Frank Ocean at Angel Orensanz, Sept 2012 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

BBC Music has announced their Top 25 records of 2012. Like lists from MOJO, Q, and Uncut, it's got familiar names like Frank Ocean, Baroness, Swans and Grizzly Bear... but if you're expecting a UK indie act to top their list, you might be surprised at the Beeb's #1 choice. Check out the entire list below.

Continue reading "BBC Music's Top 25 albums of 2012"

UK music magazine Uncut put out their list of the top 75 albums of 2012. The top ten leans pretty heavy on long-running '60s/'70s survivors who put out new albums this year, but plenty of the list-topping regulars from newer acts are on there too, along with a few interesting surprises (Sun Araw, M Geddes Gengras & the Congos!). You can check out the full list below.

Continue reading "Uncut's Top 75 Albums of 2012"

Austin City Limits 2012 is happening as we speak in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas. If you're not there, you can always livestream it (Saturday's sets include Rufus Wainwright, Metric, Big K.R.I.T., The Shins, Black Lips and Andrew Bird). Our pictures from Friday, like the two above, are exclusively over at BV Austin (where you'll also find pictures from last night's Shins show).

UPDATE: Neil Young and Crazy Horse co-headlined Saturday night with a 2 hour set. Check out what they played.

UPDATE 2: check out a few pics and the setlist from Jack White's set.

A selection of videos from Friday, and some setlists, below...

Continue reading "Austin City Limits 2012 underway -- Day 1 pics & video, Day 2 stream, Black Keys setlist, more"

photos by Tracy Allison

First Aid Kit, Music Hall of Williamsburg 9/30/2012

Swedish sisterly duo First Aid Kit played two shows in NYC over the weekend with Dylan LeBlanc, first at Irving Plaza on Saturday (9/29) and then Music Hall of Williamsburg on Sunday (9/30). Backed by an able band, their angelic, confessional folk held the audience rapt and the harmonies Klara and Johanna Söderberg produce had many swooning. Photos from the MHOW show (including one of the setlist) are in this post.

First Aid Kit released an iTunes Session a couple weeks ago (including a cover of Patti Smith's "Dancing Barefoot"), and a deluxe edition of their most recent album, The Lion's Roar, is out this week with a bonus DVD featuring a tour documentary. The duo also recently made a video for their single, "Wolf," and that can be watched below.

Continue reading "First Aid Kit played Music Hall of Williamsburg with Dylan LeBlanc (pics)"

Bon Iver at Bonnaroo 2012 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Bon Iver recorded an iTunes session at East West studios which is available exclusively from iTunes starting today. It includes six tracks off 2011's great Bon Iver, Bon Iver and a cover of Bjork's "Who Is It?," which the band has played live many times. You can stream the session's opening track, "Beth/Rest" below.

As mentioned, Bon Iver is touring internationally throughout the summer and fall and will come to NYC on September 19 and 20 at Radio City Music Hall. Both of those shows are now sold out. All Bon Iver dates, including a recently announced European leg, are listed below.

Speaking of Bjork, she's teaming up with the New York Public Library (NYPL) and the Children's Museum of Manhattan to create interactive educational programs for middle school-aged students based on her Biophilia app. Speaking about the program, Bjork said:

"It's not a bookish thing. You cannot learn to make music from a book." "I love books; they're like the best ever," she added. "There are things you can only learn from books, but it's also important to introduce the physical aspects. So for me, it was very important to make, somehow, music education that was physical." (via NY Daily News)

Way Out West (Aug 9-11) in Gothenberg, Sweden features many of the same bands as Oya like Bon Iver, Refused, Afghan Whigs, St. Vincent, Purity Ring, John Maus, and Bob Mould in addition to Blur, Wilco, I Break Horses, Hot Chip, The War On Drugs, Mark Lanegan Band, Adolescents, Swans, and more. Check out the spotify playlist. The full lineup is listed below.

As mentioned, the reunited Mazzy Star is set to play both of those European festivals. Full lineups and the Bon Iver dates and song, below...

