photos by Jessica Amaya

Sharon Van Etten

"If you've ever seen Sharon Van Etten live, you'll know that she's got an awful lot going for her. Chief among them is that stunning voice. Not since Neko Case first came on the scene has there been a more plainly stunning, shockingly natural singing voice than Van Etten's. But if her last, mostly acoustic record, Because I Was In Love deftly put the confessional intimacy of her songs on display, then her new record, epic, goes in a whole other direction. This fantastic new album blows up the music behind Van Etten's powerful voice, giving these songs all the depth and strength her singing, and her songwriting, lures us in with." [PopMatters]

Yesterday, 10/20, Bruar Falls hosted the Chouette day party, and the Quite Scientific CMJ showcase later that night. The Chouette party featured appearances from Highlife, Sebastian Blanck and Sultan, Sharon Van Etten and Lower Dens. Quite Scientific kicked off their show with appearances from Magic Bullets and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr (who were later followed by Chris Bathgate with Comanche! and Drunken Barn Dance).

Jessica was there from Lower Dens through Magic Bullets (who you should get to Public Assembly early on Friday to see. Then stick around for Lower Dens at the same show).

More Sharon dates HERE. The rest of the Bruar Falls pictures and some videos from those shows, below...

Continue reading "Sharon Van Etten, Magic Bullets & Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. played Bruar Falls (pics & video) "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Five O'Clock Heroes - NY Chinese Laundry (MP3)

I know the Five O'Clock Heroes, who play tonight (9/9) at Mercury Lounge, are deeply uncool in many circles. I'm not exactly sure why their brand of jaunty, Brit-influenced guitar pop inspires such derision -- apart from blind hatred of anything that was ever Ultragrrl-related. (They released a single through her Stolen Transmission label.) Risking my credibility and a deluge of angry comments I'm going to admit something. I think their new album, Speak Your Language, is really good. (A lot of you are probably unaware there was a new Five O'Clock Heroes album. Apart from iTunes, it's not available to buy in the U.S.) It may be out-of-step with the indie zeitgeist but, as I often say, the hooks are undeniable.

Most of the reviews I've read tend to compare them (unfavorably) to Elvis Costello and the Police, but the band Five O'Clock Heroes remind me of, this album at least, are a Swedish band from the '90s, Eggstone, who had a similar style of upbeat pop. You can really hear that in the horn-driven "NY Chinese Laundry," which is posted above and is probably the poppiest thing on the record and sticks in your head whether you want it to or not. The most notable song, however, is the single, "Who," a duet with British model Agyness Deyn. (The video is below.) All of Speak Your Language is in a similar vein, and if these two songs pique your interest, give Five O'Clock Heroes another chance.

Crystal Stilts @ EVR Fest Sunday (more by Chris La Putt)

Crystal Stilts gave one of the best performances at this past Sunday's East Village Radio Festival at South Street Seaport. Definitely the most packed at the small art gallery space that was the second stage, they were turning people away. I've written a bit about them before, but they really are one of my favorite local bands. Mixing twangy '50s rock n' roll, post punk and C-86 influences, they've come up with a very distinctive sound and style. And between singer JB Townsend's aloof stage presence and stand-up drummer (and former Vivian Girl) Frankie Rose, they've got the look too. Their full-length debut, Alight of Night, is due out on Slumberland on October 28 but until then, as mentioned before, there are no shortage of chances to see them in the NY, including this Thursday (9/11) at Le Poisson Rouge for a Emusic-currated bill that includes High Places, Detroit's one-man-synth-band, Deastro, and folky Michigan duo Breathe Owl Breathe. This is a pretty hard-to-pass-up show. All upcoming Crystal Stilts shows are listed below.

Neckbeard Telecaster, Magic Christian, tour dates and more below...

Continue reading "Five O'Clock Heroes, Crystal Stilts, Magic Christian, Neckbeard Telecaster & more in This Week in indie"

Yo La Tengo's Ira Kaplan on keyboard (more by Jason Bergman)

The A-Bones is a garage rock band from Brooklyn, New York. The band was formed in 1984 by Billy Miller and Miriam Linna, who had previously been the editors of Kicks, a pop culture journal, and the founders of Norton Records. The band, which was named after a song by The Trashmen, also featured Mike Mariconda, Mike Lewis (a founding member of both Boston's Lyres and Hoboken's Yo La Tengo), Bruce Bennett, Marcus "The Carcass" Natale, and Lars Espensen, with Miller, Linna, Bennett, Natale, and Espensen playing on the bulk of the band's recordings and for most of the band's touring life. Aside from recording three albums, two EPs, and roughly a dozen 45's, The A-Bones also performed as a backup band for acts such as Hasil Adkins, Ronnie Dawson, Cordell Jackson, The Flamin' Groovies' Roy Loney and many others. Though the band broke up in 1994, The A-Bones reunited in 2004 and continue to perform sporadic gigs in the US and in Europe, in their core line-up frequently augmented by Yo La Tengo's Ira Kaplan on keyboard. [Wikipedia]