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Archers of Loaf, Mr. Dream, Art Brut, Mazes, Sic Alps, Iceage, Sundays @ The Seaport & more in This Week in Indie

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Archers of Loaf – What Did You Expect? (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Art Brut – “Lost Weekend” (MP3)

Archers of Loaf @ Sasquach 2011 (more by Josh Darr)
ARchers of Loaf

This weekend marks the return of ’90s indie legends Archers of Loaf who play Music Hall of Williamsburg on Saturday (6/25, sold out) and Webster Hall on Sunday (6.26, you can still get tickets). Opening both shows are Mr. Dream which is as perfect an opener as you could imagine.

I didn’t care for their later records (or Eric Bachman’s Crooked Fingers) but Archers of Loaf’s 1993 debut, Icky Mettle, is an indie rock classic that stands tall alongside No Pocky for Kitty, Slanted & Enchanted, There’s Nothing Wrong with Love and Sebadoh III. 1995’s Vee Vee is pretty awesome too, and both records are getting the expanded reissue treatment from Merge Records in August. You can download “What Did You Expect?” (a 1994 7″-only release) at the top of this post.

Speaking of Mr. Dream, despite the Voice saying that the lineup was final, they added Mr. Dream today to the upcoming 4Knots Fest at South Street Seaport, and DJs and an indoor lounge too…

The Village Voice is excited to announce the addition of the 4Knots Indoor Lounge during the 4Knots Music Festival on Saturday, July 16, 2011. The lounge, located at 210 Front Street, will be open from 2PM till Midnight with free admission, 21+ only. DJ Sets will take place all day from: Yeasayer, Dan Deacon, Finger on the Pulse, PUNCHES, Brahms, and others TBD. Drink specials from Sailor Jerry and Bud Light will be available along with a PopChips photo booth, and much more.

The inaugural 4Knots Music Festival with also include live music on South Street Seaport Pier 17 from 1-8pm. The Black Angels, Titus Andronicus, Davila 666, Oberhofer, Eleanor Friedberger and Mr. Dream and are all scheduled to perform on the outdoor stage at the free, all day, all ages music festival.

Mazes

While we’re in the ’90s milleiu, Mazes are here opening for White Denim on Saturday night (6/25) at Bowery Ballroom. I’ll just quote myself here:

When you think Manchester, England you may think Stone Roses and The Smiths, but in the case of Mazes, it’s more Sebadoh and Soul Asylum. Not unlike Yuck, this trio owe lots to ’90s indie rock as can be heard on their debut album A Thousand Heys which came out in April.

A Thousand Heys is full of catchy singalongs — like their current single “Summer Hits” — and well worth checking out. (Samples from the album are streaming at their label’s website.) You can download a previously unreleased track, “Brunswick Stack,” at the bottom of this post via a Soundcloud widget.

And if you can’t make it this weekend, Mazes return for a headlining show at Glasslands on Tuesday, July 5 where they’ll play with Beige, Country Mice, and The Hairs.

Art Brut
Art Brut

What else? Art Brut are on tour and played Maxwell’s last night and will be at Music Hall of Williamsburg Thursday (6/23). The band’s new album, Brilliant! Tragic!, finds Eddie Argos taking it down a notch and almost singing. Almost. It’s really more of a whispery type thing — not unlike Jarvis Cocker — and for the most part I think it works pretty well. I especially like the single, “Lost Weekend,” which you can download at the top of this post. More than anything, I think the music is the best Art Brut have come up with since their debut. And the band remain a lot of fun to see live. Argos is the real deal.

Sic Alps
Sic Alps

Sic Alps roll through town on Friday, playing Death By Audio with Spectre Folk and Weekends. As previously reported, founding member Matt Hartman — who was half the band originally — has left the group which is kind of weird Mike Donovan is carrying on with the name with Eric Baur and some kid named Ty Segall (who had briefly joined the band a couple years ago). Shouldn’t they be called Sic Andes or something now?

Granted, Mike Donovan did most of the singing (and maybe wrote most of the songs) and I’m gonna bet this new version of the band is pretty awesome. Sic Alps most recent album, Napa Asylum, is another smoldering, thick stew of swamp garage. A lot of bands use the low-fi thing as a crutch, but Sic Alps have always used sludge like it’s a member of the band. A new 7″, perhaps the first fruits of this new line-up, is out in August.

