Dallas or Dynasty captions, anyone? If you enjoy groups like The Stars, or New Pornographers with Neko Case at the helm, then you're bound to love The Secret History who are the featured act to play live tonight as part of England Belongs to Twee at Kung-Fu Necktie (Philadelphia). The band, who are based out of Brooklyn (former members of beloved-My Favorite), play a pastiche of organ-fumed pop with short bursts of powered sugar-tunes that will surely make the most depressed person tap a toe or two. We're not planning [...]
The Album Leaf play Philadelphia as part of their tour with Sea Wolf and will be at First Unitarian Church for a show this Sunday eve (May 2, 2010). The group whose sound mixes synth melodies and sample-loops with an other-worldly feel, spread their soft-male vocals over songs like something out of a lighter-sounding Boards of Canada outtake. The band, who has been playing certain dates with a string-quartet on call are unfortunately not using the quartet for this show in particular; but, if you can make it, they will be including the extra musicians at their Bowery Ballroom [...]
Steph Hayes and her band The Good Problems open for Kaki King tonight at The TLA (4/28/10, Philadelphia). You may already be familiar with Hayes, who was one of the main guitarists and writers for (local) well-known groups Cory, or (the famed) Stargazer Lily. Her longstanding songwriting friendship with Susan Rosetti who was also in both bands brought them from being signed to a large major label all the way to where the two female musicians are today--making music on their own terms, with the wry experience [...]
Lone Wolf is the recent signing of Yep Roc's sister label Bella Union (The Acorn, Fleet Foxes, John Grant). The debut single from LW's upcoming album (The Devil And I) is called Keep Your Eyes On the Road . The song itself is a dark, and brooding affair that is at its most brilliant: a cascade of melody, and at its lowest--a tunnel that winds upon itself, lyrically. Although the new single is impressive, it will forever be Lone Wolf's unusual accompanying video that will hold your attention long after the song dwindles. A near [...]
ARLT photos by C. Marcoux Openers ARLT who were handpicked to open both dates of The National's shows in Richmond, VA were an interesting duo to watch live, but were (perhaps) set before the wrong audience (a sold-out crowd of 1500 people) who were largely waiting for a rock band (loud and indecent). The delicate duo were due to fly in from Paris specifically for these dates, but could only make one because of the delay on air-traffic to and from Europe. They play music that is a mix [...]
All National photos by C. Marcoux The National played one of their first two nights for a fan preview at The National Theatre in Richmond, VA. The band who had not seen each other for two weeks used that day's soundcheck for a practice run of their show which also debuted a brand new light show as well. The group are getting ready for their summer dates, which begin in early May. These two dates will be followed by a nearly 50-date consecutive run for the group, which is huge for any seasoned group [...]
Yes, Giantess , who were slated to open this week for Bernard Sumner's Bad Lieutenant (before volcanic eruptions put the kibosh on air travel in Europe) have been making waves with their own house-party, college make-out, brand of electro-pop. The group who count former members of Passion Pit, and The Death Set among their ranks are trying to create something that will put the joy back into mainstream music. Are they making their mark? We think so, but we'll let you decide! Joey Sulkowski talks to us about everything from the group's first [...]
Every once and while a fan-made video comes along and you just hope the band will make it official. I've visited Neon Indian before and wasn't a huge fan with what I found. If you're a visual person, like me, sometimes you need that link to make you really 'get' one song or another. This Fan-vid, made by Spanish art student Lluis Panades Julia, is a perfect representation of Neon Indian's nostalgia laiden song. It's a memory of good times feathered at the edges. You know, a memory with jumpsuits. [...]
There is a lot to be said for the joyful pop music being created by Roslindale, Massachusetts' group Birds Of California . Their New Haven, Connecticut label February Records (formerly Tweefort) has just released a new single by the group, featuring three songs, that are available online for free download. We're happy to have been able to catch the group at the San Francisco Pop Festival showcase at Cafe Du Nord with Cherry Red, Dear Nora, and Eux Autres last year for their debut, and share part of that show and a few live [...]
As a sign of the times to come: bands that will be canceling US dates due to the volcanic eruptions that are happening in Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull, include Bernard Sumner's new group Bad Lieutenant who were set to tour for their debut album Never Cry Another Tear, and Frightened Rabbit (although with Frightened Rabbit, their tour is still expected to kick off on Monday April 19th instead....providing that British air space gets things off the ground...), and quite possibly Swedish group The Mary Onettes [...]
