For the past year, Roomtone's Alexander, has been working on Roomtone's highly anticipated debut record, tentatively entitled, 'Hits & Mrs." . Initially the record was slated for release this summer but was pushed back and is now, finally scheduled for release in January 2008 . You won't find any gimmicks or experimental studio tricks in the upcoming release. What you will find is warm and catchy melodic songs with thick harmonic arrangements, and echoing 60's and 70's melodic structures that will inevitably give you goose bumps. [...]
Frickin' lasers. And fog. Heavy, heavy fog, that makes the people who are standing next to you look like zombies in a cemetery. Stardeath And White Dwarfs ' self-released, but not self-contained, debut EP "That's Cool" , is packed with shoegaze-y soul and burnout rhythm. The opening track, "Spring Time In Martha Stewart's Head" lingers at a slow instrumental pace until it builds and churns out crunch-filled, droning main and backing vocals laid underneath angular guitar riffage. The tracks that follow show further experimentation and bravado, employing great use of theremin, weird vocal-clips and a catchy, [...]
Already a hometown power pop favorite, Grammar Debate is a four-piece comprised of Joe Lekkas, Alex Yaker, Carolynne McNeel, and Becker, with help from new comers Grant Whittaker and John Sakoian. At the time of the recording of their debut album, they were accompanied by Walt Epting (on drums) and Brian Wilkinson (on bass), but since then the band has had a couple of lineup changes. Not to worry, however, as their signature sound lies with Joe singing lead vocals and playing guitar, and Carolynne on keyboards and backing vocals. This duo is adept at high pitched harmonies and interlaced [...]
In the early-to-mid 90s during the late advent of serious indie-brit-pop, a lot of Welsh acts were coming to the fore and making an audience impact overseas, most notably acts such as Super Furry Animals, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Helen Love, 60ft Dolls and Catatonia. You may also remember lead-singer [of Catatonia] Cerys Matthews ' duet 'Baby It's Cold Outside' with Tom Jones or that band Space's duet track with Cerys, "The Ballad of Tom Jones", maybe you even remember the Mulder & Scully references of Catatonia's first hit single. Cerys just has this amazing [...]
Pictured: Cheers Elephant It was another great Tric Town at Mojo 13 this past Friday. Yes, usually Tric Town is on the third Saturday of each month, but this time Friday was the lucky day as four local bands treated the large crowd to some psych pop and rock. Bands were Lennon UK, Cheers Elephant, Petland (for which this was a CD release show), and Dead Loretta. DJ Madame Duchamp (yours truly) spun between sets, throwing out indie, psych and garage. Lennon UK started the night with a packed house of Delaware fans, most of whom were [...]
According to The Sky Drops website, Rob Montejo and Monika Bullette make music together. Fact. It is also widely accepted that The Sky Drops make lovely music together. Witness their video for single "Hang On", a song which is featured on The Sky Drops "Clouds of People" debut EP. Featuring Delaware natives Rob on guitar and Monika on drums, the pair both share complimentary vocals that float along with the dreamy and drowsy lilt of the song. Don't let this song fool you into thinking this band is sleepy - on the contrary. If you have seen [...]
(Warming themselves up to the fire of "rock"?) Utterly convinced that they are indeed "the" band to watch, the crowd stood at rapt attention last night for the headliner at Johnny Brenda's --UK's British Sea Power , who actually had to wait for the smoke to clear from the mind-blowing openers ( Stardeath and White Dwarfs ) before going on. Although the sound for BSP was absolutely muddy at best, unfortunate for a person's first-time experience in seeing [...]
Modern Skirts are four fine fellows from the lovely town of Athens GA. They are cute, their songs are catchy, and they exude a wholesome dose of piano pop. They are hometown heroes, selling out the 40 watt club and headlining festivals in the Southeast. Here in Philly, they stopped on their tour to play with Grammar Debate, The Swimmers (with whom they share a simpatico sound), and the XYZ Affair. Having seen Grammar Debate and The Swimmers on multiple occasions, I came specifically to see Modern Skirts, as I had heard through the grapevine that they are great performers. [...]
