DOWNLOAD: Lower Dens - "Brains" (MP3)

The National have announced that they're headlining and curating at ATP in Minehead UK, which is happening from December 7-9, 2012. So far, in addition to The National, the lineup (not very surprisingly) includes Sharon Van Etten (who plays the sold out Mercury Lounge tonight), My Brightest Diamond, Wye Oak, Megafaun, The Antlers, Buke and Gase (FKA Buke and Gass), Lower Dens, Owen Pallett, Boris, Tim Hecker, Kronos Quartet, Suuns< and Dark Dark Dark. More artists TBA. Tickets go on sale Friday (1/20) at 2 PM.

Maybe this lineup will shed some light on the bands Aaron and Bryce Dessner will be choosing when they curate BAM in May.

ATP's NJ festival happens in September and is being curated by Greg Dulli.

Speaking of Lower Dens, they've just revealed plans to release a followup to their 2010 debut LP, Twin-Hand Movement. The new album, titled Nootropics, will be out April 30 via the Domino affiliate label Ribbon Music. Grab the fast paced lead single, "Brains," at the top of this post and stream it below. Also below is the album artwork and tracklist.

Continue reading "The National curating an ATP; Lower Dens announce new LP"

photos by Amanda Hatfield

The Antlers recently got back from Europe and played their largest hometown show yet at the sold out Webster Hall on 12/10 with Canadian band Suuns. The majority of The Antlers' set was material from 2011's Burst Apart, which they played almost every song off of, but though it was given less attention at the show, a CMJ reviewer believes, "the Antlers' strongest album when performed live is Hospice, not Burst Apart." To quote Amanda, the Antlers "totally owned that room. Was amazing."

NYCTaper recorded the show and you can download a free zip file of the files at their website. More pictures, videos and setlist below...

Continue reading "The Antlers @ Webster Hall (pics/video/setlist/live recording)"

DOWNLOAD: The Antlers - "VCR" (The xx cover) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Korallreven - "Sa Sa Samoa" (ft. Julianna Barwick) (MP3)

The Antlers at Moogfest (more by Diana Wong)

We recently mentioned that Sharon Van Etten and Shearwater are planning a tour together that hits NYC at Music Hall of Williamsburg on February 24 and Bowery Ballroom on February 25. Tickets for both NYC shows are available for AmEx presale now, and general sale starts Friday (11/11) at noon. All dates have also since been announced and are listed below.

After the tour, Sharon will go on a string of dates with The War on Drugs, who open for The National at Beacon Theatre the night before Sharon does. Sharon's new album, Tramp, comes out February 7 via Jagjaguwar.

Sharon's friends and fellow Brooklynites The Antlers are following their release of Burst Apart, which came out earlier this year, with the (together) EP, which features material from the Burst Apart sessions. It includes collaborations with Neon Indian, Bear In Heaven, Nicole Atkins, and a cover of The xx's "VCR," which you can download above. The EP's tracklist is below. The Antlers are currently on a European tour and will return to NYC for a Webster Hall show on December 10 with Suuns. Tickets for that show are still available.

Speaking of The xx, they've recently begun working on a new album and have started a blog, where they've posted the message:

We have started recording our second album! We have also started this blog where we will post our inspirations + pictures + favourite songs. We hope you enjoy it! Lots of Love, The xx

The Walkmen, whose drummer Matt Barrick guests on Sharon's new album, are also working on a new album with producer Phil Ek which will be released next year on Fat Possum/Bella Union.

Julianna Barwick, who is also a guest on Sharon's album, recently released the Matrimony Remixes EP, which features remixes of two of the tracks off of her most recent LP, The Magic Place, which came out earlier this year. The entire EP is available to stream and download for $5 on bandcamp and features remixes by Diplo & Lunice, Helado Negro, Alias Pail, and Prince Rama. Julianna also provided guest vocals to Korallreven's debut LP, which comes out November 15 via Acephale. Her vocals appear on the song "Sa Sa Samoa," which you can download above.

All dates and (together) tracklist below...

Continue reading "new Antlers EP, an xx cover, updated Sharon Van Etten dates, Julianna Barwick & more"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Suuns - Arena (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: PS I Love You - Leftovers (w/ Diamond Rings) (MP3)

Suuns @ The Rock Shop in January (more by Benjamin Lozovsky)

It's Canadian two-fer at Mercury lounge tonight (10/7) with Montreal's Suuns and Kingston, Ontario's PS I Love You. It's a late show after a Robbers on High Street record release party (Suuns doors are 10:15PM) and tickets are still available (a Nirvana tribute band also plays a free show after them, at the same venue - doors at 1am for that one). Both bands play Boston tomorrow night. All dates are listed below.

Suuns have a new 12" single, "Bambi/Red," coming out November 15 on Secretly Canadian and you can stream both sides at the bottom of this post. Says the band:

With a couple weeks off this summer in Montreal, we thought we'd take a crack at a few new songs. Stark and futuristic, these are extended jams that may or may not materialize as condensed versions of themselves on records to come. Open air textures, repetition and exploration were the name of the game for us on this one, and the finished product is a refined mining of the ideas that came out. "Bambi" is a creepy story of love lost and found, while "Red Song" is just that: a song about color.

As for PS I Love You, the band just released Figure it Out, a compilation of early singles, covers (Madonna, Rush) and other leftover tracks like their colaboration with Diamond Rings, "Leftovers," which you can download above. Diamond Rings, by the way, opens for Twin Shadow at Webster Hall tonight -- maybe he'll zip on over after his set to play with PS I Love You? We'll see.

