W♥M (Archive)

EZ EPs III

CACTUS'S myspace.com Cactus's - Where is my Skeleton? Cactus's are a "tropical" punk band from Nashville, Tennessee. I don't know if this is their debut EP called Tropical Terror, but the music playing and singing/screaming suggests they've been doing this for a while. All of their songs are typically punk style, which means they are short songs lasting no more than three minutes, so the whole six songs went by pretty quickly to my ears. The opening song, "Where is my Skeleton?" starts off full of energy and excitement with singer Asher Rogers screaming (what I think) "she was my friend/she was my creation/destroy her! where is my skeleton?". Other songs worth checking out is "Purple Coyote" and "Tiny Teeth", mostly for the guitar-playing on these songs. Like most good punk/metal bands, these guys are really meant to be experience live for their energy. Be sure to check them out on tour (I may check them out at SXSW): 02/28/09 K STREET w/ Born Empty Tullahoma, Tennessee 03/03/09 THE HIDEAWAY w/ Do Not Resuscitate Johnson City, Tennessee 03/04/09 THE RED AND THE BLACK w/ March of Us, Me Monster DC, Washington DC 03/05/09 THE KHYBER w/Parlor Mob, American Buffalo, Heavy Hand, Action Park Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 03/06/09 ALL CALL INN Ewing, New Jersey 03/08/09 THE CHARLESTON w/ Champions of Justice, Backseat Gentlemen, Looking Glass Wars Brooklyn, New York 03/09/09 TBA Albany, New York 03/10/09 LEE’S PALACE - CMW PARTY Toronto, Ontario 03/11/09 HELP! Toronto, Ontario 03/12/09 Bovine Sex Club (Canadian Music Week) Toronto, Ontario 03/13/09 HELP! Toronto, Ontario 03/14/09 THE BELMONT Hamtramck, Michigan 03/15/09 REGGIES ROCK CLUB w/ Asteria Chicago, Illinois 03/16/09 LEMP - MARKS B-DAY PARTY w/ Br’er, Sine Nomine St. Luis, Missouri 03/17/09 HELP!! Little Rock, Arkansas 03/18/09 HELP Dallas, Texas 03/19/09 SPIRO’S SXSW Austin, Texas 03/20/09 SXSW 2009 Austin, Texas 03/21/09 SXSW 2009 Austin, Texas 03/22/09 SXSW 2009 Austin, Texas 03/23/09 HELP Houston, Texas 03/24/09 HELP ????, Louisiana 03/25/09 Meridian Underground Music Meridian, Mississippi		JOSIAH LEMING myspace.com Josiah Leming - To Run You may have heard of Josiah Leming via his appearance on American Idol, where the harsh Simon Cowell actually wanted to see Leming advance into the semifinals... but he was out-voted. Still, the brief exposure and endorsement did wonders for Leming, as it got him a record deal with Warner Brothers Music. The first release from Warner is last year's Angels UnderCover, a brief four track EP showcasing some of this very young singer/songer's brand new songs. His singing and music writing reminds me of Coldplay, but with piano. Since these are all original songs, there references to his own life and struggle. For instance on "This Cigar", he sings about his school drop out and straight-edginess: "Cause I'm a man now. I can drive a car, and I'm a drop-out. I'm nobody so far, but I don't mess with cigarettes and alcohol." I thought "To Run" is the best song on this EP. It's not overly produced and really shows off Leming's singing. If Leming is putting out music like this at 17/18 years old, I am interested in seeing what he does when he gets to the prime of his life! I believe Leming's debut album is actually "in the can", as they say, but there seems to be some delay in releasing the album to the world. In the meantime, you can get his EP for $5 with his autograph via WB Store. There's also always iTunes. Hey, also, you can keep track of him via myspace.
KNOX BRONSON knoxbronson.com ♥ myspace.com Knox Bronson - Winter Blue (excerpt) Don't let the four tracks on The Seasons CD by Knox Bronson fool you into thinking this is an EP. I thought it was... Each of the themed four season song titles: "Summer Of '68", "Autumnal Sun", "Winter Blue" and "The Forever Spring" are about fifteen minutes each. From what I've gathered, Knox Bronson is really a collaboration between Andy Crisp and Shoji Kameda. They produce these electronic, relaxing, loungey music. To even break The Seasons into four parts would actually not be fair since I felt that The Seasons is just one long experimental music progression. Yet, at the same time, you can jump into a middle of a song and can still experience it the same way if you start from the beginning. Since, here in Minneapolis, we're undergoing a six-inch snow storm, I thought it would be appropriate to leave you with an excerpt of their Winter song called "Winter Blue"... so if you want to sleep in, these songs would be perfect for your CD player. They are offering some free downloads of their music, and you can pick up The Seasons on iTunes and CD Baby.		SKY PICNIC skypicnicmusic.com ♥ myspace.com Sky Picnic - Tea Break Sky Picnic are a trio (Chris Sherman, Leah Cinnamon, and Pete Meriwether), currently based out of New York (who isn't?) and their debut EP Synesthesia is deceptively good. They definitely are influenced by 60s rock with some psychedelia mixed in (particularly Beatles and Birds). The five-track EP, although a few songs, they display some interesting direction. Pop/rock songs like "Half the Queen's Face", features Sherman doing most of the singing with Cinnamon (is that her real name? er, sweet...), harmonizing backup vocals. Songs like "Moons of Jupiter" are mostly showing off Sherman's skilled guitar-playing (and also their mixer who's mixing in some interesting space noise background). The best song on the EP is easily "Tea Break", which Chris Sherman sings on. It's rock music, but what's that sitar doing in the song? Cinnamon also sings on the epic "Sequence IV" which a very long song that takes you on an interesting musical journey. The 60s-sounding Synesthesia EP can be yours for $5 of your earth dollars, more details on the official website.
SUBURBAN KIDS WITH BIBLICAL NAMES labrador.se/skwbn ♥ myspace.com Suburban Kids With Biblical Names - 1999 Suburban Kids With Biblical Names - Rent a Wreck I'm not qualify to write this, but I thought I should mention that Suburban Kids With Biblical Names' fourth and latest release is called #4. While the one Swedish-language song "Studenter på flak" is lost on me, the English songs made up for it. The two suburban kids are Peter Gunnarson and Johan Hedberg, but with this EP, they have a guest woman singer on two of the songs ("World Music" and "1999", the latter is available as a free download). I don't know who the guest is, I usually find these things reading liner notes - but this was a digital promo so I have no idea. If you like lo-fi Swedish pop, I reckon you'll like this. Read more about SKWBN on W♥M. Look for a new album (probably called something annoying like #5) sometime this year, according to their record label. Currently I think you can only get the downloads or CD via Labrador Records.		THE NOTEBOOK thenotebookmovie.com ♥ imdb.com Aaron Zigman - Main Title The Notebook LIMITED EDITION DVD Giftset With 46 Page Scrapbook, Stationery, Bookmark and Includes B I got this free The Notebook Soundtrack Sampler, featuring five compositions from Aaron Zigman for the movie of the same name. If you haven't seen the movie, it is a "chick flick" based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks, that is guaranteed to make you cry, and cry and cry. The five songs are themes played throughout the movie and will only interest you if you like sweeping orchestras. To be honest, I think they all sound the same to me, with the exception of "Allie Returns" which have different shifts in music directions in the middle. I can't say that I absolutely love the movie, but it's a real tear jerker and I did end up picking up the boxset as I think it's a great deal for what you get: the movie, soundtrack sampler, postcards, pictures, booklets, etc. I'm sure it made loads of money, as it was released just prior to Valentine's to maximize sales.

