Tuesday, February 28

Loose Fur and I Am the World Trade Center videos

The first video by the Tweedy-O'Rourke-Kotche project Loose Fur has been released by Drag City. It's for the song "Hey Chicken" and has a bizarre Power Ranger theme. Uh... ok. Hit the "play" button below to initiate the moving pictures:



In addition, Athens electro-dance-pop band I am the World Trade Center was nice enough to send out a bulletin tonight noting that they'd discovered their video for "Metro" on YouTube. It's from their 2001 release, Out of the Loop, on Kindercore. Amy and Dan sure are swell, and so is YouTube. Watch by clicking the "play" button below:



Visit their official site or their MySpace for more tunes and info.

More streaming YouTube fun:

Air - Sexy Boy
Lucas - Lucas with the Lid Off
Beck - Deadweight

Elsewhere...

All Things Go has an interview with Ben from Heypenny. Go. Read. Learn.

Bonus hilarity:
William Shatner and Stewie Griffin do Elton John's "Rocket Man." If you haven't seen this, go now. Watch Shatner's first. Seriously.

Monday, February 27

Lone Official

Another band that was recommended to me during a recent trip to central Tennessee is a six-piece act known as Lone Official. They were recommended at both Grimey's and Grand Palace, and that was about all the convincing I needed to pick up the album. From what I can gather, Lone Official is principally the vehicle of vocalist and guitarist Matt Burton. The band also includes bass, drums, keys, lap steel, and an additional guitarist. The band cites Pavement, Will Oldham, and Gastr del Sol as influences. I also hear hints of Silver Jews. They are currently working on their second album, which is set for release later this year. Here are a few tracks from their 2003 self-titled album (on Set International Records) that I picked up in Murfreesboro:

Lone Official - Central Avenue
Lone Official - Truckers Love It
Lone Official - Monarchos

Two tracks from the forthcoming album are available for download on their MySpace page.

Lone Official's site has more information. The debut album can be purchased from Black Label Empire, CD Baby, or Amazon, but it's $2 cheaper from BLE. So there ya go.

Lone Official is playing a show in the loft at Grand Palace Records this Thursday night, March 2.

Bonus Volunteer State-related reposts:
Silver Jews - Tennessee (LINK REMOVED)
Heypenny - Walnut St. Bridge

Elsewhere...

Nashville peeps be aware that Heypenny is at The Basement on Tuesday night. I'd go if it were feasible. Next time, I hope.

Update: Out the Other has posted about Heypenny today with a couple tracks I haven't shared.

Did you guys know that CMT has a Pimp My Ride ripoff called Trick My Truck? Pretty silly, huh? It gets worse. I came across it tonight and I can't stop watching. HELP!

Friday, February 24

Colin Meloy in an elevator / Jenny Lewis Hee Haw video

Just stumbled across these and wanted to share with C&T readers. It's a couple of streaming vids featuring two of Stereogum's official indie hotties (TM), Colin Meloy and Jenny Lewis. If either of these made the rounds before, I must have missed 'em.

Ever have a weird dream involving an elevator? They're claustrophobic and restrictive, sometimes cramped and always uncomfortable. Ever dreamed of being in an elevator for 11 minutes with Colin Meloy? If you did, I don't even want to know about it. However, now you can almost live that dream. For reasons known only to Colin and his companion on this ride, Meloy performed three songs in a lift at The Paradiso in Amsterdam back in July 2005. Wackiness ensued, and was captured on video tape. Here's the "setlist":

Engine Driver
We Both Go Down Together
A Cautionary Song

You can go view it here. Luckily for all involved, the elevator didn't seem to malfunction and Steven Tyler, et al. were nowhere in sight. Although I bet Aerosmith would do one hell of a "We Both Go Down Together" cover. Or something.

Also on the same site is a video for "Rise Up With Fists" by Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins that I didn't even know existed. It has a Hee Haw theme, which may not mean a damn thing to people under 25 these days. However, it's a hoot either way. I'll also note that Sarah Silverman (*swoon*) makes a completely unnecessary but welcome cameo in the video. You can check it out here.

Have a great weekend!

Untied States / Luigi @ The EARL tonight



As mentioned on C&T earlier in the week, Atlanta bands Luigi and Untied States are at The EARL tonight. While Luigi is headlining, it's also the release party for Untied States' Retail Detail (which I believe is on Foul Country Records). Local rag Creative Loafing named Untied States Atlanta's best experimental band in 2004 and best "avant-something-or-other" band in 2003. Their live performances are known to be wildly energetic romps. As for their sound, it's a blend of electronica, prog, punk, and pop. They've been put in the "noise-rock" genre by some reviewers and I can see why. CD Baby's blurb says that "Untied States is order and rebellion, a feverish assault of warped melodies with atonal sonic reciprocity." That about sums it up. This is a bit different than the stuff I usually post, but I'm looking forward to seeing both these guys and Luigi tonight.