Our good friend Andrew Miller wrote to remind us of a very special date coming up this Saturday (tomorrow, April 17th, 2010): Mojo 13's Tric Town is turning 8 years old! To celebrate, Miller and Casey Grabowski (who started the cool monthly) will be holding the very special bash at it's usual beloved spot (Mojo 13) in Wilmington, Delaware. There will be free popcorn and hot dogs, we've been told, and the duo has special guests performing as well! You can expect to hear music from favorite groups like [...]
Photo by Kyle Marquette Dear Althea - Oh Today Philadelphia's Dear Althea play The Fire (412 Girard Avenue) tonight for their long-awaited CD release party for their EP "We Rob Banks". The release was originally slated for a party last November when L&I shut the venue down. Around this time, their drummer also left the band. But after a rough start, original members Ashley Wildes and Dean [...]
Brad Hargett, roguish front man, Maxwell's, photo by C. Marcoux The Crystal Stilts, live at Maxwell's (Hoboken, NJ) - 3/27/10 Another goodie, from the 'live music' folder! This is the live show that we took away from seeing The Crystal Stilts when they opened for Love Is All at Maxwell's in NJ this past month. Maxwell's is fast becoming our favorite place to see a band, and our favorite city (Hoboken) to hang around while we're waiting. NYC [...]
David Gedge has an easygoing, interesting, and very engaging manner about him--he's someone who you can hang out and really have a long chat with (hard to find these days). Not only is he the main remaining member of the original UK group, Wedding Present , but he is the group's spokesperson and the remaining guide who has carried the band to the sound that they create today. A lovely bloke, as they say. For this tour, the band has been playing songs from The Wedding Present's second album, "Bizarro", and besides having the fans chime in about [...]
Girl About Town: So when did you first become a Wedding Present fan, and what excited you about the music? Keg: Sometime in the spring of 1989, a mate of my brother's came rushing into the room in a breathless state of excitement, brandishing a cassette tape in his hand. "Bloody hell, you've got to listen to this. It's ace!" he said. The tape turned out to be a copy of the Wedding Present's debut album, 'George Best'. The combination of those glorious 100 mph strummed guitars and David Gedge's lyrics proved to [...]
Photos of Gedge/WP by Val Topoleski, North Star Bar, 2008. Bizarro. It's a full-on Wedding Present Weekend! Yeah! The group hit several East Coast venues throughout this week and into the weekend surrounding their tour this month for US and Canada. The band played Washington DC on Thursday this week, and now the group will begin the weekend with a date at a sold-out gig at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ on Saturday, April 10th. It's on to Bowery Ballroom on April 11th, and then to Boston on the 12th and out to Toronto, Ontario's Horseshoe [...]
All Fanfarlo photos by C. Marcoux U.K.-based Fanfarlo headlined at the First Unitarian Church on March 31st in Philadelphia as part of their ongoing tour. Opening for the group were newcomers Robert Francis and Fanfarlo's tour support Lawrence Arabia (who seemed, already, to be a crowd favorite). Robert Francis' Springsteen roots-rock definitely strays to the side of southern-rock (during his set there were two exuberant fans running out to clasp hands and dance to the catchy pop of his recently released single, "Junebug"), while Lawrence Arabia's music [...]
Dream About Me is the latest video from Brooklyn's The Depreciation Guild . Although their sound is nothing we'll have not discussed here before if you're still listening to dream-pop from the 80s all the way to the early and mid 90's. Think, a cross of: Chapterhouse, New Order, and Slowdive, right off the bat. The guitar and synth work is set a bit off-tune on certain tracks: specifically Nautilus (from 2007's In Her Gentle Jaws) and Dream About Me, from their new album "Spirit Youth", and that is what makes this group's sci-fi-sonic landscape so beautifully set. [...]
Thanks to Dev at Hype Machine who emailed us out of the blue to ask us if Hype Machine could feature us last week for the month of April on their in-house radio show. Dev asked us questions over Skype about our Spill! feat. The Dum Dum Girls , and our blog: Girl About Town. We had fun talking to our friends at Hype M about all things (Paul) Weller and discussing a few of our other favorite things! We messed up in noting our humble beginnings, which were in '07 (purely [...]
"Historical perspective? Oh no, I can't give you that, mes frères, just listen. There are a million places where it all started, before the indiepop list, before Yo-Yo A Go-Go, before Belle and Sebastian, even. But this, what you hold in your hot little hands is like this: it's a little sign by the side of the road that indicates one of those landmarks. Someone ought to make a statue. Well, that might be silly." (excerpt: Black Tambourine Complete Recordings liner notes; Jennifer Silver, Swingset HQ) This Saturday [...]
Girl About Town
Bison - Quill
Neutral Milk Hotel- Aeroplane Over the Sea
Shinichi Osawa – Big Beach Mix 2012
