DOWNLOAD: David Bazan - Bless This Mess (MP3)

David Bazan @ Pianos in September (more by Kurt Christensen)

[David] Bazan and band strayed from Curse Your Branches territory a few times. Covering Bob Dylan's "The Man In Me," Bazan channeled the power of The Dude, with easy going goodwill practically blasting out of the amplifiers. Old Pedro the Lion standards like "Bad Diary Days" and "When They Really Get to Know You They' Will Run" caused some confused looks on the faces of more recent fans, but "Magazine" and "Penetration," both from 2002's Control caused massive reaction- the swaggering drums and Fugazi-style over-driven guitars contrasted nicely with the quieter moments of the set.

Bazan, known for question and answer sessions at his show, didn't field too many questions last night. When asked how to make a "Brown Bitch," a drink he featured on his website years ago, he sheepishly offered up the recipe: Smirnoff Ice and Whiskey, but warned that it "didn't taste too good, and worked way too fast." [Phoenix New Times]

His newest record, Curse Your Branches, came out last September. He's putting out a collection called Live At Electrical Audio on April 30th.

Recorded live in the studio at Electrical Audio in Chicago, IL on October 28, 2009.

During their first tour together, Bazan and his band spent a day in Studio A at Electrical Audio in Chicago. The band set-up and played live with no overdubs over the next 12 hours. The tracks were sent to Bazan's long time collaborator and former Pedro The Lion bandmate, TW Walsh for mixing and mastering.

"Bazan: Live at Electrical Audio" features 10 new versions of songs that have previously appeared on Pedro The Lion, Headphones and Bazan solo albums.

Continue reading "David Bazan on tour now, releasing Live at Electrical Audio "

DOWNLOAD: Fresh & Onlys - Invisible Forces (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Beach House - Norway (MP3)

Surf City @ Pianos/BV-CMJ Party 2009 (more by Chris La Putt)

Surf City was just one of the 'surf' bands that made a splash at this year's CMJ. Both groups (the other being Surfer Blood) are set to repeat the feat at SXSW.

Surfer Blood's tour takes a New York turn in late February, while New Zealand's Surf City hits NYC post-SXSW. They play a March 25th show at Maxwell's with Headlights (who play Bowery on their tour with David Bazan two nights earlier). Tickets to Maxwell's are on sale.

The next night, Friday, March 26th, Surf City play a late show at Mercury Lounge. Tickets go on sale Wednesday at noon.

Before both of those, Surf City will be on a bill with fellow New Zealander Bachelorette at Union Hall on March 22nd (ticket info TBA).

While in NYC, Bachelorette will also be playing at Cake Shop on March 20th before heading out on tour with Beach House from March 26th to April 19th (Beach House continue with Washed Out after that). Beach House celebrate their new record (and their 9.0 Best New Music) at Bell House tonight (1/26).

Surf City do make some pre-SXSW stops on their way to Austin too. One is in L.A. on March 13th with The Fresh & Onlys, who will also be in Austin March 17th-20th. In addition, Fresh & Onlys play Noise Pop 2010 in their hometown of San Fran, and tour with King Khan & The Shrines (with no NYC date unfortunately) in April. The track above is off The Fresh & Onlys' 2009 Woodsist album Grey-Eyed Girls - they have a new just-completed third record due this spring on In The Red.

All tour dates and a video are below...

Continue reading "Surf City, Bachelorette, Beach House, Fresh & Onlys and King Khan & The Shrines are playing shows, touring, etc"

David Bazan @ Bowery Ballroom in October (more by Jake Forney)

David Bazan's Curse Your Branches came out last September, and he marked the occasion with solo living room shows (which stopped in Brooklyn) and a full-band tour.

Bazan has another show living room tour this January, then he'll head out for shows in March and April with Headlights. They'll play Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on Tuesday, March 23rd. Tickets are on sale.

Headlights put out a new disc in 2009 too - their Wildlife came out on Polyvinyl. Two videos from that record and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "David Bazan & Headlights - 2010 tour dates & videos "

Future of the Left @ Siren Fest (more by Chris La Putt)

"The only bad part about the [Future of the Left] set [in San Francisco] was how quickly it was over; each opening act played for roughly 40 minutes and it seemed like that FOTL played for maybe five or ten more. There was easily enough time for another song or two (I would have liked to hear "The Lord Hates a Coward" or "I Am Civil Service"), but the last song ended in the bassist jumping off the stage, giving his bass to someone in the crowd, and doing push-ups while feedback kept coming through the guitar amp, the drum set was taken apart on stage while still being played and the whole thing was a myriad of confusion and awesomeness." [PunkNews]

The band's last NYC show was at Siren Fest on July 18th, where they shared a bill with Japandroids. Japandroids are coming back soon too - they play September 24th at the Mercury Lounge with Mt. St. Helen's Vietnam Band. Tickets are still available.

