Monday, October 31, 2005

David Dondero

David Dondero might be on Conor Oberst's Team Love record label but he doesn't necessarily have to sound like him, does he? Well in some songs he does. If Oberst did I'm Wide Awake It's Morning without the quivering voice and with more country, David Dondero would come out lookin' like a copy-cat now wouldn't he? Dondero has Oberst's witty lyrics without the whining. And without the cocksure attitude too.
He's originally from Texas, actually. The album was recorded in Austin. Other people who play on the record include Eric Bachman of Crooked ingers, Mike Vasquez, Tom Heyman, Dan Carr, and Chris Heinrich. Read an interview with him at SCTAS.
Dondero's a great guy and his new album South of the South can be downloaded can be downloaded HERE. Do that and then buy the album when it comes out cuz you love indie culture. Or see him live. That's good too.

11/1-Playmakers Pavillion-Fargo ND
11/10-Univeristy of Iowa, Memorial Union-Iowa City, IA
11/11-Orpheum Theater-Omaha, NE
11/12-Jesse Auditorium-Columbia, MO
11/13-IU Auditorium-Bloomington, IN
11/16-Nolen Cole Gallery-Florence, AL
11/18-Gypsy Ballroom-Dallas, TX

Bonnie "Prince" Billy and Tortoise Covers Album


So apparently this album by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (ne Will Oldham) and the band Tortoise was supposed to come out this month on Domino Records but has been delayed until January. The album, The Bold and the Brave consists of ten covers by some pretty famous bands and people from Elton John to Bruce Springsteen to Devo. Yeah. Those are the mp3s I got for you.

Follow the links
Daniel (Elton John)
That's Pep! (Devo)
Thunder Road (Bruce Springsteen)

Goxxip Youth

The Gossip still have awhile before they release their new record Standing in the Way of Control but before then they'll conquer the world and release a 12" of the album's title track backed with a remix by Le Tigre. Big Stereo may or may not have that remix.
Actually, Tuesday they start their European tour. If you are from Europe and are reading this blog, go see them. You will not be disappointed.
NOVEMBER
01 - N-Oslo, Garage
02 - N-Bergen, Garage
03 - S-Göteborg, Ladyfest @ Henriksberg
04 - S-Malmö, Ladyfest @ Inkonst
05 - S-Stockholm, Ladyfest @ Dieselverkstaden
07 - D-Berlin, Knaack Klub
08 - D-Hamburg, Hafenklang (tbc)
09 - D-Esslingen, Komma
10 - CH-tba
11 - I-Bologna, Covo
12 - I-Brescia, Free Muzik
13 - I-tba
14 - A-Wien, Chelsea
15 - D-Würzburg, Cairo
16 - NL-Rotterdam, Waterfront
17 - B-Brüssel, Ancienne Belgique
18 - B-Diksmuide, 4AD
19 - F-Paris, Point Ephemere
20 - F-Lyon, Clos Fleuri
21 - F-Evreux, Abordage
22 - UK-Brighton, Ocean Rooms
23 - UK-Manchester, Night & Day
24 - UK-Glasgow, ABC (w/ Sons and Daughters)
25 - UK-London, Underworld
26 - UK-Birmingham (venue tba)
27 - UK-Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach
28 - UK-Bristol/Exeter (venue tba)

Sunday, October 30, 2005

New Half-Handed Cloud


The new Half-Handed Cloud EP, What's the Remedy? features Sufjan Stevens on various instruments and also was produced by Stevens. It's a pretty nice effort, very upbeat and happy. The songs are all pretty short, but still well worth it. The EP's being released on Asthmatic Kitty on 7" (the first of the medium for the label), which explains the short songs. Fitting five long songs on a 7" wouldn't really work too well, would it?

(Follow links)
Here's a List
Ten Commandment Tombstone

Buy it from AK

Guerilla Tracy

So one of my favorite bands, one-girl band Tracy + the Plastics is in the middle of a few tour dates across the U.S. Her website only just recently posted the dates up, so a lot of people probably missed her shows that might have gone, which is a bummer. She played last night in Dallas and my sister went and had a good time. She said she only played 20 minutes, which is a bummer but she said it was a good show. She took some picture, which you can see here. I feel bad because I was going to write about this show being last night so you folks in the Dallas area might be able to go but I was too busy. Oh well, maybe I can make up for it by posting her upcoming dates.

10.31.05 - tempe, az @ arizona state university, school of art

10.31.05 -
phoenix, az @ the trunkspace

11.03.05 -
oakland, ca @ 21 grand

02.10.06 -
seattle, wa @ the frye art museum

04.01.06 -
pittsburgh, pa @ the andy warhol museum

09.01.06 – 09.14.06 -
miami, fl ROOM @ the moore space

Saturday, October 29, 2005

Acid House Kings


The Acid House Kings are practically the perfect Saturday morning music. Poppy and sunny, they make the Saturdays that you're doing nothing seem like it's all worthwhile. Coming from Sweden (a country that's been getting a lot of love in the blogosphere for good reason), the Acid House Kings hide behind a misleading name. My neighbor says it sounds like they should be a death metal band. Their label says "Acid House Kings return with a classic blend of 60's Motown and Bacharach, 80's The Smiths and timeless pop perfection." True dat. Their album Sing Along With the Acid House Kings has the cheesy 70s cover that perfectly suits the band. The DVD even comes along with karaoke tracks! Simply amazing.

