Album of the week

Figurines
When the Deer Wore Blue (Morningside)










hear: Childhood Verse, The Air We Breathe, Hey Girl, Let's Head Out, Drunkard's Dream, Bee Dee



www.figurines.dk
www.morningsiderecords.dk

Radiohead does exclusive "Thumbs Down" webcast

Apparently Radiohead did a webcast last night but that was only a teaser for the marathon web party they threw tonight on RadioheadTV. The actually pretty assuming hooligans play an array of songs for a webcast they titled "Thumbs Down," mostly from the new album but also covers. They also did quite a bit of DJing, spinning songs from Iggy Pop to Iron and Wine to M.I.A. Below are videos for "Jigsaw Falling into Place," "Bodysnatchers," The Smiths' "The Headmaster's Ritual," and New Order's "Ceremony," consecutively. There are many other songs and videos that can be found on Youtube and eclectic images that can be found on any of the Radiohead worshiping music websites(pretty much every big indie or rock site), including perhaps Radiohead's own site.

Figurines @ Mercury Lounge, 11.1.07

Singer Christian Hjelm and guitarist Claus Salling Johansen led my Danish brothers, Figurines, into the second show of their stint at Mercury Lounge. Hjelm looked as comfortable as any leading man I've seen and every member of the band seemed to know their part -and did it well, unleashing their infectious hooks. The band's enthusiasm translated well to the crowd and it seemed it would be impossible to not enjoy this show. They played 7 songs off their recently dropped When the Deer Wore Blue and 6 beauties off last year's great, Skeleton. Thanks for the hook, boys.



Recommended listening:

My Bloody Valentine back together, new record!

There's been speculation about a My Bloody Valentine reunion for some time now. Apparently, Bloody mastermind, Kevin Shields has confirmed with The Daily Swarm that this time it's for real and a new record is in the works.

Read the exclusive article from The Daily Swarm in here

New Playlist up

New playlist is up if interested...down to the right...

New Killers video: "Tranquilize," feat. Lou Reed; rarities album due Nov. 13th; prep Christmas song

The Killers' "Tranquilize" video includes 2 exciting features: First, Lou Reed's face and Second, a backup choir comprised of dolls. Lou does add some voice and piano play but his role is mostly to make old, wrinkly faces at the camera, bless his heart. The doll choir sounds suspiciously similar to Alvin and his 2 brothers. You know, there is a new "Alvin and the Chipmunks"movie coming out...cross promotion?



As you've probably already heard -for better or worse, The Killers are coming out with a B-sides and rarities album, Sawdust( How many rarities can there be after only 2 albums?) Sawdust will include their cover of Joy Division's "Shadowplay" featured in the recently released Ian Curtis Biopic, and it will also include "Move Away" from Spiderman 3, as well as a hideous titled song, "Glamorous Indie Rock And Roll." The Killers are also throwing their Christmas spirit into the ring once again. Last year, they came out with the excellent "Great Big Sled." On Dec. 1st, they will release "Don't Shoot Me Santa."

Shadowplay

Joy Division(Rhino) releases "Closer" anniversary 2 CD set, "Still" 2xLP

Yes, it's been 30 wonderful years that we have been enjoying Joy Divison's excellent Closer. Rhino, as with most music outfits, really knew Joy Division. No, really. Anyway, they have the rights to Closer so they are releasing this "collector's edition" 2xCD and 2xLP vinyl version. I've always hated the "collector's version" peg. Can we still get it if we want it for the music and not a collection -or is there a different version we have to buy? DVDs are the worst with this. Another Joy Divison great, Still, has been released in "special" 2xLP vinyl format. Not sure if Rhino's behind this as well but I'm guessing most likely.

The 2nd CD of the special Closer edition includes live takes from most of the album's tracks as well as live versions of "Love Will Tear Us Apart," "Dead Souls," "Insight," "These days," and "Glass."

Album of the week

Beirut
The Flying Club Cup (Ba Da Bing)










hear: Nantes, A Sunday Smile, Cliquot, Forks and Knives{La Fete}, In the Mausoleum, St. Apollonia, The Flying Club Cup