And for CMJ, which is quickly coming up, Japandroids will play an October 22nd Death+Taxes Party at Glasslands, and a Polyvinyl Records CMJ show on October 23rd at the Bell House (and more dates TBA). Joining them at the latter will be Headlights, the currently-on-tour Cale Parks and James Husband. Tickets are on sale now.

FotL will be touring the US and Canada this October with Trail of Dead (who didn't get to play their Pool Party show due to lightning, but did get to play a set at All Points Wet). Trail of Dead's next NYC shows are September 18th and 19th at Webster Hall and Music Hall of Williamsburg with Secret Machines.

All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Future of the Left touring in October, Japandroids too - Polyvinyl @ CMJ, Trail of Dead & other 2009 tour dates"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Box Elders - Hole in My Head (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Jeremy Jay - In This Lonely Town (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Headlights - Cherry Tulips (TJ Lipple Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Headlights - Market Girl (Album Leaf Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Love Language - Lalita (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Julie Doiron - Consolation Prize (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Katie Stelmanis - In My Favour (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Savoir Adore - Transylvanian Candy Patrol (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Darwin Deez - Bad Day (MP3)

The Box Elders are back for the first time since their loin-clothed Market Hotel show back in January, playing Bruar Falls on Friday (4/24) and Cake Shop on Saturday (4/25). For those, like myself, who have played their sole single, "Hole in My Head," to death at this point and are anxiously awaiting new stuff from them... we must continue to wait. Their debut album on Goner, Alice and Friends, won't be out till August 4. Their next release is just a single that's only available via the Hozac Hookup Club which subscriptions sold out quick for. And as mentioned before, Box Elders will have a single out on Jay Reatard's newly-reinvigorated Shattered Records. Maybe the band will have a tour CD-R or something?

Friday should be one of the first real tests of Bruar Falls as far as in-demand shows. The place is teeny-tiny (not that Cake Shop is big). It should be a tight fit. Getting there early would be smart, and luckily the lineup is pretty good, with Bay Area psych folk band Dame Satan; Jackson Heights' The Beets whose debut, Spit in the Face of People Who Don't Want to Be Cool, is out now on Captured Tracks and worth seeking out for those who dig garagey '60s proto-punk; and caUSE co-MOTION offshoot German Measles. The Cake Shop show should be a little more manageable.

Blank Dogs

Whichever night I'm not going to see Box Elders, I'll probably go see Blank Dogs. Originally just the name of Captured Tracks head Mike Sniper's many, many home recordings, Blank Dogs have become a real band over the last year and a good one at that. Sniper has also dropped the anonymity schtick for the most part, actually showing his face in a new press photo, just in time for the new double-LP, Under and Under, which is out in June on In the Red. It's still of the mid-'80s goth sound (I think they sound like Red Lorry Yellow Lorry if you remember them) but more refined and catchier songs. The creepy/funny video to the album's first single, "Setting Fire to Your House," is further down this post.

Blank Dogs play Friday (4/24) at Secret Project Robot in Williamsburg which is the same building at Monster Island, and share the bill with two kindred spirits: the gothy (and a bit silly if you ask me) Cold Cave, and Brooklyn's Mazing Vids who've been around for a while but don't play very often anymore.

Jeremy Jay

Saturday's show at Silent Barn is a bit more varied and probably better for it, with two other bands that would be worth seeing on their own. Jeremy Jay just released his second album on K that swings from Cars-ish new wave, to twangy surf rock. It's a good record, and you can download the single "In This Lonely Town" at the top of this post. Rounding out the solid line-up is Mobile, Alabama's Wizzard Sleeve whose debut is out sometime soon on Hozac. With song titles like "Chrome Intensifier" and "Pterodactly Meltdown" you know your in for a trippy time, but it's not paisley shirt acid rock. Their brand of psych feels very modern, with a big dose of krautrock for good measure. I really feel this show is a hard one to pass up.

Jeremy Jay also plays a show on Friday (4/24) at Union Hall with Illuminations and James William Hindle. Tickets are on sale. All dates below.

