W♥M (Archive)

Hot Chip at First Avenue, Minneapolis (14 Sep 2019)

Hot Chip at First Ave Hot Chip Setlist Huarache Lights One Life Stand Night & Day Bath Full of Ecstasy Flutes Hungry Child And I Was a Boy From School Spell Sabotage (Beastie Boys cover) Over and Over Melody of Love Ready for the Floor -- Encore -- Made in the Dark Positive I Feel Better Holy F*** Setlist Shivering Xed Eyes Free Gloss Luxe Red Lights Lovely Allen Super Inuit Read More Hot Chip Hot Chip is back with a new album called Why Make Sense? featuring acclaimed singles "Huarache Lights" and "Need You Now". ... Holy F*** The Flaming Lips, Portishead, Bright Eyes, The National, Holy Fuck, Mercury Rev, Death In Vegas, The Walkmen and Dappled Cities are but a few of the amazing names on the bill so far. ...

Popular English synth-pop band Hot Chip sold out their appearance at First Avenue in Minneapolis on September 14th.

Opening up the show was special guest Holy F***. The Canadian band (featuring Brian Borcherdt, Graham Walsh, Matt "Punchy" McQuaid, and Matt Schulz) don’t really care about mainstream success, considering their unfriendly band name.

The cool thing about the electronic band is that Hot Chip's Alexis Taylor sang on their "Luxe" song, which was played in the middle of their set.

Since forming in London in 2000, Hot Chip (featuring Alexis Taylor, Joe Goddard, Al Doyle, Owen Clarke, and Felix Martin) is a main favorite of the Minneapolis/St Paul area, as the band consistently sold out all their shows whenever they play here. For those that didn’t grab a ticket, the band, with collaboration from local radio station The Current, streamed the full set live on terrestrial radio.

Since the band just released A Bath Full of Ecstasy, the band felt obligated to play some new songs, including the title track, “Spell”, “Hungry Child”, and “Melody of Love”.

The interesting thing about “Spell” was that the track was written for Katy Perry (Alexis Taylor and Joe Goddard worked on some tracks for Perry’s album Witness), but ultimately either she rejected it or the song didn’t work for her… so the band re-worked it as a Hot Chip original.

Still, that left plenty of room to play some fan-favorites, such as “Night & Day” and complete crowd pleaser “Ready for the Floor”.

Remaining tour dates:

09/17/19 – Vogue Theatre – Vancouver, BC
09/18/19 – The Showbox – Seattle, WA
09/19/19 – The Showbox – Seattle, WA
09/20/19 – Roseland Theater – Portland, OR
09/21/19 – City of Trees Festival – Sacramento, CA
09/22/19 – Life Is Beautiful Festival – Las Vegas, NV
09/24/19 – The Catalyst – Santa Cruz, CA
09/25/19 – Fox Theater – Oakland, CA
09/27/19 – Shrine Auditorium – Los Angeles, CA
09/28/19 – CRSSD FES – San Diego, CA
10/09/19 – Osaka Big Cat – Osaka, Japan
10/11/19 – Akasaka Blitz – Tokyo, Japan
10/16/19 – Limelight – Belfast, UK
10/17/19 – Olympia – Dublin, UK
10/18/19 - O2 Institute 1 – Birmingham, UK
10/19/19 – Barrowland – Glasgow, UK
10/21/19 - O2 Academy – Bristol, UK
10/22/19 - Rock City – Nottingham, UK
10/24/19 – LCR – Norwich, UK
10/25/19 – Manchester Academy – Manchester, UK
10/26/19 – Alexandra Palace – London, UK
10/31/19 Showcenter Complex – Monterrey, Mexico
11/01/19 Bugambilias Show Center – Guadalajara, Mexico
11/02/19Radio Bosque Festival – Mexico City, Mexico
11/07/19 VMF – Lima, Peru
11/09/19 Fauna Primavera – Santiago, Chile
11/13/19 Plaza Deportivo Cumbaya – Quito, Ecuador
11/15/19 Popload Festival – Sao Paolo, Brazil
11/28/19 Sala Riviera – Madrid, Spain
11/29/19 Razzmatazz – Barcelona, Spain
11/30/19 Alcatraz – Milan, Spain
120/2/19 Melkweg – Amsterdam, Netherlands
12/03/19 Columbiahalle – Berlin, Germany
12/04/19 den Atelier – Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
12/05/19 Les Docks – Lausanne, Switzerland
12/07/19 Elysée Montmartre – Paris, France
12/08/19 Elysée Montmartre – Paris, France
12/10/19 Muziekcentrum Triz – Antwerp, Belgium
12/11/19 Docks – Hamburg, Germany
12/12/19 Vega – Copenhagen, Denmark
12/14/19 Vasateatern – Stockholm, Sweden
12/15/19 Rockefeller – Oslo, Norway

Holy F***

Hot Chip at First Avenue, Minneapolis (14 Sep 2019)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Minneapolis: September 10 to September 14, 2019

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from September 10 to September 14, 2019.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

Hot Chip at First Ave Read More Hot Chip Hot Chip is back with a new album called Why Make Sense? featuring acclaimed singles "Huarache Lights" and "Need You Now". ... Holy F*** The Flaming Lips, Portishead, Bright Eyes, The National, Holy Fuck, Mercury Rev, Death In Vegas, The Walkmen and Dappled Cities are but a few of the amazing names on the bill so far. ...

HOT CHIP
+ Holy F***
First Avenue
Sat 09/14/2019 (8pm/$32/Sold Out)
first-avenue.com

We love Hot Chip and it’s good to see that the British synth/electronic rockers have sold out First Avenue’s mainroom this Saturday, September 14th… which is not a surprise, considering they also sold out all the previous appearances.

We caught the band in May 2015 and wrote, “What can I say about Hot Chip? They continue to amaze me with their music. Their sixth album Why Make Sense? (which came out May 18th via Domino Recording) is probably their best album to date. We got to hear it live on their hour plus set, included "Huarache Lights", "Easy To Get", "Started Right", "Cry For You", "Need You Now", and "Why Make Sense?"”

They are bringing along unfriendly named band Holy F***.

