W♥M (Archive)

YEASAYER - The Experience.

Yeasayer - 2080 Yeasayer Tour Dates 08/01/08 Lollapalooza Chicago, Illinois 08/02/08 Lollapalooza Chicago, Illinois 08/04/08 Summer Stage NYC, New York 08/07/08 Halden Fest Dusseldorf 08/08/08 Way out West Festival Göteborg 08/09/08 Oya Festival Oslo 08/11/08 Tavastia Helsinki 08/14/08 Lido Berlin 08/15/08 Highland Fest Hohenfelden 08/16/08 Pukkelpop Festival Hasselt 08/17/08 Lowlands Festival Biddinghuizen 08/19/08 Democrazy Gent 08/20/08 Clb Uncut @ Kings College London 08/22/08 Leeds Festival NME Stage Leeds 08/24/08 Reading Festival NME stage 09/26/08 Austin City Limits Texas 10/03/08 The Zoo Brisbane 10/04/08 The Corner Melbourne 10/05/08 Great Escape Festival Sydney 10/07/08 Oxford Art Gallery Sydney Read More Free Yr Radio Annouces More Concert Dates! http://sites.goog... Seattle, WA – July, 25 2008 – The Free Yr Radio campaign, created by Toyota Yaris and Urban Outfi...

 

Yeasayer at the Free Your Radio, Minneapolis

2 spoon-full’s of world beat, four guys from Brooklyn, mixed with what resembles a ripped cymbal, and an extra twist all their own gives you a moment in heaven with Yeasayer. This intensely creative quad made their way into the stylish uptown Urban Outfitters venue, July 30th for a free, invitation only, 7pm show. Lines began forming before 5 o’ clock and by 7, had made their way off into the distance, later packed out the venue that could withstand over 400 people.

Each member played more than one role in the show by frequently rotating between percussion roles, vocals, and guitar or bass. The experience began with some brand new songs, and really kicked in with the more familiar song 2080, off of their debut album ALL HOUR CYMABLS.  The guitarist ripped, and the crowd bobbed and swung to the tunes. Despite the obstacle that their amount of musical layers may propose; they more than delivered in their live performance.

One of their strongest tracks, in my opinion, is Sunrise. Sunrise is the first track off of their album, and was the second to last song before the demanded encore at their show. It has a strong original beat, great harmonies, and a beautiful arrangement of various instrumental mixtures. It drives the album forward, and definitely gets the crowd moving.

On the lighter side there is Red Cave which ends the album and was the last song of the concert previous to the encore, and was requested by a fan. It is a ‘parts song’, where the vocalists, much like in ‘row, row, row your boat...’, part melody and words. The song harkens back to the old songs of English speaking Europe while also exhibiting a bit of a folky and Bedouin influence. There seems to be a little something from everywhere embedded in their music.

Many will agree, and I am sure you will too, that they are practically incomparable to other musicians and defy any genre that people would love to put them in. They are currently under the WE ARE FREE music label, and have released their debut album ALL HOUR CYMBALS.  They were founded by half of a barbershop quartet, followed by the rhythm, and as they have stated, they have turned into a brotherhood. Anand Wilder, Luke Fasano, Ira Wolf Tuton, and Chris Keating, make up this forward motion band that is sure to influence and inspire many current and future musicians, as they find harmony in the mesh of global and indie rock sounds.

To catch them live you can check them out in Chicago at Lollapalooza on August 1^st and 2^nd, in NYC at the Summer Stage in Central Park on August 4^th, but after that you’ll have to follow them to Europe, and Australia. For more tour date info check them out at www.yeasayer.net, or http://www.myspace.com/yeasayer!

Links: yeasayer.net myspace.com/yeasayer

 07/31/2008 20:42:20  ♥ written by sarah ()

Blondie - Parallel Lines: 30th Anniversary Edition

Blondie - Sunday Girl [French Version] Blondie Tour Dates 07/31/08 Storsjoyran Festival Östersund 08/01/08 Storas Festival Trondheim 08/02/08 Rockerfeller Oslo Discography [1976] Blondie [1977] Plastic Letters [1978] Parallel Lines [1979] Eat to the Beat [1980] Autoamerican [1982] The Hunter [1999] No Exit [2003] The Curse of Blondie

This was a very painless article for me to write, because I am, as you have probably guessed, I am a Blondie fan. I already had several of their albums, some greatest hits/compilations, and was especially looking forward to check out the 30^th Anniversary Edition of Parallel Lines. I already had the original 1978 album (which I bought when they reissued it with some bonus tracks), so I already knew all the songs on the Anniversary Edition.

