"Sigh No More," the debut album from London quartet Mumford & Sons that gets its U.S. release on Tuesday, is worth every bit of its substantial buzz. Theirs is folk music for rambunctious folks, with a spine that runs from clattering indie rock to dark, tender twang. Their show tonight at the Troubadour has long been sold out; watch for a return date this summer. ... At the Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa, two from Buzz Bands' best-of-'09 list: The Thermals and Thao with the Get Down Stay Down (that pairing comes to the Troubadour [...]
Heavy Rotation Records (HRR) Dorm Sessions 7 CD release concert is tomorrow night at the Berklee Performance Center. The CD features a varied mix of music by Berklee students and alumni, including rock and indie pop artists Ann Driscoll, Black Kettle (pictured over there on the left), and Tin Soldier; Brazilian pop/folk artist Tais Alvarenga; and hip-hop group KR & the Future. Dorm Sessions 7 is the 12th release for HRR, which gives Music Business/Management students at Berklee hands-on experience. The label is springboard for artists and careers in the industry. [...]
She might be better known today for her flamboyant style, plastic surgery excesses and dumb blond stage persona, but before she became a pop-culture caricature, Dolly Parton was a tremendous singer, under-rated songwriter and country music ambassador to the world. By the age of 13, Parton had already been signed to a label and appeared at the Grand Ole Opry and was well on her way to being dubbed the "Queen of Country Music". To date, she has 25 number-one singles and a record 41 top-10 country albums. Along with classics like "Coat of [...]
Almost precisely two months has passed since the last time I visited Vicar Street so I can only assume that a decision was made in the interim to make regular, booming announcements around the building urging the public to step right up, step right up and see the incredible musical talents of Brown Bird and the infamous Low Anthem , but don't forget to stop at the bar and drink, drink, drink! The overwhelming feeling that we were riding the bumper cars at Funderland was in the starkest of contrasts with the respectfully quiet atmosphere in the [...]
The biggest bands in the world have a concept to promote their tour. U2 did Zoo TV and the 360 Tour , the Rolling Stones had A Bigger Bang ; so when Americana singer-songwriter Israel Nash Gripka and indie garage rockers The Fieros began planning their U.S. jaunt, they decided to be candid and "Sing For Their Supper." In March, the artists will set sail from New York City to the southern United States, stopping along the [...]
TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone brings his solo side-project (with live band) Rain Machine on Thursday 15th April for a show at The Academy. Tickets are on sale tomorrow priced €18.50 inclusive of booking fee. Related Oxegen Saturday - Yeah Yeah Yeahs, St. Vincent, Bloc Party, Doves, Boys Noize Best of Heineken Green Spheres Stage Pet Shop Boys, Nine Inch Nails, Jane's Addiction & more for Oxegen [...]
Pavement, Modest Mouse and LCD Soundsystem are set to headline the fifth annual festival from US alternative music website Pitchfork. The event takes place in Chicago's Union Park on July 16-18 and will also feature sets from St Vincent, Raekwon, Cass McCombs, Lightning Bolt, Here We Go Magic and Sleigh Bells. More bands for the event will be announced soon. For more information see Pitchforkmusicfestival.com.
Lots of music videos popping up lately - too many to keep up with as a matter of fact. Conveniently, most of these come courtesy of Pitchfork , among other places. I guess you could call this a lazy attempt at a blog post, but it's better than nothing. The videos can be viewed after the cut, and include new stuff from Jonsi , St. Vincent , Spoon , Toro Y Moi and Massive Attack . Jonsi [...]
Apropos of absolutely nothing, here's the newest internet meme that probably won't sweep the nation but whatever, it's ridiculous: Selleck Waterfall Sandwich . The complicated premise here is that you take a picture of actor Tom Selleck , you take a picture of a waterfall, and you take a picture of a sandwich and you just MASH 'EM ALL TOGETHER. What you end up with is magic. And by magic, I mean an actor, water, and deli meat. How can you even go wrong? Now, two things: first, I know this has nothing to do with [...]
