Brazilian Girls. Neither members are from Brazil nor girls... well one is a girl. They were quite fun to see when they played here last year with Ladytron. Preceding their self-titled debut album and their second album, Talk to La Bomb, is New York City. Expect it in stores August 5.
From Talk to La Bomb, "Rules of the Game." Mysterioso...
I heard this on the way to a mojito outing last night and fell in LOVE with it! The song: "Chelsea Dagger" by The Fratellis. It's a couple years old, but that's not the point. I haven't been this excited about a track since "All These Things That I've Done" by The Killers. Listen to it (again). Lurve it. Sing along to it (if you can). Embrace it with open arms. But most of all... BLAST THE VOLUME!!
Listen to the fun here or watch below. Cheers dears!
I have not one, but TWO giveaways for you. How exciting! Even more exciting than knowing my girl parts are about to shrivel up and die after learning some emo turd thinks Ashlee Simpson is marriage material. Ugh.
Anyhoooo, let's focus on real talent and free stuff instead!
FIRST: If you're feeling poopy because you don't have tickets to the sold out Spoon show next Monday, April 14th, then you can redeem your mood by winning a pair of tickets to see VHS or Beta at the EARL that night. Just email your name with the subject "VHS or Beta" to enter.
SECOND: If you're in lurve with brash, man-hating/loving chicks with humor crass enough to make your liberal grandmother blush, then please feel free to enter your name to win a copy of Kate Nash's debut album, Made of Bricks, along with a paper copy of Ragged magazine (a little sub-Filter publication) with Kate's lovely face on the cover. You can go to that link and download the entire Ragged issue with Kate for free! I have the CD and I can't say enough good about it. This girl is my personal hero! Seriously. (Anyone else going to see her at Variety next Tuesday, April 15th??) To enter, send me an email with "Kate Nash" as the subject and your name.
I'll announce winners tomorrow, and I'll email you to let you know you're a winner (even though I'm sure your mom already told you you're one...).
I'll leave you with Kate Nash's "Mouthwash" video. LOVE her!
Synopsis: Kurt Cobain's life in his own words, literally.
Review: In an hour and a half, you see Kurt Cobain as he is: straight-forward, happy, funny, frustrated, thankful but always real. It's creatively told by hearing his voice accompanied by images of different parts of Washington (Aberdeen, Olympia and Seattle). The only time you see images of Cobain himself are at the end of the "conversation" just before the credits. The other unique quality you hear in Son is no song by Cobain is to be heard. That absence is vital because your mind won't be clouded with his public image and instead solely concentrating on this human being who's a musician, husband and a father.
Verdict: A See it if you're intrigued with Cobain, love Nirvana or just want to see something good.
“The making of a great compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do and takes ages longer than it might seem. You gotta kick off with a killer, to grab attention. Then you got to take it up a notch, but you don't wanna blow your wad, so then you got to cool it off a notch. There are a lot of rules. Anyway... I've started to make a tape... in my head... For the first time I can sort of see how that is done.” – Rob Gordon (John Cusack) High Fidelity (2000)
Whether you call February 14 Valentine’s Day or Singles Awareness Day (SAD), it’s still going to happen. Here, from me to you, are two compilation tapes. The origin of this musical goodness is a combination of the following: my iPod nano “classic,” driving, album recommendations/mixed CD’s from friends, coffee, shows, movie soundtracks, avoiding the radio, boredom and mocha with skim. Like Cusack's character from High Fidelity, I indeed spent ages on this. If you end up making these “tapes” for someone, please don’t say, “I totally thought of this!” and give me credit. Much love~
Compilation One: For the individual who fancies someone and the potential aspects that might be going through his/her mind when thinking about the intriguing creature of his/her affection.
