W♥M

The Archive – Great Low Down

The members of New York’s The Archive have been at this crazy little thing called rock for a long time, though exactly how long is between the band and their Rock God. However, the four of them claim a musical vita that cites influences as diverse as Paul Westerberg’s intimate brand of American punk to the Southern folk styling of Gillian Welch, and even a little early shoegaze for good measure. Strictly speaking, a band with this many ties to multiple genres does not produce a straightforward interpretation of contemporary rock, and their debut record is proof of something stirring.

Great Low Down opens with “Julia, Dear,” a nod to the band’s punk sensibility, though slightly countered by a soaring melody. There’s an absence of the biting snarl preferred by vintage punkers and their new age protégé; instead, singer John Epperly sounds less disgruntled as he does worn in. Never more so than on “Kid Glove Tangerine,” a very Westerberg-esque self-designated state of weariness (“You took your tongue tearing apart…me”) or the album’s closer, “Black Rain,” that wanders without a destination and feels like the lyrical equivalent of restless legs. Of course, The Archive can bring it on when they want to, and “Holy Ground” boasts a guitar-driven fury that reminds us this is not a band so easily compartmentalized. As a whole, Great Low Down suggests a symbolic clock is ticking and the band—while somewhat disillusioned by the state of things—can’t help but chase the elusive white rabbit, reason be damned.

Watch the video for “Julia, Dear”

The Archive are John Epperly (vocals/guitar), John MacDonald (guitar), Dan Bombach (bass/vocals), and Tim Perzan (drums). Great Low Down drops Nov. 2 and The Archive plays Zebulon in Brooklyn that night (details below). For more information, visit the band’s Facebook page. You can stream the album on Soundcloud and purchase a digital version via Bandcamp on the release date.

THE ARCHIVE

The Archive Record Release Show (w/ Your 33 Black Angels) Zebulon 258 Wythe Ave. (at Metropolitan) Brooklyn, NY 11211 9 p.m. FREE

lara () ♥ facebook.com/thearchivenyc

W♥M150: Orca Team

W♥M150 (9 mins)

Vu, Kate, and Lara, standing outside the 400 Bar in Minneapolis after seeing Orca Team. The band is currently on tour with Laetitia Sadier, in support of their debut album, Restraint.

Nothing to actually do with Orca Team:

• "No one dances in Minnesota."
• "Scooby-Doo band"
• Orca Team = "economic hair"
• Crayola T-Shirt and Three-piece suits
• "Please don't air this"
• Song of the show is Orca Team's "Michael," which they played on their live set.

BONUS: Minneapolis vs St Paul

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Archive of this show at archive.org. More information on podomatic.com

Orca Team are on tour:

10/04: Portland, OR - Bunk Bar 10/05: San Francisco, CA - The Bottom of the Hill 10/06: Reno, NV - The Holland Project 10/07: Salt Lake City, UT - TBA 10/08: Fort Collins, CO - GNU 10/09: Denver, CO - The Lion's Lair 10/10: Denver, CO - Unit E 10/11: Albuquerque, NM - The Gold House 10/12: Amarillo, TX - The 806 10/13: Oklahoma City, OK - 51 St. Speakeasy 10/14: Hot Springs, AK - TBA 10/15: Chattanooga, TN - JJ's Bohemia 10/16: Cincinnati, OH - Rake's End 10/18: Brooklyn, NY - Muchmore's 10/19: Easthampton, MA - Flywheel Arts 10/20: Brooklyn, NY - Public Assembly 10/22: Charlottesville, VA - The Garage 10/23: Roanoke, VA - The Bazaar 10/24: Boone, NC - The Black Cat

10/25: Athens, GA - New Earth Music Hall 10/26: Birmingham, AL - The Forge 10/27: Pensacola, FL - Sluggo's 10/28: New Orleans, LA - The Circle Bar 10/29: Houston, TX - Walters 10/30: San Antonio, TX - Boneshakers 10/31: Austin, TX - Baby Blue Studio 11/01: Denton, TX - TBA 11/02: Lubbock, TX - TBA 11/03: Las Cruces, NM - The Trainyard 11/04: Tucson, AZ - The District Tavern 11/05: San Diego, CA - Bar 11 11/07: Los Angeles, CA - The Smell 11/08: Fullerton, CA - Burger Records 11/09: Sacramento, CA - Bows + Arrows 11/10: San Jose, CA - TBA 11/11: Oakland, CA - Sugar Mountain 11/12: Arcata, CA - The Shanty 11/13: Portland, OR - Valentines 11/14: Seattle, WA - The Comet