Tour dates:

09/03/19 – Brooklyn Steel – Brooklyn, NY
09/04/19 – Brooklyn Steel – Brooklyn, NY
09/05/19 – Brooklyn Steel – Brooklyn, NY
09/07/19 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC
09/08/19 – Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA
09/09/19 – Royale – Boston, MA
09/10/19 – MTELUS – Montreal, QC
09/12/19 – Phoenix Concert Theatre – Toronto, ON
09/13/19 – Riviera Theatre – Chicago, IL
09/14/19 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN
09/17/19 – Vogue Theatre – Vancouver, BC
09/18/19 – The Showbox – Seattle, WA
09/19/19 – The Showbox – Seattle, WA
09/20/19 – Roseland Theater – Portland, OR
09/21/19 – City of Trees Festival – Sacramento, CA
09/22/19 – Life Is Beautiful Festival – Las Vegas, NV
09/24/19 – The Catalyst – Santa Cruz, CA
09/25/19 – Fox Theater – Oakland, CA
09/27/19 – Shrine Auditorium – Los Angeles, CA
09/28/19 – CRSSD FES – San Diego, CA
10/09/19 – Osaka Big Cat – Osaka, Japan
10/11/19 – Akasaka Blitz – Tokyo, Japan
10/16/19 – Limelight – Belfast, UK
10/17/19 – Olympia – Dublin, UK
10/18/19 - O2 Institute 1 – Birmingham, UK
10/19/19 – Barrowland – Glasgow, UK
10/21/19 - O2 Academy – Bristol, UK
10/22/19 - Rock City – Nottingham, UK
10/24/19 – LCR – Norwich, UK
10/25/19 – Manchester Academy – Manchester, UK
10/26/19 – Alexandra Palace – London, UK

Other shows in the area:

Massive Attack at Palace Theatre Mannequin Pussy at 7th Street Blanco White at 7th Street Russian Circles 2019 Tour Nick Lowe at First Ave Kristin Hersh at Cedar Pinegrove at Fine Line Hatchie at 7th Street Of Monsters and Men at Surley Read More Massive Attack I was originally going to write about Portishead, and somehow I mentioned Massive Attack, and then I started thinking about them, and I guess I'd much rather write about Mezzanine than Dummy. … Mannequin Pussy Philadelphia’s Mannequin Pussy to open. We saw the band in Oct 2017 and wrote that their set was a “high energy 30-min burst of punk rock music”. …

MASSIVE ATTACK
+ Elizabeth Fraser,Horace Andy
Palace Theatre
Tue 09/10/2019 (7pm/$69.50/Sold Out)
palacestpaul.com

Influential trip-hop legends, Massive Attack will be making a rare Minnesota appearance this Tuesday, September 10th. Of course, the popular group sold out the Palace Theatre… so maybe you can catch them next time.

If you couldn’t get tickets to the show, the band (with help from developer Fantomexpands and London-based music rights holder Blokour) recently released Mezzanine In User-Generated Remix Format with Blockchain Reporting music app, that lets users create dynamic procedural mixes that can be shared across multiple platforms. You can grab the app on iTunes.

Tour dates:

09/07/2019 Bill Graham Civic Auditorium San Francisco, CA
09/10/2019 Palace Theatre St. Paul, MN
09/11/2019 Chicago Theatre Chicago, IL
09/14/2019 Bell Centre Montreal, QC
09/17/2019 Sony Centre Toronto, ON
09/18/2019 Sony Centre Toronto, ON
09/20/2019 Met Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA
09/21/2019 Wang Theatre Boston, MA
09/24/2019 The Anthem Washington, DC
09/26/2019 Radio City Music Hall New York, NY
09/27/2019 Radio City Music Hall New York, NY

MANNEQUIN PUSSY
+ Destroy Boys, Ellis
7th Street Entry
Tue 09/10/2019 (7pm/$12)
first-avenue.com

Mannequin Pussy is back on tour in support of their third album Patience (via Epitaph Records). We saw them in Oct 2017 and mentioned, “Also from Philadelphia, was Mannequin Pussy, with a high energy 30-min burst of punk rock music starting with ‘Someone Like You’. Mannequin Pussy started as a duo of singer/frontwoman Marisa Dabice and guitarist Thanasi Paul, but currently they are a quartet with Kaleen and Bear.”

Tour dates:

9/6 Kilby Court Salt Lake City, UT
9/7 Larimer Lounge Denver, CO
9/9 Slowdown Omaha, NE
9/10 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, MN
9/11 Schubas Chicago, IL
9/12 Pike Room Pontiac, MI
9/13 Mahall's Lakewood, OH
9/14 The Baby G Toronto, ON
9/15 Great Scott Boston, MA
9/17 DC9 Washington, DC
9/18 Rough Trade Brooklyn, NY^
9/19 PhilaMOCA Philadelphia, PA

BLANCO WHITE
+ Dan Owen
7th St Entry
Wed 09/11/2019 (7pm/$15)
first-avenue.com

Did you know that Blanco White actually translates from Spanish to “White White”? Blanco White is actually the stagename for Londoner Josh Edwards, who studied guitar playing in Spain and Bolivia…

Tour Dates:

09/06/2019 Union Stage Washington, DC
09/07/2019 Brighton Music Hall Boston, MA
09/11/2019 7th St Entry Minneapolis, MN
09/14/2019 State Room Salt Lake City, UT
09/16/2019 Barboza Seattle, WA
09/17/2019 Biltmore Cabaret Vancouver, BC
09/18/2019 Doug Fir Lounge Portland, OR
09/21/2019 Slim's San Francisco, CA
09/23/2019 Roxy Theatre West Hollywood, CA
09/24/2019 House Of Blues San Diego, CA
09/25/2019 Valley Bar Phoenix, AZ
10/01/2019 High Watt Nashville, TN
10/02/2019 Aisle 5 Atlanta, GA
10/06/2019 Bowery Ballroom New York, NY

RUSSIAN CIRCLES / FACS
Cedar Cultural Center
Thu 09/12/2019 (7pm/$17)
thecedar.org

There’s a Russian Circles and Facs (stylized as FACS) show at the Cedar Cultural Center this Thursday, September 12th.

Russian Circles’ album Blood Year is out now on Sargent House.

Tour Dates:

09/11 Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
09/12 Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center
09/14 Bozeman, MT @ Rialto Bozeman
09/16 Seattle, WA @ Neumos
09/17 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
09/19 San Francisco, CA @ August Hall
09/20 Ventura, CA @ Discovery Ventura
09/21 Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
09/23 Mesa, AZ @ The Nile
09/24 Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf
09/25 Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
09/28 Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
10/18 Grand Rapids, MI @ The Pyramid Scheme
10/19 Detroit, MI @ El Club
10/20 Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
10/21 Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount
10/23 Portsmouth, NH @ 3S ArtSpace
10/24 Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
10/26 Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
10/27 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
10/29 Washington, DC @ Union Stage
10/30 Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry

NICK LOWE / LOS STRAITJACKETS
+ Esther Rose
First Avenue
Fri 09/13/2019 (7pm/$25)
first-avenue.com

English songwriter Nick Murphy produced some of Elvis Costello and the Pretenders’ greatest hits… and now he’s co-headlining First Avenue with Los Straightjackets.

Tour Dates:

09/13/2019 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
09/15/2019 Riot Fest & Carnival
09/20/2019 The Tralf Music Hall Buffalo, NY
09/21/2019 Mr. Small's Theatre Millvale, PA
09/22/2019 Culture Center Theater Charleston, WV
09/25/2019 The Hi Fi Indianapolis, IN
09/26/2019 Kentucky Center Lobby North Terrace Louisville, KY
09/28/2019 Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival

KRISTIN HERSH
Cedar Cultural Center
Sat 09/14/2019 (8pm/$13)
first-avenue.com

Kristin Hersh is back in the area on Saturday, September 14th, at the Cedar Cultural Center. The show is billed as Kristin Hersh Electric Trio, which features Fred Abong (Throwing Muses) and Rob Ahlers (50FOOTWAVE).

