by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Fergus & Geronimo - Powerful Lovin' (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Final Club - Tragic World (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Final Club - Hot Gaze (MEDIAFIRE LINK - ZIP)
DOWNLOAD: Tyvek - Underwater To (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Tyvek - 4312 (MP3)

Gruff

Welcome to the first This Week in Indie of 2011. We are 12 days into this year and I have yet to see a show. If you add in the time before Christmas...this might be the longest I've gone without seeing live music in a long time. That drought will end for me this week, maybe tonight, but certainly tomorrow (1/13) as Gruff Rhys plays Rockwood Music Hall. I was a little worried this snow was to cancel his flight today, but he is currently on route to NYC as I write this.

Still no word as to who'll be releasing his new solo album, Hotel Shampoo, in the US but it seems likely someone will. Hopefully we'll get to hear a lot it live. As anyone whose seen him before -- either with Super Furry Animals or solo -- know, Gruff is an entertaining guy, who always puts extra effort into his shows. Highly recommended. Eleanor Friedberger of Fiery Furnaces opens. Show starts early -- 7:30.

I also just watched Separado!, the musical travelogue documentary about Gruff's quest to track down distant relative (and '70s caped troubadour) Rene Griffiths in Patagonia. Like Rhys himself, the film is charming, scruffy, funny and full of good songs. Still not released in America but you can order the UK DVD (if you have a region-free player or watch on a computer) or, if you live in Williamsburg, rent it from Videology.

Fergus & Geronimo

Fergus & Geronimo release their debut album, Unlearn, on Hardly Art next week, and are playing three shows this weekend in celebration: Friday (1/14) at Death By Audio (official official release party) with Final Club, Easter Vomit (ex Beets), new Captured Tracks signees Widowspeak, and Philadelphia's premiere surf band Dry Feet; Saturday (1/15) at Columbia University hangout The Ding Dong Lounge with Final Club; and Sunday (1/16) at Mercury Lounge with Tyvek. Xray Eyeballs and The Gaming Commission.

While it suffers from a slight case of identity crisis (droney psych, garagey rave-ups, organ-fueled soul), track-by-track Unlearn is a pretty solid record. Fergus & Geronimo are good at all the styles they dabble in. Check out "Powerful Lovin'" at the top of this post -- that shows off their soulful side. And while I haven't seen them play live in a year and a half, they were good then so I can only imagine they've gotten better.

Final Club

If your eyes didn't glaze over at the list of bands two paragraphs up, you may have noticed Final Club are playing with F&G twice this weekend. The two bands were Denton, TX neighbors before Fergus & Geronimo moved to Brooklyn late last summer. Final Club are here just for these shows. They are worth seeing in their own right: sneery, melodic indie rock with a tendency to lean on the tremolo bar which gives them a little Swervedriver vibe. Confident and loud.

You can check out "Tragic World" at the top of this post. And if you like that, you can download their Hot Gaze EP as well. Look out for their excellent debut album, Blank Entertainment, later this year. In addition to the two shows with Fergus & Geronimo, Final Club play a headlining gig at Death By Audio tomorrow night (1/13) with Bogan Dust, Clinical Trials and Laserdisc.

Tyvek @ BV-SXSW 2010 (more by Tim Griffin)

Also as mentioned above, Tyvek are in town this weekend. While many of their peers have moved on to mid-fi production, the Detroit band keep it live and murky on their new album, Nothing Fits. It also sounds as anxious, angry and alive as the rest of their material. In addition to the Mercury Lounge show on Sunday mentioned above, they play Saturday night (1/15) at Glasslands with The Beets, Eternal Summers, and Sweet Bulbs. That is a good show. Do note it starts early, 8PM for real, as the Soul Clap dance party starts at midnight. I'll be there.

I should mention that openers The Beets have a new album Stay Home that's just out on Captured Tracks. After last year's swell, cleanly produced "Locomotion" single, they too (like Tyvek) are back to the same intentionally shitty "production" of their first album. (Maybe slightly less shitty.) Which, again, doesn't hurt them at all. The Beets are good songwriters I think, and especially good lyricists. And maybe if they can ever get a drummer to stick around for more than a month they might go places. Or just stay home. There's also a new Beets single, "Time Brought Age," and both the LP and 7" feature the bands signature comic artwork courtesy Matt Volz.

Mister Heavenly

What else? Oh yeah, Mister Heavenly play Bowery Ballroom on Sunday (1/16) with Sun Airway and Little Shalimar. This extra super group just signed to Sub Pop, and the label would like you to know the band features Nick Diamonds (Islands/Unicorns), Honus Honus (Man Man) and Joe Plummer (Modest Mouse). Of course most of the press so far has been about the group's sometimes bassist who you may know from his non-musical day job. I don't mean the banana stand.

Going to see a band because there's a famous actor in it is usually a dumb reason to go (see Dogstar, 30 Seconds to Mars , 30 Odd Foot of Grunts, etc)... plus Mr. Cera is not an "official" member of the band and he may or may not be playing with them on Sunday (note that both the label and the venue told us they don't think Michael will be there). Luckily the rest of the band is known in their own right, so mabye you should go for that reason. Unfortunately there's no recorded music to hear yet, but their few shows so far have been well-documented on YouTube.

That's the main stuff. Here's a few shows, day-by-day, not covered above.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12

Nashville-via-Ohio band Mona -- one of the BBC's picks for Sound of 2011 -- invade NYC this weekend, starting tonight at Rock Shop. They also play Mercury Lounge on Thursday (1/13) (with Devin Therriault) and Union Pool on Saturday (1/15).

Given the abbreviation of this column you're reading, I would be remiss not to mention that The Twees play The Studio @ Webster Hall, a record release show for their just-released EP. They actually don't sound twee at all. I would say Strokes-esque pop would get you closer to a description.

Quirky, occasionally proggy, pop band Steel Phantoms at Bruar Falls.

more below...

