DOWNLOAD: Korallreven - "Sa Sa Samoa" (ft. Julianna Barwick) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Korallreven - "As Young As Yesterday" [Ft. Victoria Bergsman] (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Korallreven - "Honey Mine" [Ft. Victoria Bergsman] (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Julianna Barwick - "Never Change" (MP3)

Swedish duo Korallreven (aka Marcus Joons and Daniel Tjäder [of The Radio Dept.]) released their excellent debut LP, An Album by Korallreven this past November via Acephale (buy it on eMusic). The album featured guest vocals by Victoria Bergsman (Taken by Trees/The Concretes) and by Julianna Barwick. Download MP3s of those collaborations above.

Korallreven will be playing their first US shows in support of the album this March with a short run of shows that kicks off at NYC's Bowery Ballroom on March 4. Tickets go on sale Wednesday (1/18) at noon. Victoria Bergsman will appear as a special guest at the San Francisco show, but no guests have been revealed for any of the other dates.

Speaking of Julianna Barwick, Asthmatic Kitty recently posted a new song of hers to their site called "Never Change." You can grab that track above and stream it below.

All dates and stream below...

Continue reading "Korallreven schedule dates; Julianna Barwick posts a song"

The Radio Dept (more by Tim Griffin)

First Mogwai, and now The Radio Dept have cancelled their upcoming fall tour that included Fun Fun Fun Fest and a show at Bowery Ballroom. Stay tuned for more details.

by Andrew Sacher

DOWNLOAD: Korallreven - "As Young As Yesterday" [Ft. Victoria Bergsman] (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Korallreven - "Honey Mine" [Ft. Victoria Bergsman] (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Korallreven - "Another Dream Mixtape" (MP3)

Panda Bear at MHOW in July (more by Amanda Hatfield)

As previously mentioned, Panda Bear kicks off a short US tour next week after playing POPPED! Music Festival in Philly this Friday (9/23). The tour culminates in NYC at Webster Hall on October 1 (tickets) and Brooklyn Masonic Temple on October 2 (tickets). Later this fall, Panda Bear will play a run of European dates leading up to his appearance at the Jeff Mangum-curated ATP.

Korallreven

In related news, Panda Bear recently remixed a track off the upcoming Korallreven debut LP. Korallreven are a Swedish electronic duo consisting of Marcus Joons and Daniel Tjäder (of The Radio Dept.). Their LP, titled An Album by Korallreven, comes out on November 15 via Acephale and features guest appearances by Victoria Bergsman (Taken by Trees/The Concretes) and Julianna Barwick, who also appears on a mixtape the duo have made, which you can download above. You can listen to Panda Bear's remix of "As Young as Yesterday," which features Victoria Bergsman, below. The original and another album track, "Honey Mine," which also features Victoria Bergsman, can be downloaded above. Tracklist and album art are below.

Speaking of The Radio Dept., their tour with Memoryhouse kicks off in November and hits Bowery Ballroom on November 20. Tickets for that show are still on sale.

All Panda Bear dates, Korallreven song stream, album art and tracklist below...

Continue reading "Panda Bear remixed a Korallreven song featuring Victoria Bergsman (MP3s, album info & The Radio Dept)"

The Radio Dept. at Pitchfork Fest (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

The Radio Dept., who recently played a secret Rock Shop show, a free show at the Seaport, and Pitchfork Fest, have announced a fall tour that includes their previously mentioned Dallas, TX show with Memoryhouse. All dates are listed below.

Kicking off in Houston and hitting Fun Fun Fun Fest soon after, The Radio Dept's tour will hit NYC at Bowery Ballroom on November 20. Tickets for the Bowery Ballroom show go on sale Friday (8/5) with an AmEx pre-sale starting Wednesday (8/3) at noon.

Memoryhouse open other dates on the tour too, but not that show. You can catch Memoryhouse in NYC at their 9/12 Brooklyn Bowl show with Peter Bjorn & John though. Tickets are still on sale.

Speaking of Peter Bjorn & John, that Brooklyn Bowl show is one of four NYC area dates on their tour. When we last spoke, Memoryhouse was the only announced opener. It's since been revealed that The Suzan will open the 9/15 MHOW show and the 9/16 Bowery Ballroom show. Tickets are still on sale for the MHOW show but the Bowery Ballroom show is sold out. There is still no opener listed for the 9/13 Maxwell's show, which tickets are still available for.

All Radio Dept & Memoryhouse tour dates below...

Continue reading "The Radio Dept. announce fall tour, shows w/ Memoryhouse"

photos by Dominick Mastrangelo & Josh Darr

Fleet Foxes / Zola Jesus

Pitchfork Fest day two (7/16) had a pretty great variety of acts. In addition to newer acts like No Age, Zola Jesus and Twin Shadow, day two made way for a number of more classic artists including the recently reunited Dismemberment Plan, hardcore punk 'supergroup' OFF!, and instrumental hip hop vet DJ Shadow. You might include Destroyer and The Radio Dept. in that group too, who both played day two of the fest.

Fleet Foxes, who also played Pitchfork Festival in 2008, headlined. Catch Fleet Foxes in NYC when their tour with The Walkmen hits Williamsburg Waterfront on September 24. Tickets for this great double bill are still on sale.

Gang Gang Dance (pics) and G-Side (pics) played day two also. More pictures from that day below...

