2010 Progress Report: Avi Buffalo record release

For the past year or so I've given a good deal of love to LA's (well, technically Long Beach's) favorite youngsters, quirky pop quartet Avi Buffalo. So I was way excited when they got signed to SubPop and finally recorded a solid album's worth of songs.

I remember seeing them at the Echo in July 2009 and being floored at how much they'd improved from just a few months previous. I took a friend from out of town to that show and was a little concerned about how she'd enjoy it, but once they took the stage I knew that was obviously not going to be an issue. They were so poised and awesome, and as I darted back and forth trying to get some good shots in I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

The long-awaited Avi Buffalo dropped this week and it's grown on me to the point where I'll have "Summer Cum" or "Remember Last Time" stuck in my head after the morning commute, and then it'll play on KCRW in my boss's office and I can't escape it (nor do I want to, though). These are songs that sit on the front porch with you with a glass of lemonade or a beer in the afternoon; late spring/early summer was the perfect time for this album to come out. They're unassuming and a little sweet, but intricate when you listen for all the details -- especially the words. When I first heard the opening lines to "Where's Your Dirty Mind" I knew this was a band to take seriously. And then in the chorus they were talking about wanting to die, and not wanting to die, but not in the really-bad-poetry way you'd expect from high schoolers. But I may've found a new favorite line in the ballad/borderline classic rock tune "Jessica": "I can't tell when something's real/nobody tells me how they feel/it's always right beneath my nose/and if that's just the way it goes/someone won't be there when you fall."

Avi's plaintive falsetto brings the charm and quirk quotient, and vocalist/keyboardist Rebecca Coleman steps to the forefront for the first time in "one last," a folky ditty that takes the band out of their comfort zone. other highlights include the whimsical "Summer Cum,'' (probably the best example of the lemonade-on-the-porch-in-summer aesthetic) and my absolute old favorite "What's In It For."

I love that there's no lead/rhythm guitar dynamic, and that Avi never just strums his way through a song. Almost everything he plays is a lead line to complement the vocals, and Coleman, bassist Arin Fazio and drummer Sheridan Riley round out the tunes without ever stepping on each other's parts. Check out the end of "Remember Last Time" to hear a band that knows how to work together, not to mention write a killer outro.



I'm going to insist you head to the not yet sold out album release party at the Troubadour this Saturday if you're in Los Angeles. It's a great venue, and this event is a long time coming! (if you couldn't already tell by now) I'm sure there'll be lots of locals who are stoked on this band's big day. Not to mention all 4 are just super sweet people who've paid their dues and deserve every bit of what's coming their way -- which actually includes some European tour dates in May and then summer dates with Modest Mouse and Blitzen Trapper.

Though this won't be the last you hear from me on Avi Buffalo, for now I leave you with a couple tunes from the new album:

"Remember Last Time"
"What's In It For"


Avi Buffalo on the road:

May 01 Troubadour, Hollywood, CA (record release show)
May 30 Sasquatch! Festival, Gorge, WA
Jul 01 Royal Oak Theater (MI), Royal Oak, MI *
Jul 02 Royal Oak Theater (MI), Royal Oak, MI *
Jul 03 Summerfest (WI), Milwaukee, WI *
Jul 06 Crossroads, Kansas City, MO *
Jul 08 Twlight Concert Series, Salt Lake City, UT *
Jul 23 Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR $
Jul 27 First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN $
Jul 28 Turner Hall, Milwaukee, WI $
Jul 30 Pier 17 / South Street Seaport (NY), New York, NY ^
Aug 04 Majestic Theater (MI), Detroit, MI $
Aug 05 Vogue, The, Indianapolis, IN $
Sep 04 All Tomorrows Parties - NY, Monticello, NY

* w/ Modest Mouse
$ w/ Blitzen Trapper
^ w/ Neon Indian

New tune from Best Coast! - "Our Deal"

Photo credit: Pete Ohs


Maybe The Wonders should've asked for a little help from Best Coast instead of throwing in the towel.

A couple days ago Pitchfork posted about "Our Deal," a new tune from Best Coast's forthcoming debut that is featured in the Xbox webseries Black Falls. As P4K mentions, it's much less lo-fi than BC's previous recordings but still a tasty, tasty morsel. 60s lover's lament at its very best.

Check it out here!

2010 Progress Report: Beach House, Teen Dream

Welcome to the third installment of 2010 Progress Report -- thus far I've been talking up my favorite singles, but here I'm going to step off the flag and mention my favorite album of the year so far.

About 6 months ago I had no idea who Beach House was; I'd only heard the song "Gila" on a mixtape from a friend with no printed tracklist, so I didn't even know I was listening to them. I passed up the chance to see them open for Grizzly Bear in LA and went to the Noah and the Whale show instead (whose album The First Day of Spring was one of my top albums of 2009).

