Tuesday Test Drive, R.I.P.

So that's it folks, I've decided to stop doing the Tuesday Test Drive post for a number of reasons. First of all it is extremely tedious to put together, and I think it's a bit boring aside from the mp3 sample of each album you get. But as tedious as it is to do it drives me nuts when Blogger goes and deletes the post each week despite me using mostly approved mp3's in the post. Oh well, you can still see similar posts on Largehearted Boy and Yellow Stereo amongst others every week. Hopefully I will come up with something new and awesome for all my wonderful readers on Tuesday's (suggestions are welcome! as are submissions!).

Tuesday's Recommended Release

Recommended Release:
Welcome to the summer months folks. In case you've forgotten since last year let me take a moment to remind you that the music industry sort of goes on hiatus at this time. Sure, there are all sorts of fun festivals and free shows going on throughout the world but if you want some new albums you're gonna have to really dig for what you want or wait patiently for one of the few good weeks to come around. This is not one of those weeks, though we are pretty fortunate to be getting the new album from Wilco, brilliantly titled Wilco (the album).

As fun as the album title is though this is not the greatest Wilco album of all-time, nor is it their worst, what it is is an album that takes all of what the band have done for the last 15-years and packages it into one cohesive whole. On Wilco (the album) we get to see Wilco the alt-country band, Wilco the Americana band, and Wilco the Dad-rock band at various points throughout the record. They show us their rocking, catchy songwriting side and they keep everything sounding continuous and whole thanks almost entirely to Jeff Tweedy's voice and songwriting. But then they've been doing the same think to varying degrees of success for years.

There are distinct periods where it all works wonderfully. Opening track "Wilco (the song)" is a fun introduction that wipes out the sour taste Sky Blue Sky left in our mouths and allows us to let our guard down for the rest of the album. From here tunes like "You Never Know" and the Feist duet "You and I" provide some of the finest individual songs Wilco has ever released, but amid the really good songs there are more then a few duds to fill out the time.

This is the first album where Tweedy has brought back all the major players in the history of Wilco. That's a pretty remarkable feat, but whenever Tweedy turned over the lineup in the past he did so to tweak the sound and make subtle changes to keep us interested. Here it seems the band managed to gel a bit, but they also retain a lot of the stoicism that brought down Sky Blue Sky. It's a tough week for record buyers, but let's face the truth you all probably spent your record allowance purchasing new copies of Michael Jackson records over the weekend and when it comes down to it that was probably a better use of your money. Download the good songs, get rid of the rest!
Wilco - "Wilco (the song)"
Wilco - "You and I"
Wilco - "You Never Know"

July's FREE Concert Calendar

July 1st: Jay Reatard @ Music on the Oval 6pm [info]
Jay Reatard - "It Ain't Gonna Save Me"
July 3rd: Here We Go Magic + Bachelorette @ South Street Seaport 6pm [info]
Here We Go Magic - "Ahab"
Bachelorette - "Lifetime"
July 4th: Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band @ Batter Park 3pm [info]
Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band - "Ten Women"
July 5th: Afro-Punk Fest @ Brooklyn Academy of Music 11am [info]
Earl Greyhound - "It's Over"
Apollo Heights - "Camus"
July 6th: Afro-Punk Fest @ Brooklyn Academy of Music 3pm [info]
Janelle Monae - "Many Moons"
Saul Williams - "Talk to Strangers"
July 7th: Scanner + Mountains @ WFC Winter Garden [info]
July 9th: Matt & Kim @ Pier 54 (Hudson River Rocks) 6pm [info]
Matt & Kim - "Daylight"
July 10th: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart @ South Street Seaport 6pm [info]
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "This Love Is Fucking Right"
July 11th: They Might Be Giants @ Prospect Park 3pm [info]
They Might Be Giants - "Luck Ball and Chain"
July 12th: Mission of Burma, Fucked Up, + Ponytail @ Williamsburg Waterfront 2pm
Mission of Burma - "That's When I Reach for My Revolver"
Fucked Up - "No Epiphany"
Ponytail - "Beg Waves"
July 14th: Anthony Gonzalez (of M83) @ WFC Winter Garden 9pm [info]
July 16th: Man Man @ East River Amphitheater 7pm [info]
Man Man - "Doo Right"
July 17th: Superchunk @ South Street Seaport 6pm [info]
Superchunk - "Learned to Surf"
July 18th: Siren Festival @ Coney Island [info]
Built to Spill - "Car"
Frightened Rabbit - "Be Less Rude"
A Place to Bury Strangers - "I Know I'll See You"
Thee Oh Sees - "Bloody Water"
Future of the Left - "I Am Civil Service"
Micachu & the Shapes - "Curly Teeth"
Japandroids - "Wet Hair"
July 19th: Dirty Projectors @ Williamsburg Waterfront 2pm
Dirty Projectors - "The Bride"
July 21st: Karsh Kale @ WFC Winter Garden 9pm [info]
July 23rd: Ted Leo & the Pharmacists & Extra Golden @ Pier 54 6pm [info]
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - "Where Was My Brain"
Extra Golden - "Fantasies of the Orient"
July 24th: Black Moth Super Rainbow, Blank Dogs + Dan Friel @ South Street Seaport 6pm [info]
Black Moth Super Rainbow - "Iron Lemonade"
Blank Dogs - "Tin Birds"
Dan Friel - "On Legged Cowboy"
July 26th: Black Lips @ Williamsburg Waterfront 2pm [not confirmed]
Black Lips - "Trapped In A Basement"
July 28th: King Britt @ WFC Winter Garden [info]
July 31st: Polvo + Obits @ South Street Seaport 6pm [info]
Polvo - "Beggar's Bowl"
Obits - "Light Sweet Crude"

Monday's Leaky Faucet

Who: Spoon
Title: Got Nuffin'
Release Date: June 30th
Label: Merge Records
Thoughts: To say the stream of new music coming through the pipeline has quieted down is a bit of an understatement, so the news that Spoon was releasing an unexpected new EP late last week was the type of good news audiophiles everywhere were hoping for. The three song (four if you include the remix) EP will be officially out on Tuesday so it barely counts as a leak but I figured we'd chat about it. This EP celebrating the inaugural SpoonX3 taking place next week in Austin finds the band in a playful, and slightly different sounding mood. It starts off with the title track, "Got Nuffin'", a tune that follows your standard Spoon song with strong guitar riffs and Britt Daniels unmistakable voice but something sounds a bit off, a little skewed. Some might say it's lo-fi, but really it's just lower-fi then what we're used to from Spoon and it sounds kind of cool. Then we get the tribal drum track "Tweaked", which shows that Britt just got down working with the percussion heavy White Rabbits. The last (non-remixed) tune, the epic "Stroke Their Brains", is a kick ass type of tune that's a little rougher then normal Spoon but absolutely amazing. Overall, the spontaneity of this 3-song EP and the playfulness of the sound are definitely winners but that last tune could become a classic in the band's live repertoire. Though you can totally just ignore the remix of "Tweakers"
Listen: Spoon - "Got Nuffin'"
Spoon - "Stroke Their Brains"

Who: Portugal. The Man
Title: The Satanic Satanist
Release Date: July 21st
Label: Equal Vision
Thoughts: Listening to Portugal. The Man for the first time I am kind of lost amongst all the influences present on their new album. Apparently the band has been around for a while, but I was unaware. Instead I'm getting my first taste of the band at the hands of The Satanic Satanist which really has nothing at all to do with Satan. The album is full of pretty, peppy sounds and harmonies, a little bit funky, definitely having some soul, with an air of folk, and influences galore! It's just hard to pick them out because they're all layered so well together but they are definitely there. Forgive me but doesn't this remind you a little bit of a band like New Radicals? Making sounds that will stick in your head for days but don't have much behind it. I guess that's a bit harsh, tunes like "Work All Day" and "The Woods" are fantastic pop tunes, they suck you in and make you wanna sing-a-long and bop along to every note but there's also tunes that don't sit so well. I definitely need more time to listen to this record again.
Listen: Portugal. The Man - "Work All Day"
Portugal. The Man - "The Woods"

Who: Blue Roses
Title: Blue Roses
Release Date: July 21st
Label: XL Records
Thoughts: Already a hit across the pond (and already out, I told you it was a slow week of leaks) Blue Roses spent the weekend playing Glastonbury while we were being introduced to her new, self-titled album. It's a pretty album to be sure, with intricate instrumentation and Laura Groves' remarkable voice, but haven't we heard this already? Aren't there albums by people like Joanna Newsom that perfectly cover this type of sound. I know that it's unfair, that other people can try their hand at the same sounds but come on! This music is pretty and nice and damn boring. Forget it, I don't have the patience to listen to the rest of this. Try it if you like that kind of thing and need some more of it.
Listen: Blue Roses - "I Am Leaving"
Blue Roses - "Coast"

This Week's Live Picks

Monday: Sharon Van Etten @ City Winery 9pm $12
This has been a very good year for a couple of the better Brooklyn bands out there. Bands like The Antlers, Here We Go Magic, and now Sharon Van Etten have grown in leaps and bounds with their new releases and have finally started to garner the attention they deserve. Tonight you can check out what all the fuss is about by watching Sharon and listening to her incredible voice. It's a damn fine way to start off a week.
Sharon Van Etten - "Consolation Prize"

Tuesday: Explosions in the Sky @ Central Park Summerstage 5:30pm $25
I've been listening to a lot of Explosions in the Sky lately, or more specifically one of their songs a whole lot - "Your Hand In Mine", which serves as the theme song for NBC's Friday Night Lights. I've been catching up on the show on DVD and have fallen in love with the soap opera based on football. You already should know that seeing Explosions in the Sky in the middle of Central Park on a (hopefully) nice summer evening will be mind expanding.
Explosions in the Sky - "Your Hand In Mine"

Wednesday: Jay Reatard @ Music on the Oval 6pm FREE
The first of three free shows this week is a really, really good one as Jay Reatard takes his 25-minute long set to the family friendly Stuyvesant Town Oval. Not really sure how well the two will mesh, Jay Reatard certainly has a history for being brash, loud, and aggressive, but I know fans of Reatard's will be there in droves to push the kiddies out of harms way. And if you feel like paying to see Jay Reatard this week he plays Music Hall of Williamsburg Thursday night.
Jay Reatard - "See/Saw"

Thursday: Thee Oh Sees, Golden Triangle, + The Beets @ Glasslands 8pm $8
To be fair most of these bands are playing again either Friday or Saturday night as part of the Woodsist/Captured Tracks festival (see below), but it's such a good bill for really damn cheap that it's worth mentioning these guys again. Thee Oh Sees might be the finest of a strong group of garage acts coming out of San Francisco these days and The Beets are up-and-coming favorites of mine. This show should be effing awesome!
Thee Oh Sees - "Ruby Go Home"
Golden Triangle - "Red Coats"
The Beets - "What Did I Do"

Friday: Here We Go Magic + Bachelorette @ South Street Seaport 6pm FREE
Last week's Kid Cudi/Chester French lineup was not actually the kick off of the 2009 Seaport Music Festival, no the actual kickoff is tonight's excellent show catering to the indie music fans of New York City. It may not be as big as some of the recent kick off shows, but it's still a damn sweet lineup for the right price. And if you ask me nicely I may even tell you where to buy the really big really cheap beers!
Here We Go Magic - "Only Pieces"
Bachelorette - "Mindwarp"

then...pow wow!, Dinosaur Feathers, + Darlings @ The Studio @ Webster Hall 8pm $8
One of the great things about the Seaport shows is that they are over and done with early so you can add on some fun activities to your night. This week I'm thinking that involves heading up to Webster Hall for a show featuring three up-and-comers we just adore. Check it out!
pow wow! - "So Weird"
Dinosaur Feathers - "Teenage Whore"
Darlings - "Teenage Girl"

Saturday: Woodsist/Captured Tracks Fest @ 979 Broadway 2pm $15
This is actually the second day of the Woodsist/Captured Tracks fest, but for my money day 2 has the slightly better lineup (2 day tickets are $25 though). With band like Vivian Girls, Woods, Tyvek, Thee Oh Sees, and a lot more it's a lot of bang for your buck. Seriously check this out!
Vivian Girls - "Death"
Kurt Vile - "Slow Talkers"
Woods - "To Clean"
Tyvek - "Stand and Fight"

Sunday: Afro-Punk Fest @ Brooklyn Academy of Music 3pm FREE
As far as I know this is the first time this Afro-Punk Fest is happening but it's a pretty solid lineup and a damn free way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Day 2, which takes place on Monday, may have a slightly better lineup (hello, Janelle Monae!) but this seems like a good precursor for the JellyNYC shows!
Apollo Heights - "Shallow By Shallow"

Out Sick

In case anyone was worried I haven't vanished I've just been under the weather the last few days. I'll be back on Monday with regularly scheduled blogging.