Continue reading "Mister Heavenly, Gruff Rhys, Fergus & Geronimo, Final Club, Tyvek, The Beets & more in This Week in Indie "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: MAKE OUT - I Don't Want Anybody That Wants Me (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Reading Rainbow - Wasting Time (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Savoir Adore - Loveliest Creature (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Dinowalrus - Phone Home from the Edge (MP3)

Make Out

We are in full holiday swing so things are finally, thankfully slowing down. Nobody's really touring till the new year, making things easier for shopping, holiday parties, marathoning TV shows, whatever. So it'll be a short This Week in Indie, but not without things to see. This is New York after all.

The lead story this week was going to be ex-Beta Band frontman Steve Mason playing his first-ever solo shows in NYC, but his North American tour has been postponed "due to an almost complete lack of interest. We try again next year after SXSW!" There's interest, Steve, it's tough during the holidays. Do come back. If you haven't heard his new album, Boys Outside, it's definitely worth a listen.

So what else? Thursday night (12/16) is the live debut of MAKE OUT, which is the new band from Jesper Mortensen, who was the Junior in Danish duo Junior Senior. (Remember them?) He lives here now and new band -- fronted by Leah Hennessy -- is big dumb '70s-ish glitter-trash rock, and you can download Make Out's debut single, "I Don't Want Anybody That Wants Me," at the top of this post. Might be fun live? It's at Mercury Lounge.

Saturday (12/18) is the Rock Lottery event at Knitting Factory. I love these sort of instant art type things (anybody ever go see  Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind?) and the cast of musicians who'll make up these ad-hoc bands is promising. Members of Golden Triangle, Liturgy, Oberhofer, Bear in Heaven, ARMS, Les Savvy Fav and many more will be grouped together at random, so the results will hopefully be interesting. And fun. Proceeds go to charity, so give a little. Tickets are on sale now.

Reading Rainbow

And lastly, I really love Reading Rainbow's new album, Prism Eyes, which is out on the HoZac label and will be on my Best LPs of 2010 list when I ever get around to finishing writing it. You can download "Wasting Time," one of my favorites off the album, at the top of this post. They are great live too, which you can find out for yourself Saturday (12/18) night at Death By Audio as part of an insanely good bill that includes current tourmates Coasting, plus The Babies, Big Troubles and new Captured Tracks signing, Widowspeak. All upcoming Reading Rainbow tour dates are at the bottom of this post.

Like I said, it's a short one this week. More daily picks of things not covered above:

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15

The Depreciation Guild have decided to call it quits, which is sad, but have a couple more shows left in them. The first is tonight at Glasslands.  Check out the lovely animated video to their final single, "Blue Lily," at the bottom of this post.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16

SPIN and Free Williamsburg  are throwing some sort of Holiday party tonight at Death By Audio with a performance by The Hundred in the Hands, who made my Best EPs of 2010 list. It's free (and free beer), you just need to RSVP.

Travis are still a going rock outfit, but here's your chance to see frontman Fran Healy play solo at Bowery Ballroom in support of his new album, Wreckorder.

And if you are looking to laugh, Coco66 hosts Supershow!. Tonight has ex-SNL Jenny Slate, who also voiced that charming Marcel the Shell short. (I hear they might debut a new Marcel the Shell short tonight. Maybe.) Also performing: Food Party composer Matt Fitzpatrick will play original holiday songs, and more. It's free.

continued below...

Continue reading "MAKE OUT, not Steve Mason, Reading Rainbow, Savoir Adore, Depreciation Guild & more in This Week in Indie"

words and photos by Dominick Mastrangelo

Patrick Watson's Sacred Sunday

The afternoon of day 5, the final day, at Pop Montreal 2010 (catch up with day 1, day 2, day 3, and day 4) was a toss up between children's entertainer, Fred Penner and friends, or Patrick Watson's Sacred Sunday. With promises of pieces by Arvo Pärt and Bach and artists like Socalled and Brad Barr (from the Slip) along with Patrick Watson in a venue like Ukrainian Federation, it was an easy sell.

I walked into Pärt's "Fratres for String Quartet" and stayed until the end. In between it was an eclectic mix of religious and not-quite-religious songs with a rotating cast of performers. Watson's piano arrangement of "The Lord's Prayer" was beautiful as was Barr leading a re-worked version of Bach's "St. Matthew's Passion". Josh Dolgin of Socalled remembered Lhasa with a Kurt Weill cover. (Mary Margaret O'Hara mentioned Lhasa on Saturday night and it's clear not just by the tributes but in conversations over the course of the festival she is deeply missed by those she touched in the city she called home.) The event closed with everyone involved joining Watson for a rousing, uplifting version of "Old Time Religion." For even the most nonreligious it was hard not to be moved as people clapped, and Watson encouraged the audience with his megaphone. Early on, Socalled's Katie Moore said at the start or her version of "Satisfied Mind" something to the effect that all good religious songs should make you feel good about yourself. Well, the Ukrainian Federation was packed and as the "congregation" filed out there was no shortage of people, even a full 30 minutes after the event, walking - some even skipping - away singing the chorus to "Old Time Religion" and feeling very good about themselves.

I'd like to say that the festival ended on a high note, and maybe if I wasn't airport bound at 3:30am, it would have. Then I would have made it to the closing party headlined by Big Freedia at Espace Reunion. But the logistics were too great to overcome so my festival would come to an end at Casa del Popolo for Film School, Depreciation Guild and if I could swing it, Scout Niblett across the boulevard at Sala Rossa. Not entirely excited about what I had heard from Montreal's Receivers, I arrived an hour late, just in time for... Receivers. The entire show was pushed back as Film School were delayed at the border. So, Receivers were on and the venue was full but even live they failed to impress. It was uninspired shoegaze and the most underwhelming set of the festival. Depreciation Guild were next and when one of the band members said to the in-over-his-head sound guy, "We've lost all power on stage," things looked to get even worse. The power was eventually recovered, but clearly things were not right as band members continued to ask for more vocals. The Brooklyn band soldiered on and were tight and energetic but on a Sunday night, and late at that, the crowd had thinned and gave little back.

