photos by Chris Gersbeck

Trash Talk / Cities Aviv @ Cake Shop, 5/11/2013

Trash Talk did their part to bring chaos to the Downtown Music Festival, crowdsurfing the low-ceilings of Cake Shop on Saturday (5/11) as part of a show with Cities Aviv, Low Fat Getting High and The Shackletons. The show was rather pricey for a typical Trash Talk gig ($25) but nonetheless brought out the die-hards to catch the band in such a tight space.

Saturday night's Downtown fest also featured DIIV at Mercury Lounge and Purity Ring at Bowery Ballroom. Pictures from Cake Shop are below...

Continue reading "Trash Talk played Cake Shop with Cities Aviv, Low Fat Getting High and The Shackletons (pics)"

Montreal duo Blue Hawaii will release their debut album, Untogether, next week (3/5) via Arbutus Records. That's the cover art above. Alex Cowan and Braids' Raphaelle Standell-Preston have crafted a lovely record, airy with skittering beats and Raphaelle's otherworldly harmonies. (Aphex Twin covering the Cocteau Twins is an apt, if reductive, description.) You can check out a couple tracks below and stream the entire album at Pitchfork.

Blue Hawaii, who are little more of a party live than on their new record, will spend much of this spring on tour, starting in Austin for SXSW. The pair will then hit the road for a few dates with their Arbutus labelmates Doldrums on the West Coast, followed by a stint opening for Purity Ring. While none of those dates hit NYC, Blue Hawaii will be here next week, having been added to Andrew WK's show at 285 Kent on March 6 that also features DOM, Cities Aviv and DJ Dickpic. Tickets are $16 but include an open Brooklyn Brewery bar.

All dates are listed below...

Continue reading "Blue Hawaii streaming 'Untogether,' added to Andrew WK's 285 Kent show, playing SXSW and other dates"

Andrew W.K.'s Super Bowl 2013 halftime show at Santos (more by Dan Bracaglia)

If you live in NYC and want to see Andrew W.K., the question isn't ever really "when will there be a show?" as much as it's "which one should I go to?" with pretty much new Andrew W.K. shows popping up by the minute. He just did a Super Bowl halftime show at Santos and has a slot at upcoming pop punk festival Skate and Surf.

But this upcoming 285 Kent show on March 6 that he just scheduled is looking like one of his cooler appearances in a while. That venue's been hosting some pretty great bills lately, and for this one, Andrew W.K. will be joined by DOM, CIties Aviv, Dickpic (aka the collaborative project of DJ Dog Dick and Pictureplane), and Cool Serbia. That should make for an all-around crazy night and tickets to be part of it are on sale now.

Andrew W.K. will also be at IFC Center on February 28 (323 Avenue of the Americas) for a screening of David Lynch's The Elephant Man. Not sure what he'll be doing, but he'll be there.

All dates are listed below...

Continue reading "Andrew WK playing more shows, including one in Brooklyn w/ DOM, Cities Aviv, Dickpic, and Cool Serbia (dates)"

As mentioned, San Jose rapper Atwon is in town and playing Santos tonight (1/24) as part of a pretty great bill featuring Cities Aviv, and Weekend Money. Tickets are still available but if you'd like to go for free, we're giving away a pair. Along with the list spots, you'll also get a poster of tonight's show and an Antwon "Nature" snapback hat. Contest details are below.

Meanwhile, Antwon recently dropped a new Friendzone-produced track, "Automatic," which you can stream below...

Continue reading "Antwon drops new track (stream), plays NYC tonight (win tix!)"

by Fred Pessaro // BBG

Antwon's recent End of Earth LP and End of Earth Remixz mixtape, the latter of which surfaced at Gorilla v Bear, were a good indication of the MC's predeliction towards glitchy, at times ugly (in the best way) electronic hip hop. Think a less-nasal Freeway over a mix of Death Grips and other electronic beats.

