Ok guys, a special thursday...I got some sneak peaks for ya...
Bloc Party - Song For Clay
A "demo" track from the upcoming Bloc Party release, "A Weekend In The City". It starts out slow, almost operatic as a Kill Bill-esque guitar comes in...then BAM! Matt Tong's drums kick in and it's off to the races. The song as a whole seems to fit nicely with the theme of their earlier work (think "Staying Fat" or "The Marshals Are Dead"). If it holds up like this, it looks like LP #2 will be a little darker! Thumbs up for this one.
Tenacious D - The Pick Of Destiny
Either you love Tenacious D, or you hate them. In any case, their original show on HBO (penned with the help of the Mr. Show guys) was one of the funniest band-related shows I've seen. Although I haven't seen Metalpocalypse on Adult Swim yet...That in mind, JB and KG are preey good musicians as well. A lot of classic rock in there! Anyway, with their movie coming out in November, I'm stoked. Plus that means a new album by the D!
Miroslav - Small Metal Statues
This one's not so fair - after 6 years of touring and opening for the likes of Spoon, Denali, and Xiu Xiu, Miroslav gave up the ghost earlier this year as their members went their separate ways. But they left behind an awesome single on the "Steel City Scene" compliation. It's a rocker...check it out!
Bloc Party official site
Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny movie site
Miroslav on MySpace
Labels: BLOC PARTY, INDIE POP, INDIE ROCK, MIROSLAV, MIX, TENACIOUS D
Tap Tap. Tap Tap. Tap Tap. Ok, I got that out of my system. Today we are reviewing Tap Tap. They're a weird one to describe - seems to be more of a side project of Thomas Sanders from Pete And The Pirates than an official band. In any case, "Way To Go Boy" came to my attention the other day, and I said, this is pretty catchy. So let's run it by everyone else! I hate always having to describe a band's sound in terms of other bands, but it's hard not to make comparisions with this band. Sounds like they have common ground with Wolf Parade, Arcade Fire, and the Kinks...and maybe a touch of Devotchka, but barely...and oh yeah, they shared a label with Get Him Eat Him (Matt LeMay from Pitchfork's band).
Anyway, Tap Tap rips through their cd with ease. Listening to it, I feel like I am drunk at a carnival, but having a good time...
Tap Tap - Way To Go Boy
Tap Tap - 100,000 Thoughts
Tap Tap official site
Tap Tap on MySpace
Hey guys, sorry I missed yesterday, been pretty hectic around here. But I did go to a random local show on Saturday night was was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. 3 pretty good bands, but today I'm going to focus on The Morning Benders. Think equal parts elvis costello, spoon, and pavement...it's got a 60's pop/rock vibe, and it is damn catchy. I actually bought their EP on the spot, but I accidentally left it at Taqueria Cancun in SF afterward. But I like what i heard of them enough to order it online again right now! The good news is that they are back at the Rickshaw Stop on
The Morning Benders - Grain Of Salt
The Morning Benders - Heavy Hearts
The Morning Benders official site
The Morning Benders on MySpace
Think About Life is the latest group from that scorching hot Montreal scene. They're on Alien8, home of the (sadly defunct) Unicorns. Anyway, the band is self described as "a black guy, a hipster, and an albino". They play some sort of hybrid between noise, thrash, and disco house with a hip hop influence. Catchy anthems and interesting beats, you gotta check this out. I'll admit the first time I head it, it didn't do much for me, but now I think it's an essential. Just give it a chance!
Think About Life - Paul Cries
Think About Life official site
Think About Life on MySpace
So when I grabbed the new rapture and tv on the radio albums last tuesday, I also ended up getting the Junior Boys album, "So This Is Goodbye" which also came out at the same time. If you're unfamiliar with the Junior Boys, they are an electro-pop duo from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The sound is sort of low-key house meets depeche mode. A little less preachy than depeche mode though. These songs, as the album title implies, are songs of longing. It sounds cold, but sexy at the same time. can you imagine the possibilities?
Junior Boys - In The Morning
Junior Boys - The Equalizer
Junior Boys official site
Junior Boys on MySpace
Cities is a new band that often gets compared to bands-of-the-moment We Are Scientists and Editors. However, I think they have a little more punch and originality than either of those bands. They've opened recently for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness. I want to call this gothic dance rock...check out "A Theme"!