The stream of the new Suuns 12" is below, along with tour dates.

Continue reading "Suuns & PS I Love You are here (Diamond Rings too), both with new releases (MP3s & dates)"

Secret Chiefs 3 at Terminal 5 (more by Zach Dilgard)

Instrumental band Secret Chiefs 3 kicked off a European tour last month with DJ FAT32. The tour comes to North America in September. So far it only includes East Coast and Midwest shows, but West Coast dates are "being planned." Look for SC3 and FAT32 to play NYC at Le Poisson Rouge on September 13th. Tickets are on sale. All dates for the Trey Spruance-led band are listed below.

In October Secret Chiefs 3 play the Iceland Airwaves Festival with Bjork (she was just announced and will be doing a Biophilia performance), Austra, Beach House, Liturgy, SBTRKT, Suuns, Olof Arnalds, Tune-yards, John Grant, and many others. Full lineup at their site. The festival runs from October 12-16 and takes place in downtown Reykjavík. Bjork will also play five more shows in Reykjavík in October. All of those dates are listed below.

All SC3 tour dates and some videos below too...

Continue reading "Secret Chiefs 3 tour dates, Iceland Airwaves 2011 lineup"

DOWNLOAD: PS I Love You - "Leftovers" (Feat. Diamond Rings) (MP3)

PS I Love You at SXSW 2011 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

PS I Love You are releasing Figure It Out, a collection of previously released singles and EPs. The compilation includes the track "Leftovers," which was recorded with Diamond Rings. Grab that above. The album drops August 30 via Paper Bag Records.

Diamond Rings was recently here for the Northside Fest and is going on tour with Twin Shadow. Diamond Rings toured and performed with PS I Love You not long before that.

PS I Love You will be touring extensively this fall and summer, and will play NYC on October 7 at Mercury Lounge with fellow Canadian badasses Suuns who also play other dates on the tour. Check ticketmaster for tickets to be on sale soon. PS I Love You are also scheduled to play a CMJ show in Brooklyn on October 20.

All tour dates and album artwork and tracklist below...

Continue reading "PS I Love You releasing comp, going on tour w/ Suuns (dates & an MP3 featuring Diamond Rings)"

Evan Dando at The Bell House (more by Graeme Flegenheimer)

Evan Dando & The Lemonheads have a few random upcoming dates scheduled. The Lemonheads will share a bill with The Canon Logic on April 28th at Maxwell's in Hoboken. Tickets are still available. You can also catch Josh Lattanzi of The Lemonheads at Bowery Ballroom on May 26 & 27 as part of the Bob Dylan tribute that will also include members of the Strokes, Hold Steady, etc, etc.

All other upcoming Evan Dando dates are in other countries at the moment, including a June 16th Evan & Juliana Hatfield show in Toronto for the NXNE festival which, like Brooklyn's own multi-venue festival Northside, recently expanded its lineup. Some of the other bands playing are in the title of this post. The rest are listed below.

All Dando-related dates and some videos below too...

Continue reading "Lemonheads playing shows, NXNE expands lineup (includes Descendents, Stars, Devo, OFF!, Juliana Hatfield, more)"

photos by Dana (DISTORTION) Yavin

The Black Angels toured through town with Suuns over the weekend, hitting Bowery Ballroom Friday, and Music Hall of Williamsburg on Saturday (4/9)...

"The show on Saturday was their fifth area show in support of Phosphene Dream. For me, it doesn't get old. I get pumped up by listening to the albums all day. Even though I can anticipate the ebb and flow of the songs, it still seems like I'm experiencing it for the first time. The way they blend a song into Black Grease, the prolonged jams of Bad Vibrations, the spaces and fortitude of both versions of The Sniper -- that's some serious shit there. I'm so stupid during parts of the show that I mouth the guitar parts -- the "bwoowww, beeeouh, beeeouh."" [Music Snobbery]

Continue reading "The Black Angels played Bowery & MHOW (pics, setlist)"

photos by Amanda Hatfield and Timothy Griffin

Adventure (by Tim)

Braids (by Tim)

Braids and Adventure are on tour with Toro y Moi now. The three bands play sold out shows at Music Hall of Williamsburg and Bowery Ballroom on Sunday (4/10) and Monday (4/11).

As discussed and/or pictured HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE, we threw a free, three stage party with M For Montreal at Swan Dive and Barbarella in Austin on Saturday, March 19, 2011.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by, to all the bands who played and to Ramesh for DJing. Sorry to Bass Drum of Death for not getting to play due to some confusion. Thanks to the cast of Workaholics for stopping by and for doing some hosting (catch their show on Comedy Central now!). Thanks also to Izzoz, Sensible Portions, Honest Tea, VegAustin, Raw Revolution, NadaMoo, Firefly Vodka, Line 6, Korg, Vox, Blackstar, Nudie Jeans, and ASCAP. Thanks to everyone else that helped and to anyone I forgot.

A whole bunch more pictures from the whole day are below...