The MC has a pair of dates sheduled for NYC in the coming weeks including a (conditionally) FREE show on January 23 at Public Assembly with Trinidad James (who'll play SOB's too), Hot Sugar, and DJ Getlive!; and  then January 24 at Santos Party House with guests Cities Aviv and Weekend Money. Tickets for the Santos show are on sale.

Head below for Antwon stream...

Continue reading "Antwon released 'End of Earth Remixz,' playing shows (dates)"

Warthog

Christopher Hansell of Warthog (ex-The Men) has dropped off his top 10 releases of 2012, as well as other thoughts on the passing year. Check out those below.

Warthog (which also features members of Nude Beach) is scheduled to play Worcester, MA at The Beacon on 12/15 with Who Killed Spikey Jacket, in addition to their previously discussed show with Inmates at Acheron on 1/12.

Hansell is also involved in power electronics crew Foreplay who will play the West Coast later this month with the great Pharmakon and Soren (of Rosenkopf). Dates are below. Soren will also play NYC at Saint Vitus on 1/5 as part of the Dysrhythmia/Wreck & Reference show (tickets).

Speaking of The Men, check them out this Friday at Saint Vitus (12/14), part of a Hurricane Sandy benefit (tickets).

Hansell's 2012 Top 10 list is below, along with video and a list of all tour dates.

Continue reading "Christopher Hansell's favorite records of 2012; Pharmakon & Soren (Rosenkopf) add West Coast dates"

photos by Dominick Mastrangelo and Amanda Hatfield

Cities Aviv at Public Assembly - 10/20/12 (by Dominick)

Cities Aviv, who DJed The Flat last night (11/14) , has released his new LP Black Pleasure via Mishka. Cities Aviv, under the name Muted Drone, is responsible for production on the bulk of the LP, while the remainder comes from names like RPLDGHSTS, LWH, Froskees, and Silky Johnson. Stream that in full below and download it for free via Bandcamp.

Cities Aviv played our BV day party at Public Assembly on the Saturday (10/20) during CMJ and he was joined for a portion of it by Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, who played his own set afterwards. We've already posted a bunch of pics from that party, and you can check out more of Cities Aviv and eXquire below.

Continue reading "a new free Cities Aviv LP, more CMJ pics"

Since opening in March, the Flat has been a haven for edgy music and affordable drinks. "It's amazing how many people we know live within blocks away," said Max Brennan, the owner. A decade ago, he founded Lit, a bar, gallery and performance space on Second Avenue in Manhattan. "It's sort of how Lit used to be before all the 'shirts' invaded the East Village," he said." - [NY Times]

On Wednesday (11/14) The Flat is hosting a show presented by Self-Titled, Mishka and Greedhead Music, with HEEMS, LE1F, Big Baby Gandhi, and Meyhem Lauren. It's early (7 - 9 PM) and is FREE. Flyer is below.

The day before that (Tuesday, 11/13) they've got the release party for Fat Tony's "BKNY" music video with DJ sets from the man himself, plus Tom Cruz, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, DJ Sicksentz, Kitty Pryde, Lakutis, Cities Aviv, and Dapwell from Das Racist. Also free, 9 PM start.

Continue reading "The Flat in Williamsburg hosting events (HEEMS, LE1F, Fat Tony, Kitty Pryde, Meyhem Lauren, Azar Swan & more)"

photos by Amanda Hatfield, Chris La Putt & Nate "Igor" Smith, words by Andrew Sacher

The Orwells, free tattoos & Kitty Pryde @ Public Assembly - 10/20/2012

The second free 2012 BrooklynVegan not-CMJ party went down on Saturday (10/20) at Public Assembly after our Friday party, which happened at the same venue the day earlier. We already talked about how great Miguel was, and posted pics of Caveman, Ratking and Sinkane, but the day was packed with ten other of our great artists, all of who you can see pictures of in this post.

