Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab will play a rare and small show at Rock Shop on June 15th, two days after she plays the larger Le Poisson Rouge on June 13th with with Erika Spring (of Au Revoir Simone) and Arturo en el Barco. Tickets for Rock Shop go on sale TODAY (5/11) at 5PM and will also available via the Rock Shop box office at that time. Tickets for the "first-come, first-served partially seated event" at LPR are still available too.

The shows are in support of Sadier's first solo LP, The Trip, which dropped last year via Drag City. The LP features guest shouts from Richard Swift, April March, and and Julien Gasc. Listen to a couple songs from the LP, with all tour dates (aka Germany and NYC), below...

Continue reading "Stereolab's Lætitia Sadier schedules shows (in Germany, NYC)"

The new album by Sun Kil Moon, entitled Admiral Fell Promises, will be released July 13 on Caldo Verde Records. This 60 minute, 10 song album of original material will be released on CD, digitally and vinyl. The vinyl version includes liner notes and 2 bonus tracks recorded live in St.Malo, France.

All direct purchases direct through the Caldo Verde website will receive a free, limited 4 song Sun Kil Moon EP entitled I'll Be There. The EP includes covers of Stereolab, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, and The Jackson 5.

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone played an early show at Mercury Lounge in NYC last night (4/27). Sun Kil Moon frontman Mark Kozelek is playing a NYC show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on July 26th, 2010 ("Limited seating available!"). The Brooklyn date is one of three upcoming shows he has scheduled. The others are July 29th in London and July 31st at Sommerfesten Giske in Norway. Tickets for the NYC show go on AmEx presale at noon, and then general sale Friday at the same time.

One of Mark's most recent releases was a track on the Yo Gabba Gabba CD.

The track listings for Admiral Fell Promises and I'll Be There are below...

Continue reading "Sun Kil Moon releasing album, Mark Kozelek playing shows"

Bradford Cox opening for Stereolab Thursday (more by Ryan Muir)

today in NYC
* DANCE
* Jimmy Scott @ Iridum
* Taj Majal @ BB King's
* Madonna @ the Izod Center
* Hot Chip @ Terminal 5
* Jenny Lewis at The Apollo Theatre
* Fleet Foxes @ Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom
* Common, N.E.R.D. @ Roseland Ballroom
* Children, Pissed Jeans @ Glasslands
* The Kills, The Postelles @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds @ Theater at Madison Square Garden
* Extra Life, Drunkdriver, Dan Friel @ Less Artists More Condos
* Drums of Death, Hot Chip (DJ Set) @ (le) poisson rouge
* Glasvegas, Angela McClusky, Wild Light @ Mercury Lounge
* Tyvek, Cause co-MOTION!, Crystal Stilts @ Death By Audio
* Dark Meat, Stars Like Fleas, Fertile Crescent, PoPo @ Market Hotel
* Motel Motel, The Go Station, Intermissions, Tropic of Nelson @ Union Hall
* Stereolab, Monade w/ Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab, Le Loup @ at Irving Plaza
* Shudder To Think, The Jealous Girlfriends, Pattern is Movement @ Webster Hall

Janis Joplin died today in 1970. She was only 27.

Happy World Animal Day!

What else?

photos by Ryan Muir

Meghan McCain favorite Stereolab played their first of three shows at the Fillmore at Irving Plaza in NYC last night (October 2). Atlas Sound, in the form of Bradford Cox completely solo, was one of two openers. Bradford also returned to the stage later in the night to join Stereolab for one song.The other opener was Van Allen Belt.

Friday the openers are Anti-Pop Consortium and Hospitality, and Saturday has Monade and Le Loup. More pictures and the setlist from Thursday below...