Orca Team at 400 Bar, Minneapolis (09/30/12)

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Team Genius – Pop Songs, Loud Songs, Whiskey Songs, New York Songs

Team Genius: Seven Years Discography New York Songs (Nov 2012) Whiskey Songs EP (Oct 2012) Loud Songs EP (Oct 2012) Pop Songs EP (Aug 2011) Team Genius (Oct 2008) Hooray EP (Mar 2008) Read More Team Genius I’ve been following this band since their inception more than three years ago, but since they rarely tour and never respond to invitations for chili night at my house…

Brooklyn’s Team Genius have been very busy since our coverage of last year’s CMJ Music Marathon . The band is gearing to release three EPs on Paper Garden Records as well as a full-length LP that drops Nov. 6. Pop Songs, Loud Songs, Whiskey Songs, New York Songs (in that order) chronicles Team Genius’s evolution as both a team and as individuals creating music in arguably the most inspiring—and often emotionally devastating—city in the country. It’s an ambitious feat, but succeeds, largely due to the band’s ease at preserving their trademark infectious hooks and refusal to succumb to emoting for emoting’s sake.

The journey starts with Pop Songs, which we’ll refer to as the “adolescent” stage. Just like young, stupid love, Pop Songs feels nice, if not a bit ephemeral. Drew Hermiller sings about an “eyes closed” kind of amour on “Love and Love Songs,” which anyone over the age of 25 is likely to associate with notebooks filled with terrifying attempts at poetry. Pop Songs is out to have a good time, heart emphatically on display and spirits high (as evidenced by the party anthem “Ronald Reagan’s Cousin”), consequences be damned.

Wooo! You’re in college! Keg stand! Loud Songs starts where Pop Songs ended and amplifies the shit out of it. Reality hasn’t yet made an appearance, last night’s pizza hasn’t yet congealed, it’s not yet physically impossible to party for 24-hours straight and still show up for an 8am class. These are the sweet years. Loud Songs throws your senses into overdrive because that’s generally what happens when you crank up the volume. Consequences be damned. Loud Songs also includes a cover of Plastic Bertrand’s 70s hit “Ça Plane Pour Moi,” which basically translates as “things are going great for me,” an apt theme for a record hell bent on destruction of both scruples and of eardrums.

Remember when you graduated from your liberal arts college with a degree in American Studies and immediately became unemployable? Whiskey Songs opens with the soul-crushing “Seven Years,” a critical semi-rant about getting older and not necessarily wiser: “Seven years in this city, all I learned was how to sound witty / And now I’m tired and I’m old / I’m a cynic, or so I’ve been told.” These are the heavy-drinking years. Whiskey Songs is still a pop album, make no mistake. It’s certainly more unsympathetic than the other EPs; however, as I mentioned earlier, the band has this great flair for never, ever lapsing into paralyzing self-loathing (even when they tackle those uncomfortably familiar topics like when friends start to find you annoying). Also, the album ends on a somewhat optimistic note with “I Wouldn’t Change a Thing,” a simple repetition of that hard-earned, judicious mantra…

…Which brings us to the present: New York Songs. Expect a full review closer to the November release date, but here’s a teaser from the band’s website:

The End Game: This is the story […] The search for something to connect you to everything. […] This about what it takes to get there. The euphoric wins, the colossal failures and all the plodding moments in between. [Team Genius] lived it, and then they made a full length album about it.

Team Genius' three EPs, Pop Songs, Loud Songs, and Whiskey Songs will be available October 2nd. The full length, New York Songs, will be available November 6th, 2012, from Paper Garden Records. For more information on the band, visit their Facebook page. You can stream all four EPs on Bandcamp .

lara () ♥ www.teamgeniusmusic.com

Ada Jane: Under

Read More Ada Jane The environment is conducive to rock shows of yesteryears. Bands like Ada Jane thrive, while the occasional indie rube flounders, unsure of how to respond to such course temperaments.

