June 2005 Archive

OPENING DAY

when i was younger they opened a gas station at the top of my street and for the grand opening they gave away free hot dogs and had then boston red sox third baseman nick esasky signing autographs. we don't have any baseball players in tow and i certainly have no hot dogs for you for this new endeavor, but i do have something that i hope will make you as excited as i was that day i had my baseball glove signed....music.

what we have here is a new music blog...one influenced by the many great music blogs that have consumed my work hours during the day and kept my cubicle a cheery place of new and older, undiscovered music. in fact you can peruse our links to visit many of those websites. they are certainly a wonderful thing for someone who loves to get their hands on something new to listen to, but starting such a website is equally enjoyable for those who like to introduce friends (and strangers) to the music they love.

--jason

Posted: Wed - June 22, 2005 at 09:11 AM

HUGS AND OTHER ACCOLADES FOR THE SUMMER MONTHS


we are starting things off with a track from UK-based The Boy Least Likely To. the group is a duo composing of multi-instrumentalist Pete Hobbs and lyricist/singer Jof Owen and despite a name inspired by a Morrissey b-side, TBLLT is decidedly more twee than wry. pulling influences from C86 bands as well pop maestros the Beach Boys and modern day indie popstars Belle and Sebastian, you'll be hard pressed to find something as indelibly catchy before the day is over. the album 'The Best Party Ever' has recently been self-released on Too Young To Die and collects the groups first three singles along with some new tracks. the single being released next month is "Hugging My Grudge." it's wistful enough to kick off the summer and certainly to commence with audio for drinking.

Check out: Hugging My Grudge by The Boy Least Likely To

Posted: Wed - June 22, 2005 at 09:14 AM

LIVE FROM TRACY ISLAND


easily one of my favorite albums of this year has been Justamustache by Thunderbirds Are Now! while it may be easy for some to lump this detroit-based quartet in with the current barrage of danceable post-punk groups that have made up this years preferred flavor, it's a frantic pace that doesn't sacrifice melody and monitor-top posing guitar hooks that have left me championing their sound. they've been likened to (and admit being influenced by) labelmates Les Savy Fav, while there are also subtle hints of the spazzed out insanity that was Brainiac. sing along. dance in your living room...the dischaotic energy would even leave lady penelope shaking it.

people are raving about the Thunderbirds Are Now! live show as they are currently on tour with the equally spectacular Enon. they will be playing the Hi-Dive in Denver this saturday. i cartainly don't plan on missing it.

Check out "Eat This City " by Thunderbirds Are Now

6/25 DENVER, CO @ Hi Dive*
6/27 OMAHA, NE @ Sokol Hall*
6/28 KANSAS CITY, MO @ The Brick*
6/29 ST. LOUIS, MO @ Hi-Pointe*
7/1 NEWPORT, KY @ Southgate House*
7/2 AKRON, OH @ Lime Spider*
7/4 DETROIT, MI @ Tastefest
7/20 CHICAGO, IL @ Bottom Lounge*
7/21 CINCINNATI, OH @ Southgate House*
7/22 AKRON, OH @ Lime Spider
8/18 DETROIT, MI @ Magic Stick
8/19 LANSING, MI @ Mac's Bar
8/20 CHICAGO, IL @ Empty Bottle
8/21 ST. LOUIS, MO @ Hi-Pointe
8/22 NEWPORT, KY @ Southgate House
8/23 COLUMBUS, OH @ Little Brothers
8/24 BALTIMORE, MD @ Ottobar
8/25 PHILADELPHIA, PA @ Khyber
8/26 NEW YORK, NY @ Bowery Ballroom (w/Les Savy Fav)
8/27 BOSTON, MA @ TT The Bears
8/28 BUFFALO, NY @ Showplace Theater
*=Enon

Posted: Thu - June 23, 2005 at 11:08 PM

CANADA DAY COMES EARLY


today we have the title track from the forthcoming, third album from canadian supergroup The New Pornographers (due to release in august on matador records). if you've been living in a hole and somehow missed the groups much ballyhooed previous albums (Mass Romantic and The Electric Version), i will let you know that the group was founded by Zumpano's Carl "A.C." Newman in the late nineties. he recruited some of his favorites local musicians including members of Thee Evaporators and Limblifter as well as soliciting significant contributions from Destroyer front-man Dan Bejar and knockout alt. country songstress Neko Case who offers up some twang-free pop vocals. the new one promises an expanded cast of contributors presenting the hooky, heartfelt sound fans are expecting and as you'll hear here, you shall not be disappointed.

touring has commenced this month and will carry the band into october, covering much of the states. this saturday, June 25th, they will be playing the Prospect Park Bandshell in brooklyn, ny with montreal's Stars and toronto's the Sadies for a Canada Day celebration of indierock. the show is free, however, there is a suggested donation of $3 dollars.
• 23-Hoboken, NJ at Maxwells (SOLD OUT)
• 24-Lancaster, PA at Chameleon Club
• 25-Brooklyn, NY at Celebrate Brooklyn
• 26-Northampton, MA at Pearl Street Nightclub

Twin Cinema by The New Pornographers

Posted: Thu - June 23, 2005 at 08:14 AM

LIGHTING UP THE MIDWAY


Amusement Parks on Fire, hailing from nottingham, england, have been accredited by some as kick-starting the shoegaze sound back into gear while others are likening them to equally awe-sounding sigur ros. i think it's a lot simpler to suggest that there's a fellow out there who has pulled together a number of worthy influences and put together something that's not to be missed. that fellow is michael feerick, who at sixteen undertook arranging an album over three years, writing all the songs and playing all the instruments on his own. the self-titled debut album that resulted has actually been out overseas for a year now, released on the Invada label run by Portishead's geoff barrow. (feerick has since adopted bandmates to begin playing out with fellow locals Six-by-Seven).