Do What You Wanna Do
This and That
Sunday Morning
7 Days
This Heart is a Stone

Do What You Wanna Do (video)

Friday, October 28, 2005

Venice is Sinking


This little band from Athens, GA e-mailed me to introduce themselves to me. Their music is kind've sleepy, countrified bliss pop. Venice is Sinking seem like they're on the road to notability, and I hope this helps them roll on a bit.

Download a couple songs here, hear them at MySpace.
Buy their split EP with What We Do is Secret or a t-shirt at their website.

Thursday, October 27, 2005

As I Was Walking


I know, lame, right? Another shoddy mix. No not shoddy! Was put together with care. And love. And desperation. This are the songs on my cheap only-holds-six-songs mp3 player. So guess what, this mix is six songs long and I think it's good for walking to. Especially "Tribulations."

Jim Yoshii Pile-Up-Silver Sparkler
Joanna Newsom-Bridges and Balloons (Pocket remix)
We Are Scientists-Nobody Move Nobody Get Hurt
Wolf Parade-Shine a Light
The Rakes-Terror (Extended Mix)
LCD Soundsystem-Tribulations (Tiga remix)

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Sleater-Kinney Live


Well I guess these are okay to distribute. This girl has two Sleater-Kinney live shows from Chicago this year up for downloading. They're available in FLAC and mp3 format. Pretty good recordings. Thanks much to her for upping and hosting these.

Download them here.

Also, you may have read that Sleater-Kinney has had to cancel their upcomign European shows because of Carrie's illness. I want to say that I hope she gets well soon.

Powerpuff Jams


Everyone loves the Powerpuff Girls! I know, they're a cartoon. You're asking yourself "why is this fool asking me about the PPG?" Well awhile ago they had a CD called Heroes and Villains: Music Inspired by the Powerpuff Girls come out oh, five years ago, but I didn't realize how many good songs there are on it! So I'm gonna put some on here. They're a bit goofy but, hey, if you've ever watched the show (duh of course you have) you'll recognize that they fit. I think a lot of the songs were actually featured in the show. Anyway, eat 'em up.

The Apples in Stereo-Signal in the Sky (Let's Go)
Shonen Knife-Buttercup (I'm a Super Girl)
Dressy Bessy-Bubbles

Buy the album from Amazon

(Did anyone notice my blog name being mentioned in Pitchfork? Check it. I know, I'm a dork.)

Arctic Monkeys on BBC 1

So I don't know who uploaded this but it's supposedly the Arctic Monkeys' last performance on BBC's Radio 1. The band has been getting a lot of word-of-mouth lately and topped the British sales chart with their debut single I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor. That's pretty nuts. Anyway they are a good band that will be hyped to no end so jump on the bandwagon now!

Arctic Monkeys on BBC 1 (follow link)

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Stream Rogue Wave

SubPop has given the us the ability to stream Rogue Wave's magnificent new album Descended Like Vultures. It came out today and it's been getting rave reviews from a lot of people. Definitely check it out.

Stream it here.

New Wolf Parade


Said the Gramophone has a great new Wolf Parade track up. I guess it was played live sometime last week. It's an awesome song. Definitely go check it out. I'm ready to hear some more new songs by them. I hear they're playing some new material on tour. That's good.

For Esme


We Are Scientists have been around the blogosphere for awhile and have released a couple singles and an EP. Their new album With Love & Squalor not only will probably win my award for cutest album cover at the end of the year but may also be able to rest on its laurels in my top ten. It's full of energy and uninhibited goofiness. They seem like really fun kids and are probably amazing to see live. Oh what's that you say, they are on tour? Oh! Not here, but maybe near you.

Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt
Inaction
The Great Escape (c/o Stereogum)

Coach Said Not To


So I don't remember where I heard about this band but their name caught my attention. Good thing. These four girls from Minnesota have a sound that's all over the map. So far all they have is a self-titled EP but they say they're gonna have an album out in early 2006. Here's what they say:
Coach Said Not To collectively composes each song charting the progress of rhythm and harmonies on line graphs. Manic, melodious, observational and satirical – the songs tell stories both fact and fiction.
Uh yeah. It's real good. Check out these couple songs, buy the EP, friend them on MySpace (duh of course they have one), see them live.

Words That I Employ
Series of Near Misses
Shadow Puppets

Monday, October 24, 2005

Pony Up! Sell Out!


Well Dim Mak artists/Canadian cutesters Pony Up!, consisting of four girls singing cute pop songs are pretty much the American equivalent of The Pipettes. And they just sold out! just kidding. But they did make a Honda commercial. What's up with Honda? First M.I.A. and now Pony Up!? Someone up there has good taste. Anyway it's a nice commercial, but it's weird that they're selling cars. I'm happy that maybe they'll start getting some attention.

Pony Up!-Shut Up and Kiss Me
Hear some other songs on their MySpace.
Buy their self-titled EP.

Watch it here. You can check out the M.I.A. commercial there too. The commercial's called "Tail Pipe." Roman Coppola also directed a video. There's a few others but I don't know the artists except one to "We Will Become Sillhouettes".

Version 4.0


So. Tomorrow The Fiery Furnaces release their new album Rehearsing My Choir. So. Today Pitchfork poo-poo'd the album and gave it a 4.0. Big difference from last year's Blueberry Boat. Is Pitchfork trying to show people they can be nice and mean at the same time? Wow that is a pretty good move. Now the question of whether people will buy this album, and like it. Is the Friedbergers' time in the spotlight dunzo? No I don't think so. Maybe everyone will see this as a one-off. Next year's Bitter Tea will surely bring them back the acclaim they won. Anyway I still like the new album. May not be on my year-end list as it faces a lot of heavy competition but I still love it cuz I love me from Friedbergers.

