New and Fiery

Alright so I got ahold of the forthcoming Fiery Furnaces album Rehearsing My Choir and I gotta say it is definitely their weirdest yet. I knew I'd be wary of the grandmother factor but this one blew me away. Olga Santos, the Friedbergers' gradnmother, doesn't so much sing on the album as she talks over the music. I notice there's a lot less guitars on this album and a lot, a lot more piano/keyboard bits. There's even one bit that reminds me of the sounds at the beginning of The Unicorns' "I Don't Wanna Die."

Anyway I am sure that there will be another giant fight over the Furnaces: are they geniuses or just plain awful? After this one we may hear more of the latter.

(Follow links)
The Wayfaring Granddaughter
Forty Eight Twenty Three Twenty-Second Street

AIH on WOXY

I'd like to thank Indie Surfer Blog for pointing us Internet users in the right direction to a live performance of everyone's favorite Australians Architecture in Helsinki on Ohio radio station WOXY.

Intro
It's 5
Living Without You
Interview
The Owls Go
Maybe You Can Owe Me
Do the Whirlwind
Outro

Also, catch Architecture in Helsinki on tour with Dr Dog. (via BrooklynVegan) and So...Where Is Helsinki?

Tracy Greenwood

Alright alright I may have already posted about them but they are waaay worth another post.

Tracy + the Plastics is, contrary to the name, only one person not even named Tracy. Wynne Greenwood plays the parts of Tracy and the Plastics, Nikki and Cola. See, Tracy + the Plastics are one of those bands, you know, the artsy ones. Well at shows Greenwood performs on stage in front of a screen on which is projected her edited video of Nikki and Cola (who are, again, Greenwood) as her back-up band. I may have made it sound confusing but it really isn't.

I'm posting about them because now that I live in Utah I will have to rely on Salt Lake City as my salvation for shows. There are only a few venues from what I've seen that nationwide artists come through. One of them, Kilby Court, says Tracy + the Plastics are playing there on September 16th. I haven't been able to find any information to verify that but if you happen to be in the area I recommend you scope it out as a possible show.

City
Henrietta
Dawn Feather

Le Buck 65

Yeah I know. White kids talkin about rapping. It's different though when the rapper's white too, right? I mean, people can obsess over Eminem so why can't I rave about a white Canadian rapper? Yeah don't worry I will.

Anyway I can't remember if I ever talked about Richard Terfry but I think he's amazing. His rap moniker is Buck 65 and he is indeed from Canada. I saw him at SXSW this last year opening for Saul Williams. It's just him and his turn table, a portable CD player and glitter in his pockets. He would use the glitter for an awing effect. It was great. His lyrics are amazing and uuhh yeah. Haha anyway he just had a CD come out at the end of June called Secret House Against the World. I haven't gotten it yet but I've found some mp3s from it and I like what I hear.

Roughouse Blues
Le 65 is Me
Devil's Eyes

Watch the video for "Kennedy Killed the Hat"

New Decemberists Tracks

Okay so this is a bit of thieving from the Decemberists Message Board but hey, I know some of you don't go there but you should. They always got nice stuff.

Anyway, at his latest dates, Colin Meloy has unveiled a few new tracks that might be next-album fodder or just songs. Anyway they're both really good, one's even about the infamous Shankill Butchers in Ireleand. Spooky stuff, a bit like their "A Cautionary Tale" except more gruesome.

None of the track titles are absolutely positive.
Julianne
Valencia
Shankill Butchers

In case you missed it, You Ain't No Picasso has the Decemberists and Death Cab for Cutie covering Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way"

so sorry

I'm trying to fix my blog. Whenever I looked at it it was messed up so I changed the template and now the sidebar's alll the way at the bottom and not where I want it and oooooh my goodness I don't know what to do. Oh well. Bear with me.

Tim Seely

Okay so you may or may not have heard about a band called The Actual Tigers. I heard of them from somewhere or another bought their only CD Gravelled & Green back in 2001 and liked it lots. Well that band split up and its songwriter, Tim Seely, has just recently released his solo CD Funeral Music. It's been getting play on KEXP and I can't wait to get a copy.

