Josh T Pearson @ BV-SXSW 2011 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Check out Rough Trade's list of the Top 100 Albums of 2011 (yay Josh T Pearson!), below...

Continue reading "Rough Trade's Top 100 albums of 2011 "

The Rosebuds at Prospect Park last week (more by Amanda Hatfield)

The Rosebuds, who just opened two incredible shows for Bon Iver in NYC as the last two dates on their tour together, have a few more shows announced that happen later this year. No tour has been announced yet, but we know that they'll be at Hopscotch in North Carolina, Pitchfork Paris and a NYC show on October 12 at Bowery Ballroom. Tickets for the NYC show go on sale Friday (8/19) at noon.

Pitchfork Paris, taking place October 28th & 29th in France, is being co-curated by Bon Iver and the lineup looks like this so far:

28 OCTOBRE : 16h00 - 5H00
APHEX TWIN + PANTHA DU PRINCE + EROL ALKAN + WILD BEASTS + CUT COPY + WASHED OUT + REAL ESTATE + MONDKOPF + ICEAGE

29 OCTOBRE : 14h00 - 22H00
BON IVER + JENS LEKMAN + STORNOWAY + KATHLEEN EDWARDS + ROSEBUDS

Kathleen Edwards also plays shows with Bon Iver in September. All Bon Iver & Rosebuds dates, and the video for "Woods" (by Rosebuds) below...

Continue reading "Rosebuds playing Bowery Ballroom & Pitchfork Paris (lineup)"

Tom Ze

today in NYC
* D12 @ BB King's
* Paleface @ Maxwell's
* Gyan Riley @ The Stone
* Marc Cohn @ City Winery
* Twat's Up @ Creek & Cave
* Slavic Soul Party @ Barbes
* Jeffrey Roden @ The Stone
* Tom Ze @ Lincoln Center
* Tell All Your Friends @ Lolita Bar
* The Beets @ Gantry Plaza State Park
* Rihanna, Cee Lo @ Nassau Coliseum
* Kool Moe Dee, Marley Marl @ Queensbridge Park
* Sunlover, The New Jerk Times, Shilpa Ray @ Zebulon
* Toots and The Maytals, Lukas Nelson @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra @ City Winery outside (free)
* Little Victory, Nucular Aminals, Household @ Cake Shop
* The School Of Rock All Stars @ The Studio at Webster Hall
* Ben Williams & Sound Effect, Pedro Giraudo Jazz Orchestra @ 92YTribeca
* Nervous Breakdowns, Lust2Love, Crazy Pills, HolidayHoliday @ Bruar Falls
* Wet & Reckless, Foley Stewart, Phone Home, Exitmusic, Papertwin @ Pianos
* Our Hit Parade w/ Bridget Everett, Kenny Mellman, Neal Medlyn @ Highline Ballroom
* Little Tybee, Gunfight!, Miracles of Modern Science, Marra Barr @ Knitting Factory
* William Elliott Whitmore, Christopher Paul Stelling, Dayna Kurtz, Yoni Gordon @ Mercury Lounge
* The Lifted Crew, Spree Wilson, The Little Death, DJ Wayne Williams, Wish, Craig Myers @ Le Poisson Rouge

The Huggabroomstik, Pieface, and Prewar Yardsale show at Silent Barn is cancelled, probably due to the recent theft.

A trailer for tonight's Tom Ze show at Lincoln Center can be watched at Lincoln Center's site.

Washed Out have a video for "Eyes Be Closed." Watch it below.