Continue reading "Stereolab & Atlas Sound @ Irving Plaza, NYC - pics, setlist"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Blackstrap - Repulsion (MP3)

The biggest event of the week, at least in some circles, is Echo & the Bunnymen's show at Radio City Music Hall on Wednesday (10/1) where they will be playing their classic 1984 album, Ocean Rain, in full with a 16 piece orchestra. The idea of hearing "The Killing Moon," "Silver" and the gorgeous title track in their proper string-swept glory is pretty enticing, as is witnessing the album's weirder moments, like "Thorn of Crowns" and "The Yo-Yo Man," which they probably haven't played in 20 years.

This is the second of three Ocean Rain concerts the band are doing, and at the September 12 Royal Albert Hall show they broke the night into two sections: opening with a 12-song set of hits ("The Cutter," "Lips Like Sugar," "Villiers Terrace," etc) and then a short break before getting into main event. I imagine we'll see a similar (if not exact same) set on Wednesday. Good tickets, which aren't exactly cheap during these wintry economic times, are still available.

Added value: openers Glasvegas (who I've written about before) for which, thanks to some some visa issues, may be their first American show and whose album is currently in the UK Top 20. They're also playing a sold-out show at Mercury Lounge on Saturday (10/4) and a few more U.S. show as well.

The other big event this week, in my mind, is Stereolab's three-night stint at The Filmore at Irving Plaza. Tim, Laetitia, et al are supporting what I think is their best album in a decade -- the tight, bouncy, poppy Chemical Chords. I've seen a handful of Stereolab over the last 15 years (most recently Town Hall in 2006) and they've always been good but I'm hoping these will be especially memorable, especially coming off such a stong album. And though Chemical Chords is short and punchy, you can still expect some 10-minute one-chord jams. It is Stereolab after all.

All three nights feature different openers: Thursday is Atlas Sound and Van Allen Belt (tix); Friday has Anti Pop Consortium (tix) ; and Saturday is Monade and Le Loup (tix).

Tuesday night I'll be at the Bird and the Bee at the Spiegeltent.

Blackstrap

And finally, looking ahead a couple weeks, Sweden's Blackstrap are heading to the U.S. for a short American tour, including some CMJ dates. Mixing shoegaze and straight-up rock, Blackstrap fit somewhere between Serena Maneesh and Soundtrack of Our Lives on the Swedish sonic landscape. Blackstrap have flown a bit under the radar compared to other Swedish bands of the moment, but their new album, Steal My Horses and Run, is out now on TeePee Records (where they fit quite comfortably beside labelmates The Warlocks and The Brian Jonestown Massacre). It's one of the better produced rock records I've heard in a while and really makes we wish I still had a car. Blackstrap are great crank-it-up driving music. They're also one of these bands that when you hear the record you just know they're going to be good live.

All tour dates and videos below....

Continue reading "Blackstrap, Stereolab, Echo & the Bunnymen, Glasvegas and more in this Week in Indie"

photos by Ryan Muir

Anti-Pop Consortium opened the Faint show at Terminal 5 eariler this month. Here are the pictures.

Stereolab are playing three shows at Irving Plaza in October. Here are the openers:

10/2 - with The Van Allen Belt, Atlas Sound
10/3 - With Anti-Pop Consortium
10/4 - With Monade, Le Loup

Tickets for Stereolab are on sale. More Anti-Pop pix below...

Continue reading "Anti-Pop Consortium opening for Stereolab, Terminal 5 pics"

DOWNLOAD: RATATAT - Mirando (YACHT Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Stereolab - Self Portrait With "Electric Brain" (YACHT Remix) (MP3)

"Hardcore fans of 30 Seconds to Mars aren't the only ones who want more of the band's music. Virgin Records has sued the group for $30 million, saying it has failed to deliver." [CNN]

"Australian media say a lost humpback whale calf has bonded with a yacht it seems to think is its mother." [CNN]

Speaking of Yacht, get some new remixes above.