Continue reading "BV/M For Montreal Austin Day Party in pics (Braids, Adventure, Owen Pallett, Little Scream & many more)"

If you've been following along, you know that this is finally the NINTH and FINAL BrooklynVegan SXSW 2011 show announcement! This one happens on Saturday, March 19th in Austin, at both Swan Dive and Barbarella (they connect). It runs from noon-6pm and is 100% free. We are doing it with our friends from M For Montreal and it looks like this:

STAGE 1 (SWAN DIVE)
12:00 PM New Moods
01:00 PM Oh Land
2:00 PM Austra
3:00 PM Little Scream
4:00 PM Owen Pallett
5:00 PM Braids

STAGE 2 (Barbarella main stage)
12:00 PM Baths
1:00 PM Misteur Valaire
2:00 PM !!!
3:00 PM Trail of Dead
4:00 PM Mount Kimbie
5:00 PM Daedelus
HOSTED BY: the cast of Workaholics
DJs: Ramesh (of Voxtrot) & 70's Bush

STAGE 3 (Barbarella small stage)
12:00 PM Bass Drum of Death
12:45 PM Adventure
1:30 PM Versus
2:30 PM Malajube
3:15 PM Suuns
4:00 PM Weekend
5:00 PM PS I Love You

And this party will also have:

• FREE vegan Izzoz breakfast tacos while supplies last!
• lots of FREE snacks courtesy of Sensible Portions!
• a lot of FREE Honest Tea!
• FREE Raw Revolution bars to eat.
• FREE vegan ice cream from NadaMoo
• FREE Firefly Vodka cocktails all day (while supplies last.)
• more FREE DRINKS TBA.

• Our official microphone sponsor Line 6.
• and our backline sponsors Korg, Vox & Blackstar.
• our sponsor Nudie Jeans.
• and to ASCAP for sponsoring too.

To celebrate the BrooklynVegan + M for Montreal party, Nudie Jeans is also giving away 5 pairs of jeans (one pair for each day leading up to the party). For your chance to win, friend Nudie Jeans on facebook and send an email titled BROOKLYN VEGAN to nudie@wantagencyinc.com. For those at the party, we'll also be raffling off more Nudie Jeans you can win while you're there.

We're also happy to announce that, for the second year in a row, we'll be partnering with our friends at VegAustin to host a vegan bake sale for charity at the party. All proceeds will be donated to Compassion Over Killing.

Check out the flyer and stuff below...

Continue reading "BrooklynVegan & M For Montreal Free Saturday Austin Day Party lineup (3 stages @ Barbarella & Swan Dive)"

The Black Angels (more by Vincent Cornelli)

Austin reverb fiends and tambourine/maraca addicts The Black Angels will hit the road with Suuns (who recently played NYC three times) and then Sleepy Sun for a North America tour that will include the previously discussed Austin Psych Fest 4, and two NYC shows: April 8 at Bowery Ballroom and April 9 at Music Hall of Williamsburg (both with Suuns). Tickets for both NYC shows (Bowery, MHoW) go on AMEX presale Wed at noon (2/2) and regular sale on Fri (2/4).

UK psychedelic Spectrum (aka Sonic Boom) is also onboard for Austin Psych Fest 4, and has a NYC show scheduled as well: 4/17 at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Tickets go on AMEX presale Wed at noon (2/1), and go on regular sale 48 hours later.

All known tour dates and some videos below.

Continue reading "Black Angels touring w/ Suuns & then Sleepy Sun (2011 dates), Spectrum playing NYC & Austin Psych Fest too"

words & photos by Benjamin Lozovsky

Equally measured and zealous, Suuns' 2010 debut album Zeros QC denoted a band with maturity greater than its experience might dictate. During the Canadian group's squawking gallop of a performance at Brooklyn's Rock Shop, the first of three New York shows this week, the members of Suuns managed to present the cerebral weight of their music while still acting their age.

"Our live show is very different than the album," singer/guitarist Ben Shemie acknowledged after coming off stage. "We play short sets so we can give it our all every song."

Full of thrash, immediacy, and spastic explosiveness, Suuns did play each song like it might be the last. It was a peak behind the insecure youthful curtain of a band that, on record, exude a ripened confidence in patiently stretching out the progression of its musical ideas. Wavering from the seething, drone-like minimalism of Zeroes, Suuns often acted out a gaudy type of aggression throughout the set. It wasn't necessarily in tune with the band's direction, a cunning fusion of kraut, post-punk, stoner rock, and disco funk tempered with a muted emotional disquiet - but it still exemplified the band's deft incorporation of so many well-worn identities as a distinctive unifying force.

Raging with abandon or not, Suuns is ultimately an experiment in using patience and development as an excitable, unpredictable factor. During the motorik jam "Sweet Nothing," the trembling of a prolonged oscillating synth wave was the launching pad for anything, a cloud of ambiguity through a seemingly simplistic directness. That final number of the evening eventually landed in a powerful turbine of rising anxiety and a caterwauling noise solo, driven, like most of Suuns' songs, by a steadfast yet understated propulsive beat. Despite the song's inherent repetitiveness and danceable allure, it still always maintained an alluring unease. Even in playing like there's no tomorrow, Suuns found an appealing place to settle.

Milagres and Takka Takka (who next open for Trail of Dead at Littlefield) supported Suuns at Rock Shop on 1/25. Suuns played Shea Stadium last night (1/26) and will play NYC one last time tonight (1/27) at Mercury Lounge. Tickets for the early show with Julianna Barwick are still available.

More pictures from Rock Shop are below.

Continue reading "Suuns played Shea Stadium & Rock Shop w/ Takka Takka & Milagres (pics) (and 1 more show tonight)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Yuck - Rubber (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Yuck - Georgia (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Darlings - Big Girl (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Soft Moon - Tiny Spiders (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Soft Moon - Breath the Fire (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Generationals - Trust (MP3s)

Darlings @ the Shank for CMJ 2010 (more by Andrew St Clair)

Dang it! Yuck are still having trouble getting into our country, cancelling tonight's show at Mercury Lounge. But tomorrow's show (1/26) at Glasslands is still on, and I'm gonna write this with fingers crossed. You can still get tickets to tomorrow's show.