Continue reading "pics from Pitchfork Fest 2011 -- Day Two"

photos by Amanda Hatfield and Chris La Putt

After an opening set by Asobi Seksu, The Radio Dept played their second NYC show in two days at South Street Seaport last night (7/15). Their next show is this weekend at the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago, though their set is not one you can watch online.

More pictures from the Seaport below...

Continue reading "The Radio Dept. played South Street Seaport (pics), Pitchfork Fest continues (stream it)"

by Bill Pearis

The Radio Dept @ The Rock Shop in Park Slope

As hinted at, The Radio Dept played The Rock Shop last night (7/14), part of the venue's week-long One Year Anniversary. Whether people were seeing the night's many other worthy options or said hints were too vague, it felt like this was a kept secret for once as the Swedish trio played to a crowd of maybe 70. The setlist seemed to have been created to fit the setting, culling from The Radio Dept.'s gentler material, played at polite volume. On the dreamy "This Past Week" and "New Improved Hypocrisy," especially, I was a bit mesmerized.

I imagine we'll get a more rockin' set (a relative term for a pretty placid group) tonight (7/15) for their show at South Street Seaport. It's going to be a lovely night, the show is free -- you'd be dumb to miss it if you ask me. (I know you didn't.) Asobi Seksu open, a nice pairing indeed. Bring a tent and stay at the Seaport all weekend for 4 Knots Festival on Saturday (7/16), and the Sound Bites Series and Beach Party show on Sunday (7/17) afternoon. (Please don't bring a tent.)

You can also get The Radio Dept's newly-minted 180 gram vinyl reissues of their first three albums at the merch table. (Lesser Matters is near-perfect.) After tonight's show, The Radio Dept. then travel to Chicago for this weekend's Pitchfork Music Festival.

Video of The Radio Dept. performing at The Rock Shop last night is below.

Continue reading "The Radio Dept played the Rock Shop, Seaport tonight"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Wild Beasts - "Loop the Loop" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Wooden Birds - Two Matchsticks (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Rayon Beach - Wave Pool Ether (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: John Wesley Coleman - Ooh Basketball (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Urge Overkill - Effigy (MP3)

Tom Vek

This week is kind of nuts. I know you're all probably just going to be spending it reading A Dance with Dragons or going to see Harry Potter, but here's your TWII action... let's get into it.

Tom Vek is here for two shows, his first U.S. shows since 2005: an early show tonight (7/12) at Mercury Lounge and tomorrow (7/13) at Union Pool. I don't think either are sold out. His second album Leisure Seizure -- six years in the making -- has remained in constant rotation on my stereo since getting a copy in May and I'm pretty excited for these shows.

The new record still sounds like Tom Vek -- the staccato drum beats, sparse arrangements, his laid-back vocal style -- and maybe it's the absence but it still sounds fresh. It's a great record and a welcome return. I have no idea who is in his band these days, but he was fantastic live back when he toured for We Have Sound in 2005. I have a feeling he's still got it.

Wild Beasts

Wild Beasts are over for four East Coast shows, including two nights at Le Poisson Rouge on Wednesday (7/13) and Thursday (7/14). (They're also playing Philly and D.C.) These will be the first the band have done since releasing their third album, Smother, back in May. As I've said before, this is subtler album than Two Dancers that shows the influence of Talk Talk and The Blue Nile in particular. It's a grower, as they say, and a worthy successor to 2009's best album. Check out "Loop the Loop" at the top of this post.

Live, Wild Beasts are truly something to behold,  transcending their records every time (at least every time I've seen them). Sky Larkin's Katie Harkin is playing keyboards with the band on this Stateside jaunt which is an added bonus for some of us. The rest of North America will get a chance to see Wild Beasts in September when they come back for a proper tour.  All 2011 dates are at the bottom of this post.

Urge Overkill

Shifting gears wildly, we've got Chicago rock gods Urge Overkill in town for two shows this week. They play the Rocks Off cruise on Wednesday (7/13) and then the Rock Shop on Saturday (7/16) as part of the venue's big One Year Anniversary which is happening all this week.

Urge Overkill were odd men out in the '90s, doing suave, heavily postured cock rock in an era dominated by slacker indie and stoner sludge. 1993's Saturation is one of the decade's classics, all big riffs and attitude that has only gotten finer with age. The same can't be said for 1995's Exit the Dragon, which found the band succumbed to the rock n' roll excesses the band exemplified. (There were even rumors the band were too fucked up to even play on its recordings, having most parts subbed by session musicians.)

There were various comeback gigs in the '00s but I don't think anybody expected them to make a new album. Which made this year's Rock'n'Roll Submarine (great title) a double shock: it exists and, more importantly, it's pretty awesome. Kato and Roeser keep the same flame alive: badass riffs, supercatchy choruses, and that unfakeable rock n' roll spirit. (No Blackie Onassis, but some chemistry is just too volatile apparently.) There's also a world-weariness that keeps it all real. They aren't trying to pretend they haven't been through some serious shit. But to paraphrase "Effigy" (downloadable at the top of this post), they've always taken the loud way.