Tour Dates:

Sept. 06 Pioneertown, CA - Pappy & Harriet's
Sept. 08 Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar
Sept. 10 Denver, CO - Hi Dive
Sept. 12 Omaha, NE - Slowdown
Sept. 14 Minneapolis, MN - Cedar Cultural Center
Sept. 15 Milwaukee, WI - Shank Hill
Sept. 17 Cleveland, OH - Music Box Supper Club
Sept. 19 Pittsburgh, PA - Crafthouse
Sept. 20 Columbus, OH - Rumba Cafe
Sept. 22 Chicago, IL - Shubas Tavern
Sept. 25 Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern
Sept. 26 Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
Sept. 29 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
Nov 10 London, UK - The Jazz Café

PINEGROVE
+ Stephen Steinbrink, Common Holly
Fine Line Music Cafe
Sat 09/14/2019 (7pm/$22/Sold Out)
finelinemusic.com

New Jersey’s Pinegrove (originally formed by singer/songwriter/guitarist Evan Stephens Hall and drummer Zack Levine) will be stopping by the Fine Line Music Café on Saturday, September 14th. The show is sold out…

We saw the group when they first came to the area in May 2016 and said, “The show started out with Pinegrove. It was their first time ever to play in Minnesota but you wouldn't have thought that by the percentage of the crowd that was singing along to all of their songs. Honestly, I had never heard of them before. Their music is much calmer than I typically like but it was so unique that I couldn't help but fall in love.”

Tour Dates:

9/5/19 - Boston, MA @ Royale
9/6/19 - South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
9/8/19 - Toronto, ON @ The Opera House Toronto
9/9/19 - Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre
9/10/19 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
9/11/19 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
9/12/19 - Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre
9/14/19 - Minneapolis, MN@ Fine Line
9/15/19 - Fargo, ND @ The Aquarium
9/16/19 - Sioux Falls, SD @ The Icon Lounge
9/17/19 - Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
9/25/19 - Philadelphia, PA @Union Transfer
9/26/19 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
9/27/19 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall
9/28/19 - Jersey City, NJ @ White Eagle Hall
9/29/19 - New York, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
10/15/19 - Los Angeles, CA @ Fonda Theatre

HATCHIE
+ Orchin, Deeper
7th St Entry
Sat 09/14/2019 (8pm/$14)
first-avenue.com

Australian singer/songwriter Harriette Pilbeam, otherwise known as Hatchie, just released her debut studio album Keepsake…. and she’s touring in support of the album. She’ll stop by the 7th Street Entry on September 14th.

Tour Dates:

09/05 / Great Scott / Boston, MA
09/06 / World Cafe Live / Philadelphia, PA
09/07 / DC9 / Washington, D.C.
09/08 / Club Cafe / Pittsburgh, PA
09/10 / The Garrison / Toronto, ON
09/11 / Deluxx Fluxx / Detroit, MI
09/12 / Empty Bottle / Chicago, IL
09/13 / Shitty Barn / Spring Green, WI
09/14 / 7th Street Entry / Minneapolis, MN
09/16 / recordBar / Kansas City, MO
09/17 / Larimer Lounge / Denver, CO
09/20 / Soda Bar / San Diego, CA
09/21 / Echoplex / Los Angeles, CA
09/25 / Cafe Du Nord / San Francisco, CA
09/27 / Mississippi Studios / Portland, OR
09/28 / Barboza / Seattle, WA
09/29 / Fortune Sound Club / Vancouver, BC
10/06 / Wollongong, NSW / Yours & Owls

OF MONSTERS AND MEN
Surly Brewing Co. Festival Field
Sat 09/14/2019 (5:30pm/$29.50)
surlybrewing.com

Of Monsters and Men will be headlining the Surly Brewing Co. Festival Field this Saturday. Typical of these open-area shows, they start really early (5:30pm) and ends before noise curfew (around 10pm).

Tour Dates:

09/07/19 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
09/08/19 Boston, MA Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion
09/10/19 Philadelphia, PA The Met
09/11/19 Toronto, ON Budweiser Stage
09/13/19 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom
09/14/19 Minneapolis, MN Surly Brewing Festival Field
09/16/19 Denver, CO Mission Ballroom
09/17/19 Ogden, UT Ogden Twilight
09/19/19 Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara Bowl
09/21/19 Las Vegas, NV Life is Beautiful Music
09/22/19 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Palladium
09/24/19 San Francisco, CA Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
09/26/19 Seattle, WA WAMU Theater
09/27/19 Portland, OR Edgefield
09/28/19 Vancouver, BC UBC Doug Mitchell Thunderbird

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Hot Chip, w/ Slow Magic at First Avenue, Minneapolis (30 May 2015)

poster Hot Chip Setlist Huarache Lights One Life Stand Night & Day Easy to Get Started Right Flutes Over and Over Alley Cats Cry for You Need You Now Ready for the Floor I Feel Better -- Encore -- Made in the Dark Let Me Be Him Why Make Sense? Dancing in the Dark (Bruce Springsteen cover) Tour Dates 05/31 Milwaukee, WI, Turner Hall Ballroom 06/02 Detroit, MI, Majestic Theatre 06/03 Toronto, ON, Danforth Music Hall 06/04 Boston, MA, House of Blues 06/05 Washington, DC, Echostage 06/07 New York, NY, Governors Ball 07/31 Chicago, IL, Lollapalooza 08/02 Quebec, Osheaga Festival 08/07 BC, Squamish Valley Music Festival 08/09 San Francisco, CA, Outside Land 08/11 Los Angeles, CA, Greek Theatre Read More Hot Chip Hot Chip is back with a new album called Why Make Sense? featuring acclaimed singles "Huarache Lights" and "Need You Now". ... Slow Magic The first time I saw Slow Magic, they were second of three bands/DJs over at the Triple Rock Social Club, last year. I wrote that the DJ had a custom fox mask ...

London's Hot Chip is currently touring the US in support of their latest Why Make Sense?, stopping by First Avenue in Minneapolis last night. The show was sold out, despite the fact that many fans were over at the Alabama Shakes and Father John Misty show at Hall's Island.

Chatham Rise

Opening up the show was Slow Magic. After randomly catching this electronic / tribal / dance / DJ act in 2013, I was excited to see them on the bill. Of course, I knew what to expect: pulse-pounding double floor tom drums and that distinctive color-changing custom fox mask he wears. Like Daft Punk, Slow Magic does not want you to know what he looks like without his mask.

Slow Magic played a lot of songs from his latest How to Run Away, including "Waited 4 U". Midway into his set, he took one of the tom into the crowd, which despite an incredibly packed dancefloor, the audience made room.

Although the mask is visually really cool, I'm sure he has some regrets about it. First of all, it probably gets hot under the mask (which covers his entire head) and especially because he's constantly dancing and moving and sweating. Midway in his set, he stepped back, turned his back from the audience and drank a full bottle of water. Secondly, he has trouble seeing objects, and often stares intently at his Apple Mac Book to queue up the next song, etc. It may be worth it all in the end to produce a very memorable impression on the audience.