Yuck's self-titled debut is due out February 15 and is full of the kind of warm and fuzzy indie rock that will remind certain 30-somethings of their college years listening to Sebadoh, Teenage Fanclub and Bettie Serveert. (They also remind me of underrated mid-aughts band The Comas.) You can check out two songs above. I am super-psyched to see them.

The Glasslands show tomorrow is especially enticing. Darlings don't get enough attention, as they're one of the more tuneful bands we have in this town, and they're always good live. Above you can check out the A-side to their "Big Girl" 7" which was released late last year on Famous Class. They've got a new EP, Warmer, due out any minute. Fergus & Geronimo and Total Slacker too. Solid line-up.

Yuck, if they make it into the country, tour with Smith Westerns and then will back in March for SXSW. All Yuck dates are below. With the trouble they have, maybe they just shouldn't leave.

Also making their NYC debut this week are San Francisco's The Soft Moon who play the Wierd Party at Home Sweet Home tomorrow night (1/26) and at Monster Island on Friday (1/28) as part of an all-Captured Tracks line-up that includes Blank Dogs, Widowspeak and Further Reductions.

You can check out two tracks from The Soft Moon's debut LP which is pretty much in "classic goth" territory: relentless beats, watery bass, whispered vocals. It's all very Clan of Xymox which is a good thing if you ask me. As to what they're like live...we'll see. From footage I've seen on YouTube, they don't seem to have a drummer which is too bad, but otherwise seem to play most everything else live. I really dig the album, looking forward to this one.

Unless you don't have to get up at a normal hour on Thursday (bands don't play till 1am at Wierd), Monster Island is probably the way to go. Plus it's more klang for your buck. I caught Widowspeak last week and thought they were pretty good, not dissimilar to YellowFever (who have a show coming up with Wild Flag by the way). Blank Dogs have finally figured out a workable live line-up, and I'm curious about Further Reductions (side project of Led Er Est) whose 7" on Captured Tracks is superior minimal synth.

There is really too much going on this week. Did you manage to get tickets to one of the two Peter Bjorn & John shows? (Thursday 1/27 at Santos, Friday 1/28 at The Rock Shop) These should be fun.

I think the surprise success of "Young Folks" was a blessing and a curse for PB&J. Here's a group that made cute, very good guitar indiepop and who probably would still be playing small clubs if it wasn't for that mega-smash that sounded like nothing the band had done before? In their case, they made an all-instrumental album (2008's Seaside Rock) and then 2009's ambitious Living Thing that was pretty good, but sounded more like a demo reel for Bjorn Yttling's production resume than something they thought about how they were going to play live.

Working with an outside producer for the first time (Per Sunding who some of you may know from excellent '90s indiepop Swedes Eggstone), Gimmie Some is the return of Peter Bjorn & John sounding like themselves again. It also sounds like three guys playing live, which bodes well for these shows, and is their best collection of songs, hands down, since Writers Block. In addition to adrenalyzed first taste "Breaker Breaker" (video below), there are three or four more crazy-catchy potential singles on the record, including the cowbell-fueled "Second Chance," and funky-ish "Dig A Little Deeper." It's a really good album.

Look for a full-fledged tour around the album's release in March.

Wye Oak @ Beacon Theater - 1/24/2010 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

The Decemberists played their first of three NYC shows last night. If you're going to tonight or tomorrow's sold-out shows at the Beacon, do get there early to see openers Wye Oak, one of the best bands around these days. They are chill-inducingly good live. The duo's new album, Civilian, is due out March 8 on Merge and is a real stand-up-and-take-notice stunner. It is crazy good. I don't know what the first single is going to be but if I was picking it would be the soaring "Holy Holy" that they better damn well play this week. There's video of them performing it last week in Berlin at the bottom of this post.

In addition to those shows with The Decemberists, Wye Oak are also playing a private show at The Rock Shop on Thursday that we're giving away four pairs of tickets to. To win, e-mail BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM (subject: Wye Oak). Include your first and last name in the email. A winner will chosen at random and contacted with more details. Good luck!

Wye Oak head out on tour with Lower Dens then Callers -- none of those shows are in NYC unfortunately but hopefully they'll be back soon.

That's the big stuff this week. Here are a few more picks, day-by-day:

TUESDAY, JANUARY 25

Yuck aren't playing tonight, but Generationals and Country Mice (who seem to have dropped the "We Are" from their name) are still doing their early show (7pm) at Mercury Lounge tonight. Generationals' Trust EP from last year was really good, you can download its title track at the top of this post.

Suuns are at the Rock Shop tonight, the first of three shows this week. They also play Shea Stadium tomorrow (1/26) and Mercury Lounge on Thursday (1/27). I've written about these Montrealers loads of times, they're great, go see 'em.

continued below...

Continue reading "Yuck, Darlings, Soft Moon, Generationals, Peter Bjorn & John, Wye Oak, Suuns & more in This Week in Indie"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Suuns - Arena (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Suuns - Nursery (MP3)

Montreal's Suuns are making good use of their visas and heading back to NYC for three shows this month: Jan. 25 at The Rock Shop, then Jan. 26 for an early show at Mercury Lounge and Jan. 27 at Shea Stadium. We're giving away a pair of tickets to the Rock Shop show -- just send an email to BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM with the subject line "SUUNS" and we'll pick a winner at random.

You can download two tracks from Suuns swell debut, Zeros QC, which came out last year on Secretly Canadian. If you've seen them already -- and in NYC you've had plenty of chances, including the Brooklyn Vegan CMJ showcase  -- you know they're good live. And if you haven't yet experienced their kraut-y, showgazy miasma in person, you should remedy that. They also recently did a Daytrotter session that's worth checking out.