When a music critic describes an album as “[musician’s] most personal project to date,” it can mean one of two things: 1). This is literally a quote from the press material, or 2). The critic identifies a thematic transition, which usually refers back to the artist’s personal life and is indicative of something overcome or resolved. Under, the latest release from Minneapolis rockers Ada Jane, is working through some serious issues and we’re invited along for the ride.

The album is somewhat of a departure from Ada Jane’s earlier work. As I mentioned before, this is not a band too concerned with ambiguity, musically or lyrically (bona fide Minneapolis rock, ya’ll!).

Their music is appealing for its assertive delivery, smart, sincere lyrics, and singer Matt Marka’s “play-like-it’s-your-last-show-ever” charisma (an attitude that’s often lost on younger generations). That being said, Under demonstrates the band’s desire to meander a bit, exploring the soft underarm tones of vulnerability. Sprinkled amongst the rock-out standards are songs like “Climb Down” and “Late Late Nights,” incidental music for that blurry instant between your last drink and the inevitable navel-gazing that follows. “Climb Down” is practically a lullaby for its sweet demeanor and sad bits of prose: “There’s a boy who wants to be forgiven / A girl that wants to keep on living in her stormy skies.” I’m reminded of those special moments when Paul Westerberg unplugged and gave us stark self-portraits like “It’s A Wonderful Lie.” Marka’s lyrics tackle equally introspective themes: financial woes, passing time, and in a sense growing up. Under is very much a “grown ups” album, full of simple questions with complex answers, candid but never wallowing. While Ada Jane subscribed to the school of Rock early on, we like this understated—dare I say, personal—side to rock ego. Stream the album in its entirety via Bandcamp.

For those of you that collect ancient relics, hard copies of Under can be purchased locally (Minnesota) at Electric Fetus and all Twin Cities Cheapo locations, and globally through CD Baby (AJ’s got you covered!). For more information visit Ada Jane’s official website or Facebook page.

lara () ♥ www.adajane.com

alt-J – An Awesome Wave

Tour Dates 09/08/12 Isle Of Wight Robin Hill Country Park 09/12/12 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom 09/14/12 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda's 09/15/12 Washington, DC Rock And Roll Hotel 09/16/12 Portmeirion, Festival Number 6 09/17/12 Allston, MA Great Scott 09/18/12 Montreal, QC Petit Campus 09/19/12 Toronto, ON Wrongbar 09/20/12 Ann Arbor, MI Blind Pig 09/21/12 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle 09/22/12 Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock Social Club 09/25/12 Portland, OR Roseland Theater 09/26/12 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre 09/29/12 Los Angeles, CA Bootleg Theater 09/30/12 Santa Ana, CA Constellation Room 10/01/12 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore 10/04/12 Las Vegas, NV Boulevard Pool 10/08/12 St. Louis, MO The Pageant 10/09/12 Tulsa, OK Cain's Ballroom 10/11/12 Houston, TX House Of Blues 10/12/12 Helotes, TX Josabi's 10/13/12 Dallas, TX House Of Blues 10/14/12 Austin, TX Zilker Park 10/14/12 New Orleans, LA House Of Blues 10/27/12 Manchester Royal Northern College 10/28/12 Leeds The Cockpit 10/30/12 Norwich Waterfront 10/31/12 Birmingham O2 Academy 11/02/12 Oxford O2 Academy Oxford 11/03/12 Bristol Trinity Centre 11/05/12 London Electric Ballroom 11/08/12 Paris, France La Boule Noire 11/10/12 Lorient, France L'Espace Cosmao

Wikipedia defines art rock as a “[extending] the limits of rock and roll, [opting] for a more experimental and conceptual outlook on music.” Oh, okay. The problem with the term is that it doesn’t actually mean anything. It could very well refer to music that supernaturally disembowels Picasso paintings, for all the broad implications attached to the concept of ‘art.’