Wye Oak played Fallon last night. Check out the video below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Tuesday?"

photos by Ryan Barkan

DOWNLOAD: Washed Out - "Amore Fati" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Washed Out - "Eyes be Closed" (MP3)

Washed Out @ Bowery Ballroom

[Washed Out's] set wasn't quite an hour long but it covered the bases. The undulating synths of "Hold Out" off the Life of Leisure EP opened the show, as footage of waves flashed on the screen behind the band. Next a new song, "Echoes" was introduced, with soaring melodies no longer buried and double tambourines to provide a bigger sound to the live mix. Greene asked for help with singing "New Theory," as the crowd exploded with recognition of the hit. A sax player was brought on stage for a solo in "Soft" and stayed for a revised arrangement of "Feel It All Around." Then the lead off track of the new release, "Eyes Be Closed," served as the encore with the band exiting to the final chords of the song continuing from an empty stage. -[NewMusicMatters]

Grimes recently released the video for "Beast Infection" from the Geidi Primes rerelease due on 8/8/2011. Order that here, and if you missed her, you can check her out at one of her dates below which include August 20th at PS1, again with Blood Orange, as well as Juan Maclean, Solange, and Pictureplane.

Check out the Grimes video, dates and more pictures from Bowery below...

Continue reading "Washed Out played Bowery Ballroom w/ Grimes & Blood Orange (pics, LP out today) "

Washed Out is here, and is preparing to celebrate the release of the Sub Pop debut Within and Without at a SOLD OUT Bowery Ballroom TONIGHT (7/11) with Grimes and Blood Orange. If you need something to do afterwards, theres's a free afterparty at Tammany Hall with "DJ Sets by Dog Bite (memb. of Washed Out), F?I†H & YOUNG LIFE, MATCH & DUKE."

The Bowery show is a prelude to Washed Out's stint with Cut Copy that will hit Wellmont Theater on 9/13 (tickets). Prepare for both by streaming the LP in full at NPR.

While you're at the NPR site, make sure and stream the new Eleanor Friedberger LP Last Summer as well as the Disma LP Towards The Megalith.

Eleanor Friedberger recently played Europa during Northside, and will play 4Knots this weekend for FREE. Ted Leo was the special guest at Europa that night, and played the 4Knots kick-off over the weekend. Our pics and review is coming shortly.

Disma will play their Record Release show on August 6th with Coffinworm, Loss, and Oak at Saint Vitus. Tickets are on sale. Disma premiered "Purulent Quest" at the end of last week and now you can hear the whole album. Stay tuned for our forthcoming interview with Daryl of Disma (who also happens to play with Ted Leo in Citizens Arrest).

Cut Copy at Terminal 5 in April (more by Dana (DISTORTION) Yavin)

Cut Copy have announced their final US and UK dates in support of the killer Zonoscope, released earlier this year. Much of the tour is being opened by Washed Out, and Midnight Magic who also open for Cut Copy at Prospect Park in August (along with Foster the People). The new dates kick off in NJ on September 13 at Wellmont Theatre and end in late October in the UK. Washed Out and Midnight Magic are both on the Wellmont bill. Tickets go on sale Friday (7/8) at noon.

No new NYC dates, but according to Cut Copy's website, there are five shows missing from the tour announcement that they're not allowed to announce yet. Tickets for Cut Copy's Prospect Park show are still on sale.

Toro y Moi remixed the Zonoscope track "Blink and You'll Miss a Revolution" for the track's upcoming single release. The single will be available digitally on August 9 in the US and as a 12" soon after. Check out the remixed track below. Check out Toro's upcoming dates HERE.

Washed Out are not on the bill for the Prospect Park show, but they are currently on their own headlining tour which hits Bowery Ballroom on July 11 with Blood Orange and Grimes.

Midnight Magic play the Summer BBQ Blowout at City Winery on August 6th.

All Cut Copy & Washed Out tour dates and the Toro y Moi remix below...

Continue reading "Cut Copy touring w/ Washed Out & Midnight Magic (dates), were remixed by Toro y Moi (listen)"

DOWNLOAD: Pictureplane - "Post Physical" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pictureplane - "Real is a Feeling" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: S.C.U.M. - Summon the Sound (Grimes remix) (MP3)

Pictureplane on Halloween in NYC (more by Andrew St. Clair)

Speaking of Teengirl Fantasy, they're set to head out on tour with Pictureplane in late July. The tour kicks off in Boston on July 20 and hits NYC on July 22 at a TBD location and July 23 at Coco66. Gatekeeper, who also play 285 Kent with Teengirl Fantasy this Saturday night (June 18), open the tour. Tickets for the Coco66 show are on sale now.