In addition to the NYC dates, they're also playing Burlington, VT on the way down here, plus a couple Canadian dates with fellow Montrealers Besnard Lakes. (BL's Jace Lacek produced Zeroes QC.) The band will also be playing SXSW this year, so expect a tour around that as well. All 2011 North American tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Suuns schedule January dates, including 3 in NYC (win tix)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Metz - Negative Space (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Valleys - Ordinary Dream (MP3)

Suuns

There was a smattering of band performances throughout the day Friday -- anywhere they could cram them it felt like at times -- before the night's "official selection." Honestly, I wasn't really psyched at seeing a band at 2 in the afternoon when I'd rather go record shopping or, say, getting lunch but Newfoundland's Hey Rosetta! turned out to be worth the detour. "We're usually a lot louder than this," singer Tim Baker admitted, but the less-electric approach to this performance made it kind of special. Hushed vocals, strings and soaring choruses... the band's sweeping orchestrated sound definitely held our attention. The band's last album made the Polaris 2008 shortlist and their third album, Seeds, will be out in February 2011.

A couple hours later we were taken to the the Chapel historique du Bon-Pasteur for an event called M for Martini where we were plied with said drinks while watching four more intimate-style performances, including the Dylan-esque Courtney Wing, all-girl country band Ladies of the Canyon, and the art folk of Lief Vollebekk.

The only band to really leave an impression on me was Ensemble, the brainchild of Oliveir Alary whose baroque sound is akin to early Broadcast or '60s cult band The United States of America. We only get three songs -- including a brilliant reworking of UB40's 1980 single "Food for Thought" -- and they're maybe the only band of the week whose set I wanted to be longer. Ensemble's new album, Excerpts, is out early next year but you can download its first single, "D'Avalanches," for free if you give them your email address.

After a very heavy, very French meal we headed back to Just Pour Rire (which apparently is closing soon) for what was probably the single-best night of music at M for Montreal. The evening began with Molly Rankin who is descended from Canadian Rock Royalty. (The Rankin Family were folk megastars in the '90s. No those words aren't mutually exclusive. It's Canada.) Backed by members of The Stills, her music is charming, clever, heart-on-the-sleeve pop. A nice way to start the night.

Next up were The Barr Brothers. Andrew and Brad are both also in The Slip but under the family name they are much folkier, but still experimental. Usually when I see an acoustic guitar and a harmonica stand, I'm looking for the exit but they really knocked me back. Brad Barr entered the stage tugging on a string on his acoustic guitar as if he'd broken one on the way out. It was actually a loop of wire, filament, something that worked like a bow, giving the guitar a woozy, somnambulant quality. The band also has a full-time harpist. Most of their set is on the quiet side, but they go full-on Who for one song. One of the best surprises of the fest.

Shuffling over to Just Pour Rire's other stage, we then saw Metz, who kept getting compared to Fucked Up but that seemed more because they're also from Toronto and are making in-your-face noise punk. To my ears it's more the kind of noise you got from Amphetamine Reptile in the '90s. They are loud and spazzy and sludgy and pretty awesome. Check out an MP3 at the top of this post and there's video from their M set at the bottom.

Continuing on, Valleys were next who've played Brooklyn enough times (and I've written about them plenty already) that I should've already seen them but this was my first time. Their debut album was kind of Saddle Creek-y methadone folk kind of stuff, really good, but they have evolved into something louder, more sinister since then. Intense, even without percussion, but when they do break out the drums it's like scream therapy. Check out "Ordinary Dream" from their new Stoner EP which is out now on Semprini.

This flowed nicely into Suuns' set (pronounced "Soons"), definitely the most well-recieved of the night. This was my third time seeing them -- they played the official BV showcase at CMJ you may remember -- and they just get better every time. Singer Ben Shemie is a pretty intesnse frontman, especially when the band locks into a Kraut-y groovy. He bends over, laying into his guitar and leaves the planet.

Final act of the night was Random Recipe who are kind of folk, kind of hip hop, and definitely popular with Montreal locals. Their single "Shipwreck" is okay but overall I don't really get why the crowd is going so wild. I ask a local who shares my indifference. His answer: "Montreal is a really weird place."

More pictures from the whole day and the Metz video below...

Continue reading "M For Montreal 2010 - night 3 in pics & review (Hey Rosetta!, Ensemble, Barr Brothers, Metz, Suuns, Valleys & more) "

photos by Chris La Putt

Blood Red Shoes @ MHOW

After Chris left the BV Loft Party all the way back on Friday, October 22nd, he headed over to Music Hall of Williamsburg for the Blue Flowers-presented CMJ showcase for a lineup of mostly UK bands including Chapel Club, Everything Everything, and Blood Red Shoes (who toured North America with Sky Larkin in October). Pictures from that show are in this post.

The occasion (to post these belated pics)? SXSW has already announced an initial lineup of bands playing in Austin from March 16-20, 2011, and Chapel Club is on that list (and I wouldn't be surprised of the other 2 mentioned bands end up coming too). Also on the list: Lia Ices, Braids, Asobi Seksu, Wye Oak, Suuns, Sun Airway, A Place to Bury Strangers and more. Full list under the rest of the MHOW pictures, below...

