RCRD LBL

First opening In 1967, in its early years, Montreux was solely jazz and solely hardcore soul improv sessions hosted in a casino.Throughout the 70s- Montreux was an organic music utopia; you would walk out of the casino at dawn as the sun began to rise over the pearly waters ahead- and as your head buzzed from hours of intense live sessions.  And back when albums took a year to record, rock stars like David Bowie retreated here to immerse themselves in music all year long. Charlie Chaplin spent time here- Freddie Mercury lived and died there (there's a Freddie Mercury memorial day in fact.) It's safe to say a music icon has walked each stone of that blessed waterfront.

One of Santo's girls airing out to dry....

These days, Montreux is largely a quiet and quaint town- except when the Jazz festival comes to town. From the 4th to the 19th of July, Montreux buzzes with people, melodies, beer, wine, crepes and all things sweet and savory. This year, they also reeled in some of the finest specimens of indie rock (and some personal RCRD LBL favorites). For instance, Santogold brought a bit of day-glo Brooklyn style - warming up the audience to songs like Creator and L.E.S Artistes as her dance chicks humored the crowd with robotic dance moves and winks behind their raybans.

Santo was flossing some killer kicks.

With mounting popularity in England, Santogold's got a bit of a 'golden' future. It helps she's a natural performer, smiling without sterility or facade to the audience- and bounding around on-stage healthily.

Download: Santogold - Your Voice

Download: Santogold - L.E.S. Artistes 

Introspection at the gates.

After the day sessions end, the die-hards trek down to the basements where internationally reknown DJs beast under strobe lights till dawn. The MDH Jazz Cafe also hosts more intimate music sessions with musicians, such as UK's quirky Lightspeed Champion below. The shows are free, the rules are slim to none and the spirit- the ambiance- as well as the lights are a bit mystical.

Lightspeed Champion's Devonte Hynes showing off his star wars affections and maverick guitar skills.

The crowd in the MDH Jazz Cafe in Montreux

Furry-headed warrior

Hynes making the audience feel his lyrics as though they are their own.

By the time Gnarls Barkley came on stage in the Miles Davis Hall this Thursday, the audience was ready for a show. Along with a band dressed in de-constructed tuxes, Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo both sported sparkling retro numbers. Cee-Lo danced and sweated onstage- while looking like a retro king in black shades.

Cee-lo sweatin' it up

Meanwhile, downstairs Thursday, The Kills' Alison "VV" Mosshart entered the stage with cigarette in mouth and attitude in her stride. As Jamie "Hotel" Hince maintained a cool calm, while strumming guitar, she paced around the stage madly as though she was a model gone haywire, shaking her hair in her face, smoking, spitting onto the carpet, and wailing.  If we knew better, we'd say a detox were in order- but something about her act fit the dark, haunting character of their songs....so we just let her fly....

Download: The Kills - Black Rooster (Fuck And Fight)

To close out Thursday, Oregon-based The Gossip revved up the dance party. Beth Gibbons shouted odes to homosexuals everywhere and stripped down to a black full-body shape-shifter (i.e. lingerie resembling a 1950s bathing suit). Yr Mangled Heart was a particular fire-starter.

Beth Gibbons preening for the camera? Nah.....

With a voice of velvet attitude (I've heard comparisons to a young Janis Joplin? Any thoughts? Affirmations?) and a predilection for jumping into the audience in her underwear, Beth got the crowd into an intense frenzy. Enough so they performed one encore and still left the crowd screaming for more...

Download: The Gossip - Yr Mangled Heart (Live)

You may wonder why the fuck to go all the way to Switzerland to see artists that you can see at your area concert hall or one of the US festivals. The fact is, however, Montreux brings a spirit all to its own- and the performances and artists therein continue the legacy and appear to rise to its high standards of excellence. What other festival can be described as "intimate" these days? And where else can you go climb a mountain, rise a horse, sail a boat, or drown yourself with spirits in a wine vineyard- and still make it to the concert hall in time to see Gnarls Barkley or Buddy Guy or Prince or Mark Ronson or Santo or enter-your-favorite-artists'-name-here munching on pizza?

Pictures and Editorial by Faith-Ann Young

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