Songs from Gravelled & Green:
Shades of Brown
Halfway House
Time and Space

Songs from Funeral Music:
On Film I Play Myself
Lady Luck
Sometimes a Fool

Jumpers!

You can go take a gander at Sleater-Kinney's new video for their song "Jumpers" at MySpace. Check it here.

Quickie

Okay a quick one because I'm zooooo busy.
These are from the Devendra Banhart/Xiu Xiu split 7" that was just released on Kill Rock Stars last week. PLEASE BUY IT. Please. Since it's vinyl I don't feel bad about putting these up so you can have them in your digital collection but pleeaaase buy it and support them. If you don't you might just be a bad person.

Follow link on both.
Devendra Banhart-Support Our Troops (Xiu Xiu cover)
Xiu Xiu-Body Breaks (Devendra Banhart cover)

Awfull

I know this is awful because I haven't made a post since Friday and that one was terrible and filled with typos and blah blah blah anyway I'm now situated in Utah with internet.

Real update maybe tomorrow if I can read all my fave mp3 blogs so I don't overly-regurgitate everything they say.

Adios

Alright so this is going to be my sign-out post. I'm moving up to Utah this next weekend/week for college so I won't be able to get on again to post, maybe until next Thursday hopefully. Anyway, be sure to check out my links to satiate your need for music. Here's some of my top picks (don't be offended):

Brooklyn Vegan
Chromewaves
Funtime OK
Gorilla vs Bear
Molars
So Much Silence
Stereogum
That Girl Needs Therapy
Yeti Don't Dance
You Ain't Nop Picasso

And for celebrity gossip, all you need is 0 comments

New Wooden Wand

I was supplied with the new Wooden Wand & the Vanishing Voice CD Buck Dharma the other day. It's a bit hard to listen to. It's a lot of spacy noise and there's nothing straightforward about it. That's a good thing, but I can see putting it on as background noise if I was abstract painting or something. It's a bit strange. And you know I can't find a tracklisting anywhere for it. I did find the cover art though and that's something.

Their promoter has a really really long bio if you want to read it.

MP3's
WWVV-Return of the Nose (c/o The Selector) from their Troubleman album Xiao
WWVV-Risen From the Ashes (yeah I posted this before, what of it?)
WWVV-I Am the One I Am & He is the Caretaker of My Heart (that's the real title)

Wooden Wand and the Vanishing Voice will be on tour this fall with Alasdair Roberts. (maybe they'll be there?)
* w/ Alasdair Roberts (Drag City)
08/19 New York, NY Cake Shop
08/20 New York, NY East River Music Project
08/31 Somerville, MA PA's Lounge*
09/01 Martha's Vineyard, MA TBA*
09/03 New York, NY Mercury Lounge*
09/06 Columbus, OH Bourbon Street*
09/07 Cincinnati, OH Northside Bar*
09/08 Columbia, MO Ragtag Cinema*
09/09 Lawrence, KS TBA*
09/11 Denver, CO Hi-Dive*
09/12 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge*
09/14 Oakland, CA 21 Grand*
09/15 San Francisco, CA Hemlock Tavern*
09/16 Big Sur, CA Fernwood Lodge*
09/17 Los Angeles, CA TBA*
09/18 Los Angeles, CA TBA*
09/19 San Diego, CA Voltaire*
09/21 Tucson, AZ Club Congress*
09/23 Austin, TX TBA*

New Franz

Okay okay I know you've seen this all day but c'mon it's my turn!

Alright this is the new Franz track "Do You Want To" ripped straight from the video. It's the best quality around that I've heard.

Do You Want To

My take on it: it doesn't sound like real people made this track. It's too...synthetic I guess. I can't imagine them playing it live but I bet they will!

Oh yeah, the video. (right click, save as)

Voxtrot 7-Incher

The new Voxtrot 7" for the song "Raised By Wolves" has been added to the shop at Magic Marker Records. This here picture on the left is the cover art (so very Texan) and they information says that it's backed with the song "They Never Mean What They Say."

I don't think you can exactly order it just yet because it says the album isn't on file but soon!