Continue reading "Chapel Club played CMJ w/ Everything Everything & Blood Red Shoes (pics), playing SXSW 2011 (intial lineup)"

photos by Amanda Hatfield, words by Rachel Kowal

Land of Talk

Living in Brooklyn, it's all too easy to get swept up in the thriving local music scene. After all, bands seem to be coming into existence faster than bedbugs in Bushwick. But Saturday night at the Bowery Ballroom featured tunes from another exciting musical oasis: Montreal, the home of all three of the evening's artists.

First on the bill was Little Scream, the captivating project of singer-songwriter Laurel Sprengelmeyer. Even her sparkly black leggings were outshone by her innovative songs, which seemed to constantly switch tempo and require a different series of emotions to pull off. She may have been alone on stage, but Sprengelmeyer's ferocious foot tapping took on the feel of a bass line, and her presence was easily impressive enough to fill the space.

Up next was the CMJ veterans Suuns. Unlike many of their musical peers, the guys from Suuns do not completely cocoon their music in reverb, distortion, and effects (though these things do have an undeniable presence in their music). Instead, guitar riffs and synth lines are provided with ample breathing room and remain distinct. Suuns may be feel repetitive to some but their music is a well-executed exercise in minimalism.

Suuns were not the main act, but its members seemed to get in the most stage time since Land of Talk's Lizzie Powell borrowed multiple Suuns members for help during her set, relying especially on Joe Yarmush on bass.

Of course, the spotlight was unmistakably on Powell... and her short, white lacey dress. With her pleasant (and dare I say wholesome?) voice, Powell could have easily forged a career at the top of the adult contemporary charts, but instead, she chose to use her voice and her songwriting skills for good. The combination of Powell's pensive melancholic lyrics and assertive guitar riffs is arresting. Here's a woman who seems to be equally comfortable with bearing her soul and shredding - often within the same song.

After allegedly playing a bajillion times at the Mercury Lounge, Powell repeatedly conveyed her excitement to be playing at the Bowery Ballroom. "I feel like I'm graduating," she joked at one point. "I'm dressed for the occasion," she said.

After concluding their initial set with a rowdier number, Powell prompted a change of pace for the encore upon seeing a pocket of fans start to dance/trample their fellow concert-goers.

Look alive, Brooklyn. Montreal is bringing the A game.

More pictures and Land of Talk's setlist from the show, below...

Continue reading "Land of Talk played Bowery Ballroom w/ Suuns & Little Scream (pics & setlist) "

photos by Ryan Barkan, words by Rachel Kowal

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart @ MHOW

"Young Man played a solid, occasionally Dirty Projector-ish 30 minute set; every Suuns song should feature loud wailing from a random dude playing the saxophone; Screaming Females continue to blow away everyone who has seen them this week at CMJ; and the Blow, well, the Blow is a one-woman band with a pre-recorded backing track. Think Lady Gaga, circa 2007, before she had any money. I'm not saying the Blow is as good as Gaga, but it's the same kind of performance art." [Encore]

I walked in right when The Blow was starting. I must confess I was somewhat worried about how people would react to her set - especially since she was playing in the wake of Screaming Females, but the crowd (though perhaps a bit perplexed at first) definitely warmed up to her one-woman show. Khaela Maricich charmed the audience with her unabashed dance moves, confessional lyrics, and humorous asides. Like a stand-up comedian, she may recycle much of her stage banter (which is much more involved than your typical fare), but the stories she tells - whether fictional or factual - are engrossing.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart concluded the showcase with their blissful, fuzzed out pop songs. Unlike The Blow, POBPAH may not have said much between songs, but they still had the kids bobbing their heads in appreciation. A Brooklyn staple for some time, these guys certainly deserve the fanfare. They concluded their set with their eponymous song, which concludes perhaps the best anthem for CMJ: "We are so sure, we will never die, no no we will never die."

We already posted one set of pictures from this show. Here is a second, and it continues below...

Continue reading "The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Blow, Screaming Females, Suuns & Young Man @ MHOW (more CMJ pics) "

photos by Andrew St. Clair

the Blow's Khaela Maricich

"Sometimes I feel like when I do the moves," the Blow's Khaela Maricich says toward the end of the night, dancing in front of a rapt audience at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, "certain members of the audience look at me like they could have me." She pauses a beat. "Could they have me? No." It's the most subtly bold audience confrontation I've ever seen someone attempt at CMJ, and it comes directly after the Screaming Females's Marissa Paternoster has just pretty much lit the stage on fire at the same venue, and there were probably people wondering about having her too. Now, hopefully, they're not. These are the acts that CMJ needs far more than they need CMJ, that we need far more than they need us. It restores your faith in this process, watching people do it right.
[Village Voice]

Both Young Man and Suuns were a treat for those that got there early. I felt bad for the Blow a little, playing her one-woman show after the assault that was the Screaming Females, but naturally Khaela was not phased and did her thing on stage to the lovers, the haters and the confused alike. The Pains ended the night right with their sweet and shoegazey indie pop, two new songs included.

More pictures from the night, below...

Continue reading "the 2010 BrooklynVegan CMJ showcase @ MHOW in pics "

BV CMJ showcase, October 21st, 2010 @ MHOW
08:00PM Young Man
08:45PM Suuns
09:30PM Screaming Females
10:30PM The Blow
11:30PM The Pains of Being Pure At Heart

Continue reading "a new (alternative) video for the Pains of Being Pure at Heart's 'Say No to Love' ++ 2010 tour dates"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: PS I Love You - Facelove (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: PS I Love You - 2012 (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Suuns - Arena (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Suuns - Up Past the Nursery (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The High Dials - Chinese Boxes (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Elephant Stone - I am Blind (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: No Joy - Headless (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Parallels - Find the Fire (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Hot Panda - Mindlessnesslessness (MP3)

Radio Radio

There's never any shortage of Canadians at CMJ but this year... there seems like more than usual. So lets get to it.

