By Bill Pearis

One could argue (and we did, in our story on the band in the January-February issue!) that Fucked Up's rock opera David Comes to Life was uniquely resonant upon its June release because of the emotional synchronicity between an album that spilled forth with such an appropriately chaotic narrative and a year in which tumultuous disarray became the norm. But good lord, David Comes to Life could've been sung in backwards Tagalog and it still would've made perfect sense in 2011. That's the power of a gang of punks playing with Olympian levels of passion and purpose. [SPIN]

As you hopefully know, Fucked Up will be performing this Friday (12/16) at the BV-curated night of this weekend's Brooklyn Night Bazaar, a full evening of music that also includes Dom, Big Troubles, Caged Animals, Radical Dads, as well as Frankie Rose spinning tunes. Tickets are only $10 and still available.

There's a lot more Fucked Up news actually. Tonight (11/12) the band will be guests on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations Holiday Special, which also features Christoper Walken, Norah Jones and a lot of extremely non-vegan cooking (though the Vegan Black Metal Chef is also a guest). Maybe Fucked Up will play in Bourdain's fridge, like Das Racist did on last year's Holiday Special.

Next Tuesday (12/20) in the band's hometown of Toronto, Fucked Up will perform David Comes to Life in its entirety, with proceeds going to charity. (PS I Love You, The Sadies and Quest for Fire also perform.)

Fucked Up are also releasing a split Christmas single with Sloan, with proceeds benefiting the COUNTERfit Harm Reduction Program and the Barriere Lake Legal Defense Fund. Fucked Up's side is their take on "Jingle Bells," while Sloan tackle "The 12 Days of Christmas" (which is streamable below). Only 500 are being printed -- maybe they'll be some at the merch table this Friday?

The band have also announced the release of 2012's annual Chinese New Year single, "Year of the Tiger," which is out February 21. The 15-minute track features guest vocals from Austra, Duchess Says' Annie-Claude and Jim Jarmusch, which Matador claims is "MAYBE THE BEST THING FUCKED UP HAVE EVER RECORDED" but being their record label they're prone to such proclamations. But maybe it is.

Click through for a just-released video of "Turn the Season" plus video of the band performing "The Other Shoe" on Canada's George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight show, as well as the entire rundown of SPIN mag's Top 50 Albums of 2011...

Continue reading "Fucked Up named Album of 2011 by SPIN, on 'No Reservations' tonight, playing Brooklyn Friday, releasing Christmas single w/ Sloan & 'Year of the Tiger' single"

By Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Immaculates - New York is Mine for the Holiday (MP3)

Holiday themed singles flow like so much piping hot wassail this time of year. Here's a good one: Brooklyn upstarts The Immaculates' original tune "New York is Mine for the Holiday" lays down a soulful groove without going too heavily on the usual aural signifiers (but even they can not resist a sleigh bell). You can download the MP3 at the top of this post or stream it below. The video, which you can watch below, takes the theme literally by re-editing a familiar NYC-set film from the '90s.

The Immaculates (which feature members of French Miami, Boogie Boarder and Sisters) play the Death By Audio Holiday Party this Saturday (12/10) which, confusingly, is happening at the new Secret Project Robot (389 Melrose) which features headliners A Place to Bury Strangers as well as Evi Antonio.

Look for a second Immaculates EP early next year. Meanwhile, click through for the "New York is Mine for the Holidays" video, plus the DBA Holiday Party Flyer and a couple more streaming Immaculates tracks.

Continue reading "The Immaculates made a Holiday song, playing Death by Audio Holiday Party w/ APTBS (video & MP3 premiere)"

by Bill Pearis

Fucked Up at House of Vans in July (more by Chris La Putt)

BrooklynVegan is really in the holiday spirit this year. In addition to the BV holiday party with Anna Calvi and Eleanor Friedberger at Music Hall of Williamsburg on December 13 and the Twin Sister/Widowspeak/Ava Luna show at Bowery Ballroom on December 17, we've added a third BV Presents show to the holiday themed mix.

We're psyched to be presenting a full evening of bands at Brooklyn Night Bazaar on Friday, December 16, headlined by Toronto's amazing Fucked Up. Making things more festive will be Big Troubles, Caged Animals, Radical Dads and one more we'll be announcing shortly. DJing in between bands will be Frankie Rose  and myself. Tickets are a Bob Crachett-friendly $10 and on sale now.

If you don't know, Brooklyn Night Bazaar is a holiday shopping, eating, drinking and music extravaganza happening Dec. 15 - 17 at a giant warehouse in Williamsburg (149 Kent at N.5th). Shopping and food vendors is free, you gotta pay to see the bands. Thursday 12/15 is James Murphy DJ set with Poolside, Crystal Ark and Midnight Magic, and Saturday 12/17 is The Hold Steady with Titus Andronicus and Wakey Wakey. Full list of vendors is here.

Do come out it should be fun. (Did I mention it's only ten bucks for our night?) Flyer for the Brooklyn Night Bazaar is below.

Continue reading "Fucked Up headlining a THIRD BV Holiday Party at Brooklyn Night Bazaar, also with Big Troubles, Caged Animals, Radical Dads, DJ Frankie Rose and more."