The Wooden Birds

Lovely Austin band The Wooden Birds play two shows this week as well: Thursday (7/14) at Mercury Lounge and Friday (7/15) at The Rock Shop. As you may know at this point, this is Andrew Kenny's post-American Analog Set band, which still has his drony motorik style but in a much more acoustic setting. The Wooden Birds' sophomore album, Two Matchsticks, is (in my opinion) much better than their debut: the arrangements are more dynamic and the addition of Matt Pond (both on guitar and vocally) adds a lot. (Matt Pond PA's Chris Hansen is a touring member as well.) You can check out the title track to the new album at the top of this post.

Tune-Yards @ MHOW (more by Amanda Hatfield)

What else? Hudson River Rocks starts this week (Thursday 7/14) with tUnE-yArDs and Austra which is a pretty hard-to-pass-up free show. While I don't reach for her album much, there's no denying Merril Garbus is a magnetic performer who can win over crowds easily. While Austra's Katie Stelmanis doesn't quite have that charm, there is no denying her stage presence either and I'm a big fan of Austra's debut album which came out earlier this year. Thursday is supposed to be beautiful and this show seems like a no-brainer.

Rayon Beach

Austin's Rayon Beach play three shows this week: Thursday (7/14) at Don Pedro, then Friday (7/15) at Bruar Falls and Saturday (7/16) at Death by Audio. I wrote this a year ago and I think it still holds true:

Like a lot of the bands on Hozac Records (or bands from Austin for that matter), this trio fit under the psych/garage umbrella but there's a decided Brit bent to their music. Baroque garage, is that a thing? Think Syd-era Pink Floyd or The Pretty Things more than Woven Bones. Make no mistake -- Rayon Beach can and do get plenty loud. It's just sometimes with pinkies extended.

Anglophiles might already know that Scottish indiefolk cult legend King Creosote is in town this week, playing a late show at Mercury Lounge on Thursday (7/14) and then at the Rock Shop on Sunday (7/17). Both shows are with the equally talented Jon Hopkins. I wrote about King Creosote back in March:

Scottish indie folk royalty Kenny Anderson, aka King Creosote. Anderson (whose brother Gordon was a founding member of The Beta Band and now fronts The Aliens) has been cranking out album after album of melancholic, wry songwriting since the late '90s. (Seriously, check out his discography.) Many of these have been self-released, but he's had records on Warner Brothers and Domino too.

The Radio Dept

And now another weekend of Seaport-related shows. Friday (7/15)  is the final night of this year's abbreviated Seaport Music Festival, with The Radio Dept. The band are in the U.S. for this and the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago and that's it -- so we should count ourselves lucky. If you wanted to see them somewhere small, you're out of luck. (Unless you maybe found yourself at a shop that rocked on, say, Thursday night. Maybe.) Last year's Clinging to a Scheme was one of 2010's best albums (according to me) and though I do wish they'd get a drummer to play with them at shows, they still sound pretty great live.

I'm hoping the merch table has the new 180 gram vinyl reissues of the band's three albums. In particular I want to pick up their classic debut Lesser Matters, one of the best albums of the '00s. Opening are Asobi Seksu which is a pretty perfect pairing. The weather's supposed to be gorgeous, the show is free...this'll be sweet.

Saturday is the Village Voice 4 Knots Festival which is going out of its way to let us know it's not trying to be the Siren Festival. It's a nice line-up of bands, though, scaled to fit the Seaport. Apart from Eleanor Friedberger and Oberhofer, it is a pretty rock line-up what with headliners Black Angels, Titus Andronicus, Davilla 666 and Mr. Dream. If you like to dance, they've got an indoor lounge over at 210 Front Street with an all DJ lineup that includes Yeasayer, Dan Deacon, Brahms and the Finger on the Pulse dudes (also DJing as Punches) spinning tunes. Things kick off at 1PM.

Then Sunday (7/17) is the last show of my Sound Bites Series down at the Fulton Stall Market and I'm super pleased to have Hospitality on cleanup. When I found out we were going to be doing the series again, Hospitality were the first band I thought of. If you haven't heard them, you can download their 2009 EP for free from their Bandcamp site. It's quite lovely. The band have gotten less precious since then, though no less charming, and recently the band expanded to a four-piece with drummer Nathan Michel moving to guitar making them decidedly more skronky now.

I am quite enamored with this band and you should definitely come down and see them. They are seriously good. If you come to only one Sound Bites Show this summer... this is your last chance. Hospitality are on at 3PM sharp and I'll be spinning tunes from around 1:30 or so. It's free!

And right after Hospitality finish, you can head across South Street to the Beekman Beer Garden for this week's Beach Party show with Frankie Rose and Xray Eyeballs. Both bands feature on that free downloadable mix you can get over at Insound. The Frankie Rose track is one I hadn't heard before, a cover of Slapp Happy's "Blue Flower" which you may know from covers either by Mazzy Star or Pale Saints.

Last week (Cheeseburger and Hard Nips) was fun and pretty fairly low-key. The spot -- formerly Water Taxi Beach -- is a pretty popular spot on its own, so expect a mixed crowd of those there for the show and those there just for the view/vibe. Bands start at 4PM. It's free.

And that's about it for this week. A few more daily picks are below.

TUESDAY, JULY 12

It's a heatwave today but Cold Cave will have the A/C cranked for their show Knitting Factory tonight. I do really like their new album Cherish the Light Years which kind of reminds me of '80s band Lords of the New Church. The show is with gothy sea chanty singers Cult of Youth, and Zambri who are newly signed to Kanine Records (and who were impressive at Knitting Factory during the Northside fest). The show is part of a tour that ends at Bowery Ballroom with Austra.

