by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Hedgehog - Toy and 61 Festival (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Hedgehog - Waiting for the Last Bus (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Royal Baths - Nikki Don't (MP3)

After surviving a couple minor major acts of nature, we deserve a long break. So for your Labor Day weekend... like usual, it's pretty slow, show-wise. But there are some things to do.

We'll start this week with a movie. Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life is finally getting a U.S. release (it came out in January 2010 in France), albeit a limited one, thanks in part to great reissue label Light in the Attic. The film started it's two-week Film Forum run last night and will be making its way around the country throughout the fall. All play dates are at the bottom of this post.

Heroic maybe, but for sure Serge Gainsbourg led a wild life before succumbing to cancer at age 62 in 1992. You could make a compelling film out of any period of his life, and that the movie tries to cram it all in -- from fleeing Nazi-occupied Paris as a child through his rise to fame, relationships with Bridget Bardot and Jane Birkin to his his '70s dalliance with reggae -- gives too much of your standard Behind the Music story arc.

But it's also untraditional at the same time. Writer-director Joann Sfar is a comic artist (this is his first film) and injects a big element of the absurd courtesy of a puppet-like alter-ego (alter-Id, really) that encourages Gainsbourg to do bad things. Eric Elmosnino, a dead-ringer for Gainsbourg, is terrific, as is the rest of the cast -- including Lucy Gordon as Birkin and Laetitia Casta as Bardot, plus appearances by eccentric singer Philippe Katerine and the late Claude Chabrol. It's got a great sense of style and, of course, the soundtrack is amazing. Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life could be better, but it's still worth seeing.

Weekend

As for actual shows, San Francisco's vociferous and awesome Weekend will be here on Saturday (9/3) at Glasslands and Sunday (/4) at Mercury Lounge. Both shows are with the similarly cacophonous Talk Normal.

Weekend have a new EP, Red, out September 20th on Slumberland which finds the trio exploring new sonic territory, though not the quiet kind. It's still rather pummeling but Shaun Durkan's vocals, previously hidden behind echo and backwards reverb, are dryer and more up front now. The sound is a little sharper all around, but the driving, melodic basslines and guitar squall remain. You can download Red track "Hazel" via a Soundcloud widget at the bottom of this post.

In addition to Talk Normal, the Glasslands show features their Slumberland labelmates Brown Recluse; the Mercury Lounge show also has Fan-Tan on the bill. All Weekend/Talk Normal tour dates are at the bottom of this post.

Royal Baths

San Francisco's Royal Baths bring their heavy psychedelia to Death by Audio on Friday (9/2) with Xray Eyeballs, Hunters and Mountain Cult. I wrote previously: "Royal Baths are kind of bad trip acid rock, dark and seedy but not atonal. But it's definitely down the rabbit hole. In a good way." At the top of this post you can download a track off of Royal Baths debut LP  from last year. The band have a split double-7" with Ty Segall due out on HoZac any time now. Keep an eye peeled for that.

Hedgehog

Bejiing's Hedgehog are back in America for the first time since CMJ: they play Bruar Falls on Sunday (9/4) and Cake Shop on Monday (9/5). After that they head out on tour with Xiu-Xiu and Kindest Lines, and all tour dates are at the bottom of this post.

I caught set at The Woods last year and the venue's atrocious sound didn't deter Hedgehog's tenacity, most ably embodied in Atom, their tiny pistol of a drummer. Looking at them, you might expect pop punk a la Japan's Blue Hearts, but Hedgehog make melodic indie rock. There's a couple tracks to download at the top of this post. They're a blast live, and there aren't a lot of shows Sunday or Monday, so here's a good international option for your concert dollar.

That's it of the "big" stuff in my world. Some more shows -- including a fair amount of free ones -- are listed day-by-day below.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1

Good show at Shea Stadium tonight. In addition to the recently-profiled Caged Animals, there's also new FatCat singings Forest Fire whose Walkmen-esque album Staring at the X is worth looking out for when it comes out in October on FatCat.

Nerdy rapper and Adult Swim voice talent MC Chris is throwing a record release party at Death by Audio for his new album Race Wars. It's also his birthday. Show is FREE.

continued below...

Continue reading "Serge Gainsbourg, Weekend, Hedgehog, Royal Baths, MC Chris, Hunx, 'English Beat' & more in This Week in Indie"

photos by Amanda Hatfield, words by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Allo Darlin' - Dreaming (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Allo Darlin' - My Heart is a Drummer (MP3)

The Woods

Allo Darlin only played two shows during CMJ (their guitarist had to fly back to England for a wedding on Friday) and suffered dual indignaties last Thursday: the atrocious sound at The Woods for their day show and then having to play Kenny's Castaways.  I thought Elizabeth Morris was going to kill the sound guy at the Woods, but they persevered despite the omnipresent feedback.