UK art rockers, alt-J are certainly no strangers to the awkward task of assigning context to obscure subjects. The quartet met at Leeds University in 2007 as students of English Lit and Fine Art. Rather than pursue the steady income guaranteed from an art degree, they began creating music together under the moniker Daljit Dhaliwal (creepily, a real-life person), later adopting alt-J* as their permanent nom de plume.

An Awesome Wave, the band’s inaugural album, was released in May in the UK and will have its US release in September.

Already hailed by critics as an impressive debut, An Awesome Wave combines elements of folk, classical and downright weird to produce something that, yes, is worthy of the art tag. Singer Joe Newman sings with the same mumbled inflection as Devendra Banhart but layers his vocals with dense cinematic compositions that suggest a general disinterest in the kind of minimalist storytelling that Banhart promoted. Where the elder singer distorted common perceptions of folk with psychedelic hues and sometimes-insane levels of sun worshiping, alt-J inhabits a darker, more ominous realm. Songs reference children’s lore (“Breezelblocks,” loosely based on Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are), assassin film (“Matilda”**), bullfighting (“Something Good” is about the death of a matador), among other disquieting narratives. The excellent “Tessellate” is folk music filtered through stripped down Gorillaz production, while “Fitzpleasure” enjoys a flurry of fuzz distortion and chilling beats. The band might be considered “art rock,” but An Awesome Wave presents a sophisticated sound collage that defies conventional definition. (For the record, alt-J uses phrase “folk-step” to describe their music.)



Alt-J is Newman (vocals / guitar), Gwil Sainsbury (guitar / bass), Gus Unger-Hamilton (keyboard), and Thom Green (drums). An Awesome Wave will be available in the US September 18. You can stream the album on Soundcloud. For more information on the band, including upcoming tour dates, visit their official website / Facebook. I’ll be covering their Minneapolis show in September, so stay tuned!

*The literal command used on MAC computers to produce a delta symbol (∆).

**”Matilda” borrows from Luc Besson’s Leon, an expansion of the character first introduced in the director’s French classic La Femme Nikita, which, unfortunately, was later re-made as a truly terrible American television series. Leon is notable for starring a very young Natalie Portman.

lara () ♥ altjband.com

W♥M143: An Education

W♥M143 (40 mins)

Lara returns to W♥M Radio to talk about her education:

• Amoeba Records and Rasputin Music rival music stores on Telegraph in Berkeley.
• Lara is a big fan of the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transport), trip to San Francisco and Oakland.
• London 2012 Opening and Closing Olympic Ceremonies, directed by Danny Boyle: Spice Girls reunited, Beady Eye doing an Oasis' "Wonderwall."
• Gotye and Jonti at the US Bank Theater in Target Center.
• Hopscotch Music Festival 2012 in North Carolina this September 6-8, 2012. Jesus and Mary Chain as one of the headlining band.
• Orca Team album review
• Song of the show is Duffy & Bernard Butler (from Suede!) "Smoke Without Fire," from the "An Education" motion picture soundtrack.

BONUS: Gogol Bordello, The Hives vs The Vines, Asian and White Robin, Elvis Costello, and Lush's "Ex."

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Archive of this show at archive.org. More information on podomatic.com