Continue reading "Bon Iver's new iTunes session, Bjork's new program at the NYPL & the full Oya & Way Out West festival lineups"

After teasing us with lineup addictions day by day over the past few days, the full lineup of Austin City Limits 2012 is finally here. Check it out below....

Continue reading "Austin City Limits Festival -- 2012 lineup "

Dylan LeBlanc @ Mercury Lounge (more by Eric Townsend)

That First Aid Kit Brooklyn show and "growing tour" mentioned this morning is now fully announced and includes a NYC show at Irving Plaza too (check Ticketmaster for tickets to appear probably later this week). Dylan LeBlanc opens at Irving and Music Hall of Williamsburg and at many of the dates listed, along with a video of First Aid Kit on Conan, below...

Continue reading "Dylan LeBlanc opening for First Aid Kit (who are also playing Irving Plaza) -- 2012 Tour Dates"

Lollapalooza (more by Grant MacAllister)

Chicago Sun Times reports:

Lollapalooza has revealed its official 2012 list of performers -- a typically wide-ranging smorgasbord of genres and styles topped by nearly a dozen mainstage headliners: the Red Hot Chili Peppers, freshly reunited bands Black Sabbath and At the Drive-In, the Black Keys, Jack White, Florence + The Machine, the Shins and Passion Pit, plus spotlighted electronic music including Swedish house titan Avicii, French dance duo Justice and DJ-producer Bassnectar.

The annual music festival is scheduled for Aug. 3-5 in Chicago's Grant Park.

Rumored lineups have circulated widely, as they usually do, and Lollapalooza itself stoked the speculation in recent weeks via a series of CTA and online advertisements that seemed to hint at who would be playing.

The ads featured lyrics from such acts as Sigur Ros, Santigold, Jack White, Kimbra, Twin Shadow, the Weeknd, Bloc Party and more -- all bands that wound up on the bill.

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2012 lineup (Jack White, At The Drive-In, Sigur Ros, Black Keys, RHCP, Afghan Whigs, M83, Weeknd, SBTRKT, Black Sabbath & more)"

photos by Tamara Porras

"highlight of the First Aid Kit show last night: the sisters go off mic & unplugged, just vox & gtr. Sold out Webster sings along.#chills" - Arthur Owens

"Refreshing to see a band without MacBooks, let alone microphones." - Brandon Maxwell

"Really hard to decide who I preferred between First Aid Kit and Peggy Sue tonight @ Webster Hall, NYC" - Dan Northcote-Smith

First Aid Kit @ Webster Hall

Swedish duo First Aid Kit are currently on a tour with the equally talented UK band Peggy Sue, which brought them to a sold out show at Webster Hall on March 28, their largest headlining show in NYC yet (that's an understatement actually). First Aid Kit played a pretty solid mix of material from both of their full lengths, a Fever Ray cover, and a Patti Smith cover. Those in attendance were treated to an entirely unplugged version of "Ghost Town." Here's what The WIld Honey Pie had to say about it:

[They asked] everyone to be as quiet as possible, and to their (and my) surprise, the crowd obliged. They stepped forward away from their microphones and invited anyone who knew the words to "Ghost town" to sing along. Few those minutes, it was no longer a rock concert, but one of those singularly moving musical experiences that you happen to share with a thousand close strangers.

Continue reading "First Aid Kit & Peggy Sue played Webster Hall (pics)"

The Newport Festivals Foundation continues to celebrate the festival's historic past by featuring emerging young artists alongside some of folk music's most venerable names. This year's festival features: My Morning Jacket, Jackson Browne, Conor Oberst, Iron & Wine, Patty Griffin, Guthrie Family Reunion, Dawes, The Head & The Heart, Deer Tick, Punch Brothers, City & Colour, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The Tallest Man on Earth, tUnE-yArDs, Tom Morello, Trampled by Turtles, Gary Clark, Jr., Alabama Shakes, Blind Pilot, Of Monsters and Men, original music from: Jay Farrar; Will Johnson; Anders Parker; & Yim Yames set to the lyrics of Woody Guthrie, Sharon Van Etten, First Aid Kit, Sara Watkins, Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, Brown Bird, Jonny Corndawg, Jonathan Wilson, Spirit Family Reunion, Deep Dark Woods, Carl Broemel, Ben Sollee, Robert Ellis, Frank Fairfield, The Apache Relay, Spider John Koerner & His Rag Tag Boys, Joel Rafael, Joe Fletcher & The Wrong Reasons, Elizabeth Mitchell, honeyhoney, Sleepy Man Banjo Boys, The Kossoy Sisters, The Berklee City Music Choir and very special guests to be announced.