It was the Saturday morning of CMJ, so if you were there when doors opened at noon, you were probably stumbling in hungover from the night before (unless of course, you had copped yourself some of the Mercy hangover prevention drink at our Friday party). But young Chicago-suburb punks The Orwells did a fine job of waking everyone up, including those who were camped at the door to be first in line for the free tattoos we gave out for six hours straight. As the tatto guns started buzzing, the Orwells were blasting the early but nice-sized crowd with their raunchy garage punk led by frontman Mario Cuomo's unforgiving Iggy Pop-style stage presence. Meanwhile, New Zealand psych pop project Opossum were warming up the rest of the party attendees in the back room.

Energy levels stayed high in the front room as Hunters followed, and the back room were treated to dreamier sounds by LA's Tashaki Miyaki. Then came sets by the funky Sinkane, the great, orchestral Choir of Young Believers, a strong set by indie pop band Eternal Summers, and a more than charming one by Kitty Pryde. Kitty, who spent part of her set in the crowd, was the first of four rappers in the back room, with her set followed by Ratking, Cities Aviv, and Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire (who went on after watching Miguel from the front row on the other stage) (Miguel returned the favor). And the front room was wrapped up by Hundred Waters, one of this year's buzzed about bands at CMJ, whose set we reviewed from the night earlier, and then Miguel and Caveman.

Attendees at the show were fueled by complimentary drinks courtesy of Sailor Jerry Rum, complimentary beer courtesy of PBR, and snacked on the free Raw Revolution organic live food bars that were scattered around the venue. Hopefully nobody had a hangover thanks to cans of the Mercy that were given out aplenty.

More pictures from the Saturday party are below.

Continue reading "BV Saturday day party pics (Hundred Waters, Orwells, Hunters, Kitty Pryde, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, free tattoos, Caveman, Miguel & more)"

We're at Public Assembly in Brooklyn all day Friday (10/19) and Saturday (10/20). Here's what Saturday looks like...

BrooklynVegan SATURDAY DAY PARTY - 10/20/2012

STAGE 1 (front room)
12:00 The Orwells
01:00 Hunters
01:45 Sinkane (DFA)
02:30 Eternal Summers
03:15 Hundred Waters
04:15 Miguel
05:00 Caveman

STAGE 2 (back room)
12:15 Opossum
01:15 Tashaki Miyaki
02:00 Choir of Young Believers
02:45 Kitty Pryde
03:45 Ratking (XL)
04:30 Cities Aviv
05:15 Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire

Like Friday, show up early for complimentary drinks courtesy of Sailor Jerry Rum and complimentary beer courtesy of PBR. you can also grab a free hangover prevention beverage courtesy of Mercy, and stay energized with free Raw Revolution organic live food bars.

Pop up tattoo shop flyer and some videos below...

Continue reading "BV Presents a FREE not-CMJ day party @ Public Assembly Saturday (lineup) -------- free music, free drinks & more (Miguel, Caveman, Hundred Waters, eXquire, more)"

by Andrew Sacher

Main Attrakionz at BV-SXSW 2012 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Earlier this month, we mentioned that iPhone/Android app Mobli was throwing a CMJ party with Heems, Sasha Go Hard, Kitty Pryde, Weekend Money, SAFE, The Underachievers, and Party Supplies. That party was supposed to happen today at Delinquency but that venue has since been shut down so the whole lineup (minus The Underachievers and Party Supplies) is merging with the Young One Records showcase, which happens tonight (10/17) at 285 Kent. That showcase, in addition to including the names mentioned above, will have Main Attrakionz, Kool AD, Deniro Farrar, Supreme Cuts, Cities Aviv, Bryant Dope, Ryan Hemsworth, and CBG. SAFE and Ryan Hemsworth are DJing between sets, the rest of the acts are playing live. The show flier and set times are below.