When the Baltimore, MD duo released the first single from this year's Teen Dream, "Norway," I wasn't totally convinced, but still curious so I bought the rest of the record. It was like going on a first date with someone and telling your friends it was sort of eh, but you wouldn't mind seeing them again if they asked. Then you go on a second and third date, and then a fourth date, and you realize they're kinda deep and smart and fragile and BAM! you start writing their name in hearts all over the post-Its in your cubicle.

I haven't been able to put this one down. There are some weeks I listen to it every day. Teen Dream is one of the rare albums I can get through without skipping more than once or twice, and it's versatile, too -- makes for a great daytime listen on half-sunny, not quite bright days, and it's good for city driving late at night. Roll the windows up and you feel like you're sitting with Victoria LeGrand, she's only singing for you. I think I read an interview once where she said these were supposed to be sultry, baby-makin' songs. Well hey, you can try that, too.

There are only 10 songs on the album, and unlike 2006's Beach House and 2008's Devotion (two other albums that deserve some words as well; post forthcoming) they do sometimes stray from the languid, downtempo "dream pop" that the band has become known (and sometimes condemned) for. The other day a co-worker friend told me he'd tried to get through some without wanting to kill himself....a fair assessment, sure, but there's so much beauty in this music -- the super simple drum machine beats paired with Alex Scally's guitar lines and the incessant organ haze, topped off by LeGrand's low, Nico-esque vocals. I'd love to hear a cover of VU's "Femme Fatale" from these guys.

**Looks like we're not allowed to link to Beach House songs, so check out this video of "Walk In The Park" from Pitchfork TV.





Bonus: Go here to watch a video of the P.S. 22 chorus singing "Zebra." Pretty awesome.

Small Houses

Small Houses is the folk project of Michigan-based J. Quentin. The debut album Our Dusking Sound contains gentle acoustic guitar ballads that reminiscence of the cabin, country and fields, with eased female harmonies and speckles of horns and strings in numbers like "Like The Day" and "When It's Morning." Quiet numbers are the key to this one, exploring the space of a simple guitar, slightly disheveled vocals and an occasional piano in "I'm Old And You Are New" and "Your Mountainside," but upbeat folk numbers pop up too. In the title track, the singalong intro alongside peppy drums and warm strings make for a perfect song to close a sunny Wes Anderson film. All in all, for a debut, Small Houses shows a lot of promise and a great deal of range, calming and stirring the soul at the same time. I wouldn't be surprised to see this one infiltrate the indie film scene, but take a listen and let me know what you think.

Our Dusking Sound [mp3] (iTunes)

Upcoming Tour Dates:
4/29 - Cake Shop - NYC
5/12 - Labyrinth Press Company - Jamestown, NY
5/14 - Mac's Bar - Lansing, MI
5/15 - Little Corner Of The World - Detroit, MI
5/16 - Corner Record Shop - Kalamazoo, MI
5/17 - The PourHouse - Bloomington, IN
5/18 - Darwin's House - Urbana, IL
5/20 - Most Wanted Fine Art - Garfield, PA
5/22 - Sidewalk Cafe - NYC

Kate Miller-Heidke

We wrote about her back in 2008 when her second album Curiouser had been released, and now we've gotten a few tracks in the inbox this week that we can't wait to share. Kate Miller-Heidke was trained in Opera and was supposed to sing with Opera Australia (the principal opera company in Australia) but decided instead to venture into the pop-electro territory with her partner in life and music, Keir Nuttal. "We had no songs. What we had was a huge burst of inspiration. We went into this album with a vision. We mapped out how we wanted it to sound; the aesthetic, the spirit of it. Experimental, hooky, unashamedly pop...we wanted to exploit everything that's unique about my music."

I was a superfan about Kate's hilarious and infectious "Can't Shake It" song two years ago (and still hold is as my personal dance anthem), but I find myself won over yet again with "Are You F*cking Kidding Me? (Facebook Song)." "Politics in Space" is another track off of Curiouser, which was finally released in the US this year in March (her US debut). If you love what you hear, you can catch Kate opening for Ben Folds this summer and performing at the Lilith Fair, and tour dates can be found here.

Are You F*cking Kidding Me? (Facebook Song) [mp3]
Politics In Space [mp3] (iTunes)

I Live in New York City (new Sxip Shirey video!)

Ok, I kind of love this song. A lot. It's from Sxip Shirey (of the Luminescent Orchestrii), off his upcoming album, Sonic New York, due out July 24th. Can't wait to hear the rest of the album!

Gogol Bordello @ First Ave

On Saturday night multiethnic band Gogol Bordello graced Minneapolis with its first of two performances at First Avenue. The show was sold out and the crowd was decked in outlandish wear, ready for the gypsy punk fest of the evening. Up first was the opener, four piece ensemble Devotchka. Devotchka's first few songs sounded like a gritty gypsy tribute to Sting ballads, but finally they began playing stronger songs like "The Clockwork Witness" that rumbled into their own, dappled with delightful classical inspired interludes and fun Eastern European melodies.

