Bjork Pre-sale Starts Tomorrow!

Tomorrow, the pre-sale for Bjork's North American the following dates will go up:

May 2nd - New York (10am EST)
May 5th - New York (10am EST)
May 8th - New York(10am EST)
May 12th - Chicago (11am EST)
May 15th - Denver (12PM EST)
May 23rd - Vancouver (1PM EST)

The pre-sale for the May 19th San Francisco show started last week.

Illinois in the Lower East Side

Last night, banjo-rocking Illinois [from PA] played Cake Shop. They pretty much rocked the house. They are four tall, lanky similar-looking guys who put on an energetic and fun performance. Highlights include lead singer Chris Archibald singing through a telephone. It seemed like the crowd was full of their friends, so it was a fun environment to see them in.

Here's an MP3 from their latest EP What The Hell Do I Know?:
DOWNLOAD: Illinois - "Alone Again" (MP3)

Head to their myspace to see where they're heading next.

OC/Grey's Music Supervisor Forms New Label

We all have seen her work and you either love her.. or hate her. She's responsible for bring artists like Death Cab for Cutie, Modest Mouse, Rooney, and The Killers into the mainstream. The woman behind what has been dubbed "The OC Effect," Alexandra Patsavas, inked a new deal with major label powerhouse, Warner Music Group, to form Chop Shop Records.

Don't expect the major label partnership to influence the signings (or can we? Snow Patrol.. the Fray = shitty Grey's Anatomy music). "(The label) will be an extension of the kinds of artists that have been featured on 'The OC' and 'Grey' soundtracks," says Patsavas in the Yahoo article.

The label will be based in S. Pasedena, CA and "is expected to handled as many as three acts at the outset."

No signings have been announced yet.

New Spoon Album Out In July

Spoon's new album has a release date and now a tracklisting, but still no title! What gives, Spoon? The album is called, "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga"

Their sixth studio album is slated to be released on July 10th, and they are going a short tour this Spring, as well as a few festival appearances [Sasquatch and Bonnaroo]. Expect a full tour this Fall '07.

As for the tracklisting, here you go:

1. Don't Make Me A Target
2. The Ghost Of You Lingers
3. You Got Yr Cherry Bomb
4. Don't You Evah
5. Rhthm And Soul
6. Eddie's Ragga
7. The Underdog
8. My Little Japanese Cigarette Case
9. Finer Feelings
10. Black Like Me

Below is an MP3 from their last release Gimme Fiction.

DOWNLOAD: Spoon - "I Summon You" (MP3)

Rodrigo's Visa Cleared!

You probably missed the Mexican duo Rodrigo Y Gabriela at SXSW, but that's because Rodrigo Sanchez's visa didn't clear. Apparently, Rodrigo has a similar name to a wanted criminal. Good work Feds! Way to lock down the border (bleh). Hrm... Rodrigo Sanchez... can his name be any more generic? It's like denying a visa to a Brian Smith.

Anyway, according to a press release, the Feds finally issued Rodrigo his Entertainment Working Visa in Mexico City. And now...they tour!

Mark your calendars! Also, be sure to catch them on Jimmy Kimmel on April 13.

TOUR DATES
April
14 Los Angeles, CA Gibson Amphitheatre KCRW SOUNDS ECLECTIC EVENING
16 New York, NY Webster Hall (Rescheduled Date)
17 Boston, MA Roxy Theatre (Rescheduled Date)
18 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory (Rescheduled Date)
20 Washington, DC Grosvenor Auditorium (Rescheduled Date)
22 Portland, OR Berbati's Pan
23 Portland, OR Aladdin Theatre
24 Seattle, WA Showbox Theatre
26 San Francisco, CA Grand Ballroom at Regency Center
27 Santa Cruz, CA Catalyst
29 Indio, CA Coachella
May
1 Denver, CO The Ogden Theatre
4 Chicago, IL The Vic Theatre
June
14 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo Music Festival
27 Saratoga, CA Mountain Winery
July
1 New York, NY Central Park Summerstage

DOWNLOAD: Rodrigo y Gabriela - "Orion" (mp3)

Attention Hipsters: Get Your Vocal Chords Ready

Get your favorite indie rock tunes ready, everyone! Of Montreal will be the house band at NY Mag's Indie Rock Karaoke night at Studio B next month. Naked shenanigans, included? Maybe.

Here's what NY Mag emailed me:

Of Montreal will be your personal Karaoke band, backing you up, as you belt out the karaoke classics. After the 'raoke set, the band will play their own set... followed by a late night dance party with Flosstradamus!

Some people have asked how this night is working... its simple:

1) Of Montreal provides a list of covers: covers (of both new and old timeless jams)
2) You - the brave audience member - pick which song you want to sing, get up on stage, and proceed to kick OUT THE JAMS!
3) After the Karaoke set, Of Montreal reclaims the stage and does what they do best until Flosstradamus takes over into the night, oh my!

The details:

Price: $20.00

New York by New York Indie Rock Karaoke Featuring Of Montreal w/ host Michael Showalter and Flosstradamus Apr 14, 2007, 8:00 PM, @ Studio B - 259 Banker Street , Brooklyn, NY

Plus, you get a New York magazine subscription with ticket purchase!

You will only receive this email once, if you would like to learn about future events go to http://nymag.com/nyxny

Michael Showalter hosting? Yup. Even better, he's hosting as Alan Shemper from Wet Hot American Summer. You know, the host at the talent show at the end of the movie? Making all the jokes that no one laughs at? Whatever. Watch here.