Atlas Sound @ South Street Seaport - July 25, 2008 (by Tear-n Tan)

One might not think South Street Seaport's outdoor Mall food court vibe would be the best place to see an Atlas Sound show. Truth is Bradford Cox's loopy lo-fi psych-pop is probably better suited for a black light lite basement, or on headphones in your bedroom high on Nyquil. However, somehow, Bradford was able to translate the warmth of Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel for a crowd of screwed up kids, post-work partiers, middle aged couples, khaki clad tourists, and, yep, a few hipsters. [Chocolate Bobka]

Bradford then played a set of songs with Avey Tare of Animal Collective at Bowery Ballroom the next night (July 26, 2008). They called themselves Harmony Club. I don't have a picture of that, but I do have one of Bradford & Geologist on stage together at this summer's Primavera Sound festival:

Bradford Cox & Geologist @ Primavera Sound 2008 (Kate Pedatella)

Bradford's next NYC show is this Sunday, August 3rd at McCarren Pool. He'll be a member of Deerhunter at that show. King Khan & The Shrines and Black Lips (and Sic Alps?? and/or Tall Firs??) are also on that bill. Atlas Sound's next NYC show is October 2nd at Irving Plaza with Stereolab who Atlas Sound are also playing a bunch of other shows with. Exact dates, and a Seaport video, below...

Continue reading "Atlas Sound played South St. Seaport, touring w/ Stereolab"

DOWNLOAD: Adam Green - Getting Led (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Stereolab - Three Women (MP3)

Bonde Do Role @ Coachella 2008 (more by Ryan Muir)

tonight in NYC & NJ
* Suicide & Aa @ Europa
* Mugison @ Hiro Ballroom
* Mike Ness @ Irving Plaza
* a free dance party @ BLVD
* The Black Keys @ Terminal 5
* High Places @ Participant Inc
* Kid Rock & Lynyrd Skynrd @ MSG
* The DeathSet @ Bikes in the Kitchen
* Arthur Russel stuff at the Kitchen (and afterparty)
* Los Campesinos @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Bonde Do Role & The DeathSet @ Bowery Ballroom
* The Long Blondes, Drug Rug & Apache Beat @ Studio B
* A Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn benefit at Southpaw
* Snowden, The Epochs, Bell, & The Colour Revolt @ Mercury Lounge
* A.R.E. Weapons, Alan Astor & Cassettes Won't Listen @ Knitting Factory

That new-ish Adam Green MP3 is up there because I just realized they were giving it away and it's too late to add it to the monster Adam Green post.

That new-ish Stereolab MP3 is up there because I just realized they were giving it away and it's too late to add it to the Stereolab tour dates post.

Mugison? I'm not sure how I feel about that (Icelandic) guy.

The new Flight of the Conchords video for one of my favorite Flight of the Conchords songs is below...

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday? (new FOTConchords video)"

Stereolab are playing three nights in a row at Irving Plaza in NYC in October. Tickets are already on sale. The shows are part of a tour that will be in support of their new album Chemical Chords - out until August 19 in the U.S. and August 18 worldwide...

Pitchfork: How did you decide it was time for another album? It's been four years since the last full length, and two since the EP collection Fab Four Suture.

Tim Gane: The last bunch of records were just singles that became an album because the label wanted us to tour, and we thought we could compile those into an album. I was kind of bored of albums. But I did the singles anyway, just to mess about with things. Then I jumped into doing a soundtrack for a film [Marc Fittousi's La Vie d'Artiste]. I wrote quite a lot.

Straight after that, I began to work on the album. I was fresh to do an album, and I felt like I had lots of ideas. I felt it in my throat. I had ideas to just do lots of tracks, put them together, hopefully get the whole thing all together. In fact, it was quite weird. The soundtrack overhung by a long time. I thought that I would have six weeks to two months to prepare stuff for the album, and in fact, I had one week. In the end, it turned out quite well.

All dates below....

Continue reading "Stereolab - new album & 2008 Tour Dates (tix on sale)"