1. Wonderful You – The Dandy WarholsWelcome to the Odditorium 2. Rules of the Game - Brazilian Girls Talk to La Bomb 3.Because I Want You (Ladytron Club Mix) – PlaceboBecause I Want You EP 4. Maps – Yeah Yeah YeahsFever To Tell 5. Let’s Get It On – Jack BlackHigh Fidelity soundtrack* 6. Hyperballad – The Twilight Singers She Loves You 7. Under Starlight – Red Letter Agent Under Starlight 8. Sexy Boy – Air Moon Safari 9. Strange Powers – The Magnetic FieldsHoliday 10. I Want You (She’s So Heavy) – The BeatlesAbbey Road*
Compilation Two: For the individual who is experiencing, thinking or saying: “He/She’s just not into you,” hates/loves/wants to be single (again), at the “getting over you” stage, a reality check (aka: he/she found out about your “pottery class”) and “It’s not you, it’s me.”
1. Never There – CakeProlonging the Magic 2. Stay With Me – The Faces A Nod is as Good as a Wink… To a Blind Horse 3. All the Pretty Faces – The Killers Sam’s Town (bonus track) and Sawdust 4. Beauty*2 – LadytronWitching Hour 5. Unlovable – The Smiths Louder Than Bombs* 6. Underneath It All – Nine Inch Nails The Fragile 7. Llorando – Rebekah Del Rio Mulholland Drive soundtrack* 8. Tire Swing – Kimya Dawson Juno soundtrack 9. Slow Hands – Interpol Antics 10. Debonair – The Afghan Whigs Gentlemen
I'm not a film expert by any means, but hell, what I am is one who appreciates a video that reaches the mesmerized part of my brain. Thanks to MGMT, we can all watch one!
Time to Pretend video. Look out for the flying dolphins. They're trippy. Just like the rest of the video.
You can get their album, which is blowing up like a volcano on Vesuvius, from this link.
I want to pass on an artist who was brought to my attention, and I am really intrigued on the sound, because it has this sort of Beck thing going with an electronic sound that's hooked up with a singer/songwriter vibe. Sorry, but I think electronics always add a ton of kick to anything. Like the special, secret ingredient your grandma won't tell you about. That's what Eugene Francis Jnr does for me. He's got an album hitting on April 28th called The Golden Beatle, and I certainly wouldn't mind having my greasy little hands on it. You have a couple months to save about $10 to buy it . . .
Light in the Attic Records out of Seattle sent me this band called the Blakes, and it's taken me way too many months to listen to them. Sorry - I won't miss the boat again on this. I mean, I think I've already established that all the really great stuff is in Seattle and that's why the Southeast is having trouble catching up right now...
Eh, anyway, you can check out this band from the video below. Very catchy, radio-friendly rock that will make you want to move. Trust me, sitting in a public place right now is making me look like a retarded noodle from listening to it.
Goldfrapp, a lady who has definitely made it onto my Bath Mix playlist, has a pretty sweet video out now for her new single, "A&E" where she walks among nature that comes alive. No shit. She's got some leaf monster things dancing around her, and I'm pretty sure I'm now going to have some interesting dreams tonight. This is like Sesame Street on acid. Check it out:
**Great Northern is coming to town again on Friday, October 26th at the EARL. YOU SHOULD GO! Was that loud enough for you? They really are that amazing. You can read up on them here. There's nothing better than a soothing, yet eerie display of female vocals ala Emily Haines to get me in the right mood for, well, anything.
Video below of "Low is a Height," which is easily one of my favs from the album, which you should own if you don't already.
**Asobi Sesku is coming out with a new single called "Strawberries" on the verge of their European tour. They're offering the single on red vinyl. Yes. That's awesome. Colorful is always amazing.
**All you Mars Volta fans will be excited to know that they have set a date for their newest release, The Bedlam in Goliath. The magic date is January 29, so that means you can either hold onto your Christmas giftcard, or wait to return that crappy gift Aunt Sue thought would be awesome for you in order to purchase it.
**If someone can tell me what the hell this band is thinking, then I'll give you a virtual thumbs up. In a nutshell, that means I'm not a fan. Dubious Ranger - "Slow Day"
**And lastly, to comment on the new law affecting nightclub establishments, apparently all of the music venues are in the clear due to a loophole. That being said, I'm not going to put it past the City to realize that they'd be practicing a sort of double standard before going after places like the Masquerade, Drunken Unicorn, or all the venues at CW Midtown Complex...