Tuesday Test Drive

A Hawk and a Hacksaw Délivrance
A Hawk and a Hacksaw - "I Am Not a Gambling Man"
from Pitchfork..."As the group continues to draw inspiration from their travels and friends, they challenge themselves with baffling rhythmic tricks and collaborative ideas that fuse traditional melodies with their own distinguishing attributes. The gloriously sprightly energy of Délivrance is so ebullient and full of character that by the time it's over you feel like you've caught a glimpse of the type of joyful festivity that always feels most rewarding after a long journey."


Amazing Baby Rewild
Amazing Baby - "Smoke Bros"
from MusicOMH..."There's also the feeling that, in this rather fickle world, maybe Amazing Baby's time is already behind them. What would have sounded fresh and intriguing a year ago, now inevitably sounds like a tired copy. The lack of a killer song - their version of a Time To Pretend, if you will - only adds to that impression."


Deer Tick Born On Flag Day
Deer Tick - "Easy"
from Obscure Sound..."Although Born on Flag Day is more cohesive and accessible than War Elephant, I cannot help but yearn for the gritty ambitiousness that made Deer Tick’s debut so memorable. Perhaps if they can combine the melodic advantages of Born on Flag Day with the multifarious nature of War Elephant, McCauley and Deer Tick can live up to the ample potential that has deservedly been bestowed upon them."


Foreign Born Person to Person
Foreign Born - "Early Warnings"
from Citizen Dick..."Overall this is about as good of an indie pop record as you will find these days, assuming that you look at it in the proper frame of reference. If you are trying to find the meaning of life in a rock record, you have come to the wrong place. If, on the other hand, you are looking for beautifully arranged songs with soaring hooks, powerful riffs, hypnotic bridges, and captivating choruses you will find all of that and more on this album."


God Help the Girl God Help the Girl
God Help the Girl - "Come Monday Night"
from The Line of Best Fit..."God Help the Girl is, at best, a fascinating mixed bag, and at worst, the most inconsistent record Stuart Murdoch has been involved in since his other foray into soundtracks work, 2002’s Storytelling. Like that record, there are inconsequential instrumental interludes and meta-narratives galore (just compare “Musician…”, a plea from a frustrated fan to her musical heroes, with “Big John Shaft”, a plea from a frustrated director to his dwindling audience). However, just as with Storytelling, the album’s various mis-steps only serve to make its best moments leap out of the speakers."


Patterson Hood Murdering Oscar (and Other Love Songs)
Patterson Hood - "I Understand Now"
from Snob's Music..."I can't help but feel a small sense of disappointment listening to Murdering Oscar. Whereas many singers choose to use their solo albums to explore music that is different from their main project's, Hood really has made a slightly brighter Drive-By Truckers album."


Pete Yorn Back and Forth
Pete Yorn - "Close"
from Entertainment Weekly..."But for a couple of moody rockers, Pete Yorn's Back and Forth is largely acoustic, marrying '70s Cali folk-rock to the modern-day Nebraska sound (Bright Eyes collaborator Mike Mogis produced)."


Regina Spektor Far
Regina Spektor - "Fidelity"
from Culture Bully..."Ultimately, it might be easy for people to write Regina Spektor off as either another Starbucks-friendly piano chanteuse or as another ultra-quirky indie-folk weirdo. To be fair, she could fit into either category, but the way she crams these two sub-genres together is what makes her special."


Sunset Rubdown Dragonslayer
Sunset Rubdown - "Idiot Heart"
from The Yellow Stereo..."Despite the bitterness and overall roughness that seems to permeate these tunes, at the very core lies some pretty solid pop hooks and sensibility. And those female backing vocals? Come on now! Hearing such a small, added detail like that is almost like a revelation to me."


Tortoise Beacons of Ancestorship
Tortoise - "Prepare Your Coffin"
from Slant Magazine..."Beacons demonstrates that Tortoise is still more than capable of releasing an exciting album. A few tracks still find the band veering off into aimlessness, and the album, return-to-form that it is, still pales next to the band's best work. To be sure, Tortoise has written masterpieces before, and this is not one of them, but as a consistently engaging and vital record in its own right, it suggests that the band might have another one in them."

Tuesday's Recommended Release

Let's not get hung up on what once was here. We all know the storied history of McLusky and we all miss the band that once was, but after hearing the debut from Future of the Left (2007's Curses) it's time to embrace what we have now and realize that it may even be better then what once was. On their sophomore record, Travels With Myself And Another, Future of the Left go ahead and top everything they did on their debut. They are louder, angrier, and more defined then they were just two years ago, but then you would know that already if you had picked up their live album, Last Night I Saved Her From Vampires, and heard how much they had grown musically on the live stage.

Travels With Myself And Another should never be listened to at a safe volume. This is a record that bristles with anger and venom throughout it's 33-minutes and threaten to explode at any minute. Records like that should not be listened to at a whisper but at a volume that disturbs your neighbors even if they're miles away. The bands makes sure that you realize this is a loud, angry record with their hard riffs and driving rhythms and with everything sounding turned up throughout the record. This isn't lo-fi noisy, this is actual noise that should be heard at full blast.

Lyrically Falco is in rare form throughout Travels, tackling a wide array of topics ranging from emotionless sex to religion to the merits of celebrity gossip but all of them are touched on with the overall anger of Falkous. It almost makes you worry about a young man with that much anger in him, but fuck it at least he manages to channel it into some rocking art! And you might think that listening to a songwriter spout angry song after angry song would become a bit righteous and pretentious but Falkous manages to balance it with his own brand of dark humor.

All in all Travels With Myself And Another is one of those records that you will just keep coming back to again and again. It's short length, it's angry but humorous messages, and of course the outstanding music found on it demand your attention and you should give in and give it all to Future of the Left.
Future of the Left - "Arming Eritrea"
Future of the Left - "The Hope That House Built"

Rock for a Cause

WE ARE THE WILEY: A Benefit for Jon Wiley


A circle of Brooklyn-based friends have joined together to throw a benefit for beloved, local musician, Jon Wiley. We Are the Wiley: A Benefit Concert for Jon Wiley will feature Adam Green, Lightspeed Champion, DJ Johnny Tropical, and Chairlift at The Shank—an art space and concert venue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn—on Thursday, July 9, 2009 at 8PM.

On March 5, 2009, professional guitarist, bassist, and keyboardist, Jon Wiley awoke without feeling or mobility in his arms and legs. He was subsequently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and incurred more than $30,000 worth of medical bills for his week-long hospital stay. After a lengthy recovery process, Jon has regained most feeling in his limbs and has gone on in recent months to record and perform with Lightspeed Champion, Adam Green, and his solo project, SpaceCamp. However, he is still without the means to afford his own healthcare.

Join us to celebrate the extraordinary talent of Jon Wiley, and raise funds to cover the expenses of a musician in need. This is a concrete opportunity to help a friend who, like so many artists and musicians in the United States, lack affordable healthcare. Jon’s story highlights the importance of healthcare for every person and the value of living each day to the fullest.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

We Are the Wiley: A Benefit Concert for Jon Wiley

@The Shank

98 Bayard Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn

CHAIRLIFT + LIGHTSPEED CHAMPION + ADAM GREEN w/DJ Set by Johnny Tropical

Doors at 8PM (Ages 21+)

Tickets $15 - all proceeds go to Wiley's medical bills.


To make a donation, go here:

http://wearethewiley.blogspot.com/

Monday's Leaky Faucet

Who: Múm
Title: Sing Along to Songs You Don't Know
Release Date: August 24th
Label: Morr Music
Thoughts: This is a very laid back, gentle, and sleepy little record. There are few words that describe it better then sleepy as it feels like music that would score paint drying or grass growing. It literally has me shutting my eyes so that writing even this brief snippet is becoming a test of my will power. I know that people out there care about the pop stylings of this band and the inherit beauty of the album is immediately apparent, but damn they could have added a little pep to a song or two to give it a little bit of a wake me up. No instead múm just casually drift through an album of lovely, simple pop sounds while I sleepwalk through listening to it. I may be missing something here, but I may never find it.
Listen: Múm - "Sing Along"
Múm - "Show Me"

Who: Drug Rug
Title: Paint the Fence Invisible
Release Date: July 28th
Label: Black + Greene
Thoughts: Couples that make their own music together make me feel inadequate in my own relationship. Drug Rug are one of those too cute pairs of people that do everything together, or at least I assume they do by virtue of being in a relationship and being in a band together. But as much as I resent them and their ability to turn their relationship into something artistically rewarding I have to say that their brand of lo-fi dreampop is a beautiful thing. This is the type of bedroom recording more couples with a Mac should be making. Personally I've always been a PC so maybe that's a problem, and listening to Drug Rug's latest which was recorded in the rural confines of the Catskills makes me think they have something totally different going on. Either way you slice it though this music is pretty solid and will definitely stick in your craw for a few days. It's like a slightly more Americana, dreamier version of what The Moldy Peaches once were without all the profanity and sexual content. Well, there's some sexual content.
Listen: Drug Rug - "Never Tell"

Who: Yacht
Title: See Mystery Lights
Release Date: July 28th
Label: DFA
Thoughts: Before now I have totally glanced right over the existence of Yacht, which is odd considering how much I normally like the rest of the DFA stable. For whatever reason they were never on my radar, but I knew you guys wouldn't settle for just two leaks albums on a Monday. After listening to this I get why so many people were all about them, they make some pretty awesome, catchy, and danceable music, which (duh!) we've all come to expect from DFA bands. Yacht then goes on to merge styles and and electronic sounds onto everything from the first second of the record to its last note but in the process does little to distance themselves from the rest of the DFA roster of bands. That's not saying the music is bad, I can totally groove with this record, it just means they don't really surprise you at any point during the record.
Listen: Yacht - "Ring the Bell"
Yacht - "Psychic City"

This Week's Live Picks

Monday: Ted Leo & the Pharmacists @ Maxwell's 9pm $15
I may have recommended seeing Ted Leo & the Pharmacists on Sunday but let's face it with all the shit weather you probably didn't make the trek to a place in Jersey you've never been to. Well now you can quickly make up for that by seeing Ted & company at the wonderfully intimate Maxwell's! Sounds like a brilliant way to start off your week.
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - "Where Was My Brain"

Tuesday: Patrick Wolf @ Highline Ballroom 7pm $20
If you need convincing as to why you might wanna get out and see Patrick Wolf tonight check out the live review Chromewaves posted about his Toronto show the other day. If that doesn't convince you that you need to be at Highline on Tuesday night, then nothing ever will!
Patrick Wolf - "Hard Times"

Wednesday: Camera Obscura @ Webster Hall 8pm $20
For whatever reason Camera Obscura is often one of the most underrated of the big indie rock bands. Of course a lot of bands that don't get the chance to play Webster Hall won't agree with this, but they have been around for a long time and worked hard to build up their fan base. Their last two albums seem to have picked them up a bit though and this year's is pretty solid too.
Camera Obscura - "Honey in the Sun"

Thursday: Girls, Free Energy, The Radical Sons @ Mercury Lounge 7:30pm $10
This is a damn sweet triple header of a bill that the Mercury Lounge has managed to wrangle up. All three bands put out a lot of energy in their music and I suspect tonight to be a sweaty mess by the time everyone starts emptying out. Make sure you're all the way up front to take it all in!
Girls - "Morning Light"
Free Energy - "Dream City"
The Radical Sons - "I'm So Sick of the 21st Century"

(Note: St. Vincent is also playing tonight at The Bell House, this may already be sold out by publication time)

Friday: The Antlers @ Open Road Rooftop (Rooftop Films) 8pm $9
After a month of touring with Au Revoir Simon and Cotton Jones, The Antlers have finally returned to New York and will be welcomed back with an awesome Rooftop Films appearance. These are some of the more fun shows of the summer so if you've never been make sure tonight is your first one.
The Antlers - "When You Sleep" (MBV cover)

Saturday: Pterodactyl + A Sunny Day In Glasgow @ Death By Audio 8pm $8
It has been ages since I last saw A Sunny Day In Glasgow so hopefully they're getting close to be ready with a new album and some new tunes. Hopefully they'll play those tonight, but we know Pterodactyl will be playing stuff off their brand new album all night long.
Pterodactyl - "No Sugar"
A Sunny Day In Glasgow - "Wake Up Pretty"

Sunday: The Brilliant Sweaters + Women @ Silent Barn 8pm $tba
Brilliant Sweaters were awesome wrapping up the main room of my Northside Fest showcase and Women were tremendous when the kicked off their CMJ week at my CMJ showcase last year, so I may be a bit biased when it comes to this show but I definitely think you should come out for it!
The Brilliant Sweaters - "I Dropped Out of High School"
Women - "Group Transport Hall"

Top 10: Albums of 2009 (So Far)

10. Dan Deacon Bromst; Prior to my first listen I was a bit apprehensive about Dan Deacon's sophomore album. Would the man be able to capture magic in a bottle again? Or was he just a one trick pony that would burn out after one great album? Personally I would have been fine if we were left with Spiderman of the Rings as his great living testament, but Dan Deacon went out and recorded an album with a 15-piece band and blew away all of our expectations. Bromst is much more dense album then his debut was, it has more texture, it feels like a better album, and I adored Spiderman of the Rings. I can't say it's a million times better or anything like that, but it definitely improves fully on the debut and makes it's own immediate impression upon the listener. This is a great record in a year that has been full of great records, but I kind of feel it's one a lot people have been sleeping on so far.
Dan Deacon - "Padding Ghost"