How 'bout you?

Sunday, October 23, 2005

Deerhoof Video


Here's a new video of Deerhoof's "Wrong Time Capsule" by Martha Colburn. It's pretty cool, done mostly with collages and stuff.

Quicktime

Calvin Johnson


Ex-Beat Happening & Dub Narcotic System member Calvin Johnson has been integral to the Olympia, WA independent music scene since the early '80s. His new solo album Before the Dream Faded... is being released on K Records this Tuesday. I don't know too much about the album because I don't have it yet, but this mp3 is good.

I'm Down

Saturday, October 22, 2005

Retreat Retreat

I am reeaaally loving this song by the Rakes. Okay it's actually a remix of their song but it's still awesome. It's got me as excited as when I first heard Bloc Party's EP. Funny thing? They're on the same record label. I hope they get some good press and some love.

The Rakes-Retreat (Phones remix)

Friday, October 21, 2005

Deceptacon Day


I declare today, October 21st, Deceptacon Day for the people! Okay I know this is lame. I been busy lately. Forgive me and enjoy this great track being mashed, stirred, mixed, and being generally delicious. And the video is here too. And pretty much my most favorite mash-up ever.

The Original Version
Deceptacon (DFA remix) (follow link)
Deceptafreak (Le Tigre v. Missy Elliott) (follow link)
Quicktime Video (Do the Aerobicon)

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Paper Cranes

I was lookin' at Pop Sheep's site and they had a link to a song by a band called The Paper Cranes. While looking around for shows in the SLC area I'd noticed there was a band opening for Numbers called Paper Cranes and it said they were local. So I thought I'd check out the mp3 Pop Sheep had up and see if they're any good.

Well they are really good! The song "I'll Love You Till My Veins Explode" sounds like ELO's "Mr Blue Sky" but sung by Win Butler. Yeah. Anyway I think it's pretty great, sort've like an upbeat, poppier Arcade Fire. So I thought, "This is awesome to have a good band from SLC to talk about on my blog!" Well I looked it up and there happen to be two bands called Paper Cranes (at least): one from SLC and one from British Columbia. Of course the good song was the work of Canadians.

Here's a couple more songs by the band available from their website. They're in the process of recording their debut EP with Howard Redekopp, who has worked with the New Pornographers(!!) and Tegan and Sara(!!!). Yeah. Should be good.

Rabbit
Loose Lips Sink Ships
I'll Love You Till My Veins Explode

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Undeniable


So there's this record label called Undeniable Records based out of Dallas that seems to be doing pretty well. They have three bands on their roster, all from Dallas. Two of the band, The Happy Bullets, The Tah-Dahs, are getting quite a bit of critical acclaim. The Happy Bullets are featured in the newest Entertainment Weekly "Download This" section. Pretty cool. The Happy Bullets and The Tah-Dahs' albums tied for The Dallas Observer's local records of 2005. Pretty darn cool.

The Happy Bullets-Vice and Virtue Ministry
The Tah-Dahs-The Cute Band
Listen to several other songs from both bands on their Sound page.

Buy both the albums here.

Echo Panda


I found the website for a great company that makes music videos for some pretty good bands. If you go to their website and click on the left hand's middle finger it'll lead you to the videos. There you'll find Xiu Xiu's "Jennifer Lopez," Joanna Newsom's "Peach, Plum Pear," YACHT's "I Love a Computer" and some other good short films.

MP3's
YACHT-I Love a Computer
(BONUS Bobby Birdman Remix: I Will Come Again [YACHT remix])
Joanna Newsom-Peach, Plum, Pear

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

New Dirty Projectors Video

Remember that really awesome Dirty Projectors video for the song "I Will Truck" that I posted awhile ago? Well now they've gone and made another video for the song "I Sit on the Ridge at Dusk." It's such a beautiful video for a beautiful song.
Dirty Projectors (aka Dave Longstreth) made the album The Getty Address as a "glitch opera"all about Don Henley. The company that made the video, Vs. Anna Films is going to be making "chapters" for each song off The Getty Address and it should be released as a DVD in late 2005 or early 2006, according to their website.

Check out the video here. (Quicktime)
Go to the Vs. Anna's website.
Buy the album from Western Vinyl.

Hawks and Sparrows


The band The Lucky Dragons is Luke Fischbeck, and his 2003 album Hawks and Sparrows is a collaboration between the Lucky Dragons, Wrists + Pistols, and Big A Little a. It's an interesting concept with great, haunting results:
...edition of 100 hi quality cd-rs packaged individually with the first flowers of spring. audio reconstructions and rearrangements of field recordings from 4 anti-war protests (seattle, new york, philadelphia, and washington dc) in the late winter of 2003
Now the coolest part about this is that they have the entire album up for you to download on their their website. If you're uncomfortable with that you can download a few songs from them. Check it ooout.

Monday, October 17, 2005

New Liars Info


So Drowned in Sound has the scoop on what's happening with Liars. I will paraphrase it for you. Apparently, November 21st they will be releasing a single, limited-edition 7" called "It Fit When I Was a Child." It's limited to 500 copies, but Mute will be releasing a CD version. This single will be coming from next year's album Drum's Not Dead, which is going to be a CD/DVD release. And they're touring in England next month.