Hot Chip

What can I say about Hot Chip? They continue to amaze me with their music. Their sixth album Why Make Sense? (which came out May 18th via Domino Recording) is probably their best album to date. We got to hear it live on their hour plus set, included "Huarache Lights", "Easy To Get", "Started Right", "Cry For You", "Need You Now", and "Why Make Sense?"

Singer Alexis Taylor came on stage with a polka dotted lab coat. Looking over various photos, Taylor is always wearing crazy outfits, he must really love expressing minimalistic art designs through his fashion.

Setlist

Normally when I see bands playing new material, the majority of the fans aren't familiar or had a chance to listen to them ... so they were experiencing the songs for the first time. Sometime it doesn't go over well, however judging from the positive loud responses to new songs like "Need You Now", I can tell the fans have gotten a hold of the new record and craving to hear it live.

The encore was a four song epic encore, starting with "Made in the Dark" (according to their grainy setlist photo, the alternate song "Boy From School") and ending with their Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark".

Hot Chip's Why Make Sense? is out now on Domino. The band is on tour now.

Hot Chip at First Avenue, Minneapolis (30 May 2015)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Minneapolis: May 29 - May 31, 2015

Read More Temples Along their way to Minneapolis, Temples have been building huge buzz appearing at Great Escape 2013 and (recently) SXSW 2014. With all that excitement for the band, they sold out the Turf Club presale …

Here are some concerts taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area for May 29 to May 31, 2015.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

TEMPLES
at First Avenue
Friday 05/29/15, 8pm ($16/18+)
Details: first-avenue.com

We're pretty excited to see that Temples will be returning to Minneapolis' First Avenue next Friday, May 29th. We caught the band last year and wrote "Singer James Edward Bagshaw seemed really pleased at the turnout, saying, "Still can't believe there's so many of you out there... So thank you!" He would later add during "Move With the Season" how he's still in disbelief, "Can't believe we sold more tickets here than in Liverpool. We should move here!"."

There's no doubt that the band is more popular in the US than in their hometown. Go us!

Los Angeles' Fever the Ghost is on tour with Temples in the US, promoting their latest Crab in Honey EP while putting the finishing touches on their 2015 LP debut from Heavenly Recordings and Complicated Games.

Special guests locals Chatham Rise and DJ Jake Rudh will open the Minneapolis show.

Temples/Fever the Ghost tour dates:

May 27 - Bluebird Theater - Denver, CO
May 28 - Vega - Lincoln, NE
May 29 - First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN
May 30 - Subterranean - Chicago, IL
May 31 - Do-Division Street Festival - Chicago, IL
June 2 - The Pyramid Scheme - Grand Rapids, MI
June 4 - St. Andrews Hall - Detroit, MI
June 6 - Grog Shop - Cleveland Heights, OH
June 8 - Music Hall of Williamsburg -Brooklyn, NY
June 10 - Visulute Theater - Charlotte, NC

Read More Murder by Death Murder By Death recently released their fantastic new album Big Dark Love on February 3rd, via Bloodshot Records. After a lengthy U.S. tour, the band will be hitting Europe in May, and is now announcing several …

MURDER BY DEATH
at Turf Club
Friday 05/29/15, 8pm ($17)
Details: turfclub.net

Louisville-based Murder By Death is currently on tour in support of their latest Big Dark Love. The 15 year old band had a big role in a growing effort to unite indie rock with country and folk... defying the typical twangy roots rock sound.

If you want to see the band, do it now as they've recently announced that there is "Low ticket warning for the Turf Club show on Friday, May 29 with Saintseneca. This show will sell out very soon, so get tickets now before they're gone."

Columbus' Saintseneca (lead by multi instrumentalist Zac Little) will open the show.

Tour dates:

05/21/15 Berlin, Germany Badehaus
05/22/15 Munich, Germany Ampere
05/23/15 Zurich, Switzerland Exil
05/28/15 Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall Ballroom
05/29/15 Saint Paul, MN Turf Club
05/30/15 Do Division Street Fest
05/30/15 Chicago, IL Subterranean
05/31/15 Chicago, IL Subterranean
07/08/15 Charlottesville, VA The Southern
07/09/15 Kingston, NY BSP Lounge
07/10/15 Pawtucket, RI The Met
07/12/15 South Burlington, VT Higher Ground
09/18/15 Toronto Urban Roots Festival
09/19/15 POP Montréal Int’l Music Festival
12/30/15 Pioneertown, CA Pappy And Harriet's
12/31/15 Pioneertown, CA Pappy And Harriet's
01/15/16 Estes Park, CO Stanley Hotel
01/16/16 Estes Park, CO Stanley Hotel
01/17/16 Estes Park, CO Stanley Hotel

Read More Hot Chip Hot Chip spent the last 18 hours flying in from London. If they were at all jetlagged, it didn't show. They were more excited about Minneapolis with lead singer Alexis Taylor proudly wearing his Prince T-shirt ... Slow Magic The first time I saw Slow Magic, they were second of three bands/DJs over at the Triple Rock Social Club, last year. I wrote that the DJ had a custom fox mask ...

HOT CHIP
at First Avenue
Saturday 05/30/15, 8pm ($30/18+)
Details: first-avenue.com

I had such a good time the last time Hot Chip was in town, in 2012, noting that everyone danced throughout their set: "Fans that were lucky enough to get a ticket to this sold-out show were bopping and dancing throughout their set list, even at their slowest songs..."

Hot Chip is back with a new album called Why Make Sense? featuring acclaimed singles "Huarache Lights" and "Need You Now".

Slow Magic will open the show. I caught Slow Magic at a random show, along with three other bands/DJs, and I was simply blown away by Slow Magic's music and the way his iconic fox mask changes color and mood. Not everyone will be familiar with Slow Magic, so I'm expect them to become instant fans when they see him. This should be a great bill.

North American tour dates:

05/25 George, WA, Sasquatch Festival
05/26 Portland, OR, Roseland Theater
05/28 Denver, CO, Ogden Theatre
05/30 Minneapolis, MN, First Avenue
05/31 Milwaukee, WI, Turner Hall Ballroom
06/02 Detroit, MI, Majestic Theatre
06/03 Toronto, ON, Danforth Music Hall
06/04 Boston, MA, House of Blues
06/05 Washington, DC, Echostage
06/07 New York, NY, Governors Ball
07/31 Chicago, IL, Lollapalooza
08/02 Quebec, Osheaga Festival
08/07 BC, Squamish Valley Music Festival
08/09 San Francisco, CA, Outside Land
08/11 Los Angeles, CA, Greek Theatre

Read More Britpop April 2014 is the 20th anniversary of Britpop, according to BBC6 and Radio 1. This whole month, we are devoting W♥M Radio to our love of Britpop. …

DMA'S
at 7th Street Entry
Saturday 05/30/15, 8pm ($12/18+)
Details: first-avenue.com

New Australian sensation DMA's will be in Minneapolis next Saturday, May 30th. The band recently released their self-titled EP on May 19th via Mom + Pop Music for North America. The band is musically influenced by some of my favorite bands: Stone Roses, Oasis, etc.

