Blogtheque.net is one of the most breathtaking music sites on the Web. Home to hundreds of rich and unique live performances, the site features the who’s who of critically acclaimed indie music and showcases their abilities in raw, stripped-down concert reality. But odds are you never visited it because, well, the Web site is French. However, the site can be accessed in English (even if at times it’s broken English) by visiting TakeAwayShows.com.
What exactly are these “Take Away Shows”? They are videos, shot mostly in France, of artists performing their music in a variety of unconventional settings. On top of fantastic music, each video is lusciously shot. The images are vibrant with color but have a rustic feel of simplicity. The result is pure video gold almost every time.
So many performances stand out. Arcade Fire plays “Neon Bible” in an elevator. Beirut croons through “Nantes” on a street corner. Man Man wildly howls in a park as French children on rollerblades assist in the noisemaking. R.E.M. strikes up a tune in a van. My favorite performance has to be Tapes ‘n Tapes playing “Insistor” while walking up a street, avoiding traffic, and coming up with some ingenious percussion.
And this is only the tip of the iceberg. The site also features Animal Collective, Vampire Weekend, Cold War Kids, The Shins, Fleet Foxes, Sufjan Stevens, and many more. Heck, they even inexplicably have Jason Mraz on the site (who sticks out like a sore thumb beaten with a hammer). With more than 150 Take Away Shows, most of which consist of multiple videos of different songs, you’ll be hooked and returning for more in no time.
*Published in today’s issue of The Gonzaga Bulletin*
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