They're back this Saturday, playing The Rock Shop as part of the Mondo! Halloween Party. They go on at 11pm - it's dj's the rest of the night (costumes encouraged). I know Saturday is main party night for Halloween stuff, but make room for this if you can. The band just released a new video for single "My Heart is a Drummer" which you can watch at the bottom of this post. Their debut album just got its North American release a couple weeks ago and you should definitely pick it up. And definitely definitely go see them. Hopefully they'll be back sooner than later.

Another set of pictures from the Woods show, continues below...

Continue reading "Allo Darlin' were here, coming back soon (more pics from the Woods, Mondo Halloween party reminder) "

photos by Chris La Putt, words by Rachel Kowal

Allo Darlin' @ The Woods

For me, day three of CMJ started at The Woods. With so much opportunity to see a good number of the bands featured in CMJ year round (sooo many Brooklyn bands), it's always not a bad idea to make an effort to see out-of-town bands, and The Woods were showcasing at least a couple - Hedgehog (China) and Allo Darlin' (UK).

I arrived in time to see about half of Hedgehog's set. Despite their cute name (and their adorable drummer, Atom), Hedgehog delivered a pretty raucous set. Though the kit may obscure nearly all of the tiny drummer, she propels the music with a fierce intensity. (In my slightly delusional state of sleep deprivation, I admit I had fantasies of Atom teaming up with Marissa Paternoster and starting a tiny girl super group.)

I had been looking forward to checking out Dream Diary, but apparently the set times had become somewhat jumbled, and we got Sleepies instead. Perhaps also frustrated with the change of lineup (or just craving a taco), the room was nearly empty for Sleepies' set, and even one of the members joked that they should just all go across town to see Surfer Blood. Yikes.

My main reason for heading over to The Woods was to check out Allo Darlin.' Since Sleepies' set was only 20 minutes long, we were somehow running ahead of schedule (a first for CMJ?), so Allo Darlin' actually got to do a soundcheck. Ironically, they also suffered the most from technical problems. Their set started out fine enough (so the vocals were too low... what's new?), but things got out of control pretty quickly. Let's just say the sound guy was lucky to be hiding behind a large plant (what?). Allo Darlin' were understanding to a point, but clearly grew frustrated by the problems and the lengthy break during their show. Despite the setbacks, it was still nearly impossible to refrain from smiling (at least when they were actually playing). If the number of photographers present is any indication of a band's promise, then the blogosphere must be expecting big things from Allo Darlin' - as their singer Elizabeth Morris pointed out, nearly everyone in the room had a camera. If you missed them at this or their only other CMJ show, catch them now on their tour that includes the Mondo Halloween Party at The Rock Shop in Brooklyn on October 30 (tickets are on sale).

From there it was a brief respite from music to attend my first CMJ party, an NPR Music-sponsored event. (Oh hi, Laura Gibson. Fancy meeting you here.), and then it was off to Mercury Lounge for The Extra Lens.

More pictures from the Impose/Pop Jew show at The Woods, including bands not mentioned in the review (The Othermen and Bright Lights), and a Bleary Eyed Brooklyn video from the show, below...

Continue reading "Allo Darlin', Hedgehog & others played the Woods (CMJ pics) "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Allo Darlin' - Dreaming (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Allo Darlin' - My Heart is a Drummer (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Hedgehog - Toy and 61 Festival (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Hedgehog - Waiting for the Last Bus (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Sound of Arrows - M.A.G.I.C. (MP3)

Thg Sound of Arrows

I'm just going to declare Thursday to be the bonkers, overstuffed day at CMJ2010. Even without a badge, you're gonna have to make some tough choices about what you want to do. It would also be a good day to call in sick.

Impose magazine is putting on great FREE unofficial shows all week -- nights at Don Pedros, days at The Woods.  Today's lineup currated by Pop Jew. It's definitely where I'll be this afternoon, and not just because it's four blocks from my house. The whole lineup is great  but above all else,Allo Darlin' is playing at 6PM, a band that has the ability to put a smile on the face of even the most hardened curmudgeon. (Chris Weingarten is currently in Finland so I can't actually prove this.) You would be dumb to miss them. It's one of two shows they're playing at CMJ.

The rest of the line-up is swell too: Bejiing  trio Hedgehog (their drummer is a pint-sized pistol); , Brooklyn's best new indiepop band, Dream Diary;  slacker-ish Bright Lights and local punks The Sleepies and Othermen. Bands start at 2PM and the show is not too crowded so there might be longer sets than you get elsewhere.... and there's a good taco truck in the back. This would make a great warm up if you are going to our night-time showcase at MHOW. Just an idea.