According to KEXP, listening to their "Laced" free song, they said that "...[it] doesn't shy away from wearing its Britpop influences on its musical sleeve, but that's hardly a bad thing."

Opening up the show will be Minneapolis' Spooky Ghost (no relationship to Gerry Leonard aka Spooky Ghost, who we saw with Suzanne Vega) and Moving Parts.

Tour dates:

05/23 - Boston Calling - Boston
05/25 - Divan Orange - Montreal
05/26 - The Garrison - Toronto
05/28 - Schuba's Tavern - Chicago
05/29 - High Noon Saloon - Madison
05/30 - 7th St Entry - Minneapolis
06/02 - Mercy Lounge - Nashville
06/03 - The A&R MUSIC BAR - Columbus
06/05 - Boot & Saddle - Philadelphia
06/06 - Knitting Factory - Brooklyn
06/07 - Governor's Ball - NYC
06/09 - DC9 - DC
06/11 - Bonnaroo Festival - Manchester
06/13 - The Echo - Los Angeles
06/14 - The Casbah - San Diego
06/17 - Doug Fir Lounge - Portland
06/18 - Barboza Seattle
07/18 - Truck - Steventon
07/31-08/02 - Osheaga Festival - Montreal
07/31-08/02 - Lollapalooza Festival - Chicago
08/09 - Outside Lands Festival - San Francisco
08/15 - MS Artville - Hamburg
08/16 - Highfield Festival - Leipzig
08/28-08/30 - Reading & Leeds Festivals - UK

Read More Sebadoh That's right, Sebadoh's first LP in 14 years, Defend Yourself, is out now on Joyful Noise Recordings. This band formed in 1986, for a time in the 90s, along with Pavement .... Cat Martino Opening up for him was Cat Martino, who did a lot of that loop thing that one-person artists do. She did have help from (I think she introduced him as) Ben. As for her sound ....

SEBADOH
at Triple Rock Social Club
Saturday 05/30/15, 8pm ($15/18+)
Details: triplerocksocialclub.com

On May 30th lo-fi pioneers Sebadoh will be stopping by the Triple Rock Social Club to properly rock the clouds and cobwebs out of our skulls. Lead by Lou Barlow (Dinosaur Jr, Folk Implosion) and Jason Loewenstein (Fiery Furnaces) and featuring Bob D’Amico on drums (replacing Eric Gaffney), Sebadoh released many excellent records in the 90s (1994’s Bakesale and 1996’s Harmacy, just to name a few of my favorites) that secured their place as one of the era’s finest and most beloved bands. After a decade plus-long hiatus, the band regrouped and embarked on several tours to promote the reissue of their classic albums. Fans frothing for new material finally got their wish as 2013 saw the release of Sebadoh’s first new album in 14 years; the 13-track DIY-minded Defend Yourself  delivered a lovely noisy blast to the head and heart and garnered positive reviews across the board.

I missed the band’s show last September at First Ave, but was fortunate enough to catch Lou Barlow at the Turf Club in February when he opened for Tired Eyes. Watching Lou by himself on stage playing guitar was incredible; this man’s voice is a thing of beauty.

Opening for Sebadoh is New York’s Stranger Cat, a collaboration between project mastermind Cat Martino and Sven Britt.

Tour dates:

05.26.15 – Montreal, QC @ Le Ritz
05.27.15 – Toronto, ON @ Lee's Palace
05.28.15 – Ferndale, MI @ Loving Touch
05.29.15 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas
05.30.15 – Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club
05.31.15 – Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
06.02.15 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
06.03.15 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Brillobox
06.04.15 – Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place
06.05.15 – Hamden, CT @ Ballroom
06.06.15 – Pawtucket, RI @ The Met

Read More Jesse Marchant Opening up the show for the second time was Canada's JBM (Jesse Marchant). I already knew he sang sad, personal, and introspective songs. His music was a little too quiet for the typical ....

JESSE MARCHANT
at Turf Club
Saturday 05/30/15, 8pm ($8)
Details: turfclub.net

Jesse Marchant's tour just kicked off last night (May 20th), in support of his new self-titled album (No Other). I have previously seen Marchant when he went under the name JBM, and described him as "beautiful and gentle" in April 2013.

Heather Woods Broderick (on tour in support of her latest Glider via Western Vinyl) and local Kara Laudon will open the show.

Tour dates:

05.22.15 – San Diego, CA @ Whistlestop
05.24.15 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
05.25.15 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
05.26.15 – Portland, OR @ Holocene
05.27.15 – Seattle, WA @ The Tractor
05.30.15 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
05.31.15 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas
06.01.15 – Toronto, ON @ The Drake
06.02.15 – Montreal, QC @ Le Divan Orange
06.04.15 – New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
06.05.15 – Washington, DC @ DC9
06.06.15 – Philadelphia, PA @ Boot and Saddle

Read More Mandolin Orange It was Mandolin Orange's "first time ever" in Minnesota. This bluegrassy folksy trio also played at the "first ever indoors Cedar Outdoors" event. It wasn't that hot outside, but the volunteers at ...

MANDOLIN ORANGE
at 7th Street Entry
Sunday 05/31/15, 7pm ($10/18+)
Details: first-avenue.com

We caught Mandolin Orange's very first time in Minnesota in 2012. Thankfully that was in July and not January, otherwise the duo might not have decided to come back next, next Sunday, May 31st.

Michaela Anne set to open the show.

Tour dates:

05/21/15 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda's
05/22/15 Lexington, VA Lime Kiln Theater
05/23/15 Cumberland, MD Allegany County
05/24/15 Cumberland, MD Allegany County
05/26/15 Covington, KY Madison Theater
05/27/15 Louisville, KY Zanzabar
05/28/15 Indianapolis, IN Hi-Fi
05/29/15 Nelsonville, OH Robbins Crossing
05/30/15 Madison, WI The Frequency
05/31/15 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
06/04/15 Denver, CO Larimer Lounge
06/05/15 Pagosa Springs, CO Reservoir Hill Park
06/06/15 Buena Vista, CO Buena Vista Town
06/09/15 Seattle, WA Tractor Tavern
06/10/15 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
06/12/15 San Francisco, CA Great American Music
06/13/15 Hollywood, CA Hotel Cafe
06/16/15 Phoenix, AZ The Rebel Lounge
06/19/15 Austin, TX Stubb's Bar-B-Q
07/10/15 Mount Solon, VA Natural Chimney
07/16/15 Squaw Valley, CA Squaw Valley Village
07/17/15 Squaw Valley, CA Squaw Valley Village

emily + vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

2

Read More U2 I had to explain the story behind Negativland to a friend recently, when I discovered the original U2 single in a CD collection. I told her that it was quite rare (I just checked the numbers, there's roughly about 7,000 copies were sold). …

U2
u2.com

With yesterday's announcement of Apple Watch and iPhone 6, Irish band U2 made a surprise concert appearance to close out Apple's event. They also made it known that U2's latest album Songs of Innocence will be available for free for a limited time.