9. Grizzly Bear Vecketamist; Obviously this has been Grizzly Bear's year so far and a lot of people are going to think me crazy of putting Vecketamistat #9. To me this is just personal taste. Any record on this top 10 list probably could have been #1 with an extra listen here or one more catchy song there, and I think that's what kept Grizzly Bear from cracking the top 5 is the need for one more addictive catchy single. Sure it has "Two Weeks" and "While You Wait for the Others" which are both tremendous songs but it needed one more to really put it over the top. As it is Vecketamist is definitely more of a whole album and one that is a brilliant listen from start to finish. Grizzly Bear do a wonderful job of crafting pop music that isn't confined to one genre or style. It bends through genres melding a ton together and creating just the right blend between mainstream pop sounds and avant artsy-ness.
Grizzly Bear - "Two Weeks"

8. White Rabbits It's Frightening; All talk about the White Rabbits sophomore effort must start with the album's opening track "Percussion Gun". This song absolutely dominates your ears, setting them up for everything that is to come throughout It's Frightening. The song bubbles with the non-stop stream of drums pounding into your ears and then suddenly we are met head on by the piano and vocals and guitar and it all comes together seamlessly. The rest of the album goes much the same way, and it definitely picks up some of the fingerprints of its producer Britt Daniel. Not that that's a bad thing, Spoon has never released a bad record, and through two tries neither have the White Rabbits. This is a stellar, solid record through and through.
White Rabbits - "Percussion Gun"

7. Various Artists Dark Was the Night; It's rare that a compilation album like Dark Was the Night would make a list like this. Normally us "critics" pan tribute anything made by Various Artists. Maybe we attach ourselves to a song or two but that's it. With Dark Was the Night the Dessner brothers have done an amazing job gather talented musicians to release amazing music. They paired artists perfectly like Dirty Projectors and David Byrne or Ben Gibbard and Feist, and the allowed the bands and artists to focus within some pretty loose reins. All that and the record was made for the In the Red charity who continues to fight against HIV and AIDS. It's an amazing record on its own but when you consider what it was made for it becomes all the more impressive for it.
Dirty Projectors & David Byrne - "Knotty Pine"

6. Screaming Females Power Move; You may not know it yet but Screaming Females are going to go down as one of your favorite bands from New Jersey ever. They will be mentioned in the same breath as Sinatra and Springsteen and will be cranking out their guitar heavy odes for some time. Of course all that is hypothetical, but if they stick together and keeping making records like Power Move it is totally inevitable that this will happen. This album is built on the steady rhythms of King Mike on bass and Jarrett Dougherty on drums and the absolute manic attack that is front woman Marissa Paternoster. Seriously this girls kills in every way! Her guitar playing is insane and her vocals are wild and totally unrestrained. This may be one of the quieter records on my mid-year list but there is no doubt in my mind that it belongs right here.
Screaming Females - "Bell"

5. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart The Pains of Being Pure at Heart; In the year that has been dominated by lo-fi acts this list is surprisingly devoid of those bands. Perhaps they all sound the same, maybe they're all gonna be flashes in the pan, but whatever the case may be I haven't full grabbed onto the trend. The closest to those lo-fi bands on this list is definitely The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, a band that has the fuzz and waves of noise suppressed a little bit and who use melody and harmonies to create some fantastic pop songs. This would certainly have fit in well in the late 80's New York scene, but instead it is carving out its own scene here in the late 00's. It may be a bit depressing and it's certainly melancholy music but The Pains of Being Pure at Heart's self-titled debut is also full of amazingly beautiful music.
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "Contender"

4. St. Vincent Actor; It has been a fine year for sophomore releases. On this list alone there are three glowing sophomore records that absolutely best impressive debuts from the same artists. Not only that but they are working hard to shape the current musical landscape as well. The best of these is definitely St. Vincent's Actor, a record that is immediately beautiful, artsy, pop oriented, rocking, and just an engrossing listen. From start to finish few albums show such emotional depth while still maintaining such a vast range of sound and emotion. Actor is an awesome record that I have been hooked to since my first list, it improves on St. Vincent's debut Marry Me greatly, and stands up well against all the other records that have come out this year. It definitely fits right here.
St. Vincent - "Actor Out of Work"

3. Micachu & the Shapes Jewellery; Micachu & the Shapes keep things short and simple, but their 2-minute long songs are expanding the ideas of what you can do with an acoustic guitar. Mica Levi is absolutely destroying the sound of her acoustic guitar, taking it from a pretty folk instrument to something grating and noisy and wonderful. It plays hard riffs in odd tunings and is matched by her bandmates synth sounds and perfectly rhythmic drumming. Along with Mica's monotonous delivery this whole record bops and weaves along at a rapid pace but once it's over there's a good chance you'll be hitting play all over again. Such is the allure of these new and interesting sounds.
Micachu & the Shapes - "Lips"

2. Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion; When all is said an done with this decade Animal Collective will probably be left standing at the top of the pile as one of the most important bands of the last ten years. Obviously it's a controversial statement that can be argued to death (other contenders include Kanye West, Radiohead, M.I.A., etc.), but when you look at the breadth of Animal Collective's work and how much they've changed the landscape of music in such a short time it's hard to argue their importance. The amazing thing is that after all this time and all their terrific records Merriweather Post Pavilion is hands down their finest achievement. This is the record that knocks down the wall between the artistic side of everything they've done and the pop oriented side. They have finally come together to create something mind bending but dance worthy. Something you can chill out to or go nuts for. No matter how choose to appreciate it you can't help but enjoy it.
Animal Collective - "My Girls"

1. The Antlers Hospice; In August Frenchkiss Records will be re-releasing Hospice with a sweet new remastering and some fine tuned stuff, but for my money this was already the best record of last year and has dominated my iPod for the first half of 2009. The record is absolutely one of the most gorgeous things I have ever heard, and having been a huge fan of The Antlers for some time now I can say that this is by far the best thing The Antlers have ever done and it stands right along with all the current big boys as one of the finest records of the year. My personal taste pushes it to #1, though I understand not all of you will agree with it. I love it, I've loved it for a while now and it hasn't faded in the slightest bit.
The Antlers - "Kettering"

Blast from the Past: Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell

There are certain hereditary traits that are passed on from generation to generation. Whether it be your devilish red hair or your ability to sweat like Patrick Ewing, there is probably something wrong with you and it's all courtesy of your parents. Of course hereditary traits aren't just reserved for things passed into your genetic makeup, no they can go towards the way you've been brought up and your emotional makeup as well. Maybe you feel strongly about gay rights because of your parents or maybe you like Woody Allen movies because they did, somewhere their feelings probably rubbed off on you. There is something that removes a lot of the stains of our parents and that is called our teen years where we rebel against anything and everything about our parents, but even then there's things that have been etched into our souls for life.

One of my own personal etchings has been my ability to sing-a-long with all the big, bombastic anthems of Meat Loaf. Not that I sing them well, I just know all the words and feel it is absolutely necessary to recite all the words to "Paradise By the Dashboard Light", even the Phil Rizzuto part when it comes on the radio. Obviously this requires me to roll up my windows when I'm in the car or close the door when I'm at home so as not to embarrass myself while singing the songs of Jim Steinman. It is the very definition of a guilty pleasure, you absolutely love it but you know the second someone else finds out about your adoration you're gonna be made fun of. The worst part of it all is that you didn't even have the choice, your parents bought Bat Out of Hell the day it came out in 1977 and listened to it for the next 20-years. You were bound to learn these songs and maybe even come to love them from hearing them so much, though somehow both of my brothers are immune and still abhor Meat Loaf.

Not me. I love Meat Loaf. Of course I will never admit this to anyone's face or force feed my love to anyone. Instead I will listen to Bat Out of Hell and Bat Out of Hell II in private and enjoy every moment of both of those albums, though none of Meat Loaf's other work (yes there's more). I'm sure there's more then a few closet Meat Loaf fans out there, the man has sold more then 43 million albums in his career (200,000 annually according to Wikipedia, which is fucking insane!). So most music lovers probably have Bat Out of Hell and know the words and sing-a-long as well so maybe I shouldn't feel so guilty, but I still do.
Meat Loaf - "Bat Out of Hell"
Meat Loaf - "Heaven Can Wait"
Meat Loaf - "Paradise By the Dashboard Light"

Previous Guilty Pleasures:
Britney Spears' ...Baby One More Time
Jewel's Pieces of You
Counting Crows August and Everything After

Home Video @ Public Assembly (Northside Fest!)

I am sad to say my camera ran out of juice just as I was trying to snap my first picture of Home Video. It sucks, but after 250 pictures I guess it happens. That said Home Video absolutely slayed as the final band of the night. They took over the projection screen in the backroom and then went wild with their catchy pop hooks sinking into everyone within earshot. The backroom was still pretty steamy and pretty crowded and it seemed like people were pretty content to just chill and watch the guys play after a long night. It was a perfect way to end a super long night of great music and great times. Oh, if you have pictures of the band I'd love to post some so let me know!

Brilliant Sweaters @ Public Assembly (Northside Fest!)

A few years ago I booked Brilliant Sweaters then project Animandibles for my CMJ showcase. While playing for a crowd of about four people the band wowed me, playing like it was a packed wall-to-wall show and from then on I said I would book them whenever. Well they played my 4th anniversary show and now they've played my inaugural Northside show and each time I see them I realize how much I love these dudes. They may have shifted their sound to pop-punk, they may not have played my favorite of their songs ("I Dropped Out of High School"), but when they take the stage you know fun is about to ensue. And on Friday night we did have fun, winding down the night watching these pop-punkers prance about the stage. Yeah, I was exhausted at this point so I wasn't moshing or anything but their music is so fun and catchy that it immediately reminds me of my teen years. And I like that.

Kilgore Trout Is Dead @ Public Assembly (Northside Fest)

Kilgore Trout Is Dead has quickly become my favorite of all the Staten Island bands. It may not be fair to the other bands who I really like a lot, but it's the honest truth and it has nothing to do with the fact that I've known the brains behind Kilgore Trout Is Dead for at least 10-years. No, Ezra Donellan just makes impressive music that sounds great and wows me everytime I see it live. With looped, live samples, and White Velvet (Rory Merola) on percussion Kilgore Trout Is Dead has become the live band to see on Staten Island. The only problem is there's no Kilgore to take home with you as Ezra and Rory are working on finishing the debut from Kilgore Trout Is Dead right now. Until then check the band's MySpace to check them out live and know that if you missed them Friday night you missed a heck of a show!

Click here to watch Kilgore Trout Is Dead perform!

Screaming Females @ Public Assembly (Northside Fest!)

If you follow me on Twitter you probably already know that the big excitement from Friday night's showcase was the set from Screaming Females. This band had the front room packed despite going head-to-head with Eula (see last post) and brought out a ton of folks for their outstanding set. Brooklyn Vegan even left his own showcase to check the band out.

And if you missed this set well me and everyone else that was there feel pretty sorry for you! Not only were Screaming Females the highlight of the night they were probably the highlight of the entire weekend for myself and I'm sure other people fall into that category as well.

Like Eula, Screaming Females are led by their fiery front woman Marissa Paternoster who may just be the single best front woman in music today. Seriously, she doesn't just stand there and look pretty she wails and shreds like few other women in the music business. I've said it before but she is absolutely one of my favorite people to watch on stage. And the rest of Screaming Females just feed off of her and pour it back out as well. This is a fucking awesome band!

Eula @ Public Assembly (Northside Fest!)

My favorite part of Friday's lineup was the one two punch of strong front ladies from Screaming Females and Eula, a couple of punk bands from the outskirts of the tri-state area that will be making waves for a while to come. Unfortunately because of where we were on time they wound up going head-to-head rather then back-to-back and most people had to choose between Eula and the Screaming Females, it even had Screaming Females bassist King Mike moping on stage about not being able to see Eula (sorry again Mike!). Sad as it was these things happen to shows like mine and it must go on and Eula went on strongly playing a fierce set led by their amazing front woman Alyse Lamb. Yeah the rest of the band is damn tight, but all eyes are focused on Alyse when she takes the stage and she dominated with her wailing vocals and shredding. Of course I had to split my time between the two stages but I caught about half of Eula's set and loved every minute of it. I just wish it had worked out the way it had been planned!

Click here for video of Eula!

Sisters @ Public Assembly (Northside Fest!)

I only spent a short bit of time with the music of Sisters prior to my Northside Fest show. I knew what it was about, I knew I liked it, I just didn't know how much I would love it live, but sure enough as soon as this duo got started I was hooked. Now the obvious comparisons will be made to other noisy two pieces like No Age, but let's just say that it's not quite the same thing as No Age. Yes it is noise punk but it's not the same thing. Seriously. These two dudes flat out killed it, even if they were cheating with their pre-recorded parts (according to The Great Unwashed's Sean Kuhl) this band was the biggest and best surprise of the night!