Pictureplane will release Thee Physical on July 19 via Lovepump United. The album was produced and recorded by Egedy and mixed/co-produced by Jupiter Keyes of HEALTH. Grab the tracks "Post Physical" and "Real Is a Feeling" above. Those tracks are two of the more mildly-named tracks on the new album. Check out song titles like "Techno Fetish" and "Trancegender" on the full tracklist below.

Both Pictureplane and Teengirl Fantasy also play PS1 Warm Up events this summer in Long Island City, but on different days. As just mentioned, Teengirl Fantasy play on August 27. Pictureplane plays one week prior on August 20 with Juan Maclean (DFA), Blood Orange (Dev from Lightspeed Champion), Solange (Knowles), Grimes, and Ford & Lopatin (formerly Games).

The Juan Maclean (Juan and Nancy)

Juan Maclean has a few other DJ sets coming up this summer as well. Tonight (6/17), as mentioned, he'll transform Williamsburg's Metro Community Laundromat into the Dirty Disco Laundrette with fellow DFA DJ Justin Miller. The flier for the show is below. Tickets are still available (which is not surprising if you look at the price). Juan Maclean also DJs at Cielo Club on June 28 with Eli Escobar and Runaway. Tickets are available.

Blood Orange and Grimes open the Washed Out show at Bowery Ballroom on July 11. Blood Orange also open the previously announced The Ghost of a Sabre Tooth Tiger (Sean Lennon) free show on June 24 at South Street Seaport.

S.C.U.M.

In other Grimes news, she remixed the single "Summon The Sound" by British psychedelic punks S.C.U.M.. "Summon The Sound" is off their upcoming debut Amber Hands which comes out late summer/early fall on Mute Records. The band is named for the 1968 feminist tract S.C.U.M. (Society for Cutting Up Men) Manifesto by Valerie Solanas. S.C.U.M. just finished up a tour with The Kills in the UK. Listen to the original and the Grimes remix (which you can also download above), below.

Grimes also has other upcoming shows with fellow Canadians Gobble Gobble and Pat Jordache. All tour dates, Pictureplane album info, and other stuff below...

Continue reading "Pictureplane LP info & dates w/ Teengirl Fantasy ++++ Grimes, Blood Orange, Juan Maclean & S.C.U.M. too"

Congrats to Ernest Greene whose Washed Out project has inked a deal with Sub Pop Records for his upcoming and debut full-length LP called Within and Without. The new effort is due on July 12th and was recorded with Ben H. Allen, known for behind-the-curtain work with Animal Collective, Deerhunter, Gnarls Barkley, and even Diddy, among others.

So far Washed Out dates are few and far between, but you can look for Greene at the pre-Moogfest party (Halfway to Moogfest), Sasquatch and the newly added Bowery Ballroom on July 11th (the day before the record release). Tickets for the NYC show go on AmEx sale Wednesday (4/27) at noon and regular sale on Friday.

All tour dates, the new album tracklist, and a video, below.

Continue reading "Washed Out signs to Sub Pop for debut LP, announces shows"

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)"

photos by Tim Griffin

Deakin

"This solo project from Animal Collective's Deakin (or Deacon, or Josh Dibb) was just as psychedelic, but in more of a dub vein, with spacey, ambient guitar over echoing reverberating distorted drum-pad beats. A pair of smoking-hot yoga-body hipster girls were dancing throughout--no idea how they found a beat to lock into, as loose as the rhythm was, but none of the guys nearby were complaining." [Dallas Observer]

If indie rock/pop/chillwave was all you were looking for, or even just dancing and hip hop, you had more than your share of best new music to keep you occupied from noon to 10pm on the Orange and Blue stages. Sunday alone featured Deerhunter, Toro Y Moi, Washed Out, Deakin, Magic Kids, Best Coast (Wavves played the day before) and Cults, not to mention Yelle, Polvo, P.O.S. and A-Trak. Those are most of the artists pictured in this post which continues below...