I skipped over to Sala Rossa, presented to me as the 'Bowery Ballroom of Montreal', to catch some of Scout Niblett. She was already into her set and had the crowd fully cast. Her hushed, sparse vocals gave way to vicious guitar and heavy metal-drumming on "Hot To Death" and everything felt more sinister with the velvet red background and decor. The evening looked to be turning.

However, by the time I got back to Casa del Popolo I imagined Film School would already be on, but they were still pulling everything together and apparently having more sound issues. By the time they started it was well over an hour from their original start time and the crowd had thinned a bit more. They started strong and sounded good until Greg Bertens' mic went out during the second song. A verbal back and forth with the sound guy, who looked shattered at this point, culminated in Bretens, no doubt frustrated from the delays at the border and scurrying to get to the venue, telling him he should just "leave the board." They played the song over with the mic working this time and carried on but the vocals were still way down and it marred what had the potential to be a great set. And what should have been a positive end to a very enjoyable festival.

Until next year. More pictures from Sunday, and a video from the Patrick Watson church show, below...

Continue reading "Pop Montreal 2010 - Day 5 in pics & review (Patrick Watson's Sacred Sunday, Film School & more)"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Film School - Heart Full of Pentagons (MP3)

West Coast shoegazy indie-rock band fronted by Greg Bertens, Film School, have a new record coming out, Fission, due August 31st on Hi-Speed Soul. The first single off that, "Heart Full Of Pentagons," posted above, opens with a nervous drum-machine beat and quickly grows into a wistfully epic Stars-esque burner.

To accompany the LP, the band will play a full tour this fall, opened primarily by Brooklyn's The Depreciation Guild. Those bands play two NYC shows, one at Glasslands with Home Video on September 30th (on sale now), and one at Mercury Lounge on Friday, October 1st. Tickets for Mercury Lounge are on AmEx presale now. General sale starts Friday at noon.

The new album's cover and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Film School announce tour in support of new LP (MP3, dates) "

photos by Andrew St. Clair, words by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Braids - Lemonade (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Wild Nothing - Chinatown (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Depreciation Guild - Crucify You (MP3)

Braids

Montreal quartet Braids played the Knitting Factory last night (5/26), opening for The Depreciation Guild and Wild Nothing. It was the first of what are now four NYC shows this week. Initially it was just last night's show and one Thursday (5/27) at Mercury Lounge with fellow Montrealers The Luyas (early show, no advance tickets). But they have added a loft show tonight (5/26) in Bushwick (538 Johnson Street #202, 8:30PM) and they will also be playing Rooftop Films on Friday (5/27).

For a band as young as Braids (age of the band and age of the members) I thought they really had it together last night, playing an almost seamless set where long songs flowed into the next. Mixing electronics, loops, shoegazy guitars, proggy rhythms, Braids are familiar and accessible but seem to have already figured out their own sonic niche. Some songs were more dreamlike, others had a more melodic grounding. (I preferred the latter). That said, tomorrow's show with The Luyas is a pretty perfect pairing.

Wild Nothing

Wild Nothing have gotten better each time I've seen them and last night they seemed ready for serious touring. The band's debut, Gemini, came out yesterday and is easily the most accessible record Captured Tracks has released to date, full of insanely catchy pop, owing much to mid-'80s UK indie. While you could cite obscurities like The Field Mice and Pale Saints, to say Wild Nothing also kind of sound like The Cure would not be incorrect. The crowd around the front of the stage was mostly female and mostly dancing.

Another influence made itself apparent last night when the band did a spot-on cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams." Singer Jack Tatum did a credible Stevie Nicks (he's got a great falsetto) and their version was both reverent and yet still sounded like Wild Nothing. They aren't the most exciting live band, but they've only been playing together as a band for a few months (the record is just Tatum), so that should come. But they sounded great.

Wild Nothing have a few shows in June opening for Neon Indian, including June 17 at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

The Depreciation Guild

Headliners The Depreciation Guild were also celebrating the release of an album -- their second, Spirit Youth, which is out on Kanine. Where their first, self-released album played up the 8-bit electronics element, the new album and last night's show was all about the guitars. Frontman Kurt Feldman is clearly a fan of '90s shoegaze and Deprecation Guild channels that sound flawlessly. (They also look the part too.) It's a real wall of sound they've got going, played at proper tinnitus volume. Feldman and guitarist Christoph Hochheim both also play in Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and that band's pop sensibilities have probably influenced their songwriting. Spirit Youth has strong melodies to go along with their perfected ethereal sound.

More pictures from the KF show, two setlists and more dates, below...

Continue reading "Braids played Knitting Factory w/ Wild Nothing & Depreciation Guild (pics & setlists), add 2 more shows (a loft tonight)"

DOWNLOAD: Wild Nothing - Chinatown (MP3)

Wild Nothing the band

Wild Nothing (as previously highlighted HERE, HERE and HERE) (the solo project of Jack Tatum that has since expanded into a full band - see above) released their/his debut full-length, Gemini, on Captured Tracks today (5/25 - also Beach Fossils' release day). Grab an MP3 from the album above. The full tracklist, with the video for the same song, is below.

The Depreciation Guild also just released a new album and that's who you can catch Wild Nothing opening for TONIGHT (5/25) at Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. The great triple-bill also gets you a set by Montreal's Braids.

In June Wild Nothing plays some dates with Neon Indian including the gig at Music Hall of Williamsburg (tickets). Jack Tatum then hits the road for another handful of dates with the Depreciation Guild. All shows listed below...

Continue reading "Wild Nothing album released - MP3, video & tour dates"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Braids - Lemonade (MP3)

Montreal's Braids will be in NYC next week, playing Knitting Factory on Tuesday May 25 with Depreciation Guild (whose very good second album Spirit Youth is out this week) and Wild Nothing (their debut, Gemini, which is also quite good, is out that day), and then an early show at Mercury Lounge on May 27 (no advance tickets) with fellow Montreal residents The Luyas who just can't seem to stay away from our city now that they've broken their NYC cherry (they were here the other day to play a 20 minute set at the National's High Violet Annex). Is there a cheap bus that we should know about?. There's also going to be a "secret loft show" (maybe like The Luyas one last month) on May 26 that we'll have info on next week.