Palomar @ Public Assembly (Northside Fest!)

At some point during the booking of this show the good folks at Absolutely Kosher reached to see if I would like Palomar to be part of it. My immediate reaction was "Hell yeah!" and so Palomar was added to the bill. It was basically a coup to have a band as experienced and enjoyed as Palomar at a small venue like Public Assembly and they absolutely filled the steamy backroom to the gills for their set.

And what a set it was! Filled with the band's brilliant songs both new and old, Palomar absolutely ruled the backroom making even jaded rock fans stand up and take note. It was a killer set that didn't want to end, but unfortunately it had to but not before wowing everyone in attendance.

Dinowalrus @ Public Assembly (Northside Fest!)

Dinowalrus wound up being the victims of the outrageous 12-band setup I had going on Friday night. Unfortunately because of time constrictions they wound up playing only 3-songs, though those three songs were of course long, drawn out, psychedelic anthems that were certainly in the vein of what Dinowalrus are quickly becoming known for. Luckily they were also the band with the most Northside sets lined up so I'm sure more then a few people caught them at my show and another. But if you didn't see them at all you are really missing out, these guys make highly intricate and deep music. It's sick stuff and I'm always amazed by the animal shirts front man Peter Feigenbaum wears on stage. It may have been short, but it was a great set regardless.

Murder Mystery @ Public Assembly (Northside Fest!)

The consensus amongst people that I spoke to after Murder Mystery's set was that there should be more cute girl drummers in bands. I'm gonna have to agree as Murder Mystery's drummer Laura Coleman is definitely a adorable and definitely a solid drummer, but there's so much more to Murder Mystery then an attractive drummer. These guys write some kicks ass, addictive pop songs. Song that will be stuck in your head after a single listen. I'm sure that more then a few people left humming a tune from Murder Mystery after their set. It was a solid, tight set that really let people see what Murder Mystery is all about.

Click here for Murder Mystery video!

Grooms @ Public Assembly (Northside Fest)

Last time I saw the band now known as Grooms they were playing down in Austin as The Muggabears at the After the Jump BBQ. There amid the mid-day sun and people wearing sun screen the three Muggabears were completely out of place and they looked a bit uncomfortable despite playing a solid set. Friday night as Grooms and within the dark confines of Public Assembly the band seemed at ease and comfortable on the stage in front of a swelling crowd of people. The music remained the same, steady and solid as it ever was and still reminiscent of Pavement more then anything else. I love that about this band though, they have been going for a few years now slowly building a solid following and now despite the name change they are still going very, very strong. Friday's set was stellar featuring a slew of new tunes that hopefully will be out real soon!

The Rabbits @ Public Assembly (Northside Fest)

The Rabbits have been one of Staten Island's steadiest and best bands for a couple of years now, and as such they've been part of a couple of previous Pop Tarts events. Now the band is close to finishing up their debut full length and so interest around them is really bubbling up once again. Friday night they played a set mixed with old and newer tunes that really got the backroom of Public Assembly going. It was hot and sweaty back there but that didn't phase Adam Ferretti who doffed a rabbits cowl after the first song and kept it on for the rest of their set.

Watching these guys rock out I'm reminded about how far the Staten Island music scene has come. There was a time about three or four years ago right when The Rabbits started off as Dead Rabbit where most people were super bored with the music coming from the Island. Then this band came along and suddenly dozens of other bands also sprang to life (including more then a few featuring members of The Rabbits). Of course there are other bands that deserve just as much credit for reviving the Staten Island music scene, bands like Murray and Monty Love, but I remember watch Dead Rabbit for the first time at Martini Red and being blown away by the band.

Now they are so much better then they ever were then, they have sharpened every aspect of the band and tightened up all their tunes to form a band that really knows how to create their own music. It's all awesome stuff that you should definitely check out if you missed it on Friday night.

I took video of the band's set but my vimeo account is at its max and imeem won't let me embed so I can only link to it. Check out video here!

The Great Unwashed @ Public Assembly (Northside, Day 2)

Having spent Thursday night on Staten Island checking out what all the hype is about on Cymbals Eat Guitars my Northside Fest experience started with my own showcase at Public Assembly. 12-bands, two stages, one manically stressed blogger, but amazingly everything went as smooth as humanly possible!

First up were Staten Island's The Great Unwashed.We've talked about them before and every time I do I get comments telling the band to change their name, that there's another Great Unwashed in some country on the other side of the world, that that band is really amazing and has been around for forever, but I have to tell you the Staten Island version of that band is a really rocking three piece themselves. On Thursday night they played on Staten Island and impressed, but Friday night they really poured it all out on the stage ripping through a 30-minute set and barreling into the early crowd forming at Public Assembly. It was loud, aggressive, energetic, basically the best possibly way to start the evening off.

The band has grown a lot recently, tweaking certain sounds in their stage show most notably pushing the vocals further up in the mix then they had been. This is still guitar heavy, but being able to hear what lead singer Sean Kuhl is singing about holds your attention much better then just listening to him shred - which he most certainly does.

I know someone is still probably going to chime in and say it's wrong for them to be named The Great Unwashed, but seriously until you see them live and hear their music it doesn't matter all that much.

Northside Fest Recap Time!!!

This weekend many a Brooklyn based music fan enjoyed the inaugural Northside Festival throughout the many venues large and small in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Over the course of four days hundreds of bands in dozens of venues were able to share their sounds with thousands of music fans looking for their new favorite band. It was a smaller, more intimate version of CMJ, SXSW, or NXNE but it was no less successful for what it was. Bands like The Dodos, Sunset Rubdown, and The Hold Steady stood up as the big acts of the fest and gave sets that were widely talked about, but the little guys also got a lot of press time, twitter alerts, and whatnot. Bands like pow wow! and Screaming Females were raved about by people tweeting by the minute and the whole fest seemed to be a living version of the Little Engine The Could. It seems that the festival was such a success that the folks over at L Magazine (the brains behind this fest) are already set to bring Northside Fest back for year 2 in 2010. I know I'm looking forward to being involved once again and I now present to you my recaps for the 2009 Northside Festival! If you missed make sure you don't make the same mistake next year!

Monday's Leaky Faucet

Who: Discovery
Title: LP
Release Date: July 7th
Label: XL
Thoughts: Any band that merges two popular bands is bound to get a bit of attention and a lot of scrutiny, but when you combine bands like Ra Ra Riot and Vampire Weekend that are so heavily buzzed about and hated at the same time then you better prepare yourself for an internet shit storm. The amazing thing is that this Discovery project from Rostam Batmanglij (of Vampire Weekend) and Wes Miles (of Ra Ra Riot) is a really fun pairing of young, talented, and creative artists just trying to have a good time with the music they're making. You can of course hear it in their full time gigs but on this record they do a good job of playfully creating synth music for people to get down to or just chill to. I particularly love "Can You Discover" which takes my favorite Ra Ra Riot song, "Can You Tell", and turns it into a slightly more dancey club number. Obviously LP isn't trying to re-invent music or be some kind of too cool influential statement, instead these two dudes are just making some fun tunes so try not to hate on them too much just because of where they come from.
Listen: Discovery - "Orange Shirt"
Discovery - "Can You Discover"

Who: The Fiery Furnaces
Title: I'm Going Away
Release Date: July 1st
Label: Thrill Jockey
Thoughts: The Fiery Furnaces are certainly going to be in the discussion when talking about the best bands of the decade. They have been relentless in their deconstruction of the ideas of pop music all while producing some of the best music of the last ten years. Now for their 8th studio album the Friedbergers have gone and created something of a concept album with all of the songs meant to soundtrack and imaginary sitcom. The songs on I'm Going Away are generally a bit more piano driven then a lot of what we've heard from The Furnaces in the past, but of course we've all come to expect changes and twists with each and every Fiery Furnaces album. As good as I'm Going Away most certainly is it will always be met with the standard Fiery Furnaces criticism and that is that it doesn't come close to matching the expansive sound we heard on Blueberry Boat. Back then the band crammed everything in to every song and now songs are a bit more spread out, a bit more conventional, and though still more then solid they don't quite sparkle like they once did. It's a small criticism but it's one that comes along with each successive Fiery Furnaces album.
Listen: The Fiery Furnaces - "The End Is Near"

Who: The Most Serene Republic
Title: ...And the Ever Expanding Universe
Release Date: July14th
Label: Arts & Crafts
Thoughts: There is no doubting that The Most Serene Republic know how to play. The band are masters of their instruments, and with most members at only 24-years old their best years are probably still ahead of them. But let me be completely truthful here and admit to a certain boredom that stems from listening to The Most Serene Republic. As pretty and intricate as their music can be, it can also be dauntingly long and far too drawn out for my own personal tastes and each listen generally ends without me making it through the whole album. I've tried a couple of times to make it through the album and though there are tracks that get me going like "Bubble Reputation" and 'Don't Hold Back, Feel A Little" I spend most of the time thinking about what I'm going to listen to after this.
Listen: The Most Serene Republic - "Heavens to Purgatory"
The Most Serene Republic - "Phi"

This Week's Live Picks

Monday: So Cow + Free Energy @ The Bell House 7:30pm $5
I have yet to catch the wave on either of these much blogged about bands. Maybe Monday evening will be my opportunity to see what all the fuss is about. It's either that or I rest up after a busy weekend at the Northside Fest.
So Cow - "To Do List"
Free Energy - "Dream City"

Tuesday: Jonathan Richman + Vic Chesnutt @ Bowery Ballroom 8pm $15
Two mainstays in the indie scene, both Vic Chesnutt and Jonathan Richman have been making some great music for ages. Check them both out in one shot on Tuesday night and they'll be sure to make you a convert if you didn't already know.
Jonathan Richman - "Not Yet Three"
Vic Chesnutt - "You Are Never Alone"

Wednesday: Clues, Drink Up Buttercup, + Bridges and Powerlines @ Santo's Party House 7pm $12
This show is freakin' awesome with one of my favorite local bands - Bridges and Powerlines, one of my favorite Philly bands - Drink Up Buttercup, and of course a new band from a former member of The Unicorns. If that's not enough to convince you then you sir will never be convinced.
Clues - "Perfect Fit"
Drink Up Buttercup - "Sosey Doesy"
Bridges and Powerlines - "The Thieves, They Are Everywhere"

Thursday: Crystal Stilts, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, caUSE co-MOTION! @ Cake Shop 7pm $10
I think a simple "WOW!" will suffice here.
Crystal Stilts - "Departure"
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "The Tenure Itch"
caUSE co-MOTION! - "Which Way Is Up"

Friday: El Jezel + Coyote Eyes @ Monster Island Basement 8pm $8
NYCTaper has been a staunch ally of Pop Tarts Suck Toasted so it is with great pleasure that we are able to show some support behind his own showcase of talent. Both these bands El Jezel and Coyote Eyes are worth way more attention then they've been given so far so if you like all those free downloads NYCTaper gives us make sure you head out to this show!
El Jezel - "Michigan"
Coyote Eyes - "Ariel"

Saturday: Passion Pit + Shy Child @ Bowery Ballroom 8pm $16
Two solid bands under one roof is always a thing to be cheered and tonight's one two punch of Passion Pit and Shy Child is sure to have the Bowery moving around a bit. Of course the buzz over Passion Pit has not slowed down at all so make sure you pick up your tickets early this week.
Passion Pit - "Sleepyhead"
Shy Child - "Astronaut"

Sunday: Ted Leo & the Pharmacists + Titus Andronicus @ Kearny Irish America Association 7pm $15
It's not often that I recommend shows out in New Jersey because I know not everyone can get out there too easily, but it's not everyday that Ted Leo plays with Titus Andronicus at an Irish American Association. These two bands blow most other live bands out of the water, so sign up for ZipCar, get your friend to drive you or try to figure out NJ Transit just don't miss this show. Oh, and bring your dad for Father's Day he'll like these bands!
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - "Hearts of Oak"
Titus Andronicus - "Fear and Loathing in Mahwah, NJ"

Tonight!!!: Pop Tarts Northside Fest Showcase @ Public Assembly

What: Pop Tarts Suck Toasted's Northside Fest Showcase
When: Tonight, 8pm!
Where: Public Assembly, 70 N. 6th St.
Cost: $10
What to Expect: With 12-bands on two stages this is simply the most bang for your buck throughout the entire Northside Festival. Not only is it big in terms of numbers it's big in bands as well with some true up-and-coming acts like Screaming Females, Dinowalrus, and Kilgore Trout Is Dead all getting time on the stages. Of course I've made room for some of my local faves that don't get enough attention as well as brought back some past performers from Pop Tarts shows. Basically this whole night is going to be one huge bit of entertainment so don't go missing it!!!
Front Room Lineup:
8pm - The Great Unwashed
The Great Unwashed - "Winter Classic"
9pm - Grooms
Grooms - "Dreamsucker"
10pm - Dinowalrus
Dinowalrus - "Made In CCCP"
11pm - Sisters
Sisters - "Glue"
12am - Screaming Females
Screaming Females - "Skull"
1am - Brilliant Sweaters
Brilliant Sweaters - "I Dropped Out of High School"
Back Room Lineup:
8:30pm - The Rabbits
The Rabbits - "Out of Our Heads"
9:30pm - Murder Mystery
Murder Mystery - "The World"
10:30pm - Palomar
Palomar - "Our Haunt"
11:30pm - Eula
Eula - "Fight Riff"
12:30am - Kilgore Trout Is Dead
Kilgore Trout Is Dead - "Leave Me Alone"
1:30am - Home Video
Home Video - "Gas Tank"

Tonight!!!: Cymbals Eat Guitars @ Martini Red (FREE!)

