Provincial is a dose of methadone for hardcore fans of the Weakerthans who find themselves in year five of a wait for new material. The assembled backing band brings Samson’s lyrics into even higher relief, as his portraiture of life on the margins recenters its characters through intricate, unlikely detail. Reminds us of: the Weakerthans | John Darnielle | Travel Manitoba John K. Samson : ( Official / Label )
There is always dissonance in the ranks when a musician that has long been associated with intellectualism and originality starts pulling on more commercially minded levers. Since Lupe Fiasco has always enjoyed this classification, all that parental disappointment face handed out to Lasers last year by a formerly adorning music press and all those day one fans seemed like a foreseeable response. Why had Lupe aligned himself to soulless radio trends? Was this the aftermath of a label trying to manhandle him and rob him of his artistic license like Jive did with The Clipse? Why [...]
What makes a Shin a Shin? Has James Mercer met a bandmate he couldn’t live without? Does he ever regret that Garden State soundtrack? Do those of you who have been anxiously waiting five years for a new album wonder, after the first listen, what took so long? Listen again. Reminds us of: The Shins | The unrealized potential of Zach Braff The Shins: Official | MySpace
Claire Evans and Jona Bechtolt are bringing it home after an extensive bout around the U.S. Finishing their tour in Portland, YACHT will be heading up Mississippi Studios on March 29 as part of an event with Eleven Magazine , which we just happen to have one pair of tickets for! So join the Knight Templars of YACHT for an evening, and tell us what 'utopia' means to you. Email your thoughts to danielle[dot]fowler[at]melopho be[dot]com for a chance to win! DEADLINE IS [...]
Camp Bisco just celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, and comes back with a stellar lineup for its 11th go. From July 12-14 a slew of acts will grace Mariaville, New York for one of the greatest 3 day parties ever. Headed, as usual, by the Disco Biscuits, the lineup also includes Skrillex, Crystal Castles, Big Boi, Amon Tobin's ISAM, and Bassnectar at the top of the bill. Other great acts include Holy Fuck, Big Gigantic, and Portugal the Man. Watch this space and our friends WBRS.FM for the chance to win passes to this year's edition. [...]
Tanlines takes more cues from Depeche Mode and Peter Gabriel than from the Republic of Zaire, so let’s not go overboard with the “Afropop-influenced” critical gestures. But the boys have excellent taste, wonderfully intricate beats, sunshiny guitars, and vocals that fuse emotional impact and Eurotrashy world-weariness in equal measures. Reminds us of: Pet Shop Boys | Depeche Mode | Vampire Weekend, with a head cold | Four Tet Tanlines: Official / YouTube channel
"can we get married in the Straaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand?"
Flat-voiced and eternally sighing, Nicholas Thorburn gets away with bemoaning his broken relationship because of snappy drums, clear-ringing piano, and harmonies that reach out to touch someone other than himself. The best songs, “Hallways” and “Can’t Feel My Face,” are the fastest; heartbreak gets uptempo and angry, too. Reminds you of: Blood on the Track s for wimps / Springsteen’s Devils & Dust with more synths / Lou Barlow Islands: Official / MySpace
At a P-Funk show, no one goes home until the roof lifts off the mutha sucka. With what looks to be at least two busloads of people on stage, and enough groove to disrupt an entire part of town, they come, they go off and they get down. You can't shake it. You can't fake it. And you sure as hell can't hate it. On Friday night, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic did what they do best in front of a sold out crowd in Portland. The revolving cast of characters that make [...]
A squeeze of the hand, a knowing look, Put Your Back N To It ascends to tenderness and consolation through piano-based arrangements against a trembling, lush backdrop. Songs rarely swell to crescendo, but when they do, notes of 50s girl group jubilation emerge, hinting that it does indeed get better. Reminds us of : Grandaddy | newer Antlers | Sufjan Stevens Rating : 8.8 Perfume Genius : ( Label / Facebook )
" Blue Like Jazz ," based on Donald Miller's beloved collection of essays of the same name, premieres tonight at SXSW. Focusing on Miller's experience at Reed College, it was partially filmed in Portland, and Menomena's Danny Seim scored the project ("TAOS" plays in the trailer). The film hits theaters on April 13th.
