Shinobu - Jeff Rosenstock's "We". So a few years ago Shinobu came to town, playing the tiny little back room at the knitting factory in hollywood, arguably one of the least cool places to play. But that didn't matter to them. They played like they were at the hollywood bowl, leaving it all out there on the stage. They won me over with their scrappy pop rock, similar to Hot Club de Paris. Apparently, in the years in between, the band members have been cast to the wind, sprinkled all over the US. They still manage to record, through the...
Our old friends at The Fader have gifted us with a copy of their new split 7" featuring Wavves and Windsurf. It's a nice mix of low fi ennui on the a-side with an instrumental hammock jam on the flip. You can't really complain, and they only made 500 of them. If you want to win the one we have just go ahead and email me with "wavves contest" in the subject. I'll pick one winner at random later this week. And while you're waiting you can read about these two bands in the new issue of the Fader....
Pink Mountaintops - While We Were Dreaming. I woke up today praying for some hot weather music. Something smokey and gauzy and soothing, reflecting the blistering, smothering, unexpected heat of this weird Los Angeles week. And then, lo and behold, the Pink Mountaintops let this new one slip from their upcoming record and all is right in the world. We are all going to go on May 5th to the record store and buy this record and it'll be like diving into a spring-fed swimming pool on the hottest, driest day....
Cymbals Eat Guitars - Wind Phoenix. Once again we have a band with a terrible name, but at least the album art is good this time around. And you know, in these uncertain times, who has the time to listen to a band with a shitty band name? Apparently I do. Apparently I'm willing to forgive and forget, to overlook a minor transgression in the name of pushing things forward. Listen, we're all in this thing together, so the least we can do is help each other out, spend a little time together. And here we have Cymbals Eat Guitars....
Look, there's no denying it: times are tough. We all know why. But am I wrong in thinking that things are starting to look up a little? The economy may be recovering slightly, our new president may be improving our reputation in the universe, spring may finally be here, and Minnesota may eventually have a senator. One For The Team - Garden. It is in this spirit that I hear the new EP from Minneapolis' One For The Team. Their record Build It Up was one of 2008's best, and this new EP Build A Garden is just as good....
MC Crescent Moon of Kill The Vultures, Triple Rock Social Club, 4/10/09 Walk On Water, from Ecce Beast. More after the jump....
The Atomic Bitchwax - Revival. Listen: This is a terrible name for a band. I'm sorry dudes, but it's true. It's also some pretty miserable cover art. In all honesty, I'm as surprised as anyone that I listened to this song, considering those two big strikes against it. On top of all that, they're from New Jersey, which, come to think of it, is actually pretty cool. But, against all odds, I checked it out, and hot damn if it isn't a sweet jam. They take standard rock riffs, add a great melody, and double up the vocals. It's a...
Pink Mountaintops - Vampires. I've been staring at this song for weeks, trying to find the right words to say. Maybe it's because I saw it just a day or two after finally seeing Let the Right One In, and that movie was still fresh in my mind when Stephen McBean was singing about Vampires. Maybe it's because I didn't want them to sing about vampires at all, what with them being this major cultural phenomenon and all that. So I searched into the lyrics, hoping that it wasn't overtly about vampires, but only sort of about vampires (like the...
Talk about a band that doesn't need our help. The Thermals' new record Now We Can See came out yesterday to many positive reviews. The Thermals - Now We Can See. But this site is all about fandom, and about not only supporting the little guy, but throwing our weight, for what it's worth, behind the established artists we like. I listened to the whole record today - out now on Kill Rock Stars - and I'm a huge fan. As Pitchfork notes, the work of frontman Hutch Harris is a lesson in economy. Music this direct and simple makes...
I went to see Bishop Allen at the Triple Rock last night, which meant I also ended up catching the damnedest opening band. Miniature Tigers - The Wolf. They're called Miniature Tigers, and they're awesome. Like Bishop Allen, they play catchy pop music, and like Bishop Allen, their songs are full of tiny gears and cogs that make the whole operation run smoothly. They have some great songs, and this track is from the band's record Tell It To The Volcano, out now on Modern Art Records. By the way, that's lead singer Charlie Brand's guitar up there. Nerdtastic....
