woolenkits

Woollen Kits, Slow Club, Eleven Pond, Palomar, Natural Child & more in This Week in Indie

by Bill Pearis

Woolen Kits

There are so many good shows happening tomorrow (2/16) this column could be renamed This Thursday in Indie. But I won’t because that would be dumb. What about next week? And the week after? Thursday might be totally dead those weeks and then look what I’m stuck with.

But I digress. Basically everything covered below (apart from the daily picks section) is happening tomorrow. Such as Australia’s Woollen Kits who are wrapping up a North American tour, pulling into Brooklyn for a show at Death By Audio. Not unlike fellow countrymen The Twerps (who play Mercury Lounge on 3/30), Woollen Kits play the kind of stripped down guitar rock that can be traced back through Flying Nun and K Recs, Jonathan Richman and the Velvet Underground. When guitarist Thomas Hardisty sings baritone, the band veers towards Beat Happening; when drummer Tom Ridgewell takes the mike, Woollen Kits are more Clean-like. The band just released their debut album on R.I.P Society records and it’s quite good.

You can stream the single “Out of Whack” at the bottom of this post and watch its video. The DBA show is with Home Blitz, Harpoon Fever and Parquet Courts. The band have a few more shows before heading home to where it’s currently warm, and all Woollen Kits dates are at the bottom of this post.

Slow Club
Slow Club

Also on Thursday (2/17)  is the return of Slow Club who play The Bell House. It’s their first show in NYC since September when the duo’s second album, Paradise, was released. The record expands greatly upon the folk-pop of their debut, Yeah, So, giving them a much bigger sound, perhaps due in part to producer Luke Smith (who was in short-lived but great mid-’00s band Clor). It still sounds like Slow Club, mind you: winsome, charming, joyous. You can stream the whole thing via Spotify if you haven’t heard it yet.  The band are even more charming and joyous live.

The undercard for the Bell House show is pretty strong as well: Air Waves, who are back in Brooklyn where they belong after a stint in Austin, and Chalk & Numbers who I don’t think have played live since last year’s NYC Popfest.

Eleven Pond (in the ’80s)
Eleven Pond

If the thought of something winsome, charming and joyous makes you want to puke, you might do better at Glasslands which is hosting the first show in 23 years by Eleven Pond. The Rochester, NY band’s sole album, 1986’s Bas Relief, is considered a lost classic by darkwave aficionados and was reissued a couple years ago by Dark Entries records. (You can stream it here.) Showing respect to their elders will be two bands from Wierd’s roster:  Frank (Just Frank) and Plastic Flowers. Expect Glasslands’ smoke machine to be turned to the Peter Murphy setting for this show.

Palomar
Palomar

And finally, Palomar, who recently opened for Nada Surf at Bowery Ballroom, are having the record release party for their new album, Sense & Antisense, at Littlefield Thursday night. These three ladies and one dude have been together for over ten years, outlasting all sorts of other more hyped Brooklyn bands and scenes, putting out quality indie rock LP after quality indie rock LP. Their sticktoitiveness is as strong as their ability to write catchy tunes and harmonize.  Sense & Antisense, the band’s fifth, is a keeper.

You can stream the LP on Spotify and purchase it directly from the band, either at their website or at tomorrow’s show. Also playing are Jaabs (feat. Roman of the Oranges Band) and Art Con. The Wrens’ Charles Bissell is also performing Palomar covers, so I’m told.

OK, that’s the main stuff for me this week. There are some good non-Thursday shows this week and my other picks are listed day-by-day below.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15

It’s a night of quality local bands at Pianos, with High Highs, Phonetag, Ski Lodge, and Field Mouse. That’s a good show! (and if you miss it, High Highs also play Pianos on 2/29).

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16

Didn’t I give you enough Thursday options above?

continued below…

Natural Child
Natural Child

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17

Nashville’s Natural Child are always a good time. Go see them at Cake Shop tonight with Habibi, Dead Stars, and Neighbors.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18

Heaven’s Gate, which features most of the much-missed Sweet Bulbs, are at Big Snow Buffalo Lodge tonight, with  Sleepies, Dead Leaves, Warcries, and Jeremy Smoking.

Tour Dates, flyers, streams and videos follow.

High Highs Flyer

Woolen Kits – “Out of Whack”

Woolen Kits – 2012 Tour Dates
Feb 16 – Brooklyn, NY — Death By Audio w Home Blitz, Harpoon Fever
Feb 17 – New Haven, CT — Cafe Nine w Medication and Mountain Movers
Feb 18 – Boston, MA — Plough N Stars w CUFFS and Headband

Slow Club – 2012 Tour Dates
FEBRUARY 2012
15 – Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia
16 – The Bell House, Brooklyn
17 – The Bears, Cambridge
18 – Casa Del Popolo, Montreal
19 – Rivoli, Toronto
21 – The Pike Room, Pontiac
22 – Empty Bottle, Chicago
26 – Perth International Arts Festival, Perth, Australia
29 – Beach Road Hotel, Sydney, Australia
MARCH 2012:
01 – GoodGod, Sydney, Australia
02 – The Workers Club, Melbourne, Australia
03 – Ed Castle, Adelaine, Australia
06 – Media Club, Vancouver
07 – Sunset Tavern, Seattle
08 – Doug Fir Lounge, Portland
10 – Brick & Mortar Music Hall, San Francisco
11 – Echoplex, Los Angeles
12 – Casbah, San Diego
JUNE 2012:
8 – 10 – No Direction Home festival, UK

Palomar – Absolutely Miserable

Palomar Littlefield Flyer

Eleven Pond Flyer

Natural Child Flyer