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Orca Team – Restraint

Tour Dates 08/18: Seattle, WA - Private Beauty Pageant 08/23: Seattle, WA - Sunset 08/25: Portland, OR - Record Room 08/26: Portland, OR - East End 09/01: Seattle, WA - Live on KEXP Audioasis 09/08: Seattle, WA - Slim's Last Chance 09/09: Spokane, WA - Neato Burrito Baby Bar 09/10: Helena, MT 09/11: Bismarck, ND 09/12: Fargo, ND - New Direction 09/13: Minneapolis, MN - Hexagon Bar 09/15: Chicago, IL - Schuba's* 09/16: Pontiac, MI - Crofoot* 09/18: Toronto, ON - Drake Hotel* 09/19: Montreal, QU - Pop Montreal* 09/20: Cambridge, MA - Middle East* 09/21: New York, NY - Mercury Lounge* 09/22: Brooklyn, NY - Knitting Factory* 09/23: Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's* 09/25: Washington, DC - DC9* 09/26: Pittsburgh, PA - Thunderbird Cafe* 09/27: Cleveland, OH - Now That's Class 09/28: Milwaukee, WI - Quarters 09/29: Madison, WI - The Terrace* 09/30: Minneapolis, MN - 400 Bar* 10/01: Rapid City, SD - Romans Imperial Inn 10/02: Missoula, MT - The Badlander 10/03: Seattle, WA - Barboza* 10/04: Portland, OR - Bunk Bar* 10/05: San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill* 10/06: Reno, NV - Holland Project 10/07: Salt Lake City, UT 10/08: Fort Collins, CO - GNU 10/09: Denver, CO - The Lion's Lair 10/10: Colorado Spring, CO 10/11: Albuquerque, NM 10/12: Amarillo, TX - The 806 10/13: Oklahoma City, OK - 51st St. 10/14: Conway, AR 10/15: Nashville, TN 10/16: Cincinnati, OH 10/17: Pittsburgh, PA 10/18: Philadelphia, PA 10/19: New York, NY - CMJ Festival 10/20: New York, NY - CMJ Festival 10/21: Washington, DC - Brodome 10/22: Charlottesville, VA - Garage 10/23: Roanoke, VA - The Bazaar 10/24: Boone, NC - Black Cat 10/25: Athens, GA - New Earth Music 10/26: Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn 10/27: Pensacola, FL - Sluggo's 10/28: New Orleans, LA 10/29: Houston, TX - Walters 10/30: San Antonio, TX - Boneshakers 10/31: Austin, TX 11/01: Dallas, TX 11/02: Lubbock, TX 11/03: Las Cruces, NM - Trainyard 11/04: Phoenix, AZ 11/05: San Diego, CA - Bar 11 11/07: Los Angeles, CA - The Smell 11/08: Santa Monica, CA 11/09: Fresno, CA 11/10: Sacramento, CA - Bows and Arrows 11/11: Oakland, CA - Sugar Mountain 11/12: Arcata, CA - Shanty 11/13: Portland, OR 11/14: Seattle, WA - Comet * with Laetitia Sadier Read More Orca Team Orca Team's new music video for "Ocean Ghost" can be seen at youtube.com.

Seattle pop trio Orca Team describe their sound as “arctic surf” or “ice pop” and I have no idea what either means. A quick Google search revealed nothing to indicate that these are in fact legitimate musical genres. So, I’m left to ponder this self-classification as I listen to Restraint, the band’s latest LP on Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records.

Restraint is stylishly produced—with musical nods to not only surf, but also mod London and present-day Brooklyn’s “post-punk” revival—a fast-paced lesson in stylish cultural stimuli. Thematically, it ponders the concept of restraint with the shoulder-slumped weariness of someone who’s far too young to be so jaded (which is everyone in their twenties). Some examples of restraint, taken from the band’s press release pretty much verbatim: “Restraint is the tension found of a first date; restraint is smooth and smothered in disappointment; it is the soundtrack for a city where there isn’t enough social lubrication to get anyone to notice your woeful desires.” What I honestly admire in bands that grapple abstract topics, like defining a feeling via the Hipster Hallmark of song prose (“I used to know / just what to say / you’re stopping me trying this / turn my way,” “Little Suit”), is that they usually fail. Something always falls short—a flat note, dodgy vocals, weird off-putting lyrics—and because of these imperfections, I am more inclined to believe what they’re trying to say. Orca Team actually succeeds in their assumed objective to create chilly pop music for people too cool to be bothered by cheap hooks and warm deliveries. This is not an album that you can wrap yourself up in or even have a long-term relationship with (“Little Suit” is the most inviting, with the sweetness of a 60s love song performed by nice boys in nice ensembles). Restraint is like a one-night-stand that might leave you thirsty for more but after a quiet spell you realize “no, that’s enough.” Believe me, this isn’t a bad thing; we live in an age where today’s big hit is tomorrow’s bargain bin reject, so it’s just smart to create music that seems intentionally fleeting. Icy or not, Restraint probably sounds fantastic in a dancehall, and any band that encourages fans to groove can’t be too bent on indifference.