Children - Power Spirit. So here's the thing: Your usual hardcore band is telling you something. They have clearcut ideals that they are communicating to you through song. They have scrawled these ideas into the liner notes of their 7"s, shouted them into the mic in the basement of the unitarian church. They music is sometimes less important than the message, which is why the bands exist. And while Children are basically a hardcore band, it seem to me that they're using the music to help figure their ideas out. They don't start out with a clear message, and through...
Sun Araw - Horse Steppin'. You might think you won this round, but honestly I think it was a draw....
It all comes together. Pomegranates - Corriander. That's what it's all about, isn't it? Whether we want to admit it or not, we listen to music in order to organize everything, even if that music is completely chaotic. You listen to organize yourself, to get yourself in order, to hear yourself. You want it to all make sense. "Corriander" isn't exactly chaotic, but it starts a little fuzzy, with those delayed guitars and half-whispered vocals. There's a hint that the song will snap into place - the acoustic guitars, switching channels, keeping you on your toes - and then, finally,...
Double Dagger - The Lie / The Truth. You are going to hear a lot about a '90s resurgence in the coming years. You're going to hear a lot about grunge and a lot about shoegaze and a lot about flannel and the church of slack and all that bullshit. You will see some terrible washed out designs and maybe even see a bunch of people hanging out in coffeehouses talking about schoolhouse rock. But I don't care about any of that. I'm not super into nostalgia for the '90s mainly because it was such an unfocused time, culturally speaking....
Kurt Vile - My Best Friends (Don't Even Pass This). Today is one of those days where you can open the window, feel the breeze, and immediately feel like you're outside. One of those rare days when it's the same temperature inside and out, with a natural warmth from the sun and the breeze. It's the day you climb into your threadbare old hammock and ride out the afternoon with ease and grace. You might know Kurt Vile from the War On Drugs, his band on Secretly Canadian. He mines similar American territory with his solo work, but it is...
Now, Now Every Children, 7th St. Entry, Minneapolis, 3/13/09 Sleep Through Summer, from Cars....
Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound - The Slumbering Ones. We're slowly entering the gloom phase of the weather here in Los Angeles. Our seasons are subtle here. Unlike in the east where the cold is a presence, an active force on your body, here the cold is the absence of heat. Somehow it can feel more sinister. Clouds here are so foreign they can be an insult. But then again, when else would we have an excuse or an application for Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound (arguably one of the more ridiculous band names in recent history). They're on Tee...
This Monday, before the rest of Los Angeles heads out to sxsw, there's one last party to start off the week. It's being presented by Friends of Friends, which is a new label focusing on the artist and consumer alike, intent on crafting a quality product above and beyond the traditional CD. So they've brought in some sweet bands for the night. Personally, I'm most interested in checking out Girls, who I keep hearing about but haven't yet seen. Tickets are eight bucks, doors at 8:30. Come have a drink. We'll be there....
There's a weird amount of hubris and sympathy in this one, like a hip-hop song doused in Sleater-Kinney production. Julie Doiron - Consolation Prize. It's like she feels bad you had to be with someone as awesome as her, "every night, following" her, but sees it as an inevitability. Then there's that almighty fuzz: so simple, yet it clouds the song just enough so the track isn't the straight-ahead pop song it may otherwise have been. Julie Doiron's new record I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day is really good. Despite idiomatic warnings, I immediately judged it by...
Other Animals - Odin. It's not as easy as it used to be. We could be home, curled up in our comforters with our cats, finding new ways to do the same old thing. We could stew ourselves some soup and call it a night. We could light a few candles for our wasted youth and pretend like it's going to be ok. Or. Or. Or we could rage in defiance of the norse gods, puking our goblets of mead on the meadows of war, scraping our knuckles on the hand hewn decks of our ships, setting torches to our...
music (for robots)
Watch: Trailer for Dave Grohl’s documentary, Sound City
Conchord On Composing Music For Muppets
Webcast: The Kills’ 10th anniversary concert
Free James Blake live album given away