Both Depreciation Guild and The Luyas are good pairings for Braids (not to be confused with '90s emo band Braid) whose sound is both ethereal and expansive, that reminds me a bit of being in a half-awake, dreamlike state. It's lovely stuff.

The band's debut, Native Speakers, is finished and awaiting a release date but in the meantime you can download "Lemonade" from it at the top of this post. There's also a lovely Vincent Moon directed Take Away show of Braids doing "Lemonade" further down this post.

Braids are currently playing a few dates with Holly Miranda (another apt pairing) before the shows next week here in New York.

Videos and dates below...

Continue reading "Braids are touring - video, MP3, 2 NYC dates (1 w/ the Luyas)"

by Bill Pearis

Serena Maneesh @ by:Larm (more)

Tonight (4/8) is NYC's last chance to see Serena-Maneesh for a while, at Le Poisson Rouge. The show is the end of a tour the band has been on since SXSW. We've got a pair of tickets to give away -- just send an email to BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM with "Serena-Maneesh" as the subject and include your name. We'll pick a winner at random ASAP. Also, along with the tickets you'll win a vinyl copy of S-M's great new album, No. 2: Abyss in B Minor. The show is 18+ and, like our Austin show they played, starts late -- doors are at 11PM, with openers The Depreciation Guild at 11:30 and Serena Maneesh at 1AM (you can go see them after almost any other show tonight).

Maybe it's the quality new album, but Serena-Maneesh have really been bringing their A-game this time around. You can check out video from their by:Larm showcase below.

Openers The Depreciation Guild will be previewing tracks from their new album, Spirit Youth, which scales back the 8-bit electronics to make way, perhaps, for more guitar pedals. I dig it. It's out May 18. You can check out the video to their single "Dream About Me" at the bottom of this post.

Continue reading "Serena Maneesh are here (win tix & vinyl), Thursday night late show w/ The Depreciation Guild (new album soon) "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Megaphonic Thrift - Acid Blues (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Good The Bad - 004 (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pirate Love - A Kiss Hello (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Choir of Young Believers - Action/Reaction (MP3)

Casiokids

By now you hopefully you know that Norway's awesome Casiokids are playing our Brooklyn Vegan Pre-SXSW party, alongside Let's Wrestle, The Wave Pictures, Banjo or Freakout and WhoMadeWho. There's now also free PBR for an hour or two (exact details on that soon). And I'll be DJing in between sets. It's all very exciting, isn't it? There are still some tickets available -- only $8.

In that previous post about Casiokids, we mentioned a compilation of the band's 2009 singles called Topp stemning på lokal bar that was, as of that writing, only coming out in Norway. The band have since announced that they've signed to Polyvinyl in the U.S. who will release the album, complete with bonus disc of remixes just like in Norway.

The Knitting Factory show is actually one of three that Casiokids will be playing in NYC before they head to Austin for SXSW. They will also play Pianos this Saturday (3/13) along with Banjo or Freakout, Denmark's synth-rock quintet Spleen United and our Italian friends A Classic Education. Casiokids also play Littlefield on Sunday (3/14) afternoon for an all-Scandinavian party that again features Spleen United, plus Denmark's only surf/flamenco band, The Good The Bad, and The Megaphonic Thrift.

The Megaphonic Thrift are made up of members of Casiokids and The Low Frequency in Stereo and are definitely of the '90s indie rock variety (in this case think GBV or Dinosaur Jr.) that seems to be coming back into style lately. You can download their single "Acid Blues" at the top of this post. Their debut, Decay Destroy, just came out in Norway and is available here through your favorite digital store. I haven't seen them play yet, but BV caught them at by:Larm and said they were pretty good. Pictures from their February 18th show at Oslo club Sub Scene are below.

In addition to the Littlefield show, Megaphonic Thrift are playing Sunday night (3/14) at Bowery Electric and then on Monday night at Santos Party House for a Oya Fest / Oh My Rockness party with fellow Norwegians Pirate Love (High energy, Hives-ish garage) and Hanne Hukkelberg (orchestrated pop), plus The Depreciation Guild. Mind you this is the same night as our Knitting Factory show, so Megaphonic Thrift will play Santos then certain members will race across the Williamsburg Bridge to join their Casiokids bandmates in time for that set. It's all going to work out fine.

Pirate Love will be back after SXSW for a couple shows with UK garage act Thee Vicars. Catch them at Cameo Gallery on March 26 and Lit Lounge on March 27.

Spleen United @ CMJ 2009

The aforementioned Spleen United are also playing this Wednesday (3/10) at Union Hall with fellow Danes Choir of Young Believers. I caught Spleen United at CMJ back in October and they reminded me of the kind of band that 20 years ago would've been on Wax! Trax! or Play it Again Sam records -- the poppier side of goth/industrial. They've had #1 albums in Denmark I've since learned. With multiple percussionists, they put on a pretty good live show too.

Choir of Young Believers were also here at CMJ. Their debut, This is for the White in Your Eyes, is elegiac folk that gets the band compared to Fleet Foxes quite a bit but CoYB are a bit more instrumentally varied and grandiose than Robin Pecknold and co.  It really is a lovely record. The Union Hall show also features The Loom (who played that BV loft show during CMJ 2009) and Spain's The Right Ons. Choir of Young Believers also play Pianos on Thursday (3/11) with Brooklyn's ARMS who are worth checking out in their own right.

Choir of Young Believers

That's more than enough for one post. Below are videos, flyers and tour dates for some of the bands mentioned here...

Continue reading "Megaphonic Thrift, Casiokids, Choir of Young Believers & other Scandinavian bands playing SXSW, NYC, other dates"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Oh No Ono - Internet Warrior (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Oh No Ono - Helplessly Young (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Hooray for Earth - Surrounded by Friends (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Field Music - Measure (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Twin Sister - Vampires with Dreaming Kids EP (Zip)

Oh No Ono

Denmark's Oh No Ono are in town this week for their first-ever NYC shows, the first of which was an in-store at Sound Fix last night. Anybody go? I'm seeing them tonight at Mercury Lounge, where they'll be playing with Bear in Heaven, ArpLine and Jaguar Club. Tomorrow they're at Union Hall with Depreciation Guild and Hooray for Earth. Oh No Ono's new album, Eggs, is impressively bonkers and almost impossible to describe succinctly. It's psychedelic, baroque, glammy, 70's AM, with some synth pop and the occasional church choir thrown in. And very catchy stuff too. Maybe they're the Sid and Marty Kroft version of Mew? Hear it for yourself -- there's two tracks at the top of this post. I can't wait to see how they pull all this off live.