That 285 Kent show is a pretty stacked bill for hip hop, and if you're into stacked hip hop shows like that one, you'll also probably want to check out the Mass Appeal party at Gramercy on Friday (10/19) with Asher Roth, Prodigy (of Mobb Deep), The Alchemist, Large Professor, Mr. Muthafuckin' exquire, Roc Marciano, Boldy James, Ninja Sonik, Bodega Bamz, Alexander Spit, Angel Haze and Timeless Youth. That one's free with RSVP to RSVP@massappeal.com but entry is based on capacity. The flier for this show is below.

As mentioned, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire also plays SOB's on Thursday (10/18) and an MTV Studio at Webster Hall the same day. That studio show is with Big K.R.I.T. and LE1F, and when we first mentioned it, a "special guest" was billed who has since been revealed as Killer Mike. Tickets for that one are still available.

That MTV show is an early show (5:30 doors) and after that there's a late show with Chuck Inglish (of The Cool Kids), Ninjasonik, ASAP TyY, Blvckalfred, Vault Boys, MopTop, Chase N Cashe, GDP, Vyle, and Curtains. Tickets for that one are still available.

Cities Aviv, in addition to the Young One show, has other CMJ shows, including the Flowerbooking CMJ showcase at Knitting Factory on Friday (10/19) with Unicorn Kid, Ki:Theory, Devin, Ghost Wave, and Talk Normal (tickets) and the Bond Music Group/PopGun show at Cameo Gallery on Friday (10/19) (late show) with Steven A. Clark, Lushlife, Dark Sister, and Pegasus Warning (tickets).

He also plays the free BrooklynVegan day party at Public Assembly on Saturday (10/20) with The Orwells, Eternal Summers, and the rest of the lineup coming soon!

While we're talking about good hip hop shows during CMJ, don't forget the Converse Rubber Tracks/Fool's Gold 5th anniversary show at Music Hall of WIlliamsburg on Saturday (10/20) with Ghostface Killah, A-Trak, Flosstradamus, Donnis, Nick Catchdubs, World's Fair, Troy Ave, and special guests. That one's totally free, first come, first served.

Showcase flier and set times for the Young One/Mobli show are below.

Continue reading "hip hop CMJ update: Sasha Go Hard show merges w/ Main Attrakionz show; Cities Aviv dates; Killer Mike adds show"

Built to Spill at BV SXSW 2012 (more by Ryan Barkan)

The Hopscotch festival in Raleigh, North Carolina will celebrate its third year from Sept. 6-8, 2012 in downtown Raleigh, with 175 bands in 15 venues. The initial lineup, released today, runs the gamut from traditional indie favorites to punk to noise music to hip hop to noisy black metal and all stops in between, featuring performances from Built to Spill, sunn 0))), The Roots, The Jesus & Mary Chain (who played SXSW), Liars (who have a show coming up at Webster Hall), Baroness, Deerhoof, Death Grips (who play NYC soon and have new material on the way), Danny Brown (who was at Coachella and plays Prospect Park soon), Pallbearer (who play an exclusive East Coast Show soon), Screaming Females (who recently played NYC and are on tour now), Thee Oh Sees, The Spits (who just played NYC twice), Tenement, The Mountain Goats (two sets, one of which will be an all metal-covers set!) and so many more.

(and now we know the Jesus & Mary Chain are coming back soon)

Tickets are on sale. The full lineup and flyer (update: and a few more announced J&MC dates) are below...

Continue reading "Hopscotch lineup announced; Jesus & Mary Chain will be in NC in September; John Darnielle to do metal covers set "

by Andrew Sacher

DOWNLOAD: Lushlife - "Big Sur" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Lushlife - "She's a Buddhist, I'm a Cubist" (ft. Cities Aviv) (MP3)

Lushlife is set to release his new album, Plateau Vision, on April 17 via Western Vinyl. The album features guest spots from Heems, Cities Aviv, Andrew Cedermark, and Sun Glitters, who all appeared on his recent mixtape, in addition to appearances by Styles P (who recently announced a tour with Curren$y), Shad, Botany, Ryat, and more.