DOWNLOAD: Belle and Sebastian - Are You Coming Over For Christmas? (MP3)

The lovely new song that is streaming on the home page is called 'Are You Coming Over For Christmas?' and was recorded this week in Glasgow, being completed with three days to spare!

It is a brand new recording and the band's first studio output since last year's 'The Life Pursuit' album.

As well as the band members, it features guest vocals by Celia Garcia, double bass by Dave McGowan, saxophones and clarinet by James Swinburne and harp by Helen Macleod. It was arranged by Mick Cooke, engineered by Steven Clark and mixed by Stuart McCredie.

The track can be streamed from the homepage or the band's MySpace profile. As a special Xmas present, we will switch on the download function on the MySpace from midnight 'til midnight on Christmas Day. Happy Christmas! [Belle and Sebastian]

DOWNLOAD: Sloan Wainwright - Silent Night (MP3)

This was maybe going to be a post about how the-band-recently-signed-to-Secretly-Canadian Bodies of Water posted some free Christmas songs for download on their MySpace page, but then this message they posted on the homepage of their regular website seemed even more interesting...

12.21.07 - I can't understand why anyone likes these musical groups and singers:

Wilco
Jeff Buckley
Elvis Costello
The Police
Slint
Rush
Joni Mitchell
Steely Dan
Afghan Whigs

Perhaps you are offended by this. If so, I feel glad. You need to be shaken up. You need to have whatever skewed values you've cultivated over the years CHALLENGED. Listen again to this stuff - you will see that it is junk. (I say all this with the utmost sincerity, but I'm sure that in a year or two 'synchronicity' will be on heavy rotation in my house. This goes for all of these except for Steely Dan. I will never, ever like Steely Dan as long as I live.)

Check out the Bodies of Water take away show @ La Blogoteque (and while you're at it, check out the new Jens Lekman one too).

DOWNLOAD: Teddy Pendergrass - Happy Kwanzaa (MP3)

Download the 2007 BrooklynVegan holiday mix HERE (in case you missed it). And then check out this other site for links to even more free holiday music.

Tickets are on sale now for the 18th Annual Tibet House Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall (Feb 13, 2008). Confirmed performers are Philip Glass, Sufjan Stevens, Marisa Monte, and Nawang Khechog. Sufjan played in 2006 too.

And the winner of the Sufjan Stevens Christmas song contest has been chosen.

DOWNLOAD: Odawas - I Tell Lies (Odawas Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Cracker - Merry Christmas Emily (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Pipettes - White Christmas (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Feist - Lo, How a Rose Ere Blooming (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: King of Prussia - Xmas on the Other Side (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Rump Posse - Carol of the Manbarks (MP3)

The Sounds (CRED)

* Free Parts & Labor show
* Public Enemy is playing Warsaw
* Clare & The Reasons are playing Southpaw
* The Sounds & Morningwood are @ Webster Hall
* A Twisted Sister Christmas show @ Irving Plaza
* The Sounds afterparty is at Hiro Ballroom
* The Musical Box @ The Tribeca Performing Arts Center

Maja Ivarsson of the Sounds looks like she would be really fun to photograph. What else?

DOWNLOAD: I Heart Lung - Let It Snow [mp3]
DOWNLOAD: I Heart Lung - Carol of the Bells [mp3]
DOWNLOAD: I Heart Lung - Little Drummer Boy [mp3]
DOWNLOAD: I Heart Lung - Silent Night, Holy Night [mp3]
DOWNLOAD: I Heart Lung - Santa Claus Vs. Dracula [mp3]

I Heart Lung’s Christmas EP is full of free-form improvisations based loosely on themes from Christmas carols. “Little Drummer Boy” is the most interesting and coherent of the bunch. It takes its time getting around to the theme from the actual song, first delivered on hovering e-bowed guitar around four minutes in. Even then, you really have to concentrate to realize that the drawn-out phrases are echoing the “pah-rum-pah-pum-pums” we’re all used to. [Pfork]

Southpaw, Park Slope Brooklyn—A Pen America Center's "PENultimate Lit" series continued Monday night as Rick Moody inverviewed both Sufjan Stevens and Wesley Stace about how writing shapes and informs their music. During the Q&A, an audience member asked which comes first the music or lyrics? Sufjan said that the music; while for Wesley, the lyrics. Sufjan's favorite authors? Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor and Sherwood Anderson. [dietrich]

What else?

DOWNLOAD: Frightened Rabbit - It's Christmas So We'll Stop (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Evangelicals - The Last Christmas On Earth (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Cheyenne - All My Friends Are Snowmen (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Polyphonic Spree - Carol of the Bells (MP3)

both tonight
* NY Mag Not Your Office Holiday Party
* The Onion Holiday Rampage

ALSO UPCOMING: CBS/NYC presents a showcase at UCBT w/ God's Pottery,Chelsea Peretti, Jordan Carlos & more.

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Is "Jew-fro" anti-semitic if said in a way that sounds like an insult by a faux-psychopath trying to be clever in a Christmas-themed album-promo video? Do The Apes hate blogs & tight pants? I can't totally decide....

Continue reading "The Onion, Celebration, NY Mag, WAS, UCB & The Apes - Tour Dates, holiday parties & MP3s"