Tonight's Mercury Lounge show is sold out, no surprise given they're playing with Bear in Heaven. Tomorrow's Union Hall show is just as solid though, with eight bit shoegazers The Depreciation Guild who will soon head off with Pains of Being Pure at Heart (Kurt Feldman's in both bands) for a tour of Japan. Also playing are Hooray for Earth, who neatly straddle the line between electronic pop and electrified rock. The sound is familiar and inviting yet I don't seem to be able to come up with any obvious comparisons to another band, which is a good thing. They've got a new EP, Momo, that is currently only available through Emusic (the latest in the Emusic Selects series) but I wouldn't be surprised if they were selling it at their merch table. It's definitely worth picking up. You can download the lead track, "Surrounded by Friends," at the top of this post.

Field Music

After cancelling their performance last-minute at Skippy's birthday party back in December, Field Music are back for their make-up date this Saturday (1/30) at the Bell House. If you bought tickets before, they're still valid. And if you haven't got tickets, they're still on sale. The Brewis brothers' new album, Field Music (Measure), is out February 16 and here's what I wrote last time:

...it's another knockout from the Brewis brothers, 20 tracks that further refine their distinctive mix of nervy new wave, prog, krautrock, tea party pop and whatever else they're into at the time. It's a Field Music album, no doubt about it, but it's less buttoned up, more rhythm heavy ("Let's Write a Book" shows that one of them's been listening to Can) and willing to give anything a try. If you've never seen Field Music live before, you should definitely come out, the Brewises are shit-hot musicians as well (David is an especially impressive drummer). There used to be a lot of switching instruments when they were a trio, but now as a four-piece I wonder if that'll still happen.

Twin Sister

Friday (1/29) at Bruar Falls is a band a lot of people seem to be talking about right now: Twin Sister. To me, there's a little '80s delay-pedal shimmery-ness to them (Cocteau Twins, Disintigration-era Cure), nods to '70s muted-fretboard soft rock soul, as well as a pastoral folk thing going on. Basically, dreamy and beautiful stuff. They also remind me a bit of Montreal's Luyas who, if they ever make it down this way, Twin Sister would make a perfect double bill. Thier EP from last year, Vampires with Dreaming Kids, is a free download from their website, which we link to at the top of this post. A new EP titled Color Your Life is due in March on Infinite Best Recordings. There's a video trailer for the EP at the bottom of this post.

Twin Sister have a bunch of shows coming up. In addition to Friday's Bruar Falls -- which is free, btw-- they're also playing Saturday (1/30) at the loft above Richie's Gym which is out by the Myrtle JMZ stop. Both those shows are being presented by busy blog Chocolate Bobka and also feature Austin's languid, reverby Pure Ecstasy. The Bruar show also has Family Portrait and Baltimore's Run DMT. Twin Sister have a bunch more shows lined up in February, including 2/25 at Cameo with Toro Y Moi. All dates are at the bottom of this post.

A few other weekend picks, videos and tour dates below...

Continue reading "Oh No Ono, Hooray For Earth, Field Music, Twin Sister, Javelin, Diehard & more in This Week in Indie"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Come Saturday (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Young Adult Friction (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Everything with You (MP3)

It's not entirely uncommon, especially these days, for a band to go from playing Cake Shop to headlining Webster Hall in little over a year, but one of the amazing surprises of 2009 is that it happened to The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Made entirely of genuine indie obsessives who, when not on tour are at other people's shows, the Pains moved beyond the cardigan crowd to what you could almost call... mainstream success? It doesn't hurt that their self-titled debut was chock-full of irresistible pop songs, three of which were actual singles (all downloadable at the top of this post), and the rest could've been. The band rest up until February when they tour Japan, Australia and New Zealand -- tour dates are at the bottom of this post. Singer Kip Berman answered our year-end in questionnaire...

Continue reading "an end of 2009 interview w/ The Pains of Being Pure at Heart"

photos by Vincent Cornelli

School of Seven Bells

Friday night's show at Music Hall of Williamsburg had its share of problems. First it was moved from Webster Hall to Music Hall of Williamsburg (presumably for less-than-expected ticket sales). Then one of its openers, First Aid Kit, couldn't get into the country. They were replaced by the Depreciation Guild. Then the other opener, Warpaint, mysteriously disappeared off the bill and was replaced by Phantogram. Finally, to add insult to injury, School of Seven Bells were supposed to be the headliner, but not surprisingly, some of the crowd cleared out after the much hyped xx played third of fourth on the bill at the sold out show.

"Their stage setup was really xxxxxxxxxx-core, with two large X podiums from the left to the right with the band members dressed up in dark colours. The band's stage presence was very striking; this only complemented their minimalist dream pop sequence.

The XX do not have the energetic stage presence that most bands at CMJ have. They just hammered out each song without any variation. It was as if their hearts did not skip a beat.