Of course there is good action as always on Ludlow St. At Pianos, I Guess I'm Floating presents two floors of bands, including This Week in Indie faves Violens, Oberhofer and Beach Fossils, plus Baths, Pepper Rabbit (a band I need to check out this week), Teen Daze, Million Young,  Young the Giant, Young Man (that's three "Young"s!), Coolrunnings and more! Bands start and noon. Free entry, free beer.

(note: also catch one of those Youngs, Young Man at our MHOW showcase at 8pm sharp)

Down the street at Cake Shop, it's the NYC Taper day party, with 12 bands in six hours on one stage, which seems pretty ambitious, but that's what CMJ is all about. Overload. The line-up is pretty choice too, including Soft Black, Diamond Rings (one of two day parties for Diamond Rings today), Keepaway, She Keeps Bees, ArpLine and more. First band (Courtesy Tier) is on at 12:30 and if you can't make it, I'm sure all the sets will be up on NYC Taper at some point. Free.

There are also two all-day parties going on. The first I'll mention is the Neon Gold party at Public Assembly which goes from 3PM to 3AM. Pop is the key word here, be it on the guitar side (Obefhofer, Savior Adore, Ava Luna) or the dancey side (Penguin Prison, Fenech-Soler, Brahms, The Knocks). Most interestingly, to me, is that Swedish band The Sound of Arrows is playing their first American show. I didn't even know they played live at all. The band have only released a few singles in their three-year existence, but their track "M.A.G.I.C" (downloadable above) was my #3 Single of 2009. I'm a little skeptical about them pulling it off live, but... might be worth checking out. The Neon Gold website has MP3s of every band playing. Limited badge entry, $12 otherwise.

Then there's Day 1 of Pitchfork's #Offline Fest, which runs from 2pm - midnight, with such bands as Dave Sitek/Maximum Balloon (he's DJing), glitchy UK act Gold Panda, Surfer Blood, Wild Nothing, Small Black and more. While it's hard to question the line-up, almost all of these are all bands are playing many other times during the week, often for free. And while Brooklyn Bowl is an awesome place in theory, it is pretty much insufferable Thurs - Sat nights: the bar is five deep, and half (if not more of) the crowd doesn't even realize there are bands playing at all. And I don't think the weekend conditions will be different because there's a "festival" happening. This will no doubt be the most tollerable of the three nights though, as I said, no arguing with the talent they've got on the stage.

NIGHTIME picks coming right up HERE. Flyers, some set times, etc after the jump.

Continue reading "CMJ 2010 - Bill's Thursday DAYTIME picks (Sound of Arrows, Hedgehog, Allo Darlin, NYC Taper, lots of Youngs & more)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Hedgehog - Toy and 61 Festival (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Hedgehog - Waiting for the Last Bus (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Queen Sea Big Shark - Hard Heart Love Spy (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Casino Demon - I Wish I Could Forget Your Tomorrow (MP3)

Queen Sea Big Shark

Beijing, China has a pretty healthy indie rock scene but we don't hear about it much here in the States, mainly, because they rarely tour here. But this week three Beijing groups are in town as part of the Sing for China tour, which supports an effort by the Chinese music community to help children orphaned by AIDS in China. The bands are Hedgehog, Queen Sea Big Shark, and Casino Demon -- all of which are on Beijing label Modern Sky. Hedgehog and QSBS play tonight (9/23) at Silent Barn (along with Pink Reason and Matt from Psychedelic Horseshit), and all three will play Columbia University on Friday (9/25) and Santos Party House on Saturday (9/26). I don't claim to know much about the bands, so let's just quote from the press release.

Hedgehog: Powered by pint-size female drummer/vocalist Atom, Hedgehog represent the best of China's rock scene. The band was a featured headliner at the Modern Sky Festival in 2008 and Strawberry Festival (Beijing) in May of 2009. Hedgehog's 2006 debut Noise Hit World was a critic favorite in China, and their 2008 release Blue Day Dreaming helped catapult them to the top of the Chinese indie-rock world.

Queen Sea Big Shark: Expect a barrage of rock n' roll-electro power punches from arguably the most ferocious rockers on the Beijing scene. QSBS rarely disappoints in delivering tight, raunchy instrumentation fronted by the frenetic, full-body assault of singer Fu Han, a woman seemingly possessed on stage. The band supported the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at the Modern Sky Festival (Beijing) in 2007 and recently headlined the Converse sponsored "Love Noise" tour in China.

Casino Demon: Veering from raw, noisy guitar bursts to tight, rapid-paced assaults, Casino Demon during 2006 moved from the outskirts of the Beijing live music scene to the forefront. At heart, they're a good-time rock n' roll band that really like to crank it up. Casino Demon recently celebrated the release of their new album, Teenage, in March of 2009.

Continue reading "Chinese indie rock bands in NYC this week (including the show w/ Matt Horseshit @ Silent Barn tonight)"