"venus in cancer" was the single that preceded the full-length and while the sonic assault coupled with delicate lyrics may take you back, the sound by no means feels severely outdated. it's been some time since i've heard something this fractured and noisy where i'll find myself turning up the dial not only to be consumed by the sheer volume, but also to take in the peculiar vocal sentiments. but would expect anything less from someone that has come up with one of the better bandnames of the past year.

expect the band to tour the u.s. later this summer.

Check out: "Venus In Cancer " by Amusement Parks on Fire

Posted: Mon - June 27, 2005 at 08:07 AM

SUMMON THE PAST


we'll be posting live tracks on tuesdays and that a4d tradition begins this week with Spoon live at the gothic theatre in denver, colorado on june fourteenth. the setlist featured a balanced mix of tunes from the groups last three albums. i've chosen the song where they really began to hit their stride, that being the critically adored "Everything Hits At Once" from Girls Can Tell.

the gothic is fairly large and the show was well attended, leaving me to wonder if britt even once pondered their first concert in colorado back in ninety-seven or so
where i was one of two people that came to the show. i was surprised they even took the stage, but was in fact treated to an abbreviated set. after helping them secure several "trophies" from the club, who had failed to promote the show, i spent most of the night drinking with the band and talking about Wire and Sebadoh. i was excited to learn that drummer Jim Eno was actually from my hometown of warwick, ri. a few years later was able to see Spoon perform an enjoyable acoustic set, which made me that much more excited for the stripped down demo version of "I Summon You" that was packaged with select copies of the groups new album, Gimmie Fiction.

Spoon - Everything Hits At Once (Live)
Spoon - I Summon You (Demo)

Posted: Mon - June 27, 2005 at 09:13 PM

CAN'T YOU HEAR THE THUNDER?


i've really reached into the dollar-bin of lead-ins for todays music selection, but as i sit here writing this minutes before an aussie is expected to go as the first pick of the nba draft, i am going down under to bring you an exceptional singer-songwriter who could probably break out the wittiest tune ever about american sports if asked to. i am certain of this because he has already written an amusing tune about the underrated-ness of the game of squash.

Darren Hanlon spent short stints with a number of australian indiepop acts including the Lucksmiths, the Simpletons and the Deerhunters before releasing his debut album, Hello Stranger, in two-thousand-two. he later spent that year traversing on greyhound buses with just an acoustic guitar for his first u.s. tour. those that made the effort to take in the effortlessly charming performer likened him to equally clever songwriters Billy Bragg and Evan Dando. one fellow group particularly taken with Hanlon was the Magnetic Fields, who tapped him as the noticeably talkative opening act for their tour last year. Hanlon is in fact full of endearing, little stories that preclude his songs live and then emerge in the songs themselves, accompanied by his knack for bringing out the quaint humor in the often under-looked. his songs greet you with a warm, folksy accent and succeed at being touching while not being weighty in the slightest. the album Little Chills arrived on Candle
records this spring.

(i couldn't say enough good things about Darren and that's not because somewhere in australia he has blackmail photos of my friends and i very geekily playing magic: the gathering before we gave him a ride to the airport.)

Darren Hanlon - "Winter Takes Fall "
www.darrenhanlon.com

Posted: Tue - June 28, 2005 at 10:31 PM

IN MOTHER RUSSIA...


Russian Futurists is matthew hart. matthew hart is a canadian releasing albums that fuse electronic arrangements with gleeful pop music. on his third album, Our Thickness, the opening track is without question one this years best tunes. well according to me at least.

the story is he's recording this music from his bedroom using lo-fi (re: laptop) equiptment. he must have a rather sizeable walk-in closet to accommodate the layers and layers of lush electro-pop symphonies laced with numerous genre bending sidenotes. take one listen to this brass-loop dominated tune and then glare around your apartment and ask yourself if you could create anything this flawless with what you have on hand.

russian futurists - "paul simon "

Posted: Wed - June 29, 2005 at 10:40 PM

BROTHERS GONNA WORK IT OUT


the scud mountain boys arrived a few years too early the emerged popularity of alt. country, but that's fine by me. principal songwriter joe pernice went on to form the pernice brothers, releasing several near-flawless albums of electrified folk pop. Discover A Lovelier You is the new album and continues the gifted songwriters accent into literate pop. it's the intelligent song-writing most reviews will cite, but it's his melodic vocals that really sell the heartfelt tunes.

last year i was fortunate enough to see the pernice brothers play out live in new york for what would be the basis of their live album released this past winter. they even delved into a few scud tunes including one of my all-time favorite tunes, "grudge f***." the group will be touring extensively this summer to support the new album. meanwhile enjoy this track off that album as well as a Psychedelic Furs cover.

Pernice Brothers - "Saddest Quo "
Pernice Brothers - "Love My Way "

summer tour:
http://www.pernicebrothers.com/tour.php

Posted: Thu - June 30, 2005 at 09:09 PM