If the XX come to your town, expect a good show but not one that's too jumpy. You can shout out the lyrics from the audience but the XX will remain stoic, just to deliver and concentrate on putting on a live show." [B Sides]

Continue reading "The xx, School of Seven Bells, Phantogram & the Depreciation Guild @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (CMJ) - pics"

photos by Jake Forney

DOWNLOAD: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Higher Than the Stars (Others in Conversation Mix) (MP3)

Cymbals Eat Guitars / Pains of Being Pure at Heart

"Pains went on at 9:15 and Webster Hall was packed. I wonder if it sold out? They played a great set, and I finally got to see them play the song that made me a fan of theirs, "A Teenager in Love." But for me, my two favorite songs are "Come Saturday" and "Everything With You." Matt told me that he knows that those are the two songs I like because that's the only time he'll ever see me move. Yeah, at shows I'm pretty dis-affectionate. It seems that Pains get better every time I see them. And on a personal level, it is true that with new music, I really don't like a good 98% of what's out there, but I love Pains and they'll receive my full support. And I'm no one special, but I am blatantly honest. They write such beautiful, sincere, and catchy music, and the members are some of the nicest people I've ever met, and both Kip and Peggy gave me a hug when I ran into them at the show. Aww, you guys are awesome. And interestingly enough, when I got home from the show I had a last.fm friend request from Kip. (we have "very high" compatibility according to last.fm's taste-meter)" [Alex Caprio]

Continue reading "Cymbals Eat Guitars, Depreciation Guild & The Pains of Being Pure at Heart @ Webster Hall in NYC - pics "

photos by Lori Baily

Cymbals Eat Guitars @ Brooklyn Bowl

New York's [Pains of Being Pure at Heart] secured their position as indie-pop darlings earlier this year via their superb self-titled debut album, and are already trekking out in support of another release, the "Higher than the Stars" EP. Manifesting as a quintet (adding another guitar to their usual guitar, keys, bass and drums arrangement), they delivered pensive, breezy, melodious anthems of romantic anxiety such as "This Love Is (expletive) Right," and "Everything With You" with much free-spirited bopping and swaying.

Banter was limited but charming. Pains frontman Kip Berman, himself a former Cambridge resident, made it known that he sympathized with anyone forced to leave early to catch the last train. Attired in what appeared to be an olive colored robe, singer/ keyboardist Peggy Wang announced that her friend was celebrating his bachelor party at the Middle East Downstairs that evening.

Fellow New Yorkers the Depreciation Guild and Cymbals Eat Guitars opened. Performing in front of a video of rapidly flashing, alternating sides of a Rubik's Cube, the Depreciation Guild employed duel guitars and gentle, trebly vocals for hypnotic results. Their shoegazey pop makes for excellent pre-nap-time ambience, which explains why they looked to be on the verge of nodding off.

Cymbals Eat Guitars performed passionately, but always seemed to be cramming four song concepts into one. They could learn a thing or two about the beauty of simplicity from the Pains. [Boston Herald]

A little more than a week before the Boston show, CEG played Insound's 10 anniversary party at Brooklyn Bowl. Another set of pics from that show, along with info on that new Pains EP, and all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Pains of Being Pure at Heart (new EP) now on tour w/ Cymbals Eat Guitars (more Brooklyn Bowl pics) "

The Depreciation Guild @ The Bell House in January (more by Jonny Leather)

Wolfmother (sort of) played the PNC Bank Arts Center in NJ with the Killers last night (9/2). The night before that it was at Jones Beach. Tomorrow it's Boston followed by Montreal and then Toronto. But tonight is a night off that they will spend at The Bowery Electric in NYC where they will go on after The Depreciation Guild who reportedly hit the stage at 10:30 PM.

For The Depreciation Guild, this is a warm up gig before they hit the road with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Cymbals Eat Guitars.

Wolfmother's new album Cosmic Egg is out October 13th via Interscope. All dates and an entertaining Wolfmother-album-promo video below...

Continue reading "secret Wolfmother show in NYC tonight ++ other Depreciation Guild tour dates"

The final lineup for Monolith Festival, which takes place at the Red Rocks Ampitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, on September 12th-13th, is below. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Girl Talk headline Saturday night at the festival, and the Mars Volta and MSTRKRFT top the bill on Sunday. Deer Tick, Passion Pit, Doom, The Walkmen, The Thermals, and HEALTH are also some of the bands on the two-day bill.

Tickets and two-day passes are still on sale. We also has a pair of weekend tickets to give away. Details on that, with the full lineup, below...

Continue reading "Monolith Festival - final 2009 lineup ++ WIN a two-day pass"

Pains of Being Pure at Heart @ South Street Seaport 7/10 (more by Tim Griffin)

Since their Seaport Music show on July 10th, Pains of Being Pure at Heart have updated their tour schedule to include an NYC show at Webster Hall on October 3rd. Tickets go on AmEx presale Wednesday, July 15th at noon. General sales starts Friday, July 17th at noon.

Pains' tour dates, listed below, take them around North America in September and October. Cymbals Eat Guitars and Depreciation Guild will be joining them on that tour, including the Webster Hall show.

The band also has a short West Coast tour scheduled between their stops at Pitchfork Fest (in Chicago July 18th) and Capitol Hill Block Party (in Seattle July 25th).

Videos from their Seaport show, and a new Pitchfork.TV "Don't Look Down" video with Cymbals Eat Guitars playing on a NYC roof, with all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Pains of Being Pure at Heart - updated 2009 tour dates (Webster Hall w/ Cymbals Eat Guitars & Depreciation Guild)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Howlies - Chimera (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Gringo Star - All Y'all (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Spacecamp - Girls on Bikes (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Swirlies - Chris R. (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Swirlies - Bell (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Real Estate - Suburban Beverage (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Uninhabitable Mansions - We Misplaced a Cobra in the Uninhabitable Mansion (on WFMU) (MP3)

For about a year now, Cinema 16 has been giving short films a live soundtrack courtesy of local bands. Up till now, it's been happening at the Starr Space in Bushwick, but tonight (2/25) Cinema 16 heads to The Bell House for a double feature with four shorts and original music from Wild Yaks and Artanker Convoy.

Wild Yaks perform to leftist group Public Theater's Pie in the Sky and Edwin S. Porter's early cinema (1906) short Dream of a Rarebit Fiend. I actually caught them doing this at Cinema 16 a couple weeks ago and their ramshackle, Tom Waits-y wailing rock fit well especially with the Depression-era Pie in the Sky (which stars Elia Kazan!). Artanker Convoy, whose music leans toward the instrumental, atmospheric and trippy, are a more obvious fit for this kind of project. They'll be performing to an abstract animation by Harry Smith and Robert Enrico's Oscar-winning 1962 short, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, which was shown in America as an episode of The Twilight Zone. Again, both bands have composed original music for this that's unlikely to be heard anywhere else, so it's definitely something worth checking out. Also: free ice cream.

