DOWNLOAD: Iceage - "Broken Bone" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Iceage - "White Rune" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Iceage - "New Brigade" (MP3)

Danish post-punkers Iceage are making their US debut at Northside Festival at the Stereogum/Sacred Bones showcase at Public Assembly on June 17 with Prurient, Anasazi, Cult of Youth, Lost Tribe, The Men, Pop. 1280, Yellow Tears and Wes Eisold of Cold Cave (DJ set). Tickets are now sold out, but you can try and get in with a badge.

After Northside, they'll stick around for a tour which continues into August and includes four NYC shows. They play an Other Music in-store on June 22. The show starts at 8 PM and admission is free. They'll also open for JEFF the Brotherhood at the previously announced 285 Kent Ave show on June 25. The headlining "special guest" is still TBA, though both bands play with Fucked Up in Boston a day earlier. Iceage will also play Cake Shop on August 20 and Secret Project Robot on August 21.

Iceage's debut album New Brigade is already out in Europe and will see a US release on June 21 via What's Your Rupture?. Grab the album tracks "Broken Bone," "White Rune," and "New Brigade" above. Check out the "New Brigade" video and the album artwork, tracklist, and all tour dates below.

Continue reading "Iceage announce more shows & LP details (MP3s & dates)"

photos by Tim Griffin

Comet Gain

NY Press: This is the 17th year of Comet Gain's existence. How has the band changed in that time?

David Feck: We lost a few and the ones that have stayed got hairier. There was a moment in our history where it became clear that Comet Gain was going to be a band about carrying on. That for every joy and blunder and hard time that goes on we have our songs for it... and that keeps happening... unfortunately there are more blunders and hard times but fortunately there are tons good times

...

Is there anything in New York that you're excited for? When was the last time you were here?

We were here 10 years ago...and it's been about that long since we've seen a lot of friends.

Comet Gain played Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn last night, April 12th (Easter). Time Out says,

The venue was not packed, but the cluster of fans were enthused--a cult defined.

The New York label What's Your Rupture? recently issued Broken Record Prayers, a compilation of singles that Comet Gain released over the past decade. It's an apt showcase for the sloppy band, and the ostensible reason for its presence in Brooklyn last night. Comet Gain came to town short a member--guitarist Jon Slade does not fly--appearing as a five-piece. They were fronted by singer-guitarist David Feck and Rachel Evans, who stands at center stage, singing and vigorously clapping like a cheerleader. Feck is Comet Gain's songwriter and sole original member; Evans is its secret weapon. The interplay between the two singers, along with the group's ragtag charm, was reminiscent of the Mekons. Its tiny jumpy songs, with Velvets guitars and drone from a Vox, funnels an army of the stubborn and underappreciated: the Clean (whose "Beatnik" is covered, beautifully and loudly, on Broken Record Prayers); the Pastels (namechecked onstage during a Hitler joke); and Television Personalities (whose "Part Time Punks" was requested and performed, briefly, as an audience sing-along led by Evans).

Bill said it was a good show with lots of witty stage banter by David Feck. One highlight was when opener Crystal Stilts joined Comet Gain on stage for a cover of Teardrop Explodes' "Sleeping Gas". Comet Gain, who concentrated mostly on their garagier/punkier material, played two other covers: Felt's "Ballad of the Band" and New Order's "Love Vigilantes." Both CG and CS shared a drumkit that read "Love is All" (another What's Your Rupture band). CC (Cold Cave) was the first of three bands on the bill.

And speaking of Crystal Stilts, they were added as the lucky opener for Dead Weather at Bowery Ballroom on Tuesday.

More pictures from Sunday's show below...

Continue reading "Comet Gain & Crystal Stilts @ MHOW, NYC - pics "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Comet Gain - Skinny Wolves (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Comet Gain - Why I Try To Look So Bad (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Comet Gain - Love Without Lies (MP3)

UK indie legends Comet Gain are playing their first NYC show in ages at Music Hall of Williamsburg on April 12 (Easter Sunday) with Cold Cave. Mixing shambly pop, slashing Buzzcocks-style rockers and forays into Northern Soul, Comet Gain have been a big influence on loads of bands over the last 17 years, and are held in the same esteem in some circles as Beat Happening, the Pastels and Television Personalities.