Ever-deserving of the title, the Cute Band Alert of October 2007 should be awarded to none other than Aukland, NZ's The Brunettes . Headlining a show with Ferraby Lionheart and Philadelphia's The Cobbs opening at Johnny Brenda's on October 04/07, The Brunettes stole the show. Using YMCA-styled hand signals to spell out the first track chorus to "Brunettes Against Bubblegum Youth" (also spelled out in bodily gestures as) 'B-A-B-Y' from their new album "Structure & Cosmetics" (Lil' Chief/SubPop), The Brunettes perked up the whole room [...]
In The Beatles' song "Across The Universe," the chorus relates to us: "Nothing's gonna change my world" . In the verses, everything seems to be swaying and moving, ( words are flying/endless rain/drifting through/restless wind/limitless , etc.). Julie Taymor's 2nd big direction film (her first being the movie "Frida" ), is about the world changing also. Changing around its characters, and in a big way. Depicting another Vietnam-era epic fictionalizing a storyline sadly paralleling our own generation's current events --and possibly making this picture just a little more poignant in the process [...]
Not sure how they pulled this one off, but over the weekend Radiohead made an announcement that their next album will be released in 10 days! RSS feeds everywhere are going crazy. Hello everyone. Well, the new album is finished, and it's coming out in 10 days; We've called it In Rainbows. Love from us all. Jonny Pitchfork has [...]
This is the week of Bruce Springsteen . His new album with the E-Street Band, Magic comes out this Tuesday (Oct. 2). He's playing Wachovia Center on Friday and Saturday. Don't miss this opportunity. His show with the E-Street Band is one of the best live performances you can experience. Seeing this living legend on stage is worth the sometimes steep ticket prices. In celebration of Bruce & The E Street band's triumphant return, here is a stunning video of the Bat for Lashes re-inventing the Springsteen classic "I'm On Fire". The intensity will leave [...]
It's 1979 in bleak post-punk England, where world-weary characters make their way through this cinematic masterpiece that explores existential angst within an empty industrial urban context. Directed by Chris Petit and filmed in black and white, this film originally debuted in the UK and is only now seeing the light of day via its DVD release. The film features dramatic cinematography by Martin Schaefer, who worked with German director Wim Wenders, and a soundtrack that includes Kraftwerk, Lene Lovitch, Ian Dury, Devo, Wreckless Eric, David Bowie, and Robert Fripp. The images and music are what create the temperament of the [...]
Underground rock heroine Mary Timony is back with her fourth solo release since her days with 90s alt darlings Helium. This time, Mary is joined by fellow DC scenesters Devin Ocampo (drums) and Chad Molter (bass) to try the band approach to making her latest solo record. This approach definitely works, as Mary can freely express herself through her meandering guitar hooks and signature half-spoken vocals. The guys in the band provide a loose backbone for the unrestrained song arrangements, giving room for the vocals to loom prominent. This musical collaboration, one of equality and kinship, creates a unique foil [...]
Photographer Janette Beckman has assembled her images from the forefront of the British punk movement, to which she was an active participant. Beckman was never an outsider, working at Melody Maker and The Face chronicling the explosion of teen popular culture that grew out of Thather's oppressive politics. With images of Teddy boys, mods, skinheads, punks, and rude boys, Beckman crafts a visual history of one of the most vibrant eras in popular music. Along with a foreword by fashion designer Paul Smith and essays by Vivien Goldman (ex-Melody Maker journalist and all-around punk expert) and Paolo Hewitt (equally respected [...]
Girl About Town
Bison - Quill
Neutral Milk Hotel- Aeroplane Over the Sea
Shinichi Osawa – Big Beach Mix 2012