What: Cymbals Eat Guitars 1st Staten Island Show!
When: Tonight, 9pm
Where: Martini Red, 372 Van Duzer St.
Cost: FREE
What to Expect: A lot has been made of Cymbals Eat Guitars recent string of buzz that was all started when the band's latest album was labeled as Best New Music. The amazing part of it all was that they were suddenly the newest and best Staten Island band without anyone from Staten Island really knowing about them. Tonight the local residents can see them at one of their regular venues, the North Shore's Martini Red, with a bunch of local bands we all know and already love - Paragraph, The Great Unwashed, and Kilgore Trout Is Dead. Now even though the last two bands are also playing my Northside Showcase tomorrow I highly suggest getting out to this show tonight!
Listen: Cymbals Eat Guitars - "Wind Phoenix"
Kilgore Trout Is Dead - "Leave Me Alone"
The Great Unwashed - "Overslept"

Free Shows of Note

There's a couple sweet free shows coming up in the next few days and I thought I'd go all Battering Room on you and give you guys the flyers. I may have more about these shows soon...

Tonight: The Budos Band @ Music on the Oval 6pm!

Tomorrow:


Saturday:


Monday:

NXNE Band Profile: Golden Triangle

Who: Golden Triangle
Location: Brooklyn, NY
NXNE Shows: Friday @ Velvet Underground (11pm), Saturday @ Yonge Dundas Square (3:30pm), Saturday @ Silver Dollar Room (1am)
5 Questions: Who are you guys looking forward to seeing while north of the border? Any Canadian bands you're really excited to see?
We can't wait to see Almighty Defenders. It's always fun hanging out with King Khan and BBQ. I wanna see that Little Girls band again.

Are there any Toronto sites you guys are looking forward to seeing? Or restaurants you wanna eat at?
I wanna go to the zoo and Wonderland and maybe hang out at that CN Tower. I wanna eat at Truffles. Or anywhere that has poutine! Do they have poutine in Toronto?

What's your favorite episode of Degrassi?
That episode where that guy acts like a rapper and want to sound like Das EFX

Do you guys plan on stocking up on cheap medicine while in Canada? Yes

Where will you be heading after NXNE is done? Got anymore festivals to play this summer?
We're are heading to Michigan to record our first album for Hardly Art after NXNE. We have one more festival , but we can't talk about it right now because they haven't done a press release for it, so you'll have to hear about it later.

Listen: Golden Triangle - "Prize Fighter"
Dirty Triangle - "Night Brigade"

Contest Reminder: All week you can enter to win a 5-day wristband to NXNE. Check out the details here!

Sound Tracks

Bygones - "Click On That (Smash the Plastic Death)"; I don't know who thought to combine Zach Hill of Hella and Nick Reinhart of Tera Melos, but damn these guys are creating quite the spastic racket. At this point you all should know the reputations of both men as crazed musicians, but putting them together speeds up even further. Insane shit right here.
Grade: B+

The Honey Brothers - "Demonstration"; Welcome to the latest in a long line of celebrity bands. This time the celebrity does his best to stay out of the spotlight hiding himself behind the drum kit, but no matter what you're going to recognize Entourage's Adrien Grenier in all the promo pics so we might as well get that out of the way. Beyond the whole celebrity thing this isn't awful, though it does sound a little too much like the standard late 90's alternative radio music.
Grade: B-

The Skygreen Leopards - "Dixie Cups in the Dead Grass"; $10 says the most prevalent adjectives used to describe The Skygreen Leopards will be "shimmering" and "sunny". Yeah, it's that kind of music, the kind that mixes pop and folk and is totally not offensive but you kind of wish it would be. This music is way too polite for me.
Grade: C+

Pissed Jeans - "False Jesii Part 2"; Hard and fast, we've come to expect that kind of stuff from Pissed Jeans but this song adds just a bit to the tempo we've become accustomed to. Still it is totally unrelenting with it's steady riff and harsh vocals.
Grade: B

The Silent Years - "Madame Shocking"; If you've been looking for a new indie pop band to latch onto lately look no further then The Silent Years. These guys make pitch perfect melodies and adorable sounds that are impossible not to coo over. This new tune from the band's upcoming album - Let Go - proves just how cute and memorable they can be.
Grade: B+

The Clean - "In the Dreamlife, You Need a Rubber Soul"; For the first time since 2001 we are getting some brand new tunes from New Zealand's The Clean. It's been a long time coming even though a lot of the band's fans only got turned onto them by Merge's Anthology released in 2003. No matter when you got into the band you can't deny how addictive their catchy melodies are and this song is no different. Okay, maybe it's not as catchy as "Tally Ho", but it's damn good anyway.
Grade: A-

Patterson Hood - "I Understand Now"; I'll be totally up front here and admit that I am not the biggest fan of the Drive-By Truckers. That said I had no idea this guys was in the band until a few minutes ago when I re-read the press release and I still only sort of don't really mind this track. It doesn't win me over but it doesn't leave a bad taste in my mouth either. I guess I am more or less indifferent to Patterson Hood.
Grade: C

Sean Bones - "Dancehall"; This right here is why kids need to be kept away from the Bob Marley records. Too many people spend way too much time smoking and listening to Marley and instead of truly feeling the music and the message they translate it into crap like this. Seriously parents, all of Marley's records should be locked away with the poison under the sink.
Grade: D+

Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - "Where Was My Brain"; Anytime there's a new Ted Leo song I will be a happy camper, and though this tune came complete with a long disclaimer about it being a demo and no album being quite ready I was more then happy to hear the punky tune over and over again. I think you will be too.
Grade: B+

Rock Plaza Central - "Handsome Men"; For a second the start of this song comes terribly close to aping Zach Condon, luckily Rock Plaza Central haven't gone all European on the first tune off their new album. Instead the country and rock influences are all still wonderfully present as is Chris Eaton's yowling voice. It's a solid tune that definitely gets us pretty amped for their sophomore record.
Grade: B

Track of the Week:
Yo La Tengo - "Periodically Double Or Triple"; After releasing an album as the Condo Fucks already this year, Yo La Tengo will follow that crazy shit up with something that sounds more less like a complete departure from the Yo La Tengo way. There's still traces of the garage oriented, indie rock sound but there's also a funky, soul inflected vibe courtesy of some mean organ play. Simply put if the rest of the album sounds like this, they should get King Khan & the Shrines to open the next tour.
Grade: A

Old School Track of the Week:
Bruce Springsteen - "Badlands"; Right now I should be speeding along some interstate on my way towards Bonnaroo where I would be seeing acts like Phish (probably not), Wilco, Of Montreal, TV on the Radio, and of course Bruce Springsteen. It would have been my first time seeing Springsteen and I was super psyched to do so. Alas, I double booked the weekend like a fucking moron and will be here in Brooklyn for the Northside Fest instead. I guess it's not so bad, but it would have been cool to be in Tennessee for the bigger festival.
Grade: A

Blast from the Past: Arab Strap's Philophobia

Love is not always a glorious thing. It can hurt, it can torture, it can torment. We all know this, we've all been through the type relationships that can absolutely destroy you and yet for some reason or another we continue to get back on the proverbial horse and try it again. Humans are stupid, but I guess sometimes people really do find happiness with another person (hi, Rachael!). Still, it's not a bad idea for us happy types to remember what it was like to have our hearts ripped from our chests and thankfully we have bands like Arab Strap to remind us exactly what it felt like when it all came tumbling down.

For their second album Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton obsess over their varied romantic details and drunken stupidity in great and gory detail. Accompanying the lyrical chaos is the simple sound of guitars, organs, and strings gently being played along the varied delivery of Moffat. It's such a simple form of music, but it conveys absolute heartbreak and despair to perfection. The songs are naked and spare and Moffat gently speaks most of the lyrics to you creating a sad and haunting listening environment.

Listening to Philophobia your own personal experiences and feelings may come rushing back to you, no matter what state you happen to currently be in. The album has a way of bringing you down to its level, sawing you off at the knees and forcing you to face the loves that have slipped past. It's tough to listen to at times, but then it is also so heart wrenching and beautiful that you can't help but be drawn into it.

I won't put on Arab Strap albums all that often, I'd rather listen to funner music in an effort to keep a positive light on what's going on in my life, but ever so often I find myself drinking alone and listening to Arab Strap just to remind myself of feelings I have felt in quite a while. Sometimes heartbreak can be a very good thing.
Arab Strap - "Packs Of Three"
Arab Strap - "Here We Go"
Arab Strap - "Night Before the Funeral"
Arab Strap - "I Would've Liked Me A Lot Last Night"

Matador's 20th Anniversary Blasts from the Past:
Various Artists Everything Is Nice
Spoon's Telephono
Yo La Tengo's Painful
Cat Power's Moon Pix

NXNE Band Profile: Pterodactyl

Who: Pterodactyl
Location: Brooklyn, NY
NXNE Sets: Friday @ Sneaky Dee's (11pm), Saturday @ El Mocambo (3am)
5 Questions: - Who are you guys looking forward to seeing while north of the border? Any Canadian
bands you're really excited to see?
We're super excited to see Mika Miko and our friends The Coathangers who we're playing with at Sneaky Dees! We always love dd/mm/yyyy! Also excited to see the Gza if we can get in. The lineup is crazy cool! Oh and The Creeping Nobodies...not sure if they are playing but they are amazing and we'll totally go see them if they are playing.

- What do you guys look forward to about playing in Canada?
Canada is always really great. Everyone is so friendly and down! Sneaky Dee's nachos are pretty great too! We're also hoping to find some nice yard sales. Last year I found a copy of It's Pat on dvd for a dollar! It wasn't worth it but we're still hoping to find some good deals!

- What's your favorite episode of Degrassi?
The one where everyone is pregnant and huffing gas. Our Sarah Adrienne really loves the one where whats-her-face takes ecstasy. I was always more of a Saved By The Bell guy, myself. If I have to watch a Canadian show with kids on it, I'm going to pick You Can't Do That On Television every time. Sorry Degrassi!

- Where will you be heading after NXNE is done? Got anymore festivals to play this
summer?
After NXNE we're doing a month long tour of the US. It's going to be exciting to visit the Pacific Northwest and California, for sure as it's been a while. The only other festivals we're doing this summer are the Huggies' Fall into Softness Event and Pringles Summer Slam Jam both of which are going to be held at Newbridge commons in Newbridge, New Jersey. Actually we're not.... :(

- What's the biggest difference between playing shows throughout New York and when you
head out to different cities?
I guess the adventure of being in a new foreign place. New York is always exciting even when you call it home but venturing out into the world always supersedes comfort in my book. So there's your answer...adventure, adventure, adventure!

Listen: Pterodactyl - "First Daze"
Pterodactyl - "Easy Pieces"

Contest Reminder: All week you can enter to win a 5-day wristband to NXNE. Check out the details here!

Tuesday's Recommended Release (Part 2)

It may be June and far too early to start talk of Album of the Year, but it seems this year has been carved into a couple definite camps full of people backing either Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion or Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest. It's time to add a third contender to the list with the release of Dirty Projector's impressive new album Bitte Orca. For years Dave Longstreth and company have toiled as an obscure indie band, making artistic statements and quirky concept records, but with the release of Bitte Orca they have taken their music making ability to the next level. This is a record of pure pop brilliance, despite some off kilter time signatures and spastic guitar work.

Two years ago Longstreth released Rise Above a re-imagined version of Black Flag's Damaged based solely on his memory of the legendary hardcore album. It was quite the statement, but it was also a divisive way to create an album. Some people hated the new versions of Black Flag's songs while others hailed it as one of the best records of the year. The sounds though weren't quite poppy enough to woo average music listeners into the Dirty Projectors' corner.

Listening to Bitte Orca all those issues have been resolved with brilliant harmonies, three unique and excellent voices working to create amazingly lush songs, and impressive guitar and bass bits that dominate the soundscape. It's a dense, full listen, but it is also a 1,000 times more immediate then anything the Dirty Projectors have ever released. Yet as immediate as Bitte Orca is it also maintains an artistic side that should make old school Dirty Projectors fans very happy.