www.beirutband.com
www.badabingrecords.com

Jens Lekman @ Webster Hall, 10.27.07

Jens and his traveling hillbillies -well, "darlings" is more like it -may have been the most ironic show at the "clubbing" Webster Hall yet (The Clientele played there but they were touring with Spoon so that doesn't count). Especially given Jens's recent rockabillyish masterpiece, Night Falls over Kortedala, which stands as a stark contrast to the techno music and dancing that started upstairs at the end of the show. Jens and his girls were also dressed in Scandinavian-like Sound of Music apparel, which adds to the irony. In any case, Jens is brilliant and put on a brilliant show. His set lists are always a little unpredicatble but no matter what, his shows are so happy and entertaining that if Jens doesn't jam one of your favorites, you don't care. The highlight of the night was probably during the jubilant "Sipping on the Sweet Nectar," when all the ladies dropped their instruments and swooped across the stage, arms outstretched as if flying, all the while Jens was strumming his guitar and singing in a posethat reminds of Art Garfunkel. Another highlight was "Shirin," which is named after a past hair-stylist(thus, the cover?). He played acoustic, alone on stage, giving it a more personal, nostalgic feel than the album version which is more upbeat. So the moral of this post or whatever is that you should see Jens Lekman if you ever have the chance.





Recommended listening:

Panda Bear video: "Comfy in Nautica"

Noah Lennox, one of the masterminds behind Animal Collective IS Panda Bear and he actually may have the better band all to himself. For the excellent, bittersweet "Comfy in Nautica," Noah follows a skater former-merman around what seems to be California, but could be anywhere- Portugal, Baltimore -wherever the nomadic Noah Bear has lived.

Shout Out Louds @ Bowery, 10.25.07

The Shout Out Louds have proven they're more than a one-album wonder with their latest offering, the Cure-ish Our Ill Wills. It was even an Echo album of the week! So anyway, the swedes brought their hook-laden tunes to Bowery and played a delightful set of both past and present goodies. Unfortunately , at times, it looked like a too well-oiled machine, almost running on automatic. This is cool because you get to hear the songs as you know them, but it didn't seem like anything from this particular show was different from any of their others. Lead singer, Adam Olenius, seemed as interested in his looks as much as the way he performed -which was well(on the latter). A nice part of the new album is the addition of vocals from the lone female in the bunch, Bebban Stenborg, who's prowess with her voice and instruments is equaled by her femme fatale-like beauty. She sparkled on he headlining "Headlights" and on backup to "Impossible", 2 of the better tracks off Our Ill Wills. "Normandie," "Tonight I Have to Leave it," "Please Please Please" and "Very Loud" were my chosen favorites of the night.


Recommended listening:

Howl Howl Gaff Gaff

Interpol live on Jimmy Kimmel

Interpol blessed The Jimmy Kimmel Show this past Thursday with 2 songs from Our Love to Admire, "No I in Threesome" and "Heinrich Maneuver."

St. Vincent video - "Jesus Saves, I Spend"

Album of the week

Sunset Rubdown
Random Spirit Lover (Jagjaguwar)

hear: The Mending of the Gown, Up on Your Leopard Upon the End of Your Feral Days, The Courtesan Has Sung, Winged/Wicked Things, For the Pier (and dead shimmering), The Taming of the Hands that Came Back to Life

www.jagjaguwar.com
www.sunsetrubdown.net

CMJ 2007 - Spoon, The Ponys, BOH

Spoon @ Roseland, 10.20.07


This year's CMJ line up may be the worst ever, but any of the past 3 years could be a contender. 2004 was the absolute pinnacle; so so good. The Cowherd Music Jam (or as someone else called it - the Clear-Channel Music Jam, but would that be CCMJ?) has become more of a free-for-all for any band in the world and any poser from the record industry. CMJ used to represent indie rock but if this year is any indication, indie rock is dying fast. Take the Spoon show for example. As we came out of the show, a couple crowds the theatre let out at the same time. Walking with everyone, I seriously couldn't tell who had gone to Spoon or who had gone to Mama Mia. So is the state of indie rock, but of course the herds of fans following the hype machine give more $$$ to the bands, and they deserve it, don't they?


Spoon played virtually a flawless show and they pretty much had to so as to make up for Roseland Ballroom's poor acoustics. Plus that place is huge! I've been to one show there in the past but I forgot our big it is. And it was packed! Everyone seemed to be in good spirits -and like I said, there was quite a diversity of people. Spoon cruised through a long set which included songs spanning their entire catalogue, which is really what made the show so enjoyable for me -it was also nice to hear the new songs live. You could cut the crowd in half into the pre-Gimme Fiction and post. There was definitely a larger reaction to songs off Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga and Gimme Fiction than the previous 3 albums. "I Turn My Camera On" and "Underdog" seemed to be the biggest crowd-pleasers, which is expected. Brit Daniel is known as a perfectionist but he does well as coming across loose and charismatic yet acutely precise on stage. The entire band had good energy and Daniel even said, "This is our biggest show ever." As for the opener, The Ponys, we actually didn't make it in time to see the set, which was a huge bummer. I heard they did a good job of conquering the large halls of Roseland and put on a great opening act. Hearing this made me even more upset that the subway system in NYC is horrible -which is the reason why we missed them.