When I heard the news, I went to my PC and launched iTunes to see that the album was "Purchased", but there was no download option. I had to grab my iPad to download the new album and then "Transfer Purchases" with my computer. This was kind of an annoying workaround, until it occurred to me that I can probably have downloaded it via my account history on iTunes.

U2's Songs of Innocence is exclusive to iTunes, iTunes Radio and Beats Music until October 13th.

Track listing:

1. The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)
2. Every Breaking Wave
3. California (There Is No End to Love)
4. Song for Someone
5. Iris (Hold Me Close)
6. Volcano
7. Raised By Wolves
8. Cedarwood Road
9. Sleep Like a Baby Tonight
10. This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now
11. The Troubles
    
    Digital Booklet - Songs of Innocence

I only had time to listen to their first track, "The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)", and the duet with Lykke Li on "The Troubles", and I have to say that the music is rock n roll/pop sound (unlike their weird departure into electro mishmash of industrial dance with Achtung Baby and Zoo TV tour).

Read More 1,2,3 Unfortunately, this was the case Saturday night. A family emergency left Pittsburgh duo 1,2,3 a band of 1, as singer Nic Snyder took the stage alone—the fortuitous singer-songwriter. …

1,2,3
facebook.com/123land

Ungoogeable band name 1,2,3 is back with a new single "Big Weather II", taken from their album Big Weather that came out in May via American Hermitage.

The Pittsburgh band (Nic Snyder on vocals and guitars, Josh Sickels on drums, Mike Yamamoto on guitars and keyboards, and Chad Monticue on bass) sort of broke up in 2012, but it would seem that with 2014's double album Big Weather, the band is back .

Lara wrote about 1,2,3's original album New Heaven:

New Heaven is an impressive—no doubt, ambitious—debut. Musically, it runs the gamut of highly-stylized genres, from folk rock ("Work") to Animal Collective-esque flutters ("Lonesome Boring Summer") to the openly peculiar (a spooky ballad that sounds like a 50s prom song in Lynchian suburbia; "Just Like Heaven (Is Gone)")

Within the blogosphere, "Work" is widely regarded as a neo-blue collar anthem, and it certainly sounds that way. From the opening beat that suggests the rhythmic trance of an assembly line, to the cinematic texture, to the actual lyrics—“the age of Sinatra still exists in some bars / I’ve been working with my hands so far”—"Work" shares rhetoric with the working-class American folk rockers of the past. Fellow East Coaster Bruce Springsteen’s niche was sprawling Americana, and in effect he heightened that feeling of being a little number thrown into the mix with other little numbers. While the Boss never subscribed to the school of Marxism, he touched on the themes; specifically, the nameless discontent that plagues “ordinary lives.” Snyder and bandmate/co-founder Josh Sickelsadopt a similar ethos. "Work" is just one example—the most obvious, perhaps—but the album is full of other allusions to a collective restlessness. Snyder described the album’s lyrical concept as “big natural disasters and apocalyptic situations interrupting regular people's lives” (from 2011 Earmilk interview); the end of the world, as viewed through the lens of, presumably, you and me (assuming we’re neither heroes nor martyrs). And what would we do in the end—grapple our way to the top of the skyscraper, save a busload of children, or, would we spend that time kissing the girl we’ve always loved? Synder seems to know the answer.

Big Weather came out earlier this May 2014 via American Hermitage.

2 LIVE CREW
the2livecrew.com

When I was in elementary school in the late 80s, everyone was into rap. You know what I'm talking about when I name drop Beastie Boys, Run–D.M.C., Public Enemy (which we saw a few years ago), Fat Boys, etc.

One of my friend was really into 2 Live Crew. He knew all the words and would play it on his ghetto blaster, often singing to their hits like "Me So Horny" and "Pop That P****." Safe to say, among all the rappers, these guys were the nastiest band on the planet.

The 'Crew is back in 2014 with a new single called "Take It Off," via Lil' Joe Records. Not much has changed since the eighties, the rap group is still As Nasty As They Wanna Be, however they've also modernized themselves with current cameos, including Trick Daddy, Mannie Fresh, Flo-Rida, Flavor Flav and Trina.

MATTSON 2
mattson2.com

Twin brothers Mattson 2 will be releasing their new full-length album Agar on Um Yeah Arts, the label run by surf/skate film director Thomas Campbell.

Agar, the follow-up to their Feeling Hands in 2011, will be available as physical discs on November 11th, however digital copies will be available next week, September 16th.

The twins are on tour now:

09/12/14 Austin, TX – Cheer Up Charlies
09/16/14 Athens, GA - Green Room
09/19/14 Sarasota, FL – Perq
09/20/14 St. Augustine, FL – Shanghai Nobby’s
09/24/14 Wilmington, NC – NOW Theatre
09/26/14 Boston, MA – Casablanc
09/27/14 York, ME – Surf Re-evolution at GRAIN
10/03/14 New York, NY – Black Bear Bar
10/04/14 Yorklyn, DE – House Industries
10/05/14 Lancaster, PA – American Bar and Grill
10/07/14 Cleveland, OH – Happy Dog
10/08/14 Chicago, IL – The Empty Bottle
10/18/14 Goleta, CA – The Mercury Lounge
10/24/14 Costa Mesa, CA – Casa

THE 2 BEARS
the2bears.co.uk

The Night Is Young is the sophomore album from British duo The 2 Bears, set for release on October 13th via Southern Fried.

The band feature Joe Goddard (of Hot Chip fame) and Raf Rundell (previously of 1965 Records), and have (officially) remixed various established artists such as Santigold (aka Santogold), Metronomy, Toddla T and The View.

Look for the band live in Europe:

28-Oct – Brighton, The Haunt
29-Oct – Manchester, Islington Mill
30-Oct – London, Tufnell Park Dome
01-Nov – Dublin, Opium Rooms
04-Nov – Glasgow, King Tut’s

CALEB HAWLEY
calebhawley.com

Side 2 EP by American singer/songwriter Caleb Hawley, just came out last night, September 9th.

Obviously Side 2 is the follow-up to Side 1, which came out earlier this year. The New Yorker (by the way of Minneapolis) have been compared to Mayer Hawthorne and Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings.

Hawley described his upbringing in Minnesota, "Growing up in an a capella church, we didn't have instruments. It forced everyone to learn how to sing harmony. We mostly sang older hymns, which is probably what drew me to gospel and eventually soul music."