 

Blondie - Hanging On The Telephone

For those that don't have Parallel Lines and their biggest hit, possibly best-known song, "Heart of Glass" is on this album. Other big hits for them includes, "Hanging on the Telephone" - which I previously mentioned was a cover of The Beat.

Revisiting the album, I realized just how good "Picture This" is:All I want is a room with a view/A sight worth seeing, a vision of you/I will give you my finest hour, the one I spent watching you shower. Although I think this is a great song, it never made it on singles format in the US (although it was the leading single in the UK).

I suppose, it's to be expected because the US was still really into disco (which would explain why "Heart of Glass" did so well), but the UK was more progressive in their music taste (which would explain why they love the Carribean-beat song of "Sunday Girl").

The album ends with "Just Go Away", with its hard-to-get lyrics: "Don't go away sad/Don't go pre-fab/Don't go be bad/Don't go away mad, just go away. JUST GO AWAY!"

That's just the perfect album! The special extra bonus are four songs: "Heart of Glass (7" single version)", "Sunday Girl (French Version"), "Hanging on the Telephone [Nosebleed Handbag Remix]" and "Fade Away and Radiate [108 BPM Remix]".

Between the four song, I especially liked the French version of "Sunday Girl", a song that sounds refreshingly new because I have never heard this particular version. Apparently the song appeared as either an A-Side or B-Side on the "Sunday Girl" 7" that was released in the UK.

The other extra songs, I am guessing is rare. I didn't really care so much for them, as the 7" version of "Heart of Glass" sounds pretty much like the album mix.... while the techno/trance version of "Fade Away and Radiate" sounds nothing like the album version. Talk about extreme end of the spectrum.

There is also a bonus DVD that comes with Parallel Lines: 30^th Anniversary Edition. The videos are for promo videos for "Picture This", "Hanging On The Telephone", and "Heart Of Glass", with one previously unreleased Top of the Pops performance of "Sunday Girl". Debbie Harry looked incredibly cool on TOTP, despite badly lip-syncing. I love all the videos, particularly the disco video for "Heart of Glass". My only complaint is that it's only four videos, you'll go through them in no time. Still, it is a nice bonus.

You can pick up Blondie's Parallel Lines: 30^th Anniversary Edition at any retail location. If you have never own this album, the 30th Anniversary version is definitely the superior version to get. If you already have the LP, why not upgrade?

They are currently wrapping up their tour dates for promotion of this album... and I hope they come back touring, as I think the last time they were on tour was in 2003 for "The Curse of Blondie".

Links: blondie.net myspace.com/blondie

Rockamaroll with V-Project!

 

The V-Project - Disclaimer

The V-Project

What the hell ever happened to good ol' rock-and-roll? There are so many bands around the world who classify their sound as alt-rock, indie-rock, math-rock, post-rock, muffin-rock, hollow-fake-stone-where-you-hide-the-extra-key-rock, x-rock-where-x-equals-any-prefix-of-your-choice...but where's the plain ol' no-prefixes-needed rock? Apparently, it's been hiding in Boston, where long-time guitarist and songwriter David Vaccaro has been hoarding it in his basement since the '70s. Fortunately, he's blown the dust and cobwebs off of it, polished it up, and released a hefty chunk of that old-time rock-and-roll under the name V-project (MySpace).

Boston native Vaccaro has quite the rock pedigree. He's been playing in various bands since the late '70s, such as Oz, Capital Gains, and Siberia, but only began releasing music as V-Project in 2001 with the well-received acoustic album Lost Demos. For V-project's second effort, New Machine, Vaccaro has plugged in and cranked the amp up to 11. Along with collaborator Robin McAuley, the former vocalist of MSG, Vaccaro has produced ten tracks of pure, uncut rock that clearly hearkens back to the glory days of the '70s and '80s without sounding particularly dated. Rock is eternal, no matter how many prefixes other people slap on to it, and because of that, V-Machine has the same timeless feel as KISS, The Scorpions, Mötley Crüe, George Thoroughgood and the Destroyers, and Stevie Ray Vaughn.