Although certainly an appropriate choice for an opener given their similar nomad mien, Devotchka is a much slower and quieter experience than Gogol Bordello, so fans didn't completely pack into the main floor until their set was over. Nevertheless, Tom Hagerman rocked out the violin, accordion and piano in a Blues Brother suit, Jeanie Schroder bounced up and down in her sousaphone and on the double bass, lead Nick Urata played guitar and broke out a theramin while Shawn King rounded things out on drums, trumpet and maracas. Devotchka used to tour with Dita von Teese, so it was no surprise that they kicked things up a notch with a burlesque curtain dancer during one number before wrapping up.

Jesse Marlin was also on the marquee, but he didn't play at First Ave. The concert was supposed to start at 6 but Devotchka didn't play until 6:30, and when Gogol Bordello was inviting people to the afterparty, it was mentioned that Jesse Marlin would perform there, so I don't know if that was because Jesse Marlin was held up somewhere and missed his opening set or if that was the original plan. At any rate, as soon as Devotchka finished Gogol Bordello took the stage.

First things first: this is the second craziest concert I've ever been to (second only to the time that I left asking myself "is this my blood or other people's?") The mosh pit consisted of the entire main floor and I saw many a ripped shirt as a result of violent thrashing. People jumped around like they were doing an intense version of the Zion dance from the Matrix Reloaded. The bouncers at the front of the barrier responsible for catching crowd surfers ended up spraying water into the crowd at various points of the concert, which only exhilarated the pack more. Please note: if being caught in such an environment is not your thing, I highly advise you to find higher ground or stick to the edges, because this is what the crowd was like during its calmer moments:



Also, if you're into men and you've never seen Ukranian lead singer Eugene Hütz perform before, prepare to find yourself attracted. Hütz not only leads the entire band in unrelenting energy, but his gypsy swagger and obvious unabashed pleasure in every action he commits is not only captivating, it's downright sexy, mustache and all. I can see now why he served as the inspiration for Gucci's 2008 fall menswear collection.

As for the concert, three things you should know: it's rowdy, it's loud and it's a fantastic crazy time. Gogol Bordello is the epitome of energy and never stay in one place, often bouncing off the speakers at the foot of the stage or seeing how many times they could cross from one side to another before the instrumental interlude was done. Every member of Gogol Bordello would come up to the edge of the stage and urge the audience to react, which the audience gladly did, shouting along to the "Hey!"s and eagerly taking part of the gypsy singalongs.

Although Hütz started off the concert fully clothed, by the end of the third song he was shirtless and dripping sweat. Violinist Sergey Ryabtsev was Hütz's second-in-command when it came to working the crowd, often using both his bow and violin to point at the audience with eyes and mouth open wide in a rascally grin, looking like a cross between George Carlin and a pirate. Elizabeth Sun wore extreme feather eyelashes and rhinestones around her eyes, dancing in the background and banging the cymbal high above her head, nodding her head at the crowd to rile them up while MC and bass drum player Pedro Erazo worked the stage in perfect tandem alongside Hütz. The crowd knew their parts for old classics like "Start Wearing Purple," "Not A Crime" and "Wonderlust King," and it seemed as if even the newer songs off the Transcontinental Hustle album (which drops tomorrow in stores) like "Pala Tute" were already memorized.

Going to a Gogol Bordello concert is an experience unlike another other. Their shows are legendary, and with good reason. The accordion, the violin and the enchantment of it all envelopes every person there with arms open wide and you can't help but leave with a grin on your face. Every music lover should go to a Gogol Bordello concert at least once in their lives, if only to set a proper bar for how outstanding and energetic a show can be. And when you do, be prepared to sweat, to singalong and to find your inner gypsy.

New Anni Rossi single!

A new Anni Rossi single from my fellow Arts High School alumn, Anni Rossi. This is off her title TBA album that is due out this summer. I have to say I was very surprised. It's much more... produced... than her previous work. There's a lot electronic sounds in it, the uniqueness of her voice has had the edge taken off of it, so to speak, and her signature viola is hardly present in the song (on her previous albums, that was often the only instrument). Not that I don't like the song. It's quite poppy and fun - it's practically a dance song - and is already stuck in my head after just a few listens. But where is the experimental, sparse Anni Rossi that I've been following for 7 years now?

The lyrics are still very much in her style, but I feel like there's a disconnect with the music. I mean, this really sounded like someone else to me at first and I thought I had clicked on the wrong song. One of the main things I loved about her is her unique sound, the fact that she's not afraid to be a little weird, a little different. While I like the song, I felt like it could've be done by any number of artists. It didn't have that distinct Anni feel. It's kind of how I felt about Regina Spektor's last album... Like she can do better or doesn't need all this over-production and electronic crap because she is just so talented and her raw voice and music are what makes her stand out. But whatever. I will have faith in the album, and at the very least I am intrigued by what more is to come - will the rest of the album be similar to this song, or more similar to her previous work? And if this is the direction she's decided to go, will it work? Who knows, oftentimes change is good. We shall see...