November
17 Nottingham Social
18 Liverpool Evol At Korova
19 Birmingham Flapper & Firkin
21 Glasgow ABC2
22 Belfast The Bunker At Laverys
28 Manchester Bierkeller
29 London Luminaire

Click here to go hear a live version of Liars' cover of The Germs' "Sexboy" and stream their last album.

Clorine


Clor is a British band, they got a rather good review/rating from Pitchfork, and they make danceable synth music with bizarre cover art. Sounds like they should be good enough to love, horrible enough for everyone to constantly blog about, right? Well, why aren't they? From what I've seen around they're getting little love. Their forum is next to empty and there are few mp3's floating about. I just don't get it. I got their self-titled album and I think it's great, probably good enough to fit on my year-end list.

Good Stuff (follow link)
Love + Pain (follow link)

Buy the album from Amazon.

Noah's Ark

I wasn't sure if I'd like CocoRosie's new album Noah's Ark. I mean...I would have reason enough not to like it, wouldn't I? Well a friend of mine who is nothing short of obsessed with Antony and the Johnsons and she flew from Texas to Toronto to see Antony live and CocoRosie was opening. Well she fell in love with them and it made me reconsider them. I got the album, strange cover art and all, and gave it a few spins.
At first listen, it really reminds me of carnival music. Now being a veteran Fiery Furnaces fan, I can safely say I am quite fond of the carnival sound but this was different. CocoRosie is more like freak show music. This is a good thing. Just different. Anyway listen to a few tracks and you decide.

Noah's Ark
Beautiful Boyz (ft. Antony)

Buy the album from Touch and Go.

Apollo Sunshine


Who are Apollo Sunshine? Well I'm really not quite sure buut their new self-titled album that came out in September is pretty good. They sound pretty 60's, with the melodies and the name. Umm yeah. I dunno I'm bad at this. Give 'em a listen.

Magnolia
Today is the Day
I Was on the Moon

They're on tour with The Sun so why don't you check them out:
10/17 denver, co @ hi-dive
10/18 salt lake city, ut @ kilby court
10/20 portland, or @ dante's
10/21 seattle, wa @ sunset tavern
10/22 eugene, or @ w.o.w. hall
10/24 san francisco, ca @ cafe du nord
10/25 san jose, ca @ blank club
10/26 los angeles, ca @ troubadour
10/28 tempe, az @ stinkweed's
10/29 tucson, az @ plush
10/31 dallas, tx @ gypsy tea room
11/1 austin, tx @ stubb's bar-b-q
11/3 san antonio, tx @ sanctuary

Buy Apollo Sunshine here.

Sunday, October 16, 2005

The Birdman of Portland


So I like Bobby Birdman pretty well. He seems like a nice guy. He makes really good music too. I bet you'll like it. Especially the song "I Will Come Again." Just try and not like it!

From his Heartcaves EP:
I Will Come Again
A Feat So Bold

He has a lot more stuff that you can download from his website. Then go buy his albums from States' Rights Records.

Saturday, October 15, 2005

Voxtrot, Tours!


Okay so everyone's new/old favorite Austin band Voxtrot is gearing up for another big tour this December. Not exactly sure when they're gonna get to making an album but I hope it's soon! I can tell these guys are gonna be pretty huge.

OCT 25 - Austin, TX @ Emo's w/Jens Lekman & Nedelle

DEC 2 - Dallas, TX @ The Cavern w/ Phospherescent & Castanets
DEC 3 - Lawrence, KS @ The Jackpot Saloon
DEC 7 - New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
DEC 8 - Waltham, MA @ Bentley College
DEC 9 - Cambridge, MA @ PA's Lounge
DEC 10 - Washington, DC @ Warehouse Next Door w/ Soft Complex & The Antiques
DEC 12 - Atlanta, GA @ Lenny's

Lest you've forgotten they're ooey-gooey goodness, download "The Start of Something"

BBSA


JagJaguwar put up a new Okkervil River song from their upcoming EP Black Sheep Boy Appendix. The EP is a bunch of cuts from Black Sheep Boy that have been re-worked and are now being released on November 22nd.

No Key, No Plan

In case you haven't seen it, here's the video for "For Real."
Quicktime

Mr. Valentine


Check out this interesting video for my favorite song off of Spoon's Gimme Fiction, "The Two Sides of Monsier Valentine" starring "infamous performer Johnny Kat." I don't know if this is official. I haven't heard anything about the song being released as a single but maybe they just wanted to make a video for it. Who cares? It's a great video.

Watch it here in Quicktime.

Friday, October 14, 2005

Indie Rock Cribs


Not satisfied with the two leaked Strokes songs? Well maybe you ought to try The Cribs. They pretty much fill that empty spot you've had in your heart since Room on Fire came out and your feelings weren't ever the same about Julian Casablancas' lazy vocals. They're big stuff in the UK I guess but haven't made it here, like the Strokes were. Unlike the Strokes, they're actually from the UK. They got an excuse to be big there.
Anyway, def check 'em out won't you?

Hey Scenesters!
You Were Always the One
Another Number

"Martell" video
Win Hi | Win Lo

Arcade Fire Make it 4


Funeral's been around for a long time now but the band doesn't think anything of releasing their fourth single for one of the best songs off the album, "Wake Up" on Rough Trade. There's not much detail as to b-sides, although there will probably be a live version of the song. I'm hoping a David Bowie cover will pop up!

I'd never seen this before buut it's an animated video for "Laika." I like it better than the "Power Out" one but I think they coulda done better.
Sing "Laika" on karaoke night!

Previously on Dreams of Horses, Arcade Fire covers Bowie.
A lot of this news has been thieved from the ArcadeFire.net forum. Which is really good if you haven't been.