New Machine is pure oldskool rock from beginning to end. Vaccaro defines his sound as "Jimmy Page meets Joe Walsh with a little Cheap Trick thrown in for good measure," and he is spot-on in his assessment. "Exit Sign" starts the album off on the right foot by opening with some classic riffs that immediately bring to mind the opening chords of Van Halen's debut album, and most of the tracks follow its lead, but Vaccaro occasionally shows a more adventurous side, such as on "Desert Run," a driving instrumental track that features chugging synths, an acoustic guitar solo with a pronounced southwestern flavor and fiery electric guitar work that reminds me a lot of Steve Vai. "You Don't Care" is another Latin-textured song that features stirring string arrangements and a thoroughly ass-kicking chorus, and "Back To My Baby" is a classic hard-rock ballad of love lost that would make Poison or Cinderella jealous. My favorite track, though, is "The Stake," a cover of one of my favorite Steve Miller Band songs which gives the song a bit of a more modern flavor while still remaining very close to the original.

And here's just an interesting little tidbit of information that might give you a second's pause: all of the drums on the album are programmed. That's right--there are no live drummers on this album: all of the beats were programmed by David Vaccaro himself. (In fact, all of the instruments on this album, save for the strings on "You Don't Care" and the sax on "Back To My Baby," are played or programmed by Vaccaro.) What's really cool about the drums, though, is that they do not in any way sound programmed. As a drum programmer myself, let me tell you: that is not an easy feat to achieve. Even with programs like BFD and Battery, both of which have extensive libraries of sampled acoustic drumkits, it's still a major achievement to design drum tracks that sound as though they were recorded by a guy in spandex shorts and a tiger-striped wifebeater rockin' out on the skins. Dave, if you're reading this, leave a comment telling me how the hell you did it!

At any rate, if you're looking for a *-rock album that explores the entire spectrum of musical possibilities, then New Machine is probably going to sound a little claustrophobic. But if you want an album that doesn't play any games, but simply ROCKS, then New Machine is it. I better see some lighters being held high out there in the audience for this one!

Links: dmvmusic.com myspace.com/vprojectband

 07/29/2008 20:31:34  ♥ written by derek ( / www.pegritz.com)

 

Taylor Hollingsworth

 

 

W♥M Video #10

I started doing some preliminary work on Noah and the Whale as the press material lists their album being available today, July 29^th, but upon checking their record label, it lists September 16^th.

 

 

Taylor Hollingsworth - Damn Boy (What's Wrong With You)

Taylor Hollingsworth

So while we put that album on hold, we have another album that's out today called Bad Little Kitty by Taylor Hollingsworth. That release date is dubious, as it seems Amazon had it listed since April.

Conor "Bright Eyes" Oberst seems to have taken a liking to Hollingsworth, but to be honest, the first time I really pay attention was when his music gear were all stolen this year (July 10^th), while on tour with Maria Taylor. Taylor also had her stuff stolen. I think every year I read about these type of robberies - so bands, please heed caution! Try not to leave your favorite guitar in a van, instead take it with you in your hotel room.

What I really like about Hollingsworth is that his songs are very charged. It comes off as sounding like T-Rex and The Raveonettes, with some southern rock (he is after all from Alabama), like The White Stripes. Maybe it's just me, but I felt that these songs weren't mixed, instead, it sounds like it was recorded with one-take and live. The sound is often, it's hard to describe it, I guess it sounds "raw". It's good times, rock and roll, regardless.

Here's a few of the songs I thought stood out for me: "Christmas Blues", featuring a woman singing on this. The MP3 that was offered to me didn't include any liner notes, so I don't know who worked on each song. The harmonic duet (if you can call it that?), was a nice break in the middle of the album from all the rock.

"Assassinate The President" a fast-driving song, with it's catchy "assassinate the president" (as the music pause a moment). Like many of his songs, they have a familiar feel to them, like something from early 50s rock.

"I'm Concerned" sounds like it was stolen from Marc Bolan, there's just something in the guitar playing and vocals. If you don't believe me, you can download the song from his website.

My favorite song on this album is "Damn Boy (What's Wrong With You)", which you can also download for free on his website. This short, fun song sounds like his biography, always causing trouble.

Since the robbery, I haven't seen any new additional tour dates, but I'll be sure to keep you inform on future dates. Check with site.w♥m for more details. Bad Little Kitty is out now, at the usual online locations.

