photos by Erez Avissar

"Seriously, g.lands never had it so good - I was super duped stoked to catch Big Troubles, Ducktails and Julian Lynch last Friday. Them boys soundtracked our waking dreams and made them clouds d-d-d-dance. THANKS. MIND BEEN BOGGLED SO DANG HARD THAT IT'S SHOT NOW." -you boggle my mind

Julian Lynch @ Glasslands

Julian Lynch played Glasslands on Friday, July 30th with Ducktails (a band headed by Real Estate's Matt Mondanile), Big Troubles and La Big Vic. At the end of Julian's set, Matt and Real Estate bandmate Alex Bleeker joined Julian for his song "Droplet on a Hot Stone." A video of that, and more pictures from the show, are posted below.

Julian plays an in-store tonight (8/5) at 9pm at the ESP-Disk store at 990 Bedford Ave with La Big Vic.

Julian has an upcoming NYC show August 18th at Pianos with "very special guests." Tickets are still on sale.

But before that, he's on a lineup with the whole Underwater Peoples crew for the UP Summer Showcase at Shea Stadium on Saturday, August 14th.

Underwater Peoples Summer Showcase 2010
Saturday, August 14th -- $5 -- Doors at 7pm
Shea Stadium -- 20 Meadow St, Brooklyn, 11206
No Demons Here
Big Troubles
Family Portrait
Julian Lynch
Andrew Cedermark
Warlords
Alex Bleeker and the Freaks
Air Waves
Fluffy Lumbers
Ducktails

Food will be made available by Last Action Hero (Mobile Deli Unit)

Tickets ($5!) are on sale now.

The flyer and more pictures from Glasslands are below...

Continue reading "Julian Lynch & friends played Glasslands (pics), playing Underwater Peoples Summer Showcase 2010 & other shows "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Standard Fare - Dancing (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Diehard - Cool Kids (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sally Head - Man with Small Hands (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Woods - I Was Gone (MP3)

Standard Fare

It's March Madness, people. New York is very lucky to get a lot of SXSW runnoff and between now (3/11) and Monday (3/15) you can go see loads of great bands from all over the world -- Norway, England, Bushwick -- and they'll probably play longer sets than they will in Austin. So if you're not going to the fest (and most people aren't despite how empty Williamsburg will be next week), here's your chance to experience some of the fun. And if you are going, you can cross some bands off your list early and start getting used to late nights, loud music and cheap beer. If you're not already used to that.

I already talked about Free Energy. And speaking of Philadelphia, that the name of my favorite song on the new album by Sheffield, England's Standard Fare who play tonight at Cake Shop (3/11). It's got one of the better opening lyrical salvos that I've heard in a while: "Global warming is getting me down / It's making the sea between us wider and deeper / Now, I'm not Moses and I don't know how to split up the ocean and drive right on over." The music -- sprightly indie jangle -- suits it perfectly. The album's called The Noyelle Beat (out 3/16) and I highly recommend it, as well as going to see Standard Fare live.

Tonight's show is headlined by Diehard who if you haven't seen yet you should correct that soon. Unabashed lovers of '90s indie (but I wouldn't call them retro), they know their way around stick-in-your-head hooks. A perfect way to warm up for those Pavement reunion gigs. Also playing are Vancouver's low-fi rockers Makeout Videotape and Brooklynites Sally Head.

Virgina's Wild Nothing are back in town, playing Market Hotel tonight with Fluffy Lumbers, former Cibo Mato singer Miho Hatori and Blissed Out, and then they open for Woods, Real Estate and Happy Birthday at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Friday (3/12).  I really like their debut album, Gemini, that will be out in May on Captured Tracks. The label just put out Wild Nothing's cover of Kate Bush's "Cloudbusting " as a new 7" that's worth picking up while you wait for the album. If you like early '90s UK shoegaze and twee (Pale Saints, Field Mice are good touchstones) you should definitely check out them out. They haven't quite figured out the live show, but they're getting there and worth showing up early to check out. They'll also play Shea Stadium on Saturday (3/13) and will be back in two weeks to play Glasslands on April 2.

