by Bill Pearis

We've been waiting to see Scottish quartet Django Django ever since hearing their debut single two years ago, so Brooklyn Vegan is pleased as punch to be presenting with Popgun Booking the group's first-ever U.S. show at Glasslands on Saturday, March 10. It's a late show (doors 11:30), happening after the Daughter performance early that night, and will also feature the Stateside debut of Warp artist Kwes.. Consider this our pre-SXSW kickoff party. Tickets are $10 and on sale now.

Led by drummer/singer/producer David Maclean, Django Django released their debut single "Storm/Love's Dart" in late 2009. Back when bands still used MySpace, in the "influences" section, Django Django posted thumbnails of 168 albums, ranging from The Beach Boys' Smiley Smile, the first Fun Boy 3 LP, the Blade Runner soundtrack and the Beta Band's Hot Shots II and there's a definite kitchen sink mentality to their music. It's all basically danceable guitar pop, but anything goes.

Relocating to London, the band took their time releasing their debut album, which was released a few weeks ago on Because Music (home of Metronomy, Busy P and more) and is one of the more fun, inventive pop LPs to come down the pike in a while. Influences in a Cuisinart, yes, but cohesive. Django Django get compared to the Beta Band a lot, and there's a similar vocal style and groove, but DD are a little more focused and hyperactive. It's a great album.

You can stream Django Django's debut via Spotify buy it digitally from Bleep, Emusic or the retailer of your choice. (No physical versions in the U.S. yet.) There are also videos for recent singles "Default" and "Waveforms" you can watch at the bottom of this post. After visiting New York, Django Django head to SXSW so if you're gonna be in Austin in a month, do check them out.

Opening is London's Kwes, who has made a name for himself as a go-to producer, working with The XX, DELS, Damon Albarn, Micachu, The Invisible and others. After a couple singles on Young Turks/XL, Kwes signed to Warp who will release the Meantime EP in April. While you wait for that to come out, you can download non-EP track "Get Up" via a widget at the bottom of this post. Also down there is the installment of Vice's "Producers" video series featuring Kwes, which is well worth watching.

Continue reading "Django Django & Kwes playing a BV pre-SXSW show in NYC"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Daughter - Love (MP3)

Would you say you were folk? Or as the Guardian so nicely put it, 'Fucked up folk'?

I know right? That's quite funny. It's difficult, because I don't know what we are. We don't really think about it at all. We're more like 'this sounds alright - let's do that.' It did start off with my solo thing for years, which was very folky and acoustic. It definitely started out that way, but with me and Igor working together and developing things, it has all gone a bit more atmospheric and, I dunno, we're just trying to experiment with what we're doing.

People have mentioned that your lyrics are dark and depressing, but do you see them as a release of emotions - which is a positive thing. The Guardian, again, said '"Youth" plumbs Ian Curtis' depths of bleakness'. I wasn't expecting you to be so friendly!

I think it's a relief that I'm actually friendly as I probably would be the most depressed person in the world. I enjoy really dark music. I love Joy Division and don't think I can really write anything happy. I don't know if that's a conscious thing or I literally can't. If I didn't write songs, I think I'd be really weird [laughs]. I'd have a lot of shit that I just couldn't get out. I'd have about 10 cats and just mutter away to myself and play the saw. It's a release of emotion and I can just be rid of bad experiences. It is a bit like therapy where bad shit has happened but if you can put it down on paper and write about it and then sing it to people, then you'll be alright. I dunno where I'm going with that! ['Sup]

Originally a solo project for UK singer-songwriter Elena Tonra, Daughter is now a proper band with electric guitarist (and Tonra's boyfriend) Igor Haefeli and drummer Remi Aguilella.

Daughter is coming to SXSW this year and has scheduled a few other shows outside of Austin as well, including a few in NYC: March 9 at Mercury Lounge, March 10 at Glasslands. There's also March 8 show with venue TBD. All tour dates -- including DC and Philly shows with Tennis and White Rabbits -- are at the bottom of this post.

Continue reading "Daughter sign to Glassnote, playing NYC, SXSW, other dates"

by Bill Pearis

The Wedding Present @ South Street Seaport 2011 (more by Chris LaPutt)

Three pieces of exciting news from Wedding Present HQ. 1) The band will put their eighth album, Valentina, out in March 2012; 2) they will tour North America around the same time, starting in Austin for SXSW, and then NYC for stops at The Bell House on March 21 (onsale Fri 12/9) and Le Poisson Rouge on March 22 (no on-sale date yet); and most excitingly for longtime fans, the tour will also celebrate the 21st anniversary of their 1991 album Seamonsters which will be played in full.

Consensus among Weddoes devotees is that Seamonsters is the band's best album. I'd agree with that and go on to say Seamonsters is one of the best albums of the '90s and is maybe the greatest loud/quiet/loud record ever. Said the AV Club the LP's entry in their retired Permanent Records series:

One of those collections that demands to be listened to in its entirety, Seamonsters explores Gedge's one true passion: the opposite sex. As potentially hazardous as that sounds, his songs explore relationships from every angle, though most of the album's glorious moments crawl on the underbelly: "Dalliance" vacillates between angsty guitars and lyrics about longing; "Dare" chugs along, desperate for an illicit affair with a friend who's fighting with her lover; and "Suck" is about as sexy as Gedge dares get, using the titular double-entendre to maximum effect.