Continue reading "Fun Fun Fun Fest - Day 3 pics (part 2) - Deakin, Best Coast, A-Trak, Yelle, Polvo, Deerhunter, Washed Out, Toro y Moi, more"

by BBG

Devo, Crocodiles, and Dum Dum Girls have all cancelled their appearances at Fun Fun Fun Fest in the past few days. Sucks, yes. But the evil geniuses at the Austin, Texas Festival (November 5-7, 2010) have already drummed up some replacements. New bands include Cults, and Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos (who were originally on the fest, but had to drop off a few weeks ago and were replaced by The Antlers, and now are back but on a different day). Washed Out also recently replaced Cold Cave, and the Nortec Collective was a recent addition too. Oh, and to replace Devo: new headliner Descendents!

"I really can't believe it. The Descendents were one of those bands on my dream list that I thought I would never get to book" Says Graham Williams, FFF Founder. "A week ago, we had no idea what we were going to do, and now we couldn't be more happy".

Speaking of Cults, they recently played a gang of shows during CMJ, and their only other show at the moment is with The Morning Benders and Twin Sister at Webster Hall in NYC on 11/18 instead of Oberhofer (tickets).

I'm preparing to head down to Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin next weekend as well, and along with all of the incredible heavy music that's already going on at the festival (Mastodon, Floor, Snapcase, High on Fire, Kylesa, Municipal Waste, Suicidal Tendencies, Hatred Surge, Ringworm... the list is endless) we'll be hosting an event of our own. On Sunday, November 7th BrooklynVegan will host a killer after-party at Red 7 (doors at 9) with incredible secret guests, along with Landmine Marathon, Mammoth Grinder, and Ratking (mems MOoB, Gorilla Biscuits). The show will be FREE to Fun Fun Fun Fest wristband holders and a measly $5 at the door for those of you without.

Not into metal or need something to do on the other nights of that weekend in Austin? Not to worry. Like the lineup of the festival itself, the selection of bands playing other afterparties on each night of the fest is diverse. There are plenty of options including a November 5th Gorilla Vs Bear shindig (also with secret guest), and many more.

BrooklynVegan show flyer, some video of those bands in action, info on the fest's 2010 Circus Stage, and more, below...

Continue reading "the Descendents, Antlers, Cults & a BrooklynVegan afterparty added to Fun Fun Fun Fest!"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Guilty Simpson & Bumps - Drums (MP3)

A new Madvillain track, "Papermill," is online to stream and download. The Madlib's wirey '70s cop chase sample and top-form wordplay from DOOM are both good signs that the pair is putting in some serious effort to follow-up 2004's Madvillainy. The label writes that the song will be on the new album, which is still a work in progress.

The song is online as part of the Adult Swim singles series, which has been distributing tracks weekly. Madvillian was the second song, and there's already one from Bonnie "Prince" Billy and Matt Sweeney. On the way is music from Black Lips, Freddie Gibbs, Killer Mike, High on Fire, Cults and Washed Out.

To measure just how long the new Madvillain is taking in Madlib-years (remember, he already put out his own part 2 of their debut), consider the fact that Stones Throw gave the beatmaker his own label imprint, Madlib Invazion, in early '10, and that's now in the process of releasing one Madlib CD a month for 12 months. The most recent edition, Madlib Medicine Show #5: History Of The Loop Digga, 1990-2000, collects "Madlib's previously unreleased, made-for-cassette 90s work" under the Loop Digga name (and comes with a comic book to boot).

Madlib's "OJ Simpson" collaborator Guilty Simpson recently released a track with Bumps, the beatmaking trio of Tortoise drummers John McEntire, John Herndon and Dan Bitney. You can get that above. The OJ Simpson album is out now on Stones Throw.

Tortoise kick off a tour in June that brings them to NYC for a June 23rd show at Le Poisson Rouge as part of the Care Fusion Jazz Festival. Tickets are still on sale.

All Tortoise dates and some classic Madvillain videos are below...