If you're going to the MHoW show on Friday (sold out), do get there early as Happy Birthday are worth seeing too. I caught them a couple weeks ago opening for the Dum Dum Girls and was taken by their mix of Big Star powerpop and Dinosaur Jr. sludge. Their album, due on Sub Pop this Tuesday (3/16), also has some synthy numbers on it too which they eschewed live when I saw them. It's not the most cohesive album, but almost all the songs are good. They'll be at SXSW too.

Woods, meanwhile, just announced that their new album, At Echo Lake, will be out May 11 on Woodsist. Check out the first song released from it, "I Was Gone," at the top of this post. Tracklisting and all tour dates below.

I feel like it goes without saying that all these bands written about this week will be heading to SXSW, including a bunch from here. Seven (mostly) local bands who are Austin-bound will be playing at Cake Shop on Saturday (3/13) which will serve as a gas money fundraiser for their trip down to Texas. Playing will be: Darlings, Sundelles, Total Slacker,  Big Troubles, I'm Turning Into, My Teenage Stride, pus Raleigh, NC's Whatever Brains, and Virgina's Invisible Hand. The $10 door gets split equally between all bands, who each get 20 minute sets. There's additional drink specials if you bring road snacks for the bands.

While I'm here, I should mention that one of my favorite songs of last year was My Teenage Stride's digital single "Creep Academy" which has just been pressed as a real 7" so I urge you to pick that up, as well as any other merch from the other bands that might suit your fancy. Extra gas and food money for the bands.

Fliers, tour dates and a few more daily picks below...

Continue reading "Wild Nothing, Woods, Standard Fare, Diehard, Sally Head, pre-SXSW shows & more in This Week in Indie"

Bouncing Souls @ Webster Hall over the summer (more by Tim Griffin)

tonight in NYC
* Barbes
* Ludacris @ The Apollo Theater
* Bouncing Souls @ Stone Pony (NJ)
* Rev. Vince Anderson @ Union Pool
* Fluffy Lumbers, Little Gold @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
* Gogol Bordello, Forro in the Dark @ Webster Hall
* Les Paul Guitar Tribute w/ Jose Feliciano @ Iridium
* Great Republic of Rough and Ready, Ivana XL @ Zebulon

What did you get for Christmas?

What else?

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Big Pink - Velvet (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Big Pink - Dominoes (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pants Yell! - Cold Hands (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: JEFF the Brotherhood - Bone Jam (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: JEFF the Brotherhood - Heavy Damage (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sisters - Accolades (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sisters - Street Cars (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Coin Under Tongue - Junksmith (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Dinowalrus - Electric Car, Gas Guitar (MP3)

Field Music

Slow week my ass! The next four or five days are positively packed with shows, at least from a TWII standpoint. No time for small talk, let's get into it.

Tonight/Thursday's the big birthday celebration for Skippy who books The Bell House and Union Hall. I wish I could throw a party for myself and get bands like Field Music (one of two American Performances in 2009) and Wye Oak to play it, not to mention a rare appearance by the mostly defunct '90s electropop band The Pulsars. Also, a band (or someone) called "Rumours" is on after Field Music play. Skippy has been tight-lipped about what this is, but my money is on some sort of all-star Fleetwood Mac cover band. (And if that's the case I'd bet you $20 it involves Carl Newman.) You're invited, too, to this "Improbable Birthday Concert" as tickets ($12, cheap!) are still available.

I've had the new Field Music album, Field Music (Measure), on repeat for the last couple days and it's another knockout from the Brewis brothers, 20 tracks that further refine their distinctive mix of baroque pop, nervy new wave, prog, krautrock and whatever else they're into at the time. It's a Field Music album, no doubt about it, but it's less buttoned up, more rhythm heavy ("Let's Write a Book" shows that one of them's been listening to Can) and willing to give anything a try. If you've never seen Field Music live before, you should definitely come out, the Brewises are shit-hot musicians as well (David is an especially impressive drummer). There used to be a lot of switching instruments when they were a trio, but now as a four-piece I wonder if that'll still happen. We'll see tonight

UPDATE:. Field Music canceled, tickets good for tonight AND rescheduled performance, and Rumours details announced.

