bestcoast2

Best Coast, Darwin Deez, Zoos of Berlin, Mr. Dream & more in This Week in Indie (part 1)

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Best Coast – This is Real (MP3)
DOWNLOADZoos of Berlin – Electrical Way (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Mr. Dream – Knuckle Sandwich (MP3)

Best Coast
Best Coast

This week is extra-packed with musical goodness, so I’m breaking up TWII into two parts. Here’s your mid-week edition.

Best Coast are here, playing Knitting Factory tonight (4/6) and Mercury Lounge tomorrow (4/7). Initially a solo project for onetime Pocahaunted singer Bethany Cosentino, Best Coast is now a collaboration with producer/guitarist Bob Bruno. Bethany is a talented songwriter with an amazing voice that has a Linda Ronstadt quality to it (maybe even a little Loretta Lynn in there). It’s unfortunately buried under a spill reverb and low fi sludge on her first couple singles. That they were still worked is a testament to the songs, I think. But both sides of Best Coast’s latest 7″, on the Black Iris label, are knockouts, somewhere between the Everly Brothers and ’60s girl groups. Sonically, it hits that Goldilocks sweet spot of sounding produced but not slick in any way. You can download the b-side, “This is Real,” at the top of this post.

Live there’s even less reverb than the recordings (or at least there was both times I saw them at SXSW) and you’re really hit with the songs and that voice. Ali Koehler, on loan from Vivian Girls, will be on the drumkit (they had a dude playing drums in Texas) and The Bitters (member of Fucked Up) open both shows, with The Babies also playing tonight (which means at least 2/3 of the Vivian Girls perform at the show tonight).

As previously reported, Darwin Deez‘s show tonight has been relocated from Market Hotel to new DIY space Party Expo (929 Broadway, the Myrtle stop on the JMZ), which seems appropriate in this case as it’s his birthday. I’ll be the first to say Darwin looks kinda like a hipster dufus, but there’s no denying he’s a talented guy and I think his self-titled album, out May 10, is pretty great. And despite his look, his music is not some ’80s throwback. He’s carved out a very distinct sound for himself, staccato guitar pop with thoughtful lyrics and Darwin’s warm voice smoothing things out. It’s pretty charming stuff.

Zoos of Berlin
Zoos of Berlin

Zoos of Berlin are back in town and were scheduled to play Market Hotel on Wednesday (4/7) and that has since been relocated to Shea Stadium.  I’ve written about them before, and I really urge you to check them out. Nobody else sounds like them, a regal mix of Bowie’s Berlin period and Steely Dan funk. No really. They’re pretty awesome. ZoB have brought fellow Detroiters Child Bite (kinda punk, kinda jazz) with them. The two bands are on tour together and all remaining dates are at the bottom of this post. The Shea Stadium show also features Electric Tickle Machine, who are better than their name might suggest.

A couple more Wednesday, 4/7, picks. At Cake Shop, there’s a good line-up of Florida’s Tough Knuckles, local ’90s throwbacks Mr. Dream and South Korea’s 10 (with help from Brown Wing Overdrive), plus Effing and Your Youth. Check out the rockin’ MP3 of Mr. Dream’s “Knuckle Sandwich” at the top of this post.

And one last chance to catch Irish indie poppers So Cow, playing at Death by Audio with The Babies, Surprisers and San Diego’s Sunday Times.

Look for the weekend edition of TWII on Thursday. Till then, there’s tour dates, flyers and videos after the jump.