Fiery Furnaces EP on iTunes


Okay don't get too excited about the title. For those who haven't heard the Fiery Furnaces' new album Rehearsing My Choir, iTunes has up a mini "EP" of three songs from the upcoming album.

The three songs are probably some of the best off the album, "Garfield El," "The Wayward Granddaughter," and "Candymaker's Knife in My Handbag." Not essential but maybe worth getting if you are anxious for some new Fiery Furnaces stuff. Or you could

BrooklynVegan takes a look at some pre-release opinions about the album.

Go Find

I've never heard much about this band The Go Find but I got their CD Miami which came out in September '04 I think, and it's really quite good. Probably good for fans of Postal Service or other like-minded electro-pop bands. Here, I found this information at Forced Exposure:

A one-man band from Belgium, with fellow Morr artist, Styrofoam (Arne Van Petegem) on production. The face and the voice behind it belong to Dieter Sermeus. where Styrofoam always tends to take an introspective look inside, The Go Find takes the other route by being positively extrovert. Sermeus presents himself as a very self-confident songwriter, whose catchy, yet sometimes melancholic pop music bypasses the brain and hits the heart directly. His songs feature the bitter sweetness of some of The Postal Service's tracks on the one hand. On the other, they also bring to mind the subtle glow The Notwist presented on Neon Golden. The Go Find occupies the intersection of both bands, which Dieter refers to as being highly influential to him

The Go Find-Modern Times

You can stream the whole album at Morr Music under the Releases section.

Thursday, October 13, 2005

Dear Nora/Casiotone

Daang I was gonna write about this tour and then Pitchfork wrote about it. Dang. Oh well it's still worth hearing about and you probably didn't pay much attention to the article cuz it was the last one in today's news. Anyway Dear Nora and Casiotone for the Painfully Alone are going on tour. Who are these bands? Yeah I know. I don't know much about Casiotone but I know Dear Nora is a band on Magic Marker Records. They play pretty melodies and sound a lot like 60's girl bands. Their songs are real sweet and everything. I guess this tour is a solo tour though. Anyway...

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone-Lonesome New Mexico Nights
Dear Nora-Since You Went Away

Dear Nora Solo tour:
10.13 @ hotel utah, san francisco, ca, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone, david & joanna
10.14 @ koo's, long beach, ca, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone, drakkar sauna,
10.15 @ the A house 210 n rampart blvd historic philipino, los angeles, ca, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone, bobby birdman
10.16 @ the trunk space, phoenix, az, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone, golden boots,..
10.18 @ backroads pizza early show (7pm), sante fe, nm, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone
10.19 @ the conservatory, oklahoma city, ok, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone
10.20 @ mable peabody's, denton, tx, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone
10.21 @ beerland, austin, tx, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone, cue
10.22 @ superhappyfunland, houston, tx, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone
10.25 @ eyedrum, atlanta, ga, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone
10.26 @ la casa obscura (1002 spain ave), nashville, tn, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone
10.27 @ willy m's (215 s. meade st), greenville, nc, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone
10.28 @ duke university coffee house, durham, nc, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone, bellafea
10.29 @ twisted branch tea bazaar, charlottesville, va, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone
10.30 @ kensington south community development corpt, philadelphia, pa, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone, pissed jeans
11.02 @ glasshouse, new york city, ny, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone, dirty projectors
11.03 @ tba, new york city, ny, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone, dirty projectors
11.04 @ barnard college , ny, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone
11.05 @ hampshire college, amherst, ma, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone, sara jaffe...
11.06 @ great scott, boston, ma, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone
11.07 @ red door, portsmouth, nh, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone
11.08 @ club metrome, burlington, vt, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone, smittens
11.09 @ okie street, providence, ri, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone, lucky dragons
11.10 @ spark gallery, syracuse, ny, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone
11.11 @ bugjar, rochester, ny, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone
11.12 @ oberlin college, oberlin, oh, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone
11.13 @ daac, grand rapids, mi, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone, s. american agr
11.15 @ ducks in a stack house (628 s washington st), bloomington, in, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone, japanther,...
11.16 @ the beat kitchen, chicago, il, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone
11.17 @ hall mall, iowa city, ia, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone
11.18 @ ted and wally's ice cream shoppe, omaha, ne, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone, simon joyner
11.19 @ hi-dive, denver, co, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone
11.20 @ starry night, provo, ut, w/ casiotone for the painfully alone, chubby bunny

Ben Krieger


Okay I was a little bit wary when I got an e-mail from New Yorker Ben Krieger who introudced himself to me and told me about his records. He has one EP, Now We Are Kissed, that he describes as a " ountry folk record." Okay that's cool. I like country folk. And his other album, Queen of the Ocean, Commander of the Sea which is a "prog-folk [album] complete with a rock opera about a bionic jellyfish." Okay now that's weird. I had to check this out.

It's actually pretty awesome. I really enjoyed the songs from Now We Are Kissed, from songs about finding his loved one in a bargain bin to an ode to leather pants.

Favorite New Record
Leather Pants

Here some stuff on his MySpace.

Buy his CDs here.

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Sister Jack


Watch the new Spoon video for their single "Sister Jack." It's pretty funny and really dorky.

Real Player
Windows

I Know I Know I Know

Yeah I'm the last to post up this mp3 but I couldn't not post it cuz I loves me some Chan Marshall pretty hard.

The Greatest

I can't wait till January 24th.