The newly reunited Cibo Matto are at Brooklyn Bowl. Though advance tickets sold out, there will be limited availability at the door. Go early. The show is one date of a tour that also hits Bowery Ballroom.

continued below....

Continue reading "Tom Vek, Wild Beasts, Urge Overkill, Wooden Birds, Rayon Beach, King Creosote, Radio Dept & more in This Week In Indie"

photos by Tim Griffin

The Radio Dept @ The Great Escape

Swedish dream-poppers The Radio Dept are releasing all three of their albums on 180 gram vinyl. This includes the classic Lesser Matters, its followup Pet Grief, and the more recently released Clinging to a Scheme, which came out during a time the sound they helped make popular was achieving massive success.

The Radio Dept have a few upcoming shows announced at the moment. On July 15 they'll play a free show at South Street Seaport with Asobi Seksu, and then hit Pitchfork Fest the next day. The only other show they currently have schduled in North America is in Dallas in November with Memoryhouse.

Memoryhouse meanwhile have been added as opener for some of Peter Bjorn & John's upcoming dates including the 9/12 show at Brooklyn Bowl. That show is the day before Sub Pop releases the Memoryhouse EP. Tickets are still on sale. No other openers have been added to PB&J's other NYC shows yet.

Asobi Seksu also plays a show at Brooklyn Bowl (on October 1). Tickets are on sale now.

On May 13th The Radio Dept. played the BV/M For Montreal showcase at the Great Escape Festival in Brighton with The Handsome Furs. A set of pictures from that show is in this post.

More pictures and all tour dates below...

Continue reading "The Radio Dept vinyl reissues & live pics, Memoryhouse & Asobi Seksu shows"

DOWNLOAD: Grimes - "Vanessa" (MP3)

Grimes (aka Claire Boucher) will accompany power-couple/canucks Handsome Furs on a handful of dates along the east coast this week. Those dates include Thursday's Brooklyn show at the Bell House which was sold out but just went back on sale.

UPDATE: Grimes is no longer on this tour due to visa issues. :-(

Maybe you recently caught Grimes at SXSW like Rachel did...

"Just as I passed the empty lot of an auto-repair shop, I heard a woman introduce herself and begin to play. It was Grimes, who, with her keyboard, knobs, and loops, is much like a female version of Baths... except perhaps a bit more eclectic and confident. (I love Baths, too, don't get me wrong.) But wow. Girl can multi-task. One minute, she's singing into the mic. The next, she has slung the chord over her shoulder and is going at it on the keyboard as she furiously taps pedals and cues samples."

Grimes recently dropped their LP Halfaxa via Arbutus Records (pay what you want) and are working on the follow-up LP, but meanwhile have released a split EP with fellow Canadian D'Eon which is out TODAY (April 12th). Check out "Vanessa" from the Darkbloom split. You can download it above or stream it below. Pick it up at their label.

In May the Handsome Furs will be playing shows overseas including a May 13th show at Coalition in Brighton with the Radio Dept. That show, part of the SXSW-like Great Escape fest, is co-presented by M For Montreal and BrooklynVegan.

Handsome Furs' new album Sound Kapital will be released on June 28 via Sub Pop. Check out the full tracklist and a new track below.

All tour dates, the Grimes song stream, and a video of Grimes at SXSW, below too...

Continue reading "Grimes released a split, NOT touring w/ the Handsome Furs (who are playing a BV/M show @ Great Escape) -- MP3 & dates"

Big names and regulars aside, there are a few bands I want to highlight on the just-announced Sasquatch lineup: Wolf Parade ("indefinite hiatus" rumors be damned), The Flaming Lips (performing "The Soft Bulletin"), Death From Above 1979 (now three reunion shows total), Guided By Voices (they're not done yet), and... Archers of Loaf (!). The full lineup of the fest that goes down in Gorge, Washington in May (Memorial Day Weekend), is below...

Continue reading "Sasquatch 2011 lineup announced (Archers of Loaf, Guided By Voices, Wolf Parade, DFA 1979 & "The Soft Bulletin" included)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Radio Dept - Never Swallow Fruit Dub (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Radio Dept - Never Follow Suit (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Radio Dept - Heaven's On Fire (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Young Prisms - Sugar (MP3)

Radio Dept

The Radio Dept.'s Webster Hall show on February 3, which was added less than a month ago, has been un-added. Tickets to that show will be honored at the band's Feb. 2 show at Music Hall of Williamsburg which still has tickets available. It's the second date on the enigmatic Swedes' first-ever North American tour. All dates are at the bottom of this post.

A week before their tour kick-off (Jan 25), The Radio Dept release Passive-Aggressive: Singles 2002-2010 which culls eight years worth of non-LP, out-of-print greatness onto CDs (or two vinyl platters). Some of their best tracks appeared on their EPs, and though it's not 100% completist, it's still well worth picking up.

Young Prisms

In other news, San Francisco's Young Prisms have been picked as The Radio Dept.'s openers for this tour. The band's gauzy sound will make for a nice appetizer before the Swedish main course. They were good at Glasslands back in November when they played with fellow Bay Area noise merchants Weekend. Young Prisms' debut, Friends For Now, is out next Tuesday (1/18) on Kanine Records. You can get a taste of the LP above.

