Blog: Blog del Jalapeño

The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players are a domestic trio (dad Jason , mom Tina Piña , daughter Rachel ) who play quirky indie pop songs in the key of unironic good, clean fun with one major catch - all the songs' carefully rhyming lyrics are inspired by the vintage slide collections they've found at estate or garage sales. What's more, from their retro fashion sense to their disavowal of modern conveniences, the Trachtenburgs are a charming relic - a vintage throwback to simpler, more self-sufficient, family-oriented times (just like their music). See upcoming [...]

Opening bands: The Forms, Denison Witmer, Page France The Forms Denison Witmer Page France Anathallo It was an [...]

• mp3 » blackmetal.mp3
• mp3 » Page France - Chariot.mp3
• Anathallo - Hoodwink
• Denison Witmer - Are You A Dreamer?

It's that time of year already... prepare to be bombarded with year-end Best Of lists galore. Not one to be left out, here's my crack at putting together a Best Albums list. Below are what I believe to be the overall 10 best albums (LPs) of 2006. My criteria for determining this list is totally random and subjective, so take it for what it's worth. Here they are, in reverse order. 10. Morrissey : [...]

Photo by Jasper Coolidge ( jenyk.com ) The Forms have been off the radar for the past year or so, busy recording their new album no doubt. Their 2003 debut ( Icarus ) received critical acclaim (see Pitchfork ) and was produced by none other than Steve Albini. Their new album is due out some time next year and should be great. Visit their MySpace page to listen to one of their new songs. They played a few dates during CMJ week... if you missed them, [...]

• mp3 » sunday.mp3

Mixel Pixel played the Knitting Factory this past weekend for their new CD release (Music For Plants)... unfortunately, I missed it. I haven't had a chance to listen to their latest CD, but you can visit here and here for some reviews. This video from their previous LP (Contact Kid) is freakin' trippy. Watch it all the way through for some truly funny sound effects (it's worth it). I think I even heard sounds from the E.T. Atari game . Man, was that game a huge disappointment for me [...]

• Mixel Pixel - Body Automatic

I'm a sucker for karaoke, so I really dig this The Blow video. The Blow is a synthpop duo hailing from Portland, OR and they've been getting a lot of love recently from Stereogum . Parentheses has a 60's vibe going on and it sounds way different than the rest of their stuff. Their LP, Paper Television , is worth checking out. BTW, if you're into karaoke, you absolutely have to check out this German site .