Julie Doiron

There are a lot of hard to pass-up shows this weekend. Canadian singer Julie Doiron is in town, playing Cake Shop on Friday (4/24) and Union Hall on Saturday (4/25). Some may know her for her work with Mt. Eerie, and others remember Julie from her days fronting Eric's Trip who released three albums on Sub Pop in the early '90s. She's been prolific ever since Eric's Trip broke up in 1997, releasing a string of quality, if somewhat downcast solo albums. Her latest, I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day, is ebullient in comparison but no less special. She's got one of those voices, not unlike Chan Marshall or Beth Orton, that can make the hair on the back of your neck stand at attention. Check out the album's "Consolation Prize" at the top of this post, and the video for "Heavy Snow" at the bottom.

Katie Stelmanis

The Julie Doiron Cake Shop show is an early one, so you could theoretically hit it before going elsewhere. Plus, speaking of magical, unique voices, fellow Canadian (and Cake Shop fave) Katie Stelmanis is also on the bill. There's an MP3 at the top of the post (and a video below) and here's what Popmatters said earlier this year:

Katie Stelmanis was already starting to pick up steam in 2008. Almost a year since her nearly unnoticed debut album, Join Us dropped on Blocks Recording Club (a record co-op based in Toronto), Stelmanis was featured on Fucked Up's Chemistry of Common Life, and split a Matador released 7" with them in late 2008. In 2009, people are bound to pick up on the ethereal and eerie leanings of this powerful vocalist and songwriter.

Opening for Julie Doiron at the Union Hall show on Saturday is Purse Snatchers, which is former Dirty on Purpose drummer Doug Marvin's new musical project.

----

A few more recommended shows:

I've plugged local band Savoir Adore before, who in my opinion are one of the best unheralded pop bands in town. They're playing tonight (4/23) at Pianos and you should really go out and see them. There's a newish song to download at the top of this post and is more indicative of what they do live than their concept-EP debut from last year. If you like Stars or The Go-Betweens or any classic pop, I really don't think you'll be disappointed. Also on the bill is Darwin Deez, who make infectious, '80s-tinged dance pop that's kind of hard to dislike. One of their MP3s is above too.

As you may have read on this site, Chicago's Headlights are playing on Friday (4/24) at the Bell House. If you're going to that show (or are looking for something to do and everything else I've written about here doesn't sound interesting to you), I implore you to show up early and check out North Carolina's The Love Language. I really like their self-titled debut that is warm and inviting, lush and low-fi at the same time.

And Sunday night (4/26) at Maxwells is the Fourth Anniversary party for Musicsnobbery.com. Last year, Moby filled in when headliners The Teeth broke up days before his Third Anniversary party. This year there's no such drama, but the line-up is solid: Crystal Stilts, Mahogany (both faves of mine) and Motel Motel. Might I suggest you bring Musicsnobbery blog founder Chris some cookies in appreciation?

Tour dates and videos after the jump...

Continue reading "Jeremy Jay, Julie Doiron, Katie Stelmanis, Blank Dogs, The Beets, Wizzard Sleeve & more in This Week In Indie"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Headlights - Market Girl (Album Leaf Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Headlights - Cherry Tulips (TJ Lipple Remix) (MP3)

Chicago's Headlights are currently on a short tour with The Love Language. The pair plays a Friday, April 24th show at Brooklyn's Bell House with Modern Skirts. Tickets are on sale.

Headlights are currently at work on the follow-up to their last LP, 2008's Some Racing, Some Stopping. In 2008, the band also released a remixes record -- a limited-edition vinyl pressing of that will be out May 19th on Polyvinyl. The third track from that release, Headlights' "Market Girl" re-worked by the Album Leaf, is posted above along with the more commonly posted TJ Lipple remix of "Cherry Tulips". Full tracklist below.

The Album Leaf has a new disc coming out as well. That record, currently scheduled for a fall 2009 release on Sub Pop, will be the first full-band album by the Album Leaf (formerly the solo project of Jimmy LaValle). The band wrote on its Myspace that the new disc will be "recorded with the full live band (everyone you've seen playing live since 2003) and not just Jimmy."

Headlights played two new tracks from their forthcoming record at a hometown gig in March. Video below with all tour dates...

Continue reading "Headlights tour dates, remixes, Album Leaf MP3, new album "

DOWNLOAD: The Submarines - You, Me, & The Bourgeoisie (MP3)

Headlights are on tour with The Submarines - a proper indie pop pairing that will hit Union Hall and Mercury Lounge this week. Videos and tour dates below....

Continue reading "Headlights & The Submarines - 2008 Tour Dates"

Don't let this happen to your favorite touring band. Shop at Insound.