Fujiya and Miyagi: Supporting Peter Bjorn & John

Swedes Peter Bjorn and John have invited Brits Fujiya and Miyagi to be the tour support for their upcoming North American dates, including their show at Webster Hall. Now that's a line-up I can dance to.

Tour dates below:

Washington DC - 9:30 Club (April 30)
New York, NY - Webster Hall (May 1, 2)
Philadelphia, PA - Theater of Living Arts (May 3)
Boston, MA - Paradise ( May 4)
Montreal, Quebec - Le National (May 5)
Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix (May 6)
Columbus, OH - Wexner Center (May 7)
Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle (May 8)
Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue (May 9)
Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore (May 12)
Seattle, WA - Neumos (May 13)
Portland, OR - Doug Fir (May 14)
San Francisco, CA - Bimbo's (May 15, 16)
[Dates via NME]

I saw Peter Bjorn and John at their infamously bad reviewed show at Bowery Ballroom in January. I was charmed by Peter and enjoyed Bjorn's antics, but I did agree that a lot of their set left something to be desired. I wonder how they'll do in a venue as big as Webster Hall? Maybe now I'll reconsider not going and get a ticket, cause this show seems like it'll be a lot of booty shakin'. And who doesn't like shakin' their booty?

Speaking of Fujiya and Miyagi, Steph dragged me to their show at Barnard College on Monday (March 19th). Despite the 100 or so Columbia/Barnard hipsters that flocked to the show and talked through most of the set, it was a good time. Their bass heavy tunes are perfect for a dark club kind of vibe; I heard their Mercury Lounge show the night before was amazing and got the Lower East Siders dancing.

Jamie T @ Mercury Lounge

Last night, Jamie T played a somewhat secret show at Mercury Lounge. It was one of those rare New York nights where the crowd was perfect and there was just a great vibe in the room. Jamie T played an acoustic bass and performed a short set of about 7 songs. It was great. He's so charismatic and so British, he charmed the pants off the crowd. And the Brits were totally representing last night, singing along to all the songs and even getting ahead of Jamie at times (hilarious!).

I'm not that well acquainted with his music, but I fell in love with him and his songs last night. He was a really great solo performer, and did songs like "Sheila" and "If You Got The Money" (which was great because everyone knew all the words). I'm looking forward to catching him the next time he's in town with his band.



DOWNLOAD: Jamie T - "If You Got The Money" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Jamie T - "On Holiday" (MP3)

Yoshimi Comes to Life!

Her name was Yoshimi and she's black belt in karate and she's gonna be on fucking broadway (we hope!). In an interview with Wayne Coyne, Entertainment Weekly reports that The West Wing writer Aaron Sorkin will turn Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots into a musical.

Tony Award-winning director/producer Des McAnuff (Jersey Boys, The Who's Tommy) is the genius behind the collaboration . Entertainment Weekly reports that he "convinced the band that the album would make a compelling musical" and that "other songs from the Lip's catalog will likely be included as well..."

The plot and details are definitely still in its planning stages, so the debut is going to be years away. This is what Coyne has so far, "There's a Japanese girl; she fights some robots; that's five minutes. After that I don't know," the article reports.

Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots is one of my favorite albums of all time. I can't wait for this to hit Broadway.

Here's a fun game: who do you think should be casted for each of the characters?

Here's ours:
Maureen calls Yoshimi (psst! It'd be tragic if those evil robots win, Maureen!)
Me (David) is The Hynotist, although I would love to be Jesus Shootin Heroin if they include the song.

Now.. we must fill these spots:

Flight Test Announcer: Morgan Freeman
Throbbing Orange Pallbearers: Patrick Dempsey (McDreamy) and Eric Dane (McSteamy)--YUM! They can carry my casket ANYTIME!
Man from Future: Yoda
The Magician: ???
Pink Robot #1: Fran Drescher
Pink Robot #2: Britney Spears (post k-fed)

Are there any characters I'm missing?

The Hold Steady to Release "Live at Fingerprints"

[Real] rock n rollers, The Hold Steady just announced the April 17th release of Live at Fingerprints, an EP of acoustic (how will that work?!) recorded at an in-store performance at Fingerprints, a independent record store in SoCal.

It's a limited release for $4.95 -- go to ThinkIndie.com for a list of indie record stores that will carry them. It's essentially a collector's item! The Hold Steady.. acoustic... !!!

Tracklisting:
1) Cattle And The Creeping Things
2) Chips Ahoy
3) You Can Make Him Like You
4) Citrus
5) You Gotta Dance With Who You Came To Dance With

Here's a sneak preview (w/ a theremin?):
DOWNLOAD: The Hold Steady - Cattle & the Creeping Things (acoustic)

Amy Winehouse Flakey... again!

NME.COM reported that Amy Winehouse cancelled yet another show tonight (3/20) at Spaceland in LA.

According to NME, "it is rumoured that Winehouse believes the venue is too small to accommodate her large band." mmhmm... rigght.

The good news is if you bought tickets to the KCRW sponsored show, they are 100% refundable.

eMusic Exclusive: Andrew Bird - "Self Torture"

We just found an exclusive download on eMusic of Andrew Bird's "Self-Torture." I guess it was released in conjunction with Armchair Apocryha.

DOWNLOAD: Andrew Bird - Self Torture [30 sec clip] (MP3)

Support independent music and buy it here.

The track starts off with Bird's trademark free floating whistle, then moves onto a lilting vocal line that is both haunting and beautiful at the same time. When the violin appears later in the track, it just completes the melancholic atmosphere. Definitely worth the download!