As a sidenote: much has been written about Orca Team’s wardrobe choices, specifically Anders’ affinity for formal wear. He’s been known to rock a full-out tuxedo—I’m talking GOING TO THE CHAPEL GONNA GET MARRIED suit—on stage, which, combined with square haircut and little bowties, kind of makes you wonder what he wears on “laundry day.” The trio has certainly cultivated a look to match their sound, and I say: bravo. Not since Interpol has a group of musicians made “dapper” appear effortless (and neither British nor metrosexual). The band is currently wrapping up the second leg of their U.S. tour, with a handful of dates in Seattle and Portland. For specifics, visit their website / Facebook. You can stream Restraint via the band’s Bandcamp or Soundcloud, whatever your digital preference.

lara () ♥ facebook.com/ORCATEAM

Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

Read More Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes are a five-piece Seattle-based band signed to Sub Pop and Bella Union. The band came ...

You may have heard of this little indie folk band from Seattle. They crashed the scene in 2008 with the release of their eponymous debut album, and some three years later returned with the Grammy-nominated Helplessness Blues. For a band whose discography contains only two LPs and a handful of EPs, Fleet Foxes quickly became synonymous with ‘[insert agreeable adjective] harmonies.’  In fact, when someone describes a song’s aesthetic as “like Fleet Foxes,” everyone in the room gets it, no further explanation needed. This is also a fairly common tool for music critics who’ve, unfortunately, exhausted their glossary of “folk terms” (i.e. ‘pastoral,’ ‘bucolic,’ ‘organic,’ etc.). It’s easier to write “So-and-so’s latest release contains the silken harmonies of Fleet Foxes” rather than “So-and-so’s latest release contains a million gentle trills from the city songbird that’s happily found his bucolic field of dreams.”

Listening to Helplessness Blues, it’s obvious the band is still content with wandering through metaphorical fields (not too many literal fields in Seattle proper). This begs the question: did Fleet Foxes pull a Fleet Foxes? Well, of course. Despite an album title that suggests wrist-slitting misery, the band does not have a whole lot to be blue about. Blues is a fine addition to the ever-growing canon of modern day storytelling. Neither a radical departure nor a redundant continuation of Fleet Foxes, it exists somewhere full of pretty things that make you feel without telling you what to think. The [insert agreeable adjective] harmonies are still tight and their lyrics still imagine a sort of urban wilderness man’s observations as he passes through life. To quote singer Robin Pecknold:  “[Blues ponders] the struggle between who you are and who you want to be or who you want to end up, and how sometimes you are the only thing getting in the way of that.” Ah yes, the twenty-something artist’s existential crisis. Pecknold approaches this theme with a lot more poetic savvy than his peers; he’s a strong lyricist who isn’t afraid to reference magic (“Sim Sala Bim”) or fictional Irish villages (“The Shrine / An Argument”) at the risk of seeming affected. Perhaps Fleet Foxes’ greatest contribution to the genre is their ability to transport listeners—most of whom have never dwelled solo in the mountains for any period of time—to an attractive version of ‘backwoods,’ where grit is applied with the delicate touch of someone who doesn’t actually have dirt under his nails.

What keeps the band on the acceptable side of pretentious is that Helplessness Blues is full of good songs. Ask yourself this: if the album was penned by someone possessing little to no aptitude for songwriting but happened to be a Real-Life Mountain Man, would his efforts be celebrated solely based on circumstance and—ugh—authenticity? I’ve used this term liberally over the years of writing music reviews and sometimes even I hate myself; however, calling something ‘authentic’ for authenticity’s-sake is just as terrible as calling something ‘inauthentic’ because its creator doesn’t share the same lifestyle as his creative influences (for the record, Fleet Foxes list Neil Young, Ennio Morricone and the Zombies amongst their many, diverse influences). Regardless of your personal opinion on authenticity, it’s hard to deny the band’s gift for song composition, as evidenced by the superb, 8-minute “The Shrine / An Argument.” What begins fairly innocuous—Pecknold’s clear, haunting vocals over simple guitar picking—builds momentum around the 2:30 mark where it eventually climaxes in a clatter of percussion and mandolin (?); eardrums are treated to a brief intermission, but the relief is short-lived as the song ends with a psychedelic battery of mangled saxophone, perhaps the oddest contribution because it works. Watch the impressive music video for the track, featuring animation by Pecknold’s brother, Sean:



Helplessness Blues was released in May of 2011 (and the answer to your unspoken question is ‘yes,’ this review is awkwardly belated). Currently, the band has no upcoming tour dates, but tune into their official website / Facebook for the latest info.

lara () ♥ fleetfoxes.com

Lana Del Rey: Gone in 15 Minutes?