Links: taylorhollingsworth.com myspace.com/taylorhollingsworth

Wild Sweet Orange

Wild Sweet Orange - Ten Dead Dogs Wild Sweet Orange Tour Dates 07/31/08 Ear X-tacy in-store Louisville, Kentucky 08/01/08 Crofoot Pontiac, Michigan 08/03/08 Lollapalooza 2008 @ Grant Park Chicago, Illinois 08/04/08 Slowdown Omaha, Nebraska 08/06/08 The Varsity Minneapolis, Minnesota 08/10/08 Stubbs Jr Austin, Texas 08/11/08 Warehouse Studio Houston, Texas 08/12/08 House of Blues- Pontiac Garage Dallas, Texas 08/13/08 The Rustic Cowboy Shreveport, Louisiana 08/14/08 The High Tone Memphis, Tennessee 08/20/08 The Belcourt Theater Nashville, Tennessee 08/27/08 The Social Orlando, Florida 08/28/08 Common Ground Gainsville, Florida 08/29/08 40 Watt Athens, Georgia 08/30/08 5 Points Club Columbia, South Carolina 08/31/08 Village Tavern Charleston, South Carolina 09/02/08 Neighborhood Theatre Charlotte, North Carolina 09/03/08 The Gravity Lounge Charlottesville, North Carolina 09/04/08 Khyber Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 09/05/08 Southpaw Brooklyn, New York 09/06/08 Maxwells Hoboken, New Jersey 09/08/08 Fletchers Baltimore, Maryland 09/09/08 Canal Room Richmond, Virginia 09/10/08 Greene Street Greensboro, North Carolina 09/11/08 The Earl Atlanta, Georgia 09/12/08 Jack Rabbits Jacksonville, Florida 09/13/08 WMNF Birthday Bash Tampa, Florida 09/14/08 Real Big Deal Festival Gainesville, Florida

Wild Sweet Orange are really popular among selected group of fans, of mostly younger people (it didn't hurt their popularity when they made an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman on June 27^th). They even sold out the night they played at the Fine Line Cafe in Minneapolis earlier this year (which I suppose, looking back, is not a surprise as that cafe has very limited seating), but the good news is that they are coming back here on August 6^th at a larger venue.

 

Their long awaited debut album, We Have Cause To Be Uneasy comes out today, July 29^th, on Canvas Back Music (which also released the wildly popular Once Soundtrack).

I do get the impression that this Alabama band are a Christian band, or are heavily influenced by religion, based on their lyrics: "I woke up in water... I spoke in tongues, I took all my clothes off and oh my God..." on "Ten Dead Dogs", "your soul was coming out your eyes" on "Tilt", "I pray for an Angel on its way to comb her hair on "Seeing & Believing", etc.

That doesn't matter, because I think if you like sweet harmony and a beautiful, clear voice of Preston Lovinggood (what a name, right?), you'll like this album.� Take a listen to "Ten Dead Dogs" and you'll know what I mean.

 

By the way, I did read that the band, when played live, are "emotional" and "powerful", and on songs like "Either/Or" and "House Of Regret", I feel that these songs are going to be a favorite live as it really cut loose... so check them out on tour. Be sure to check out their debut album, We Have Cause To Be Uneasy.

 

Links: wildsweetmusic.com myspace.com/wildsweetorange

Twilight Dementia

 

Twilight Dementia - No Way Out

Twilight Dementia

What do you get when you mix elements of '80s-style goth-rock, classic '70s hard rock, funk, blues, and just a tiny touch of metal? Don't ask me, but whatever it, Twilight Dementia (Myspace) is doing it. And doing it well.

Twilight Dementia are vocalist Jennifer Mendiola and multi-instrumentalist John Krauss. They've been together since 2006, but their self-titled first album has just been self-released via CD Baby. By the time you're halfway through opening track "Deliverance," though, you will notice that this is one act that has been buffed to a high shine. The production is exceptional and the songwriting solid, but what keeps this album going is its sheer eclecticism. It's been a while since I've heard a group that explores so many different musical angles yet still manages to deliver great material.