Continue reading "updated Tortoise dates, new tracks from Madvillain, Adult Swim, Guilty Simpson, Bonnie Prince Billy & Bumps"

photos by David Andrako

Small Black & Washed Out @ The Bell House

[Beach House's] opener, Washed Out, one-man band Ernest Greene, also showed command in his performance, which is a challenge for a solo artist/performer. The music was literally ringing, as he vibrated the venue with synthesizers and looped vocals. Though Washed Out managed to have a strong presence playing alone (a combination of sick beats + him prancing around with microphone in hand), his set really came alive when the band members of Small Black joined him on stage for the latter half of his set. They played a show together the night before at the Bell House and it was evident that there was amazing chemistry there. [Morning After Pills]

Small Black next plays a hometown show on a Wednesday, July 14th at Mercury Lounge with "Special Guests." Tickets are on sale. It's the final date of a currently-very-short U.S. tour.

More Bell House pictures and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Small Black played the Bell House w/ Washed Out (belated pics), playing Mercury Lounge & other tour dates "

photos by Dominick Mastrangelo

Beach House performed a new song at Webster Hall last night (5/6). Our video (that many people have watched already over at our Daily Motion account) and more pictures and the setlist from the show (that Washed Out opened) below....

Continue reading "Beach House played Webster Hall with Washed Out (pics & setlist), played a new song (video)"

Washed Out @ Mercury Lounge (more by Benjamin Lozovsky)

Washed Out and Small Black, whose March & April tour together already brought them to Mercury Lounge for two nights and to Music Hall of Williamsburg for one, have more shows scheduled together. One of them is in NYC, and soon. They'll play the Bell House in Brooklyn on May 5th. Tickets are on sale.

The Bell House show happens one day before Washed Out opens for Beach House at Webster Hall (sold out). After NYC, BH & WO continue touring to Philly and Baltimore. Washed Out and Small Black will tour Europe together starting at the end of May. Beach House will be back in NYC in July to open for the National in Prospect Park. By then, Washed Out and Beach House will have both played the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago. All dates below...

Continue reading "Washed Out & Small Black add more shows, Beach House too"

Modest Mouse @ Terminal 5 in March 2009 (more by Chris La Putt)

Modest Mouse will join Faith No More and Nas & Damian Marley (tickets) as one of the acts set to play at Williamsburg Waterfront in Brooklyn this summer. Their Friday, July 23rd show will be ticketed/non-free (like the others mentioned). Tickets go on sale Friday at noon (which is when the just-added Faith no More show goes on sale too).

Modest Mouse's Brooklyn show is a week after they play the Pitchfork Festival which recently updated its lineup. New acts playing the Chicago fest include Big Boi, Major Lazer, Neon Indian, Beach House, Free Energy, Local Natives, Robyn & more. Check that out in full below. Single day tickets are still on sale.

UPDATE: Modest Mouse's Brooklyn show is one day after they play one in NJ.

Modest Mouse will be reissuing their third album, The Moon & Antarctica, on vinyl for its 10th anniversary, on Record Store Day - this Saturday, April 17th. "The album features restored original artwork and replicates the infinite lock groove found in the original vinyl pressings of 2000. The new vinyl reissue includes a download card for the album." All dates the the P4K Fest lineup, below...

Continue reading "Modest Mouse playing Williamsburg Waterfront, the Pitchfork Festival (updated full lineup) & other tour dates"

As anyone following along on @bvSXSW knows, after some serious transportation issues, Andrew Frisicano eventually made his way down to Monterrey, Mexico from Austin, TX (counting waiting for the bus to show up, it took him something like 18 hours which was 4 hours shorter than it took Ryan Muir) in time for a bit of the 2nd night and all of the third day (aka today, 3/22). Here is some of his story so far...

The Coathangers @ MtyMX (by TiTa_Elizondo)

"You Will Remember Tonight" was the song that stuck out in Andrew WK's headlining set at MtyMx Festival last night in Monterrey, Mexico. It was the second night of the fest, and the only set I saw because of a lengthy, complicated bus trip that started much earlier in the day.