The "Give More" part of our new digital sales project is called "Show Support." It's really simple. Every time you buy an MP3 album from Insound (not EPs or singles), Insound will donate $.25 of our take to a touring band. We choose 6 lucky bands that we like, but you get to select the actual artist to earmark your quarter to. Furthermore, should you wish to "tip" additional funds to these great artists, you can add your own tip during checkout. 100% of these funds will go to the band you choose. If you do not choose a specific band, we will distribute the funds equally to all of the bands. We will add new bands 2-4 times each year. All funds are to be used by bands to support the next national tour. In short, their tours will be made possible by you - Insound customers!

Currently, the awesome bands that will benefit from our donations are:

The Big Sleep on the streets
Russian Circles
The Twilight Sad about the price of gas
Headlights are keeping me up at night
Epsilons
Videohippos

Please note: You do not have to buy an album by one of the Show Support bands above to donate money. The $.25 per MP3 album and your tips will be donated whether you buy their albums or you buy an album by any other artist. Additionally, tips will only be earmarked to one of the 6 bands above. For example, if you buy a Pinback MP3, that does not mean that Pinback will get an extra $.25 from that order. Their label and distributor will receive the same amount they always do, but another lucky Show Support band will get some extra help. Any questions email us: CassieHelp@insound.com.

Other good causes (ways to help the homeless) (no offense touring bands) can be found here.

PREVIOUSLY: Warner Music acquires Insound

Headlights @ Iota, Arlington, VA - Feb 21, 2008 (Lexie Moreland)

First up at Mercury Lounge was the Evangelicals, a spooky poppy band not beneath slathering all their gear with glo paint and breaking out the blacklights. The highlight of this show occurred when the lead singer jumped onto the kick drum and steadied himself against the ceiling. He wasn't steady enough though, and he face-planted back onto the stage, knocking the mic stand into the audience and flipping on the floodlights. He finished the song from the bassist's microphone.

Headlights came on and played only songs off the new album, easing into a steady, pleasant groove..... [Impose MAgazine @ the February 24th Mercury Lounge show]

The continuing tour hits Union Hall in Brooklyn tonight (Feb 29). Headlights' "Cherry Tulip" video below...

Continue reading "Headlights & Evangelicals played NYC + Brooklyn tonight"

Continue reading "Headlights - Cherry Tulips (video)"

The new Mountain Goats album, Heretic Pride, is garnering critical accolades (including an 8.0 in Pitchfork today), all of them deserved. Not only is John Darnielle's songwriting stronger with every new release, but he seems more comfortable with the production and collaborating musicians (including St. Vincent's Annie Clark here). Look for an interview with Darnielle on Largehearted Boy tomorrow.

A Mountain Goats release alone would make it a great music release week for me, but there are plenty more quality discs I can recommend. Bon Iver received plenty of music blog love for the hauntingly beautiful For Emma, Forever Ago. I can also strongly recommend American Music Club's The Golden Age, Allison Moorer's Mockingbird, Flowers Forever's self-titled debut, Headlights' Some Racing, Some Stopping, Mike Doughty's Golden Delicious, Raveonettes' Lust Lust Lust, and Throw Me the Statue's Moonbeams from what I have already heard.

Yep Roc reissues a remastered edition of Nick Lowe's classic album, Jesus of Cool, this week.

Poetry and Beat generation fans will be excited to see Jack Kerouac & Steve Allen's three-disc Poetry For The Beat Generation available as a standalone purchase.

What new releases you picking up this week? What can you recommend? Have I left anything worthwhile off the list?

Continue reading "Largehearted Boy's Interesting CD Releases This Week"

DOWNLOAD: Bowerbirds - In Our Talons (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Evangelicals - Skeleton Man (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Headlights - Cherry Tulips (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Phosphorescent - A Picture Of Our Torn Up Praise (MP3)

Evangelicals are a pretty good band from Oklahoma that have a pretty good new album called The Evening Descends out on the very awesome Dead Oceans label - the sister label of Jagjaguwar and Secretly Canadian, and the new home of John Darnielle's favorite band Bowerbirds....

First, Dead Oceans will issue an expanded edition of Bowerbirds' "Hymns for a Dark Horse," with a new album further off in the horizon. The Plug Award nominated (best Americana album) "Hymns for a Dark Horse" will receive several bonus tracks, as well as a release on vinyl for the first time.

All dates below...

Continue reading "EVANGELICALS & Headlights - 2008 Tour Dates, BOWERBIRDS on Dead Oceans, Phosphorescent"