Fulton Stall Market in 2010 (more by Chris La Putt)
Fulton Stall Market

And finally, a little shameless plugging. Sunday afternoon, June 26th, is the first of my four Sound Bites Series shows which take place at the Fullton Stall Market down at South Street Seaport. You can get your vegetables and jingle jangle indiepop all in one place. This Sunday the latter is provided by scene stalwarts My Teenage Stride. The fun (which includes me DJing before the band) starts at 2PM, and it’s all free. Do come down and say hi.

This is the full Sunday show lineup:

JUNE 26: MY TEENAGE STRIDE
JULY 3: THE HAIRS
JULY 10: pow wow!
JULY 17: HOSPITALITY

July 10th is also the first of six free shows at Beekman Beer Garden which is at South Street Seaport too. The free Friday Seaport shows begin this Friday, but more about that below.

Some additional daily picks follow:

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22

Iceage play a free show at Other Music today.

THURSDAY, JUNE 23

Black Dice’s Eric Copeland, McDonalds and Regal Degal play Secret Project Robot. It’s a record release party for both Copeland and McDonalds, so do check out the merch table. The Copeland record, Waco Taco Combo, is only a 500 copy pressing.

Dinosaur Jr. are at Terminal 5 performing their classic 1988 album Bug (that’s the one with “Freak Scene”) in its entirety. And probably some other songs as well. Many people will be going just to see Fucked Up, not to mention Off!.

Beach Fossils and Javelin play Santos Party House. It’s a free show if you RSVP.

continued below….


flyer

FRIDAY, JUNE 24

It’s the return of the Seaport Music Festival. I’m not super psyched about Sean Lennon’s The Ghost of a Sabretooth Tiger, but  opener Blood Orange (aka Dev “Lightspeed Champion” Hines) is worth venturing down for.

Austin’s The Strange Boys play 92Y Tribeca with L.A.’s White Fence (who I thought were terrific at Northside last weekend) and The Babies who also played Northside.

SATURDAY, JUNE 25

If you missed Iceage at Northside Festival (and at Other Music and at the secret show they played at 538 Johnson), go see them at 285 Kent with JEFF the Brotherhood which is a crazy enough show to go to without even having a very special (possibly Canadian) guest. This show will be bonkers.

That’s it for this edition of TWII. Videos and tour dates below…


Mazes – Brunswick Stack (demo) by FatCat Records

Mazes ‘Summer Hits’ from FatCat Records on Vimeo.

Archers of Loaf – Web in Front

Archers of Loaf – Harnessed in Slums

Archers of Loaf – 2011 Tour Dates
06.25.2011 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
06.26.2011 New York, NY Webster Hall
07.08.2011 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge
07.09.2011 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge
07.22.2011 Atlanta, GA The Earl
07.23.2011 Atlanta, GA The Earl
07.24.2011 Atlanta, GA The Earl
08.05.2011 Washington, DC Black Cat
08.06.2011 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero Theatre
08.19.2011 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle
08.20.2011 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle
09.02.2011 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
09.03.2011 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
09.08.2011 Portland, OR Musicfest NW – Crystal Ballroom
09.09.2011 Seattle, WA Neumo’s

Sic Alps – 2011 Tour Dates
06.23.11 Burlington. VT @ Monkey House (w/ Purling Hiss)
06.24.11 Brooklyn, NY @ Death By Audio (w/ Spectre Folk)
06.25.11 North Adams, MA @ MASS MoCA / Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival
06.26.11 Boston, MA @ Church of Boston (w/ Purling Hiss)
06.27.11 Providence, RI @ Castlevania (w/ Purling Hiss)
07.31.11 Big Sur, CA @ Henry Miller Library WOODSIST FEST
(w/ Real Estate, Fresh & Onlys, Thee Oh Sees, White Fence, Woods and Sun Araw)
08.19-21 Glanusk Park, Glanusk, UK @ Greenman Festival
08.23.11 Manchester, @ Islington Mill
08.24.11 Glasgow, @ Captains Rest
08.25.11 Leeds, @ Brudenell Social Club
08.27.11 Southend on sea, @ Railway Tavern
08.28.11 Ipswich, @ Blue Room, McGintys
08.31.11 Arhus, DK, @ MusikCafeen
09.03.11 Copenhagen, Dk, @ Bakken
09.04.11 Berlin, De, @ West Germany
09.07.11 Bologna, It, @ Scuderie
09.08.11 Roma, It, @ Init
09.09.11 Padova, It,
09.10.11 Torino, It, @ Spazio 211