Prior to their stint with The Radio Dept., Young Prisms will tour with SF pals Melted Toys who'll have a record out on Underwater Peoples in the near future. After their dates with Radio Dept., YP head to Europe to tour with Surfer Blood and No Joy. All Young Prisms 2011 dates are after the jump.

Continue reading "The Radio Dept cancel a show, Young Prisms touring w/ them"

today in NYC
* Stef Eye @ The Stone
* Matt Munisteri @ Barbes
* Miya Masaoka @ The Stone
* Grupo Los Santos @ Barbes
* Questlove @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Gene Ween @ Mexicali Live (NJ)
* Sofia Coppola @ Apple Store SoHo
* Fran Healy, Foley @ Bowery Ballroom
* Dirty Dozen Brass Band @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Ronnie Spector @ the Strand Theatre (NJ)
* Florence and the Machine Live on Letterman
* AwShockKiss, Make Out @ Mercury Lounge
* The Hundred in the Hands @ Death By Audio
* Jenny Slate, Joe Mande, Matt Fitzpatrick @ Coco66
* Life of Agony, Biohazard & VOD @ Best Buy Theater
* Jen Gloeckner, Mia Riddle, M Lamar @ The Bell House
* Mammal of Paradise, Glory Girls, Peasant @ Bruar Falls
* Christmas In Balthrop, Alabama @ Lincoln Center (free)
* Jimmy McMillan of the Rent Is Too Damn High Party @ Europa
* California King, Earl Greyhound @ The Studio at Webster Hall
* Starscream, Web Dating, Doldrums, Shark?, Moon @ Shea Stadium
* Job For A Cowboy, Skeletonwitch, Misery Index @ Santos Party House
* Computer Magic, Grandchildren, Soft Reeds, The Stationary Set @ Pianos
* Dan Peck Trio, Weasel Walter, Duchampion, Cancer Dance @ Silent Barn
* MiniBoone, The Gypsy West, System Noise, Bangladeafy @ Bowery Electric
* Apollo Heights, The Archive, Sweat Hearts, Hunters & Runners @ Lit Lounge
* Keepaway, Headless Horseman, Slow Animal, The Young Maths, Phury @ Glasslands
* Ryan Hobler, Wynn Walent, Matt Singer, Great Elk, Casey Shea @ The Living Room
* Kung Fu (featuring members of Raq, Deep Banana Blackout, The Breakfast, Jazz Is Dead, Allman Brothers) @ Southpaw
* Something About Death Or Dying (member of The Gaslight Anthem), Communication Redlight, Go Falcon!, I Hate Our Freedom @ Maxwell's

Trap Them is no longer playing Santos tonight, but do have a show coming up at Cake Shop in January.

Peasant appears at Bruar Falls tonight.

Steve Mason @ Knitting Factory is cancelled.

Check out This Week In Indie for more.

Singer-songwriter Wynn Walent has spent the past year or two doing humanitarian work in places like Haiti and South America. Sometimes he comes back to visit and plays a show with friends like he is doing at Living Room tonight.

Life of Agony and VOD play Best Buy Theater tonight (with Biohazard), and Starland Ballroom in January.

A new Radio Dept video for "Never Follow Suit" is below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday?"

photos by Chris Becker

NY Press: You seem to be in a great place as a band right now. You're popular around the world, but still not so massive that connecting with your fans is a challenge. Do you have any fear that if you become bigger your music will become less meaningful?

Johan Duncanson of The Radio Dept: Yes, it's been our biggest fear since our first single in 2002. We've never been interested in 'making it.' We just want to create something strong, meaningful and different--something that matters to us. We're shy people and not very confident on stage. When the band grows you start attracting the kind of people who expect you to act out when you're playing live. The rock audience. That's what will kill us in the end.

Braids opened for the band at Bowery Ballroom, like they did at Knitting Factory. More pictures from Bowery and all Radio Dept dates below...

Continue reading "The Radio Dept played Bowery Ballroom w/ Braids (pics), add Webster Hall show (updated dates)"

photos by Andrew St. Clair

"We're having technical difficulties," Duncanson said, waiting patiently as the Radio Dept.'s first US show in more than a year ground to a halt. The sound guys eventually sorted things out, and although they neglected to turn up Duncanson's vocals, which had been virtually inaudible from the start, the group picked up right where it had left off.

"OK, so this is the encore," Duncanson said, just before making a more successful pass through 'I Want You to Feel the Same,' a yearning 2006 pop ballad that ought to have come along two decades earlier, so that John Hughes might have included it on his 'Breakfast Club' soundtrack.

The Radio Dept. went on to play five more songs, and while there was, in fact, no encore, there didn't need to be. By the end of their 40-minute set, Duncanson, keyboardist Martin Carlberg and second guitarist Daniel Tjäder had already revisited three decades of European indie rock, referencing -- and at times combining -- the defiant fuzz of the Jesus and Mary Chain, jangle of the Smiths, dance beats of the Stone Roses, noisiness of My Bloody Valentine, halcyon droning of Cocteau Twins and preciousness of Belle and Sebastian. [Spinner]

Continue reading "The Radio Dept, High Highs & Braids @ Knitting Factory (pics)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: PS I Love You - Facelove (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: PS I Love You - 2012 (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Warpaint - Undertow (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Radio Dept - Never Swallow Fruit Dub (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Radio Dept - Never Follow Suit (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Radio Dept - Heaven's On Fire (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Luyas - All New Tiny Head (MP3)

The Radio Dept

After a long weekend of overeating and couchdwelling and Kanye overload, I hope you are all nice and rested up for what is a pretty great week of shows. Here's a bunch of stuff I recommend.