"Deliverance" is a fairly straightforward ethereal goth-rock number that sounds a bit like a cross between Siouxsie & The Banshees and Evanescence, with Mendiola's smooth, creamy voice floating over Krauss' grinding guitars and punchy drums. "Good Enough," however, opens with a seriously funky acoustic guitar line and a rockin' beat, and manages to be both groovy and somber at the same time. "Lullaby" is a dreamy, spare ballad built from a simple kickdrum pace, shimmery guitars, and lush vocals. "No Way Out" begins with a heavy, bluesy guitar riff straight from the arena-rock of the 1970s that develops into a powerful percussive jam. Only four tracks into the album and we've covered at least four or five different musical influences--but there's still a lot more ground to cover, and Twilight Dementia certainly does its best to explore as many genres as it can while maintaining a consistently spacey dream-pop sound.

This is the kind of album that I love to listen to over and over again, because it never gets boring. Just when you think you've got their music pinned down, Mendiola and Krauss change it up and offer you something completely different. Each track is a new discovery leading the listener to different climes. Artists who manage to produce such work (Mr. Bungle, Tool, and Modest Mouse immediately come to mind) usually end up with highly-devoted cult followings made up of all manner of music fans, because the diversity of their music draws in listeners from many different genres. And if there's one group that deserves a cult following, it's Twilight Dementia.

Links: twilightdementia.com myspace.com/twilightdementia

 07/28/2008 19:14:06  ♥ written by derek ( / www.pegritz.com)

 

 

The Music of the X-Files

 

 

Unkle - Broken

Unkle

Talking to people, I get the impression that no one is really all that excited about the new X-Files movie that was just released on Friday. Admittedly, since I'm an old-school X-Philer, I own every X-Files season on DVD (defnitely not looking to re-buy it on bluray).

 

"Does this guy ever leaves his house?"

I am going to see the movie today (Sunday) - in the meantime, enjoy this little tribute article to The X-Files music.

 

Soul Coughing - Unmarked helicopters   Mark Snow - X-Files Main Title   The Cardigans - Deuce

Obviously, with the success of the television show, an album "inspired by the X-Files" called Songs in the Key of X was released in early 1996. The compilation sold very well, partly due to the popularity of the show and its respectable artists on the credits, such as Nick Cave, Soul Coughing, and Danzig.

There's even a PM Dawn remix of the X-Files theme that sounds a Spaghetti Western dance mix. A very interesting mix, but I did prefer the original songs. Soul Coughing did a great job on their song "Unmarked Helicopters", about men in black.

It wasn't long before Mark Snow's original soundtrack for the television show was released, called The Truth and the Light: Music from The X-Files. The music are taken from the first three seasons (1993-1995) - including that familar X-Files Theme song. Some of the songs are nice and relaxing, but as they were designed to be background music, nothing really stood out for me. There is an occassional dialogue excerpt from the show mixed into some of the songs, but outside of that this album is meant only for hardcore X-File fans.

When the first movie, Fight the Future, hit the theaters, back in '98, the soundtrack was also released. I picked this up through our friends the BMG. The track listing seems to compile the typical artists of that time period (notably Ween, The Cure, & Better Than Ezra).

I believe all the songs were written especially for the movie, and the ones I used to listen to a lot was The Dust Brothers's version of "The X-Files Theme", Noel Gallagher (Oasis)'s "Teotihuacan", and The Cardigans' "Deuce". The last song seems more like a love song, I'm not sure where it actually appeared in Fight the Future, but it's been years since I saw that movie. It's actually one of the few X-Files DVD that I'm missing because when I bought it originally (via the internet), that company went bankrupted and never shipped my DVD.

This finally brings us to the new soundtrack, The X-Files: I Want to Believe, which was released a few days ago, July 22^nd. I have only picked it up hours today, so I haven't really listened to it. Mark Snow does most of the instrumental stuff, but there are two songs of note on here: "Broken" by Unkle and what sounds like a rap song called "Dying 2 Live" by Xzibit.

Catatonia - Mulder and Scully

In the bonus segment of this article, here are songs that were inspired by the television show. From Britpop, comes Catatonia with their song, "Mulder and Scully". I used to really love this song, but it sort of wore thin when I realized that there were only a handful of great songs from their 1998 International Velvet. Although this won't be an in-depth article on Catatonia, I do have a most of their releases that I want to talk about (particularly Cerys Matthews' solo material).