Radiohead @ Roseland Ballroom in 2011 (more by Bao Nguyen)

Coachella which is taking place over the course of two weekends this year (April 13-15 and 20-22) revealed their 2012 lineup. Last week, Azealia Banks was the first artist confirmed, and earlier today they confirmed The Weeknd (maybe he found a band?), and before that, Jimmy Cliff, Breakbot, and Housse De Racket. The reunited Pulp then announced itself. The full lineup also includes headliners The Black Keys, Radiohead, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, not to mention, as predicted, the reunited At the Drive In and the reunited Mazzy Star (!), and Madness and Refused (!) and Jeff Mangum and many, many more that you can see below...

Continue reading "Coachella 2012 lineup announced (two weekends worth)"

photos by Amanda Hatfield

Lykke Li backed by First Aid Kit @ Wellmont

Though she didn't stop in NYC this time around, Lykke Li headlined NJ's Wellmont Theater on Thursday night (11/17). First Aid Kit, who blessed NYC the night prior and who play Webster Hall soon, opened the show and joined Lykke Li on stage for a performance of "Silent My Song" before Lykke launched into a cover of "Unchained Melody" ("eeeeeee so good!" said one attendee). Listen to a studio version of the cover, watch a video of the three Swedish women singing together at a California show, and check out more pictures of the NJ show, below...

Continue reading "Lykke Li & First Aid Kit played Wellmont Theater, performed together on stage (pics & video)"

photos by Sarahana

First Aid Kit @ Mercury Lounge

One night before they opened for Lykke Li at Wellmont Theater, Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit headlined their own sold out show at Mercury Lounge which was their last NYC show before they return to headline Webster Hall in March. Tickets for that big 3/28 show go on sale at noon.

More pictures and a video from their small 11/16 show, and an updated set of 2012 North American tour dates (with even more TBA soon), below...

Continue reading "First Aid Kit played Mercury Lounge w/ Alessi's Ark (pics, video), announced more North American shows (dates)"

by Andrew Sacher

First Aid Kit at BV CMJ 2010 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

First Aid Kit are currently on a tour with Lykke Li that brings them to NJ's Wellmont Theatre on Thursday (11/17). Tickets still available. As previously posted, First Aid Kit also play a headlining show of their own at Mercury Lounge tonight (11/16 with Alessi's Ark. I hope you got tickets, because not only is that show now sold out...

First Aid Kit will return to NYC on March 28 to headline Webster Hall!! That's quite a jump for the Swedish duo. Tickets for the Webster Hall show go on sale Friday (11/18) at noon with an AmEx presale starting Wednesday/today (11/16) at noon.

The show is part of a tour the band will be on in support of their sophomore LP (2008's Drunken Trees was only considered an EP), The Lion's Roar, which comes out on January 24 via Wichita Recordings and was produced by Mike Mogis from Bright Eyes, who First Aid Kit also recently toured with. The full tour hasn't been announced yet, but the dates we do know about are listed below.

First Aid Kit recently revealed the video for "The Lion's Roar," the title track and first single from the upcoming album. It was directed by Mats Udd, who has directed videos for the band in the past. The song has similar vocal harmonies to the band's first album (2010's The Big Black & The Blue), but the percussion's got a much stronger presence here than on their earlier work. Check out that video along with all dates below...

Continue reading "First Aid Kit announce new album & Webster Hall show! (meanwhile Mercury Lounge) -- dates & new video"

First Aid Kit at BV CMJ 2010 (more by Chris Gersbeck)

As mentioned, First Aid Kit are currently on a tour with Bright Eyes and will head out with Lykke Li this November for a tour that includes the previously announced November 17 Wellmont Theater show in Montclair, NJ (tickets). The night before the NJ show, First Aid Kit will play their own headlining show in NYC at Mercury Lounge (11/16). Tickets go on sale Friday (9/9) at noon.