New Jeff Buckley Compilation

On May 22, Columbia/Legacy will release "So Real: Songs From Jeff Buckley" to commerate his death. They will also release a documentary/biography entitled, "Amazing Grace" on DVD. Buckley drowned on May 29, 1997 in a Mississippi River tributary at the age of 30.


Tracklisting:
1. Last Goodbye (Grace)
2. Lover You Should Have Come Over (Grace)
3. Forget Her (Grace Legacy Edition)
4. Eternal Life (Road Version) (Grace Legacy Edition)
5. Dream Brother (Alternate Take) (Grace Legacy Edition)
6. The Sky Is A Landfill (Sketches)
7. Everybody Here Wants You (Sketches)
8. So Real *
9. Mojo Pin (Live at Sin-e)
10. Vancouver (Sketches)
11. Je N'en Connais Pas La Fin (Live At Sine)
12. Grace (Grace)
13. Hallelujah (Grace)
14. I Know It's Over **

* So Real (Acoustic in Japan ). This beautiful song is a non album version and previously available only as a promotional single.
** I Know It’s Over - Buckley and his band playing live at Sony Studios in New York for broadcast on WNEW on April 6, 1995, spacewalking with elegance through the harrowing resignation of "I Know It's Over" from the Smiths' 1986 album, The Queen is Dead. It was not included on the radio broadcast [From JeffBuckley.com].

He was such a hottie!

Missed SXSW? NPR to the rescue!

If you missed SXSW (or if you were there and want to relive the experience), NPR has some recorded in-studio performances on their website (audio only).

Some of the artists are:
Andrew Bird
Beirut
Fujiya & Miyagi
Apples In Stereo
Sondre Lerche
Mew
Peter, Bjorn and John
The Stooges
Under Byen
Keren Ann
Okkervil River
Lou Rhodes

.. and many more!

Check them out here. Real Player required.

Feist Needs You!

Feist is casting for her new music video off The Reminder. If you can get off school or work tomorrow, this sounds like it could be fun!

Want to be in a Feist video in Toronto?
We need volunteers in Toronto age 18-35, physically fit, to attend 2-3 rehearsals and one shoot day.
Rehearsals: attendance at 2 of the 3 rehearsals, March 20, 21, 22nd.
Shoot day will be approximately 12-14 hours on March 23rd.
The video will be directed by Patrick Daughters and the concept is about creating large scale unison movements.
If you are able to commit to the dates please forward photo, phone number and email to be contacted with details to: feistmusicvideo@gmail.com

Also, check out her new webisode series, starting with this video. [Hint: Copy & paste that link into your Windows Media player.]

Nip/Tuck and Madonna?

Madonna will make a cameo on Nip/Tuck according to Q Magazine. According to the article, "A show source told The Sun, 'Everybody ends up taking their clothes off and usually having sex with Julian McMahon's character Dr. Christian Troy. Madonna has the body of a woman half her age and is bound to be in a nude scene."

Oy. Madonna Louise Ciccone Ritchie... please keep your clothes on... and your legs closed.

Review: Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha

I tried waiting it out, but I couldn't resist. I snagged a leaked copy of Andrew Bird's Armchair Apocrypha and I am so glad that I did.

Armed with his arsenal of instruments, foot pedals and genius song-writing prowess, Bird delivers a solid album chock-full of playful pizzicatos, colorful arcos and intricate melodies/riffs that out-performs his last album, Mysterious Production of Eggs.

He is arguably one of the best violinists that has dedicated themselves to non-classical music today and the variety of sounds he milks from the small wooden box and bow is testament to that. According to his bio, Andrew Bird said, “At this point the violin just happens to be the instrument I have on hand to make the sounds that I hear. I like to abuse it and pull as many sounds out of it as I can.”

One of my favorite tracks on the album is "Yawny at the Apocalypse." It is three minutes and thirty-nine seconds of a drifting, hi-register violin stream of consciousness (if you can call it that) layered on top of deep, ethereal arcos that create such rich colors and textures.

Other standouts include "Imitosis," which borrows the sophisticated pizzicato riffs from Weather Systems', "I." "Heretics" (MP3 below) is reminiscent of Mysterious Productions' "Fake Palindromes" for the violin's Eastern-influenced melodic qualities.

The one flaw on the album, for me at least, is "Simple X." It is obviously heavily influenced by his percussion muscle, Martin Dosh, but the track should have been purely instrumental.

All in all, Armchair is a force to be reckoned with in 2007. I mean, Arcade Fire who? hahah... jk jk. You know what I mean.

Tracklisting:
1) Fiery Crash
2) Imitosis
3) Plasticities
4) Heretics
5) Armchairs
6) Darkmatter
7) Simple X
8) The Supine
9) Cataracts
10) Scythian Empires
11) Spare-Ohs
12) Yawny At The Apocalypse

Armchair Apocrypha is in stores 3/20 on Fat Possum.

DOWNLOAD: Andrew Bird - "Heretics" (MP3)

Oops! White Stripes Supporting Icky Thump

[credit: David Swanson]

At the end of July, The White Stripes will start their North American tour in support of Icky Thump, their sixth studio album (rumored to be released this June). Included in the tour is a date at Keyspan Park in Coney Island.