Here are several tracks, generously provided by Foul Country Records and Untied States:

from Retail Detail (2006):
Untied States - It's Not Goodbye
Untied States - You on Your Own

from Ineffable, By Design (2004):
Untied States - These Means to an End are Sure to End Me
Untied States - I'll Prove You Wrong (Again)

Retail Detail (and their older material) can be purchased directly from the band.
You can learn more and stream tracks on their MySpace page or their website.

By the way, I'll be there tonight so feel free to say hi. I'll be the guy in glasses with my yellow Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin shirt and a tan corduroy blazer. You'll most likely find me hanging out with a gear box by the pole between the bar and stage. I'll probably be the only person in the room holding both a beer and a flashlight. I may pass on a wardrobe update later if things change, but at the moment I'm still in my PJ's.

In other news...

Bought tix yesterday to the 3/20 Man Man and 3/21 Joggers/Selmanaires shows at The EARL. Oh, hell yes. You can't see me, but I have one serious shit-eating grin on my face right now.

Totes Umbrellas has an interview with members of blog favorites Oh No! Oh My!. Really like their style, dude. And they've just moved to Nashville! Well, two of them did.

You should go check out Janet's blog, Out the Other, and stream her radio show from this week. Lots of good stuff including SSLYBY, Heypenny, Guillemots, and Margot and the Nuclear So-and-So's. Plus she reads PSA's like nobody's business.

Thursday, February 23

Of Montreal - "So Begins Our Alabee" video

I swear I don't intend this to be a de facto Of Montreal blog. I've just been getting good stuff by Kevin Barnes and co. the past couple weeks, and I think they're great. The last few days I've been chatting with Ryan S. from Homestar Runner via e-mail, and he has hooked me up with a real treat. Ryan is a long-time friend of David Barnes (aka The Bee With Wheels), who has done much of the artwork for Of Montreal's albums (and also happens to be the brother of Kevin Barnes). Recently Ryan and David collaborated on a video for Of Montreal's "So Begins Our Alabee" from The Sunlandic Twins. The video is fun and includes a good deal of David's artwork. While a tiny, highly compressed version is available on the Polyvinyl website, Ryan sent me a spiffy clean QT version to share with C&T readers. Got three spare minutes? Check it out:

Of Montreal - So Begins Our Alabee (25mb .mov)

You can see more of David Barnes' artwork at his great website, where you can also order custom homemade portraits that are just plain awesome. It's definitely worth visiting. If you're at all like me, you'll get sucked into browsing his work for quite a while.

Fun fact: Homestar Runner is based right here in Decatur, as is Paste Magazine. Huzzah.

Happy Thursday, everyone. For those in Atlanta, note that Snowden (and The Futurists, The Judies, and Tora Tora Tora) is playing at The Masquerade tonight. I doubt I'll be able to make it, but it promises to be fun.

Bonus Of Montreal audio tracks, courtesy of their website:

Of Montreal - The Problem with April
Of Montreal - You Feel You Must Go, Don't Go!
Of Montreal - An Ill-Treated Hiccup
Of Montreal - You Are an Airplane

Tuesday, February 21

Weekend gig preview - Luigi @ The EARL

So the most attractive show this weekend here in ATL (imho) looks like it'll be Friday night at The EARL. Luigi is headlining and Untied States will be celebrating the release of their new album, Retail Detail. Should be a good one. For now I'll just post about Luigi, and I'll try to get to Untied States tonight or tomorrow. Gotta get off my duff and do some work.

Luigi is a bit of an Atlanta supergroup, comprised of former/current members of several acts based in the local area. The band has developed an ample local following over the past couple years, and their recent album Found on the Forest Floor has been favorably reviewed (e.g., by Evil Sponge). Chromewaves described their sound as "punchy, hook-laden, guitar-driven power-pop" and I'd rather quote Frank than try to come up with another way to say the exact same thing. He pretty much hit the nail on the head. The principal vocalist is Michelle DuBois, whom some readers may know of from her stint with Ultrababyfat. Comparisons that come to mind are maybe Belly or a female-fronted Superdrag.

Luigi - Mariposa
Luigi - Squeeze

Luigi's albums can be purchased online (via CD Baby) on their site. More tracks and gig info (including Athens on Weds. night w/ An Epic at Best) can be found on their MySpace page.

Elsewhere...

Indie Interviews has posted new interviews with both Tapes 'n Tapes and Catfish Haven.

If you haven't, you should go check out Lizzy's site, Come Pick Me Up. She's been doing a great job over there. A lot of alt-country stuff with other goodies mixed in as well.

My Ex-Best Friend features damn good Portland, Oregon, band Viva Voce, who have apparently signed on with Barsuk. Good for them.

Sunday, February 19

Sarah Silverman - Live 2002

A little change of pace here, but this is worth sharing. This is a live recording of a Sarah Silverman comedy performance back in '02. Sarah Silverman is hilarious. For those who have seen Jesus is Magic, you will already have heard a good amount of this material. I had, but I still laughed throughout this recording. Fair warning, however: Silverman's comedy isn't for the easily offended or the faint of heart. There's a lot of ethnic/racial humor, sex jokes, toilet humor, and foul language. For goodness sake, you won't find this over on (Sm)all Ages. You've been warned. Now enjoy:

Sarah Silverman
December 4, 2002
Maxwell's
Hoboken, NJ

01 - intro
02 - some comedy
03 - more comedy
04 - funny, funny comedy
05 - a song
06 - some more comedy

You can read a bit more about Sarah here and here.
As for Jesus is Magic, you can get more info and see the trailer here. It doesn't look like the DVD release date has been announced yet.