Updated dates and a video below...

Continue reading "First Aid Kit add NYC show during Lykke Li tour"

Lykke Li at Webster Hall in May (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Lykke Li will head out on a short tour in November with First Aid Kit. That tour includes a stop at NJ's Wellmont Theatre on November 17. Tickets will go on sale shortly. No NYC date has been announced for this tour at the moment, but maybe one will be after Lykke Li plays her August 1 show at Summerstage with Timber Timbre, though that show is sold out.

Lykke Li will also perform "Youth Knows No Pain," off her recently released Wounded Rhymes on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on August 4.

First Aid Kit are currently recording an album with Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes, who they tour with in September. That tour doesn't come through NYC but Bright Eyes play Williamsburg Waterfront with Dr. Dog on August 31. Tickets for that show are still available.

All dates below...

Continue reading "Lykke Li announces tour w/ First Aid Kit who are first touring w/ Bright Eyes (dates)"

photos by Chris Gersbeck

"At Brooklyn Vegan showcase. Free booze & food. Sick line-up. Ty segall, times new Viking, Dom, lower dens, asobi seksi, devotchka, etc. #cmj" - death & taxes

"Almost forgot about Shrag, what a find! fun band!" - Ryan Muir

"Pretty sure Ty Segall just won CMJ." - J. Edward Keyes

Ty Segall

"The large number of bands at the BV party was split between Public Assembly's two stages, with sets overlapping. With free Magic Hat Number Nine (somehow apricot-flavored beer seemed like a suitable substitute for breakfast), both sides of the club were filling rapidly. So while I caught a minute or two of Lower Dens' vespered melodies, I wasn't about to miss Times New Viking . The Columbus trio recently wrapped up work on a new record (due out on [a label] sometime in the near future) and this was to be the first time I would hear the new stuff. Though the band was by their own admission still tired from the night before, their set didn't show it, with the buoyancy of songs like "Skull Versus Wizard" and "Teenage Lust!" undiminished. The new tracks, which showed the most prominent melodies TNV has composed yet, fit in alongside the older cuts. Though I've now lost count of how many times I've seen the band, I'm always struck by how they remain too anxious to stay in one sonic realm for long, their quick succession of albums marked by continual revision." [ Limewire]

Did you miss the Phantom Band at this show or one of the other few CMJ shows they played? Well, don't miss them this week when they return as part of their tour with Frightened Rabbit (at Terminal 5 on Saturday they're on first of three before Plants and Animals).

Wanna see Dom again soon? They play NYC again this Saturday (10/30) too.

More pictures and some more videos from Public Assembly, below...

Continue reading "BV Friday day party in pics & video - part 2 (Times New Viking, Shrag, Lower Dens, Phantom Band, Luyas, Corndawg & more)"

photos by Amanda Hatfield, videos by Bleary Eyed Brooklyn

"Phantom Band at Public Assembly. This is making me very happy" - amanda farah

"Just learned that DeVotchKa is headlining today's BV free CMJ day party at Public Assembly. I'm so there!" - M. Millions

Devotchka

"[Friday] included a bit of borough hopping between Brooklyn and Manhattan. First up was the Brooklyn Vegan showcase at Public Assembly. This included two rooms of free music and free alcohol (if you like [Magic Hat] or Firefly). There was also a table selling BV shirts, proceeds of which go towards "Music Has Power" (The Institute for Music and Neurologic Function). Good music + a good cause = good party by the Vegan. There's another one [Saturday] that has a sick line-up. Gonna head there first thing [Saturday].