The Ponys


Band of Horses @ Blender Theeater, 10.19.07

This was a "secret", wink wink, show. Hosted by CMJ infiltrators: Blender, Sony, some video game, and some energy drink, this proved to be the most annoying concert environment I've experienced. A good 3/4ths of the people there had 2 big badges around their neck, making sure everyone saw them...most probably tied to Geffen Records, who own the first show's band Counting Crows as well as the "secret show" openers, The Maccabees, who seemed to satisfy the energy demands of most of the drunk VIPs. A decent but extremely narcissistic band, they were a stark contrast to their follow-up, the down-to-earth, unassuming boys of Band of Horses. You could tell one band is from a major label from the Eastern part of the world and that the other(BOH) is rooted in the west coast, albeit South Carolina transplants. Maybe it was just Southern hospitality. Although it seemed half the crowd was chattering throughout their set, BOH drowned them out with an excellent show. They pounced the 3 opening tracks with the ease of a seasoned and determined band- the tracks being: "Is There a Ghost," "The Great Salt Lake," and "Islands on the Coast." They didn't go on till around 3 AM and were introduced as being labeled by Merge, when in fact they are from Sub Pop. Maybe it was the fact that it was so late -or maybe that the guy up there had never even heard a song from the band- that he made that mistake. Ben quickly corrected him when he got to the mike and my friends and I went crazy. We're from the west coast -and so is the greatest indie label! BOH tore through tracks from both their excellent albums, playing 7 songs from Everything and 6 from Cease. "Ode to the LRC" and "The First Song" were other favorites for me. The crowd seemed to really enjoy the opener("Ghost") as well...as they should -it's an epic song.
I should mention that the show was free so for all the industry uncomfortableness and hours of waiting, it was still worth it to see my boyz. I will never return to that venue, though, and perhaps not to CMJ altogether.
Wicked Gil

Islands On The Coast

New !!!(Chk Chk Chk) video: "Yadnus"

Central California representin'! Cool video for the best song off !!!'s latest release, Myth Takes.

Band of Horses debut at #1 on independent Billboard charts, Beirut #9

You couldn't loop Band of Horses toping the indie Billborad charts with the "death of indie rock," which seems to be a growing sentiment lately. After all, they are #1 on the INDEPENDENT charts. Lest you think that's no small feat, Cease to Begin narrowly beat out Mannheim Steamroller, who had to settle for #2, as well as beating out the likes of Elliott Yamin and Travis Tritt. To give you an even better idea of the company they share, after Steamroller, Dashboard Confessional (indepnedent?), the Hairspray soundtrack, and Iron and Wine round out the top 5. Another debut, Beirut, landed the #9 spot. Which begs the question, who the #!*$! is buying all these Beirut albums?! I mean, I love the guys and think Condon is on the brink of genius, but when did French chamber pop and gypsy-folk become so cool? Sure, it's pretty music but it's obvious that the hype machine has been a generous friend to Beirut. I guarantee you at the next Beirut show you attend, you'll see plenty of frat boys -the same frat boys who've been living off Nickleback, Jimmy Eat World, and Nine Inch Nails the past 10 years. Not that there is anything wrong with these bands...well, Nickleback. Included in the top 20 are Spoon and the excellent Once soundtrack.

And if you're wondering where band of Horses land in the Billboard's top 200, they're at #35. That's unbelievable as well. Beirut came in as #118 -still one of the top 5 indie-rock albums. But how did Band of Horses -or when- did they get so big? I think it's great for the congenial kids from South Carolina. Their music is excellent and it's nice to see it getting the appreciation it deserves.

