No Mentions of PLUGS or SXSW's + Shows

Mount Eerie is at it again folks. The band known for their dark, hard rocking ways have once again put it together on what is quickly becoming a fave around these parts. It rocks hard, it has it's weird lyrics, and it never stops luring me further in. I was a little put off by the track "Don't Smoke", but my personal afflictions have no real place in a pre-review. I've only gone through the album two and a half times but I can tell you that few songs have hit me as hard as "In Moonlight" has hit me this year. The song just flat out rocks, as does the majority of the album. The best part about the album is the darkness provided by the muddied drums and stymied guitar parts, it just oozes the feeling of something sinister lurking behind the tunes. This is a must listen for sure.
Mount Eerie - "In Moonlight"
Mount Eerie - "Don't Smoke"

With the immediate success Gnarls Barkley found with St. Elsewhere it is more or less inevitable that people are going to find themselves a bit disappointed with whatever comes next. Such is the beast of immediate success where everything is compared to your breakthrough hit single that came before it all. Gnarls Barkley certainly try their hardest to make sure this sort of sophomore slump doesn't happen to them on their second album The Odd Couple, but of course I'm sitting here waiting for a song like "Crazy" to take me over and it's just not happening. The album never quite allows Cee-Lo to hit his stride, with his exceptional range they should let him show it off, but here they spend most of their time working through quirky bits that are rapped more then sung. It's quite the disappointment, but there are some fine tracks on here to help shroud the disappointment a bit. "Who's Gonna Save My Soul", is a bit of a slow, mellow, introspective track, but it's this type of sound that I'd like to hear more of from Gnarls as a whole.
Gnarls Barkley - "Whatever"
Gnarls Barkley - "Blind Mary"

Cloud Cult have always hit me as the type of band that needs to be taken in the right amounts at the right time. Too much of it and you'll quickly become sick of it, but if you do it just right you'll find yourself a band that you can enjoy for a long time. On Feel Good Ghosts the band actually moves away from that feeling a bit with their most complete and cohesive album to date. The music follows along with what they've done prior to this, but they tone down the quirk a bit, add a little more straight forward pop, and presto it's a much easier pill to swallow. Over their past albums Cloud Cult often ruined the pace of their albums with throw in tracks or spoke bits, but not here, here the band allows the music to flow the way it's meant to and it sounds so much better in doing so. I've gone over the album a couple of times now and I'm still not getting sick of it at all. Hopefully, I'll still be able to say that in a couple of weeks but so far it's looking good.
Cloud Cult - "The Story of the Grandson of Jesus"
Cloud Cult - "The Will of a Volcano"

Topping my playlist for the week was the new album from Neon Neon, Stainless Styles. Featuring Boom Bip and Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals, Neon Neon have created a concept album based on the life of John DeLorean, creator of the DeLorean from Back to the Future fame. Ignoring the concept for just a second, the music on Stainless Styles is a funky blend of synths, live guitars, and the wonderful voice of Gruff Rhys. It is of course the music that I've been hooked on, but as soon as I read about the actual concept behind the album I knew I would be hooked for good. It follows along pretty well, you have your perfectly titled opening track "Neon Theme" that set us off on the path, "Raquel" for the fact that DeLorean once dated Raquel Welch, the narcissim of the 80's represented by "Michael Douglas", and of course "Dream Car" which is more or less self explanatory. As a product of the 80's I've never been a big fan of the pop music of the decade, but somehow I find myself hooked on this album which sounds exactly like the Reagan era. It's odd, but it's so enchanting that I'm not too concerned with my double standards here. I hope you won't care either and you like it as much as I do!
Neon Neon - "I Told Her On Alderaan"
Neon Neon - "Raquel"

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Friday March 7th;
Ra Ra Riot + Bear Hands @ Bowery Ballroom [tix][mp3][mp3]
Looker @ Luna Lounge [info][mp3]
The Stills @ Maxwell's [tix][mp3]
Sally Shapiro (DJ Show) @ Mercury Lounge [tix][mp3]
Hey Hey My My + The Epochs @ Southpaw [tix][mp3]
MSTRKRFT @ Studio B [tix][mp3]
The Hives + The Donnas @ Terminal 5 [tix][mp3][mp3]

Saturday March 8th;
The Stills @ Bowery Ballroom [tix][mp3]
Bridges and Powerlines @ Galapagos [info][mp3]
Working for a Nuclear Free City @ Music Hall of Williamsburg [tix][mp3]
Hey Hey My My @ Sound Fix Records [FREE][mp3]
Exit Clov @ The Annex [info][mp3]
Lightspeed Champion @ Union Pool [tix][mp3]
Aa @ UnionDocs Bodega [info][mp3]

Sunday March 9th:
Ra Ra Riot @ The Living Room [info][mp3]
Doveman @ Mercury Lounge [info][mp3]
Shara Worden (aka My Brightest Diamond) @ Union Hall [tix][mp3]
Love as Laughter @ Union Pool [info][mp3]