Cities - A Theme
Cities - Capitol
Cities official site
Cities on MySpace
Oxford Collapse is a 3 piece from Brooklyn, NY. They're on Sub Pop, the indie rock powerhouse label. Listen to Oxford Collpase and you'll hear jangly indie rock guitars with a touch of dance punk, also taking hints from the Feelies and the Clean. I caught these guys live at the Khyber in Philly a couple years ago before they got big. High energy live show. They're going to be at Hotel Utah in SF on October 21 - let's try to hit that one up!
Oxford Collapse - Proofreading
Oxford Collapse - The Boys Go Home
Oxford Collapse - Last American Virgin
Oxford Collapse official site
Oxford Collapse on MySpace
Well, I came across this ditty on the intarweb the other day...a purported new Postal Service track. I am going to tell you right off the bat that I don't believe it at all. The instrumentation sounds like cheap midi, the singer sounds like a poor man's Benjamin Gibbard (who would be a poor man's Benjamin Gibbard? any ideas?), and it bears too much of a resemblance to "We Will Become Silhouettes". Whoever tried this did a decent jorb, I'll admit, but I'm not buying it. For those of you craving new Postal Service, you'll have to make do with their remix of Feist's "Mushaboom" off her remix album, Open Season.
Rest assured that the boys are hard at work and working on a second album. And that they now use YouSendIt to send ideas back and forth. Don't worry, they're not changing the band name.
The FAKE Postal Service - The Importance of Being
Feist - Mushaboom (Postal Service Remix)
The Postal Service - Such Great Heights (John Tejada Remix)
The Postal Service official site
The Postal Service on MySpace
Bah. Since I worked saturday and sunday this week, this Monday's no different. It's just been one long, continuous week...but for you guys, I've got a relatively recent mixtape, with a couple oldies holding down the fort.
01. Vitalic - Polkamatic
02. TV On The Radio - Wolf Like Me
03. Death From Above 1979 - Romantic Rights
04. Get Him Eat Him - Exposure
05. Three Mile Pilot - On A Ship To Bangladesh
06. Sound Team - Your Eyes Are Liars
07. Ratatat - Wildcat (E*vax Remix)
08. The Polyphonic Spree - Lithium (Nirvana Cover)
09. The Rapture - The Devil
10. The Figurines - The Wonder
Tomorrow, I'll be picking up the Rapture cd, and the TV On The Radio cd. And probably something from Apple...
OK, stop the presses. You gotta listen to Annuals! As the 'fork described them, they are a blend of Animal Collective, Broken Social Scene, and Arcade Fire. Think about the things you like best about those bands and mash them together in a mixing bowl. Serve hot and you've got Annuals! I am very excited for this album when it drops in mid-October...unfortunately it doesn't seem like they have any plans to come out west, but we'll see if that changes once the album drops. Give "Brother" a listen and I think you'll agree. (It's a build song...)
Annuals - Brother
Annuals - Bleary Eyed
Annuals - Dry Clothes
Annuals official site
Annuals on MySpace
Tokyo Police Club recently released their debut EP, "A Lesson In Crime". The best way I can describe them is as a cross between The Cribs, Interpol, and Stereolab. I know what you're thinking, oh great, another band of the moment. While it may sound that way in description, I have to say upon listening that these guys really have something. They've been criticized for not sticking to one consistent sound, but honesty, I hear a confident band and think their range is one of thier strengths. The whole EP is strong, and has some pleasant flashes of brilliance. "Nature Of The Experiment" is a highlight for me.
Tokyo Police Club - Nature Of The Experiment
Tokyo Police Club - If It Works
Well, today we've got a special treat - a music video! I know, I know, The Rapture's already got enough publicity. But their new cd is coming out next Tuesday, September 12. If you'll listen to the song above (or below) you'll hear the natural progression in their sound. When "Echoes" came out in 2003, they were the pioneers of dance-punk. Fast forward 3 years later and the field is littered with imitators. What's The Rapture to do? Creep a few years later into thier 70's post-punk-disco sound, staying a step ahead of the rest!
The Rapture - Get Myself Into It
The Rapture official site
The Rapture on MySpace
Austin, Austin. Lots of great bands coming out of Austin, always. I need to get my ass down there sometime! What Made Milwaukee Famous is the latest Austin-ian band to bubble to the surface, recently sharing bills with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Arcade Fire, The National...if I had to give them a broad category, I would say indie pop rock. It's interesting, I've heard several songs, and they have a broad range of sounds, from bluesy to shoegazer. I would highly recommend checking them out...they're coming back to Cafe Du Nord in SF on October 13.
What Made Milwaukee Famous - Idecide
What Made Milwaukee Famous - Hellodrama
What Made Milwaukee Famous - Almost Always Never
What Made Milwaukee Famous official site
What Made Milwaukee Famous on MySpace
