Sunday, February 11th, 2007
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Chin Up Chin Up / This Harness Can’t Ride Anything (Suicide Squeeze)
Those who find the aughts to be a green and fertile period for indie rock will find much to like about Chicago’s Chin Up Chin Up. By parts Strokes-y and Modestly Mouse-like though not as derivative as the former or as gratingly weird as the latter, they strike a decent balance between the two, run through a New Wave-friendly filter. While angular guitars are SO 2005 (or should that be 1985?) and I’m not the biggest fan of singer Jeremy Bolen’s delivery (though I’m thankful he’s not too much of a yelper), the songs have an appealing, skittish energy and a healthy dose of hooks that should make for a good show when they’re in town on Friday, February 16 for a show with Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin at Sneaky Dee’s. Cover is $7.
MP3: Chin Up Chin Up – “This Harness Can’t Ride Anything”
Video: Chin Up Chin Up – “This Harness Can’t Ride Anything” (YouTube)
MySpace: Chin Up Chin Up |
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The Low Lows / Fire On The Bright Sky (WARM)
Realizing that a change was in order when the Lily half of New York dreampop veterans Parker & Lily called it quits, the remaining members of the band, led by Parker Noon, moved to Athens, GA, named themselves after the final P&L record and carried on carrying on. The Low Lows offer up a storm of Southern gothic atmosphere served up on a bed of stuttering tremolo and trembling farfisa, seasoned with the weeping pedal steel, clanging guitars and Noon’s voice calling out through deep, tin can reverb. The prevailing mood is one of melancholy (Parker & Lily split because Parker and Lily split), distance and yearning – a fitting soundtrack to sitting on the veranda, thinking about the past and watching the kudzu grow.
MP3: The Low Lows – “Dear Flies, Love Spider”
Video: The Low Lows – “Dear Flies, Love Spider” (YouTube)
MySpace: The Low Lows |
Saturday, February 10th, 2007
I totally was going to take the day off but there’s a few noteworthy concert announcements that folks would probably like to know about. Because if the world ended before Monday morning, you might have died not knowing what shows you were missing in a month or two, and that I could not abide.
The full itinerary for the second leg of their North American tour hasn’t surfaced yet, but I can tell you that The Shins will be in Toronto at the Kool Haus on March 17 for an all-ages show. Support is still to be determined but I would put money on Viva Voce, who are opening up some of the shows on the first leg of the tour. Tickets are $27.50 and will be on sale February 15 at 10AM. They sold that joint out fast a couple years ago and there’s no reason to think that they won’t do it again, so set those alarm clocks. The Providence Journal and The Belfast Telegraph take their turns talking to frontman James Mercer.
Looking ahead, April 11 will bring moody Austinites turned New York rockers Calla to the Horseshoe (tickets $10) in support of their new one Strength In Numbers, out February 20. Check out their full tour schedule at Pitchfork.
Then the next day, Austinites turned – well, they’re still Austinites – The Black Angels will be at The ‘Shoe with VietNam. The Black Angels continue to tour behind 2006’s Passover while VietNam just released their self-titled new record. Advance tickets for the show are $10.50, available Wednesday.
That same night (April 12) at the Opera House, local heroes Do Make Say Think play a hometown show to celebrate the release of their new one You, You’re a History in Rust, out February 27. Tickets for that one will be $15.
And on April 23, Atlanta’s Deerhunter bring their well-reviewed new record Cryptograms to the Horseshoe. Tickets for that are $10 in advance.
Friday, February 9th, 2007
Very tired. Long week. Short post. Grammar optional.
Was a little surprised to see the sudden outpouring of Great Lake Swimmers love around the blogosphere this week – it seems the first promos of their new album Ongiara have started going out (and I can only hope I’ve got one en route). Gorilla Vs Bear and You Ain’t No Picasso have both got audio to go along with their first impressions and they’re immensely positive, though I’d expect no less – Great Lake Swimmers are a tremendous and tremendously underrated act, Tony Dekker being one of the finest songwriting voices to come out of Toronto in a long time. The album is out on March 27 via their new label Nettwerk though their old home of Weewerk will still be releasing the vinyl version.
And make no mistake, Great Lake Swimmers sound amazing on vinyl – analog perfectly suits the warmth and richness of the music. Case in point, the Hands In Dirty Ground EP that I picked up on 12″ earlier this week – it was originally only available for sale in CD form on tour, but they made it available in limited-edition analog form and as a digital download at the end of last year. Consisting of a mix of covers, new material, live recordings and alternate versions, it’s a great example of Dekker and co managing to expand on their sound without straying from what makes them special – far easier said than done. An Aquarium Drunkard has some thoughts on and a couple tracks from this EP (which you can supposedly buy from Magwheel.com though I can’t find it there or at Rotate This in Toronto, where I did find it).
And as a final GLS mention, it’s worth noting that their two shows at the Church Of The Redeemer on April 14 (one early show at 6PM, another at 9PM) are on sale and selling well so if you were thinking about going – and come on, Great Lake Swimmers + church acoustics = wonderful, they you’d best get in gear.