Need an excuse to flail your arms around? Paint yourself blue? Get covered in rainbows? Glitterbomb a crowd? I got one for you. Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt! are visiting Mississippi Studios on March 28 and they're bringing all that and a suit of stuffed animals to the stage. Better keep your Wednesday night open 'cause we're giving out two pairs of tickets to loyal readers who submit their name and favorite cartoon character to danielle[dot]fowler[at]melopho be[dot]com. Winners will get a response Tuesday plus further instructions. DEADLINE: MIDNIGHT PST on MONDAY, MARCH 26. [...]
For those of us not living in Texas, the March sadness is upon us. SXSW is this coming week and with gas prices hitting roughly $4 everywhere we look, there's hardly a chance we can afford the road trip. However, to keep your spirits up we're bringing at least one showcased artist to you for free. Deerhoof will be playing six showcases in the Austin heat, and afterward they're commencing tour dates with of Montreal that bring them to the Crystal Ballroom on March 23. So let's get down to [...]
As Astralwerks is known to do, they've signed yet another epic-anthem-crescendo-loving UK band, and darned if they're not catchy. Morning Parade will release their debut album on June 19th, and we're diggin' this single, "Us & Ourselves."
To quote my good friend and fellow melophobe, Raul Moreno, Pickathon is "the most sublime experience anyone on the melophobe staff has ever had, excluding perhaps prom and summer camp." For anyone who has shared this experience of wandering around the Pendarvis Farm grounds, immersed in good music, organic food carts, and friendly people, the point is hard to argue. And clearly, the word has spread. Pickathon is no longer the well-kept secret jewel of summer festivals: the early round of weekend tickets have already sold out! While Pickathon has grown considerably [...]
To quote my good friend and fellow melophobe, Raul Moreno, Pickathon is "the most sublime experience anyone on the melophobe staff has ever had, excluding perhaps prom and summer camp." For anyone who has shared this experience of wandering around the Pendarvis Farm grounds, immersed in good music, organic food carts, and friendly people, the point is hard to argue. And clearly, the word has spread. Pickathon is no longer the well-kept secret jewel of summer festivals: the early round of weekend tickets have already sold out! While Pickathon has grown considerably [...]
With a new album coming out this fall, Titus Adronicus debuted a new song last weekend to market its release. Watch the band and the front row go apeshit at The Stone Pony in New Jersey. Enjoy ten-minutes of incoherent singing but otherwise awesome jams.
From the tangled mess of fist pumps they came, barreling in for hugs and intense eye locks with the man in white. His aura was a magnet for the sweaty, and his call a champion of release. Around him the music charged forward with a cheerful sort of heaviness, asking for as much energy as the crowd would grant it. And like some fool-hardy Texas Hold 'Em players on a red-eyed booze bender, they responded by going all in. The stage was their dance pit, their landing strip, their launch pad, and their photo booth. There were no restrictions, just [...]
It takes a lot of courage to cover the inimitable Maxwell, but Ambassadors do it well with "Lifetime." The Brooklyn boys keep the earnest, soulful tone of the original while vocalist Sam Harris adds a little more rasp and a little less sultry falsetto. It works.
Shara Worden, the central instrument of My Brighest Diamond , embodies confidence; her every note and step is poised with a sure knowledge of self. For the sold-out crowd who filled Remis Auditorium at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts , it was an evening of aesthetic intimacy that offered red balloons, punk breakdowns, and lots and lots of segued stories. The night started with a 20-minute program of short animations from students at Mass College of Art, and the film theme continued when Worden scampered on stage clad in straw hat and black suiting. [...]
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