 02/27/2009 17:27:39 ♥ vu () ♥weheartmusic.com♥podcast.weheartmusic.com♥news.weheartmusic.com 

Slowcream: Wax on Wool

Slowcream - Into Butter Slowcream Read More Nonine http://weheartmus... Patron & Patron - Either OrPatron and Patron 2 comments PATRON AND PATRONmyspace.com/patronandpat...

Me Raabenstein, a.k.a. Slowcream, is an experimental electronica artist based in Berlin, fusing classical samples are paired with electronic elements.  Based on blog entries I've read at their MySpace, the artist seems to be an American émigré now living in Germany.

Wax on Wool, which will be released February 27 on Nonine Recordings, appears to be the artist's second work.  Both this album and the one released before it, Live Long And Prosper, are digital-only releases.  This music is different from most ambient material I've listened to in that not all of it is purely instrumental; some selections have spoken lyrics, such as "Into Butter" and "On Carpets".  Many of the tracks, including "Punch Indigo", reminded me of post-industrial music I had studied in college and university.  I was fairly certain it was something familiar, ideas that were avant-garde yet explored before.  This is what Joshua Farrier of DMA had to say of the album:

the work in its entirety reminds me of a young alban berg, having just learned the principles of twelve-tone music. in berg’s music of this period, one hears elements of the, at-the-time, mainstream romantic approach combined with tone rows, both elements beautifully intertwined. (a feat that other atonal purists never really achieved.) i like to attribute this to berg’s great sense of musicality and style. this is what i mean when i say that the second slowcream album contains elements of pure raabenstein, but with a new, fresh kind of artistic refinement that makes the work a joy to listen to. it is still in the experimental, electronic genre, but it has something new:
a definite sense of style.

  
As I had very little to go on as far as Slowcream's biography or background, I would imagine this is another instrumental artist that prefers to remain somewhat anonymous, or a bit of an enigma.  I went to the artist's MySpace under this name, and even the blog entries were very short, reading like little thoughts when one is musing quietly during some time alone.  So it is much easier to suggest that the music speaks for itself, rather than try to determine how Raabenstein was inspired.  The album is available for preview (90 seconds preview per track) here.

 02/27/2009 00:03:36 ♥ jaklumen ( / jaklumen.vox.com) ♥ myspace.com/slowcream ♥ nonine.com 

Fountains of Wayne - No Better Place: Live in Chicago

Tour Dates 02/25/09 Joe’s Pub New York, New York 02/26/09 Joe’s Pub New York, New York 02/28/09 Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA 03/01/09 Iron Horse Music Hall Northampton, Massachusetts

Fountains of Wayne writes songs about two very important things in life: drinking and women. Although I'm over simplifying it, that was my first impression of them when I first put on their break-through album Welcome Interstate Managers. I will also admit to actually being a little embarrassed to actually liking their MILF song "Stacy's Mom"... but then quickly found it too annoying for words. Still, it's such a good pop album, I'm sure you all own it already.