One other thing worth noting about that BV party is one of the bands: Shrag. This band was from the UK, which got me thinking about how many bands travel from all over the world (especially places like the UK and New Zealand) just to come to CMJ. I think it's really cool how this festival gives people a chance to experience music from not just all over the country, but from different parts of the world as well. Because let's face it, how many of us are going to be visiting New Zealand any time soon?" [News on Shuffle]

Jonny Corndawg is an Esmont native who plays in Charlottesville all the time (his website says he's in Nashville) and who I caught for the first time over the weekend. His square jaw was beard-covered and framed in a cowboy hat and huge sunglasses. The silly facade--"Jonny Corndawg" is inlayed on his acoustic guitar!--can only hide his chops for so long. If he didn't have chops, would he have written these lines:

"Drink water and juice with a little slice of lemon/ eat a raw clove of garlic every once in a while/ meditate, appreciate, learn a foreign language/ and understand that immigrants have the hardest lives." [c-ville]

As Andrew also pointed out, John Vanderslice (who played Mercury Lounge the night before) ended his solo set in a very special way - on the floor with 2 guest musicians (one with a horn). The crowd, dreaded member of Nada Surf included, had the three performers completely surrounded. After the set, John went out to coffee with fans (or at least that's what he said he was going to do).

Devotchka capped things off on the main stage, complete with more horns. Thanks again to Vinny's Music for the equipment. More pictures and some videos from the whole day (with a second set on its way). below...

Continue reading "BV Friday day party in pics & video - part 1 (Devotchka, Ty Segall, John Vanderslice, Asobi Seksu, Dom & more) "

Though we maybe went less crazy this year compared to others, there will be no lack of BrooklynVegan shows taking place during CMJ this year. You already know about the big official show Thursday night at Music Hall of Williamsburg, and the much darker one taking place Saturday at Union Pool. I can now finally tell you about the first of two free day parties taking place at Public Assembly in Brooklyn during CMJ week....

The date: Friday, October 22nd, 2010
The time: noon-6pm
The place: Public Assembly (70 North 6th St)
the bands:

STAGE 1
12:30 Magic Bullets
01:15 The Phantom Band
02:00 Ty Segall
02:45 Times New Viking
03:30 Dom
04:15 Asobi Seksu
05:15 TBA (will announce Thursday night)

STAGE 2
12:00 Jonny Corndawg
01:00 First Aid Kit
01:45 The Luyas
02:30 Lower Dens
03:15 TBA (will announce soon)
04:00 Oberhofer
05:00 John Vanderslice

* free EarPeace (while supplies last)
* free V-Spot breakfast burritos & empanadas (while supplies last)
* free Firefly Vodka + Bourbon (while supplies last)
* free Magic Hat beer (while supplies last)
* free Raw Revolution bars

The Friday day show is John Vanderslice's only unofficial gig. His only official one is a sold out (not counting CMJ badges) show at Mercury Lounge. Grab his new free EP.

The BV day party is also Asobi Seksu's only show that isn't their official CMJ showcase (which is taking place at Santos Party House on Saturday night).

Ty Segall plays his official showcase Saturday night, but at Knitting Factory. Also on that Panache Booking Showcase are AIDS Wolf, Turbo Fruits, Heavy Cream, Pujol, Tôg, Circle Pit, and SCREENS.

Stay tuned to @bvCMJ for even more CMJ news and updates than you'll find on BrooklynVegan.com.

And stay tuned for what we're doing in the same exact venue during the same exact times one day later. And stay tuned for the bands playing the other two Friday slots.

Also thanks to: Zach Jaeger of Tonally Dude Productions for the sweet flyer you see above, and to Vinny's Music for providing us with some sweet gear, to Line 6 for even more sweet gear, and to Underground Press for getting us some merch printed to help raise money for charity.

Some videos below...

Continue reading "the free BrooklynVegan Friday day party @ Public Assembly lineup (14 bands, free food, free booze & more)"

DOWNLOAD: First Aid Kit - Sailor Song (live) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: First Aid Kit - Hard Believer (MP3)

Swedish female folk duo First Aid Kit never made it to CMJ 2009, MusicSnobbery CMJ show included. So they're going to try it again. MusicSnobbery presents First Aid Kit and The Loom at Joe's Pub on Saturday, October 23rd. It's a late show (11:30pm), and tickets are on sale.