Elsewhere...

Largehearted Boy features tracks by Athens band Iron Hero, who have just released their debut album Safe as Houses.

Underneathica has a post on veteran Atlanta band Magnapop. More Magnapop is also available on MySpace.

See You In the Pit has a post on Portland, Oregon, band The Joggers, who will be in ATL at The EARL on March 21 (with The Selmanaires). I'm soooo there.

Ghostfinger

So this weekend's travels had me in Murfreesboro, TN, at the wonderful Grand Palace Records complex on Church Street. Grand Palace is a fabulous space with a record store, recording studios, a live room, and a screen printing shop all in-house. Basically, it's every music-loving indie kid's wet dream. I'll also add that while their music store is small, it has the best selection per square foot that I have ever seen. While I was there, I asked about M'boro artists of note. It went something like this:

Rich: What's local and kicks ass?
Clerk 1: Ghostfinger!
Clerk 2: Ghostfinger!
Random customer: Yeah, Ghostfinger!
Rich: Well, alrighty then. I'll get that.

So, I bought Ghostfinger's 2005 release, These Colors Run, on Set International Records. Then I listened to it on the way home to Atlanta. Several times.

Ghostfinger's sound is difficult to succinctly define. They can sound like thrash-loving punks one moment and like descendents of Little Feat in the next. There's surf guitar, pedal steel, organ solos, NASA chatter, and multiple songs about the joy of rocking the fuck out. Richie Kirkpatrick's vocal is reminiscent of classic Stones fused with Stephen Malkmus, although the music is derivative of neither. To further confuse matters, the Nashville Scene called Kirkpatrick the city's "best reincarnation of Prince" in a recent piece. Basically, this is a really fun record by a trio of lads clearly having a great time and not taking themselves too seriously. I think this album will move into my regular rotation. A couple tracks (with some NSFW lyrics [the f-bomb], by the way):

Ghostfinger - Shine a Light
Ghostfinger - Rock

Three more songs are available for download on their MySpace page. These Colors Run is available from Amazon.


On another note, I just read Kim Cooper's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea book and rather enjoyed it. Any suggestions on the next book in the 33 1/3 series I should pick up? Information on the series can be found here. At this point I'm leaning toward the Pet Sounds volume. Brian Wilson is fascinating.

Friday, February 17

Chocolate USA

After focusing on newer goodies for a bit, I thought a shift back in time might be nice. You know you miss the early 90s. It's been ages since you listened to Ten, Nevermind, The Chronic, or either volume of Use Your Illusion. You wouldn't know where to begin looking for your Zubaz pants and Hypercolor shirt even if you wanted to wear them. It's a sad state of affairs.

While Seattle ruled the music world and Dre was introducing us to Snoop, one of the little bands toiling under the radar was a sort of proto-elephant 6 project called Chocolate USA. The band was the first of Julian Koster, who would later be a member of The Music Tapes and Neutral Milk Hotel. According to e6.com, Chocolate USA was founded in 1989 under the moniker Miss America but later changed its name as a result of legal threats. The band released scores of tapes as well as two full-length albums, All Jets Are Gonna Fall Today (1992) and Smoke Machine (1994), before its members moved on to other projects. Notably, the band's second album would also include contributions by Eric Harris and Bill Doss, who would later achieve noteriety as members of Olivia Tremor Control and related acts.

The albums include the same experimental tendencies associated with later e6 projects, with sound collages and a sampled grandmother interspersed among a generous number of psychedelic pop songs. While these albums may not measure up to some later e6 masterpieces, they offer insight into the musical development of a key e6 collaborator.

from All Jets Are Gonna Fall Today:
Chocolate USA - Two Dogs
Chocolate USA - All Jets Are Gonna Fall Today

from Smoke Machine:
Chocolate USA - The Boy Who Stuck His Head in the Dryer
Chocolate USA - USA Milkiest Theme

For more info, visit the fine folks at elephant6.com. You can purchase AJAGFT or Smoke Machine online.

Thursday, February 16

Of Montreal KRUA interview and videos

Of Montreal has been all over this site and others lately, so I figured I'd just continue the trend. Below are some fun Of Montreal-related items that might be of interest to you lovely people. The interview with Kevin Barnes is pretty cool, and you might not have seen the videos. Have fun, and thanks to Peter from WRUA for posting this interview on the station's website! I downloaded it, remastered it, and cut it into tracks.

Download the interview here (LINK REMOVED) in a .zip archive (58mb). Here's the info:

Of Montreal/Kevin Barnes
KRUA FM, Univ. of Alaska-Anchorage
interview recorded January 26, 2006
aired February 5, 2006

01. "Wraith Pinned to the Mist" excerpt
02. interview
03. "I Was Watching Your Eyes" excerpt
04. interview
05. "Scenes From My Funeral" excerpt
06. interview
07. "Forecast Facist Future" excerpt
08. interview
09. "Jennifer Louise" excerpt
10. interview
11. "Lysergic Bliss" excerpt

The interview was on KRUA's "Peaches & Puppies in the Park" show hosted by Peter.