The Figgs

Long-running Upstate New York power pop band The Figgs are are in town for two shows (or three if you count Saturday night in Staten Island): tonight/Thursday (12/3) at Bruar Falls with the Nouvellas and Friday (12/4) at Cake Shop. Both shows are with Detroit's The Sights who open for The Queers at Maxwell's on Saturday (The Queers play Southpaw tonight).

The Figgs are a band who I've always liked but never closely followed. Luckily, my friend Steve, who writes a genuine photocopied fanzine The Reynolds Report (now also available in convenient blog form) is arguably the foremost Figgs authority (and you'd be a fool to argue with him on this subject), so I asked him to write a little guest paragraph for this week's TWII:

The Figgs have been creating great power pop for two decades now, with no signs of stopping any time soon. Steeped in the tradition of The Replacements, Cheap Trick and Elvis Costello, their annual Christmas shows are always a great time to catch them as the coming of winter seems to kick the trio's playing up just a notch. Look for them to break out songs from their upcoming album (due out in April), a choice Christmas cover or two, a wide selection from their nine albums and their brand new 45 "Casino Hayes." I'm pretty sure it's the best song about a gambling-addicted drummer (um, their own) ever.

The Figgs rock, so go see them! All dates below.

There's a competition for the power pop dollar this weekend. If you're not going to the Figgs on Friday (12/4), it's probably because you're going to see Sloan at the Bell House. That's where I'll be. My love of these Canadians is no secret, and even when they've made a less-than-totally-awesome album they're always worth seeing in concert, one of my favorite live bands of the '00s. (I'm pretty sure I've seen them at least once a year since 2001.) They've got a new five-song digital-only EP, Hit & Run, which is pretty darn good. Chris Murphy contributes two tracks, including the excellent "Take it Upon Yourself," and the rest of the band each gets one. Tickets ($17.50) are still available. They play with fellow Torontonians, the lovely and talented trio Magneta Lane, and locals Deleted Scenes.

And wait there's more on Friday! Speaking of Canadian, maybe you happened across one of the 37 reports I recently filed from this year's M for Montreal festival. One of that city's more exciting underground bands, Red Mass, make their American debut at Live With Animals Gallery in Williamsburg (same address as Monster Island). Their brand-new EP on Montreal label Semprini is a nice chunk of psych-garage and they definitely put on a good show. The big question is how big a Mass will they be? I've seen them twice -- once there was 10 of them, the second time only four. Safe bet would be somewhere in between. (Canadians love a good excuse to come party in NYC.) If I wasn't already spoken for, I'd definitely being going to see them. Golden Triangle are also on the bill. Singer Choyce told me their might be a house party gig on Saturday too, so look out for that.

The Big Pink

Oh crap, there's still more. The Big Pink, who are making a stink in the UK, are on their first major tour of the U.S., stopping at Bowery Ballroom tonight (12/3) and Music Hall of Williamsburg tomorrow (12/4). Haven't seen them live, but their album A Brief History Of Love is a nice slice of electro-shoegaze that reminds a lot of 30-somethings of early-'90s band Chapterhouse. The anthemic, fist-pumper "Dominos" might not stand the test of time but as an of-the-moment signifier, it's one of 2009's more memorable indie singles. You can download it at the top of this post. I hope they use lots and lots of dry ice and strobes. Crystal Antlers and Von Haze open both shows.