Best Coast's Bobb Bruno & Bethany Cosentino Hello everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Far too many exceptional shows last week including last night's NO CANCER! Benefit show with No Age , Vivian Girls , Best Coast , Graham Forest , Darker My Love and more. I do believe Bethany from Best Coast 's performance as one of their most entertaining yet. [...]
photos by Bao Nguyen 'Stories in High Fidelity' held an event at Bowery Ballroom on February 3rd featuring stories from David Byrne Alan Light , Dan Kennedy and Jason Gordon , and music from Nicole Atkins . The big question of the night was whether Byrne, who features Nicole Atkins on a track on his new album , would get up and sing with her during the musical part of the evening. The [...]
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/j cbehm Get a fresh pair of pants ready because Pitchfork, self-established mecca of indie hipsterdom, has announced their initial lineup for 2010. The first round of bands includes Pavement, Modest Mouse, LCD Soundsystem, St. Vincent, Here We Go Magic and Sleigh Bells. According to P4K, this year Friday's lineup will feature more bands, which is always rad considering the Friday lineup alone is usually worth the ticket price. The bill - usually reserved for indie legends like last year's Built to Spill, The Jesus Lizard, Yo La Tengo, [...]
Monday February 8, 2010 [Pick of the Night] Useless Keys / Light FM / The Black Apples / L.E.F. @ The Echo (Free) – Useless Keys has the Monday night residency. [Recommended] Princeton / Casxio / Rafter / The Jubilee Singers @ Spaceland (Free) – Princeton continues their Monday night residency. Red Arrow Messenger / Jenny O / Rumspringa @ Bootleg (Free) – Red Arrow Messenger continues its Monday night residency. Gamble House / [...]
To follow behind a solid year of touring and the release of the album 'The Snake', Swedish drum & vocal duo Wildbirds & Peacedrums have just released the single 'My Heart' last month. A 'wonderfully uplifting pop track that blossoms into a full-blown gospel anthem', the song showcases singer Mariam Wallentin's haunting, addictive refrain. The video's water-colour layer look provides a stunning visual complement. Catch the band on their North American tour supporting St. Vincent . 2/8 San Francisco, CA @ Slim's 2/9 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey 2/10 Solano [...]
Adorned in a black shirt with puffy sleeves and a guitar strapped high, it was unclear if St. Vincent herself was going to be swallowed up by her surroundings. The typical indie-rock paradox would have Annie Clark slice through the environs with a single vocal slash to leave no doubt as to who was queen. But St. Vincent plays with opposites the way a toddler does with applesauce; she owns a far more delicate voice, ever teetering on the edge of self-determined rhythm and tune. Indeed, her slight frame initially betrays the gravity of her lyrics; her unruly [...]
"Laughing With A Mouth of Blood" is my favorite single from St. Vincent's new album, Actor. The official video was released at the end of last week. The video is another addition to thunderAnt's Feminist Bookstore series, Annie does an instore performance at Women and Women First, the most feminist of all feminist bookstores. Read more at www.SFCritic.com
St. Vincent goes the humorous route on her music video for "Laughing With A Mouth Of Blood," showing her playing an instore performance at Women and Women First, the most feminist of all feminist bookstores. "I could stick around for another song if you guys want?" myspace.com/stvincent
Reality as we know it never exactly is as it appears. For St. Vincent's Annie Clark these opposing forces have a balance that can be created. No, the Manhattan based singer and guitarist is not also a physicists, but rather is captivated to say the least, with duality of contrasts both sonically and lyrically. With Actor, Clark's imagination ties dreams with realities, as she began creating the album while watching her favorite movies like Badlands, Pierrot le Fou, The Wizard of Oz, Stardust... Read more at www.SFCritic.com
PICK OF THE WEEK St. Vincent w/ Wildbirds & Peacedrums Tues February 9 El Rey Theater Info [ ENTER TO WIN ] THIS WEEK'S TICKET GIVEAWAYS Nouvelle Vague w/ SOKO and Findlay Brown Tuesday, February 9 Henry Fonda Theater Info [ [...]
Although there still seems something strange in having a full blown rock gig in the middle of a sporting event, it can't be argued that The Who didn't turn in a powerful performance last night... And for sports fans, here's the moment the New Orleans Saints took the game... Random Posts St. Vincent - Actor DEAF 09 call for Irish artists Interview: Goldfrapp [...]
This Week's Other Releases
Essential Mix - Riva Starr (Feb)
Cover That Don't Suck
Reuse Recycle Remix - February 8