And as for the moving pictures...
Of Montreal - Requiem for OMM2 (27mb .mov)
Of Montreal - Wraith Pinned to the Mist (and other games) (16mb .mov)

Bonus:
Lesbian Afternoon - Disconnect the Dots (Of Montreal cover)

Elsewhere...

Muzzle of Bees has ripped the tracks from the Of Montreal "Microuniversity" 7" single. You should still get one before they sell out (if they haven't already).

Out the Other has a post on a new (to me) band, Guillemots. Sounds like promising stuff. Go check 'em out on Janet's site.

I Guess I'm Floating has a Heypenny track from Use These Spoons. You can find more Heypenny in my previous post on the band. Looks like they're starting to get regular coverage. Cool beans.

Music for Maniacs has Willie Nelson's "gay cowboy song." Wow.

Wednesday, February 15

Murder Beach, The Eames Era, The Californias, and tiny little seahorses

If any other Atlantans are looking for a fun indie-pop/twee showcase this week, you're in luck. Thursday night (2/16) at The EARL ($7, 21+, doors 9:30pm) is a lineup featuring Murder Beach, The Eames Era, and The Californias. It'll be like you're surrounded by tiny little seahorses. Here's the 411:
Murder Beach is a five-piece from Athens billed as the pioneers of Vacationcore. I'm not exactly certain what that means, but it sounds cool. Generally, they're a fun pop band whose sound seems to range from cute twee to hook-laden rock. They utilize both male and female vocalists and aren't shy about being fun and snuggly. Checka-check it out:

Murder Beach - The Cheat

Murder Beach -Sympatico

Murder Beach - 2224

More Murder Beach audio for download here.

The Eames Era, also a five-piece band, is from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Ashlin Phillips handles lead vocals with a voice both sweet and strong. Their tunes are essentially bouncy indie pop of the toe-tapping, head-nodding sort. Recommended for folks who like Mates of State or Jenny Lewis in her lighter moments. Additional tracks for download on their MySpace.

The Eames Era - Year of the Waitress

The Eames Era - A Scandal in Bohemia


The Californias are playing in town at an opportune time, right after I complained about the lack of 'California pop' in these parts. They're a quintet from the Atlanta area and have received a good deal of praise in local rags for their hooks and sunny melodies. Influenced by the Beach Boys, they've also drawn comparisons to The Wrens, Elvis Costello, and Jellyfish. I don't know much about them, but they sound interesting. You can check out more streaming songs here.

The Californias - Breaking My Heart

Also, a message from the fine people at Happy Happy Birthday To Me regarding the 2006 Athens Popfest (I am not affiliated, so don't write me about it). Might be of interest to the folks in bands out there, particularly in the ATL/ATH area:

ATHENS POPFEST - we are taking submissions to play the POPFEST now. send demo cds to POPFEST HHBTM attn: Mike Turner P.O.Box 742, Athens, GA 30603. I have 3 slots for bands that will be picked from submission CDs/ CDRs. NO MP3's please, send a package, write a letter, if you feel like getting creative then decorate the envelope. I love getting mail even after 11 years of doing the Bee's Knees. It's still fun getting packages in.The 3 bands that make it will be announced in March/April. the cut off is March 15th for submissions.

You can visit Happy Happy Birthday To Me online here. Popfest is in early-to-mid August.

Tuesday, February 14

The Paw Paw Negro Blowtorch

Some people asked me privately about this Brian Eno song covered by of Montreal in the show below. You can grab it here (courtesy WFMU in New Jersey). Not my link, so hopefully it won't crap out. The song appears on Eno's 1973 album Here Come the Warm Jets, which is available here. Lyrics are available at about a billion sites including this one. Good to see the cover turning some folks on to the original.

Of Montreal - Variety Playhouse, Feb. 11, 2006


Remember when I promised a cool post yesterday? This is it.

On Saturday night, of Montreal paid us a visit here in Atlanta. It was a wonderful show and the band was clearly having a great time. Their families were in attendance (they're from Athens, after all) and they seemed hyped to be close to home for a little while. We also got several new songs and covers, as indicated in the setlist below. Would have gotten this up sooner, but editing and chopping it up took some time.

For anyone who hasn't seen of Montreal live, I have to say that Kevin Barnes is one hell of a performer. Not to take anything away from the band, but Kevin's stage presence is something to behold. He was also nice enough to chat with fans after the show for a while, and even signed my copy of the tour EP (and wrote "My bro's a genius!" next to the cover art). First they rocked us in the ATL, and now they can rock you. And they will, they will, rock you.