Soft's "Gone Faded" out today

The surging shogaze band, Soft -that for some reason couldn't buy press a couple years ago with the release of an excellent self-titled EP, including the standout track "Higher," -seems to be making a small splash in the indie rock scene. And apparently they impressed people last weekend during CMJ -Cowherd Music Jam. And you know, when those industry big puppies are around and hear a band that's bringing the entire Creation sound -as well as the look- back so literally as Soft is doing, of course they are going to go all ga-ga. Gone Faded is the first LP released by the Brooklyn transplants. "Higher" made the LP as well, along with the solid tracks, "Dumb Blood" and "Droppin'." Gone Faded dropped today and should be a great find for anyone who loves pretty melodies covered in fuzz.
"Higher"

Album of the week

Jens Lekman
Night Falls Over Kortedala (Secretly Canadian)






hear: And I Remember Every Kiss, Sipping on the Sweet Nectar, The Opposite of Hallelujah, I'm leaving You Because I Don't Love You, If I Could Cry (It Would Feel Like This), Shirin


www.jenslekman.com
www.secretlycanadian.com

Menomena does Blogotheque

Menomena has already visited Daytrotter, so why not get together with Daytrotter's foreign partner, Blogotheque. For this session, Menomena went with 2 of their most solid tracks, "Wet and Rusting" and "Rotten Hell." The little boy in video #1 has some unbelievable moves and rhythm.

#62.3 - Menomena - Wet and Rusting

#62.2 - Menomena - Rotten Hell

Bjork and Charles Barkley have dinner together

OK, not really...but SNL liked to think they did. I'm not sure when this aired and I'm sure many of you have already laughed at it, but I just saw it the other day and thought it was hilarious, especially the line: "Oh Bork!" Kristen Wigg does a fantastic Bjork but probably isn't as perfect for the role as much as Winona Ryder, who did Bjork for SNL a many few years ago. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Charles Barkley, he's a future NBA hall-of-famer. He is now a B-ball analyst on TBS and is quite likeable and infamous at the same time. He's pretty funny...often times when he was supposed to be on camera, he was in the back watching a different game or show. For those of you who aren't familiar with Bjork, well you're probably in the wrong place.

SNL wanted to see what would happen when the two great minds came together...

BOH's "Is There a Ghost" video

Band of Horses release the first video for Cease to Begin. And looky there -it's hosted by MTV.com.

Sunset Rubdown @ Bowery, 10.9.07

It's always a pleasure to watch Spencer Krug and company in person and this time around was no different. Their talent is obvious and impressive, especially Spencer and Sunset's drummer. On the heels of their recent acclaimed release, Random Spirit Lover, SR started off with 2 songs from their debut and then launched into their new, complex tunes. As a whole, the crowd didn't identify as well with the new songs since the album had been released the same day -so in a sense, it wasn't as much an intense overall scene as it normally would be. But the good news is that the new songs seemed to be well received by everyone, which I'm sure was appreciated by Krug and co.

Recommended listening:

www.sunsetrubdown.net

Album of the week

Band of Horses
Cease to Begin (Sub Pop)










After issuing one of the best albums of 2007, Band of Horses throw their hat into the ring once again this year with Cease to Begin. The prevailing sentiment on this album is that while 2006's Everything All the Time is a Northwest album, Cease to Begin is of the Southeast variety. I was expecting the discrepancy to be wider as a whole. The obvious moniker to the South is "The General Specific," a mediocre but somewhat catchy song. I always thought any comparisons to My Morning Jacket to be inaccurate, but the wistful tune, "Detlef Schrempf"(who was a basketball player for the Seattle Super Sonics by the way) basically asks to carry a MMJ tag...although it is a nice enough listen. Other than this however, the main difference in Cease seems to be a more simplistic, stylistic approach, which results in a tamer yet more moody album.

The first track, "Is There a Ghost" has been struttin its awesome self all over the world wide web for the past month, letting us know that Everything wasn't a fluke. It highlights Bridwell's knack for effortlessly engaging you while carrying an intense melodic punch, ala "The Great Salt Lake." The rival for best track is probably "Islands on the Coast," which is heavier in substance but might not leave as big an impression. The album starts off very strong, especially the first 3 tracks...then it whithers a bit before picking it up with "Islands" and the solid "Cigarettes, Wedding Bands." In this sense it isn't as consistent and solid as Everything. At the same time, Band of Horses are in the same spot that Interpol and The Arcade Fire made for themselves after coming out with such an amazing debut. Cease To Begin is definitely one of the most enjoyable records of the year and is a more than worthy sophomore effort from the South Carolinia transplants.



hear: Is There a Ghost, Ode to LRC, No One's Gonna Love You, Islands on the Coast, CIgarettes Wedding Bands

www.bandofhorses.com
www.subpop.com

St. Vincent does Take-Away Shows

"Take-Away Shows" is La Blogotheque. St. Vincent aka Annie Clark, the adorable offspring of Sufjan Steven's legion, performs three songs: "Marry Me," "Jesus Saves, I Spend" and "Paris is Burning."


#67.2 - St Vincent - Marry Me



#67.3 - St Vincen - Jesus saves, I spend



#67.4 - St Vincent - Paris is Burning