Sweden's The Radio Dept are playing two NYC shows ahead of their first-ever real tour of the U.S. and Canada this week. All dates are listed below, but the NYC shows happen at Knitting Factory Tuesday night (11/30) and Bowery Ballroom on Wednesday (12/01). Both are sold out. This will be the band's first visit to our area since the 2009 NYC Popfest.

It's been a busy year for the somewhat unprolific Scandinavian trio. In addition to their fantastic third album, Clinging to a Scheme, which came out back in April, The Radio Dept. just released a new EP, Never Follow Suit, which takes the dub-heavy album title cut (also on the album) and makes it even dubbier (download both versions above), plus adds three new blissed out tracks.

The band are also finally gathering up all their non-LP singles, b-sides and EPs for a double-disc compilation, Passive Aggressive: Singles 2002-2010 which comes out early next year. A lot of their great early EPs are out of print (like 2003's Pulling Our Weight) and it'll be nice to have them all in one place. Double vinyl too for those with turntables. With music spanning from their first single through tracks off Clinging to a Scheme, it makes for a nice overview of the band...but still holds together really well. Little has changed in The Radio Dept.'s sound over the last eight years, but they are one of the best examples of "don't fix what ain't broke."

Abd if you're going to one of the two Radio Dept. shows, be sure to get there early to catch Montreal's Braids, who I just saw play in their hometown.

PS I Love You @ Pop Montreal (more)

While on the Subject of Bands I Saw Play in Canada Recently, one of biggest hits of this year's M for Montreal festival were PS I Love You:

Most everyone seemed in agreement that PS I Love You were the best band of the night. The duo from Kingston, Ontario are an indie Mutt and Jeff, kind of like the Pixies with a new wave back-end. Yelper-guitarist Paul Salnier actually pulls triple duty live, playing bass parts too via a Moog bass pedal setup which is pretty cool. Drummer Ben Nelson plays heavy on the high hat a la New Order's Stephen Morris which gives their songs danceability.  Their record, Meet Me at the Muster Station, is good but, live, PS I Love You are a force.

Warpaint

Also visiting us this weekend are Los Angeles foursome Warpaint, who play The Studio @ Webster Hall on Wednesday (12/01) and Music Hall of Williamsburg on Thursday (12/02). Their debut for Rough Trade, The Fool, has gotten mostly good reviews. It's a record that has really grown on me in the last month, hitting that sweet spot between dustbowl new age goth and early-'80s post punk. Not that those are mutually exclusive terms. Spindly guitars, groovy basslines, complex percussion, dreamlike vocals... it's somewhere betweeen Haena-era Banshees and Bat For Lashes with just a smidge of Stevie Nicks. Which is a good thing if you ask me. If Warpaint aren't on the next Twilight soundtrack somebody's not doing their job.

The band are good live too, with an especially nimble rhythm section. And if you didn't like the album the first time you heard it, I urge you go give it another chance to sink in. Check out "Undertow" above, and there are a couple live performance videos further down this post along with all upcoming Warpaint tour dates.

Badly Drawn Boy

Like a lot of people, I loved the first Badly Drawn Boy album The Hour of The Bewilderbeast, which rightly won the 2000 Mercury Music Prize (at least given its competition). Damon Gough then went to Los Angeles and lost his way almost immediately after. Good songs here and there, yes, but none of his subsequent albums have been anywhere near as solid or as sonically interesting as Bewilderbeast. Yet I always give the new album a chance.

I'm happy to report that the vibe of BDB's new album -- the mouthful of a title It's What I'm Thinking Pt. 1: Photographing Snowflakes -- returns some of his debut's homespun charm. It's his first since parting ways with EMI and starting his own label and you can sense the freedom this has brought across its 10 tracks. (Parts 2 and 3 are due at some point in the future.) There may not be anything as immediately catchy as "Everybody's Stalking", but you can tell this is music Gough wanted to make, not music he thought someone else wanted to hear. It's a nice album. Give up your email address and you can download a few new songs at BDB's website.

Badly Drawn Boy plays Le Poisson Rouge this Friday (12/03) and Saturday (12/04). Badly Drawn Boy shows have always been a bit of a crapshoot. Shows are notoriously long, ramshackle affairs with extended noodling, rambling stage banter and other digressions. Gough is the only Mercury Prize winner I have ever seen to actually take audience requests, including other people's songs he has never played. (Think twice before you yell "Freebird!" at a BDB show, you may end up regretting it). But there are always moments of brilliance in there too that make you glad you went, which is I guess Gough in a nutshell.

That's the main stuff this week. A few more shows of note, day-by-day, of things not covered above follows:

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1

Garagey soul band Fergus & Geronimo, who recently relocated here from Texas, headline a great night of music at Glasslands, that also features another bunch of recent transplants, former Arizonans The Young Friends. Also on the bill: Little Gold and We Are Country Mice.