Whether that show is actually part of CMJ or not is unclear (I don't think it is), but the other two shows the band plays in NYC that week definitely are. You can also catch First Aid Kit as part of the Saddle Creek/Wichita CMJ showcase at the Delancey on October 21, and as part of the Windish Agency showcase at Rockwood Music Hall one day later:

10.22 | FRIDAY @ ROCKWOOD MUSIC HALL
CMJ Music Marathon
8-12am The Windish Agency Presents:
8:00pm Apache Beat
9:00pm Sun Airway
10:00pm Crayon Fields
11:00pm First Aid Kit
12:00am Lower Dens
1:00am The Prigs

Those NYC dates come at the end of a North American tour for the duo. That tour kicks off on September 30th in Seattle, includes Austin City Limits, and a bunch of shows with Ferraby Lionheart opening. All dates are listed below.

If you're familiar with First Aid Kit's music, you probably know that the girls stuck gold with their cover of Fleet Foxes' "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" (video below). It was so good they even included the track on their 2008/2009 release, "Druken Trees" which was released on Karin Dreijer Andersson of Fever Ray/The Knife's Rabid label in 2008, and then re-released by Wichita in 2009.

That 2009 release, though 8 tracks long, fell into the EP or mini-LP category. The girls' debut LP, The Big Black & Blue, was released earlier this year on Wichita. The third single from that album is "Ghost Town" and is being released this Tuesday by Wichita as a 7" with a new great cover as the b-side. That cover is "When I Grow Up" by Fever Ray.

Listen to that cover, the Fleet Foxes cover, the official video for the single, and all dates, below....

Continue reading "First Aid Kit covered Fever Ray (listen!), touring, playing CMJ (MP3, stream, video & dates) "

DOWNLOAD: The Myrnabirds - Numbers Don't Lie (MP3)

The Mynabirds

The Saddle Creek / Wichita CMJ showcase will take place at the Delancey in NYC on October 21st, and it looks something like this:

?? pm Sky Larkin
8:30 pm Old Canes
9:30 pm Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson
10:15 pm First Aid Kit
11:00 pm The Mynabirds
11:45 pm Frankie and the Heartstrings
12:30 Adam Haworth Stephens (of Two Gallants)

Now she's (dropped the indie pop and is) collaborating with Richard Swift (on record), and "live in the flesh by a great collective of artists and musicians that include: Johnny Kotchian (drums), Dan McCarthy (bass & vocals), Pearl Lovejoy Boyd (vocals & percussion), Susan Sanchez (vocals), Ben Brodin (guitars & vocals), Alex McManus (guitars, horns & vocals), Rebecca Marie Miller (vocals & percussion), Nicole Childrey (drums), Patrick Damphier (bass), and Nate Walcott (horns)."

Her album What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood was released earlier this year by Saddle Creek, and can best be described, as it has by many, as country and soul. She has a great voice. Get a taste via the MP3 (above) and video (below) for "Numbers Don't Lie", and from the Daytrotter session that was posted earlier this month.

Get a live taste, way before CMJ, tonight/Friday, September 24th at Brooklyn Bowl when The Mynabirds open for David Bazan. The two groups are on tour together (and it's their only NYC show). $5.00 tickets are still on sale.

Speaking of David Bazan, Feltheart Filmworks recently put together a 3-part documentary about the ex-Pedro the Lion member. You can watch that in full, with all dates and stuff, below...

Continue reading "The Mynabirds on tour w/ David Bazan (Brooklyn Bowl Friday), playing Saddle Creek CMJ showcase (dates)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Anxiety (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Goodnight Loving - The Pan (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Goodnight Loving - Nothing Conquers Us (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Disappears - Gone Completely (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Woven Bones - Guess You Already Knew (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Woven Bones - Your Way With My Life (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Ponys - Check the Door (MP3)

Eddy Current Suppression Ring

I haven't been this excited about a weekend of music in a long time. So much so I don't know how I'm gonna fit it all in.