And that's just the first three songs. Seamonsters offers 10 perfect miniaturizations of love gone right, wrong, and so-wrong-it's-right, all couched in dense guitars that say as much as the words. It's the first (and only) time Gedge refused to give himself and his fans a breather, and that's probably why it's widely considered his masterpiece. (Be warned, though: The disc has been reissued countless times, with excellent bonus tracks that don't quite fit the mood.)

All Wedding Present 2011 tour dates are below.

Continue reading "The Wedding Present playing 'Seamonsters' on tour in 2012, plus a new album"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Bell - Echinacea (live on Fair Game) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Bowerbirds - In Our Talons (MP3)

Bell @ Pianos (more by Ryan Muir)

Bell is in Austin for SXSW and plays official BV show tonight (3/18), and the I Guess I'm Floating & twosyllable Records day party on Thursday.

She's also playing a series of April dates with Bowerbirds, two in NYC: April 27th at Mercury Lounge (tickets on sale now) with La Strada and Lost In The Trees, and April 28th at Williamsburg's Monkey Town.

Dead Oceans, who released Bowerbirds' 2008 Hymns For A Dark Horse, is also home to Phosphorescent (playing the entirety of To Willie at the BV official showcase, again, tonight) and The Donkeys (playing BV Thursday day party).

All Bell & Bowerbirds tour dates, and stop-motion video for Bowerbirds' "In Our Talons" below...

Continue reading "Bell & Bowerbirds - 2009 Tour Dates (SXSW, NYC, etc)"

by Andrew Frisicano

Psychedelic Horseshit @ Less Artists More Condos (more by Tim Griffin)

Psychedelic Horseshit, like Times New Viking, hail from Columbus, Ohio. Though also linked to the "lo-fi" sound, PH are a lot harder and more abrasive than most. The pop element is still there, just not as heavy. Psychedelic Horseshit sound like a band that is having fun. They don't care about being tied down to a specific genre and they like to play at a very high volume. Their live shows are always a good time and LOUD.[Nick Masi/ BrooklynVegan]

Then, as part of Todd P's SXSW events, the band will play the "free midnight unamplified acoustic BBQ" Thursday night and the Woodsist Records party on Saturday. The band also has a pair of official SXSW shows too.

After the fest, PH will spend April on tour with Quintron, playing NYC's Santos on April 22nd (tickets on sale here) and the Market Hotel April 24th (with Wizzard Sleeve too).

As reported previously, Psychedelic Horseshit is planning a bunch of 2009 releases, including a "'self released LP collecting our very first and oldest 4 track recordings' due in 'March or April' entitled Golden Oldies as well as a TON of new material including Shitgaze Anthems 12" EP on Woodsist (spring 09), Acid Test 12" EP on Troubleman Unltd. (late spring/early sum 09), Beached Wails 7" with a "surprise release date", and their second LP, Too Many Hits, on Slitbreeze (late summer 09)."

BV Wednesday day party flyer and more tour dates below...

Continue reading "Psychedelic Horseshit - 2009 Tour Dates (SXSW today, with Quintron in April, 2 NYC shows)"

DOWNLOAD: No Kids - For Halloween (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Clipd Beaks - Melter (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Parts & Labor - Fractured Skies (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Grand Ole Party - Look Out Young Son (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Mae Shi - Run To Your Grave (MP3)

THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2008, FREE (flyer by Ryan Muir)

Emo's Annex
Holy Fuck 5:20
Phosphorescent 4:30
MEN (Le Tigre) 4:00
Lykke Li 3:30
MEN (Le Tigre) 3:00
Why? 2:30
No Kids 1:45
Peter Moren 1:00
Dawn Landes 12:15
The Ting Tings 11:30

Emo's Lounge
Fleet Foxes 5:30
Clipd Beaks 4:45
Genghis Tron 4:00
Parts & Labor 3:15
Team Robespierre 2:30
comedy by Eugene Mirman 2:15
Grand Ole Party 1:30
The Muggabears 12:45
The Mae Shi 12:00

Mp3's above. Videos below...

Continue reading "BrooklynVegan during-SXSW THURSDAY DAY PARTY"

Shearwater

I've gone "official" again. The lineup of the first-ever official BrooklynVegan SXSW showcase is... (in no particular order...):

* Shearwater
* Martha Wainwright
* Kaki King
* Jeffrey Lewis & The Jitters
* Deer Tick
* AA Bondy

More bands playing SXSW are listed HERE.

SXSW announced the first official list of bands playing the festival in Austin this year....

Continue reading "SXSW 2008 Showcasing Artists"

Le Loup @ Pianos (BV CMJ), NYC - Oct 2007 (CRED)

First of all, David from Bodies of Water did send a message (and a comment) to say that his late-night drunken posting to the Bodies of Water website was not a reflection of the entire band, and was removed at their request. He is not trying to start anything or make his band sound better - just a mistake. That said, Bodies of Water (Secretly Canadian) are going on a spring tour with Le Loup (Hardly Art). It looks like they'll both also be playing SXSW before making their way to Mercury Lounge and Union Hall. All dates below.....

Continue reading "Bodies of Water & Le Loup - 2008 Tour Dates"

As long as we're updating our calendars. Now you have the date for SXSW too.