2009 is shaping up to be another brilliant, and wildly influential last year of the decade. Indie artists have finally embraced making more widely appealing sounds, yet they haven't given up on what they stand for to do it. Dirty Projectors are just another example of this movement towards more immediate, yet still wonderfully deep music and because of that Bitte Orca immediately joins the conversation for Album of the Year.
Bitte Orca - "Stillness is the Move"
Bitte Orca - "Two Doves"
Bitte Orca - "No Intention"

Tuesday's Recommended Release (Part 1)

For the first time in 20-years Sonic Youth are an independent rock band. Having freed themselves of the sinking weight that is the major label music world and begun a tryst with the much younger Matador Records, the band have returned to the world they started 28-years ago. Sure, you could listen to most of their recorded output on Geffen and not hear much of a difference between the art-punk noise they had made through the early 80's, but we all knew they were corporate sell outs and somehow adored albums like Murray St., Goo, and Rather Ripped anyway. Now we can like them without hating all the commercialism they stood for and it's just so freeing to be able to consider them indie once again isn't it? Yeah.

Anyway, for their 16th studio album (that's pretty fucking amazing) Sonic Youth have created an album that is confident, strong, and aggressive, and never once does it think to do anything but rock. It is as straight up as anything Sonic Youth has done before, but maybe that's because we've been listening to the band for 28-years already. It sounds like Sonic Youth are expected to sound. Maybe they tone down the noise a little bit, and for the first time they attempt things like duets, but everything else sounds like Sonic Youth. It's not Daydream Nation, but it's also not NYC Ghosts & Flowers. The Eternal is somewhere in the middle of all of Sonic Youth's highs and lows, with some truly outstanding songs and a cohesive nature but none of the adventure of the early days.

If you put this on expecting anything but Sonic Youth you're probably going to be disappointed, but if you are a fan of the band and have been for a while you'll enjoy it. You may wanna hear your own favorite Sonic Youth record after it, but for the duration of listening you'll like what you hear.
Sonic Youth - "Sacred Trickster"
Sonic Youth - "Anti-Orgasm"
Sonic Youth - "No Way"

NXNE Band Profile: Japanther

Who: Japanther
Location: Brooklyn, NY
NXNE Shows: Thursday @ Sneaky Dee's (1am), Friday @ Wrongbar (12am), Saturday @ Yonge Dundas Square (5:30pm)
Five Questions: Who are you guys looking forward to seeing while north of the border? Any Canadian bands you're really excited to see?
We love Aids Wolf, Think About Life, DD/MM/YYYY, Black Feelings and Saint Alvia. We feel akin to the other great artists on the Busy Bodies imprint and have lots of friends up there we consider family.

What do you guys look forward to about playing in Canada?
Degrassi like atmosphere, friends and family.

Are there any Toronto sites you guys are looking forward to seeing? Or restaurants you wanna eat at?
Yeah, Fresh has good food and any pizza spots that are open heck of late, we like the vegan stop in Waterloo as well.

What's your favorite episode of Degrassi?
The next generation episode where they pass STDs around the school. Also the "I drank, I drove, I killed a kid.." episode.

What's the biggest difference between playing shows throughout New York and when you head out to different cities?
We have a built in audience here of really fun kids who dance to our songs. when you go on tour there is no built in nothing. Everything is a an adventure.
Listen: Japanther - "The Dirge"
Japanther - "Bumpin' Rap Tapes"

Contest Reminder: All week you can enter to win a 5-day wristband to NXNE. Check out the details here!

Monday's Leaky Faucet

Who: Dinosaur Jr.
Title: Farm
Release Date: June 23rd
Label: Jagjaguwar
Thoughts: Since the turn of the century a lot of bands have been making comebacks, some welcomed, some not so much. Dinosaur Jr. are obviously one of the more welcome returns, especially when you consider how many bands have been aping their style for years already. In 2007 when the band released Beyond they proved that they were still able to rock with the best of them and with their latest release Farm hitting the internet this weekend we've been finding out that they didn't forget in the two year gap between albums. This is a steady, solid album with some super long solos and some wonderful tunes. It's loud and powerful and pretty much everything you would expect from Dinosaur Jr. Basically if you've been a fan for years make sure you check it out immediately.
Listen: Dinosaur Jr. - "I Want You to Know"
Dinosaur Jr. - "Your Weather"

Who: Oneida
Title: Rated O
Release Date: July 7th
Label: Jagjaguwar
Thoughts: Oneida are definitely toeing the fine line between musical genius and utter pretension with their triple disc, second part of a triptych Rated O. The album (all three part of it) are supposed to play as the sequel to Preteen Weaponry and the middle of something being called the "Thank Your Parents" trilogy. To say this is some weird shit is understating the obvious, but of course this is Oneida so weird should be more then expected. Rated O finds Oneida totally expanded and expanding its sound as well. There's just so much to digest here, three albums, four songs over 10-minutes long, one over 20-minutes, it all seems so ridiculous but for most of these three albums Oneida manage to hold it all together. The sounds are unique and interesting, I just need a little more time with the albums to truly piece together my opinion on Rated O.
Listen: Oneida - "I Will Haunt You"
Oneida - "Saturday"
Parents Pulling the Plugs on Williamsburg Trust-Funders - NYTimes.com

Who: The Radical Sons
Title: Throwing Knives EP
Release Date: June 23rd
Label: St. Ives
Thoughts: With some loose connections to folks like Be Your Own Pet and Thurston Moore, The Radical Sons have slowly built up quite a bit of buzz around their upcoming debut EP Throwing Knives. The 5-song short player has lot of other comparisons that could be made as well to folks like Television, The Strokes, The Velvet Underground and more. Basically this is a young mid-western band with a decent record collection making the best music they know how, and that is not a terrible thing. They do a good job of trying to translate these influences into their own sound, even if the influences wind up showing a bit more prevalently then they would have liked. Still, we all love the bands I'm comparing them to so this should be a sound we can at least bob our head along to.
Listen: The Radical Sons - "I'm So Sick of the 21st Century"
The Radical Sons - "Throwing Knives"

This Week's Live Picks

Monday: David Byrne @ Prospect Park Bandshell 8pm FREE
This week the free summer shows finally kick off for real with David Byrne performing as part of the annual Celebrate Brooklyn in Prospect Park. As always they'll ask you for a small suggested donation (usually $3) but it's a small price to pay to see a legend such as David Byrne. Plan on getting to the venue at least an hour early to ensure your entry.
David Byrne - "Fuzzy Freaky"

Tuesday: Marissa Nadler + James Blackshaw @ Mercury Lounge 9pm $12
Somehow Marissa Nadler is still skirting under the radar despite having released one of 2009's best records so far. This is probably a good thing for her fans because we continue to see her in some of the more intimate venues throughout the city. Tonight it's Mercury Lounge, but at some point people are going to catch onto this talent so go see her now!
Marissa Nadler - "River of Dirt"
James Blackshaw - "Cross"

Wednesday: Deastro @ Mercury Lounge 7:30pm $10
The buzz surrounding Deastro right now is deafening. Some people have declared him as one of the most innovative artists to emerge this year. Both of those are reasons to check out what he does on stage.
Deastro - "Friends"

Thursday: The Fiery Furnaces @ (le) poisson rouge 7pm $18
The Fiery Furnaces are back with a new album due later this year so expect to get a sneak peak at some of the new material. Hopefully. Truth is you never know what you're going to get from a Fiery Furnaces show, but usually they are well worth seeing.
The Fiery Furnaces - "Blueberry Boat"

Friday: Pop Tarts Suck Toasted's Northside Fest Showcase @ Public Assembly 8pm $10
I admittedly went a little overboard in planning my Northside Fest showcase this year. 12-bands on two stages in the span of about 6-hours. This is gonna be epic and it's only gonna cost you $10 to get in! That folks is a bargain, and let me tell you all of these bands are fantastic!
Screaming Females - "Skull"
Eula - "Housewolf"
Sisters - "Glue"
Kilgore Trout Is Dead - "Leave Me Alone"

Saturday: A Brief Smile @ The Delancey 8pm $5
Yeah, more self promotion as I'll be DJing A Brief Smile's second EP release show with my lovely girlfriend Rachael. It's gonna be a good time with a couple solid bands and the whole release party atmosphere going on. I'm bringing some special treats guaranteed!
A Brief Smile - "Bigger Lies"

Sunday: Todd P's Unamplified BBQ 2009 @ Fort Tilden Beach 12pm FREE
Summer hasn't even officially gotten started yet but I assure you the annual Todd P BBQ will probably be the highlight of the year! 10-minute sets from about 40 different bands is bound to make an awesome event.
Dinowalrus - "Electric Car, Gas Guitar"
Fiasco - "Oh, You Horny Monster"
Mika Miko - "Capricorinations"
Pterodactyl - "December"

Contest: NXNE Wristband!!!

Our neighbors to the North are pretty awesome people! Universal health care, hockey on actual television, booze at 19-years old! What's not to like about Canada? Nothing that's what. They also happen to have a pretty kick ass answer to the SXSW Festival called NXNE. Like SXSW or CMJ, NXNE brings the best up-and-coming musical talents into one area and lets them play till the cows come home. Unlike SXSW it's not a hundred degrees. Sounds like a win to me!

This year there will be dozens of New York bands making the trip up to NXNE so the good folks behind the festival asked if I'd like to do something to promote these bands playing in Toronto and I said sure. So we will be giving away one 5-day wristband to a lucky reader that can get there and find accommodations on there own (sorry folks, I can't even afford my own travel to Toronto). If you're going to be in Toronto from June 17th - 21st and want to go send me an e-mail anytime from now till next Friday (the 12th) at 5pm. In that e-mail include your name and your favorite New York band playing at NXNE. The winner will be picked at random by me and contacted via e-mail!

All next week we will be profiling a few of my favorite New York bands playing NXNE this year, with small interviews with each of the bands, mp3's, and all that jazz. Check it out and make sure you enter to win! Good luck everyone and have fun in Toronto!!!

This Week's Tour News

Who: No Age/Deerhunter/Dan Deacon
When: August 2nd
Where: Williamsburg Waterfront
On Sale: FREE (?)
More Dates
Thoughts: Summer in New York City is one of the great places for music lovers to be. Sure it's hot, humid, sticky, and nasty, but you know that on any given day of night there's gonna be some good bands playing somewhere and there's a good chance that it will be free. It appears that the folks of JellyNYC, the same that brought us the Pool Parties the last three years, have really upped the ante for their new shows at the Williamsburg Waterfront. Point in case this three headed monster of a bill that will see all three bands collaborating on stage. Their only doing a handful of shows together and one of them is free here in New York!
Listen: No Age - "Ripped Knees"
Deerhunter - "Rainwater Cassette Exchange"
Dan Deacon - "Get Older"

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Who: Los Campesinos!
When: August 4th
Where: Webster Hall
On Sale: Noon
More Dates
Thoughts: The news out of the Los Campesinos! camp was a bit bittersweet the other day when the band announced their latest tour to the States. Now we always love having these guys over here but it comes with the announcment that Aleks will be leaving the band to pursue her education. A noble reason for leaving a rock band if we've ever heard one, but we will certainly miss her.
Listen: Los Campesinos! - "Death to Los Campesinos!"

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Who: A Brief Smile
When: June 13th + July 2nd
Where: The Delancey
On Sale: No Advance
More Dates
Thoughts: No sooner did I finish asking the boys of A Brief Smile why they never tour then we get the announcment that they will indeed be playing outside of the 5-boroughs this summer. Now, it's not the biggest tour announcement we've ever seen but just to see these guys getting their asses out of New York City for a few days is definitely progress. If they're coming to a town near you, you should definitely consider checking them out.
Listen: A Brief Smile - "Motorcycle"

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Who: Jóhann Jóhannsson
When: June 25th
Where: (le) poisson rouge (two shows)
On Sale:
More Dates
Thoughts: This will be Jóhann Jóhannsson's native pilgrimage to the United State so I hope everyone will greet him warmly and make his stay here super pleasant! Of course we all love Jóhann's music so making him feel welcome should be pretty easy for everyone that gets to see him making all those amazing sounds. I'd just like to point out that the two New York shows are part of the always amazing Wordless Music series. Don't miss these shows!
Listen: Jóhann Jóhannsson - "The Rocket Builder"

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Who: Screaming Females
When: June 12th, July 16th, + July 17th
Where: Public Assembly (Northside Fest), Terminal 5 (opening for Dead Weather)
On Sale: No Advance (Public Assembly), Night 1 Sold Out, Night 2 on sale now!
More Dates
Thoughts: Next Friday Screaming Females will be the big headliner at my own Northside Fest show at Public Assembly. Having seen this Jersey trio a few times already I can tell with absolute certainty that they will flat out blow you away. Still it's a bit mind boggling knowing that after they play Public Assembly in June their next New York shows will be at the cavernous Terminal 5 opening for Jack White's new band The Dead Weather! Of course Marissa can shred right along side Jack so I guess it shouldn't be all that surprising at all.
Listen: Screaming Females - "Adult Army"

Top 10: Most Underrated Fictional Bands

Like I said yesterday I was inspired by hearing The Monkees to create a list of the greatest fictional bands ever, but upon starting the list I was hit by the same bands over and over again that have been overrated for far too long. Don't get me wrong I love Spinal Tap and Hedwig as much as anyone, but bands like Timmy & the Lords of the Underworld or Drive Shaft only have one tune or less then one tune. So instead of just listing the best fictional bands ever I decided to look deeper and find some that are often overlooked but no less important. As always send over your own favorites and definitely feel free to re-order the shit out of this!