Crushing Limbs [mp3]

2010 Progress Report: Best Coast Debuts Official Video for "When I'm With You"

Next up in my series of top singles of the year (so far) is Best Coast's "When I'm With You," which will drop with their debut album later this year. I've previously mentioned them on this here blog, but if you're at all interested in knowing more about them you can check out an interview I did with lead singer Beth Consentino over at Groupee.com.

They just released the official video for "When I'm With You" last week; previously the only video available was the song set to some footage from the movie Les Demoiselles de Rochefort. This new video is somewhat cinematic in its own right -- comes complete with a beginning, middle and end, and it's just charming, to say the least.

If you live on the West Coast you'll appreciate the idea of Ronald McDonald enjoying a burger from In-N-Out. If you live on the East Coast you'll be jealous of guitarist Bobb Bruno, Cosentino and her beau lounging in the sun and surf. And if you're a human being with a sense of humor you'll just love this video.

New York Natives: Raccoon Fighter

It is my pleasure to introduce a Brooklyn trio, Raccoon Fighter, who have that particularly tantalizing pop-rock sound that is oh so perfect for rocking out driving down the highway with your windows down and the wind in your hair as you sing along and use the steering wheel as your drum set. I saw them play at the Knitting Factory on Tuesday night. They seem like a nice bunch of guys and they have a good energy. The sound mixing was not so stellar, but that obviously wasn't their fault.

Apparently their bass player is new, and the drummer, lead singer Sean Gavigan, used to play bass (I guess they lost their drummer and couldn't find a replacement so they switched up the line-up instead?), so now he and the guitarist switch between the drums and guitar because having the drummer as the lead singer is... hard to pull off. I would say they're better off with Sean being up front, but they still put on a good show, even when he was hidden behind the drums in the back. They're definitely worth checking out if you live in the NYC area. They have a show coming up at Cake Shop on April 30th. Here's a demo of my favorite of their songs:

Rolling Wheel [mp3] - Raccoon Fighter

The Wailing Wall at Death by Audio

Sunday night I trekked out to Death by Audio to catch The Wailing Wall with Tiger Saw, Lazarus, and Unbunny. If your guilt free pleasure is going to a venue that looks like a basement in a gritty squat, this is the place for you. There was a weak turn out of about 15 people. At the same time, this gave an intimate feeling that's foreign at most NYC shows.

Unbunny was pared down to singer-songwriter Jarid del Deo, who definitely plays up the bookish, West Coast aesthetic. He is just a guy with his guitar and his eyes shut tightly. His performance was a bit raw - at one point he forgot the end to his song - but he also brought an endearing, vulnerable sensibility. He sounds like a more acoustic Neutral Milk Hotel, with sleepy melodies and poetic lyrics. He's the kind of person you want to tell tell you a story during a late-night road trip. His new album, Moon Food, is set to release on June 1.

Amazon

William Trevor Montgomery, aka Lazarus, followed next. A fellow crowd member likened him to an early Bruce Springstein. I wouldn't give him that status yet - the music was too drawn out for my liking and he had minimal texture. But hey, maybe it was just a lazy Sunday.

iTunes/Amazon

I was excited to see Tiger Saw, the seasoned veterans of the bunch. Dylan Metrano (lead vocals, guitar) is a soft-spoken, mousey dude who packs soulful lyrics about broken relationships and seeking independence. What the band lacked in performance, they made up for with hypnotic blues rhythms. I also learned that Metrano came out with a book last August called All My Friends Are Right Here With Me: A Decade in the Indie Rock Underground. It's a history of the band and its relationship with the DIY indie community. Sounds like a good read!

Order the book + CDs here
Just the music on iTunes/Amazon

The Wailing Wall had an in-your-face wackness that was missed with the other bands. Front man Jesse Rifkin (vocals, guitar) is the master mind of the group and knows how to command the stage. He started out wailing like a modern-day Arlo Guthrie to the powerful silence of feedback and occasional chiming of Tibetan prayer bells. The set progressed with Rifkin's introspective lyrics and Jason Anderson (lead guitar) playing some sick riffs. At one point they reminded me of Foreign Born. They're a little bit country, a little bit rock n' roll, a little bit all over the place. In this sense, I think the band needs to develop a more distinctive sound. Perhaps this is because the members are always circulating. Still, I see them getting a lot stronger in the next year. Their new album The Low Hanging Fruit is set to release on June 8th with JDub records.

Bones Become Fruit [mp3]

Pre-order The Low Hanging Fruit on Amazon

2010 Progress Report - The Morning Benders, "Excuses"

Over the next couple weeks I'm going to be highlighting some of my top singles of the year, sort of a 2010 progress report card.