Side 2 track listing:

1. My Hell
2. Little Miss Sunshine
3. Bada Boom, Bada Bling
4. Long Life
5. Give It Away
6. Find It

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Hot Chip at First Avenue, Minneapolis (07/13/12)

Tour Dates 07/14 Chicago, IL Pitchfork Music Fesitval 07/15 Toronto, ON, Sound Academy 07/17 Boston, MA, House Of Blues 07/18 Brooklyn, NY, Prospect Park 07/20 New York, NY, Terminal 5 07/21 Philadelphia Electric Factory 09/09 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl 09/11 Oakland, CA, Fox Theater 09/13 Portland, OR, Crystal Ballroom 09/14 Seattle, WA, Paramount Theatre 09/15 Vancouver, BC, Commodore 09/16 Vancouver, BC, Commodore 09/20 Cholula. Mexico Piramides De Cholula 09/21 Guadalajara, Mexico Calle 2 09/22 Mexico City, Pepsi Center, Mexico Read More Hot Chip Hot Chip's album, In Our Heads, was released yesterday. I did preview the album over at NPR, and I have to say that I liked what I heard.

Hot Chip just kicked off their US tour at First Avenue in Minneapolis, last night, July 13th.

Chromatics

Opening up for them was Portland's Chromatics. I liked what I heard and talking to the audience, they seem to really enjoy them. Chromatics ended their set with a Neil Young cover, "My My Hey Hey", which they've re-titled as "Into The Black" as a free download.

Hot Chip spent the last 18 hours flying in from London. If they were at all jetlagged, it didn't show. They were more excited about Minneapolis with lead singer Alexis Taylor proudly wearing his Prince T-shirt and their new drummer (who played his first show with Hot Chip last night.)

Fans that were lucky enough to get a ticket to this sold-out show were bopping and dancing throughout their set list, even at their slowest songs (which they don't really have many).

As expected, they played songs from their latest album, In Our Heads, including "Don't Deny Your Heart", "Night & Day", "Flutes", and "How Do You Do?" (which ended their set). Personally, I kind of wished they did more old songs like "Over And Over", which got a strong reaction from the crowd.

Three songs for the encore, one of which was their big hit song, "Ready for the Floor". The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for 2008 and was #6 in the UK charts.

Hot Chip's album, In Our Heads, is out now, you can hear those new songs played live on their North American tour.

Hot Chip at First Avenue, Minneapolis (07/13/12)

vu () ♥ hotchip.co.uk ♥ facebook.com/CHROMATICSBAND

Hot! Hot! Hot!

Read More Hot Chip I have had Hot Chip on my radar since their sophomore album, The Warning, which was probably released in 2006. That was pretty much the year that they were getting all the recognitions, even getting nods from the Mercury Prize (hint: they didn't win) and the Grammy (hint: they won).

HOT CHIP
hotchip.co.uk

Hot Chip's album, In Our Heads, was released yesterday. I did preview the album over at NPR, and I have to say that I liked what I heard. It sounds very New Order-esque, and surely that's a good thing.

The band is kicking off their USA tour in Minneapolis!

07/13 Minneapolis, MN, First Avenue
07/14 Chicago, IL Pitchfork Music Fesitval
07/15 Toronto, ON, Sound Academy, Canada
07/17 Boston, MA, House Of Blues
07/18 Brooklyn, NY, Prospect Park Bandshell
07/20 New York, NY, Terminal 5 *(On Sale 6/15)
07/21 Philadelphia Electric Factory
09/09 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl
09/11 Oakland, CA, Fox Theater
09/13 Portland, OR, Crystal Ballroom
09/14 Seattle, WA, Paramount Theatre
09/15 Vancouver, BC, Commodore Ballroom
09/16 Vancouver, BC, Commodore Ballroom *(On Sale 6/15)
09/20 Cholula. Mexico Piramides De Cholula
09/21 Guadalajara, Mexico Calle 2
09/22 Mexico City, Pepsi Center, Mexico

HOT WATER MUSIC
hotwatermusic.com

Hot Water Music's been enjoying some love lately, having their album, Exister, debuting at #33 on the Billboard Top Current Albums (#3 Top Hard Music Albums) in May 2012.

The band are going on tour with Rise Against and The Gaslight Anthem this Fall, so get your tickets now before they sell out:

9/11 Quebec City, QC @ Agora Port de Quebec *
9/12 Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre *
9/13 Ottawa, ON @ CE Centre *
9/16 Milwaukee, WI @ Eagles Ballroom *
9/17 Grand Rapids, MI @ DeltaPlex *
9/20 Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center *
9/21 Corpus Christi, TX @ Concrete Street Amphitheatre
9/24 Denver, CO @ The Fillmore Auditorium *
9/25 Denver, CO @ The Fillmore Auditorium *
9/28 Tempe, AZ @ Tempe Beach Park *
9/29 Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center *
10/1 Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint *
10/2 Reno, NV @ Grand Sierra Resort Theatre *
10/4 Victoria, BC @ Save on Foods Memorial Centre *
10/6 Calgary, AB @ BMO *
10/7 Edmonton, AB @ Edmonton Expo Centre *

* with Rise Against and The Gaslight Anthem

HOT SOLES
www.hot-soles.com

According to their biography, they were crowned Sheffield's "Best Unsigned Act" at the Exposed Magazine awards.

The band is currently on tour in their home country and currently offering a free download of "Ready to Burn" on their website, www.hot-soles.com.

20th June – YORK – Stereo
27th June – DONCASTER – The Leopard
21st July – SHEFFIELD – Tramlines Festival @ The Leadmill
26th August – LONDON – Blues Kitchen

BRIEFLY:

HOT AS SUN hotassun.com Los Angeles' Hot As Sun is coming out with a new EP on June 19th, via Last Gang Records, look for a full length this fall. Don't know if it's intentional, but if you say their name out loud, it sounds like 'hot ass sun'… Check out the Tokyo Police club remix version of "Come Come" on Soundcloud.

HOT PANDA hotpanda.ca Go Outside is the third album from Vancouver's Hot Panda. It comes out July 17th via Mint Records. Judging a book by its cover, I would say that this band doesn't take themselves too seriously, likes to have fun, and are not afraid to show off their berries and twigs.

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

WIN WIN WIN: JJJ Hottest 100 Volume 18

Ou Est Le Swimming Pool... Sia... The Wombats... Boy & Bear... Washington... Two Door Cinema Club... Kanye West Featuring Pusha T... Gypsy & The Cat... The National... Florence + The Machine & Dizzee Rascal... Yeasayer... Sparkadia... Crystal Castles (featuring Robert Smith)... Darwin Deez... Arcade Fire... Drapht... The Naked And Famous... Gorillaz (featuring Daley)... The Jezabels... Hot Chip... The John Steel Singers... Angus & Julia Stone

You like?

This year an incredible 155,222 voters from 152 countries registered 1.26 million votes in JJJ's annual survey to find the hottest songs of 2010. Add to that 3,526 Hottest 100 parties held by listeners across Australia and internationally - making 2010's poll their biggest to date. 

What immediately stands out in this year's Hottest 100 results is that 50% of the chart is comprised of Australian songs. Seeing local talent like Little Red, Birds of Tokyo, Washington, Boy & Bear, Art Vs. Science, Tame Impala, Cloud Control, Sia, The Jezabels, Drapht, Bag Raiders, Children Collide, Bliss N Eso, Gypsy & The Cat feature so prominently in this year's Hottest 100 is a fantastic feeling.