If the guest spots don't give it away, Lushlife fits right in with the indie-leaning hip hop (or "cloud rap") scene going on right now. You can sample his stuff by streaming three tracks, "Still I Hear the Word Progress" (ft. Styles P), "She's a Buddhist, I'm a Cubist" (ft. Cities Aviv) and "Big Sur" (prod. Botany), below, or downloading the latter two above. Also grab "The Romance of the Telescope" which features Andrew Cedermark and reworks OMD, HERE. The album artwork and tracklist are below.

Lushlife will celebrate the album with a record release party in NYC which happens on April 18 at Glasslands with Shine 2009 and My Dry Wet Mess. Tickets are on sale now.

Meanwhile, if you're down in Austin for SXSW, Lushlife will be playing at our 'Hotel Vegan' hip hop stage TODAY, Saturday (3/17) with Main Attrakionz, Action Bronson, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, Spaceghostpurrp, Fat Tony, Rittz, and Cadence Weapon.

All dates, streams, album art and tracklist below...

Continue reading "Lushlife releasing guest-filled album, playing Glasslands in April & Hotel Vegan today"

photos by Erik Erikson

G-Side @ Glasslands Gallery in Brooklyn

We've been busy throwing BrooklynVegan live shows this month, and slow to post about them. Back before we started throwing the term "holiday party" into the mix (times three), we put together and presented what ended up being one of my favorite shows of the year: G-Side, Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire, and Cities Aviv at Glasslands on 12/6. As extremely talented G-Side backup singer Joi Tiffany put it, "THE NEW YORK SHOW WAS MF CRAZY!!!!!!" The NY Times was also there:

" The show featured three acts -- G-Side, the headliner, from Huntsville, Ala.; the rapper whose name is printable only when shortened to eXquire, from Brooklyn; and Cities Aviv, from Memphis. Each of these acts tells a story about making hip-hop on the fringes of the mainstream in 2011, but the stories are not the same.

At best, they have tradition in common -- not outright nostalgists, or unreasonably emulative, they owe a heavy stylistic debt to the 1990s, both the mainstream and the underground."

Continue reading "G-Side, Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire & Cities Aviv @ Glasslands (BV party pics & videos)"

by Andrew Sacher

DOWNLOAD: Cities Aviv - "Wet Dream" (MP3)

It's almost 2012; deconstruction of rap, you know? It's not the same anymore, none of this shit matters anymore. I'm like rapping in tight-ass pants, it's the future. I mean some people don't like that, they wanna hate all that, you know fuck those people. I feel like it's getting better, you got dudes like Odd Future, Lil B, Main Attrakionz. So many different sounds are being fused that the lines are not only being blurred, they're being destroyed.

Cities Aviv plays the BV-presented show at Glasslands TONIGHT (12/6) with G-Side and Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire (Facebook invite HERE). Tickets are still on sale. Get them online or at the door (Cities Aviv is on at 9).

Cities Aviv recently put up the non-album track "Wet Dream" on his bandcamp. You can download that track above and stream it below. He also posted an indecipherable picture to his tumblr a few days ago with the caption "B L A C K | PLEASURE - 2012." Is he hinting at a new album?

He's also one of the artists who will be performing at 35 Denton in Texas this March along with Bun B, The Mountain Goats, The Raincoats, John Vanderslice, Julianna Barwick, Sun Araw, and others. No other dates to report.

Video and song stream below...

Continue reading "Cities Aviv (at Glasslands tonight) MP3 & video interview"

G-Side @ Fun Fun Fun Fest

Huntsville, Alabama rap duo G-Side are on a tour that brings them to their BV-presented show at Glasslands TONIGHT (12/6) with Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire (who the Village Voice just interviewed) and Cities Aviv. (Facebook invite HERE.) Tickets are still available and we're also giving away a pair here. Details on how to win are below.