Today's pick comes from Berkeley, CA's The Morning Benders, who just released their sophomore effort Big Echo back in March. The track "Excuses" is the only one that's really stuck with me so far, but it's stuck with me in a big way. Chris Chu's soaring lead melody shows off his vocal chops, and I love the epic strings and rolling drums, and the vocal breakdown that comes halfway through the song.

When I saw them at the Troubadour a few weeks ago an overzealous fan came in some beats too early on the "da-da-da-da-da-da-dum"s, but it only highlighted the communal catharsis that this song brings. To me it was always about losing someone you were in love with but would never stop loving; if you watch the very short interview with Chu at the beginning of the video you'll hear his actual intentions.

To get the full effect:

1) download and listen to the song first
2) then check out the video, which is the band's Yours Truly session performance of "Excuses" with an army of their musician friends up north, including Chris Owens of Girls and John Vanderslice.

"Excuses" [mp3]

The Flaming Lips - Psychedelic Spectacular

Last night I travelled to Poughkeepsie - our estranged neighbors of the north - to catch The Flaming Lips on their tour. This under-the-radar show had an eclectic crowd ranging from Vassar students to old-school fans of the '80s, a mix that represents the band's transformation over the past 27 years. Yet one thing was a constant: frontman Wayne Coyne was determined to lead us through his psychedelic psyche.

The performance started with a massive projection of a naked woman giving birth to the band [via a door centered in the middle of her legs] with the exception of Coyne, who rolled out in a human-sized hamster ball and bounced around on top of the crowd. This was followed by over-sized balloons filled with confetti, a bevy of Vassar students dressed in the Yo Gaba Gaba costumes dancing on the sides, and ginormous blow-ups of monsters waving in the background. To say they were energetic is an understatement. They were in a different ether.

The set had a good range of the old and the new, including one of my favorites from the early 90's, "She Don't Use Jelly." Before playing "In the Morning of the Magicians," Coyne asked "what is love really?" He said that he was not sure what it is when you receive love, but he knows what it's like to give love, and he was "giving all of my love to you." The band raged on for an hour and half, pulling out even more crazy contraptions like 3-foot hands shooting out green lasers.

The encore ended just as strong as they started. Opening band Stardeath and White Dwarfs joined to play the last song off The Dark Side of the Moon, a collaboration of theirs that was released in limited edition yesterday. The Flaming Lips finished with "Do You Realize" and Coyne shouting "I know you do!" A little contrived, but nonetheless trippy and explosive.
.

Purchase the Dark Side of the Moon soundtrack on

iTunes or pre-order on Amazon.

New Hanson video

While watching this video I have to keep telling myself not to feel bad about liking it because we here at Guilt Free Pleasures don't believe in guilty pleasures! Man, this one was a hard one for me to admit that I liked, but it made me smile, so I'm posting it. It's fun! And Hanson is technically Indie now, so there. ;-P



The single will be available to purchase on April 27th and the album will come out June 8th.

No One Knows About Persian Cats

A week and a half ago I went to a screening of the film No One Knows About Persian Cats. It won a special jury prize at Cannes and also played at SXSW this year. I expected it to be a documentary, but it definitely wasn't... I have to say, I didn't love the movie and I was surprised that it made it Cannes, much less won a prize. While the style was certainly unique, I thought the editing and pacing was strange and that the ending was very amateur (I don't want to ruin it for you if you want to see it, but let me just say that it ended the way most film school films end). Not to mention I think the English title they chose is terrible. However, it does give you a great look into the Iranian music scene and what a struggle it is for musicians there. I can't imagine living in a country where it is that hard to play live music, or even rehearse or record an album.

Not only do you witness the struggle that the musicians face on a daily basis, but you get to see the huge variety of musical genres that take place primarily underground in Tehran. The film features everything from rap to jazz to heavy metal to indie (lots of indie) artists playing in basements, on rooftops, in barns and construction sites, anywhere they can play where they are unlikely to get reported to the police. The music was the part of the film that I was the most impressed with.

At the very least, if you see this film, you will appreciate how easy it is for us here in the US to have access to great music from all over the world, and how easy we have it in general. And hopefully you will learn more about the Iranian music scene. To celebrate the NYC opening of the film, there is an afterparty tonight at 92Y Tribeca, where two of the bands will be playing: Yellow Dogs and Hypernova. Sounds like a cool event!

You and Me [mp3] - Take It Easy Hospital

New Century [mp3] - Yellow Dogs

Purchase the soundtrack on Amazon / iTunes

Giving Up On Love

Here's a kind of awkward video for a very danceable song with a cynical (yet relatable) lyrics by Slow Club:

Up Close and Personal with Sherlock's Daughter

Tanya Horo of Sherlock's Daughter.