On Thursday (10/21) The M for Montreal folks are back for a second year at Arlene's Grocery with eight diverse bands (not all from MTL) they deem worthy of seeing. The band with the most buzz coming into CMJ is probably Kingston, Ontario PS I Love You who play at 9PM.  For a duo, these guys have a pretty giant sound, and their debut LP,  Meet Me at Muster Station, recently got a 8.1 on Pitchfork. You can download two tracks from it at the top of this post. PS I Love You are playing five shows this week ( 20th - 23rd) and all dates are at the bottom of this post.

Capping the evening at 1AM are Acadian hip hop group Radio Radio whose album Belmundo Regal was up for this year's prestigious Polaris Prize. (They lost to Karkwa.) You can listen to the whole record via a widget at the bottom of this post. They are, I'm pretty sure, the only act to rap in the Chiac dialect, which is kind of the French Canadian equivalent of Spanglish. I saw them two years ago in Montreal and they were super fun -- even though I had no idea what they were saying. If you have no Last Show tonight, definitely head over to Arlene's Grocery. It's their only CMJ show.

Also playing the M for Montreal show: our good friends The Luyas who will also play our free day party on Friday (their only other show); Red Mass who bring a touch of theatrics to their Damned-esque garage punk; the low fi garagey folk of Uncle Bad Touch (who get the JEFF the Brotherhood Seal of Approval); Vancouver duo The Pack A.D.; and laid back folk-soul-hiphop group Random Recipe (check out their LP widget at the bottom of this post).

Random Recipe

If you show up at 6PM you'll be treated to a little pre show action: dream pop outfit Braids and free poutine, the official drunk food of Montreal (though not vegan). Set times for the whole night are at the bottom of this post. Braids play six times this week and all of their shows are listed at the bottom as well.

The biggest bummer about this show is it happens at the same time as the official BrooklynVegan Showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg. But you can get a taste of Montreal at our show as Suuns are playing at 8:45 PM. You can download two Suuns tracks at the top of this post. If you dig shoegaze, Krautrock, or Clinic, you don't wanna miss this band. I caught them at Mercury Lounge over the summer and was impressed. If you can't make our show but still wanna see Suuns, they also play later Thursday (11:45 PM) at Pianos as part of the Secretly Canadian showcase. Those are their only two shows during CMJ week.

High Dials

There are more Montreal bands here this week too. One of my favorites, The High Dials, play on Saturday (10/23) at the 269 Bar at 11PM. Their new album, Anthems for Doomed Youth, is another great offering of jangly psychedlia, shoegazy guitars and sunny harmonies. You can download "Chinese Boxes" from it at the top of this post.

You may remember that The High Dials used to have a sitar player who left after the band's first album. That guy, Rishi Dhir, now has his own group, Elephant Stone, whose album The Seven Seas, was up for the 2009 Polaris Prize.  Elephant Stone play the Trash Bar on Thursday (10/21, 10PM). If you can't see them then, Elephant Stone will be back in NYC in November.

More Montreal action: No Joy, who split their time between L.A. and MTL and will have your eardrums bleeding from their awesome, sludgy shoegaze. They play seven CMJ week shows, including the BV day party on Saturday (10/23) at Public Assembly. (Official announcement soon.) After CMJ,  No Joy head out with Vivian Girls offshoot La Sera (who plays a bunch her own CMJ shows) -- all dates are at the bottom of this post.

Folk band The Barr Brothers play two shows tonight tonight (10/19): Cameo Gallery at 7:30PM and then The Rock Shop at 11PM. They also play tomorrow (10/20, 7PM) at Rockwood Music Hall.

More MTL: rawkers Priestess play Mercury Lounge on Wednesday (10/20, 8:30PM); and AIDS Wolf play a late show at Knitting Factory Saturday night with Ty Segall (10/23, 1AM).

Time, space and sanity doesn't permit me to go through every single Canadian act here for CMJ, but here's a few more of note:

Much-buzzed, glammy, glitzy Diamond Rings plays six CMJ week shows, starting with tomorrow night's (10/20) killer Stereogum/Popgun party at Santos, that also includes Wild Nothing, Tamaryn, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., now-revealed headliner The Drums, and more. (Only $5 with RSVP.) All Diamond Rings CMJ dates, including an Underground Press/Distiller day party at Knitting Factory on Thursday, are at the bottom of this post.

Toronto synth-disco duo Parallels play two shows on Wednesday (10/20): Backstage (formerly the Annex) at 1opm and then 11:45PM at The Bell House (that's gonna be cutting it close). Check out their track "Find the Fire" at the top of this post.

Hot Panda

Edmonton, Alberta's cute, frenetic indiepop foursome Hot Panda play two shows on Wednesday (10/20): a day show at Fontanas (2:40PM) and then that night at the Trash Bar (11PM). Check out "Mindlessnesslessness" from the band's new album, How Come I'm Dead? at the top of this post.

Two Hours Traffic hail from Prince Edward Island and traffik (sorry) in Weezer-ish power pop. They play the R Bar on Saturday (10/23) at 9PM.

And Woodhands, from Toronto, will bring their somewhat nerdy, definitely catchy snyth rock to The Bell House for a midnight set.

Tour dates, some flyers, videos, album widgets and other stuff are below.

