marina and the Diamonds, Goldfrapp and Passion Pit. He agrees that he conferred NY kudos especially on the British artists, and admits his favorite remix was for Jamiroquai, adding that the secret to a good remix is “to throw everything away from the original track and start from scratch”. It was inevitable that Chris would then make music of his own, which he began in late 2009. You can hear the spectacular results on the debut Penguin Prison album, which sounds to all intents and purposes like a Greatest Hits collection, so chock-full it is of catchy hooks and classic pop choruses. There is Multi-Millionaire, which is about “being rich even if you’ve got no money” and one titled Don’t Fuck With My Money that features Jackson-style percussive gasps and a lyric that pushes the envelope. “I was worried it was too crazy – ‘Can I really say that?’ People said leave it in, so I did. “All my lyrics are sarcastic but serious as well,” he adds. “So I’m really saying ‘don’t fuck with my money’! Because if you try to, it’s not going to be good…” Penguin Prison Is signed to Downtown Records. DWNTWN : "...catchy melancholy pop with twinkling electronics that could be sung by thousands during a festival twilight in the near future." - RCRD LBL "While DWNTWN lacks vowels, the track ("Transition") achieves supersonic consonance, marrying a Top 40 prechorus reminiscent of Sky's "ONE" with an ethereal chorus flaunting ice cold synths that sound as if they crash landed from the uncharted planet of M83." - NEON GOLD “See My Eyes” is a work of synth-pop precision, dreamy but not delirious, breathy but not breathless, sweet but not oversaturated." - BUZZ BANDS LA Y Luv: L.A.‘s Y LUV may be fairly new to the music scene but they’re already well on their way to earning spots on iPods and party playlists with recent songs like the electro-rock anthem “Keep It Rollin’.” Young but hardworking, the quintet’s latest single is a nice expansion on their sound from the previous EP “How Chill Can You Let Go.” Similarly to their first single, “All Night,” which featured a sparse intro with a heavy bass line that built up to soaring chorus, “Keep It Rollin’” initially keeps listeners in suspense only to lead into an eclectic burst of intricate guitar lines and synthesized beats designed for fist-pumping. However, if you could do with less electro components, “Earthquakes” is also a recommended track in which strong vocals and bright guitar riffs dominate.—-Buzzbands.la Jhameel : Jhameel creates explosively funky music comprised of soul-stirring guitar, immersive synthesizers, triumphant brass, and unique,melodic vocals inspired equally by Prince and Michael Jackson. An incredibly talented musician, Jhameel records, produces and mixes his own music, and plays each and every instrument on his records himself. He creates catchy melodies that settle quickly into your mind with human lyrical themes that continue to challenge the heart. After completing high school in San Francisco, Jhameel was set on the path to officer-ship in the United States Army. Although his linguistic skills in Arabic, Spanish, Korean, and Russian would have been highly rewarded in the military, Jhameel quit the program before signing an irrevocable contract due to personal beliefs about U.S. presence in the Middle East. Hethen earned a degree in Arabic from UC Berkeley within just two years, graduating summa cum laude. Immediately after, he began is career in music. Since then, Jhameel has released three five-song EPs and two full albums, and has always given his music away for free. This has earned him a loyal fanbase, plus garnered him incredible press incluing The Guardian, Elle.com, RCRDLBL.com and more, a top 10 ranking on Hype Machine seven times over. Next up, Jhameel is working on a music video for his powerful song “Shadow of a Man,” and planning his next music release for 2013.
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