With a sold-out show at Bowery Ballroom last night, Freelance Whales’ performance was not to be missed. But in my opinion the real band to watch was the opening act: Sherlock's Daughter. I came across Sherlock's Daughter recently when they played with Neon Indian at Brooklyn Bowl. Based out of Sydney, Australia, the band just moved to Brooklyn two weeks ago. And yet in this short amount of time they have already managed to earn gigs that take other bands years to get. This isn’t to say that they’re complete unknowns. They played at CMJ this past fall, had critical acclaim from Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, and are set to start recording their new album with John Agnello next week.

Sherlock's Daughter is a band that likes to experiment, both with sound and physical space. They profess that they have difficulty confining themselves to one genre—and with good reason. With bold, echoing distortions, tribal percussion, and folksy harmonies, they’ve got a full sound. They bring a playful attitude to the stage as well. Tanya Horo (lead vocals, xylophone, percussion) often hops around and on a couple of occasions Liam Flanagan (bass, vocals) finds himself on top of the amps near Will Russell (drums). You can tell they’re channeling the music as they play.*

I had the pleasure of meeting up with Will and Liam prior to the show for an exclusive interview. In search for a quiet spot amongst the pre-show craziness, we met in a dark stairwell by the fire exit. The ambiance was a bit shady but with a true free-spirited attitude, Will and Liam were game to talk.

GFP: Welcome to New York. How’s it treating you so far?
Will: I’m really loving it. We got a house on the first day. The gas came on three days later.
Liam: It’s awesome. It’s easier than we thought. A couple of us got jobs - unfortunately, but a necessity. Yeah, everything’s been great. Everyone’s really nice.

Any favorite bars?
L: We’re so broke at the moment that we have just been drinking at home. But there’s a gangsta that lives on the top floor and he comes down and he pretty much just hijacks our house because it’s nicer than his. So he comes down and he takes our laptop and plays like goochy instrumental off youtube and just raps to it like its his place, and he’s drunk and it’s like [in best American accent possible], “I gotta keep going man!” So I’d have to say that our favorite bar is our house.

Nice. I have to ask: why Sherlocks Daughter?
W: The lead singer [Tanya] is a bit obsessed with Arthur Conan Doyle who wrote the Sherlock Holmes stories and she fancies herself being a bit of Sherlock Holmes. We didn’t have much choice in the matter. She kind of decided the name before. I’m cool with that. I’m in touch with my feminine side.

So Tanya has taken the lead of things. Is she the mom of the group?
L: Well she’s the only woman. It’s definitely a democracy, but you know, like shouty shouty mama [he pumps his fist in the air and I try to imagine what he means]. She’s got pussypower and you have to bow to that. She’s amazing.
W: She’s definitely passionate. It’s all she wants to do. Because we can be a bit lazy.

Fair enough. In your interview at SXSW that you posted on your blog you described yourselves as “Dreampop.” Can you elaborate on that?
L: Dreampop, it’s…well, I don’t know what to call it because everyone wants to categorize the band and I don’t know what it sounds like anymore. We’ve been calling ourselves Chinese Country.

Chinese Country? Is that an Australian term?
W: No, we made it up. We’re all so different. Each one of us has very different styles. I listen to hip hop and I listen to German groups like Kraftwerk. We don’t have any contrived ideas. We just go in and jam. If we like the sound of stuff, we keep it. It’s not like we go in and say let’s do this or that.
L: What would you call it?

It does have a dreamy feel. I hear tribal electric.
W: Tribal electric is spot on. That’s great.
L: Yeah, that’s the new one. Go for it. Tribal electric.

Right on. Which bands would you like to perform with in 2010?
L: I saw this band called Warpaint at SXSW and they were fucking great. I found them really inspiring and I want to do some shows with them. We talked about it and they’re pretty game. So hopefully we’ll do that. I want to do a show with fucking Jay-Z or Madonna.
W: [Laughs]. Or Stereolab would be cool.

Dreaming big. That’s good! I noticed that you guys like to switch off with instruments. Are there any new instruments that you want to learn?
L: I want to learn Banjo so badly. It’s been like this thing ever since I was able to play music. I really want to play piano accordion as well.
W: Piano accordion. Double bass would be nice.

Lastly, what’s your Guilt Free Pleasure?
L: [Starts to roll a cigarette]. Hm, I can’t say heroin? My guilt free pleasure… guilt free? Something that could get printed? They’re all pretty guilty pleasures.
W: Maybe like…dancing to Sinatra naked in my bedroom.

*Other members include Tim Maybury (guitar, vocals) and Jonti Danilewitz (keyboard)

Jeremy Messersmith's First Single Off New Album

Minneapolis-based Jeremy Messersmith is releasing his next full length The Reluctant Graveyard on May 4th. The album will contain 11 songs "about death, and perhaps, unexpectedly, life," says Messersmith. Violet! is the first track off the new album and has a 60's Beatles pop-ballad feel with high piano chords stuck at every quarter beat and a romping drum line. Messersmith will be announcing tour dates sometime soon, but make sure to check his website, where he updates every Wednesday with things like b-side tracks, ballads about his love for Star Wars and lunchtime video sessions.