Howlies

Thursday (2/26) at Death By Audio are two of Atlanta's better rock bands (and there are a lot of 'em down there, let me tell you): Howlies and Gringo Starr. I particularly like the Howlies, who are celebrating the release of their debut album, Trippin' With the Howlies, which is one of the more fun rock records I've heard in a while. While steeped in nods to the '60s (surf rock, the Zombies, Love, the Troggs, etc) they've got good songwriting chops to go along with their good taste. Gringo Star, apart from the groan-worthy name (though it's better than A Fir-Ju Well which is what they used to be called), are a garage-rockin' party band not unlike Mando Diao that don't seem to have more of an agenda than having a good time. (And wanting you to have a good time too.) Which these days, should be enough. I can't say I listen to their latest album, All Y'all, a whole lot but they're fun live. Also on the bill: Brooklyn-via-Brazil duo Soundscapes who make '80s-inspired ethereal guitar pop, and Bonnie Baxter who you may have seen open for Apes and Androids at Music Hall of Williamsburg last month.

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Friday (2/27): The Spicy Times blog (a joint production of the ladies behind Jinners and I Rock I Roll) is having its monthly party at Union Hall with a pretty great lineup with two bands I've written about before: Uninhabitable Mansions that features Robbie and Tyler from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Annie of Au Revoir Simone and who will be selling their debut 7" at the show; and Spacecamp, who are as we speak finishing up work as backing band on Lightspeed Champion's second album. Maybe they'll bring him along? Weirder things have happened. Also on the bill: Staten Island's all-girl seven-piece Vessels and free Colt 45.

Also Friday is that Swirlies show at Mercury Lounge, their first NYC show in five years. Swirlies also play Philly tomorrow (2/26) and Boston on Saturday (2/28).

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Saturday (2/28): It's Cake Shop's monthly The World's Birthday Party party. If your birthday is in February you get free admission, a gift at the door and two free drink tickets. If you're not a February child, it's $8. Bands include Boston's Major Stars who should light up the joint with their stoner hard rock riffs, and Spectre Folk which features Mike of Magik Markers.

Real Estate

Late night Saturday at Cake Shop, it's a free show with New Jersey's Real Estate who are kind of getting a ton of hype right now from the likes of Pitchfork and Stereogum and Gorilla Vs Bear and others, all on the back of one three-song, white vinyl 7" which I have to admit I do like a lot. (Also having Matt Mondanile [aka Ducktails] in the group doesn't hurt.) Galaxie 500 seems to be the go-to reference for Real Estate and there is that dreamy vibe to their songs, but I'd also site criminally-overlooked '90s band Acetone as well. They've got a second 7" due out soon on Woodsist, so don't expect the interest to die down anytime soon. In addition to the Cake shop show, Real Estate have shows next week at Glasslands and Dead Herring, as well as an upcoming tour that includes a bunch of stops in Austin during SXSW (though none of them at official showcases). All tour dates at the end of the post.

Also Saturday: lovers of shoegaze, dreampop and goth should head straight to Mercury Lounge for a pretty stellar bill of Mahogany, The Depreciation Guild, Blacklist, Cruel Black Dove, and Home Video. Tickets are on sale.

That's all for this week. Tour dates and some videos after the jump....

Continue reading "Real Estate, Cinema 16, Howlies, Spicy Times, Major Stars, Mahogany, Swirlies & more in This Week in Indie "

DOWNLOAD: Organs EP (Mediafire zip)
DOWNLOAD: Knight School - Pregnant Again (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Right on Dynamite - Mantra for the Madness (MP3)

by Bill Pearis

Black Diamond Bay

We've been having pretty wintry weather here lately but it's nothing compared to the cold snap much of Canada has faced in the last week -- Montreal hit record lows last week. Which will probably make the mid-20s feel balmy for Black Diamond Bay, who have trekked down across the border to play a few U.S. shows over the next week. When last we checked in with the band (featuring ex-Dears members Patrick Krief and George Donoso), they had finished their home-recorded debut album, which they were only selling on tour from the merch tables.

In the interim, they went back, recorded a couple new songs and had it mixed by some big-time pros. This new version, now called Calm Awaits, will be out officially in March but you can hear about half of it on BDB's Myspace as we speak. Black Diamond Bay play Fontana's tonight with The Depreciation Guild (Wednesday, 1/28) and an early set at Mercury Lounge on February 5. They were great at Pianos back in November, and as I've said before, you really have to see them live to experience Black Diamond Bay in all their drum fills n spiraling solos glory.

Organs

This weekend has two good shows at Williamsburg's Don Pedro's. Friday night (1/30) has garage- trio Organs who describe themselves as "If Hank Williams listened to the Stooges while fucking Little Richard." I guess that works as well as anything, and definitely gets you in the right ballpark. You can listen and judge for yourself, though, as the band have their debut EP available to download for free -- the link to which is at the top of this post. Also playing Friday night are The Specific Heats who take their cues from '60s flower-power pop like Strawberry Alarm Clock and the Chocolate Watchband as well as '80s Creation Records indie (which is sorta the same thing). Frontman Matt Patalano has also been in loads of other bands concurrently, having just recently given up his bassist gig in My Teenage Stride. Opening is Boston singer Elizabeth Butters who makes what I'd call "old timey" folk. Take a listen at her MySpace.

Knight School

Saturday (1/31) at Don Pedros more local indiepop worth checking out. I caught openers Knight School back in December at Cake Shop's Christmas party and thought they were great. They're lo-fi pop in the same vein as Television Personalities, the Vaselines or the Pastels -- all of whom I'm going to guess they love. Their album, The Poor and Needy Need to Party, just came out on Lost Music Records which is run by the folks from the recently defunct Indie MP3 blog. There's an MP3 at the top of this post and you can stream the whole album at Last.fm. In addition to some other upcoming shows (including 2/17 at Glasslands with Specific Heats), they're playing with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and UK's awesome Let's Wrestle at The Bell House on March 13 which you don't want to miss. Tickets are on sale.