Denver duo Tennis play Mercury Lounge, their first shows since a wave of hype packed Glasslands and Cake Shop back in August. Nice folks, but take away all that reverb that coats their recordings (as they do live) and the songs aren't quite as magical. The night's line-up is pretty good overall, with Family Portrait, Miracles of Modern Science and La Big Vic. Tennis also open for The Walkmen (and a slimmed-down School of Seven Bells) at Terminal 5 the next night.

continued below...

Continue reading "The Radio Dept, PS I Love You, Warpaint, Badly Drawn Boy, Raindeer, Peter Hook, Luyas & more in This Week In Indie"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Radio Dept. - Never Follow Suit (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Radio Dept. - Heaven's on Fire (MP3)

Radio Dept @ PopFest 2009 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Enigmatic Swedes The Radio Dept. will be heading to NYC this fall for their first shows since the 2009 New York Popfest: they'll play Knitting Factory on November 30 and Bowery Ballroom on December 01. No on-sale dates yet but we'll keep you updated. These will also be the first American shows since releasing their acclaimed third album, Clinging to a Scheme, which came out on the Labrador label back in April.

The band will also be releasing a new EP around the same time titled Never Follow Suit. You can download the dub-infected title track (which is also on Clinging to a Scheme) at the top of this post. The EP also features a remix of that song, plus two new ones. By the way, if you missed out on the initial run of Clinging to a Scheme vinyl (it sold out almost immediately), it's been repressed on pretty sweet white vinyl and is still available. It really is a terrific record.

As for their live performances, I saw both performances they did at Popfest and thought they were pretty good:

Playing drummerless and with a lot less guitar pedals than I was expecting, the band recreated the hazy charm of songs like "1995" and especially "I Don't Like This" the latter of which is from their near-perfect This Past Week EP. The smoke machines and moody lighting kept things mysterious. It sort of reminded me of the Cocteau Twins, who didn't get a drummer till late in their existence. I do wish they'd worked up at least one song with one of the other Popfest bands' rhythm sections, and maybe played one song as a full band -- say, "Where the Damage Isn't Already Done" from Lesser Matters -- but the laptop percussion and bass sounded pretty good. And loud. You could feel those subfrequencies in your stomach.

The band are promising to return to the U.S. for a more extensive North American tour in early 2011, but just those two dates at the moment. A few Radio Dept. videos are below...

Continue reading "The Radio Dept. releasing new EP, announce 2 NYC shows "

DOWNLOAD: The Radio Dept - David (MP3)

The Radio Dept @ the Bell House - 5.16.09 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo

As we've pointed out before, the third album by Sweden's The Radio Dept. is long overdue. Although it has a title, "Clinging to a scheme", and it was supposed to be mastered all the way back in the fall of 2007, it's still not complete. In the meantime, fresh off their two rare stateside appearances for NYC Popfest this year, the band have announced a new single for new song "David". Labrador will release it on June 24th, and you can download the song, right now, for free, above.

words by Eleanor Whitney and photos by Dominick Mastrangelo

DOWNLOAD: The Secret History - It's Not the End of the World Jonah (MP3)

The Secret History

The New York City Popfest continued on Saturday night (5/16) with a packed line-up and packed house at Brooklyn's Bell House. Following openers Computer Perfection, California-based Eux Autres put in a super energetic set. From the persistent "bam bam bam" of the drums to the classic trade off of boy/girl vocals complete with girl group-esque harmonies, Eux Autres captured true the pop spirit of the festival. The were buoyed by trumpet playing from the Ladybug Transistor's Gary Olson, Brooklyn's go-to musician for indie trumpeting.

The Secret History, who rose from the ashes of indie new wave darlings My Favorite, followed with pop melodies from the eerie, narrative driven side of the spectrum. Lead vocalist Lisa Ronson, clad in all black, and vocalist Erin Dermondy, clad in all white, were a glamorous site, but were too frozen at times for the dramatics the songs demanded as they invoked monsters and dead rock stars. Lisa's talents as a singer were best showcased during a cover of the Smiths' "Reel Around the Fountain," which singer and keyboardist Michael Grace, Jr. explained was "the reason he started writing pop songs and will never write a hit." At one point during the set Michael wore a tambourine as a halo, which served as a fitting popfest metaphor.

Following The Secret History's densely orchestrated anthems, Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Pant Yell! played an enjoyably straight-ahead, indie rock set. It was heavy on the jangly guitar and three boys in the band wore their earnest hearts on their stripped sleeves.

The lineup's crown jewel were Swedish headliners The Radio Dept. in their second US appearance since 2003 (their first was one night earlier). The band delivered shimmering, dreamy pop with plenty of laptop-based layers and effects-laden guitars to keep Shoegaze fans satisfied. Their use of electronic, as opposed to live, drums made their set musically less energetic than the other bands, but the sound was still nice and full and the energy on the stage dynamic.

While from stage The Radio Dept. delivered down tempo, atmospheric pop with song titles like "I Wanted You to Feel the Same" and "The Worst Taste in Music" the sold-out crowd acted like they were at the indie-pop equivalent of an arena rock concert. The merest "thank you" uttered by the band brought forth roaring applause and cheers. While The Radio Dept.'s danceable beats and charming crush of sounds seem best suited for mild-mannered bopping, the activity of most of the crowd during their set, they also inspired fist pumping and ecstatic hand waving. After their one-song encore legions of fans rushed towards the stage to thank the band as they exited to howling applause. It was clear Brooklynites demand their pop and have high expectations for Swedish bands to deliver it. Thought their set felt short at 40 minutes, The Radio Dept. fans were not disappointed.