Violet! [mp3]

Let's Go F**king Mental

Here's the new(ish) single from the infamously rowdy Brian Jonestown Massacre off his January 2010 album Who Killed Sargent Pepper?. I'll admit it took me a little warming up to - it's a bit repetitive for my tastes. But upon further listening, I began to love the grungy, rumbling instruments and found myself swaying in my chair without realizing it. And I can't ever seem to mention BJM without plugging the movie Dig! so if you haven't seen this awesome music doc, I suggest you Netflix that shit right this second.

Let's Go Fucking Mental [mp3] - (iTunes)

MGMT - Congratulations (plus tour dates)

MGMT's second full-length album, Congratulations, is coming out tomorrow and I have to say it really wasn't what I expected it to be. First off, I didn't feel as if there were any standout hits - no catchy hooks that gave them three dance floor smashes on their first album. Flash Delirium, the first single off this new album, is going to be the closest thing to a dance floor hit, and I think it will have to be remixed first because it's a bit slow to be danceable on its own. 

In fact, a lot of the songs are really downtempo and a few of them are downright weird. And whereas the last album had many influences from the '70s and '80s, this album seems to have more of a '60s influence. Of course, they still have a very electronic sound, but some of the chord progressions and harmonies are very reminiscent of classic oldies pop. In conclusion, the album was not what I expected but that's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I enjoy the album overall - my favorite tracks are the frenzied “Brian Eno” and the slower but dramatic “I Found a Whistle.”

They also recently announced their North American tour dates:

April 12            San Francisco, CA                   The Fillmore

April 13            San Francisco, CA                   The Fillmore

April 17            Indio, CA                                 Coachella

April 29            Toronto, ON                            The Mod Club Theatre

April 30            Durham, NH                            University of New Hamsphire

May 2              East Rutherford, NJ                  Meadowlands Sports Complex (Bamboozle)

May 28            San Luis Obispo, CA               Avila Beach Bowl

May 29            Santa Cruz, CA                        Santa Cruz Civic Center

June 1              Portland, OR                            Crystal Ballroom

June 2              Portland, OR                            Crystal Ballroom

June 4              Salt Lake City, UT                   In The Venue

June 6              Austin, TX                                Stubb’s Bar-B-Q

June 7              Houston, TX                            House of Blues

June 8              Dallas, TX                                House of Blues

June 11            Denver, CO                             Red Rocks

June 13            Kansas City, MO                     Uptown Theatre

June 14            Indianapolis, IN                        The Vogue

June 15            Columbus, OH                         LC Pavillion

June 16            Detroit, MI                               The Fillmore

June 18            Chicago, IL                              Riviera

June 20            Milwaukee, WI                        Riverside Theatre

August 8           Chicago, IL                              Lollapalooza  

Deer Tick release first track off The Black Dirt Sessions

The Black Dirt Sessions were recorded late last year at the Black Dirt Studios in upstate New York by the folk-rock Deer Tick. The album contains lead vocalist and songwriter John McCauley approaching the piano alone for a few track like "Goodbye, Dear Friend" and a re-work of"Christ Jesus," reaching into darker corners of introspection with topics like death, mortality and the existence of God. Deer Tick had an astounding year in 2009, with NBC Nightly News' Brian Williams leading the fan parade on his BriTunes music site as the band toured with Neko Case, Jenny Lewis, Jason Isbell and had a documentary entitled City of Sin filmed about them. Surely many cannot wait for what's to come. The Black Dirt Sessions are set to drop June 8th.

20 Miles [mp3]

Ane Brun Touring With Peter Gabriel

Norwegian chanteuse Ane Brun will be hitting up NYC and LA with Peter Gabriel part of her celebration of her albums finally being released in the states. If you live in either area, I strongly encourage you to grab some tickets for what will certainly be an amazing concert experience.

Humming One Of Your Songs [mp3]

Erin McKeown

Erin McKeown just released this track to her fans for their support these past few months. "Minneapolis" is off her album Hundreds of Lions and was co-written with bandmate Allison Miller, and given its title, I had no choice but to post this one. If you like what you hear, Erin will be putting on shows in Boston, Portland OR, Seattle and Alaska (where she will perform with Thao Nguygen) before heading down the East Coast for another slew of concerts. More info can be found here.

Minneapolis [mp3] (iTunes)

Maps & Atlases Record Release + Tour

The Chicago-based Maps & Atlases is gearing up for their tour starting this week, which ends with the debut of their new EP Perch Patchwork on June 29. This is their first album with Basuk Records (home to Death Cab for Cutie, Mates of State, RaRa Riot, Rilo Kiley, and more) and it is promised to have a more virtuosic and organic sound than their previous albums. We got their mp3 "Solid Ground" and it definitely has a textured vibe with wistful lyrics and a fluid mix of progressive and melodic rhythms.