Hal featuring Gillian Anderson - Extremis

As far as I know, "Extremis" was the only song that's ever released by Gillian Anderson. With an mixer outfit called HAL (a nod to 2001: A Space Odyssey?). With the techo beats and Anderson's deep, sexy voice (with loads of heavy breathing), it comes off (haha) like a porno song. I actually don't know much about HAL, or where Anderson's music career is right now, but what I do know is that back in 1997, "Extremis" ruled the various trance/ambient compilation CDs. I remember all the entertainment television show was talking about Gillian Anderson's venture in music. Too bad nothing ever came of it, because, "Extremis" is a pretty good song.

Bree Sharp - David Duchovny

Bree Sharp's "David Duchovny" was a big hit for her, possibly a one-hit wonder if you ask me. She's released one additional album since her 1999 debut, A Cheap and Evil Girl. Looking over at her myspace, there seems to be an indication of a brand new 2008 album called Robots in Love. Anyway, this stalker song is really about the actor that plays Agent Fox Mulder, it's quite funny - especially at the end when she says "I'm gonna kill Scully."

Yellow Sloth Chicken Broth - Gillian Anderson (I Wanna Be With You)

Not to be outdone is Yellow Sloth Chicken Broth's lustful song about Gillian Anderson, the actress that plays Agent Dana Scully. The punk song complains how she never shows off her cleavage (except on the internet), and it's pretty forgettable. It's safe to say that he wants to be with her in a three way or something? You can find this song on their Party Of Four (1998) album.

 

Links: weheartmusic.com

vu wrote: Sun, Jul 27, 2008 at 9:42 PM

 

The X-Files: I Want to Believe [Theatrical Release]

I'm choosing my words carefully, as to not give you any spoilers.

First of all, you do not need to know any X-Files before venturing to see this movie, it does hold up to a stand-alone film... but it does help to have known the show as there are winks that only loyal fans would understand.

I did enjoy the film overall, but I believe if you don't care about the X-Files, this would come off as a pretty standard crime/police movie with a little bit of the unknown/supernatural.

I've seen a LOT of movies, and what works here is the "real life" coppers and evildoers. I like it when the movie is grounded in reality - and it plays off like "Silence of the Lambs", where you're given bits of clues and you sort of "piece together" the story as it unfolds.

Where the movie fail is the incredibly, unbelievable, even ridiculous premise. You will know what I'm talking about once you've seen the film.

Other failure: relationships of Fox and Dana. Who is asking for this??? Not me. The movie would've worked if we never know (it would've been better if you didn't know). The unveiling of the answer hit you like a brick in the face, WTF.

If you like crime drama/thriller, this might be a movie for you - if you've never cared for the X-Files or thrillers, skip this movie. For X-Files fan, you must see this movie. It feels good to see it on the big screen, and I'll pick up the bluray of this when it's released.

 07/27/2008 00:54:50  ♥ written by vulder ()

One-Track Mind

 

 

Skybombers - It Goes Off

Here's a quicky, just because there are some news & notes. Since, you may have noticed, I like doing these theme posts, this theme are one-song submissions.

They are very easy to write about (hey, it's just three minutes of your life!) but because they're based on one song, there's really not much I can write about.

First up, if you have a need to get all the latest music news, check out our announcement page. It's updated nearly every few hours, so news junkies will love this.

Some interesting news to note: watch DIG for free, Skybombers Announces new US Tour Dates, download Jeff Hanson music, and if you're in New York - you guys are so lucky. You could be attending Spiegelworld Festival!

That's just a few items from the nearly 100 post I've made since its birth a few days ago!

LOQUAT loquatmusic.com ♥ myspace.com     Loquat - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out I actually really love San Francisco's Loquat, so imagine my surprise to find that I have an advance copy of their brand new album, Secrets of the Sea - which is not out until the third quarter of this year. I'm probably not even supposed to talk about it until October, but what I can tell you is that it's very, very good. Just keep your eyes here, or site.w♥m for the latest news. Since I can't unveil any music from the new album, I will tell you that I first discovered her a few years ago when Loquat covered The Smiths' classic "There is a Light That Never Goes Out". Since I was already a huge Morrissey/Smiths fan, it's easy to fall in love with her version... which is a safe and very faithful cover. You can download the song from their flash official website. Kylee Swenson wrote: Mon, Jul 28, 2008 at 1:41 PM If you only knew how hungover I was when I sang that Smiths cover. Oh man, it hurt so bad. Thanks for the kind words, We Heart Music. See you guys October 16 when we play in Minneapolis, finally....