Pitchfork talks to Okkervil River’s Will Sheff about losing his voice and what to expect from the new album, which they’ll get right back on recording once he can speak again.
Unexpected Grammy nominee Nick Urata of DeVotchKa talks to The Tripwire about how they ended up scoring Little Miss Sunshine, for which they’re nominated in the “Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or other Visual Media” category. Just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?
Your daily dose of Shins press clippings – Pulse Of The Twin Cities, The AV Club, PopMatters, The Independent and New City Chicago. I have to say how disappointed I am in the collective music journalists of the world that they have, by and large, been unable to resist the temptation of riffing on the whole “Shins will change your life” angle when composing their pieces. Lazy lazy lazy.
Dark But Shining finds out what Mountain Goat John Darnielle likes most about horror.
I Heart Music has posted a show The Hidden Cameras recorded for KEXP last December and a CBCR3 session from ages ago by the dearly departed Royal City. And back to the Cameras, Prefix points us at their new video. Thanks!
Video: The Hidden Cameras – “Death Of A Tune” (YouTube)
The Straight chats lyrical content with Portastatic’s Mac McCaughan.
Show news – LCD Soundsystem will be playing the Phoenix on May 8 though James Murphy will be doing a DJ thing somewhere in town on May 5. Final Fantasy is playing a couple shows at and as a fundraiser for The Tranzac on February 23 and 24 – the former an evening show, the latter an all-ages matinee. Tickets are $8 in advance and on sale now.
And some notable support announcements – Ohbijou get to win over a packed house of Conor-ites opening for Bright Eyes at the Opera House on February 27, The Submarines will warm up for El Perro Del Mar at the Mod Club on March 5, Basia Bulat will be a tough act for Maria Taylor to follow at the Horseshoe March 21 (odds of my no longer being dead from Sx in time for that one? Not good) and Australia’s Love Of Diagrams open for Ted Leo at Mod on May 2.
Okay, maybe not so short. But I swear that I was careless.
Thursday, February 8th, 2007
I don’t know why, but the Swedish seem to have an innate gift for mixing unfallible pop sensibilities with wonderfully downbeat melancholy – I suspect it’s got to do with the amount of daylight they get. Further proof of this phenomenon comes in the rather po faced form of Emil Svanangen, aka Loney, Dear.
On Loney, Noir, his second full-length and first for SubPop, he offers an intimate and beguiling collection of songs that sound like someone who’s been lying on the floor for a long time, perhaps/probably heartbroken, slowly but surely getting back onto his feet. The lyrics are kind of weepy, especially when delivered in Svanangen’s falsetto (which reminds me very much of Mew’s Jonas Bjerre), but grafted to some of the prettiest melodies I’ve heard in ages they can’t help but soar. Add into the equation the lightly orchestral/chamber pop instrumentation (all played by Svanangen) and you’ve got a record that ruminates quietly before periodically bursting forth with song in a way that’s almost too pretty to handle.
Everyone is all about Peter Bjorn & John right now (they also released their new album Stateside this week) and while no quarrel with them, they feel like empty calories next to Loney, Dear’s emotional depth. Too much PB&J and I need an insulin level check, but I can ingest as much Loney, Dear as the day is long. I have no clever food analogy for the name so I’m not even going to try.
Svanangen has assembled a band for his upcoming North American tour which bypasses Toronto but does include SxSW, where he’s high on my list of acts to catch. Harp wish to introduce Loney, Dear to their readers while Lunapark has an interview with Svanangen (and Exclaim an ultra-brief one). NPR declares “I Am John”, which is available as an MP3 and video, their song of the day while Idolator offers up an extra track from the record. And you can stream the whole record from AOL.
MP3: Loney, Dear – “I Am John”
Video: Loney, Dear – “I Am John” (YouTube)
Stream: Loney, Dear / Loney, Noir
MySpace: Loney, Dear
And speaking of Mew and AOL, Spinner has a 3×3 feature on the band with three video performances from the band performing live in Copenhagen and New York City. Yes, you have to watch a commercial first. Sorry.
The Toronto Star, eye and NOW all pay tribute to Toronto institution Wavelength, celebrating its seventh anniversary with a series of shows all over the city this weekend.
Pitchfork gets a little dirt on the new Maximo Park record Our Earthly Pleasures, out April 3. The video for the first single is also now available for your viewing pleasure.
Video: Maximo Park – “Our Velocity” (YouTube)
Current UK hot young things Klaxons will be at Lee’s Palace on April 8, tickets $15.
And oh man, I was prepared to skip out on Son Volt’s show at the Mod Club on April 12 – saw them in ’05 and they’re not exactly a must-see live act – but guess who they’re touring with? Drive-By Trucker Jason Isbell. Hrmmm.
PopMatters wonders why Fountains Of Wayne are so dang mean. Their next collection of melodic meanness, Traffic And Weather, is out April 3.