There were a lot of questions coming down to Mexico: transportation, accommodations and food were mostly left in the hands of the festival, and at MtyMx now (5pm Monterrey time), most of those continue to be issues, sadly distracting from the bands who did make it. For some bands and showgoers the trip took 20+ hours of waiting and riding on buses, but if one thing has been consistent, it has been that no two MtyMx trips have been the same.

Due to spotty bus service from Austin, shaken confidence in the festival and scheduling issues, a number of the bands on the bill have canceled or been unable to make it down. Those bands (editor's note: which Todd P sarcastically addresses in a video below) include Washed Out, Small Black, Tanlines, No Age, Lucky Dragons, Anamanaguchi, Pocahaunted, Beach Fossils, MNDR, Sun Araw, Total Abuse, Talk Normal, The Wave Pictures, Fucked Up, The Sandwitches and Liturgy. On the festival's last day, arranging transportation back to Austin or elsewhere has been an overriding theme.

story continued below with video & more pics...

Continue reading "Andrew Frisicano reports from MtyMx (which he had much trouble getting to, and he's not sure how he's getting back) "

by Benjamin Lozovsky

When Small Black joined Washed Out on stage midway through the latter's performance, during their first of two shows at Mercury Lounge (Monday, 3/7), they helped blow the French doors wide open on Washed Out's woozy boudoir pop. A note to all solo electronic protagonists out there in search of dreamy soundscapes: please bring a full band with you on tour.

Washed Out's (the stage moniker of Georgia based musician Ernest Greene) music was never envisioned beyond a solo manifestation, Greene pointed out after the show. But the benefit of added live instrumentation connected immediately with an audience that was up until then caught in the delicately moving haze of recorded samples and distant vocals that categorized Washed Out's solo performance. It's not often you get such a before/after scenario. While the merit of the purely electronic one-man show was undeniable, adding bold textures to the already phyllo-like layers of sounds presented by Greene greatly raised the show's level of intensity. Sometimes taking a hammer to subtly persuasive musical inclinations is a necessary evil. Monday night, it was devilishly effective.

It helped that Small Black is no stranger to glowing abstractions of shimmering drone. They served as a less restrained foil to Washed Out's even temperament, and the bouncy, enigmatic moves they displayed during their set followed them onstage as they helped out their tour-mate during his performance. The heavy, quick moving playing of their bassist both propelled Small Black's music beyond the rudimentary drum beat they seem mired in and added grime and counter rhythms to Washed Out's sound.

Having only rehearsed together for the first time last Monday, future tour attendees can look forward to an even greater fulfillment of collaboration between the two groups. And for the rest of the unaccompanied musicians with glo-fi and shoegazing aspirations, remember a backing band is like a credit card - never leave home without it.

Last night (3/8) was the second of those Mercury Lounge shows. Pictureplane opened both nights and will continue with both of the other bands on a tour that brings them to SXSW, into Mexixco, and back again. The next NYC show is April 10th at Music Hall of Williamsburg and tickets are still on sale.

More pictures from Mercury Lounge below...

Continue reading "Washed Out, Small Black & Pictureplane played two nights @ Mercury Lounge (pics & review), continue on tour"

Beach House @ The Bell House last Tuesday (1/26) (more by Jonny Leather)

Due to the overwhelming demand for our June 16th show at Radio City Music Hall, we've decided to add another New York show this summer in beautiful Prospect Park as part of Celebrate Brooklyn on July 27th. We're very excited to play just a few blocks from home and to have Beach House join us as a special guest (if you haven't heard their incredible new album "Teen Dream" yet, you should). We'll be in touch again soon regarding additional shows as we firm up plans.[The National]

There are also limited tickets still available for their June 16th Radio City show.

National side project Clogs have an upcoming show and a new album coming out. as well.

Beach House have a spring tour of their own coming up, part of which is opened by Washed Out (though maybe not their Webster Hall show in May). Washed Out just added an April 10th Music Hall of Williamsburg show with Small Black (who are at Brooklyn Bowl Saturday, Feb. 6) and Pictureplane to their three-band tour together (they're already playing two nights at Mercury Lounge in March). That trip goes to SXSW and Mexico too. Tickets to the MHOW show go on sale Friday at noon. All dates below...