Other Cat Power mp3s:
He Was a Friend of Mine (Bob Dylan cover)
I Found a Reason (Velvet Underground cover)
Psychic Hearts (Thurston Moore cover)
Rockets

Deerhoof Remixed

So after Pitchfork crapped their pants (who didn't?)about the new Deerhoof record, Deerhoof's like "Hey we're cool, let's get a remix done." Well they gone and done it. If you go to this site here you can download the individual tracks for the song "Rrrrrrright" so you can remix it to your own delight. I'm sure they'll post the results when they get 'em. Get at it!!

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

TnS Story


Okay if you've ever seen Tegan and Sara live you'll know they are pretty much the cutest twins on the planet. They like to bicker and argue between songs and often they tell really funny stories. Well I found this one from some concert from I don't know where but it's a really funny story. Anyway it's not music just talking but they do play music and if you haven't heard it you should. Even if they did drop out of ACL. They mentioned that on their website. In case you're wondering I have forgiven them.

Here's that funny story.
Tegan Goes Patrolling

(I just noticed in the comments for that link I posted to about ACL theres a little girl asking for money for a horse. Should I do an all-out Let's Get Callie a Horse Fundraiser?)

Arcade Stevens Xmas

Okay so Christmas is comin' fast. Start making those end of the year best of lists and don't forget to make out that Christmas wish list. Well to celebrate, here are a couple albums to get you in the Decking of the Halls mood.

This Arcade Fire Christmas album made a lot of hullaballoo last year when people asked "is this serious?" The album is a bit of a joke but well worth having for the Arcade Fire must havers out there. Thanks to Against the Grain for pointing this out.

Download it here.

Now these are serious Christmas albums. Everyone overdosed on Illinois earlier this year but these Christmas EPs will put him back into rotation on your iPod or whatever you listen to music on. These are serious works unlike the Arcade Fire one, mixing classic Christmas songs with some of his own creations. These were available only on tour awhile back and aren't being sold anywhere. Enjoy em!

Download 'em here.

Monday, October 10, 2005

Shade Tree


So the cutest find today is this Swedish band Shade Tree. They e-mailed me to introduce themselves to me and I am glad they did! In their e-mail they described their sound being somewhere along the lines of Wilco and Belle & Sebastian. Well I didn't think they meant so so literally. So to get some idea of how they sound before you download their mp3s, just imagine Jeff Tweedy was the lead singer for B&S with a few back-up singers.

Singers Carl and Jessica trade off vocal duties on songs but both do an excellent job. Definitely check them out!

The Stupidest Thing
Beekeeper
Download more at their website.

Saturday, October 08, 2005

Shearwater


Shearwater reminds me a lot of Okkervil River, and for good reason. The lead singer from Okkervil is in Shearwater. And I think a couple other people. Anyway the music is reall lo-fi and quiet but has a tense emotion about it. Uhh I sound dumb. It's really good stuff and you ought to chek it out. They might be good to tide you over till Black Sheep Boy Appendix comes out...

Whipping Boy
The World in 1984
An Accident

Thievin' Thieves

So we all know that bands are often the butt of being thieved. Earlier this year, the Decemberists trailer was stolen full of thousands of dollars worth of gear. BrooklynVegan wrote about the Raveonettes van and equipment was stolen in NYC.

Well another band that's thieved is the Mae Shi. Tim of the Mae Shi wrote on their website:
"...this morning, I awoke to move my to car from where it sits parked in front of my apartment, and discovered that one of the windows had been smashed out. It took me a second to register this, because there wasn't much to motivates this crime. Did I leave my to guitar in the to car? No? Did I leave anything with any resale value in the to car? No. Then I realized that the thieves had smashed the window out to get to the box in the back of the to car, which they had taken.
This box contained 200 copies of Heartbeeps and Terrorbird, which had recently been sent to us by KRS via Touch and for Go in preparation the coming tour. Due to to timing issues they had to be picked up from the UPS office, and instead of lugging them up the stairs into my apartment I left them in my to car, because who would steal 200 Mae Shi CDs?
The wholesale price (the price we, the band, pays) for 5RC #GER034, aka Terrorbird, is $8 to CD. The wholesale price for 5RC #GER049, aka Heartbeeps, is $5 to CD. Add that up and you have $1300 in merchandise lost to us. $1300 we have to for pay 5RC."
It's pretty awful. If you have any information email the band at tim at mae-shi.com. They're still doing the tour. I don't know if they'll be asking for money but if you do see them, it sure would be nice to give 'em a few extra bucks for the $1,300 they have to pay to 5RC.