Continue reading "Canadian invasion @ CMJ 2010 (PS I Love You, Hot Panda, No Joy, Radio Radio, Diamond Rings, High Dials, Braids, more) "

DOWNLOAD: Suuns - Arena (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Suuns - Up Past the Nursery (MP3)

Suuns

I am super bummed to report that UK band Yuck have cancelled their planned trip to the United States due to "personal reasons". They were set to play four shows (all still listed at their MySpace). One was in Philly, one was in Boston, one was the the PopGun party at Glasslands, and one was the official BrooklynVegan CMJ showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg happening Thursday, October 21st.

Luckily, the recently-signed-to Secretly Canadian band Suuns (who we have talked about a few times) have stepped up at the last minute to take their place on the bill which now looks like this:

Music Hall of Williamsburg, October 21, 2010
* The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
* The Blow
* Screaming Females
* Suuns
* Young Man

Pianos, October 21, 2010
* SMALL BLACK 12:45AM
* SUUNS 11:45PM
* SUN AIRWAY 10:45PM
* LIA ICES 9:45PM
* S. CAREY 8:45PM

Meanwhile, Suuns (grab some MP3s above) are still out on tour with Land of Talk, though only for two more Texas shows before CMJ, but then they'll resume touring with Land of Talk after CMJ, and that's when they are back to play Bowery Ballroom on November 6th. They have also added a NYC show that takes place after their tour, at Glasslands Gallery on November 14th with BELL, Emil & Friends, and New Moods. The Glasslands show is New Moods' 7" release party, and New Moods have some shows sooner, including CMJ, too (listed below).

All dates and Suuns' new-ish video for "Up Past The Nursery" below...

Continue reading "Yuck cancel tour, BV Show included (Suuns take their place & play Secretly Canadian showcase w/ Small Black too) "

words by JW Byer, Pop Montreal 2009 photos by Ryan Muir

Just when you thought Montreal was tapped out on its music talent, along comes Little Scream. Singer-songwriter Laurel Sprengelmeyer aka Little Scream (who bears a striking resemblance to a young Susan Sarandon), just finished up The Golden Record, her first studio album, co-produced by Richard Reed Parry of the Arcade Fire and Belle Orchestre.

The album was recorded in Montreal and New York, in the home studios of Parry and Aaron Dessner of the National. Both artists contributed to the album, with Parry playing on multiple tracks. Additional guest musicians include Mike Fueurstack (Snailhouse), Becky Foon (Silver M. Zion), Patty McGee (Stars) and Sarah Neufeld (Arcade Fire, Belle Orchestre).

The Golden Record (named after the 1977 Voyager space shuttle time capsule recording) is filled with stunning vocals and a beautiful use of reverb on songs such as "Your Radio." There are influences that span from the genre of folk on "Black Cloud," to the classical "Boatman." The heavy intro on "Cannons" bears the mark of Parry's work that can be heard in the Arcade Fire, but is unique at the same time. I was hooked right away with the soothing sounds of "Amahl," the album opener (a tribute to the Menotti opera that bears the same name), and the ballad that is "The Heron and the Fox."

There is good news for fans. Little Scream is on tour, playing this Saturday at the Pop Montreal Festival and the following Tuesday, 10/5, at Brooklyn's the Rock Shop. Tickets are still on sale for the Brooklyn show which is being headlined by Marnie Stern and also includes a set by the Forms.

LS is really excited to be playing the Pop Montreal Festival with Mary Margaret O'Hara, saying "she's kind of one of the reasons I play music." This set will also include guest musicians Becky Foon and Jess Robertson, and as previously noted, Doveman is also on that bill.

Later in October, Little Scream will head out on a Canadian tour with Owen Pallett before joining up with Suuns and Land of Talk, November 6th Bowery Ballroom included.

A limited run of CD's will be available at live shows, starting at the end of October. An official album release is slated for next spring. For a preview of The Golden Record, you can listen to new tunes at www.listn.to/littlescream and at her MySpace.

All tour dates and a Vincent Moon-directed Take Away Show, with pictures Ryan Muir took while that Take Away Show was being recorded at Pop Montreal last year, below...

Continue reading "a spotlight on Little Scream (tour dates included) "

""For me, this song is something of a centrepiece. I love the juxtaposition of the Spiderland-era Slint glassy guitars with the ?ornate, lush chorus. This is the first time I've had a full-on string arrangement in a song, which Jace (Besnard Lakes, who recorded the album) and Eoin worked on. It helped articulate the tension and release of the theme- that we fight blindly for the things we love, that the most beautiful things are often locked underground, where we save or hide them, disfiguring them so that they remain resolutely ours. There is power and truth in what we believe is truly important, and how we share or disguise it."

Continue reading "Land of Talk album streaming w/ written commentary "

"Suuns have no doubt ingested a lot of art rock, the Montreal group's minimalist rhythms are equally informed by Joy Division, Suicide and Can, often wrapped in a noisy squall of droning guitars and pulsing synths. Add to this Ben Shemie's breathy, paranoid sing/speak, and there are times that it seems like Suuns are about to drive over a sonic cliff. But there's actually a great sense of restraint at play. We were enveloped in Sunns' dark and thrilling post-punk from the first listen, never to return.

For a limited time, as we approach the release of Sunns' Secretly Canadian debut, we offer the band's 6-song EP as free, digital download." [Secretly Canadian]

That announcement coincidentally comes right as Suuns arrive in NYC as part of their previously-mentioned tour with Parlovr. The bands play an early show at Mercury Lounge tonight (7/21). Tickets are still on sale. And they play Friday at Knitting Factory with The Ettes and Hans Condor (tickets).

Check out some Suuns live videos, and all dates again, below...

Continue reading "Suuns sign to Secretly Canadian, giving away EP (in NY now) "