Continue reading "Beach House opening for the National in Prospect Park, Washed Out & Small Black expand tour (dates) "

the concert site...

==BIG NEWS!==

It is my pleasure to announce the inaugural MtyMx All-Ages Festival of Art and Music!

The MtyMx festival will happen on March 20th, 21st, and 22nd at Autocinema Las Torres in Monterrey, Mexico

The MtyMx festival is a collaboration between Yo Garage and Todd P and will feature up to 25 bands a day for three days, playing outdoors on two stages in a beautiful drive-in movie theater on the side of a mountain in the Sierra Madre Oriental. Over one third of the bands playing are from Mexico!

Tickets are $30 for a three day pass. 75 bands!

Confirmed bands include: Dan Deacon, Neon Indian, Washed Out, Thee Oh Sees, Pocahaunted, Indian Jewelry, Male Bonding, Best Fwends, Banjo or Freakout and many many more, along with Mexican groups Los Fancy Free, Los Margaritos, and more to be announced in the coming days. -Todd P

The only bad news (for SXSWers) is that Todd will not be bringing his multi-day fest of day shows to Ms. Bea's again this year, though he doesn't seem to be ruling out doing at least something in Austin before Mexico.

Scared of Mexico? In an e-mail, Todd P told us, "Monterrey has a lower violent crime rate than NYC, Dallas, or Houston, even accounting for international drug trade violence. A major goal of the festival is to dispel US misconceptions that Mexico is the 3rd world, uneducated, dangerous and backwards. Mexico is a modern country with a surging middle class and a vibrant, plugged in 1st world art and music community. Another major goal is to correct the disenfranchisement of Mexican artists and bands caused by strict US visa restrictions on Mexicans. In short: these bands and fans can't go to SxSW."

Details and reservations for Austin-to-Monterrey round-trip bus service, hotel options and onsite camping are forthcoming. More info on MtyMx is below...

Continue reading "Todd P officially announces MtyMx Fest (March 20-22) in Monterrey, Mexico (expanded lineup - No Age & more)"

DOWNLOAD: Small Black - Despicable Dogs (Washed Out Remix) (MP3)

Washed Out/Ernest Greene...

[January 26th] sees the release of a SMALL BLACK / WASHED OUT split 7"! Unless you've been living under a rock/don't know what the internet is (that's ok too!!!), both of these bands have come out of nowhere this summer with two egregiously awesome debut EPs. We're proud to be following both of those up with a 7" wherein each band remixes the other. The resulting jams are dancefloor / bedroom-shenanigans ready. Bangers. Literally.
[Lovepump United]

Washed Out and Small Black have a pair of shows scheduled together, both at Mercury Lounge, on Sunday, March 7th and Monday, March 8th. Tickets go on sale Friday, January 22nd at noon.

Another record that comes out January 26th is Beach House's Teen Dream, which, like Charlotte Gainsbourg, is currently streaming at NPR. Beach House plays a sold-out CD release show that same night at Brooklyn's Bell House with Jana Hunter.

Beach House don't visit New York again until near the end of their spring North American tour. That NYC show, Thursday, May 6th at Webster Hall, will be opened by Washed Out (who opens about two weeks total of the tour, dates below). Tickets are still on sale.

Beach House is also scheduled to appear on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Jan. 22nd and has European shows booked for February and March. They'll also be at Coachella this April.

Small Black are also playing a February 6th show at Brooklyn Bowl as part of BAM's "Sounds Like Brooklyn" Festival. Tickets are on sale.

All tour dates and the WO/SB 7" cover are below...