Let's start with Australia's Eddy Current Suppression Ring who play Cake Shop on Friday (6/18) and Death by Audio on Saturday (6/19) (the second show was originally scheduled to take place at Market Hotel). The band have, to me at least, one of the great band origin stories ever: they formed after a drunken Christmas party at the vinyl pressing plant where they all worked.  whose new album, Rush to Relax, is one of my favorites of the year so far. Download "Anxiety" from it above. It was was supposedly recorded in six hours though it doesn't sound it. Or maybe it does. There's a definite nervous intensity to it -- ECSR are pretty highly charged in general -- and bristles with energy. A lot of this comes from front man Brendan Suppression, whose delivery sounds like he's pacing the entire time. It's a great album.

Eddy Current Suppression Ring live shows are legendary. (There's video from a recent Sydney show at the bottom of this post.) You'd be dumb to miss them. Both nights are with Pissed Jeans which should add to the insanity. Seriously, go see them!

The Goodnight Loving

The other touring band I'm super-pysched about seeing this weekend is Milwaukee's The Goodnight Loving, who play Silent Barn tomorrow (6/17), then Bruar Falls on Friday (6/18), Cake Shop on Saturday (6/19) and Maxwell's on Sunday (6/20).

As I wrote previously, these fine Midwesterners channel the twangier side of the '60s British Invasion (Out of Our Heads era Stones, or the Kinks around Face to Face) and do it with some great songwriting. There are two MP3s at the top of this post: last year's great single "Nothing Conquers Us" and "The Pan" which is from their new album, The Goodnight Loving Supper Club, due out July 20 on Dirtnap Records.

If you're looking for something to tide you over till then, the band just released a new 12" on Italian label Wild Honey that has five new tracks on one side, and some lovely silk-screened artwork on the flip. I'm hoping they're gonna have copies of that at the merch table. And 2006's Cemetery Trails is excellent too.

The Silent Barn show is with '90s shoegaze lovers Big Troubles, Bright Lights and Fire Season; the Bruar Falls show also has Ex Humans and Bass Drum of Death; the Cake Shop lineup includes SpaceCamp and Prince Rupert's Drops; and at Maxwell's  you also get Reigning Sound (one night after they play Southpaw).

Disappears

The Ponys are in town this weekend playing two shows with fellow Chicagoans Disappears and Austin's Woven Bones: Friday (6/18) at Mercury Lounge and Saturday (6/19) at Union Pool. I think the last time I saw the Ponys was probably at Siren Fest 2004? Can that be? That was around the time of their great first album, Laced with Romance, which still sounds awesome. Quiet since 2007's Turn the Lights Out, The Ponys are back with a new EP, Deathbed Plus 4, that finds them pretty much where you remember them: cranking out catchy, goth-tinged garage. (I wonder if they got the EP name from the cult horror film Death Bed: The Bed That Eats? Probably not.) The goth part comes through loud and clear on "Check the Door" -- downloadable above -- which just maybe sounds a little like Joy Division's "New Dawn Fades."

Ponys guitarist Brian Case fronts Disappears who are worth seeing in their own right. Their new album, Lux, is dark and heavy, kinda Kraut-y, definitely loud and pretty great. So if you like the '80s Flying Nun or Pre-Brix era Fall (or any Fall, really) you should check out Disappears. You can download "Check the Door" at the top of this post.

All three of these bands appeal to the same crowd, but Woven Bones are the sneering-est, scuzziest of the lot. The songs on their new album, In and Out and Back Again (dirty!), are all cut from the same blueprint (the two MP3s above is the extent of their stylistic range) but they are masters of their sound. They're good live, too -- the room seems to heat up whenever they play.

Should mention that the Mercury Lounge show also has The Forgery Series, which is Sohrab from Obits amongst others.

AND A FEW NIGHTLY PICS:

Wednesday, June 16

As previously mentioned (but not in tonight's What's Going On post), tonight's "secret" show at Death By Audio features Bleach Waffles, Mild Touching and, Slankie Morose. And if you can't figure out who that is well... try harder. It's a late one, doors at 11PM, but it's only $5. And a five-spot for some mild touching...that's a bargain.

Swedish pixies First Aid Kit, who played last night at The Bell House, play again tonight at Mercury Lounge with Peter Wolf Cryer.

continued below with dates, videos, flyers and more...