Tour Dates 06/15/12 Sónar Festival Barcelona, Spain 06/17/12 Lovebox Festival - London 06/22/12 Isle of Wight Festival UK 06/24/12 Radio 1's Hackney Weekend 2012 - London 06/27/12 Hove Festival - Norway 06/29/12 Rock Werchter Festival - Belgium 07/01/12 LES EUROCKEENNES - France 07/04/12 Montreux Jazz Festival - Switzerland 07/06/12 Superbock Super Rock Festival - Portugal 07/13/12 Latitude Festival, Suffolk 07/15/12 Melt Festival, Germany 07/21/12 Spin Off Festival - Adelaide 07/23/12 Palace Theatre, Melbourne - Australia 07/24/12 Palace Theatre, Melbourne - Australia 07/26/12 Enmore Theatre, Sydney - Australia 07/27/12 Enmore Theatre, Sydney - Australia 07/28/12 Splendour In The Grass - Australia Read More Lana Del Rey Confession: I like Lana Del Rey more than I like the woeful, bearded vegan playing banjo in the basement of the independent record store. Author’s Note: I meant to write this review when Born to Die was released in January but that never happened so here we are now. That being said, the album definitely has a summer feel to it, so it seems somewhat appropriate to post a belated review during the steaming month of June, amiright? It’s common knowledge among the professionally creative that the only bad press is no press. Sure, Pitchfork could deliver a scathing album review with the disclaimer DON’T BUY THIS RECORD IT IS THE WORST RECORD IN THE HISTORY OF RECORDS DON’T DO IT I SEE YOU DOING IT PHILISTINE but people would still buy the record. We can’t help ourselves. Whether she means to or not, Lana Del Rey is taking full advantage of her “bad press.” From privileged roots to those suspiciously plump lips to a certain Saturday Night Live performance, Del Rey has had more bloopers than wins (for those of you counting). However, to a publicist, it’s been a field day, mostly because people are still talking about her. In the beginning, some of us wondered: why so much hatred directed at one person whose contributions are far less substantial than the surfeit of pop stars monopolizing the charts? Is Ke$ha on sabbatical or something? The answer, while obvious, is also ridiculous. When Del Rey attempted to redefine herself as a doe-eyed femme fatale she inadvertently called out the entire realm of “indie music” in the process. Her keepers were clever enough to realize that “indie” is as much based on image as your average mainstream diva and Del Rey’s mere existence was proof that a believable indie musician could be created by decidedly non-indie people. Naturally, the hip folk took offense. Listen to Born to Die—Del Rey’s debut full-length album—and you’ll note that she did not write an “indie” album by common definition*. It’s a bit strange, actually, a true exercise in contradictions. As a lyricist, she wavers between anxious fixation and fanciful naiveté; a pouting Lolita one moment and a badass party girl the next. You won’t find Del Rey browsing the bins of her local record store but you might catch a whiff of Chanel N˚5 as she breezes past you on the back of some dude’s motorcycle. That’s her scene; at least that’s one of the many scenes she’s selling us. The real question is not “Why is she trying to sell us these different identities?” but “Which of these identities is most real?” One of them has to be. Even Britney has her moments of self-awareness. Born to Die plays like the tiniest of winks in our direction. For all the ‘love’ she incorporates into her lyrics, this is clearly an album of infatuation. Most of the songs have a slight fanatical quality that might be interpreted as anti-feminist to some; yet, the simplicity of her phrasing just plain reinforces the fact that none of us are immune to the trivialities of “young love,” regardless of how stupid it seems in retrospect. If Connor Oberst wrote a song about being a stupid teenager he would, undoubtedly, fill the margins with oblique references to surviving as a sardonic, misunderstood wayfarer in Omaha. Not Lana. She ripped a page out of her 16-year-old diary and wrote “This Is What Makes Us Girls,” a remarkably visual tune that describes the plot of nearly every female coming-of-age story: think American Graffiti meets Foxfire meets Endless Love, as realized by Amy Heckerling and soon to be re-invented by Lena Dunham (with heavy sponsoring from Pabst Blue Ribbon). “This Is What Makes Us Girls” is one of a handful of standout tracks on Born to Die (others include Blue Jeans, the grudgingly praised Video Games, and the haunting title track), but the album as a whole is lacking a bit in substance. Fifteen tracks may have been ambitious and several of the songs, when played consecutively, sound redundant. A few are flat out embarrassing to reference, like “Diet Mountain Dew” and “National Anthem” (both make me question Del Rey’s understanding of a “subtle metaphor”). Still, I find myself caring, and I can’t attribute it to the obnoxious “guilty pleasure” rationalization. It will be interesting to behold her next incarnation—I’m gunning for a “gangsta” Nancy Sinatra/Lee Hazelwood type duet (she’s already been spotted about town in a creepy May-December coupling with Axl Rose)—if she doesn’t get stuck in remix purgatory** or succumb to hype or go batshit insane a la Britney (circa Shaved Head). Her MO is to make us wonder what her MO is, and until that loses its appeal, we’ll continue to wonder, for better or worse. Maybe the singer herself summed it up best: On our drugs and our love, and our dreams and our rage, blurring the lines between real and the fake. Born to Die is available at most online retailers. A deluxe version includes three bonus tracks. Visit her official website for more information. *Not by the original definition where “indie” was used to describe bands on independent labels. Now it denotes a very stylized genre of music and an equally stylized “lifestyle,” for lack of a better word. **Judging by the amount of remix press bogging down my inbox, the odds are not in her favor.