THERESA ANDERSSON theresaandersson.com ♥ myspace.com     Theresa Andersson - Birds Fly Away Since I am in love with all-things Swedish, here's a handsome girl called Theresa Andersson. Looking over her press release about her tour dates and the dazzling 700k youtube views. The weird thing is that the press release doesn't indicate any link to the actual video, but if you were curious, it is her playing in her kitchen (in New Orleans?). I was given one of her song, "Birds Fly Away", from her upcoming album Hummingbird, Go! (is that a nod to Thunderbirds Are Go!?) on September 2nd, and I thought it was very 60s pop girl-sounding, but with weird percussion instruments. I was happy to see that Mr Tobias Fröberg is producing her album.   Theresa Andersson - 'Na Na Na'   Trust me, this is a girl worth keeping an eye on.

THE DARES thedares.com ♥ myspace.com     The Dares - Love Me When I Leave Speaking of keeping an eye... Here's The Dares, an up-and-coming power pop trio from California, by the way of Vermont. Maybe I'm just old, but usually this kind of high-energy, on the verge of punk, type of music really isn't my cup of tea. However, I would have to admit this "Love Me When I Leave" is pretty catchy. It's very short, I had to re-play it a few more time to hear how well produced it is. They're currently signed to Zomba Recordings, which is a division of Sony/BMG, so expect a push from them on popular radio this Summer. Even if they don't do much this year, youth is on their side, I'm sure you'll hear from them next year.

THE SPACE BETWEEN THINGS myspace.com/thespacebetweenthings     The Space Between Things - Towel (More Vocals) After three version of his "Towels" song, Chris Hobson, aka The Space Between Things finally settled for his perfect version of "Towels". The irony would be if I f-ed up and uploaded the wrong version :/ I'm not given a whole lot to work with here, just one song and no biography. Instead, he directs me to an interview he did at Daydream Generation, which showcase the awesomely snowy Toronto (which means, shock, he's Canadian). Daydream must really like him, as he's also on their Daydream Generation 5 free compilation (over 300mb of music!) So happy downloading and let me know what you think of his song?

Links: weheartmusic.com

 07/26/2008 04:38:40  ♥ written by vu ()

Short shorts and tank tops, the girls of summer gets so hot!

 07/25/2008 23:07:14  ♥ written by vu ()

Best Friends Forever - Tour Magic Best Friends Forever Tour Dates 07/26/08 UBS Forum!! St. Paul 07/27/08 Horses to Harleys Spearfish, SD 07/28/08 The Palace Missoula, MT 07/29/08 Spokane, Washington 07/30/08 the greenhouse Seattle, WA 07/31/08 whAAM  Bellingham, WA 08/01/08 The Know Portland, OR 08/02/08 the greenhouse Arcata, CA 08/03/08 TBA-Help!! SF/Oakland, CA 08/04/08 Echo Curio Gallery LA, CA 08/05/08 Che Cafe San Diego, CA 08/06/08 the Trunkspace Phoenix, AZ 08/07/08 202 s. balboa El Paso, TX 08/08/08 House of Commons Austin, TX 08/09/08 Alabama Music Box Mobile, AL 08/10/08 Sluggo’s Pensacola, FL 08/11/08 TBA Talahas/Sarasota/Tampa 08/12/08 wayward council Gainesville, FL 08/13/08 WonderRoot Coll Atlanta, GA 08/14/08 Beastro Knoxville, TN 08/15/08 Beach Day! Wilmington, NC 08/16/08 Rocks in Shockoe Richmond,VA 08/17/08 TBA Washington, D.C. 08/18/08 Marvelous Philadelphia, PA 08/19/08 Tank Tribeca, Manhattan, NY 08/20/08 Death By Audio, Brooklyn, NY 08/21/08 TBA- Boston, MA 08/22/08 collective agogoWorchester,MA 08/23/08 The Tinder Box Brattleboro, VT 08/24/08 102 norwalk ave Buffalo, NY 08/25/08 Monster House Columbus, OH 08/26/08 TBA Bloomington, Indiana 08/27/08 DAAC Grand Rapids, MI 08/28/08 TBA Chicago, Illinois 08/29/08 Church of Rock Springs, IL 08/30/08 TBA Milwaukee, Wisconsin Read More Best Friends Forever http://weheartmus... This is just a placeholder for Best Friends Forever, Peppermint Patty, and The Terrordactyls at ...