Fountains of Wayne - Bright Future in Sales

Good news for fans: their first ever DVD called No Better Place: Live in Chicago is coming out this Tuesday on Shout Factory. I have a screener copy for review, and the first thing I noticed that I was disappointed in was that it's edited. Songs like "Bright Future in Sales" had the 'shit' word removed (the word is an important part of the song). I suspect the reasoning for this was that this was intended for broadcast television.

The colors are vivid and the audio is clear in 5.1 Surround sound, it's only really a shame that it's not in bluray. Between the quick MTV-style cuts of at least seven different camera angles, the show is never that boring - although looking at some of the audience members, they seem underwhelmed. It's clearly a sit-down venue and everybody is standing in a row.

The majority of the setlist is taken from Welcome Interstate Managers, so you get to see songs interpreted live. Most of the songs are pretty similar to their studio counterparts (such as the wonderful "Mexican Wine"), however songs like "Hackensack" lacked that intimacy and smirk of hearing "talking" rhyming with Christopher Walken.

Fountains of Wayne - Stacy's Mom (4:3 aspect for sampling purposes, DVD contains original 16:9)

The bonus features on the DVD includes brand new acoustic performances of some recent songs, recorded in a New York studio in 2008. Some of the acoustic songs are from Traffic and Weather, but there's a few I didn't recognize.

If you love Welcome Interstate Managers, then No Better Place: Live in Chicago will be a good companion. Hardcore fans will want to pick this up for the new acoustic songs, but I suspect most of you will probably already have a bootleg of it or something.

Fountains of Wayne's No Better Place: Live in Chicago can be bought at most music store, but of course you can buy it direct ($16.98 + S&H).

Trivia: Dar Williams recently covered FoW's song "Troubled Times" on last year's Promised Land.

 02/25/2009 21:41:54 ♥ vu () ♥ fountainsofwayne.com ♥ myspace.com/fountainsofwayne 

Fujiya & Miyagi @ 7th St. Entry, 2.11.09

Fujiya and Miyagi - Sore Thumb Fujiya & Miyagi Tour Dates 02/25/09 SPANISH MOON BATON ROUGE 02/27/09 EMOS ALT LOUNGE AUSTIN 03/02/09 RHYTHM ROOM PHOENIX 03/03/09 ECHOPLEX LOS ANGELES, CA 03/05/09 INDEPENDENT SF, CA 03/06/09 DOUG FIR PORTLAND, OR 03/07/09 NEUMOS SEATTLE, WA 03/24/09 L’UBU RENNES 03/25/09 BT59 BORDEAUX 03/26/09 LA FOURMI LIMOGES 03/27/09 LE PHARE TOULOUSE 03/28/09 LA COOPERATIVE FERRAND 04/03/09 TRIPOD DUBLIN 04/08/09 CARGO LONDON 04/09/09 THE FAVERSHAM LEEDS 04/10/09 DEAF INSTITUTE MANCHESTER 04/11/09 THE PLAYROOM GLASGOW 04/12/09 LITTLE CIVIC WOLVERHAMPTON 04/17/09 START THE BUS BRISTOL 04/24/09 CASA D ARTES DE FAMALICAO 05/14/09 NUIT BOTANIQUE BRUSSELS

After a long day of schmoozing and being obnoxiously charming, I couldn’t have looked forward to Fujiya & Miyagi’s show any more than I did.  (My real job involves niceness.)  Turning F&M way, way up on the drive into Minneapolis, I was itching to dance and be in the company of friends.  And luckily, in this case, the build-up made the delivery deliciously satisfying.

 

School of Seven Bells-Chain

School of Seven Bells opened up the sold-out show.  I’d heard them on the radio a few times before and was entertained but not intrigued.  Never had that urge to Wikipedia them or play hooky in order to pick up their album.  And, for me, that feeling carried over to their live performance.  Identical twins, Alejandra and Claudia Dehez, are gorgeous and have the voices to match; guitarist Benjamin Curtis is obviously very talented (and under-utilized, in my opinion) but their set, on the whole, left me with a general feeling of indifference.  If I can say this without sounding like an after-school special, I think SoSB has enormous potential and just doesn’t realize it yet.  Keep your eye on them, though. 

Surprisingly, the crowd thinned out a little after School, which was alright with me since I couldn’t see nor breathe. 

Let’s move on to shakin’ it. 

Fujiya & Miyagi.  Yes, yes, yes.  The fine English gentlemen opened with “Sore Thumb,” a scene-setting song from their most recent release, “Lightbulbs.”  A song that says, “You’re going to need your sexy dance pants for us.”  And that crazy talkin’ song speaks the truth.  Next up was “Ankle Injuries” from 2007’s Transparent Things, featuring (gasp!) a real, live drummer!  Prior to this tour, F&M were a trio with a drum machine.  The addition of said drummer, Lee Adams, was a wise choice, resulting in fuller, cruder sound (there is such a thing as too precisely perfect, you know).

With that excellent and promising start, the boys led us through an evening of spellbinding entertainment, perfectly transitioning from high energy crowd-pleasers to stare-off-into-space soundtracks to your silly little daydreams.  Both Lightbulbs and Transparent Things were well represented.  And with the crowd being so tight, the sound being so together and my hips having a mind of their own, I felt like I had invited all of my friends (and their friends and their friends) into my living room for a spontaneous drunken dance party.  Something about this show felt more intimate, more comfortable than most.  I guess that’s what happens when everything comes together perfectly: David Best’s sultry whispers and complex guitar work, Steve Lewis’ hard beats and fancypants technological skills, Matt Hainsby’s hot bass grooves, and an overcrowded room of eager hipsters.  Damn.