Pants Yell! @ The Bell House on 11/14 (more by Tim Griffin)

If you missed them when they played the Slumberland 20 party at the Bell House a few weeks back, you can download the audio from that show, and you can catch Boston's Pants Yell! at Bruar Falls on Saturday night which might be the last time they ever play the NYC area as they've vowed to break up next year. They'd be going out on a good note if that holds true, as their new album on Slumberland, Received Pronunciation, is another charming slice of deceptively gentle guitar pop. Pants Yell! rock more live than you might expect, they're drummer in particular is kind of a beast on the kit. They also know their indie rock history, from the Pastels and Felt to the Aislers Set, Unrest and beyond. The cover art, complete with a faux Japanese Obi strip, was done by Unrest/Teenbeat/Air Miami/Flin Flon/Cotton Candy maestro Mark Robinson.

Also playing at Bruar Falls on Saturday: Fluffy Lumbers, The Surprisers and comedian Mike Albo. Should be a good night.

JEFF the Brotherhood @ Glenn Danzig's House in Nashville (more by Paul Birman)

BV faves JEFF the Brotherhood, who've had a pretty good 2009, are back in town for the zillionth time this year (seems like they're here as much as Nashville) but that's okay, you don't really tire of their awesome power. Have you heard their album, Heavy Days? It's great. I know I tend to like the cardigan pop, but riffs and grooves this intense can not be denied. And they are just the best live. The vinyl of Heavy Days just got a second pressing with a new back cover, and there's also a new single, "Heavy Damage," which you can pick up at the merch table. The play Saturday (12/5) at Bowery Ballroom opening for Ted Leo (sold out), and then again on Monday (12/7) at Mercury Lounge for what they say is their last show of '09.

The Monday show is solid as a rawk. (Did I just write that? I'm doing this super late at night.) Also on the bill are Death by Audio's Sisters (noise pop backed by a foreboding amp monolith) and Coin Under Tongue (old school riff-heavy hard rock), plus Dinowalrus (kitchen sink psych not unlike early Flaming Lips). Sure it's a Monday, you're tired, but this bill is like aura caffeine. Show's eight bucks and tickets are still available. It's a bit weird to have JEFF in town and not playing Death By Audio, but if they can tear up Pianos on a Thursday afternoon (as they did at the BV day party during CMJ), they can destroy Mercury on a Monday night.

Dinowalrus, fronted by Titus Andronicus guitarist Pete Feigenbaum, are also at Union Pool tonight (12/3) with Dan Friel and others.. The MP3 on top of this post is from their debut album "%" which comes out on Kanine in January.

The Besties

And finally, Brooklyn indiepop mainstays The Besties are calling it quits. I know, it's sad. Here it is in their words, straight from MySpace:

The Besties are officially done. As happens with many awesome relationships, stuff happens and things get hard, and so you end it and remain friends and all that junk. It's like that. We guess? Well, Kelly moved to Asheville, and Frank renewed his vows with the city of Boston. And other stuff. So there's that.

Here's the good news! We are playing two last shows around NYC in December, and we plan on going out with a serious bang. So sell some CDs (keep the Lemonheads ones), bodily fluids or organs for plane ticket money, start hitchhiking, do whatever you need to do - let's party!

Those two shows are Friday (12/4) at Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park, NJ and then their last-ever performance will be Sunday (12/6) at Bruar Falls, which is made extra special because Bunnygrunt are coming in from St. Louis just to play this farewell show.

Like the Besties, I must now say goodbye. But just for this week. Flyers and applicable tour dates follow...

Continue reading "Field Music, the Figgs, Sloan, Big Pink, Red Mass, JEFF the Brotherhood, the Besties & more in This Week in Indie"

by Bill Pearis

Cymbals Eat Guitars @ Bowery Ballroom in May (more by Ryan Muir)

Okay, so Saturday is officially bonkers. I think every band in town this week is playing somewhere, sometimes more than once. There are so many good shows you may get an ulcer trying to narrow down your choices. Here we go:

DAYTIME

Surely there's no place you'd rather be Saturday afternoon than at the free Brooklyn Vegan / Bowery Presents party at Pianos. We've got both floors going, with Cymbals Eat Guitars, Deastro, Pete & the Pirates, Surf City, BEAST, Smith Westerns, Dent May and many more. Plus free Miller and Vitamin Water, and, before and during BEAST's set: free bloody marys. Set times below.