Earlier on in G-Side's tour, they played Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin. More pictures from their set there, where they came out into the photo pit to be closer to the crowd toward the end, are in this post. The five people you see on stage include the duo, their two much-more-than-backup singers and the DJ. The crowd started relatively small for their daytime set, but grew large by the end due to their undeniable talent and charisma. Read more about another recent show they played HERE.

SPIN profiled G-Side for their December 2011 issue, 'The Changing Face of Hip-Hop.' They talked about the town of Huntsville, Alabama, where NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center is located, and how G-Side rides "past the rocket to test records out." That rocket is the "363-foot-tall white Saturn V" off the highway, I-565. They talked about the tightly knit scene there. G-Side's manager Codie G. said, "In a city like this, all you get is small wins, If I see somebody here get some success, I feel like that's my success." Then the members of G-Side discussed their difficult childhoods and how they eventually met up in their pre-teenage years and began making music together. According to Yung Clova, their new album Island (which is streaming on bandcamp) "might be the last album," Either this album is gonna make us or it ain't. Struggling, trying to pay your rent -- it gets old," he said. Come support at Glasslands tonight or at one of their other upcoming shows.

All tour dates, more pics from FFF Fest, and contest details below...

Continue reading "G-Side are here (win tix to Glasslands tonight) --- updated dates, album stream, a SPIN feature, more pics from FFF Fest"

photos by Kellyann Petry, words by Andrew Sacher

G-Side @ Purchase Fall Fest

Alabama rap duo G-Side release their new album Island TODAY (11/11/11). You can order it at the link and listen to a track below.

Though it has been announced elsewhere already, we're excited to announced that G-side will be playing at least one BrooklynVegan presented show in December (stay tuned for the possibility of another). The announced show is taking place on December 6 at Glasslands in Brooklyn with Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire and Cities Aviv also on the spectacular bill. Tickets are on sale now. It's one of many dates they just announced. They're all listed below.

Back before Fun Fun Fun Fest (where multiple BVers said they were awesome), G-Side (who also played Pitchfork Fest) played SUNY Purchase Fall Fest on Saturday (10/29) (after playing a last minute show at 285 Kent the night before). The G-Side guys bring one DJ and two extremely talented R&B singers on stage with them for what ends up being much more than just rapping to a backing track. At Purchase there was tons of interaction between those on stage and the audience. They got the entire Fall Fest crowd bouncing, moving it to the left, and whatever other moves they brought with them, chanted "Ain't no party like a Purchase party," and by the end of the set both rappers ended up in the crowd. They ended with an unplanned encore of "How Far," which samples Beach House's "10 Mile Stereo." Pictures from their Fall Fest set are in this post.

More of them, with all tour dates, and a collaboration with UK DJ/Producer Sinden that you can listen to, below...

Continue reading "G-Side release 'Island' TODAY, played Fall Fest (pics), playing BV-presented show @ Glasslands (and other dates)"

by Andrew Sacher

DOWNLOAD: R E A L M A G I C - "Hard 2 Keep" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: R E A L M A G I C - "No Things Left" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: R E A L M A G I C - "Crip Tics" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Wise Blood - "Nosferatu" (REALMAGIC Remix) (MP3)

The past few years have seen the boundaries of pop music pushed further than ever before as the line between singer/songwriter and electronic producer continues to blur. Denver, CO's Drew Englander, who records under the moniker R E A L M A G I C, is continuing to push these boundaries. Drew uses grimey synths and dance beats to sculpt carefully arranged soundscapes that will make you take a step back from the dancefloor to absorb the music with your mind before you let your body back into it. He tops all of this off with his own soaring vocal harmonies which set him apart from many of his computer-manipulated and effect-ridden contemporaries. This past June, he released two tracks via the Heart Music Group bandcamp, "No Things Left" and "Crip Tics." You can download both of those above, and check out the artwork for the tracks which Drew designed himself, along with a teaser video for "Crip Tics" below. He recently followed those recordings with the new track, "Hard 2 Keep," which you can download above. He also remixed "Nosferatu" by fellow Heart Music Group affiliate Wise Blood, which is available at the top of this post as well.