Anyway I just thought there might be some fans like me anxious for this release.

Central Village has a Voxtrot song I hadn't heard before called "Whiskey" and the song "Wrecking Force" from their debut EP.

Here's their September tour dates lest you forgot...
Sat 3 - Dallas, TX @ Gypsy Tea Room w/ The Hourly Radio
Sat 3 - Dallas, TX @ Good Records [FREE early instore]
Fri 9 - Austin, TX @ Emo's [FREE SHOW]
Fri 16 - New York, NY @ Piano's [KEXP / Fuckno CMJ day party]
Fri 16 - New York, NY - CMJ showcase [TBA]
Sat 17 - New York @ Rothko [SESAC / CMJ day party] w/ Elkland, Benzos, Hot IQs

Futureheads B-Sides

I've found these few B-sides and things by the Futureheads that I thought you all might like. I saw them for the first time at SXSW and was pretty blown away. They've got a lot of energy live so if yu have the chance definitely see them.
The first one is on the "Fit But You Know It" single and the other two are actually available on their website.

The Streets-Fit But You Know It (Featuring the Futureheads)
Remote Control
Piece of Crap

And here's their performance at KVRX.
Decent Days and Nights
Alms
Piece of Crap
Carnival Kids

Big Fat Numbers

Yeah so everyone might just remember the Magic Numbers in a few years for being that band that walked off Top of the Pops because someone said they were fat. Even though I don't think that's what realent down. They're probably just really really sensitive and we all ought to be cautious of using certain discriminating adjectives 'round them.

Anyway it's a shame they got this publicity because that's the first time I decided to look into them. Yeah I know their album is Mercury nominated. That should've been enough to get me to even think about wanting to hear their music. Nope it's because they're quasi-divas. Okay that's mean. I forgive them for being sensitive because their music is quite decent.

Mornings Eleven
Love Me Like You
This Love (was I secretly hoping this was a cover of that awful Maroon 5 song? I don't think so)

Jeff Hanson

Some people find Jeff Hanson's voice disarming, alarming, putting-off, and generally girly. I know you've heard him by now, he seems to be the curious sideshow in the always happening indie world.

Well, Jeff Hanson does sing like a girl and I find it endearing. His second self-titled album was released earlier in the year on, you guessed it, Kill Rock Stars Records. His first album, Son was released a year or two ago. They're both very simple voice-and-guitar CDs but very melody driven. His voice takes the center stage of all songs due to it's uniqueness. He uses it to its greatest advantage and comes off as a talented songwriter a stone's throw away from the rest of that crowd.

Hiding Behind the Moon
Just Like Me
This Time It Will
Now We Know

Le Tig/GT!!!!

My sister goes to a lot more shows than some people I know. She gets to go to cool shows I don't get to go to because I live too far away. Luckily she had my camera to document a couple of these shows.

One is the Elecetrelane/Le Tigre show I mentioned ages ago and the other was the Gravy Train!!!! show from this past Sunday. Both sounded stupdenous and the pictures prove it.

Check them out at my Photobucket album.

Le Tigre
Deceptacon
Les and Ray
Get Off the Internet

Gravy Train!!!!
Kotton Mouth BJ
Doubledecker Supreme
You Made Me Gay

Dirty Projectors Video

Check out this incredibly awesome video that the Dirty Projectors just finished for the song "I Won't Truck"


Seriously it's just awesome.
View it with Quicktime or if that doesn't work, try here.

Buy their album The Getty Address from Western Vinyl.

See them on tour with Thanksgiving.

Minus The Bear

So a lot of people have already heard of Minus the Bear. I hadn't until I found out that they're going to be touring around with Thunderbirds Are Now! this fall. That caught my eye. And the fact that they have a new album Menos El Oso coming out soon. Sounds like the perfect time to dig into them, right? Yeah okay they have funny song titles and stuff which is always amusing but it's just plain good music and I like that. Here you go, including a couple from the new album.

The Game Needed Me
Hooray
Drop it Like It's Hot
Monkey!!!Knife!!!Fight!!!
Just Kickin' it Like a Wild Donkey