But apparently there are other daytime shows. You might be forgiven if you snuck out and went to Music Snobbery's day party next door at The Living Room. I'm a big fan of Savoir Adore and Sissy Wish, and he's also got Denmark's Choir of Young Believers, Dawn Landes and Bird of Youth.

Then in Williamsburg (which is giving Ludlow St. a run for its money this year)... blogger collective After the Jump have put together a great free show at Brooklyn Bowl, with Surfer Blood, Harlem, Savoir Adore, Soft Black, Grooms, Bear in Heaven, and Small Black. Maybe we'll even get a supergroup of Soft Small Black. Anything can happen on the last day of CMJ.

Then there's the Pitchfork-curated Showpaper benefit at Market Hotel is so big it actually goes till 6AM. (Though it's just DJs after midnight.) It's a good opportunity, especially, for the under-21 crowd to see a lot of the CMJ bands (Surfer Blood, Delorean, Cold Cave) who have otherwise played bars. It's not free, but the $8 goes to keep Showpaper going, which is probably the greatest source for all-ages shows in the city.

Underwater Peoples have put on three showcases during CMJ week, and this last one is at Cameo Gallery. 14 bands from noon to 7PM, including Air Waves, Fluffy Lumbers, Frat Dad, Big Troubles, Spanish Prisoners, and Family Portrait. It may be getting a bit more chilly, but the beachy vibe will be present here this afternoon. Not free, but only $7.

A post with the Saturday night shows is HERE coming soon. In the meantime, it's still Friday night. Saturday day fliers and set times below...

Continue reading "CMJ 2009 - Bill's Saturday daytime picks"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Fluffy Lumbers - Cruisers (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Thomas Function - Belly of the Beast (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Cheap Time - Woodland Drive (MP3)

Cheap Time

As you may have heard, Jay Reatard's Shattered Tour blows into town tonight (10/1) at Le Poisson Rougue, having seen every band on tonight's bill except for Useless Eaters, I can say this sounds like a whole lot of fun. Except for the part that it's a five band bill where doors don't open till 11pm, which seems super late for a 21+ show. So if you don't have to get up and go to work on Friday, or you've evolved beyond the need for sleep, definitely check it out. (The scheduled set times for the night is below.) Expect nudity, maybe some blood, and a whole lot of catchy garage punk pop from Box Elders, Nobunny, Hunx & His Punx, Useless Eaters, and your host for the night, Mr. Reatard (who is also performing with Useless Eaters). You can download a free sampler featuring all the artsits on the tour at the bottom of our just-posted interview with Jay.

A band that are on some of the Shattered Tour dates, though not tonight's, are Cheap Time who are gonna be in town this weekend playing Friday (10/2) and Saturday (10/3) at Silent Barn. This Tennessee trio leans more on the catchy punk and less on blown-out levels and reverb than many of the bands lumped in the garage universe, with their new single "Woodland Drive" being a big leap forward sonically and songwriting-ly.

Friday's show also has Fluffy Lumbers on the bill. Their song "Cruisers" has gotten a lot of play on my stereo over the last two months. You can download it at the top of this post. The band's line-up is in flux at the moment, so I'm not sure how many Fluffy Lumbers there are at this point, but they're worth listening to. Also playing: art-punks White Diamonds and Beachniks which includes members of German Measels and Crystal Stilts.

The Saturday show also features New Orleans piano-based trio The Pharmacy, plus Columbus, OH's Guinea Worms, Brooklyn's Uzi Rash and The Sediment Club.