Dates below:

San Diego, CA - Street Scene (July 29)
George, WA - The Gorge (August 6)
Vancouver, BC - Orpheum (7, 8)
Portland, OR - Keller Auditorium (10)
Berkley, CA - Greek Theatre (12)
Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre (15-18)
Phoenix, AZ - Dodge Theatre (19)
Denver, CO - Red Rocks (22)
Kansas City, KA - Starlight Theater (23)
St Louis, MO - Fabulous Fox Theater (24)
Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum Theater (26,27)
Chicago, IL - Auditorium Theater (29-31)
Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom (September 8)
Indianapolis, IN - Murat Theatre (9)
Columbus, OH - Ohio Theatre (10)
Cincinnati, OH - Music Hall (12)
Louisville, KY - Palace Theatre (13)
Cleveland, OH - Playhouse Square Center State Theatre (14)
Toronto, ON - Molson Amphitheatre (16)
Providence, RI - Performing Arts Center (19)
Boston, MA - Opera House (20, 21)
Coney Island, NY - Keyspan Park (24)
Columbia, MD - Merriweather Post Pavillion (27)
Atlantic City, NJ - House Of Blues (28)
Detroit, MI - Masonic Temple Theatre (October 2)
[Via NME]

Whoops! Looks like I received some wrong info (thanks NME!). Here's what was posted on the White Stripes site yesterday:

With unbridled enthusiasm for the June release of 'Icky Thump', various publications and web sites have posted a North American tour routing that holds no semblance of reality. Indeed, it looks like their journalists simply found and printed the tour routing the band did in support of their 2005 release, 'Get Behind Me Satan'.

In fact, The White Stripes have yet to confirm their North American routing as of yet. But we are happy to say that it will include all 10 provinces and 3 territories of Canada, as well as the remaining 16 states of the United States the band have yet to play. A few major markets that have been journeyed to in the past will be also be included.

The North American tour will start in the state of Tennessee.

Best Regards,
The White Stripes Management

Sorry everyone :(

I was a big fan of Jack White's side project, The Raconteurs (who btw have my favorite website), and I kinda wish he would stay with that a little more. But I am interested to hear what this Icky Thump album sounds like. What do you think? White Stripes vs. The Raconteurs? Does the combination of Jack White with Brandon Benson, Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler totally beat out Meg White?

Smashing Pumpkins Headlining Virgin Festival In Toronto

In it's second year running, Toronto's Virgin Festival scored a major headliner. The Smashing Pumpkins are set to headline second night of the festival, set to take place on September 8th and 9th in Toronto Island Park. It will be their first 2007 North American appearance.

The first night's headliner is Bjork, and other confirmed acts include The Killers, Interpol, Tokyo Police Club, Amy Winehouse, Paolo Nutini and more.

To get details on early bird tickets, head over to Now Toronto Magazine.

The Smashing Pumpkins are set to perform at Pinkpop Festival (The Netherlands), Primavera Sound (Spain), Rock Am Ring (Germany), Lisbon Festival (Portugal), Nova Rock Festival (Austria), Heineken Festival (Italy), Greenfields Festival (Switzerland).

Their new album Zeitgeist will be released on July 7th.

Bjork is also scheduled to headline the following festivals: Coachella (California), Sasquatch Festival (Washington), Glastonbury (UK), Rock Werchter (Belgium), Open'er (Poland), Roskilde (Denmark), and Paleo Festival (Switzerland).

Sufjan on Friend Rock

Sufjan Stevens recently posted an essay that explores the world of Friend Rock, which is described as "going to a show not so much as a fan of the music, but as a fan of your friend, the musician, on stage."

We've all experienced Friend Rock -- some good... but most were probably unbearably bad. But as good friends, we hold our tongue and tell a little white lie. Here's some of what Sufjan had to say about Friend Rock:

"Friend Rock is a nebulous genre, often difficult to define. How does one isolate the variables? The first step to recovery is recognition; self-inquiry is key. Consider carefully your motivations for being at the show in the first place. Are you bringing to the performance an anxious, pathological obligation (by sheer, relational proximity) and an unfaltering, unquenchable desire to chatter, gossip, and talk about said friend onstage, capsizing your ability to enjoy anything about the music at all? If so, you may be in the midst of Friend Rock. But there you are, biting your tongue, with an iron will, the will to love, a stoic cheerleader, a loyal comrade, a cheap listener, you are sticking it out because that person onstage is your Friend." [READ MORE...]

Silversun Pickups: At A Store Near You!

Silversun Pickups added a bunch of in-stores to their tour with Snow Patrol today. So if you don't wanna pay a bunch of money just to see them open for SP, then catch them at these stores:

Mar 20 2007 4:00P @ Park Ave Cd's (Orlando, Florida)

Mar 24 2007 12:30P @ Record & Tape Trader (Towson, Maryland)

Mar 29 2007 5:00P @ Newbury Comics (Boston, Massachusetts)

Apr 4 2007 5:30P @ Vintage Vinyl (St. Louis, Missouri)

Apr 5 2007 5:30P Atomic Records (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)

Also, tickets for their May 15th Webster Hall show are now on sale. Buy them here.

Below is their video for "Kissing Families:"

New Amy Winehouse Video - "Back To Black"

In her new video for the song "Back To Black," Ms. Winehouse marches in a funeral procession, along with a few of her band members.



Appropriately shot in black & white, the video has a surprise! twist ending. Watch to find out what she's mourning.

Did anyone catch her and the Pipettes at Bowery last night?

Michael Jackson Can't Afford the Beatles

Here's some back story: In 1985, Michael Jackson outbidded Paul McCartney for the publishing rights for the Beatles' back catalogue (over 200 Lennon-McCartney's songs). So that means that MJ got a huge cut of the licensing money for that nifty, catchy Target commercial (hello, good buy, hello, good buy)... america is fucked up. yes.

Anyway, NME just reported that MJ may lose his share of the publishing because he's been livin' it up (LARGE) and nobody's paying the bills. He allegedly owes $241 Million to Sony. Yikes!

He bought the rights to the catalogue for $48M and it's worth approximately $500M today. According to this article, MJ hopes to pay off $150M with the sale of catalogue.