Fujiya & Miyagi are not the guys to listen to when you want to relive your most recent break-up or explore your sensitive side.  I don’t think most people could say they feel an ‘emotional connection’ to this noise but I prefer it that way.  Sometimes you need to turn your head off and move.

This is music you feel in your tailbone; these are songs that dare you to stand still; this rhythm is seriously going to get you (yeah, I just said that).

Fujiya and Miyagi are on tour in support of 2008’s Lightbulbs.  Don’t miss them if you can help it.

Tour dates can be found on their Myspace page at: http://myspace.com/fujiyaandmiyagi.

 02/24/2009 21:35:12 ♥ kate () ♥ fujiya-miyagi.co.uk ♥ myspace.com/fujiyaandmiyagi 

Blitzen Trapper @ First Ave., MN 2/18/09

Blitzen Trapper - Furr Blitzen Trapper Tour Dates 02/25/09 Pearl Street w/ Alela Diane Northampton, MA 02/26/09 Paradise w/ Alela Diane Boston, MA 02/27/09 Bowery Ballroom w/ Plants & Animals, Alela Diane -- SOLD OUT! NY 02/28/09 Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ Plants & Animals, Alela Diane -- SOLD OUT! Brooklyn, NY 03/01/09 First Unitarian Church w/ Alela Diane Philadelphia, PA 03/02/09 Black Cat w/ Alela Diane Washington, Washington DC 03/04/09 40 Watt Club w/ Alela Diane Athens, GA 03/05/09 Orange Peel w/ Alela Diane Asheville, NC 03/06/09 Mercy Lounge w/ Alela Diane Nashville, TN 03/07/09 Bottletree w/ Alela Diane Birmingham, AL 03/08/09 Hi-Tone w/ Alela Diane Memphis, TN 03/09/09 The Opolis w/ Alela Diane Norman, OK 03/10/09 Jackpot Saloon w/ Alela Diane Lawrence, KS 03/12/09 Hi-Dive w/ Alela Diane Denver, CO 03/13/09 Kilby Court w/ Alela Diane Salt Lake City, UT 03/19/09 The Parish -- NPR SXSW Day Party Austin, TX 03/19/09 Radio Room -- Sub Pop SXSW Showcase Austin, TX 04/12/09 Crystal Ballroom w/ Fleet Foxes!! -- SOLD OUT Portland, OR 04/13/09 Arcata Community Center w/ Fleet Foxes Arcata, CA 04/14/09 The Filmore w/ Fleet Foxes -- SOLD OUT San Francisco, CA 04/16/09 Rio Theatre w/ Fleet Foxes Santa Cruz, CA 04/18/09 Coachella Fest Indio, CA 05/25/09 Sasquatch Fest George, WA 07/31/09 Pickathon Pendarvis Farm, OR Read More Blitzen Trapper http://weheartmus... They hail from Portland, Oregon and they've been garnering a weird collection of Beck and Pavemen...

Originally scheduled to perform at the Varsity Theatre in Minneapolis, Blitzen Trapper outdid themselves with fan-age and the show was moved to the much larger First Ave. “Danceteria.”  Even so, the club was packed—not packed in the fun way, when a girl can casually rub against a sweaty young hipster and still play coy, but packed like a big awkward sardine tin, with the majority of the crowd standing, immobile, clutching Red Stripes and sort of doing the head bob.  Weird, huh.  I mean, Blitzen Trapper are certainly no Dance Band, but you’d think they’ve earned a few arm thrusts, maybe some leg spasms, at least a pogo or two (the shit’s going to rain on me for that comment; pogo = bad)*. 

Blitzen Trapper have been described as “experimental folk,” but I say this with a smirk, as it seems these days, any band that writes lyrics concerning farms or hills or serial killers is deemed “folk-y”**.  Similarly, any band that uses synth as a garnish (and not as a main course, a la New Wave/proponents of New Wave), gets a broad ‘experimental’ tagged onto their name.  Thus, “experimental folk” is born; though, I have some problems with calling a band whose frontman occasionally enters the Tom Petty sing-talk-groove territory “experimental.”  2008’s Furr may have folk-ish tendencies, but it also rocks (kinda) hard (“Sleepytime in the Western World” sounds positively 70s and makes me think of being inside some dive and throwing a drink in a man’s face).

On Wednesday, I managed to arrive at First Ave. just as opener Alela Diane was finishing her set (unreliable public transportation; cigarette).  Unfortunately for me (and also for Alela Diane fans), the crowd chatter was so obnoxiously loud that instead of music, I heard entire conversations about bangin’ chicks (classy crowd chatter).  The talking might not have seemed so obvious had Diane’s vocals and instrumentation been more suited to the large venue (the Varsity would fit her perfectly).  It wasn’t her fault, and it wasn’t the crowd’s fault (maybe it was the crowd’s fault a little—give children more space and they feel the need to be unruly); still, the lukewarm beginning did not bode well for the rest of the evening.

