Wednesday, July 30, 2008
| 
What ever happened to simple song writing? The kind of stuff that made every rock act of the 80's and early 90's appealing, at least in the mainstream. The chord progressions were vaguely predictable, if not familiar and comfortable, and the vocals guided by sincerity more than irony. Today, we search so hard for the guys banging on pots and pans, ripping vocal chords and making faces, we forget to find the songs that make us remember what we liked when we were kids. Here to give us a little bit of both worlds is Beat Radio. . . . Click here to read more . . .
|
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
|  It's amazing how far eight legs can take a project, all the way from Texas to Lollapalooza to the Pacific Ocean. Now the Texas based rock act that "suggest technology just might save us after all" is touring the West coast, starting at Chicago's most infamous festival. . . . Click here to read more . . .
|
Monday, July 28, 2008
| 
We're not surprised that We Are Scientists have a new video involving werewolves, cops, and zaniness. After all, they love to get crazy with animals. We are surprised, however, that despite building tension, it does not involve some sort of monster chase. Regardless, here is some relief for anyone who loves humor, and hates waiting for new WAS vids: check out "Impatience." . . . Click here to read more . . .
|
Monday, July 28, 2008
| 
Photos by Melissa Rosenthal
Another wet, hot, American pool party... rain couldn't keep the kids away, and no dark clouds could hover over the great sets from Ting Tings, Black Moth Super Rainbow, and of course, MGMT. Check out the pics from this weekends McCarren Park bash. . . . Click here to read more . . .
|
Monday, July 28, 2008
| 
In 2007 a brief digital EP entitled Wizard of Ahhhs was released, to much acclaim from, yes, you guessed it, the blogs. Everyone and their sister was chanting "he's got two left feet and he bites my moves," and it was good. Black Kids, the rag-tag bunch from Jacksonville, knew how to make us dance, even with terrible production and absolutely no label support. Since then, lots of paper has been signed, lots of studio time has been bought, and the end result are the raw, grainy tracks once heard for free all waxed, polished, and passed off as something sellable. Are Black Kids part of the next wave of successful major label pop? Or are they a hyped up sucker-punch, nothing more than another false sense of success? Is this a "partie," or simply just traumatic? . . . Click here to read more . . .
|
Friday, July 25, 2008
| 
photos by Stefanie Giglio. See more photos HERE.
These days, theres plenty the modern, semi-experimental side of indie rock seems obsessed with. Songs that fearlessly plunge their way forward, regardless how many jarring twists and turns they take along the way
endless amounts of instrumentation piled up for new and exotic sounds and textures
genre after genre, strained for unique bits of window dressing; bands like Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, and Yeasayer offer their audiences robust blends of experimental artistry. Though Philadelphias Pattern is Movement certainly offer plenty of these characteristics, their music proves originality can also be the product of a more stripped down approach. In this performance from the After the Jump Festival, Pattern is Movement prove its the product of brawny, firecracker drum beats, imaginative keyboard swells, and spooked out vocals that aimlessly glide their way wherever the moment takes them. . . . Click here to read more . . .
|
Friday, July 25, 2008
| 
For all you vinyl-addicts out there, itching to spin some LP's the way music used to be, without abandoning your ipod to the bottom of a heap of unused gadgets, fear not: music merchant Insound has all your favorite indie LP needs, with a special deal: buy the Vinyl, and instantly get the MP3's for free. . . . Click here to read more . . .
|
Friday, July 25, 2008
| 
Minutes off their signing with Barsuk, Ra Ra Riot is ready with their debut full length The Rhumb Line, out on August 19th. "Dying is Fine," a cut from the new album, is available for free download as well on Myspace. . . . Click here to read more . . .
|
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
| 
Everyones favorite french take-out (or take away, as those crazy Europeans call it) is les concerts à emporter, and the guys are back with some videos from Philly alternative indie rockers Man Man. . . . Click here to read more . . .
|
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
| 
One of our new favorite up-and-comers, The Windupdeads has released a new acoustic track on their website for free download. It's the track that made them somewhat known on the TV show Gossip Girls. It's called "Reverse of Shade." . . . Click here to read more . . .
|
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
|  
Aussie label mates Cut Copy and The Presets are teaming up this fall to stomp across North America to the beat of their own brand of electronic. The tour is to support their current releases In Ghost Colours and Apocalypso (respectively). . . . Click here to read more . . .
|
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
|  Or is it, Ben Folds is "way too normal?" We guess we'll find out, come September. Way To Normal is the new album from Folds, who has earned himself a style moniker and a loyal following of fans who chant his piano-twinkling sing-alongs. However, we could see Ben in a whole new, expressive light; with Dennis Herring producing ( Elvis Costello, Modest Mouse, The Hives), as well as guest vocals from Regina Spektor. The release date is set for September 30th. . . . Click here to read more . . .
|
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
|  The Canon Logic are planning an August residency here in NY, playing once a week at Pianos and starting at Mercury Lounge. You can see them four times! And knowing their live show, you might want to. They played a solid set in NYC a few weeks ago, and we really enjoyed it. . . . Click here to read more . . .
|
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
|  California popsters The Morning Benders are taking a short break from touring, in between assisting The Kooks and We Are Scientists and their future dates with Ra Ra Riot. Luckily for us, that means new content... in the form of some of their favorite songs. They've posted an entire albums worth of covers on their blog, entitled The Bedroom Covers. . . . Click here to read more . . .