Thomas Function

Speaking of Silent Barn, Alabama's Thomas Function played there last night (9/30), their first NYC show since January. You've got two more chances to see them: tonight (10/1) at The Studio at Webster Hall and tomorrow (10/2) at Bruar Falls. Thomas Function have a new album, In the Valley of Sickness, which is out October 13 but I'm pretty sure they've got it to buy at their merch tables this weekend. I've only heard a few songs from it (you can download one at the top of this post). What I've heard sounds a just slightly less raucous than last year's Celebration, but I have a feeling the songs will be a bit wilder when played live. Both NYC shows (and all upcoming dates with TF) are with mysterious French dude Yussuf Jerusalem whose MySpace page and artwork might lead you to believe he makes some sort of scary black metal but in fact it's catchy, slightly gothy psych-rock not that far off from Ohio greats My Dad is Dead.

The Soft Pack @ Bowery Ballroom in March (more by Chris La Putt)

The Soft Pack are also back in town this weekend, playing their first shows since being odd men out on that NME tour that had them sharing the bill with UK acts Friendly Fires and White Lies. Their show at Bowery Ballroom on Friday (10/2) makes a lot more sense, with onetime 1928 labelmates The Sundelles, plus Right on Dynamite and The Dig. The band did spend part of their summer in Brooklyn, recording their debut for Kemado Records which should be out in early 2010. I haven't seen them since their Union Pool show back in January with Those Darlins which is one of the best times I've had all year, and I'm anxious to hear some new tracks, like "C'mon" which you can watch a live performance of at the bottom of this post.

There'll be more This Week In Indie later, including The Dø, Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Besnard Lakes, the return of Frank Sidebottom and more. Stay tuned. In the meantime, check out videos, flyers and tour dates after the jump.

Continue reading "Cheap Time, Thomas Function, The Soft Pack, Fluffy Lumbers & more in This Week in Indie (part 1)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Blind Man Color - Heavy Cloud Hustle (JVG Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Beach Fossils - Vacation (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Mitch Easter - Time Warping (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Mitch Easter - Sudden Crown Drop (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Asteroid #4 - Flowers of Ours (MP3)

Beach Fossils

Hope everyone stayed cool this weekend. Before I get into picks for the first part of this week, I'd just like to point out that we've got a remix (a BV exclusive, I'm told) of Blind Man's Colour's "Heavy Cloud Hustle" in the popular MP3 format to download at the very top of this post. The band were in town this weekend and I caught their Saturday night set at Union Hall where I was surprised to see a traditional guitar-bass-drums-keyboard setup for a band whose album, Season Dreaming (out tomorrow 8/18) leans heavily into Animal Collective sound collage territory. They pulled it off pretty well for only have played live for a month, though the band could use a few more peppy songs.

That night's show -- that also included San Diego's Lights On and Philly's Drink Up Buttercup -- was stolen by locals Beach Fossils who've figured out a distinctive sound: two guitarists but neither of them play chords, just single notes that play off each and the bouncy basslines. The band bounces around a lot too; nobody stands still in this band. It's a sound somewhere between the Clean and early R.E.M. and it's hard to dislike. I wish they'd drop the vibrato effects on the vocals which I think are an unnecessary affectation, but otherwise I'm a fan. They haven't put out anything yet, but they've got records out sometime soon on Woodsist and Captured Tracks (not surprisingly they played the festival put on by the same two labels), and you can download an MP3 of their track "Vacation" at the top of this post. They've also got ties to the Underwater Peoples Records who are putting on a show at Market Hotel this Saturday (8/22) that Beach Fossils are playing -- along with every band associated with the label. That includes Ducktails, sister band Real Estate, Air Waves, Fluffy Lumbers and bunch more. The show's only $5 and doors are at 4pm. Full schedule for the show is at the bottom of this post.

Ambulance LTD

Rewinding a bit, Ambulance LTD play their first shows this week since finally being released from their contract from former, bankrupt label, TVT. I really like their 2004 debut and hopefully we'll get to hear its John Cale-produced follow-up sooner than later, but you can get a taste live this week. The band's show tomorrow night (8/18) at Mercury Lounge is sold out, but you can still get tickets for tonight's show (8/17) at Union Hall. Both shows are with the great Savoir Adore so get there early and be sure to pick up a copy of their debut, In the Wooded Forrest, which is only available at their shows (or digitally) right now.