You can grab the full show in a .zip archive (171mb) here or grab individual tracks below:

of Montreal
February 11, 2006
Variety Playhouse
Atlanta, Georgia

01. Intro
02. Rapture Rapes the Muses
03. So Begins Our Alabee
04. Suffer for Fashion (*NEW SONG*)
05. Forecast Facist Future
06. old one banter
07. You've Got a Gift
08. love banter
09. Eros' Entropic Tundra >
10. British Tour Diary
11. Disconnect the Dots
12. Wraith Pinned to the Mist (and other games)
13. Cato Play With My Head (*NEW SONG*)
14. More Noir Blues and Tinnitius (*NEW SONG*)
15. Don't Ask Me to Explain
16. Lysergic Bliss
17. The Final Countdown^ >
18. Requiem for OMM
19. makes sense banter
20. Voltaic Crusher (*NEW SONG*)
21. Chrissy banter
22. Chrissy Kissed the Corpse
23. Oslo in the Summertime
24. I Was Never Young
25. The Party's Crashing Us
26. audience/banter
- encore -
27. The Paw Paw Negro Blowtorch*^^
28. Kinks banter
29. Tired of Waiting for You#
30. Spike the Senses
31. The Repudiated Immortals

^Europe cover (instrumental)
*with MGMT
^^Brian Eno cover
#Kinks cover

If you plan to burn it to CD, I suggest breaking it up between "More Noir Blues" and "Don't Ask Me to Explain."

For the big-time taping enthusiasts, I should add that I do have the show in lossless format as well. However, Sloan Simpson was also in attendance and taping with superior gear, so I'll wait to see if his pops up before I start seeding on the DIME or somewhere similar.

For more info on of Montreal, visit E6.com or their homepage.

What does everyone think of the show, new songs, etc.? Enjoy!

Elsewhere...
A brand spankin' new 7" of "Microuniversity"/"Christian's Son" by of Montreal is available from Devil in the Woods on Park the Van Records. It's limited to 300 copies. Get yours now.

So Much Silence has Of Montreal on KCRW yesterday.

Bootlog has Of Montreal on KEXP on January 31.

Monday, February 13

My birthday and Silver Jews

I'll be darned. It's my birthday. Kinda snuck up on me this year. While I'm working on something cool for a post early this week, odds are it won't be today. I'll be busy all day and then probably out celebrating my ever-advancing age in the evening. Woohoo.

For the time being, I'll just offer a little preview of the upcoming Silver Jews shows....

Of all the good music coming to the local area soon, the shows I'm anticipating the most are probably the Silver Jews gigs on 3/10 and 3/11 in Athens and ATL. In fact, the 3/11 show at The EARL sold out about two months in advance. Wow. Thank goodness I bought a ticket when they went on sale. I have no idea if any tix are left for the show at the 40 Watt.

For those who are unaware, this is David Berman and co.'s first tour after more than a decade of releases. As you can imagine, I was pleased as punch to learn the first two shows of the tour would be right here in my backyard. Last month (1/26) we got the first show of Bob Pollard's tour, and now we get the first two Silver Jews shows. We're so effing badass. To me these first shows provide an element of mystery and curiosity. Perhaps it's a result of Berman's long-time reluctance to tour, but there's an exciting uncertainty in my mind about how the songs will sound live and whether the band will be tight and comfortable by the time they grace us with their presence. It doesn't hurt that both venues are rather intimate, particularly here in Atlanta.

Anyhow, for the uninitiated, here are some tracks to check out (with an emphasis on recent material from Tanglewood Numbers):

audio:
Silver Jews - I'm Getting Back Into Getting Back Into You
Silver Jews - Tennessee (LINK REMOVED)
Silver Jews - Animal Shapes (LINK REMOVED)
Silver Jews - Pet Politics (LINK REMOVED)

videos:
Silver Jews - Punks in the Beerlight (.mov)
Silver Jews - How Can I Love You If You Won't Lie Down (.mov)

Gotta love that Planet of the Apes theme in the "Punks in the Beerlight" video. Awesome.
You can order Silver Jews albums from Drag City or Amazon.

For more Silver Jews info and media, visit The Corduroy Suit fansite. Complete tourdates are available at Tiny Mix Tapes.


On an unrelated note, I bought Bonnaroo tickets. The lineup was just too good to resist. Anybody else going?

Saturday, February 11

Anna Kramer & Cover Goodness (just because)

Anna Kramer rocked the house at The EARL last night. Highly recommend going to see her if she comes through your town. Her tour schedule, stolen from her MySpace page:

Feb 11 2006 9:00P
The Soul Bar Augusta, GA
Feb 13 2006 9:00P
The Nick Birmingham, AL
Feb 16 2006 9:00P
Broadway's Asheville, NC
Feb 21 2006 9:00P
King's Barcade Raleigh, NC
Feb 23 2006 9:00P
Tommy's Tavern (Greenpoint, Brooklyn) Brooklyn, NY
Feb 25 2006 9:00P
Asbury Lanes Asbury Park, NJ
Feb 27 2006 9:00P
The Glass House Brooklyn, NY
Mar 7 2006 7:00P
The Chop Shop Art Space Chicago, IL
Mar 11 2006 10:00P
Young Ave. Deli Memphis, TN
Mar 12 2006 10:00P
House Party Bowling Green, KY
Mar 14 2006 9:00P
Whitewater Tavern Little Rock, AK

I'll get some of Anna's live stuff up eventually. Promise. See this prior post for a couple mp3's from her debut album.