By the time Blitzen Trapper took the stage most of the chatter had dissipated.  This was the first time I’d seen BT live, but from what I’ve heard, they have a reputation as an inconsistent live act.  General consensus within the blogging community has been ambivalence—this was not one of their stellar performances.  Still, I would hardly call the show bad.  For now I’ll give them the benefit of doubt:  switching to a big, dirty historic concert hall from a smaller, curtain-festooned, lounge setting could potentially be vexing.  I enjoyed live versions of “Not Your Lover,” “Black River Killer” (my favorite strange little gothic country narrative), and the abovementioned “Sleepytime in the Western World.”  The band looked good (I made a comment about how singer Eric Earley sort of looks like Jeff Tweedy from a great, great, great distance), sounded good, played good.  It was one of those “good” shows:  no surprises, no special energy, no funny in-between song jokes, no extra credit.  A solid B show (B- if you factor in the apathetic crowd). 

Blitzen Trapper is currently on tour with Alela Diane supporting.  The next few dates are East Coast shows; for more information, visit their Myspace or Website.

 

*At one point during the show I did notice that somewhere in the horizon, near the stage, far from our standing place, a small group of girls were doing something that resembled dancing! 

**I’ve done it.  More than once.

 

 02/24/2009 18:25:02 ♥ lara (/lara206.vox.com) ♥blitzentrapper.net ♥ myspace.com/blitzentrapper 

Space and the Astral World

THE DRONES thedrones.com.au ♥ myspace.com The Drones - The Minotaur The Drones are "an unconventional rock band", currently based out of Melbourne (originally from Perth). I used those quotes because I believe their current album, Havilah, fits more in the realm of psychedelic/space rock band with lots of guitar finger noodling and heavy, heavy Australian accent of Gareth Liddiard. The cover artwork features what looks like a picture of the Moon, but the album title, Havilah, comes from an Australian area, near where this album was recorded. My favorite song off the album is easily "Your Acting's Like The End Of The World", a lofty acoustic guitar song with lots of humorous lyrics, but with a bitterness to it. As usual, however, the song is so different that it doesn't really fit into their moody space music, such as either song "Nail It Down" or "The Minotaur". Although between the two songs, I might be leaning towards "The Minotaur", simply because "Nail it Down" features too much "nail it down" repeating lyrics (even though I think it's a superior song with chorus, bridge, the whole kit and kaboodles). "The Minotaur" doesn't contain any catchy lyrics, but its music rhythm and energy more than makes up for it. Listen to that yep, followed by that bouncy bassline! They are on tour to promote Havilah, currently available in the States via ATP Recordings. They will also be at SXSW 2009 - which I'm happy to report, I will be doing some coverage this year. 02/21/09 Theatre Royal (Gareth Solo) w/ Tendrils Castlemaine, Victoria 02/27/09 The Vanguard (Gareth Solo) w/ Ben Salter Sydney, New South Wales 02/28/09 The Troubadour (Gareth Solo) w/ Ben Salter Brisbane, Queensland 03/12/09 MORE U.S TOUR DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON! Various Cities, New York 03/15/09 The Echoplex - Aussie BBQ Los Angeles, California 03/16/09 The Aardvark Fort Worth, Texas 03/18/09 SXSW - Little Radio / Topspin Event Austin, Texas 03/20/09 SXSW - Aussie BBQ Austin, Texas 03/20/09 Karma Lounge - SXSW Official Showcase Austin, Texas 03/26/09 Bell House - Aussie BBQ Brooklyn, New York 04/07/09 Shubas Chicago, Illinois 04/24/09 The Corner Hotel w/ Qui (USA) & Witch Hats Melbourne, Victoria 04/25/09 Metro Theatre w/ Qui (USA) & Witch Hats Sydney, New South Wales 04/26/09 Fly By Night w/ Qui (USA) Fremantle, Western Australia 04/29/09 The Hi Fi w/ Qui (USA) & Witch Hats Brisbane, Queensland 04/30/09 ANU Bar w/ Qui (USA) & Witch Hats Acton, Australian Capital Territory 05/01/09 Governor Hindmarsh w/Qui (USA) & Witch Hats Adelaide, South Australia 05/02/09 Groovin’ The Moo Festival Townsville, Queensland 05/03/09 Ripe Festival Noosa, Queensland 05/09/09 Groovin’ The Moo Festival Maitland, New South Wales 05/16/09 Groovin’ The Moo Festival Bendigo, Victoria 05/21/09 The Luminaire w/ Snowman London, London and South East 05/25/09 Paradiso Amsterdam, Zuid-Holland 05/26/09 Merleyn Nijmegen, Zuid-Holland 05/27/09 Botanique (Witlof) Brussels, Brussels-capital 05/29/09 Primavera Barcelona, Barcelona 06/02/09 Rote Fabrik-Ziegel Oh Lac Zurich, Zurich 06/04/09 Chelsea Vienna, Wien 06/05/09 Molotow Hamburg, Hamburg 06/06/09 Bang Bang Club Berlin, Berlin 06/10/09 Hare & Hounds w/ Snowman Birmingham, London and South East 06/11/09 Bodega w/ Snowman Nottingham, Midlands 06/12/09 Roadhouse w/ Snowman Manchester, Midlands 06/13/09 Brudenell Social Club w/ Snowman Leeds, Midlands 06/14/09 Captains Rest w/ Snowman Glasgow, Scotland