Comet Gain almost never play the U.S. The last show I can confirm was one at NYU in 2000. The band scrapped a planned tour here in 2006 on the back of their last studio album, City Fallen Leaves. (The above MP3s are from their 2002 album, Réalistes, which came out on Kill Rock Stars.)

Comet Gain's most recent releases were a limited 7" single that came out last week and last year's odds-and-sods compilation Broken Record Prayers which is coming out in the U.S. via What's Your Rupture on March 24, 2009. Full tracklist for that, along with the video for one of 2008's best singles, "Love Without Lies", below.

What's Your Rupture? is proud to present Broken Record Prayers on compact disc, digital download, and double-vinyl formats, featuring six unreleased tracks (two of which, "Love Without Lies" and "Books of California," will be issued, for completists, as a limited edition seven-inch single).

Tickets to the MHoW show are now on sale. The only other U.S. dates announced at this point are Black Cat in Washington DC on April 8 and at Kungfu Necktie in Philadelphia on April 9 which is also on sale. And like I said, they never play America so don't miss out.

Brooklyn opener Cold Cave are also playing No Fun Fest @ MHOW on May 17th.

Comet Gain video, tracklist and cover art below...

Continue reading "Comet Gain playing shows, releasing Broken Record Prayers comp on What's Your Rupture in US - tix, video & tracklist"

photos by Ryan Muir

caUSE co-MOTION! also played the Market Hotel show with Love is All and the Vivian Girls. More pictures below...

Continue reading "caUSE co-MOTION! @ Market Hotel, Brooklyn, NYC - pics"

soon. very soon.

i tend to wake up way too early when excited. and getting up at five this morning must indicate that i'm very, very excited about leaving for new york soon. it could also have something to do with the fact that the sun rises around 3 am these days. or the seagulls that live outside my window. oh, well. i still don't have the visa in my hand, but it should be on it's way to gothenburg as i type.
yesterday we made another 100 copies of that cover cdr to bring to over to sell at the shows. and last weekend i screen printed a bunch of tote bags in my kitchen. we are all set.

so, yeah, there's another show booked, at the bowery ballroom. i understand that the place is big. and the tickets kind of pricey. that all makes me very nervous. for those of you who decide to come we promise special treats, we will sell our merch a little cheaper and maybe play songs we don't play that often. requests are welcome.

it looks like it's going to be another very sunny day here today (it hasn't rained here in over a month), i must try to go swimming in the sea again before we're off.

can't wait.

love,
josephine (Love is All)

Crystal Stilts have been added as opener to the Bowery show. Crystal Stilts lost a van back in February. Crystal Stilts got a really high Pitchfork review in May.

Crystal Stilts are also playing Cake Shop on June 29th with Tickley Feather, PWRFL Power, and Rings. Tickley Feather and Rings are on the same record label.

caUSE co-MOTION! have been added as opener to the Love is All Market Hotel show. caUSE co-MOTION! and Love is All are on the same record label.

The Love is All show at Cake Shop is part of NYC Popfest.

All Love is All tour dates HERE. All Crystal Stilts tour dates below...

Continue reading "Love is All, Crystal Stilts & special treats "

DOWNLOAD: Tyvek - Air Conditioner (MP3)

If you listen to our 'blog radio' show on Sirius, you are definitely familiar with the Michigan band Tyvek because we've been playing a lot of them lately. They're not a new band - they have a record out on What's Your Rupture even, but I just recently found out about them - right before SXSW actually, when someone recommended I try and book them on our Wednesday day party. I never got in touch with them, and I never ended up seeing them at all in Austin (MTV did though). Then I forgot they were playing NYC tonight, but luckily the show's not for a couple of hours at least so here's some (more) very last minute notice (and a few other tour dates.....and an mp3).....

Continue reading "Tyvek - MP3, show tonight & a few tour dates"