R E A L M A G I C will be make his NYC live debut during CMJ. He'll play the Heart Music Group Showcase at Pianos on October 21 with Wise Blood, Cities Aviv, Supreme Cuts, Evan Voytas, North Highlands, Hard Mix, and Chrome Sparks. Tickets for this show are on sale now. The next night, he'll play the Reverb showcase at Fontana's on October 22 with Caveman, Gauntlet Hair, Balkans, 1,2,3, Hands, and Flashlights. He's also been announced for this year's SUNY Purchase Fall Fest, which is not technically open to non-students.

All dates, video, and artwork below...

Continue reading "check out R E A L M A G I C (MP3s & CMJ dates)"

by Andrew Sacher

New album STROKED: A Tribute to Is This It, as the title hints, is a tribute to The Strokes' massively influential debut Is This It. The album was released for free on Stereogum today (7/26). They write:

Is This It was recorded in NYC at Transporterraum with Gordon Raphael. When it was finally released in the States in the Fall of 2001, a decade after Nevermind, it helped not only put contemporary New York City in the forefront of music lovers' minds, it offered an easy reference for people to dig backwards into the Big Apple's rock 'n' roll past. For certain younger fans, it was maybe the first time they carefully considered Television (the late '70s), the Velvet Underground (mid '60s to early '70s), and other lesser known garage and rock and whatever bands that inhabited a dirtier, grubbier Manhattan. The title's pure Richard Hell. The original sexy album cover a minimalist echo of New York Dolls (via Roxy Music). It's no coincidence that 2001 NYC -- eventually, especially Brooklyn -- ended up being known for its post-punk revival. (See, for instance, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Liars, Black Dice, Vice Records' No New York nodding collection Yes New York, etc.) Is This It was a history lesson, but one with enough new ideas to also offer a roadmap.

--
Cities Aviv

Wise Blood contributed "Someday" to "Stroked". He and fellow weirdo rapper Cities Aviv share a bill on September 1 at Glasslands in Brooklyn. The show is one of many scheduled around the world for Wise Blood, but is Cities Aviv's only date we see scheduled at the moment. Tickets for the Brooklyn show are on sale now.

Wise Blood's tour includes another NYC show two days later. He plays a Jelly RockBeach show on September 3 with Pictureplane and others TBA. More dates are listed below.

Cities Aviv, the self-proclaimed "Post-Death" rapper, is also on the Glasslands bill with Wise Blood. The Memphis native released his debut full length Digital Lows on May 2. The album's production credits go to a number of virtually unknown producers, Muted Drone, RPLD GHOSTS, Danny Dee, Upgrayde, and Royal'T. The beats are dreamy, reverb-soaked headknockers that sound about as woozy as that album art (below) looks. Cities Aviv takes the beats, which on their own would make up a pretty solid chillwave album, and spits biting lines with a classic southern drawl. Fille Catatonique provides sung vocals which blend quite nicely with the album's vibes. The final track, "Float On," features Cities Aviv rapping over chillwaver Blackbird Blackbird's cover of the Modest Mouse song, that he recorded for 2010's Happy High EP. It's a fun way to end the album, and is far better than Lupe Fiasco's "The Show Must Go On," which sampled the Modest Mouse song earlier this year.

Cities Aviv isn't exactly the only rapper crossing into lo-fi/indie-approved territory lately, but he's certainly approaching the crossover from a unique angle. Digital Lows isn't nearly as blown out as, say, Shabazz Palaces, but he's still got way more experimentation going on than guys like Wiz Khalifa or Theophilus London. Grab the album for free at his bandcamp and check out some songs below.

All tour dates, videos, album art and tracklist below...

Continue reading "Stereogum giving away Strokes tribute album, Cities Aviv giving away an album too, playing Glasslands w/ Wise Blood"