No, I'm not at CMJ. I actually have to make some kind of living. But I've been getting plenty of emails about it.
**The GoStation covers New Order. I love love love New Order. Of course. Check out their rendition of "True Faith." It's pretty much spot on...
If you happen to be at CMJ, here's their showcase info: Tues 10/16: Official CMJ showcase @ Crash Mansion (12am).
**Army of Me has added some tour dates with Silversun Pickups and Paramore. In case you're not keeping up, I've loved them for a while. I guess other people do, too. Man, I should bet on football...
DATE CITY VENUE 10/18 Waretown, NJ Station 36 10/19 Philadelphia, PA North Star Bar 10/20 Baltimore, MD Fletcher's 11/8 New York, NY Highline Ballroom 11/17 Charlottesville, VA Satellite Ballroom 11/29 Richmond, VA Y101 Snowball @ Toad's Place
**People seem to be grabbing onto this Sea Wolf guy. If you're interested in videos, check this one out...
If you want to catch him live, stake your claim at the EARL on Sunday, October 28th.
**The Lodger is a trio I've touched on before, citing that I love their Brit popness. They're playing Athens on November 3rd if you can make it over to Flicker Theater. I actually wish I could.
**I got a submission from a guy overseas and I, um, actually really like what I'm hearing. It's really uplifting and cheerful. I have a link to his band called Goodtimes Goodtimes, and I highly encourage you to check it out. This isn't something some label will be shoving down your throat.
Breaking things is mucho fun! Especially when it's the news...
***White Rabbits have added tour dates to their schedule and are going to be hitting Atlanta on November 6th at the EARL.
***I used to be a high school teacher. This is one of the reasons I quit:
Kudos to Escape the Fate for keeping it nice and original and ripping off Van Halen in their "Situations" video. I'm sure your parents are really proud.
***Just a couple months after releasing his latest full-length, Easy Tiger, Ryan Adams is staying true to his multiple release roots and coming back with a seven song EP on October 23rd called Follow the Lights. This comes right after his Atlanta tour date, October 14th at the Fox Theatre. (Oh, and guess who's not going? Me! Thanks to his booking people for not hooking me up. Preesh. Oh, and you're welcome for the heavy coverage I've given him.)
Attention, attention! Press releases out the wazoo have initiated this post.
*Luke Temple is going on tour with The Good Life. I don't really care for this music, but I do care for the Good Life, hence the mention. Temple's singer/songwriter abilities can't be denied, but they're a little too on the folk side for my taste. Check out this link for some free downloads or to sample his work.
*Fans of Nick Drake will be happy to learn of the box set, Fruit Tree, that's due out November 6th. The label is even throwing a limited number of vinyl in the mix, so you can dig on that if you're into the gritty retro sound. And who's not?
*With the recent release of Beyond the Neighborhood, Athlete's got a new video out for "Hurricane." In addition, here's a nice bonus mp3 for you. I heart this one. Let's just say, it's going on my "Make Out" playlist. Mhmm. Get you some of that.
*I can sometimes be found on a barstool crooning along with Prince over my beer, so naturally, getting a link of Ben Harper covering "Purple Rain" is sure to perk my ears. Let it perk yours, too. Do that here. Owwweee!
*Rolling Stone has a good breakdown of the highly anticipated Radiohead release, In Rainbows. I love rainbows! It's available for digital download next Wednesday, October 10th. Ah, Radiohead.
What could possibly make a Thursday at work better than receiving the new release from Eisley? Not a damn thing. It’s almost like a higher power knew I needed this album at this very moment in life. I have, in the past, expressed my views on Eisley and how much they make me feel. I am still not sick of the previous album, Room Noises, and now I’ve got Combinations attached to my hands. The way this band manages to make music that perfectly matches the high and velvet-like vocals that emit lyrics anyone can grasp onto and etch into their emotions is severely uncanny and admirable. There isn’t really a comparable band touring now.