Now while I'm editing last night's show, I leave you with these lovely covers to rock the weekend:

Get Him Eat Him - The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side (Magnetic Fields cover)
Clem Snide - Albuquerque (Neil Young cover)
Mountain Goats - Pet Politics (Silver Jews cover)
Fairburn Royals - Bulldog Skin (Guided by Voices cover)

Fairburn Royals - Let's Pretend We're Bunny Rabbits (Magnetic Fields cover)
Colin Meloy - Every Day is Like Sunday (Morrissey cover)
Of Montreal - Color Me In (Broadcast cover)
Of Montreal - Know Your Onion (The Shins cover)
The Diskettes - How Bizarre (OMC cover)
Elf Power - Why Can't I Touch It (Buzzcocks cover)
Jim O'Rourke - Venus in Furs (Velvet Underground cover)


Of Montreal tonight at the Variety Playhouse. Woohoo!

Friday, February 10

Loose Fur returns -- Jeff Tweedy and co. are Born Again

Jeff Tweedy fans, rejoice! A new Loose Fur album is on the way. While Tweedy fans have been given plenty of nuggets of late with a Wilco live album and his contributions to the new Minus 5 LP (not to mention the spring Wilco tour), Loose Fur provides another taste of the man's wares. In fact, not just one man's, but three -- Jeff Tweedy, Glenn Kotche (also of Wilco), and Jim O'Rourke. The trio has worked on several projects over the years, with Loose Fur serving as a chance for a fun collaborative effort. Their first (self-titled) album was released on Drag City in 2003. Their follow-up, Born Again in the USA, is due out in March. However... you can sample two tracks now here on C&T:

Loose Fur - The Ruling Class (LINK REMOVED)
Loose Fur - Wanted (LINK REMOVED)

Billboard gave the release some coverage, and Prefixblog has an early review.

You can pre-order here. Thanks to Dan for the link to Insound!

Elsewhere...
BigO Magazine has a soundboard recording of a 1971 Neil Young solo show available.

Johnny Texaco (I guess...) has the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Black Session (1-31-2006, FM source) up for download.

Thursday, February 9

Heypenny and my trek to Music City

Just got home from a trip to Nashville to see The Selmanaires and My Relationship with Gravity play at The Basement. Great show, and all indications suggest my recordings turned out quite well. Gotta love small venues with great sound.

Before leaving Nashville today, I spent a couple hours at Grimey's, a kickass record store on 8th Street in the city. While I was there, I asked the staff for some recommendations with regard to local artists I might like. They were happy to oblige. One such artist that I was told to check out is Heypenny. I bought their debut album, Use These Spoons, and listened to it a good 4-5 times on the way back to Atlanta. My other purchases (Old Time Relijun, Giant Sand, Ladybug Transistor, Liz Durrett) just weren't cutting it as driving music.

Heypenny is primarily the project of Ben Elkins, though it has since expanded into a full band. Heypenny apparently came to Nashville via Chattanooga and has been getting a lot of attention locally; the Chattanooga Pulse named Heypenny's Use These Spoons its local album of the year for 2005. Elkins explained to the Chattanooga Pulse that the album was very much a DIY project, but the production is still solid in the end. The liner notes say tunes were recorded in "several homes, a church, and a performance hall in Chattanooga." One has to wonder if the album would have retained its personality if it had been recorded in a proper studio.

I hear shades of Beulah, Of Montreal, Slow Runner, and Rogue Wave in the album. Maybe some Sufjanesque theatrics and restrained vocals as well. While solidly in the indie pop genre, Use These Spoons includes an array of sounds and styles. There are strings, an organ, and a gaggle of guest vocalists. Here are a couple of tracks to give you a taste:

Heypenny - Secreterror
Heypenny - Walnut St. Bridge


By the way, listen for when Elkins "plays" a ceiling fan in "Secreterror." How cool is that?

You can sample more tracks from the album on Heypenny's site or MySpace, and it's available for purchase here. I'll have more to say about Nashville bands in the future. Thanks again to the staff at Grimey's for being friendly and helpful, and for generally kicking ass. If you're in Nashville, pay them a visit.

Elsewhere...

Hope For Agoldensummer is offering a pre-sale of their forthcoming album. Those who order the pre-sale will also get a bonus CD of live and unreleased goodies. Those girls are good. Plus they have pocket knives and homemade lye soap in their online store. That rules.

Muzzle of Bees has a Devendra Banhart appearance on KCRW for download.

Creative Loafing has a feature on Of Montreal, who play at the Variety Playhouse this weekend. They discuss Kevin Barnes' coping with fatherhood, a forthcoming remix album, and the band's planned return to the studio in the spring.

May be old news to avid blog readers, but those who haven't (and have a taste for indie pop) should check out Oh No! Oh My!. I Guess I'm Floating had a nice post on them recently. And while you're at it, go buy their demos. It's a whopping $3.50 for both, and they're good. Seriously.