Hrm... that Jackson 5 Reunion that's supposed to earn him $250M all makes sense now!

Neon Bible: Success On the Charts

After endless hype (a 5-night stint at Judson Memorial Church, features in the NY Times, an SNL performance, an 8.4 P4K rating, etc...), Neon Bible has gone on to earn a #2 spot on this week's Billboard's 200.

According to Hits, the album sold 83,000 units last week, beating out Daughtry's self-titled debut and following Notorious B.I.G.'s Greatest Hits. I guess out-selling a long gone rapper was too much to ask for, but second place ain't shabby! 83k is definitely an impressive number in this digital age, especially with all the leaks going around. It was hard to resist getting the album early when it was all anyone could talk about.

DOWNLOAD: The Arcade Fire - "Black Mirror" (MP3)

Catch 'em on their whirlwind tour:

03/14 London, England - Brixton Academy
03/15 London, England - Brixton Academy
03/16 London, England - Brixton Academy
03/17 London, England - Brixton Academy
03/19 Paris, France - Olympia
03/20 Paris, France - Olympia
03/23 Stockholm, Sweden - Circus
03/24 Oslo, Norway - Centrum Scene
03/25 Copenhagen, Denmark - KB Hallen
03/27 Berlin, Germany - Postbahnhof
03/28 Munich, Germany - Elserhalle
03/31 Lyon, France - Transbordeur
04/01 Cologne, Germany - Palladium
04/02 Utrecht, Netherlands - Vredenburg
04/04 Brussels, Belgium - Halles de Schaerbeek
04/05 Lille, France - L'Aeronef

Stars In Concert

Ok, last Stars post, sorry!

FabChannel.com has posted live footage from the Stars show at the Paradiso in Amsterdam.



Since it looks like we won't be seeing them live for a while, this is a great alternative.

Go to FabChannel for some other great concerts, including Andrew Bird, Apples In Stereo, Arcade Fire, Do Make Say Think, Bloc Party and Nada Surf.

The Polyphonic Spree w/ Guest Rapper Ying Yang Twins?

Actually, no... that would be a wet dream.

The Polyphonic Spree announced today that they signed with TVT Records, home of The Ying Yang Twins, Pigeon John and a bunch of crappy rap artists (oh.. I do like Ambulance LTD... can we get a new record sometime soon? k, thanks).

We can expect to see a new album from them in June called The Fragile Army. The group is also making a little political commentary with this new album. The title track, "The Fragile Army" is their "ode-to-Bush song," says Spree leader Tim DeLaughter. "It's very specific in its agenda, I believe it's our own battle cry."

Also, don't expect to see them in their cute cultish robes anymore. The press release reports that "the group has folded their robes up nicely and put them away for now, becoming more "streamline for the future" in their unified military-style uniforms garnished with universal symbols for peace."

Tracklisting:
1. Section 21 [Together We're Heavy]
2. Section 22 [Running Away]
3. Section 23 [Get Up And Go]
4. Section 24 [The Fragile Army]
5. Section 25 [Younger Yesterday]
6. Section 26 [We Crawl]
7. Section 27 [Oh I Feel Fine]
8. Section 28 [Guaranteed Nightlite]
9. Section 29 [Light To Follow]
10. Section 30 [Watch Us Explode (Justify)]
11. Section 31 [Overblow Your Nest]
12. Section 32 [The Championship]

DOWNLOAD: The Polyphonic Spree - "Sonic Bloom" (MP3) [via P4K]

More on Stars & Friends

My friend has gotten me super psyched for this new Stars album.

Here's a detailed track listing for Do You Trust Your Friends?:

1. Your Ex-Lover Is Dead (Final Fantasy)
2. Set Yourself on Fire (Montag)
3. Ageless Beauty (The Most Serene Republic)
4. Reunion (Jason Collett)
5. The Big Fight (Minotaur Shock)
6. What I'm Trying to Say Pt. 1 (The Dears)
7. What I'm Trying to Say Pt. 2 (The Dears)
8. One More Night (Apostle of Hustle)
9. Sleep Tonight (Junior Boys)
10. The First Five Times (The Russian Futurists)
11. He Lied About Death (Metric)
12. Celebration Guns (Camouflage Nights with Kevin Drew)
13. Soft Revolution (The Stills)
14. Calendar Girl (Young Galaxy)

And as a bonus, here are some MP3s that we were able to dig up.

DOWNLOAD: Stars - "Sleep Tonight" [Remixed by Junior Boys] (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Stars - "Ageless Beauty" [Remixed by The Most Serene Republic] (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Stars - "The First Five Times" [Remixed by The Russian Futurists] (MP3)

Sufjan Interviews His Brightest Diamond

Last Tuesday, Tear It Down, a remix album from My Brightest Diamond, was released on Asthmatic Kitty.

To commemorate, Sufjan Stevens, asked My Brightest Diamond a few questions about the remix process:

Sufjan: You've collaborated with remixers before, successfully. How does your music lend itself to this kind enterprise? Or, more generally, what makes a song remixable? I've never embarked on this before, and I have the feeling my songs don't lend themselves to remixing. Do you agree?

Shara: Often the first level of remix-ability in a song is the beat. However, songs like "Magic Rabbit", "We Were Sparkling" and "Gone Away" were more spacially oriented than beat oriented. In most cases, if there are too many chord changes in a song, electronic music doesn't really deal with that well, so the fewer harmonic changes the better. Another interesting thing is that the dramatic sections in songs like "Workhorse" or "Something of an End", got smoothed over, to create a less jarring emotional world. Genre is a bit overrated, so I like the concept of taking these tunes out of the indie rock world and letting them breathe in a different context. I think your songs would be very remixable, but the emotional content that your music and arrangements supply, would be really affected. In the case of "Robin's Jar", that wasn't something I wanted to lose control over. I think it's all a matter of choice and what you are comfortable with.