10.

Mystik Spiral (Daria): For starters let's all admit that Daria is an underrated TV show. It played second fiddle to Beavis and Butthead but was overall a better and smarter TV show. Trent Lane and his gang of cool dudes formed Mystik Spiral and were featured prominently throughout the history of the show. This wasn't just a one time appearance and yet somehow people forget about them constantly. Oh well, it's their loss really!

9. The Soggy Bottom Boys (O Brother, Where Art Thou): Having beaten Outkast's Stankonia for Album of the Year in 2002, I don't know if you can really consider The Soggy Bottom Boys to be underrated. But more times then not they won't even be mentioned in the same breath as most of the more popular fictional bands so I'm putting them here.
The Soggy Bottom Boys - "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow"

8. Crucial Taunt (Wayne's World): Yes, we all know that Tia Carrere is a babe (shwing) but let's face facts - Crucial Taunt flat out rocked! Yeah, that's right the songs performed by Cassandra's movie band were probably the best tunes on the Wayne's World Soundtrack so get down to it right now!
Crucial Taunt - "Ballroom Blitz"

7. The Wonders (That Thing You Do): The Wonders may have wound up as just another one-hit wonder from the 60's but that song was one fine pop song even if it was written just for a movie. It's sugary, addictive, and sounds amazing in the movie, on record, wherever. This is a good tune and if you listen closely you'll hear a few more throughout the movie that are pretty damn solid.
The Wonders - "That Thing You Do"

6.

The Lone Rangers (Airheads): Any band featuring Adam Sandler, Steve Buscemi, and Brendan Fraser is okay in my book, but their prison performance of "Degenerated" will win over even the most hardened music lover. The tune lives somewhere in the world of alternative rock, but who really cares what genre it is with those fantastic lyrics!

5. Dethklok (Metalocalypse): If you're not a fan of Adult Swim you've probably flicked through the channel drunkenly late at night and wondered what the fuck was up with that cartoon metal band, well I am here to tell you that that cartoon metal band is Dethklok and they will kick the shit out of your actual metal band any day of the week. Listen, you'll love it!
Dethklok - "Hatredcopter"

4. CB4 (CB4): CB4 is a highly underrated Chris Rock movie and the music from this rap trio is even more underrated. Tunes like "Sweat of My Balls" and "Straight Out of Locash" are perfect parodies of West Coast rap from the early 90's, well except for all the funny lyrics.
CB4 - "Sweat of My Balls"

3.

The Weird Sisters (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire): I'm not sure how many people know who makes up the members of The Weird Sisters, the band tapped to play the Yule Ball at Hogwarts, but you may be surprised to find out it consists of members of Pulp and Radiohead. That's right folks, Jarvis Cocker, Johnny Greenwood, Phil Selway, and a few others were asked to play as The Weird Sisters and that is actually them performing "Do the Hippogriff". Fucking awesome!

2. The Beets (Doug): Before there was a real life band called The Beets there was the band from the Nickelodeon show Doug. Based off The Beatles and The Ramones the band was a favorite of Doug and his friends Patti and Skeeter. As good as the real life Beets are, these Beets definitely will always have a place in our hearts.
The Beets - "Killer Tofu"

1. Dr. Teeth & the Electric Mayhem (The Muppet Show): There is so much that can be said about the resident band of The Muppets, but simply put this band was funky, fresh, and as interesting as any musical act ever to emerge from TV or movies. Seriously listen to their tunes, there aren't many but they are fantastic. Seriously.
Dr. Teeth & the Electric Mayhem - "Can You Picture That"

Band of the Week: Wheels On Fire

Finding new bands can be a tiring act. Pouring through countless friend requests on MySpace, weeding through e-mail after e-mail from bands, sometimes it's easier to let other people discover the hot new talents and then just jump on the bandwagon. That's what I'm doing with this week's Band of the Week which comes courtesy of a post over at WOXY's blog The Futurist. The post introduces us to a band out of Athens, Ohio who have already toured the world over opening for the likes of King Khan & the Shrines. That alone is a fantastic resume for a band, but with comparisons to folks like Iggy Pop and Elvis Costello you know to strap on the seat belt and prepare to listen to a band you are gonna fall in love with.

And that is exactly the case with Wheels On Fire, a quartet that make sweet, simple, soulful rock n' roll that sounds oh so good right from the first listen. Obviously there is the whole garage sound that makes them a perfect fit for the current state of indie rock, but this isn't your standard noisy, lo-fi act, instead of just copying fellow Ohioans like Times New Viking, these guys go out and make something that you can actually move to. There is soul behind their lo-fi sound, maybe it's just the added keys you can hear on the tracks or the slightly cleaner aesthetic but whatever it is it works for these guys.

Wheels On Fire have just released a new record called Get Famous. It is loaded with tunes that will most likely propel them to fame thanks to all the people that are gonna fall in love with them on first list. This is the kind of band that never goes out of style.
Wheels On Fire - "I'm Turning Into You"
Wheels On Fire - "Metal Mandy"
Wheels On Fire on MySpace

Questionable Corner: A Brief Smile

For a few years now A Brief Smile have built a solid reputation as a rocking band here in New York but have only made a few waves outside of the city. Now thanks to a three EP project and their college graduation the band is looking to venture beyond the five boroughs and capture some new fans in the process. On Friday the second of the three EP's, Restaurant Airport, will be made available for free download followed by the final one on July 3rd. Make sure you check out the A Brief Smile's website for the download info and check out one of their upcoming release shows at The Delancey. For now though check out this Q&A with the whole band!

PTST: You guys recently participated in The Music Sluts Morrissey cover project. What made you guys choose "Speedway" to cover? What would have been your second choice?
Jared: Vauxhall and I is my favorite Moz album and "Speedway" seemed like the most fun song on there to do, it sounded the most like A Brief Smile to start with.
Garrett: I actually wasn't familiar with "Speedway", but some of the other guys liked it so we went for it. I've always loved "I Know Its Over", but that song is untouchable (unless you're Buckley).
DL: Maybe "Hated for Loving" or some Smiths b-side that we picked up at Championship Vinyl.

PTST: If you could choose the next artist/band to cover on a compilation like that who would it be?
John: Wyld Stallyons!!!!!
DL: We've been playing "Big Dipper" by Built to Spill. I'm pretty sure there is a live recording of that somewhere. Aside from Built to Spill, we are all super into the Wrens and we used to do "Dance The Midwest," so that would be a fun compilation to be a part of. Maybe a GBV one, that would be rad. People like to say we sound like Ride.

PTST: You guys are currently releasing a new 3-song EP each month, why'd you guys decide to do it that way instead of releasing it as one complete album?
Jared: When we started recording these songs we wanted to finish them really quickly and put out the songs in groups of 2 or 3 as we finished them. It ended up taking us too long to finish them to release it that way but we decided to keep them grouped as we had originally planned. We also found that when we released Now We All Have Horns and R.E.S.T. that people kind of payed attention for like a week and then forgot about it. By releasing them over 3 months it keeps people engaged and let us put on three parties with the bands and DJ's we like.
Garrett: The EP's were all conceived and recorded as individual works. We had some songs, put those aside, worked on more songs with a different approach the the previous ones, etc. In my mind, the 9 songs together don't work as an album (they weren't intended to).

PTST: What's the deal with giving each of them away for free? Do you think you're Radiohead? Do free downloads lead to a bigger fan base?
Garrett: They lead to more people hearing the music.
Jared: We didn't expect to make money off of these EP's - selling it or not. We decided that since most people we know don't pay for their music anyways, we might as well just give it away because we're only stopping people from listening to it by selling it.

PTST: How many people downloaded the first one for free?
Jared: Several hundred people downloaded it through our site. Over 2000 people downloaded our cover of Speedway though

PTST: There has definitely been a shift in the sound from Now We All Have Horns to these three EP's, was there a conscious effort to change the sound? What led to the change?
Garrett: We tried to be more concise with these. Especially in the songwriting/arranging.
Jared: I'll answer the technical portion of this question. We had better gear to record with and better skills/tools to edit and mix the music. As a result, I think it's a bit more polished sound, particularly the drums. For Now We All Have Horns we recorded the drums in a big massive room which left us with fewer options to manipulate the sound in mixing. For these, we mostly used a small bedroom that was really dampened. The result is a much tighter sound. We then added reverbs and stuff, but basically we had a lot more options in the mix process. On Now We All Have Horns we mixed everything ourselves, in fact we did everything except master it ourselves. For the EP's, we collaborated with a few different mix engineers, so there is more outside influence and there is more variation in the sound from track to track. Also, Emily Lazar and Joe LaPorta did an amazing job mastering them, they really made it sound cohesive despite there being such a variety of mixing talent involved.

PTST: Out of the three EP's, which is your personal favorite?
Garrett: The first.
DL: They are different. I had the most fun working on Be Mine. Jeff Curtin was super rad.
Jared: Probably the first one, Be Mine, although I like all 3 for different reasons.

PTST: You guys are doing three shows to celebrate the release of each of these EP's, why do you only play in New York? Have you guys ever thought about touring?
Jared: We've been trying to tour for a while. We're playing outside of NYC a bunch this summer. Hopefully in the Fall things will come together to allow us to travel even more.

PTST: You guys booked a few sweet DJ's for these gigs, who do you think is the best?
Jared: I expect that Pat and Rachael will be the best. But I can't really say until I've heard all of them. (editor's note: this answer was not forced at all, seriously!)

PTST: Are you guys happy with where A Brief Smile is at this point?
Garrett: there is always room for "improvement"
DL: Of course not! We are extremely proud of these three EP's and think they provide the most insight as to what our identity as a band actually is but, like Garrett says, there's always room for "improvement," we're always thinking of new things to do.

PTST: Now that you've all graduated from NYU do you guys think you'll focus a little more on the band, maybe try touring, etc.?
Garrett: John is still in school but yes.

PTST: Having played a ton in New York, what is your favorite venue to play at? What's the worst?
Garrett: Bowery is my fave!
Jared: I guess Mercury Lounge is my favorite that we've played. The best show we've played though I think was the last one at The Delancey. The Delancey certainly isn't my favorite venue but they let us charge $5, which is cheap for NY and a lot of people came out and it was a really fun show. I hope we can do that again on the 13th.

PTST: After the three release shows what do you have planned for the rest of the summer?
DL: A bunch of out of town shows, videos, and hopefully we can squeeze some surfing in as well. John, Jared and myself are hooked. Plus, we've always got a ton of unreleased material gathering dust so who knows?

Listen: A Brief Smile - "Century At Heart"
A Brief Smile - "Get It Off"

Upcoming Shows:
June 13th @ The Delancey, New York, NY (w/Bronze Fondue, Scott Beowulf, Luff and Menya + DJ Pop Tarts + DJ Rachael from Underrated Magazine)
July 2nd @ The Delancey, New York, NY (w/Tropic of Nelson, more tba + DJ Matt Music Slut)

Sound Tracks

Holiday Shores - "Phones Don't Feud"; Welcome back once again to the year of lo-fi. If you're still feeling it despite the horrible WAVVES breakup this weekend then please proceed to one of the finer examples being offered this year from a brand new act that is sure to pick right where the last one self destructed. If you are sick of it at this point please feel free to skip ahead at any point.
Grade: B+

Little Girls - "Tambourine"; This single is now sold out in it's Mexican Summer released 12" form as people have been rabid for anything released by these Torontan noise makers. There are at least two more EP's slated to be released this year so get ready for more from these guys.
Grade: B-

The Antlers - "Two"; Last year this song was my #1 track of the year, but now that the band has signed to Frenchkiss Records they have gone and remastered my favorite album of the year - Hospice. So if you've missed out so far jump on the bandwagon now!
Grade: A+

Yacht - "Psychic City"; It's early yet but there's a good chance this tune will soundtracking your summer from here on out. The tune is positively bubbling under the positivity and it really sets the bar damn high for the duo's DFA debut due later this summer. For now we'll start jamming to this as the sun is beating down, till something better comes along.
Grade: A-

Jay Reatard - "It Ain't Gonna Save Me"; At some point Jay Reatard is gonna have to seriously consider expanding his 25-minute set time or he's gonna have some pretty angry fans on his hands wanting to hear their own favorite song of his. The dude has become pretty prolific releasing single after single and then putting them all together on a compilation, not to mention all the great covers he's been putting out. This may just be another in a long line of solid singles, but you can be damn sure that someone will wanna hear this over something else and hopefully there will be time for it.
Grade: B+