In town for two shows this week is North Carolina indie rock legend Mitch Easter, who plays Southpaw on Tuesday (8/18) and Maxwell's on Thursday (8/20). While he's maybe best known as a producer (the first two R.E.M.'s albums [with Don Dixon], Pavement's Brighten the Corners, Moose's ...XYZ among other things), but Easter has had a long career as a musician, as a part of The Sneakers in the late '70s and frontman/songwriter for Let's Active, easily one of the most underrated bands of the '80s. He's also an incredible guitarist, and Let's Active albums are resplendent with awesome axe-work.

I like everything they ever did but 1986's Big Plans for Everybody is especially great, one of my favorite albums of that decade. Mitch put the kybosh on Let's Active in 1990 and didn't release any original material until last year's Dynamico, an album which showed he still has chops and songs to spare. He opened for the dB's at Bowery Ballroom two years ago where he played most of Let's Active's big songs ("Every Word Means No," "Waters Part," "Fell," "In Little Ways") and has since been touring with his "Let's Active cover band" Gravel Truck that splits the set between classics and new songs. Easter helped shape the sound of the underground in the '80s and '90s, and is absolutely still worth checking out.

Both shows are with Amy Speace whose new album 'The Killer In Me' was engineered by Mitch.

The Asteroid #4

And lastly, Philadelphia's The Asteroid #4 is playing Tuesday night (8/18) at Glasslands in Brooklyn. The band recently toured with The Brian Jonestown Massacre which gives you a good idea of what you can expect, and they're not unlike Philly neighbors (The Sounds of) Kaleidescope... but they're better. Last year's These Flowers of Ours, is pretty ace, a nice blend of The Byrds, Ride and Spiritualized. You can stream the whole thing here and download the album's title track at the top of this post. The Glasslands show is with a couple likeminded bands: Austin's Runaway Sun and Brooklyn's Revival Times.

That's it for now. Tour dates, flyers and videos after the jump...

Continue reading "Beach Fossils, Ambulance LTD, Underwater Peoples, Mitch Easter, Asteroid #4 & Blind Mans Colour in This Week in Indie"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Lights On - John and Anne (MP3)

Trashcan Sinatras

Glasgow's Trashcan Sinatras have been with us for 20 years now, having perfected their brand of sparkling, literate guitar pop that initially garnered them comparisons to The Smiths. Like fellow Glaswegians The Blue Nile, the Trashcan Sinatras take their time between albums -- the brand new In the Music is only the band's fifth. (It should be noted that time between albums is not entirely their doing -- the band have had colossally bad luck with record labels.) The band made the album here in New York with Ivy guitarist Andy Chase behind the boards. Like their other four records, it's loaded with gorgeous songs, arpeggiated guitar lines and swoon-worthy harmonies. Weirdly, it's also got Carly Simon singing backing vocals on the song "Should I Pray?" How did that come about? Guitarist Paul Livingston explained to Bullz-Eye.com:

PL: Well, after we recorded the backing tracks in New York, the producer, Andy Chase, was going to set up a studio at his house in Martha's Vineyard. And he said, "Come on, Carly Simon lives here." And we were floored, and thought, "That would be great if we could meet her." And so he asked her to sing on a song, and we got her a lot of the songs we were working on. But the disappointing thing was, when we were in Martha's Vineyard, she was in New York. So we didn't meet her, which is kind of a bummer.

BE: Oh, that's no fun.

PL: Yeah, that's shit, isn't it? The idea was that she'd come to Martha's Vineyard and sing, and that'd be great. And then when people asked us in interviews, 'what was it like,' we thought we'd have a better answer than, "We didn't meet her." But we're going to invite her to some of these gigs, see if she'll come. But it was really nice of her to be so into the music.