Continue reading "Eddy Current Suppression Ring, the Goodnight Loving, The Ponys, Disappears, Woven Bones, Wild Nothing & more in This Week in Indie"

DOWNLOAD: Peter Wolf Crier - Hard as Nails (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Peter Wolf Crier - Crutch & Cane (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: First Aid Kit - Sailor Song (live) (MP3)

Peter Wolf Crier

Female-fronted folk-punk Heartless Bastards and the two-man Peter Wolf Crier are going on tour this summer. That'll include a pair of NYC shows: one at Music Hall of Williamsburg on July 14th (tickets on sale Friday at noon) and one at Bowery Ballroom on July 15th (tickets on sale Thursday at noon).

Before then, Minneapolis' Peter Wolf Crier have their own shows across North America. Those include three NYC dates: Pianos on June 15th (tickets), Mercury Lounge on June 16th (tickets) and Union Hall on June 18th.

Their Mercury Lounge show intersects with UK band First Aid Kit & Samantha Crain's tour together (tickets), which also stops at the Bell House the night before June 15th (tickets). First Aid Kit, you may remember, were supposed to be here in October but never got never got their visas sorted in time for the trip. They're excited...

"To tour the States has always been our biggest dream - to finally get the chance to come over feels amazing, " they gush. "We are heavily inspired by American music, so to be able to see the places where many of our influences come from and have lived their lives is very exciting. We've also gotten a great online response from American fans and we're looking forward to playing for them". Further mining their excitement they add," Our dear friend Samantha Crain is supporting us. We're sure it is going to be a magical tour."

Continue reading "Heartless Bastards touring w/ Peter Wolf Crier, First Aid Kit w/ Samantha Crain - 2010 tour dates & MP3s"

Warpaint @ MHOW (more by Leia Jospe)

Tickets are now on AmEx presale for the Ween show at Rumsey Playfield aka Central Park Summerstage. Tickets may also still be available for the show happening at Starland Ballroom four months earlier.

Tickets are on sale at noon or the Eli "Paperboy" Reed show at Mercury Lounge. Tickets are also on sale now for the Eli show at The Bell House.

Tickets are on sale at noon for the Mates of States shows happening at Bowery Ballroom and Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets go on AmEx presale at noon for the Junip (with Jose Gonzalez) show at Bowery Ballroom.

Active Child is playing Mercury Lounge on June 7th. Tickets are on sale.

Warpaint is playing Mercury Lounge on June 14th. Tickets go on AmEx presale at noon.

First Aid Kit is playing Mercury Lounge on June 16th. Tickets are on sale.

Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros play Webter Hall on July 22nd. Tickets go on AmEx presale at noon.

Tickets are still on Fan Club presale for the 2nd (actually the first) Faith No More show at Williamsburg Waterfront (password = reunited).

Tickets for the Erykah Badu show at Roseland Ballroom are now on "Fan Club", "Radio" and "Live Nation" Presale. The password yesterday was windowseat.

photos by Vincent Cornelli

School of Seven Bells

Friday night's show at Music Hall of Williamsburg had its share of problems. First it was moved from Webster Hall to Music Hall of Williamsburg (presumably for less-than-expected ticket sales). Then one of its openers, First Aid Kit, couldn't get into the country. They were replaced by the Depreciation Guild. Then the other opener, Warpaint, mysteriously disappeared off the bill and was replaced by Phantogram. Finally, to add insult to injury, School of Seven Bells were supposed to be the headliner, but not surprisingly, some of the crowd cleared out after the much hyped xx played third of fourth on the bill at the sold out show.

"Their stage setup was really xxxxxxxxxx-core, with two large X podiums from the left to the right with the band members dressed up in dark colours. The band's stage presence was very striking; this only complemented their minimalist dream pop sequence.

The XX do not have the energetic stage presence that most bands at CMJ have. They just hammered out each song without any variation. It was as if their hearts did not skip a beat.

If the XX come to your town, expect a good show but not one that's too jumpy. You can shout out the lyrics from the audience but the XX will remain stoic, just to deliver and concentrate on putting on a live show." [B Sides]

Continue reading "The xx, School of Seven Bells, Phantogram & the Depreciation Guild @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (CMJ) - pics"