I have this feeling if you go to their MySpace page and take an initial listen to the songs that you won’t even have to take anything I say into account. You will just love it. It’s powerful and so much more mature than anything you’ve heard from Eisley in the past. When I say that, I mean that I have plenty of tracks from the last album on my “Bath Mix” playlist, but with this release, I’d probably stick the tracks on the “Get Over It” playlist instead. You can tell they’ve grown as a band and as people with the display of darker lyrics and a larger range of musical stylings. I’m not only a fan of the single “Invasion,” but also “Go Away” (which I find myself wanting to shout quite often), and “Come Clean.” Oh yeah, and for sure “A Sight to Behold.” These kids are like the modern day Sound of Music, as in, the long and drawn out parts of some of the slower songs make me feel like I should be sitting on top of a grassy, windswept knoll. I think I can honestly say that the first listen through of Combinations has been the best 34 minutes of my life in a very long time. And I have had some damn good times…
Hey, here’s an idea. Maybe if you’re opting for a date night made of everything good, you could go to the Loft this Saturday, August 11 to actually see them perform these stellar songs in person. If you see Claire, buy her a drink or tell her how she looks taller in person. If you want the album, it officially comes out on Tuesday, August 14th.
Oh, that sounds so nasty, doesn't it? And I made up a word in the same instance.
>>>Like Claire mentioned yesterday, Rilo Kiley is exploding with promo since their new one Under the Blacklight is set to be out August 21st. If you keep up with us, then you already heard the single "Moneymaker" since it was linked to stream on this post. If not, you can do that now. Or, you can skip to the bonus stream of "Silver Lining" that'll be found here.
They'll be in town at Variety Playhouse on September 29th.
>>>When I was in college, I got hooked on this song called "Burn One Down" by this dude called Ben Harper. I was well aware of the subject matter the song dealt with, and though I didn't fall into the whole, "OMG, this song is about smoking pot! Let's burn one down!" I really dug the beat, so I listened to it often. I never really shopped around for any of his other stuff, but I will say that I like him. And I got a nice video for "In the Colors" off his new album Lifeline that looks like fun. You can watch it here.
>>>Okay, now, don't get me wrong, I have a soft spot for power pop-punk. I house plenty of Motion City Soundtrack, the Academy Is..., and Panic! At the Disco in my library. Because of this, I tend to get excited when I see Epitaph is ready to roll out the next rage for tweenage girls all over America. Unfortch, the band they sent me today kind of put me off because the music sounds almost exactly like MCS, except the vocals are a lot deeper, and...not really tickling my fancy. Meh. If you want, check out Farewell here.
I'm just going to say, "Adios." Heyo!
>>>Let's talk about Fishhawk, a band emerging from the 'burbs of Atlanta that has such a unique and different sound that it's like a breath of fresh air from...crappity crap crap. This is something unlike everything else being shoved down your throats. As in, it's pop/funk made by white kids who actually know what they're doing! Holy shit! That's like, unheard of! I am actually really enjoying this stuff. It makes me bob my head. It makes me want to find the nearest roller rink and strap on some Brownies and groove around the circle to this stuff. Just take a listen. Think Gorillaz or Gnarls Barkley. Seasoned with some Outkast. I will be letting you know when they play out next. They're relatively new on the scene. In the meantime, I'm special, so I've got a mp3 for ya.
>>>What are you doing Friday night? I'm going to Smith's to see Novah. I have been highly obsessed with their song "Puzzle Pieces." To the point where I might have to have therapy to remove myself from it. Singer Paul Warner has assured me that they'll be trying out some new tunes this show, so make plans to be there. Until then, this should hold you over.
They open, so get there early enough to see them. I'd say 9:00. Gah! I just love them!
>>>Lastly, now that I've figured out how to use Photoshop a little bit, I'm obsessed with making dumbass pictures. Claire and I were having drinks one night and decided that whenever we like a CD and give it our "Seal of Approval," we should have a graphic for it. So, we might be using these in the near future...
It's so ridiculous, it's funny. Notice my head is slightly bigger because I'm completely full of myself.
Oh, and today just happens to mark birthdays for a couple of people I like. Chris Langley, who drums with Rantings of Eva (who is also playing with Novah on Friday) has one, and so does the only male besides my father that I trust, my brother, James, the badass. James (who obviously did not get his taste in music from moi) is 23, and this is how he's spending his birthday:
Maybe he'll get a pass to the pool. I hear it's hot in Iraq. Happy Birthday to them!