Read the rest of the interview here.

Also, go to AKRadio for some more My Brightest Diamond content, including her performance on Session Planet Claire as well as some of her previous work with the band AwRY.

[credit: David Garland]

It seems like Sufjan is very reluctant to have his own songs remixed. But I think it would be really interesting to hear other artists' takes on his music. What artist would you most want to remix a Sufjan song?

DOWNLOAD: Sufjan Stevens - "Casmir Pulaski Day" [Demo] (MP3)

Pitchfork Is Now Local

Ah the website that everyone loves to hate.

P4K's creator and current head, Ryan Schreiber, is moving to Brooklyn. Park Slope to be exact (my neighborhood!). Watch out NYC bands, you're about to get a new critic in the crowd.

Via NY Mag:

Here's more proof that New York still reigns supreme on the indie-rock scene, even seven or so years into its revival. We've now got Ryan Schreiber. Schreiber is the creator and editor-in-chief of Pitchfork Media — the music Website that enjoys total niche dominance and kingmaking clout in indie world — and, as of this month, he's a New Yorker. (Full disclosure: Some of us have both written for and been reviewed by the site.) But wait, you ask, isn't the 'Fork famously based in Chicago, and isn't it a kind of local institution there? Yes and yes, and it's staying there, as is the music festival it curates. In an oh-so-21st-century twist, Schreiber will simply be running things from here. (From Park Slope — natch — to be precise.) Although invitations are sure to come, don't expect to find Schreiber boozing at the Magician with the Lower East Side blogger royalty anytime soon; he's telling people he plans to keep a low profile. Which, in a way, makes it even tougher for New York bands: Now they'll have their own Frank Bruni to nervously scan the crowd for.

I'm sure the 'low profile' thing is all talk, don't you think? In any case, he won't be able to stay away from the indie rock scene for too long, so look out for him!

New Ben Kweller Video - "Penny On A Train Track"

Ben Kweller's new video for "Penny On A Train Track" is quite possibly the cutest music video I've ever seen.

Shot by Kweller himself, the video stars his 82 year-old grandmother, Marylin "Bubbie" Kweller, dancing and exercising at the gym in her condo. Gorgeous.

She's just dancin' away and singin' along, ain't she? Almost makes me wanna go to the gym. And her friend is just hysterical, making about a 20 second appearance in the video. Nice editing with the slow-mo, Ben!

Best part of the video? The end where Kweller hollers at her that it was "beautiful!" and then she asks to see it. Aww.

And if you're into that kind of thing, vote for the video on TRL.

Mark Martucci: Covering the Lemonheads

One of my favorite unsigned artists is Mark Martucci from California. My co-worker discovered his music while he was trolling through myspace one day.

Anyway, apparently Martucci is gonna be part of a Lemonheads cover project.


Here's what he said about the album:

"So I signed up for this lemonheads cover project they are doing somewhere in england. The Lemonheads being one of my favorite bands ever I jumped at the chance. Most of the songs were taken before I got there, but I managed to get "rest assured" off Come On Feel The Lemonheads."

Listen to a sample of the cover below.

DOWNLOAD: Mark Martucci - "Rest Assured" [Lemonheads cover] (MP3)

What do you all think?

Wanna Make Dinner With Your Favorite Indie Rock Bands?

Well, you won't exactly be making dinner with the band, but you can pretend like you are!

A new cooking show on the ON Network, called Dinner With The Band, has just released its pilot episode with The Cloud Room. Hosted by Sam Mason, the pilot looks like a regular cooking show, showing us how to make recipes such as Roasted Duck with Gruyere Gnocchi (yum!), but with bands at the special guests! It's fun to see a band in such a different setting.

Watch the trailer here.

And as a special bonus, they also offer MP3s on the site of the band playing live:

DOWNLOAD: The Cloud Room - "Waiting" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Cloud Room - "Oh My Love" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Cloud Room - "Lord I've Been Tryin'" (MP3)

Read more about the show here.

Apples In Stereo On Tour (and at SXSW)

Looks like Georgia natives, The Apples In Stereo, will be heading to Texas and also to the West coast.

Via their press release:

The Apples kick off their weekend Thursday, March 15 with a performance at the CMJ Party at Speakeasy, followed by a double-header Friday beginning at Habana for the Yep Roc Day Party and then at The Dirty Dog for the Yep Roc Night Showcase. On March 17, they finish their run in Austin with the Mess With Texas Party at Red Seven curated by David Cross. After Austin, The Apples will bring their national headlining tour to the West beginning in Scottsdale, AZ on March 19 and concluding April 1 in Denver, CO.

Tour dates and MP3 below.

03/15/07 Speakeasy (CMJ Party) - Austin, TX
03/16/07 Habana (Yep Roc Day Party) - Austin, TX
03/16/07 The Dirty Dog (Yep Roc Night Showcase) - Austin, TX
03/17/07 Red Seven (Mess With Texas Party) - Austin, TX
03/19/07 Anderson’s Fifth Estate - Scottsdale, AZ
03/20/07 The Casbah - San Diego, CA
03/22/07 Spaceland - Los Angeles, CA
03/23/07 The Independent - San Francisco, CA
03/24/07 Blue Lamp - Sacramento, CA
03/26/07 Berbati’s Pan - Portland, OR
03/27/07 Media Club - Vancouver, Canada
03/28/07 Nightlight - Bellingham, WA
03/29/07 Neumos - Seattle, WA
03/30/07 Neuorolux - Boise, ID
03/31/07 The Depot - Salt Lake City, UT
04/01/07 Bluebird Theater - Denver, CO

DOWNLOAD: Apples In Stereo - "Energy" (MP3)

Also, don't forget to pick up their new album New Magnetic Wonder. It's pure pop magic, I tell you, and listening to it always puts me in the best mood.