Also playing that night: reverb-drenched Jackson Heights duo The Beets, and then the night gets heavier with The Juggs (deep-fried riff rock), and The Gulf of Michigan (who sound a bit like Leonard Cohen fronting the Stooges).

Friday, January 30 is pretty busy. But a fun way to start the night, potentially, would be to skate to the sounds of Neckbeard Telecaster and Grand Mal at Seaport Ice. The weather is supposed to be in the 30s, pretty nice, though I wonder what windchill will be like when you're right by the river. I'm looking forward to finding out the rest of Seaport Ice's schedule (what bands would you want to skate to?), as well as getting some exercise at a show for once, instead of just drinking beer.

And one last option for Friday night: Brooklyn band Right on Dynamite are playing Pianos. You may have seen them open for Frightened Rabbit at Bowery Ballroom earlier this month. There debut EP is pretty catchy stuff, and while you rarely read a piece about them that doesn't mention The Strokes, if you ask me the most obvious comparison would be The Cribs (who I love), but with a few less "whoa-oh" choruses. You can download EP track "Mantra for the Madness" at the top of this post.

All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Black Diamond Bay, Organs, Knight School, Right on Dynamite & more in This Week in Indie"

DOWNLOAD: The Depreciation Guild - In Her Gentle Jaws (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Depreciation Guild - Butterfly Kisses (MP3)

photos by Jonny Leather

"Well BASICALLY, if you took the soundtrack to that game (which was SO AWESOME) turned it into a good looking band and added a lot more shoegaze to it, the result would be The Depreciation Guild. They even play in front of trip-y colored video screens which enhances the otherworld-ly quality of their music, and if you read the band credits, one of the members is listed as playing TOYS. How do I get a job like that?! I saw them play at our After The Jump showcase at the Knitting Factory and was so mesmerized I barely noticed when someone handed me a can of Sparks plus, so that pretty much says it all." [I Rock I Roll]

Continue reading "The Depreciation Guild @ The Bell House, NYC - pics"

by Bill Pearis

The Depreciation Guild

For fans of Shoegaze/Dreampop/etc, the Bell House is where you want to be tonight (1/8) for a free show with locals The Depreciation Guild, Dead Leaf Echo, and Luxa. I'm quite fond of The Depreciation Guild's most recent album, In Her Gentle Jaws, which you can download for free from the band's website. Mixing heavy and heavily-treated guitars with beats built on a Nintendo Famicom, they actually kind of remind me of me of Mew's dreamier moments. The Depreciation Guild are also going on tour with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart next month so the rest of the country will get a chance to check them out too.

As for the other two bands on the bill, I'm not familiar other than checking out their respective MySpace pages, but Dead Leaf Echo have dreampop cred: their forthcoming album was produced by John Fryer (Cocteau Twins, Pale Saints), and they've had remixes done by Ulrich Schnauss. Luxa are a little more on the bliss-out side of things. No idea what any of these bands are like live, but you can't argue with the price. Also free: Brooklyn Lager from 8-9.

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Keeping things Brooklyn local, My Teenage Stride play Union Hall Friday night (1/9). The band have entirely revamped their line-up in the last six months but when I saw them at Glasslands late last year they were good as ever. If you like Lloyd Cole, the Chills, The Wedding Present and other jangly '80s indie signifiers, you should definitely seek them out, if you haven't already. My Teenage Stride also play next Thursday (1/15) at Vanishing Point Studio in Bushwick.

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Box Elders

It's already been mentioned that Michigan band Tyvek are playing three shows this weekend, one of which is at Market Hotel with Crystal Stilts. Also on that bill are Omaha trio Box Elders, who are not named after the classic Pavement song, or the tree, but the bugs that infested the house where two-thirds of the band (Jeremiah and Clayton McIntyre) grew up. (They claim they still have a snare with about 100 dead box elder bugs in it...eww.) So far the band only have one single, the excelent "Hole in My Head" which sounds a lot like New Zealand's The Clean to these ears. (Bonus points: the b-side is a cover of Redd Kross' "S&M Party.") The Box Elders are currently on a fairly extensive US tour but The Market Hotel show is their only NYC-area show so do check them out.

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And finally, this weekend marks the premiere of FUTURITY -- a musical written by local retro-futurists The Lisps. As the Lisps' shows tend to be theatrical anyway, mixing elements of vaudville and Americana and other genres, it's no real suprise they had a musical in them. Here's the blurb:

FUTURITY tells the story of Julian Munro, a lowly foot soldier in the American Civil War with an overactive imagination and a dream to be a famous writer. Through the double narrative of Julian's wartime experience ripping up Confederate railroads in southwestern Virginia, and the grimly futuristic novel he writes along the way, the musical weaves an ominous and bizarre tale of destruction, creation, and utopianism. The protagonist of Julian's novel, The Inventor, devises an omnipotent steam-powered artificial intelligence that he sees as a panacea for all of humanity's woes. The story is largely narrated by Ada Lovelace, the famous mathematician and Julian's imaginary muse. The music in FUTURITY draws inspiration from every corner of traditional Americana and contemporary indie-rock to paint a quintessentially American scene of war, antiquity, technological hubris, and outmoded conceptions of futurity.

ALSO THIS WEEKEND: 2 Camper Van Beethoven shows

Videos, tourdates and other stuff for some the above groups after the jump...

Continue reading "the Depreciation Guild, Box Elders, My Teenage Stride, a Lisps musical & more in This Week in Indie"

DOWNLOAD: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Come Saturday (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Everything With You (MP3)

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart have two upcoming NYC shows scheduled. The first is February 7th at Mercury Lounge which is also the first date of a tour the NYC band is going on with The Depreciation Guild. Cause CO-Motion! is also on the Manhattan bill and tickets are on sale. The second is March 13th at the Bell House which is the first date of a tour the band is playing on their way to SXSW.

Their self-titled album (pictured above) will be released in February 2009. Grab two tracks from it above. Check out a video, some pics from the show they played at MHOW with Bishop Allen in November, and all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - 2009 Tour Dates, a new album & some MP3s & live pics"