Rilo Kiley's new single, Moneymaker, off their upcoming release, Under The Blacklight, has a nifty video that's already available for your viewing pleasure.
Apparently they interviewed and hired actual porn stars for the Moneymaker video, including Hailey Young, Faye Runaway, and Tommy Gunn. I personally think that this song sounds a little bit like Rock N Roll Hoochie Coo. Rick Derringer would be proud.
As I was looking at my calendar this morning, I thought to myself, "Wow, there's a ton of good stuff going on this month!" So I figured I would share what I have on my plate in case you think you might want to partake in any of that.
>>>Wednesday, August 1 (tonight!) - A band I've gotten a small sample of and absolutely loved is playing the EARL tonight. They're called the Postmarks. If you need some midweek music loving...that's the place to be. $8.00
>>>Thursday, August 2 (tomorrow) - The Futurists are playing at Vinyl with Tokyo Police Club. I love love love the Futurists, and though I haven't spent time checking out the other band, I've only heard awesome things from people who I like to think have good taste. 'Tis a mere $10.00 for entry.
>>>Friday, August 3 - If you haven't seen Leslie yet, get off your ass and go to the EARL tonight. Just do it. I've noticed over the past year that their crowd has more than tripled since I first saw them, so maybe you are listening to me! Alright, I won't take all the credit, but this is the only place to be tonight. The fact that they're opening for the Mooney Suzuki doesn't hurt either. $10.00!
>>>Tuesday, August 7 - Ah, the moment I have been waiting for since the fall! Ben Kweller returns to the Variety Playhouse. Woot! Tim Fite opens up, and I'm going to stick the "Penny on the Train Track" video here because it is hilarious. Old people are so effing amusing. $16.00
>>>Friday, August 10 - Stellar line-up for the show at Smith's Olde Bar with Rantings of Eva, Red Letter Agent, and Novah. It's alt rock wickedness at it's finest. Novah's got good tunes, and well, I think everyone already knows my thoughts on RoE...and since I'm putting relevant videos here, this is kind of cool.
>>>Saturday, August 11 - I had no idea that one of my favorite drinking establishments (Johnny's Pizza in Inman Park) has live music! So, last time I was stumbling out of there, I caught a glimpse of their upcoming shows and noticed a band I had seen at Lenny's one night a couple of months ago and decided at that point that I definitely wanted to see them again happens to be playing. Score! They're called Carousel 5 and they've got a chick fronting them, and her voice is phenomenal.
>>>Monday, August 13 - Tonight, Rufus Wainwright and Neko Case are going to be at the Tabernacle. I just hope I get to see Rufus wearing that sweet lederhosen...I mean, just look!
So, plenty to do in the next couple of weeks, and this doesn't even begin to completely cover it.
"We have lit fireworks on the road. From the top of a hotel, from the window of a bus, from the smoking area of a club outside. Let's say the police have noticed, but we have yet to get in trouble. And...we might have entered Canada illegally one time, but you didn't hear it here." - Jim from the Rondo Brothers
So, I got this trippy kind of music in my inbox that rubbed me the right way, probably because the female vocals are soothing and full of power...and creepy. Almost to the point where I feel like I should be crawling around on the floor or something to get the full effect of how my body feels. This track, "Crazed," is pretty insane, and I mean that in the best way possible. I like it. A lot. Enough to listen to it more than once, and that's a huge deal.
The next song I listened to took me back to childhood a little, because it's got a sound that's reminiscent of something you might hear little girls singing on the playground. If I had chalk, I would draw a hopscotch board right now, and force all these other people at the bar to play, too. I like how the drumbeats are constant and simple and how the electronic butter is smeared all over everything I've heard from these guys. Yes! Definitely a great duo to help you get in the mood to boogie.
The other thing I really dig about these guys is that they ride around in a golf cart. Seriously, this is probably one of the best ideas ever. It's cheap, and it's efficient, and hell, who doesn't love driving those things? I know I do. This video is a nice portrayal into the lives of the Rondo Brothers...