[MP3 via Spinner.com and pic credit to Joshua Kessler]

SXSW Continued...

In addition to his SXSW show on Wednesday, March 16th, Andrew Bird will ALSO be playing at the TagTeamMedia/The Onion/The AV Club party at Emo's and Emo's Jr from 12 -6pm.

Other notable acts at the party will be neo-punk band, Tokyo Police Club, reversed Mates of State from Brooklyn Matt & Kim, The Stars' Amy Millan, Alt-Country artist, Clem Snide, and Chicago's pop quartet The M's.

Other SXSW shows to check out are here: Our previous SXSW post

Need some brushing up to do? Here are some mp3's :)
DOWNLOAD: Heretics - Andrew Bird
DOWNLOAD: Nature of the Experiment - Tokyo Police Club
DOWNLOAD: Plan of the Man - The M's
DOWNLOAD: Fill Me With Your Light - Clem Snide

New Dntel Album - Dumb Luck

Dntel, Jimmy Tamborello's moniker, will release its second album on Sub Pop next month titled Dumb Luck.

It will contain songs featuring some of our favorite artists, including Ed Droste (Grizzly Bear), Jenny Lewis and Conor Oberst.

Grab the title track below.

DOWNLOAD: Dntel - "Dumb Luck" (MP3)

Here's the track listing:

1. "Dumb Luck"
2. "To a Fault" [ft. Grizzly Bear]
3. "I'd Like to Know" [ft. Lali Puna]
4. "Roll On" [ft. Jenny Lewis]
5. "The Distance" [ft. Arthur & Yu]
6. "Rock My Boat" [ft. Mia Doi Todd]
7. "Natural Resources" [ft. Fog]
8. "Breakfast in Bed" [ft. Conor Oberst]
9. "Dreams" [ft. Mystic Chords of Memory]

New Rosewood Thieves Demo - "Mad Man"

I saw the Rosewood Thieves at a brunch at The Living Room during CMJ and was really impressed. I love their folk rock/alt country sound, and find it hard to believe that its coming from NY natives.

On their myspace, they put up a new demo called "Mad Man." It sounds like a rough mix, but it seems like it has a lot of potential. For most of the song, its just bare vocals, an acoustic guitar, drums and a little piano. His voice is just so hypnotizing, filled with angst and yearning. Love it.

If you wanna see them live, they're playing a show at Tonic at the end of the month.

March 29th - Tonic, 9PM - NYC

Also, word on the street is that V2 dropped them. Anyone know what they are doing now? Are they still free agents?

Q Magazine's Top 10 Greatest and Worst Singers

Celine Dion = Worst Singer (and Worst Dresser) of All Time

We love top ten lists. They're so controversial...someone will always be left out. But in Celine's case (god.. what the fuck is she wearing?), it's good to be left out. The Independent (UK) summarized Q Magazine's Top Ten Greatest Voices.

Here is what they reported for the top ten:

1) Elvis Presley
2) Aretha Franklin
3) Frank Sinatra
4) Otis Redding
5) John Lennon
6) Marvin Gaye
7) Kurt Cobain
8) Robert Plant
9) Mick Jagger
10) Jeff Buckley

And here are some of the singers who made it to the hall of shame:

Ozzy Osbourne
"...although he was once a powerhouse, 'he now sings like he speaks - this may be a cause for sympathy, but not for buying his albums.'"
Mariah Carey
"...castigated for 'squawking':'she may have a 100-octave range and the ability to sing so loudly that birds' nest fall from trees, but that doesn't make it right.'"
Celine Dion
"...included for 'grinding out every note as if bearing some kind of grudge against the very notion of economy.'"
Yoko Ono
"...'cursed with a voice that even John Lennon couldn't love.'"

Others include Fred Durst, Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie and 'any death metal singer.'

Feud: Lily Allen vs. Amy Winehouse

Not enough room for two Brit leading ladies in music, eh?

Via The People:

The pair had been best pals until falling out after the Brits when Amy, 23, won Best Female and Lily, 21, got nothing.

Lily was left in tears at a party, sobbing: "We had a real slanging match with Amy Winehouse. It was terrible."

And this week, Amy said of Lily: "I don't wanna talk about that little prick. I laughed when I saw how fat she'd got."

Seems like Lily Allen can't take what she dishes out. Bugger!

Radio Is Indie Friendly Without Payola

Today, the FCC ruled that the four leading radio companies, Clear Channel, CBS Radio, Entercom and Citadel will pay the government $12.5 million for payola offenses. On top of that, the four companies will also offer 8,400 half-hour segments of free airtime to indie record labels and local artists.

Via Hits Daily Double:

The free airtime would be given to companies not owned or controlled by Sony BMG, Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group or EMI.

“It’s absolutely the most historic agreement that the independent community has had with radio,” said Thirsty Ear Recordings President Peter Gordon, who has been leading the negotiations for A2IM [American Association of Independent Music]. “Without a doubt, nothing else comes close.”

FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein commented: “I love music, and I want radio to sound fresh, dynamic and real. But payola gets in the way of authenticity because money drives the music, not its quality. Taking payola out of the system will lead to more interesting programming. I especially look forward to hearing Bayside on my local station.”