Chart talks to Midlake about setting out on their first proper tour and how much they hate blogs. Said tour brings them to Lee’s Palace on Monday evening and my contest for passes to see them ends tonight so if you’re interested but not quite enough to shell out some money, hop on over.
And obviously shamed by our big announcement yesterday, SxSW has finally posted an initial list of acts appearing this year. Okay, someone parse that thing – it’s making my head explode to look at it. Update: The Tragically Hip? Seriously? Update 2: Kingsnake.com delivers a much more readable list. Yay.
Wednesday, February 7th, 2007
So here we go. This is something I’ve been working on with my comrades in blogging at You Ain’t No Picasso. My Old Kentucky Blog, Gorilla Vs Bear, Largehearted Boy and Rock Insider for the last while and which we’re finally ready to unveil – The Hot Freaks!
It’s an event we’re putting on at SxSW this year and it’s looking pretty bad-ass if I do say so myself. We’ve got 32 bands playing over two days and three stages at Fhe Mohawk and Club DeVille in Austin on March 16 and 17 and we’re talking some top-notch talent – mostly hand-picked (or begged) by us. Can you guess who mine were? Probably. There’s names both new and familiar in the mix, and over the next month as I get acquainted with or excited about various acts participating I’ll be posting my thoughts here – de facto content. Gotta love it.
Also kind of loving the idea of not having to run all over downtown Austin for those two days (if not nights). But I’m very happy to be able to announce all this today because I’ve been sitting on it for over a week now while we got some stuff hammered out, and it’s been driving me a little nuts. And this might not be the end of it!
But enough jabber – check out the sched… and maybe a little musical accompaniment… And check out the flyer from San Francisco’s Andy Hawgood.
MP3: Guided By Voices – “Hot Freaks”
Friday, March 16
Mohawk (outside):
12:00 pm – Catfish Haven (MySpace)
1:00 pm – Thunderbirds Are Now! (MySpace)
2:00 pm – Apostle of Hustle (MySpace)
3:00 pm – Imperial Teen (MySpace)
4:00 pm – Annuals (MySpace)
5:00 pm – Shearwater (MySpace)
Mohawk (inside)
12:30 pm – Briertone (MySpace)
1:30 pm – Sea Wolf (MySpace)
2:30 pm – St. Vincent (MySpace)
3:30 pm – Midnight Movies (MySpace)
4:30 pm – Bishop Allen (MySpace)
Club DeVille (Insound stage)
12:30 pm – Apes and Androids (MySpace)
1:30 pm – The Black Lips (MySpace)
2:30 pm – Walter Meego (MySpace)
3:30 pm – Shout Out Out Out Out (MySpace)
4:30 pm – Pelican (MySpace)
Saturday, March 17
Mohawk (outside)
12:00 pm – The Early Years (MySpace)
1:00 pm – Malajube (MySpace)
2:00 pm – The Ponys (MySpace)
3:00 pm – Viva Voce Asobi Seksu (MySpace)
4:00 pm – Menomena (MySpace)
5:00 pm – Special guest headliner from Dallas, TX.
Mohawk (inside)
12:30 pm – White Denim
1:30 pm – Page France (MySpace)
2:30 pm – Twilight Sleep (MySpace)
3:30 pm – Young Galaxy (MySpace)
4:30 pm – RJD2 (MySpace)
Club DeVille
12:30 pm – Prototypes (MySpace)
1:30 pm – Land of Talk (MySpace)
2:30 pm – The Young Knives (MySpace)
3:30 pm – The Rosebuds (MySpace)
4:30 pm – Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s (MySpace)
And that’s not all – on Thursday the 15th, I’ll be co-presenting, along with My Old Kentucky Blog and An Aquarium Drunkard and in conjunction with LiveDaily and Spaceland, another day show at Antone’s. The lineup for that one is as follows:
Blonde Redhead (MySpace)
Annuals (MySpace)
Mando Diao (MySpace)
Datarock (MySpace)
Dirty On Purpose (MySpace)
Tally Hall (MySpace)
So as you can see, my SxSW 2007 is looking pretty damn busy. But if you’re in Austin that week and happen by one of these shows, do say hello.
Bradley’s Almanac has got a live Shearwater set from Boston last September up for downloading. Needless to say, I’m ecstatic about their headlining our Friday show.
And just so that the hometown doesn’t feel too neglected today, I’ll point out that Frog Eyes have booked a show at Sneaky Dee’s for May 24. Pitchfork talked to Carey Mercer about their new album Tears Of The Valedictorian, also due out in May.
Also, The Long Winters, The Broken West and Stars Of Track And Field are at the El Mocambo on March 27 (via For The Records). On one hand, Long Winters and The Broken West are guaranteed to turn out some ass kicking power pop. On the other hand, March will already have killed me five times over.
And finally, the new album from Feist is indeed called The Reminder and will be out May 1 in North America, the week before in the rest of the world. Grok the album art at All Things Feist.
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