Tell It To The Volcano is the debut full length album from Arizona indie popsters Miniature Tigers. The band contrasts vocal harmonies and melodic indie pop with dark oddball lyrics to create an intriguingly evil version of bubblegum pop. The album opener "Cannibal Queen" is a fun and quirky take on eating another human being, not unlike The Magnetic Fields' "Queen of the Savages". "Dino Damage"

Be ready for a catchy pop song overload when this dynamic duo rolls into town. Ben Folds , whom you might have heard of, is pretty amazing live, so if you get a chance go see him on this tour. As an added bonus his opening act is Phoenix's Miniature Tigers who have just released their debut album, Tell It To The Volcano . If you've never heard of them then you're in for a treat because once their cd enters your stereo, it will be there for a while. Catchy, timeless, well written pop songs [...]
Crystal K. WiebeWith her dimple and Australian accent, Lenka is just too cute. Lenka, an Australian-born singer whose songs have appeared on Grey's Anatomy and the new 90210 series, dropped a sugar b... Continue reading "Lenka at the Record Bar, January 27, 2009" >

Do you prefer fires or foes to be friendly? Your tigers mini or republic? Your Sebastiens with or without the acute accent (é)? Confused? You're not the only ones. For as many bands as we listen to on a daily basis and try to keep neat and organized in the muddled recesses of our brains , from time to time we can't help but become hopelessly and utterly confused between similarly named artists. But it doesn't have to be that way! Below, we countdown our top 10 mental stumbling blocks and try to assess the subtle [...]
Big, striped cats are a good image to invoke with your rock band's name, it seems. Do a search for "tigers" in the music section of Myspace and you'll get 100 pages of results. Counting that one loc... Continue reading "Behold the Many Tiger Bands" >

Miniature Tigers on tour With Ben Folds/Dear and The Headlights Phoenix, Arizona's Miniature Tigers will join Ben Folds for nearly three weeks beginning February 11 in Princeton, NJ, and concluding March 1 in Charlotte, NC. On March 2nd, Miniature Tigers will hook up for a March tour with Dear and the Headlights winding their way into SXSW. Also, Miniature Tigers is thrilled to announce the addition of Phantom Planet 's Darren Robinson to [...]

image by Frank Roberts MacDonald Even more concise gems - previous marvels. ♫ New York - Cat Power Jukebox (2008) buy ♫ Dating - Ty Segall Ty Segall (2008) buy | myspace ♫ Giraffe - Miniature Tigers Tell it to the Volcano (2008) buy | iTunes [...]

After posting a bit about Miniature Tigers a couple weeks ago, I decided I needed to hear their debut album, Tell It To The Volcano , as soon as possible. The record was released last year digitally and will be getting a proper physical release soon, but I wanted to write this review while the excitement of hearing the songs was still fresh in my mind. " Volcano " is a light-hearted, fun album full of pop hooks and clever lyrics that is especially refreshing in the midst of so many self-serious indie bands out there today. [...]
Most Likely To: catalyze global warming, and not in the bad way. The average annual temperature in Phoenix, Arizona is 72.6 degrees Fahrenheit, while Los Angeles slides in at a cool 63 to match its reputation. What do these two locations have in common? Why, the sweet and sultry summer sounds of Miniature Tigers, of course! Not long ago, this band was a mere awkward teenager unsure of its place in the world. Formed with a few catchy tunes in Charlie Brand's bedroom, the project has grown up quickly, and right [...]

This here is an automated, pre-written post as I'm currently away on one of my spy missions to the USof until the 21st January. Not only does my welcome absence afford TWoTH some much needed 'down time' from my giddy ninnying, she also has about 2 weeks of having to only worry about the DCHQ cats dropping half-chewed food on the duvet, leaving suspect puddles on the floor & jumping all over her head at 3am because they can't sleep & want attention. This week, then, in a further installment of the Drunk [...]

The first thing I heard about Miniature Tigers was the following quote from Austin Town Hall, "With a sound that's poppy and pretty easy on the ears, these guys might just be the new Vampire Weekend you peoples are all looking for..." My interest piqued, I checked out the first single, "Cannibal Queen" from the band's digitally-released debut entitled Tell it to the Volcano. The song features Charlie Brand's quirky lyrical style backed by the band's bouncy, rhythmic guitar/drum/bass combo. While I don't completely agree with the Vampire Weekend comparison, the catchy indie-pop sound that [...]
With most bands and publicists in vacation mode last week and since after two holiday mixtapes , our well of indie Christmas carols and Hanukkah hymns was beginning to run dry, we didn't have much to work with for last week's Friday Mixtape. So we decided to scrap it and return with one this week that would be down right bangin'. Suffice to say, I think we accomplished our mission. Below you'll find a mix of this week's best new singles, covers, and remixes along with a multitude of mp3s from some talented up-and-comers. Enjoy! [...]
The first full week of 2009 and the weather pretty much matched everyone's feelings on the subject. I am headed up north in search of snow this weekend, but I leave you with some music that will hopefully have you forgetting the weather and enjoying yourselves. Peter Broderick - And It's Alright School of Seven Bells - Iamundernodisguise Ambulance Ltd - Stay Where You Are Secret Machines - Now You're Gone Mobius Band - Hallie Autodrone - Strike A Match [...]

It's been a strange few days over here at DCHQ . On Monday a certain NY radio station sent what can only be described as a compliment-strewn e-beg asking us to join their airwaves, affording us carte blanche on show content & tomfoolery. Yesterday we received word that this month our TWR podcasts are #1 on the Podbean site for the Radio category (with almost 14,000 listeners tuning in since New Year's day). Then we discover we have the 4th most listened to Radio podcast on the entire Podbean site, ever . This morning I received an email from a promoter asking [...]
by bmac I can't give away any details, but we have a pretty amazing present planned for you guys this week. If you're really good we may give it to you early. It's Santa's call. Here are all the jams from last week. Try to stay warm, theres only a few more days to go. Happy Holidays from QC. Get em all at once - mixtape 26.zip - or listen individually after the jump.. [...]
In the spirit of the season, I am going to do a "best of" list for this year. This is a big deal to me, as I have been preparing for this since January 2008. I highly recommend the following albums for consumption… 5. Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Grievances It is essential to have an album where the whole thing starts off loud and clear with a "Fuck you!'. Really gets my heart pumping, and it lets me know that the artist cares. Titus Andronicus have a lo-fi catchy sound, and if [...]
This year, I've asked a few Phoenix-area musicians/people of interest for their year-end, best-of lists: albums, songs, whatever. This installment comes from Charlie Brand, frontman/writer for Miniature Tigers , who released the excellent Tell it to the Volcano in August. Brand offers up a list of the albums he listened to most in 2008, whether they were released this year or not. Of Grizzly Bear's Yellow House, Brand told me, "I discovered it late in the game. One of my favorite and most listened to albums of the year." [...]
This year, I've asked a few Phoenix-area musicians/people of interest for their year-end, best-of lists: albums, songs, whatever. This installment comes from good friend Jay Wiggins, who spins under the name DJ Funkfinger at Shake! on Saturday nights at the Rogue, voted Best Hipster Dance Night by the Phoenix New Times. Jay was also kind enough to host mp3s for all of his selections for his indie-pop top 10 (in no particular order). " Oxford Comma – Vampire Weekend [3:16] What can I say that hasn't been [...]