Maybe Carly will show up at Trashcan Sinatra's show this Saturday at Bowery Ballroom (8/15). Tickets are still available. Either way, they tour here about as often as they make records so don't miss this chance to see them. Opening is Andy Chase's other band, Brookeville, who definitely owe a little to Trashcan Sinatras and other pristine '80s pop.

Miles Hunt

You could make it a night of late-'80s/early-'90s UK pop Saturday (8/15) if you bolted from Bowery Ballroom right after the Trashcans and hit Cake Shop where former (and sometimes current) Wonder Stuff frontman Miles Hunt will be performing. For those who don't remember, the band were originally part of the short-lived UK "grebo" scene (bands that looked like hippies but sounded punk-ish) that also included Pop Will Eat Itself (Hunt was their original drummer) and Neds Atomic Dustbin, but the band soon developed a celtic pop sound that got them into the British charts many times. In those days of the most unfortunate fashion in modern history, The Wonder Stuff were staples on U.S. college and commercial alternative radio too, with cheeky songs like "A Wish Away," "Don't Let Me Down Gently," and "Welcome to the Cheap Seats." Miles is touring with Wonder Stuff violinist Erika Nockalls which is nice since fiddle played heavily into their sound.

Lights On

Also this week: San Diego's Lights On make their first trip to NYC, playing four shows starting Thursday night (8/13) at Club NME at the Annex. I don't know a whole lot about them, but their self-released debut EP is a nice collection of '80s-influence pop -- most reviews I've read bring up New Order and Echo & the Bunnymen, both of which are pretty easy to detect in their sound. But it's definitely more influence than imitation, and I like them enough to check out one of the four shows (all dates at the bottom of this post). If you could go to any of the four, I'd recommend the Saturday (8/15) show at Union Hall in which they're part of a solid lineup that also includes Philly's can-banging Drink Up Buttercup, Kiwi-influenced Brooklynites Beach Fossils, and Florida buzz band Blind Man's Colour.

Blind Man's Colour

Blind Man's Colour make the sort of cut-n-paste psychedelia that gets you quick comparisons to Animal Collective, and they've been praised by Kanye West ("SOME DOPE SHIT FOR MY APARTMENT"), as well as by people you might more expect (Ed Droste, Stereogum, Pitchfork). Their debut album, Season Dreaming, which I like about half of, is out next week on Kanine Records (Grizzly Bear, Chairlift, Princeton) but I'd have to imagine they'll be selling it at the merch table. These guys had their first-ever live show a couple weeks ago, so you might want to go in with lowered expectations. BMC are playing a number of shows this weekend, and all area dates are listed at the bottom of this post.

Other shows happening this weekend: Tonight (8/13) at Hudson River Park at Pier 54 we've got a free River Rocks show with Yeasayer and Amazing Baby. I haven't seen Yeasayer since All Hour Cymbals was still fresh (circa CMJ 2007?), so I'm curious to hear some of their new material and check out the now five-strong lineup. As for Amazing Baby, it's well documented on this site I'm a fan but realize many are not. Chacun à son goût.

Friday is the final show of this year's Seaport Music series, ending strong with School of Seven Bells and The xx. The forecast looks good, and shows have been sounding great at the Seaport all summer so this is how I'd recommend you kick off the weekend, though I realize many will be at Prospect Park for Animal Collective. But Seaport is free.

Too much going on Friday. If you want to dance, Littlefield has Canada's slightly nerdy duo Woodhands and the Latin-loving Project Jenny/Project Jan.

And if shambly DIY pop is more your thing, The Beets (who will soon be hitting the road with Vivian Girls), German Measles, Pop.1280 and the new-but-quite-promising Fluffy Lumbers play Silent Barn. It's a birthday bash for my pal Rachel (full disclosure!) but everyone's welcome. Flyer below.

I think that about does it. Tour dates, videos and flyers are after the jump...

Continue reading "Trashcan Sinatras, Miles Hunt, Lights On, Blind Man's Colour, Yeasayer, School of Seven Bells & more in This Week In Indie"