Singer/guitarist David Davison says that “We went into the record with the understanding that the creation of the album would be separate from its existence as a live piece of music, which was really liberating.” I'm not sure what to say to this explanation except that the tour seems promising with an eclectic group of bands. I had the pleasure of seeing Drink Up Buttercup at SXSW last month and they can rock a show like nobody's business.

Solid Ground [mp3]

4/10 - Huckleberry's Pizza Parlor (Rock Island, IL)^
4/11 - The Basement (Columbus, OH)*
4/12 - The Rex (Pittsburgh, PA)&
4/13 - The Space (Hamden, CT) *
4/14 - Great Scott (Boston, MA)*
4/15 - Maxwells (Hoboken, NJ)*
4/17 - SUNY Purchase (Purchase, NY)
4/18 - Clementines (Harrisonburg, VA)*
4/19 - Musica (Akron, OH)*
4/24 - Old Dominion University (Norfolk, VA)
4/25 - Cats Cradle (Carrborro, NC)#
4/27 - Black Cat (Washington, DC)#
4/28 - Webster Hall (New York, NY)#
4/29 - Paradise (Boston, MA)#
4/30 - First Unitarian Church (Philadelphia, PA)#
5/1 - Pearl Street (Northampton, MA)#
5/3 - Petit Campus (Montreal, QC)#
5/4 - Opera House (Toronto, ONT)#
5/5 - Grog Shop (Cleveland, OH)#
5/6 - Southgate House (Newport, KY)#
5/7 - The Old Rock House (St Louis, MI) #
5/8 - Metro (Chicago, IL)#
5/9 - Pabst Theatre (Milwaukee, WI)#
5/10 - Varsity Theatre (Minneapolis, MN)#
5/12 - Bluebird Theatre (Denver, CO)#
5/13 - Urban Lounge (Salt Lake City, UT)#
5/15 - Bitmore Cabaret (Vancouver, BC)#
5/16 - Neumos (Seattle, WA)#
5/17 - Berbati's Pan (Portland, OR)#
5/19 - The Fillmore (San Francisco, CA)#
5/22 - Casbah (San Diego, CA)#


^ w/Dark Dark Dark & w/Vieux Farka Toure
* w/Drink Up Buttercup
# w/Frightened Rabbit

Andrew Belle - The Ladder

I don’t know what it is about Andrew Belle that I love so much, especially considering how much I typically hate poppy male singer-songwriters (John Mayer, Jack Johnson, and that John Mayer sound-a-like… what’s his name? Jason Mraz I think… all literally induce my gag reflex and I immediately have to lunge for the radio to turn it off). There’s something different about Andrew Belle though. Maybe it’s just that his album is actually good and not just catchy pop dribble (although I do have to say that a few tracks fall dangerously close). There’s also something kind of cinematic about his music – it makes me see pretty sweeping shots of scenery in my head. His music would definitely be good for film soundtracks. And then I think there’s a melancholy to his music that the other poppy male singer-songwriters lack.

I'm not the only one who's loving him. His song was #1 on the iTunes singer/songwriter charts and was in the top 25 on Billboard Heatseekers (whatever that means), and this is only his debut album (self-released on less!). He's great proof that a self-released album doesn't have to sound low budget. So check him out.

The Ladder [mp3] - (iTunes)

Hey Champ

Today we've got two mp3s from the Chicago Trio Hey Champ's forthcoming full-length debut Star, out July 13th. These guys have toured with the likes of Vampire Weekend, Kid Cudi, Sebastian Tellier, and Passion Pit, so that should tell you something. Both tracks are a synth-laden pop smash, decked with electric guitars and energy-driven beats that make you want to throw on your sunglasses and strut in the sun.

Neverest [mp3] (links removed by request)
Cold Dust Girl [mp3] (links removed by request)

Folk Songs For A Spring Sunset

It's been uncharacteristically warm lately, feeling like summer and making me long for folksy tunes to accompany those drives in the car with the windows down as the sun sets. These few tracks have been on rotation as of late. Check them out to see if they're to your liking.

Honeymoon by Bombadil [mp3] (iTunes)
I Could Die Looking At You by Jordie Lane [mp3]
It Ain't Easy by Abigail Washburn [mp3] (iTunes)
Just A Feeling by Kathryn Williams [mp3]

William Fitzsimmons - If You Would Come Back Home (video)

William Fitzsimmons' videos are great. Not only because no matter how many times I see him sing I still kind of can't associate his voice with what I'm seeing, but also because his videos tell the story of the song so well. This video, with all the strings and broken objects, epitomizes the end of some relationships.