|
Monday, July 21, 2008
| 
Pictures by Melissa Rosenthal
Sweat-inducing heat couldn't keep the crowds away from Coney Island, whose potential last year of existing couldn't slip away without one last Siren Fest. This is assuming that Kevin Drew's final words of caution were based on fact... warning the crowd to keep the spirit of Coney Island alive, vote for Obama, etc. In any event this was the tail end of a day of great music, huge crowds, drinking, and dancing. . . . Click here to read more . . .
|
Monday, July 21, 2008
| 
Pictures by Melissa Rosenthal
The infamous (might we add free) NYC "Pool Parties" continue at McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn, with another great show by headlining band Liars. . . . Click here to read more . . .
|
Monday, July 21, 2008
| 
Montreal is cranking out music like it's the new number one Canadian export (and let's face it, the product is in demand). Even luckier for us, US label Saddle Creek is picking up Land of Talk, and planning to release their new record, entitled Some Are Lakes. . . . Click here to read more . . .
|
Friday, July 18, 2008
| 
It's pretty straight-forward guys. The first twenty seconds lays it out:
"Me and my friends are like the drums on "Lust for Life/
We pound it out on floor toms/
Our psalms are sing-along songs"
What more do you need to know, other than Craig Finn and "his friends" have pulled it off again. New classic rock. . . . Click here to read more . . .
|
Friday, July 18, 2008
| 
On Anna Ternheims American debut Halfway to Fivepoints ( Decca) fans with discerning musical tastes may notice a couple immediate objections upon first inspection. 1) There is a rather major kind of record label staring back at you from the cover; a definite red flag for many fans of independent rock. 2) These songs could very easily end up on an episode of One Tree Hill. Thats right
I said One Tree Hill! . . . Click here to read more . . .
|
Friday, July 18, 2008
| 
"Original" is probably the most overused word in the music industry right now, so much so that most 'unique' bands are just more of the same slop we digest on a daily basis, with a different name (and the same flavor). Always a fan of the raw, unmixed, guitar driven indie pop song that no one's ever heard of, we're constantly on the hunt for freshness, often failing miserably. Sometimes, it just plops into our open ears. Lets hope we don't have a heart attack before we hear more from Cardiac Party, because they might just put the sizzle back in buzz band. . . . Click here to read more . . .
|
Friday, July 18, 2008
| 
Everyone's favorite booding midwestern sort-of-pretty boy, Conor Oberst, is coming out with an album... his first solo release in thirteen years (lucky number?) It's coming out on August 5th. In the meantime, we might have a bit of free sample for you... . . . Click here to read more . . .
|
Friday, July 18, 2008
| 
Most people barely notice the ten minutes they spend in Delaware while traveling south, but perhaps if they slowed down they'd notice the gem of an indie pop band that was born there. But they won't be there for long... now they've signed to Park The Van Records (who also put out some heavy hitters like Dr. Dog). To which we say, "nice and nicely done..." . . . Click here to read more . . .
|
Thursday, July 17, 2008
| 
photos by Stefanie Giglio. See more photos HERE.
Jersey say what you will about the Garden State, but youd be amiss to dismiss the states impact on popular music. From classic artists like Bruce Springsteen, The Misfits, and even Bon Jovi, to more contemporary acts like My Chemical Romance and The Wrens; young guitar slingers have plenty of local history to pick apart when deciding who to take cues from. Rather than declare their allegiances for one particular artist/genre over another, Glen Rocks Titus Andronicus apparently chose to plow right through the whole lot. Armed with up to four guitars at a time, this six-piece performance pairs lyrics swamped in boozy angst and attitude with a thrashy brand of devastating blues rock. Not exactly pretty, but thats just the point. Titus Andronicus rather wallop After the Jump with their rusty, ragged, yet decidedly regional, Jersey rock. . . . Click here to read more . . .
|
Thursday, July 17, 2008
| 
photos by Stefanie Giglio. See more photos HERE.
Baeble has headed out of town before. Philly, Austin, LA
you know these places. But what do you know about Asbury Park NJ other than it being Springsteens spawning grounds? Im guessing not much. Neither did we. So on Tuesday we loaded up our ride, braved the Holland Tunnel traffic, and made the 50 odd mile trek to the sleepy beach community. And what did we find? A bowling alley
Yes, thats right. We drove 50 miles for a bowling alley. BUT! Asbury Lanes is no ordinary pin house. No
its famously restored with plenty of retro-chic style to spare. And the best part? Theres a stage sitting directly in the middle of it all
a perfect concert venue for catching cosmo-popping Missourians Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin do what they do. . . . Click here to read more . . .
|
Thursday, July 17, 2008
| 
Picking apart the sonic make-up of the Aussie born, New York bred band The Kin doesnt exactly reveal much to take stock in. Two brothers, both equally accomplished singers in their own right, trading equal lines of verse and chorus over a relatively simple sonic palette of acoustic guitar and electric piano (though other contributors do contribute other odds and ends); such a modest make up certainly sounds somewhat underwhelming on paper. But its what Isaac and Thorry Koren do with such basic elements that are most impressive, resulting in a memorable breed of pop music that is sweet, nostalgic, and absolutely romantic all at once. . . . Click here to read more . . .
|
|