PHILIP CLEMO philipclemo.com ♥ ilovestrings.com ♥ myspace.com Philip Clemo and Ysanne Spevack - Surfing Dreams and Chaos Philip Clemo - Taking A Hand (In The Company Of Angels) Philip Clemo is a Scottish-born music composer, whose work seems to tie closely with his film project, "The Air Holds Still On My Breath", a series of paintings to the music from his album The Rooms (2008). In addition to The Rooms, I have Soundzero (to be release on March 29th), despite the album was recorded in 1999 with violinist and vocalist Ysanne Spevack, aka Mee. Spevack's singing on the album isn't typical pop singing, it sounds like she's reciting poetry. Much of her vocals are also manipulated to sound distant to clearly in your head. My favorite song off Soundzero is "Surfing Dreams and Chaos", which sounds a bit Celtic with the Spevack's metal violins. Unfortunately, there's none of her singing on this song - which is probably best as Clemo is more known for his atmospheric music. Which brings me to The Rooms. The album opens up with an epic 17-minute track, "The Place" that slowly builds up in intensity. You can check out the entire song on his official page. Admittedly, I was drawn to Chloë Goodchild's song, "Taking A Hand (In The Company Of Angels)" and the addition of organs and trumpets helped make the song interesting. If you like electronica compositional soundtracks, you should definitely want to check out these two albums. Between the two, I will have to admit to liking Soundzero just a tad because it features more singing and doesn't feel like transitional songs (for some reason, the atmospheric songs like "Leaving Corridor Red" didn't strike a chord with me). But I reckon you have to be in the mood for these things... You can find Clemo's albums on amazon (for Soundzero, it's listed under "Various Artists"). Both albums have a release date of March 29th, 2009, but The Rooms was made available in the UK in 2008.

ASTRONAUTS OF ANTIQUITY astronautsofantiquity.com ♥ myspace.com Astronauts Of Antiquity - Dance Until Dawn Astronauts Of Antiquity's Rocket Science For Dummies is an loungey, funk-ish album with layers of electro-type of sounds. The band consists of B. Rhyan (music, guitars) and singer India. India's vocals is from a saucy jazz-styling, which actually fits well in these electronic lounge music - not too dissimilar to such acts as Thievery Corporation or Zero 7. The smooth vocals of India, in contrast to Cee Knowledge's rap, is pretty interest and worth checking out on their track "Soup Du Jour". Other songs worth noting is the trumpets on "Strangest Places", which seems to sound like it's an additional vocals, singing along India's vocals "looking for love in the strangest places". As for my favorite song, check out "Dance Until Dawn". This sounds almost Caribbean, but with a flute solo and easy-to-listen-to vocals. If you're in the mood for an urban loungey pop album, Astronauts Of Antiquity is worth checking out. Details on purchasing their music can be found on their official website. They are playing at Shrine in New York on April 10, 2009, so be sure to see them, if you're in the area.

ERIK SCOTT erikscottbass.com ♥ myspace.com Erik Scott - Bassque Revolution Erik Scott, aka Eski, released his all instrumental album Other Planets in early 2009. He seems to have a thing for 'dada' (an art/music/media movement, often with abstract/surreal concepts) as he spent sixteen years with his former band Sonia Dada, but previously did some work for Alice Cooper in early eighties - possibly during his conceptual album DaDa (1983). Other Planets is 100% original compositions by Scott, with one collaboration with Ron Schwartz for the song "Other Planets (Sundogs)". All of the songs sounds epic, like a journey that starts from point a to point b, with lots of emphasis on the bass. There is one exception, "Bathing Maui", which I felt was just a fun song (like a toss-away b-side). I get the impression from the song that Scott is a huge dog lover and Maui, I believe, is the dog's name. To represent Erik Scott, I would have to recommend "Bassque Revolution". Again, heavy on the bass, but it's perky enough to sound like it has its origin in a European cinema soundtrack. You do need to put on headphones to pick up the organ, keys, cymbals and variety of acoustics - but it should also be just as good for background music while you're reading a novel, or hanging out. Other Planets can be downloaded at digstation, physical compact disc at amazon or CD Baby.

 02/22/2009 21:15:40 ♥ vu () ♥weheartmusic.com♥podcast.weheartmusic.com♥news.weheartmusic.com 

W♥M042: Franz Ferdinand's "L.Wells"

��� W♥M042: Franz Ferdinand's "L.Wells" ��� [download (11 mins)] Franz Ferdinand - L.Wells

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For my second episode on favorite songs and breakdown, we take a look at Scottish rock band Franz Ferdinand. Named after Austria's Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the band first break-out single is "Take Me Out", debuting #3 on the UK Charts.

With other hit singles like "This Fire", the band's debut album became a fan-favorite - unfortunately, I didn't particularly cared for their sophomore album You Could Have It So Much Better... which the title saids it all. Perhaps it's due to their annoying song "Do You Want To"?

Their latest album is called Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, which sounds like a live album, but it's not. Between You Could Have It So Much Better and Tonight, they quietly released The Fallen EP, which was basically a "Double A" single of Fallen and L.Wells.

Franz Ferdinand - L Wells

"L. Wells" is quite excellent. The song is about singer Alex Kapranos' friend and acquaintance Lynsey Wells, describing her as beautiful and innocent.

Unfortunately the video is played by Saskia Pomeroy for the part of Lynsey Wells (apparently she was too busy helping orphanages in Africa) and was mostly inspired by Rita Tushingham in A Taste of Honey and Julie Christie in Billy Liar.

My least favorite part of the song is the bridge which slows down the song to let everyone know that Kapranos has very bad memory.