See the full Hottest 100 list here. 

So to celebrate the release of this year's double CD of awesomeness....... weheartmusic have a few copies to give away. Do you want one?

All you need to do is send an email to [email protected] (just make it obvious that you really want one) and the three people who are most obviously in need of a copy of Volume 18 of Triple J's Hottest 100 will get one!

Otherwise... you'll just have to go to the shop and buy it.... or download it from the comfy chair of your choosing.

(Competition closes March 25th... winners will be notified by email)

Sally 

[email protected]

 

 

Two for Tuesday: Phantogram and Hot Chip

Phantogram - When I'm Small Phantogram Tour Dates 02/11/10 Union Hall* Brooklyn, NY 02/12/10 Mercury Lounge* NY 02/13/10 Kungfu Neckties* Philly, PA 02/15/10 DC9* Washington, DC 02/16/10 Treehouse* Columbus, OH 02/17/10 Schubas Tavern* Chicago, IL 02/18/10 7th St Entry* Minn, MN 02/20/10 Drake Hotel* Toronto 02/21/10 Il Motore* Montreal, Quebec 02/22/10 Monkey House* Burlington, VT * w/ Junk Culture Discography [2009] Phantogram [2009] Running From The Cops EP [2009] Bloody Palms (Remixes) [2010] Eyelid Movies Read More Barsuk http://weheartmus... Barsuk are AWESOME!

First of all, I can't tell you how lucky and privileged I feel when we get music submission from some of my favorite record labels. Today (although I suspect by the time I finish writing this, that it will be Wednesday), we have two releases from two wonderful record labels, Barsuk and Astralwerks. And guess what? They sort of similar-sounding bands, being that they're doing that electronic music.

>>>
PHANTOGRAM
myspace.com ♥ twitter.com

Phantogram, as described on their myspace are: a duo of Sarah D. Barthel and Joshua M. Carter of Saratoga Springs, NY. Their music is a mix of organic and electronic sounds, with swirling guitar, spaced-out synths, and chopped up samples and rhythms.

Originally they were known as Charlie Everywhere, but they changed their name to a possible trademark issue. Although I don't know what that would infringe, it does sound like it's some cheesy Vietnam war movie. They signed with BBE Records in the UK, but on domestic shores, they're with W♥M favorites, Barsuk.

I was hoping for surgarly electronic pop like Mates of State, but Phantogram's debut album, Eyelid Movies, sounds more experimental with their sound-warping and music-bending sound. While this might be fun and interesting live, hearing the cuts and repeats on such tracks like "As Far As I Can See" made it sound like my CD was skipping. I guess maybe it didn't translate for me.

Where they absolutely shine is when Barthel takes vocals, turning about half of their songs into dream/indiepop. Songs like "All Dried Up", "When I'm Small", and "Mouthful Of Diamonds" really stands out for me, and I think that's the direction they should be heading in. I can see them being compared to Zero 7 (when they have Sia or some girl-singer).

If you enjoy dreamy indiepop music, with the occasional warps and quirks, you should add Eyelid Movies to check out. If you're a general fan of Barsuk, then Phantogram will fit the bill. Other Barsuk bands to check out: David Bazan, Death Cab for Cutie, Mates of State, Nada Surf, Ra Ra Riot, Ramona Falls, Rilo Kiley, Say Hi, Smoosh (we just talked about them last Saturday!), Starlight Mints, Chris Walla, and The Wooden Birds.

Tour Dates 02/12/10 Academy Glasgow, Scotland 02/13/10 Picture H Edinburgh, Scotland 02/15/10 Rock City Nottingham 02/16/10 Academy Leeds 02/18/10 o2 Academy Newcastle 02/19/10 o2 Academy Manchester 02/22/10 o2 Academy Bournemouth 02/23/10 o2 Academy Bristol 02/24/10 UEA Norwich 02/26/10 o2 Academy London 02/27/10 o2 Academy London 03/06/10 Off Festival Holland 03/07/10 AB Club Brussels 03/08/10 Bataclan Paris 03/10/10 Live Music Hall Cologne 03/11/10 Uebel + Gefaehrlich Hamburg 03/12/10 Astra Berlin 03/14/10 Mousontrum Frankfurt 03/15/10 Cooperative de Mai Ferrand 03/16/10 Bikini Tolouse 03/18/10 Magazzini Generali Milan 04/16/10 Fox Theatre Oakland 04/17/10 Coachella Indio 04/19/10 Riviera Chicago 04/22/10 Terminal 5 NY 04/23/10 Terminal 5 NY 04/24/10 9.30 Club WA 04/25/10 Theatre of the Living Arts Phila Discography [2004] Coming on Strong [2006] The Warning [2008] Made in the Dark [2010] One Life Stand [2010] One Life Stand (deluxe) Read More Astralwerks http://weheartmus... Astralwerks are AWESOME!

HOT CHIP
hotchip.co.uk ♥ myspace.com

"Hot chips" as recently explained to me, are what the Aussies calls French fries. So it's no surprise to me that Hot Chip are an electronic band from London.

I have had HC on my radar since their sophomore album, The Warning, which was probably released in 2006. That was pretty much the year that they were getting all the recognitions, even getting nods from the Mercury Prize (hint: they didn't win) and the Grammy (hint: they won).

For some reason, a copy of Made In the Dark, their 2008 album, did made its way to my iTunes, but I never got around to reviewing it.... so it's with much deserved that I'm reviewing their latest album, One Life Stand, out Tuesday, February 9^th, on one of my favorite label, Astralwerks. And just to give you an idea, Astralwerks' releases are a "who's who" of amazing music: Kylie Minogue, Empire of the Sun, Bat for Lashes, Beth Orton, Sia, Sebastien Tellier, Kings of Convenience, and Chemical Brothers.

So first off, since I had previous albums to compare them to, and maybe I'm wrong, but they seem a lot more polished than The Warning. That album sounds to me like they were trying to be Röyksopp and LCD Soundsystem, while it sounds to me that their latest effort, One Life Stand, sounds more "pop". As if they're taking their cues from Death Cab for Cutie and Postal Service.

While it's expected that electronic-dance bands are going to be some digital manipulation of vocals, but I really feel that autotune is like "doping" in sports. I didn't "I Feel Better" for that reason, but all is forgiven, because the rest of the album doesn't use autotune.

My favorite song on this album is "Thieves in the Night", but I see that they've decided to go with "One Life Stand", probably because it's the title track. The "emo" song on the album is "Brothers", which I suspect is really about singer Alexis Taylor's baby brother, rather than the song being completely fiction.

Unfortunately, I feel that older music fans might be discourage from picking up Hot Chip, for looking like they're music for young hip people. So attending live shows might be awkward. You know what I'm talking about, being the only 30+ person in a sea of 16-20 fans. Well, you can always secretly buy their album (and might I suggest getting the One Life Stand [the Deluxe Edition] instead of the regular edition?).

02/10/2010 01:14:00♥ vu () ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥news.weheartmusic.com