lara () ♥ www.lanadelrey.com

W♥M135: The Golden Age of Minnesota Music

W♥M135 (47 mins)

Your hosts are Lara, Kate, and Vu.

Is Minnesota experiencing a new golden age of music? MPR and The Current seems to think so.

In the current music Minnesota scene, there are a couple bands that's really blown up nationally, even overseas.

Hot Minnesota bands at the moment:

• Doomtree (all the Rhymesayers artists, including Atmosphere)
• Trampled by Turtles
• Poliça
• Howler
• Motion City Soundtrack

The majority of the show is about Semisonic and Dan Wilson. The band doesn't regularly release music or go on tour, but once in a while, Wilson and company will play a show here and there. They recently played in Mound, Minnesota (5/19/12).

Opening up for them was The Twilight Hours, featuring Dan's brother, Matt Wilson. We also discuss a little about Trip Shakespeare.

Song of the show is Semisonic's "Closing Time".

PLUS:
Soul Asylum has a new album called Delayed Reaction, coming out July 17th, 2012, via 429 Records.

They are doing some random shows this year:

Jun 1 Friday LIVE! at the Factory Charlotte, NC
Jun 2 Balloon & Wine Festival Temecula, CA
Jun 23 Safeway Barbecue Battle Washington, D.C.
Jul 13 Common Ground Music Festival Lansing, MI
Jul 20 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN

BONUS:
• Spearz, the all-male Britney Spears cover band, will be playing at The annual Pride Festival in Loring Park on June 23, opening up for Kelly Rowland.
• Har Mar Superstar wrote songs for Britney Spears, but some of those songs were rejected by Britney Spears' management. He recorded those songs under his 2009 album, Dark Touches.
• Rock the Vine 3: June 9th in Stillwater, Minnesota. We preview some artists on the lineup, and mentioned Lynhurst, the band used to have their dad as the drummer under the name The Abdomen.
• Cults, the "forgettable appearance" at NXNE in Toronto, Canada .
• Zooey Deschanel's "New Girl" is an awful show. Adorkable boy/girl/twee cute music will make Kate and Lara want to stab themselves.
• Minneapolis beat Seattle/Portland for the "mostiest" hipster state. We have more bike trails, and we have Caribou Coffee vs Starbucks.

W♥M Radio is available on iTunes, please subscribe!

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Archive of this show at archive.org. More information on podomatic.com

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M