Great Western Wind catches in your Celtic hair
Flicks it round your face like flames around the sun
In the bright cold air you seem as innocent and fair
As Rita Tushingham in 1961

Well, Lynsey Wells
How I wish that I could feel so good
I wish that I could be as good as you
Well, Lynsey Wells
How I wish that I could feel the good
Beyond the poison in us like you do

Trivia, the reference to "You'll Never Walk Alone" is from the motto and anthem of Liverpool FC (Football), whom apparently Wells is a huge supporter.

�02/22/2009 02:31:46�♥ vu () ♥weheartmusic.com♥podcast.weheartmusic.com♥news.weheartmusic.com�

Eleni Mandell

Eleni Mandell - Artificial Fire Eleni Mandell Tour Dates 02/21/09 Casbah San Diego, California 03/05/09 Joe’s Pub New York, New York 03/06/09 The Mod Club Toronto, Ontario 03/07/09 Le Divan Orange Montreal, PQ 03/08/09 TT The Bear’s Cambridge, MA 03/09/09 Tin Angel Philadelphia, PA 03/18/09 Mercury Lounge Goleta, CA 03/19/09 Cafe du Nord SF, CA 03/21/09 Mississippi Studios Portland, OR 03/22/09 The Triple Door Seattle, WA 03/25/09 The Picador Iowa City, Iowa 03/26/09 Schubas Tavern Chicago, IL 03/27/09 Cedar Minneapolis, Minnesota 03/28/09 Davey’s Uptown Ramblers Club Kansas City, Missouri 03/30/09 Hi Dive Denver, Colorado 04/01/09 Plush Tucson, Arizona 04/02/09 Pappy & Harriets Pioneertown, CA 04/23/09 La Maroquinerie Paris 04/24/09 Brotfabrik Frankfurt 04/26/09 El Lokal Zurich 04/28/09 Palace St. Gallen 04/29/09 Zakk Dusseldorf 05/01/09 Pumpenhaus Munster 05/02/09 Oosterpoort Groningen 05/03/09 O 13 Tilburg 05/04/09 AB Club Brussels 05/07/09 Vooruit Ghent 05/08/09 Knust Hamburg 05/10/09 Quasimodo Berlin 05/13/09 Registratur Munchen 05/15/09 Kino Ebensee 05/16/09 Schlachthof Wels 05/17/09 E-Werk Erlangen Discography [1998] Wishbone [2000] Thrill [2001] Snakebite [2003] Country for True Lovers [2004] Afternoon [2007] Miracle of Five Read More PJ Harvey http://weheartmus... I don't actually own 2007's White Chalk by Polly Jean Harvey, or better known as PJ Harvey, but I...

Eleni Mandell's latest album is Artificial Fire and it was released last Tuesday on Zedtone Records. With already six albums under her belt, she's amassed quite a few fans - particularly in Canada and France.

I felt the cover artwork (in addition to songs like "I Love Planet Earth" and "God Is Love") had an out-of-this world feel to it, black background with spiraling dots. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, the only credit to the artwork are "dots" by Alia Penner. You can see a sketch of it on her website.

Most of the album is pretty mellow, despite having a full band of guitar/bass/drums and the occasional horns and wind instruments. If you're into mild girl singer/songwriter-type of music, this is probably up there with the best of it.

The one "loud" songs are "Cracked", a song about losing faith in God because of someone's betrayal? "I'm cracked for you, my soul has been twisted. I'm cracked for you, my heart has been blistered." The song has a punk-ish attitude, which is what I liked about it.

Eleni Mandell - Pauline

The more I think about Mandell, her singing reminds me a bit of PJ Harvey, especially with "Pauline" from her album Thrill, and especially on the opening song "Artificial Fire".

"Artificial Fire" is a wonderful little song that doesn't seem to go anywhere, despite all the directions and maps and questions in the lyrics. That guitar-playing is very catchy as well! Mandell liked the song so much, they made a little music video for it.

Hey, she's on tour! It looks like she's coming to Minneapolis, at one of my current favorite sit-down venue, The Cedar this late March. I may do more writeup of her if I end up going to see her.

Information on how to get her records can be found on Zedtone.