This is good news, right guys? At least now when we turn on the radio we won't be assaulted by songs like "This Is Why I'm Hot" every 5 seconds!

[Pic via salon.com]

Controversy: Music Hall of Williamsburg

Uh oh, looks like there are some problems with the new venue Music Hall of Williamsburg, formerly known as the beloved NorthSix.

Neighbors of the venue are not happy about the new plans, which include getting rid of the second floor in order to achieve higher ceilings, thereby increasing club capacity to 550. This increase is actually quite small, when you think about it, going up from a 400 person capacity.

Read a transcript of a conversation between Jeff Steinhauser (NorthSix owner) and one of the angry neighbors at Gothamist.

The neighbor, Dan McCarthy, worries about the additional noise and trash that will come with the expansion of the venue. But Steinhauser makes some very good points, including the argument that just because one person's lifestyle changes does not mean that their surroundings change, and so you can't expect a neighborhood that has been bustling to suddenly calm down.

Beastie Boys: Releasing New Album This Summer?

Maybe we'll get a new Beastie Boys album this summer!

It is pretty soon after their 2004 release of To the 5 Boroughs, but I'm looking forward to hearing some near material from them.

Via Billboard:

The Beastie Boys are putting the finishing touches on a new record. "Hopefully that'll be out this summer, too," group member Adam Yauch tells Billboard.

Though he remained characteristically tight-lipped about details, Yauch says the Beasties plan to air out some of the new material in a series of dates this summer.

May 27: George, Washington (Sasquatch Festival)
June 10: Lisbon (Alive! Festival)
June 17: Istanbul (Efes Pilsen One Love Festival)
June 22: Scheessel, Germany (Hurricane Festival)
June 24: Neuhasen, Germany (Southside Festival)
June 26: Paris (Le Zenith)
June 28: Werchter, Belgium (Rock Werchter Festival)
June 30: Gdynia, Poland (Heineken Festival)

Check It Out: Neoangin

On Friday night, an acquaintance of mine had her birthday party in the back room of a Korean BBQ restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For entertainment and music, she asked her friend Jim Avignon to play.

Jim Avignon, a Berlin native, is the one-man band called Neoangin. He definitely got the party going on Friday, and his LP Scratchbook does not disappoint.

I guess you could classify Neoangin's music as techno, with a dash of rap. He is very popular in the Berlin techno subculture, and it seems that he has recently moved to Williamsburg. And for that, we here in New York are lucky. He doesn't have any shows listed on his myspace, but he does play a lot around the city and if you happen to see him on the bill of a venue one day, I highly recommend that you go check him out. His music is just really fun and danceable, with steady and constantly changing beats but without the bass line that'll make you go deaf.

Here's one of my favorite tracks off Scratchbook, "The Moron:"

DOWNLOAD: Neoangin - "The Moron" (MP3)

Purchase Neoangin CDs here.

Avignon is also an amazing artist, so be sure to check out the artwork for Scratchbook because it contains a different drawing for each song on the album.

New Andrew Bird Track - "Imitosis"

Photo: Cameron Wittig/Nasty Little Man

What a delightful surprise this morning - we found that Andrew Bird has released another track on his MySpace page from his soon to be released album, Armchair Apocryha, which is due on March 20th.

The track is called "Imitosis" and borrows the catchy pizzicato violin riffs from "I" on one of his earlier albums, Weather Systems.

We'd post a link to download, but it seems as though the label is asking everyone to take them down. For you, Andrew Bird... we'd do anything. No, really, we would.

Noise Pop: Scissors for Lefty Cut Up the Rest

It's the third night to the Noise Pop festival in SF -- Tonight, I chose to go to the French Kicks (ugh) w/ The Magic Bullets, The Oohlas, and Scissors for Lefty at Slim's.

First... during the show, we had a 4.2 earthquake that lasted for a good 5-6 seconds and multiple aftershocks. CRAZY - but the show must go on.

Second... The band to see tonight was Scissors for Lefty.

I originally came to check out Ultragrrrl's The Oohlas. They started off with "Octopus" which was full of zest and definitely livened up the crowd. Unfortunately, they had no regard for what was happening in the audience. Most of us were completely bored. The sound mixer totally fucked up because Ollie's voice was completely drowned out by the wall of electric guitars.... and when the vocals actually came through, it was just bad.

Even the infectious Small Parts was ruined. But to The Oohlas credit, the very charismatic, Ollie and the band were very comfortable on stage and did not look nervous at all. (Ahhh.. you can't go wrong with a compliment sandwich).

But the show stealer was Scissors for Lefty, who came out onto the stage with such vigor and energy that brought the house down. They were so surprised to see such a turnout (although most of them were probably uninformed teens waiting for The French Kicks to play). They started it off with "Lay Down Your Weapons" and brought on their own dancer... in full costume!

Other notable songs were "Ghetto Ways" and the very erotic "Private Hotcha," which had Bryan Garza (lead singer) feeling himself up, unzipping his fly, and walking out through the crowd. The crowd was dancing, bouncing up and down, and going absolutely nuts when the band took off their shirts for a costume change.

Scissors for Lefty is definitely a band worth checking out (MP3 below).

And then there were the French Kicks:
... nothing to report here. I left early because they were and have always been a SNOOZEFEST. It really does suck when your opening act shows you up, huh?

Was anyone else there? What did you think?

This sunday, Midlake. Maybe? Noise Pop Gods.. please have mercy!

DOWNLOAD: Lay Down Your Weapons - Scissors for Lefty (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Ghetto Ways - Scissors for Lefty (MP3)
via Spinner