Cave Singers - "Beach House"; Normally I have nothing but nice things to say about Matador Records and their stable of artists, but for whatever reason I am just not feeling this new tune from the Cave Singers. It's rustic and rural sounding, and more then a little reminiscent of some their fellow Seattle natives, folks like Fleet Foxes and Band of Horses. I know those bands are adored by a lot of people, but on my iPod they are banished pretty quickly.
Grade: C+

Lightning Dust - "I Knew"; This summer Lightning Dust will be touring with the Cave Singers and in fact the ladies of Lightning Dust appear on the track above. Surprisingly I am not as adamantly against Lightning Dust's sound, they somehow meld rustic sounds with something a little more modern. Perhaps it's all the synths or maybe it's the effects on the vocals, but whatever it is I am loving this tune.
Grade: B+

Boy Genius - "Blame Love"; A lot of the indie pop love has been exported to Sweden lately, but Brooklyn's Boy Genius would like to remind you that there's some super sweet indie pop coming from right here. The band has a brand new 7" coming out and this is the A-side on that 7". It's a pure indie pop ballad that soars behind the lovely guy/girl vocals. Fans of any bands that broke out thanks to NYC Pop Fest should definitely check these guys out.
Grade: B+

God Help the Girl - "Mary's Market"; The whole idea of Stuart Murdoch working on this "solo" project is a little odd to me, especially when you consider how much this B-side sounds like a straight up Belle & Sebastian tune. I guess Murdoch has earned the right to do what he pleases after a long amazing career, but this tune could have just been saved for the next B&S album.
Grade: A-

Jemina Pearl - "Nashville Shores"; Before we get started I have to say this is not even remotely as immediate and addictive as Be Your Own Pet was. Instead of continuing as a little punk rocker, Pearl has embraced more of the garage rock sound as you can hear from this stomper. It's a good tune, just not a great one.
Grade: B-

Track of the Week:
Deer Tick - "Easy"; The first time I saw Deer Tick was at NYU opening up for The Mountain Goats. While waiting for John Darnielle and his brand of masterful songwriting I thought it was pretty easy to ignore background music from Deer Tick, but listening to this new tune from his upcoming album I am absolutely blown away by his own songwriting genius. This is immediately a contender for Song of the Year.
Grade: A

Old School Track of the Week:
The Monkees - "Daydream Believer"; People have been crying about the death of radio for ages, and while there are now solid alternatives I usually turn on the radio while driving still. My preferred station is without a doubt WFMU, but somehow I found myself listening to WCBS the other day when The Monkees "Daydream Believer" came on. For those that don't know WCBS is the New York oldies station and definitely provides a quick jolt of old school classics whenever I happen to tune to it. As soon as I heard the opening notes I was transported back to my childhood, where there were repeats of The Monkees TV show and vinyl copies of their records played on my Fisher-Price turntable. Ah those were the days! I sang along and then the song ended, but it was a great moment that inspired tomorrow's Top 10 list and of course this little mp3 posting. Enjoy!
Grade: A

Blast from the Past: Butterglory's Rat Tat Tat

A band like Butterglory never really stood a chance. Hailing from Kansas in the mid-90's sounding like Pavement they were dwarfed by the bands that sounded like Nirvana or opted to go for pop-punk or emo or something of that nature. Instead Butterglory made really good indie pop tunes, signed with Merge and somehow managed to put out 4-solid records before vanishing into relative obscurity. I'm sure there's a few folks out there that remember the heyday of Butterglory, but if it weren't for Merge's 20th anniversary I probably never would have discovered this little band from Lawrence, Kansas.

Listening to their swan song, Rat Tat Tat, now I am immediately struck by the obvious comparisons that can be made to Pavement and Yo La Tengo. If these guys were just coming round today they'd be huge as more and more people yearn for that Pavement comeback that will probably never happen. The music is simple and pretty, focused and generally solid but nothing separates it from all the other Pavement wannabes we're forced to listen to these days. It's kind of sad, in their time they were overshadowed by bands we're embarrassed to admit liking and now they are just another of the bands that sound like someone else. Such is the life of the small to mid-level bands that never quite make it to fame and success.

There's gonna be a lot of those kinds of bands in the coming years. Bands that were invited to tour the world with this group or that group, that played before thousands of people at one of the countless festivals going on now, they will one day fall into this same category. They will be what Al Bundy is to high school football players. And we will watch and wonder whatever happened to so and so, remember how good that one song was, and then move on to talking about the flavor of the month. Jesus, music fans are fickle.

Somewhere out there someone is listening to Rat Tat Tat not because I'm mentioning it, not because it's a classic album, but because they loved it once and still do today. Hopefully all these bands today will be able to say the same sort of thing once their time has past.
Butterglory - "Tundra"
Butterglory - "Come On!"
Butterglory - "Serpentine"
Butterglory - "Hexed"

Previous Merge 20th Blasts from the Past:
Neutral Milk Hotel's On Avery Island
Magnetic Field's Get Lost
Wwax's Like It Or Not
...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead's Madonna
Polvo's Today's Active Lifestyles

Contest: One Step Beyond Tix!!!

One contest ends and another begins! Today I'm pleased to be giving away two pairs of tickets to see the monthly, Fader presented One Step Beyond show at the Museum of Natural History. This month's show features DJ sets from Moby, Holy Ghost (who were just added as part of Green Label Sounds 2009 along with Chromeo, Solid Gold, & U-N-I), Martin Moscrop (of A Certain Ratio), and Activaire DJ's. The night gets started at 9pm and runs till 1am.

To enter e-mail me your full name with "One Step Beyond" in the subject title. Winners will be chosen at random on Thursday at 5pm! So get entering now! Good luck everyone!

Thanks to The Fader, Green Label Sounds, and Cornerstone for hooking us up with this contest!

Tuesday's Recommended Release (Part 2)

Thanks in huge part to Adult Swim and eMusic Deastro has become the talk of the independent music world. His demo compilation, Keepers, sold shocking numbers and his appearance on the Ghostly Swim compilation for Cartoon Network's Adult Swim all made his debut full length one of the most anticipated releases of 2009. Now that Moondaggeris finally here it's safe to say that the synthetic sounds of Randolph Chabot were not just a one-off, flash in the pan, over hyped bit of sound. No, this music is absolutely addicting thanks to its ability to defy genre and hook you immediately.

For all of its 50-minutes Moondagger holds your attention and doesn't let it go. It will have you moving about or it will have you scratching your head as to where you may have heard some of these sounds before, but either way you will be trapped in the spell that Chabot has weaved on us all. Rolling Stone summed it up well when they said it sounds like "rushing rainbows of synth". Everything on this album is flamboyant and colorful, pop at its absolute brightest.

There are times when the music sounds dangerously familiar, specifically the bit in "Daniel Johnston Was Stabbed In The Heart With The Moondagger By The King Of Darkness And His Ghost Is Writing This Song As A Warning To All Of Us" that sounds like it was ripped right from Panda Bear's "Bros", but as familiar as it can sound it spends most of its time revolutionizing what electronic pop music should sound like.

With each successive listen I am drawn further and further into the music on Moondagger. It started as simple enjoyment but each time I hit play I fall a little more in love with everything Chabot is doing with his bedroom recordings. Hopefully all this success he's experiencing won't screw that all up.
Deastro - "Parallelogram"
Deastro - "Day Of Wonder"
Deastro - "Vermillion Plaza"

Tuesday's Recommended Release (Part 1)

In the two years since Patrick Wolf released The Magic Potion more of the attention around Wolf has revolved around not the drama in his music, but the drama in his life. Whether he was retiring from the music business all together, releasing a double album, or asking fans to buy shares in the upcoming double album project more time was spent talking about Wolf's extracurricular activities then was spent talking about his truly brilliant music. Lucky for Wolf he has the talent to wipe the slate clean every time he releases a new record, such is the power of his music even if it is only half of what we were expecting to hear.

On The Bachelor Patrick Wolf once again reminds us all that as dramatic as he can be in real life, nothing compares to the dramatic flair of his music. With his voice being strained by the tweaks and twists of the knobs, The Bachelor shows a young man that is truly at the cross roads of his early life. He is forced to wrestle with loneliness and isolation, with only himself to pull him from the funk. It's a depressing idea for sure, and something that's been tread on many a time by coffee house open mics the world over, but somehow Patrick Wolf manages to make the desperation of being young and not living a perfect life sound deeper then it truly is and more lively then it should be too. A lot of this has to do with Wolf's ability to hook the audience with terrific rhythms and sounds, but a lot is also due to the daring chances he takes in the production of the album.

Never one to shy away from loading on the sounds, Patrick Wolf is a breath of over produced joy in a world that has become over wrought with lo-fi and no-fi artists all over the place. Wolf is not afraid to make every inch of a song sound beautiful and to layer on sound after electronic sound, or to ask Tilda Swinton to add some additional vocal work to the record. No, Wolf takes chances by putting so many effects on his amazing voice, twisting it to the point where it is almost beyond recognition before pulling it back. It's these risks that make this album what it is and it is a damn remarkable record.

Patrick Wolf probably made the right choice by separating his two albums into The Bachelor and The Conqueror. Instead of being faced with a daunting 2-hour listen we are treated to an hour long ode to growing up. A record with a weighty enough topic already, but that comes out sounding light thanks to the playfulness Wolf displays on some of the tracks here. And now we get a year to process and enjoy The Bachelor until The Conqueror comes out to play, and who knows what kind of drama will surround Wolf in that time.
Patrick Wolf - "Hard Times"
Patrick Wolf - "Thickets"
Patrick Wolf - "Vulture"

This Week's Live Picks

Monday - Friday: Art Brut with guests @ Mercury Lounge 7:30pm $16
I've probably seen Art Brut about 20 times at this point, on stages big and small, indoors and out, and yet whenever they come to town I get a bit excited because I know we're going to be treated to a show that it is fun and entertaining. I'm sure their 5-night run at Mercury Lounge will be no different with Eddie Argos and company getting to take over a small, cramped space with their infectious tunes and on-stage antics. It helps that they'll be joined by some fantastic local talent every night of the run. Make sure you get to at least one night!!!
Art Brut - "DC Comics and Chocolate Milkshake"
The Picture - "Deer Crossing"
Murder Mystery - "Love Astronaut"
Tiny Masters of Today - "Skeletons"
Phil and the Osophers - "We Have All Summer"

for non Art Brut fans...

Monday: Death Vessel @ The Bell House (moved from Union Hall) 7:30pm $10
Amazingly unique is probably the only way to describe the voice of Death Vessel's front man Joel Thibodeau's. With a completely out of place soprano you may be thinking that you're listening to some new tune from Joanna Newsom not from a dude. But that's his voice, like it or not, and I think most of you will wind up liking it.
Death Vessel - "Bruno's Torso"

Tuesday: Love Is All @ Maxwell's 9pm $10
Love Is All has the fantastic ability to make their post-punk sounds come out peppy and fun rather then the usual angst that hangs over the drama. Of course, hailing from Sweden you probably could have guess they wouldn't be a bunch of downers but they also aren't exact replicas of all the sugary sweet sounds that have been imported from there lately.
Love Is All - "A More Uncertain Future"

Wednesday: Jack Penate @ Bruar Falls 8pm $tba
I haven't been totally won over by Jack Penate yet, but I'm giving him and his band another chance to win me over with his new album and a couple of live shows this week. His rockabilly sound has never really been my cup of tea, but Penate makes it sound like riotous fun. Mostly.
Jack Penate - "Tonight's Today"

Thursday: The Postelles, Real Estate, + pow wow! @ Santo's Party House 7pm $10
This may just be the best lineup we'll see all week with a couple of bands that are really on the cusp of breaking into a much larger fan base. All three of these bands make tunes that have caught a lot of attention already this year, but they are all just teetering on the edge between bands with potential and the next big thing. Maybe a combined show in front of the right New York City crowd will be enough to push them over the edge.
The Postelles - "123 Stop"
Real Estate - "Beach Comber"
pow wow! - "So Weird"

Friday: Dark Meat + Disappears @ Cake Shop 8pm $tba
If you want to kick off your weekend with a bit of fun and energy then by all means step foot in Cake Shop tonight and see if you won't be won over by both these bands. If you're looking for something a bit quiet and relaxed definitely head somewhere else.
Dark Meat - "Future Galaxies"
Disappears - "Magics"

Saturday: Titus Andronicus + The So So Glos @ Music Hall of Williamsburg 8pm $15
Guess what guys, Titus Andronicus are playing yet another show in New York and once again I'm telling you to go see. At this point you have probably seen them 3,042 times but let's face it their live show does not get stale - ever! You also have the double bonus of getting to see the awesome So So Glos open up the show as well. Should be a blast!
Titus Andronicus - "My Time Outside the Womb"
The So So Glos - "Isn't It A Shame"

Sunday: Kevin Devine @ Music Hall of Williamsburg 6:30pm $13
One of my hometown's heroes, Kevin Devine has never really made me swoon like he does for other people but a few weeks ago he appeared on Mid-Evenings with Jay Miller and really won me over. So now I'm dipping a toe in and seeing if I might like Kevin Devine more then I ever expected to.
Kevin Devine - "Brother's Blood"