Eleni Mandell - Artificial Fire

 02/21/2009 14:00:38 ♥ vu () ♥ elenimandell.com ♥ myspace.com/elenimandell 

Sarah McLachlan - Fumbling Towards Ecstasy Legacy Edition

Sarah McLachlan - Possession Sarah McLachlan Read More Circuit City to shut down remaining stores http://news.cnet.... About 30,000 employees face layoffs as the rest of its 567 stores are closed. The fates of outst... Taking advantage of the Circuit City closeouts, I bought Sarah McLachlan's Fumbling Towards Ecstasy Legacy Edition for $8. This is not a bad deal, considering that amazon lists it for $24.98 (for the best deal, you might want to check with her current record label, Nettwerks). Since I previously already owned the record when it was originally released in 1993, I only picked this up because I liked it and it was a bargain. The breakthrough hit song on the album is called "Possession", a passionate love song that so popular that an obsessed fan, Uwe Vandrei, sued McLachlan for using his love letters as the basis of the song. Vandrei was obviously mental, as he committed suicide shortly afterward. The new material on the Legacy Edition is The Freedom Sessions EP and a bonus DVD (originally released in 2005 as Fumbling Towards Ecstasy: Live). To be honest, since I am already familiar with the original album, I have only watched the DVD. The DVD is a pretty standard concert, admittedly sometime with poor visuals since the source is probably from 1994 tapes. Between the live show are excerpt of interviews with McLachlan and her dancer/band/performers - which made watching the show more interesting and also give a glimpse into the mind of McLachlan. I also enjoyed the four bonus music video, which contains two different version of the video for "Possession"! I have only seen the US version, on MTV's 120 Minutes, but watching the biblical version of the video - I can see why they decided to re-shoot the video. According to McLachlan, "Oh it's so lofty, it's pompous now. I was trying to dispel that by showing a bunch of female archetypes using historical paintings, ‘Venus’, ‘Adam and Eve’, ‘Salome’s Last Dance’. I wanted to show all women possessing all these different archetypes. I also had myself suspended in the air and wrapped in gauze, as if my personality and my sexuality were bound. Throughout the video I was being unraveled by unseen forces, and I came out in end strong and free and - Ta Da! - there I was my own self. Yes, it was pretty lofty..." As lofty and pompous as the original Canadian video was, it is more interested than just the uninspiring "deteriorating live band" music US video in a Cathedral.

Sarah McLachlan - Possession (US Music Video)

Sarah McLachlan - Possession (Canadian Music Video)

  "Possession" is also available on her latest release, a "best of" collection called Closer: The Best Of Sarah McLachlan.

 02/19/2009 23:02:50 ♥ vu () ♥ sarahmclachlan.com ♥ myspace.com/sarahmclachlan

Things We Love this Week (2/16/09)

Team Genius - Take Me Home Team Genius Tour Dates 02/19/09 M Room Philadelphia, PA 02/20/09 Blue Nile Harrisonburg, VA 02/21/09 James Madison University - Cool Aid 09 Harrisonburg, VA 02/22/09 Glasslands Gallery Brooklyn, NY 04/09/09 Cake Shop New York, NY Read More Team Genius http://weheartmus... The fellas (and ladies. Sorry ladies) in Team Genius sound like giant dorks. Their loose-cannon...

Hi. It's just me, Lara (the 'we' is singularly inclusive). I thought I'd start this week talking a bit about awesome things like impromptu street jams and hot pants, and non-awesome things like Ryan Adams quitting music (which is old news but still totally funny-sad!).

Team Genius in the streets of Brooklyn

Brooklyn blog Hooves on the Turf recently filmed the kids of Team Genius being all silly and adorable.

Credit: Sarahana @ Hooves on Turf

 

 

 

Clubhouse Jäger (Minneapolis, MN) / DJ Hot Pants / HOMG! (OMG, hot pants!)

DJ Hot Pants

Saturday was VD (Vu hates VD). What better way to celebrate love things than by dancing to some funk (music that stimulates many a love thing), courtesy of Hot Pants.

Hot Pants is a collective of DJs that spin under the single moniker. I recently learned that real DJs never choose their own name, they earn it (HOMG!). How do you suppose the DJs Hot Pants earned their name? Did they fight for it? Maybe they engaged in some sort of musical rumble (much like the dance-off in “West Side Story”)? My sincere guess is that ‘hot pants’ relates to the style of music they spin—groovy, bootylicious, makes-a-girl-wanna-pull-on-a-pair-of-short-shorts-and-shake-it music—but I could be wrong and it could have involved some serious ownage.

See Hot Pants, second Saturday of the month, at Club Jäger in downtown Minneapolis. Music starts at 10pm (no cover). Info here and here.

 

Ryan Adams blogs about being misunderstood in music, then quits music 

 

 

Ryan Adams - New York, New York

Ryan Adams

I wish I read celebrity blogs. Celebrities are people too, but better people, and they have sadness just like you and me! Recently, I discovered via Stereogum, that Ryan Adams blogged about his decision to stop making music (and to stop blogging) and then later went back and deleted the blog. Fortunately, the Internet preserves everything, and thanks to Stereogum, you can read about Adams’s soul searching/destroying here.

Back already? I know. It’s long and (mostly) uninteresting. Here are the highlights:

“i won't be blogging here anymore either- but not for effect- it just is not being kind to myself- i need a life that is mine- i need to grow up and grow in to who i have subtly been working back towards since i stopped all that nonsense and i know also no matter what i choose to do in the music world, because i chose to do things my way and never lie i will always be viewed as an "asshole" ( i hear and have seen things in the past) and i am not, and i know the truth and i know who i am.”

“…no it is not monetarily as rewarding as people would like you to believe and yes, it is soul destroying. especially when you spend your life trying to write about the really difficult stuff and you stand there losing your way and people yell at you like you were in a circus. when it was your dream to matter and you realize one day, it never mattered- i mean, i am a punch-line and a footnote in what is worse to yell at someone besides "free-bird". i mean, i lost…”

Honestly, I feel for the guy. It must be hard when even the career eulogy he wrote for himself is accidentally amusing. But then you wonder why is it amusing? Because it’s Ryan “Worse than ‘Free Bird’” Adams? Or because he publicly declared his retirement by writing a very, very long blog about it (with no capitalization and minimal punctuation, which basically screams “I’m too depressed for grammar”)? Call me a softie, but I’m going with the latter.

We’ll see if the retirement sticks.

02/17/2009 23:45:38 ♥ lara (/lara206.vox.com) ♥weheartmusic.com ♥ news.weheartmusic.com