10.15 Los Angeles, CA - The Echo (w/ Make Believe)
10.19 Phoenix, AZ - The Rhythm Room
10.20 Las Cruces, NM - The Bean (w/ Indian Jewelry)
10.21 Austin, TX - Elysium (w/ Freezepop)
10.22 Houston, TX - Mary Jane's Fat Cat
10.23 Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves
10.24 Oklahoma City, OK - The Conservatory
10.25 Little Rock, AR - Whitewater Tavern
10.26 Knoxville, TN - The Pilot Light
10.27 Chalrottesville, VA - Satellite Ballroom (w/ VCR)
10.28 Middlebury, VT - Coltrane Lounge @ Middlebury College
10.29 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom (w/ The Mountain Goats)
10.30 Boston, MA - Eagle's Nest @ Boston College (w/ Fat Day)
10.31 New York, NY - Tonic (Awesome Halloween Show w/ Night Porter)
11.01 Middletown, CT - Eclectic Haus @ Weslyan University (w/ An Albatross)
11.02 Providence, RI - AS220 (w/ Fat Day)
11.03 Brooklyn, NY - North Six (w/ No Things, Parts & Labor)
11.04 Hamilton, NY - Colgate College
11.05 Annandale-On-Hudson, NY - Bard College
11.06 Oberlin, OH - The Sco @ Oberlin College (w/ Racebannon)
11.07 Gambier, OH - Horn Gallery @ Kenyon College (w/ Racebannon)
11.08 Bloomington, IN - Second Story
11.09 Urbana, IL - Canopy Club
11.10 Dekalb, IL - The House
11.11 Moline, IL - Laser Mansion
11.12 Chicago, IL - Beat Kitchen
11.13 St. Paul, MN - Big V's
11.14 Houghton, MI - Michigan Tech University
11.15 Madison, WI - Owl Sanctuary
11.16 Iowa City, IA - Gabe's Oasis
11.17 St. Louis, MO - Hi-Pointe
11.18 Omaha, NE - Sokol Underground
11.19 Lincoln, NE - TBA
11.20 Denver, CO - Hi-Dive (w/ The Pope)
11.21 Boise, ID - Yosada House (w/ The Pope)
11.22 Seattle, WA - Vera Project (w/ Milemarker, The Pope)
11.24 Olympia, WA - Yes Yes (w/ The Pope)
11.25 Portland, OR - Food Hole (w/ The Pope)
11.26 San Francisco, CA - Elbo Room (w/ Numbers, The Pope)
11.27 Oakland, CA - Lobot Gallery (w/ The Pope)

Mae Shi sounds:
Vampire Beats
Born for a Short Time

Friday, October 07, 2005

AIH B-Side


Okay this is a b-side from my favorite eight piece Australian band Architecture in Helsinki. I think they are some other people's favorite eight piece Australian band too but I can't be sure.

Love Is Evil - The Prequel (ft. Filmmm, Kaigen & Raceless) (follow link)

You can get it on disc on the "Do the Whirlwind" single. Yep.

Jim Yoshii Pile-Up

Lately I've been listening a lot to this track by the band Jim Yoshii Pile-Up. I really don't know much about them. I know they released a split EP with Xiu Xiu which was recorded by Chris Walla of Death Cab who also recorded the Decemberists' The Tain EP. I also found out that Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu does back-up vocals on this track I've been listening too. So they must be good yeah? Anyway here's the track and the video which is very Bear City-ish.

Silver Sparkler
Silver Sparkler video (Quicktime)

Hear more at their MySpace. Buy their albums from Absolutely Kosher.

They're also on tour:
10-14 - Portland, OR - Holocene
10-15 - Seattle, WA - Paradox
10-17 - Fargo, ND - VFW
10-18 - Minneapolis, MN - Turf Club
10-19 - Chicago, IL - Schubas
10-20 - Champaign, IL - Courtyard Cafe
10-22 - Toronto, Ontario - Sneaky Dee's
10-23 - Peterborough, Ont - Montreal House
10-24 - Montreal, Quebec - La Sala Rossa
10-25 - Boston, MA - Pa's Lounge
10-27 - Bennington, VT - Downcaf
10-28 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
10-30 - Durham, NC - Duke Coffeehouse
11-1 - Athens, GA - Caledonia Lounge
11-3 - Houston, TX - Proletariat
11-7 - Tucson, AZ - Plush
11-9 - Los Angeles, CA - the Cooperage, UCLA
11-10 - Fresno, CA - Tokyo Garden
11-11 - San Francisco, CA - Hotel Utah
12-3 - Los Angeles, CA - The Troubadour

Thursday, October 06, 2005

MM Parade

Okay so I'm real sorry about the lack of posting. Midterms are over so I should be goin' back to normal. Should be. Okay so uhh I don't know a lot of what's been going on in the blogosphere. I got an e-mail from someone about a guy who goes by Beerjacket and found out a few other bloggers did too. Anyway check him out cuz I haven't.
So lately I have pretty much been jammin' Wolf Parade's Apologies to the Queen Mary a lot. Such a good album. So here's the obligatory free mp3's from SubPop:
You Are a Runner
Shine a Light

Also I know you didn't download that Barr track I put up the other day which is a crime because you should! Please do and you will not regret.
Barr-Is All For Updated

And then here's some weird videos for a couple bands off DFA:
Black Dice-Smiling Off
The Juan Maclean-Give Me Every Little Thing (slightly NSFW)

I'm sorry I'll do better tomorrow! And thanks for the feedback about the changes to the layout!! I 'preciate it.

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Look!

Okay I changed the look up a bit. Added some lightning bolts (soooo indie). Is it good? Bad? Does it screw up your computer screens? Help me out here.

Sorry 'bout the lack of updates. We've been having midterms aaaand it's not so fun.

New New Xiu

So I know you've been asking yourself "Dang I come to this blog cuz I thought he would keep me on top of all things Jamie Stewart (aka 1/2 Xiu Xiu). Well I do not disappoint today. New Xiu Xiu News, there is a southern tour taking place this fall for all you southerners. Enjoy.