Wednesday, February 8

ATL this weekend - Anna Kramer, Of Montreal, Andrew Bird, Nada Surf/Rogue Wave

For music fans in Atlanta, this weekend marks the start of a strong stretch into the spring. Lots of great bands are coming through, and you can expect a lot of coverage here on C&T. This Friday night Anna Kramer (honored as Atlanta's best local singer/songwriter in 2005) headlines at The EARL, bringing her brand of kickass country-rock to the East Atlanta Village. On Saturday, options abound. Of Montreal at the VP, Andrew Bird at Eyedrum, and Nada Surf/Rogue Wave at The Loft. All should be worth seeing. However, if you're on the fence or unsure about which to see, this post should provide a little guidance.

Below you'll find samples of each of the aforementioned bands. Give 'em a listen and make some weekend plans. I'm planning on Anna Kramer on Friday and Of Montreal on Saturday. Gonna be a great weekend!

Fri., 2/10 Anna Kramer @ The EARL $7
Anna Kramer - I Can't Take It
Anna Kramer - Beautiful Sleep
Tourdates here.

Sat., 2/11 Of Montreal @ Variety Playhouse $12
Of Montreal - Disconnect the Dots
Of Montreal - Wraith Pinned to the Mist (and other games)
Tourdates here.

Sat., 2/11 Andrew Bird @ Eyedrum $12
Andrew Bird - A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left
Andrew Bird - Lull
Tourdates here.

Sat., 2/11 Nada Surf/Rogue Wave/King of France @ The Loft $14
Nada Surf - Blonde on Blonde (low bitrate)
Nada Surf - Do It Again (low bitrate)
Rogue Wave - Publish My Love
Rogue Wave - Every Moment
Tourdates here.

Elsewhere...
An Aquarium Drunkard has posted a live set from KCRW by M. Ward in 2004. Nice.

According to Creative Loafing, Maserati, a casualty of Kindercore's collapse, is headed into the studio in May and is looking for an indie label to issue their release.

Happy Hump Day, y'all.

Oh -- just found out that Fruit Bats will be in Atlanta on 4/24. Outstanding. Full tour dates have been posted at donewaiting.com.
Hear 'em: Fruit Bats - Lives of Crime

Tuesday, February 7

Built to Spill ATL/ATH dates and new track



More Cowbell has posted new Built to Spill tourdates for the spring! Sweetness:

May 12 2006 8:00P Variety Playhouse Atlanta, GA
May 13 2006 8:00P 40 Watt Club Athens, GA
May 14 2006 8:00P Zydeco Birmingham, AL

To celebrate, here's a demo of a track from the forthcoming Built to Spill LP, You in Reverse:

Built to Spill - Conventional Wisdom (LINK REMOVED)

Huzzah!

Old school bonus BTS:
Built to Spill - Still Flat
Built to Spill - Joyride

Items of Interest, Feb. 7

Probably won't have time for a real post today, so I'll offer these suggested items of interest on other, better blogs:

The Camera as Pen has a write-up on Portland rockers Point Juncture, WA. Their Mama Auto Boss is worth your time. You can stream the album at CD Baby.

MSNBC has a profile of Deerhoof to offer.

Rawkblog has a pointer to the homepage of Jens Lekman, who is offering three tour EPs now as free downloads. Woot!

The Perm & The Skullet has a couple items of note -- a post on Catfish Haven and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (currently on tour, and on my to-see list) and a mix tape featuring Jolly Rogers (now known as Oh No! Oh My!), Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, and Quiet Bears.

Matt's link to the video for Feist's "Mushaboom" on YANP made some of my friends very happy today. He also gives some love to Kite Flying Society, who people really should check out.

The Selmanaires @ The Drunken Unicorn

On Saturday night, as noted below, I went to The Drunken Unicorn to see The Selmanaires. The place was packed and the beer was cheap. Nice. I've already discussed the band a bit in an earlier post here, so I'll refrain from regurgitating the same bio and such. In short, they play infectious dance-pop with jangly guitars and garage-band swagger. Their current album, Here Come the Selmanaires, also just got at 4 1/2 star review from Paste. They're a hell of a lot of fun.

David over at kissatlanta.com has already posted a review of the show. I had a great time, although the sound at Drunken Unicorn could have been better. Both covers took me by surprise and were damn cool. How have I not heard of The Strangeloves? If anybody has the original of that "Cara-Lin" song, I'd love to hear it. The crowd going nuts during "In the Direction of Yes" was great too. Anyway, here's the show, recorded from the audience near the soundboard:

The Selmanaires
February 4, 2006
The Drunken Unicorn, Atlanta, GA

01 - Images
02 - GMAFB
03 - All I Really Want to Know
04 - Selmanaire Rock
05 - Let's Go There
06 - banter
07 - Standing in Line at an Elevator
08 - In the Direction of Yes
09 - To Get Your Love
10 - Cara-Lin (Strangeloves cover)
11 - LMNO6
12 - Turns to Stone
13 - audience/banter
14 - 19th Nervous Breakdown (Rolling Stones cover)
15 - Last Great Dive

Far from my best recording, but not too bad. It seems that the mix improved as the set went on, but I wasn't thrilled with it. Then again, I can be picky about such things. The CD is available from International Hits, Criminal Records, or at live shows. As always, they also have several songs streaming on their MySpace page.