Looks like the girls of summer are gearing up for a long tour. There are quite a few "To Be Announce" dates, which means they are looking to book a venue. Some of the places I've read are basements of someone's home, so if you have a place for them, I'm sure they're more than happy to play for beer.

Best Friends Forever are a DIY/indiepop group from Minnesota. I believe they are real-life best friends, Bri and Jes, and if you've met them, you're likely to get jealous of how good friends they are. It makes you wonder why don't you have BBF.

Their latest album is called Romance Conflict Adventure, if you can call it an album. It's barely nine tracks, and it's almost 30 minutes. The songs are short and sweet and here are my absolute favorites off their album:

Best Friends Forever - 24 Best Friends Forever - Handpocket

"24" - "it's good, it's great, it's really really great" would best sum up this gobful of lyrics of a song. The song, more or less, is about growing up (the singer turned 24 years old in this song). I suspect that's probably not far off from her true age. I love the line, "You are the man for me, but I'm not sure if I'm your kind of girl.".

"Handpocket" - this is a fun song. About being comfortable with someone enough to ask them to "put your hand in my backpocket". There's a humorous story about the day Jes (?) almost died, falling in the water when she went ice fishing with her dad. By the way, the artwork I use here is by me.

"Tour Magic". What a great Summer song. This song encapsulate all their feeling of being on tour and finding, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven new friends. Two weeks are just not enough.

"Disaster Song", possibly my current favorite song off this album. It's not a song that you'd like right away, but the more you listen to it, the more you're going to start singing along. Especially on the background part, you'll know what I'm talking about when you hear the song.

If you like some of these songs, you can pick up the 2007 album Romance Conflict Adventure from Plan-it-x, or better yet, find them in tour.

Links: myspace.com/bestfriendsforeverandfriends

Animate Objects

 07/25/2008 09:59:26  ♥ written by vu ()

Animate Objects - Beautiful Animate Objects Tour Dates 09/17/08 Pygmalion Music Festival Champaign, IL 09/18/08 Pygmalion Music Festival Champaign, IL 09/19/08 Pygmalion Music Festival Champaign, IL 09/20/08 Pygmalion Music Festival Champaign, IL 09/21/08 Pygmalion Music Festival Champaign, IL 10/04/08 Chattanooga Convention Center Chattanooga, TN

Animate Objects are a hip-hop crew from Chicago, Illinois. Since 2005, they've won numerous regional awards for "Best Hip Hop" band, and having listened to their debut album, Riding In Fast Cars With Your Momma (released March 31^th, 2007), I can see why.

At first, I thought this was a typical MCs/DJs crew, but Animate Objects consists of a true live band of keys, bass, drums, and guitars. And not to put a too fine a point on it, the band members looks like of Asian/Indian descent, much like the hip-hop Asian Dub Foundation (which incidentally have a new album out).

As the album name, Riding In Fast Cars With Your Momma, suggests these are songs that you can play to your parents and not feel absolutely embarrass about its subjects. Now, this is not to say that it's watered down rap/hip-hop, but more so that its subject matter is not about banging hundreds of chicks or bragging about killing somebody or glamorizing about gang lifestyle. All this is explained in the first song, "The Weight", a jazzy background music with a spoken dialogue.

I felt the the album seems to have a theme of a location and places. As if each songs were stops along a journey through urban America. For instance, "El Dorado" sounds a city you'd like to visit, but not stay ("let's leave it all behind"). This song was recently awarded Best Rap/Hip-Hop song on the 7^th Annual Independent Music Award Winner. You can hear the song proudly displayed on their myspace.

The other song that stood out for me was their not-so-hidden bonus track, "The Battle Of Now". This is a powerful song about rape (at least that's what I'm interpreting it). The woman vocals are provided by Margaret Vagle, who I only wish sang on more Animate Objects songs.

My song of choice is "Beautiful", a song featuring guest falsetto of Charles Hammond Jr. This is unlike most hip-hop songs, as the usage of the violins would reveal.

What I really like about this album is that the music is all originally composed for each song. I couldn't detect any sampling (and if some were used, it's not so obvious).

According to their official website, you can own the 12 track album for a mere $5. This is a really cheap price for a full length, so I suggest you take advantage of it before someone change their mind. Look for them at the five-day Pygmalion Music Festival.

Links: animate-objects.com myspace.com/animateobjects