Xiu Xiu
All dates supported by The Dead Science

11-27 - Tucson, AZ - Solar Culture
11-29 - Austin, TX - Parish
11-30 - Houston, TX - Mary Jane's
12-2 - Tallahassee, FL - Club Down Under
12-3 - Tampa, FL - Orpheum
12-4 - Miami, FL - I/O
12-7 - Durham, NC - Duke Coffee House
12-8 - Atlanta, GA - MJQ
12-10 - Denton, TX - Hailey's
12-15 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour

Also, this is a really old interview of Jamie Stewart by Slim Moon from 2002. It is good.
Speaking of Slim Moon, here is a track from his first CD Won't You Dance With This Man? because it is amusing. it's about supervillains and what they do in their spare time. It's not music it's just spoken-word. But still funny.
Legion of Doom

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Barr


Okay so 5RC just put up this mp3 from the new Barr CD Beyond Reinforced Jewelcase. It's being released next Tuesday, 10/11. Brendan Fowler is Barr and he does a good job at being Barr. He sort of talks over the beats he makes in a sing-song voice, not too reminescent of The Streets. The label DoggPony has released two other albums and a 7". Get them all if you like this track (which you should). And buy Beyond Reinforced Jewelcase when it comes out.

Is All For Updated

omg

So here in Utah it's really rainy and miserable. It's supposed to get below freezing tonight. Now I don't know if you remember that I'm from Texas or not but I am. I suspect that it's still in the 80's there. There has been talk on campus of snow. I am going to die. Or stay inside and listen to mopey songs and stay warm.

So here they are, my top rainy day songs for October 4th, 2005.
ben Gibbard-You Remind Me of Home (Live on KEXP)
Iron and Wine-Cinder and Smoke
Nico-These Days
Joanna Newsom-The Sprout and the Bean
Joan Baez-Bangladesh
Wilco-Cars Can't Escape
Neutral Milk Hotel-Two-Headed Boy (Live in San Francisco)
Okkervil River-Westfall
Sigur Ros-Staralfur
Sufjan Stevens-To Be Alone With You

Monday, October 03, 2005

No Longer DIY


I guess the big news is that Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! has signed to Wichita Records. Pretty good label.

In other CYHSY news, Call Me Mickey has their performance on KCRW.

(I haven't posted much about these guys buut I figure you can get it from other sources.)

Spoonews


Everyone loves Spoon (if you object get oooouuuuuut) and so I am going to tell you about what Spoon has been up to. Pretty much you could gather this information from Spoon's website (I'm not going to link it so you don't leave my site and just read it there) but I know you'd rather hear me tell it. Plus I give you songs. There.

So Spoon is touring Europe.
Friday Sept 30 London, UK @ Koko's
Satday Oct 1 Brugge, BEL @ Cactus
Sunday Oct 2 Berlin, GER @ Kalkscheune
Monday Oct 3 Frankfurt, GER @ Cooky's
Tueday Oct 4 Hamburg, GER @ Knust
Wedday Oct 5 Munich, GER @ Orange House
Thuday Oct 6 Milano, ITA @ Transilvania
Friday Oct 7 Treviso, ITA @ New Age
Satday Oct 8 Bologna, ITA @ Coveo
Sunday Oct 9 Zurich, SWI @ Rote Fabrik
Tueday Oct 11 Paris, FRA @ Nouveau Casino
Thuday Oct 13 Barcelona, SPA @ Razz 3
Friday Oct 14 Madrid, SPA @ Moby Dick

And then they're touring the US when they get back with American Music Club.
Saturday 11/05 New York, NY- Nokia Live
Sunday 11/06 Brooklyn, NY- Warsaw
Tuesday 11/08 Athens, GA- 40 Watt Club
Wednesday 11/09 Asheville, NC Orange Peel
Thursday 11/10 Columbia, MO - Blue Note
Saturday 11/12 Boulder, CO- Boulder Theatre
Monday 11/14 Salt Lake City, UT- Velvet Room
Wednesday 11/16 San Fran, CA- Warfield
Thursday 11/17 Los Angeles, CA- Wiltern Theatre
Friday 11/18 San Diego, CA- Canes

Also they say they recorded a song in Australia called "My First Volume 3" and it's going to be up on iTunes and it sounds good on cassette. Hm.

The website says that Britt Daniel played on BBC and you can find it here but I can't find it. Maybe I am stupid and you can help me out. It'd be cool if someone could capture the stream of it. I'd like that. Oh right mp3s. Okay these aren't really rare or anything amazing because they're available on 12XU's website. But maybe you wouldn't have found them on your own. And I added my favorite track from Gimme Fiction.

Decora (Yo La Tengo cover)
Everything Hits at Once (Disco remix)
The Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine (c/o The Crutch)

Fakways Fakrays

So this weekend I got an awesome tune from a band from the UK called The Fakrays. A quick Google search only comes up with a MySpace page and some broken SoundClick link. Anyway the track is probably the best I've heard all weekend (yes even better than the Strokes song on Stereogum) The Fakrays consist of David on drums, bass and guitar and his sister (I dunno her name) who sings. They sort've remind me of Sons and Daughters (maybe it's the UK thing/I've been listening to S&D a lot since I saw them live) or maybe a lo-fi Boy Least Likely To with a girl singing. Definitely check it out.

The Fakrays-You're Not a Star (follow link)

Saturday, October 01, 2005

Songs about SLC

Hey I'm in SLC this weekend hence the not posting much. Sorry. To compensate here's some songs that have "Sale Lake City" in the title. Don't forget to watch the season premiere of Saturday Night Live w/ host Steve Carrell and musical guest Kanye West! Shout-out! Oh I also hear Franz Ferdinand is going to be the musical guest in one of the upcoming weeks. Exciting!

The Dwarves-Salt Lake City
All You Can Eat-Sam, Two TVs and Salt Lake City
Capitol Steps-The Boy From Salt Lake City

(No I haven't listened to any of these.)