flyer

flyer

Darwin Deez – Radar Detector

Radar Detector starring 4th graders from P.S. 217

Darwin Deez – 2010 Tour Dates
Apr 6 – ***moved to PARTY EXPO*** w/ photon dynamo & the shiny pieces + the nuclears (my birthday! dd @ 11) bushwick, bk
Apr 12 – Pure Groove Records (FREE with Album Pre-order) London
Apr 13 – The Allotment @ The Black Heart (sold out) London
Apr 15 – Lost & Found @ The Ruby Lounge Manchester
Apr 16 – Trinity College Dublin
Apr 20 – Soiree Custom @ Noveau Casino Paris
Apr 21 – Comet Club Berlin
Apr 22 – Botanique – Witloof Bar Brussels
Apr 23 – London Calling @ Paradiso Amsterdam
Apr 26 – King Tuts (NME Radar Tour) Glasgow
Apr 27 – 53 Degrees (NME Radar Tour) Preston
Apr 28 – Academy 3 (NME Radar Tour) Manchester
Apr 29 – Hare & Hounds Birmingham
Apr 30 – Sugarmill (NME Radar Tour) Stoke
May 1 – Live at Leeds Festival Leeds
May 2 – University (NME Radar Tour) Middlesborough
May 4 – Academy 2 (NME Radar Tour) Oxford
May 5 – Thekla (NME Radar Tour) Bristol
May 6 – Central Station (NME Radar Tour) Wrexham
May 7 – Masque Liverpool
May 8 – Duchess (NME Radar Tour) York
May 9 – Wedgewood (NME Radar Tour) Portsmouth
May 10 – Koko (NME Radar) London
May 11 – Waterfront (NME Radar Tour) Norwich
May 12 – Roadmender (NME Radar Tour) Northampton
May 13 – The Great Escape Festival Brighton
May 14 – The Great Escape Festival Brighton
Jul 17 – MELT Festival Ferropolis
Jul 18 – Latitude Festival (Sunset Arena) Southwold
Aug 7 – Summersonic Festival Osaka / Tokyo
Aug 8 – Summersonic Festival Osaka / Tokyo
Aug 22 – Greenman Festival Glanusk Park
Sep 11 – Bestival Isle of Wight

Best Coast @ SXSW 2010

Best Coast – “This is Real” @ Max’s Wine Dive 3.20.2010
Uploaded by brooklynvegan. – Watch more music videos, in HD!

Best Coast – 2010 Tour Dates
Apr 6 Knitting Factory w/ the bitters + the babies Brooklyn, New York
Apr 7 Mercury Lounge w/ the bitters New York City, New York
Apr 12 The Friendship Cove Montreal, Quebec
Apr 13 The Garrison Toronto, Ontario
Apr 14 Magic Stick Detroit, Michigan
Apr 16 Schuba’s Tavern Chicago, Illinois
Apr 17 WIUX Culture shock Bloomington, Indiana
Apr 21 The Great American Music Hall W/ Camera Obscura San Francisco, California
May 1 Camden Crawl London
May 2 Jericho Tavern Oxford
May 3 Joiners Arms Southampton
May 4 Whiteheat at Madame Jojos London
May 5 Louisiana Bristol
May 6 Bodega Nottingham
May 7 Manchester Deaf Institute Manchester
May 8 Korova Liverpool
May 9 Captain Rest Glasgow
May 10 Shopkeepers Leeds
May 11 Hare and Hounds Birmingham
May 12 Upset the Rhythm at Old Blue Last London
May 13 Great Escape Festival at Freebutt Brighton
May 14 Great Escape Festival at Komeida Brighton
May 15 Pleasure Night at Waalserook Ghent
May 16 Ekko Utrecht
May 17 Molotov Hamburg
May 18 White Trash Berlin
May 19 Venue Debaser Malmo
May 20 Svanen at Jazzhuset Gothenberg
May 21 Faglarna at Debaser Stockholm
May 22 Loppen Copenhagen
May 23 Blau Mannheim
May 24 Ostpol Dresden
May 26 ISC-Club Bern
May 27 Cafe La Danse w/ THE SLITS!! Paris
May 28 Primavera Festival Barcelona

Zoos of Berlin – 2010 Tour Dates
Apr 7 Shea Stadium w/ Child Bite Brooklyn, New York
Apr 8 Great Scott w/ Child Bite Boston, Massachusetts
Apr 9 The Half Penny Pub w/ Child Bite Syracuse, New York
Apr 10 The Happy Dog w/ Child Bite Cleveland, Ohio
May 7 The Lager House Detroit, Michigan
May 23 Midwest Fest @ The Mixtape (Venue) Grand Rapids, Michigan