by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Fredrik - Rites of Spring (MP3)

A quick mention that Malmo, Sweden's Fredrik are back in town, playing The Rock Shop tonight (6/13), opening for Archie Powell & the Exports and Eastern Conference Champions. It looks it's a one-off show for the trio, no other U.S dates scheduled at the moment.

Speaking of the Rock Shop, it's a busy week for the Park Slope venue, especially in the solo women known for being in other bands department. Rebecca Gates of the Spinanes is there on Tuesday (6/14), Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab is Wednesday (6/15) and Kathryn Calder of the New Porngraphers is Friday (6/17).

Fredrik's third album, Flora, was released back in April and you can download "Rites of Spring" from it at the top of this post. Like the rest of the record, "Rites of Spring" is a dense and intriguing mix of pulsing electronics, acoustic instrumentation, hushed vocals and pounding instrumentation (one member is credited as playing "mallets").

You can listen to Flora in its entirety via a YouTube stream below, and there are a couple Fredrik videos to check out below as well.

Continue reading "Fredrik released an LP (it's streaming), are one of many artists playing this week @ the Rock Shop "

"...might I suggest checking out Fredrik who hail from Malmö, but have been over here playing some shows. Their debut, Na Na Ni, is spooky and somewhat downbeat -- perfect for this attumnal weather we're having." [Bill Pearis in 2008]

Fredrik are back for a short tour that includes four NYC shows starting tonight (2/14). All dates and a new video below...

Continue reading "Fredrik - 2010 tour dates (in NYC now) & new video "

Twi the Humble Feather (upstairs) @ Pianos (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

Saturday, November 15th (downstairs) @ Pianos in NYC

1am - WOLFF
midnight - DJANGO JAMES & THE MIDNIGHT SQUIRES
11pm - AMERICAN DOLLAR
10pm - ON MONO
9pm - FREDRIK
8pm - TWI AND THE HUMBLE FEATHER

Twi the Humble Feather were supposed to play 92YTribeca tonight, Friday November 14th, but that has been cancelled, so they're playing this early show at Pianos on Saturday instead, AND they go on right before Sweden's Fredrik.

Also worth noting: Django James (playing Pianos Saturday at midnight) is (Eurythmics) Dave Stewart's 17 year old son. Django came to NYC to play a party at the Morrison Hotel Gallery located in the old CBGB's Gallery on Bowery Thursday night (11/13). The occasion was an exhibit of photographs by Mick Rock (many of which are of Django).

Tonight (Friday) @ Pianos: Obi Best & Phonograph.

Also Friday: Fredrik @ a record store, and other stuff

A Fredrik video below...

Continue reading "a Twi the Humble Feather update, this Saturday @ Pianos "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Fredrik - Black Fur (MP3)

Little Joy

While tonight/Thursday's Little Joy show at Mercury Lounge is unsurprisingly sold-out but there are a few other chances to check out this Strokes offshoot. Fabrizo Morretti wrote or co-wrote most of the songs on Little Joy's genial, enjoyable debut, but leaves the singing up to his bandmates (Devendra Banhardt cohort) Rodrigo Amarante and the awesomely-named Binki Shapiro. While their is a through-line to the sound of the Strokes, Little Joy is way more laid-back with a '60s R&B sort of feel that makes it a great lazy Sunday album. (MTV2's Subterranean blog said it sounds like "smoking pot in Hawaii" which works too.)

Anyway, those additional shows. Little Joy also play Maxwell's on Friday (11/14) (which actually also appears to be sold out), the newly revitalized Wonder Bar in Asbury Park, NJ on Saturday (11/15) and the Virgin Megastore Union Square on Monday (11/17) (free). They're also on a pretty extensive tour of the U.S. and all those dates (plus a video) are at the bottom of this post.

Fredrik

If you can't wait till December for the Swedish folk-pop of Loney, Dear and Melpo Mene, might I suggest checking out Fredrik who hail from Malmö, but have been over here playing some shows. Their debut, Na Na Ni, is spooky and somewhat downbeat -- perfect for this attumnal weather we're having. They're playing an in-store at Greenpoint's Permanent Records on Friday (11/14) and Pianos on Saturday (11/15). There's a few more additional U.S. dates (and a video) at the bottom of this post.

New Radiant Storm King

I would also like point out that indie rock stalwarts New Radiant Storm King are playing Union Pool on Sunday (10/16) with Tropic of Nelson. Though I tend to think of them as part of the early '90s scene that also produced Small Factory, Barnabys, and Versus, the band has never stopped releasing records, with 2006's The Steady Hand being perhaps the best of their career. I think Boston blog Bradley's Almanac summed-up their longevity pretty nicely:

That thoughtfully energetic collection of dual-guitar rock songs kept the best aspects of what made this born-in-89 quartet so good throughout the 90s, while at the same time showing enough growth to not sound like a retread. Unlike some of their peers, age hadn't split them apart and put acoustic guitars in their hands, or pushed them towards milking their rich catalog for nostalgia's sake -- their hook-filled creativity was still fully on display, along with a measured dose of songwriting maturity.

New Radiant Storm King just released their eighth album, Drinking in the Moonlight, and it's another winner. Founding members Peyton Pinkerton (who also logs time in the Pernice Brothers) and Matt Hunter are obviously doing this for the music not the money, though I'm sure they'd love you to buy some merch at the show on Sunday.

All videos and tour dates below...

Continue reading "Little Joy, Fredrik, New Radiant Storm King & more in this Week in Indie "