Continue reading "Small Black & Washed Out split 7" (MP3) & shows + tour dates w/ Beach House (whose album is streaming)"

DOWNLOAD: Big Boi f. Gucci Mane, "Shine Blockas" (MP3)

In theory, she was an artist you want to root for-- all these ideas about art and celebrity and a flair for the dramatic. But the first few singles made the Lady Gaga project feel so presumptuous, her artsy entitlement overwhelming her songs' occasional strengths. "Bad Romance" was the moment where the music didn't just live up to the (self-inflated) hype, but surpassed it. The track is epic in construction-- by the time she gets to the bridge, more than three minutes in, the realization that there are hooks yet to come is thrilling. It helps that RedOne's production matches the songwriting's torrential drama; the churning, earth-shifting low-frequency synths are a programmatic reflection of the singer's unsteady, perhaps unwise, infatuation. But it's Gaga's performance, the wholly unapologetic fools-rush-in carnal energy, that commitment to emotional bravery in a context of increasingly twee chart pop, that makes "Bad Romance" feel so necessary. --David Drake [39. Lady Gaga "Bad Romance"]

Neon Indian is also on there twice, which is the the same amount of times they're playing Mercury Lounge (Tuesday and Wednesday night).

The video for the 21st best song, below...

Continue reading "Pitchfork's Top 100 Tracks of 2009"

Trend You Wish Would Go Away

1. 90s revivalism (No Age, Japandroids, Cymbals Eat Guitars)
2. Afropop indie (Dirty Projectors, Fool's Gold, Abe Vigoda)
3. Animal Collective acolytes (Blind Man's Colour, Our Brother the Native, USF)
4. Balearic (jj, John Talabot, Windsurf/Hatchback)
5. Chillwave/glo-fi (Washed Out, Neon Indian, Nite Jewel)
6. Dubstep and its offshoots (wonky, funky, bassline)
7. Post-Lily Allen UK pop (La Roux, Little Boots, Florence and the Machine)
8. Prim, buttoned-up indie (Grizzly Bear, Andrew Bird, St. Vincent)
9. Shitgaze/lo-fi aesthetics (Times New Viking, Wavves, Vivian Girls)

DOWNLOAD: Jemina Pearl & Iggy Pop - I Hate People (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Toro Y Moi - "Human Nature" (Michael Jackson Cover) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Tori y Moi - Blessa (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Toro y Moi - Talamak (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: washed out - feel it all around (toro y moi remix) (MP3)

Tori y Moi

The Islands and Jemina Pearl tour is almost over. The NYC stop of the trek just one day away. It happens at Bowery Ballroom on 11/5 (tickets), and playing first of three at that show (like he did on the whole tour) will be Toro Y Moi aka Chaz Bundick...

Toro Y Moi, is the brainchild of South Carolinan Chaz Bundick, a 23-year-old singer, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist whiz-kid and graphic design graduate who grew up in New York with a Filippino mum and African-American dad listening to everyone from Daft Punk to J Dilla, and everything from freak-folk to French House - he's also got a dance alias, Les Sins. Bundick is apparently working on two different Toro Y Moi albums for release in 2010, and maybe Blessa and 109 represent the two extremes he'll go to on those two records. Whatever, expect lots of funk bass and fuzztone indie, and plenty of somnolent keyboard pop with a budget-lavish sheen, wafting beautifully but hazily out of your speakers like a weak radio transmission from a parallel universe where Kevin Shields was executive producer of Pet Sounds ... [Guardian]

Also up there is the first single off Jemina Pearl's new album ("Break it Up") which also happens to be a duet with Iggy Pop. Jemina "friend of legendary rockers" Pearl is also opening for her friend Thurston Moore's band Sonic Youth at MHOW on Nov. 24th. All dates below...

Continue reading "Toro Y Moi (MP3s) on tour w/ Islands & Jemina Pearl who sang with Iggy Pop (another MP3)"

Them Crooked Vultures @ ACL 2009 (by Dave Mead)

Washed Out @ Santos Party House - Oct 19, 2009 (rezflicks)

Two very different acts - Washed Out and Them Crooked Vultures - both made their NYC debuts earlier this month (all the way back before CMJ). The first, Them Crooked Vultures are industry veterans and masters at playing live music. Washed Out on the other hand was playing live for the second time ever, and without much of a band backing him. Both came into town with lots of hype, and both left leaving people with mixed reactions...

Continue reading "about the recent NYC debuts of Washed Out and Them Crooked Vultures (who just debuted a new track)"