Pictures & videos from Day One, HERE. Day Two, HERE, Day Three, below...

Continue reading "NYC Popfest - night 3 pics & video (The Secret History, Radio Dept. Pants Yell! & more...) "

words & photos by Dominick Mastrangelo

DOWNLOAD: The Radio Dept - Freddie and the Trojan Horse (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Radio Dept - The Worst Taste in Music (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Radio Dept - A Window (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Radio Dept - Pulling Our Weight (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Radio Dept - Why Won’t You Talk About It? (MP3)

The Radio Dept.

"The Friday night show at Don Hill's was advertised as a "warm-up show" but it was hardly a dry run. [The Radio Dept.'s] eight-song set ran over half an hour - a full showcase at some festivals - and even though they had no drummer, no bassist and played over a significant amount of pre-recorded backing tracks - usually things that'd put me right off - they still grabbed the heartstrings. It's the songs. It didn't matter how they did it, but they came off with all the beautiful melancholy the records carried without sounding like a karaoke act. Favouring the cleaner sonic aesthetic of their more recent works, both Martin Carlberg and Johan Duncanson reproduced their surprisingly intricate guitar parts flawlessly, Carlberg's vocals were resonant with yearning and resignation and the feeling of being wrapped in a fuzzy blanket of sound very much in effect. True, their onstage charisma was nearly non-existent - they seemed awkward and uncertain how to respond to the enthusiasm of the audience - but even that fit perfectly with their persona." [Chromewaves]

Cats on Fire and Lichtenstein shared a bill again, last night (5/19) at Bruar Falls in Brooklyn. More pictures and videos from the Don Hill's show below...

Continue reading "NYC Popfest - night 2 pics & video (The Radio Dept, Cats on Fire, Lichtenstein & more...) "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Radio Dept - Freddie and the Trojan Horse (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Radio Dept - Why Won't You Talk About It? (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Radio Dept - The Worst Taste in Music (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Liechtenstein - Stalking Skills (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Cats on Fire - Letters from a Voyage to Sweden (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Burning Hearts - I Lost My Color Vision (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Computer Perfection - The Fool is Hurt (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Hidden Ghost Balloon Ship - Hidden Ghost Balloon Ship (Zip)
DOWNLOAD: The Icicles - La Ti Da (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pants Yell - Magenta and Green (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Smittens - Stop the Bombs! (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Eux Autres - When I'm Up (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Knight School - Pregnant Again (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: My Teenage Stride - Ears Like Golden Bats (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Metric Mile - How to Beat the SAT (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Secret History - It's Not the End of the World Jonah (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Ballet - In My Head (MP3)

The Radio Dept

Enigmatic Swedish band The Radio Dept. are to play their first U.S. show since 2003 (which was in San Francisco), as part of the third-annual NYC Popfest which happens this year from May 14 - 17. Whether or not the band will have finished their delayed follow-up to 2005's Pet Grief remains to be seen, but there are lots of folks who've been waiting years for Radio Dept to play here and, so far, the Popfest date is the only one they're doing.

While the Radio Dept will no-doubt be the biggest draw, NYC Popfest has put together a pretty great lineup including a few other notable acts, more Swedes: all-girl trio Liechtenstein, who've put out a bunch of great 7-inches and will have a new EP out on Slumberland in May. We'll also get two bands from Finland: Cats on Fire, who made their U.S. debut at last year's fest; and the lovely synth-acoustic pop of Burning Hearts whose debut album, Aboa Sleeping, was released last month.

North America is well represented as you might expect. Detroit gives us Computer Perfection (who are not synth pop despite the name), and offshoot band Hidden Ghost Ship, whose very good debut album you can download for free. (The link is at the top of this post.) There's also Grand Rapids' The Icicles whose song "La Ti Da" you might know from a Target commercial; Boston's awesome Pants Yell! who were one of my favorites from last year's event; Ohio's The 1959 Hat Company and Afternoon Naps; California brings us L.A.'s The Tartans (12-strings and glockenspeil pop) and San Francisco's Eux Autres (janglepop); Vermont's Smittens (who remind me of '90s indie pop band Small Factory); Athens, GA's great power popppers Casper & the Cookies; Chicago's Very Truly Yours (classic twee pop) and Canada's Rose Melberg.

The bulk of the bands are from NYC, and include: My Teenage Stride whose new Emusic single "Creep Academy" is one of my favorite songs they've ever done; Knight School (who I've written about before); Boy Genius (ditto) and The Secret History (double ditto); plus the newly-quintet-ed The Metric Mile, Soft City, Dream Bitches, The Ballet, Strega, and Don Lennon.

Most of the Popfest shows will happen at Cake Shop, with a Friday night show at Don Hill's in conjunction with Mondo! and the Radio Dept. show at The Bell House. Unlike the two previous years, there's no BBQ/day show at Union Pool. Pricing and that sort of thing hasn't been ironed out yet, but the individual night's lineups are below:

Continue reading "NYC Popfest - 2009 lineup, The Radio Dept. included "