The Drunken Unicorn gig was their last local show for a while, as they're going on tour starting this week. Catch 'em in your town (they'll help ya party down):

Feb 8 The Basement, Nashville, TN
Feb 9 The Garage, Winston-Salem, NC
Feb 10 Broadway's, Asheville, NC
Feb 15 Lion's Den, New York, NY
Feb 16 The Baggot Inn, New York, NY
Feb 17 Piano's, New York, NY
Feb 22 Abby Lounge, Boston, MA
Feb 23 North Six, Brooklyn, NY
Feb 24 The Comet, Cincinatti, OH
Feb 28 Lager House, Detroit, MI
Mar 2 House party, Dekalb, IL (with Libre Non-Stop)
Mar 3 Radio Cherokee and Vintage Vinyl, St. Louis, MO
Mar 10 North Gate Tavern, Baton Rouge, LA
Mar 11 Red Star, Baton Rouge, LA
Mar 15 Good Records, Dallas, TX
Mar 17 South by Southwest/Sound on Sound, Austin, TX
Mar 21 The EARL, Atlanta, GA (with The Joggers!!!)
Apr 15 1318 (Trey and Marc's house), Atlanta, GA

I'll post that Strangeloves track too if somebody sends it along. Pretty please?

Oh, and editing waveforms for a couple hours got me thinking -- did anybody ever figure out what the hell the waveform is from on the cover of the new Kate Bush CD? Hope I'm not the only one who doesn't know. Wouldn't be the first time.

Monday, February 6

The Elected on KEXP, Jan. 24, 2006

So Shannon posted a song from The Elected's recent performance on KEXP, but apparently missed most of the set. Thankfully, a kind soul at rk.net managed to record it and share it with the world. Now, I share it with you. We can hug later.

The Elected
January 24, 2006
KEXP, Seattle, WA

01 - intro
02 - Fireflies in a Steel Mill
03 - Would You Come With Me
04 - interview
05 - Sun Sun Sun
06 - Bank and Trust
07 - interview

For those who don't know, The Elected is a project headed by Blake Sennett of Rilo Kiley fame. Their second LP, Sun Sun Sun, was released January 24 by Sup Pop. Good stuff. Plus the pic on the front page of their website is frickin' awesome. We're all in trouble if bears and owls start teaming up. Just ask Stephen Colbert.

You can buy Sun, Sun, Sun from Sub Pop.

Related fun:
Rilo Kiley - After Hours (Velvet Underground cover)
Rilo Kiley - Such Great Heights (Postal Service cover)

Sigur Ros Nashvegas ticket giveaway on Out the Other

Heads up, Georgia/Tennessee folks -- if any of you are up for a trek to Nashville on Valentine's Day, this will be of interest. Janet at Out the Other is having a contest right now for two tix to the Sigur Ros show at the Ryman Auditorium on 2/14. Go to her site for details, but entries are due by 9pm EST on Thursday.

Again, this is not my contest, so don't send entires to C&T. Just wanted to make sure that folks in the local area got notice. What better way to spend Valentine's Day than watching Icelandic rock stars in the country music capital of the world? Besides, their name means "Victory Rose" and what's more romantic than roses? That's what I thought.

Also... Matt at YANP has posted a set of Of Montreal live covers. Matt is a god among men.

Sunday, February 5

Andrew Bird on NPR, 4-17-2005

One artist on tour right now who's getting a lot of blog attention is Andrew Bird. Matt at YANP has posted an interview with Mr. Bird, and Muzzle of Bees has posted mp3's of his appearance this spring on KCRW. Incidentally, he's also going to be playing at Eyedrum here in Atlanta next Saturday night, 2/11. Given all that, I thought I'd reach back into my own archive as well and post an interview that Bird did with NPR's Weekend Edition. It aired on April 17 and includes much discussion of Bird's musical prowess, songwriting, and his current album. Total run-time is about 10 minutes.

Andrew Bird - NPR's Weekend Edition, 4-17-2005

Also, don't forget that there are always a number of Andrew Bird live shows available for download at the Live Music Archive. Such a great site.

Now, off to drink and watch the Steelers and Seahawks rumble.

Saturday, February 4

Minus 5 and Friends

I don't feel the need to contribute yet another review of The Minus 5's forthcoming (and very good) record, The Gun Album. For all intents and purposes, you really just need to read the review at Stereogum to know what the album is all about. However, I thought I'd share a few tracks that may encourage readers to order the thing from either Yep Roc or some behemoth of a corporation. Hint: Ordering from the label gets you a bonus EP with exclusive tracks. Wink wink, nudge nudge.

Anyway, check these out:
The Minus 5 - Cemetery Row (with Colin Meloy!)
The Minus 5 - Original Luke
The Minus 5 - All Worn Out

I really like all of these tracks, and it appears that Scott McCaughey (the mastermind behind all of this) is on the verge of a major breakthrough. This is just a great pop record that should appeal to the indie kids, the alt-country crowd, and beyond. Get ready to hear all about it througout '06.

This is probably my last post for the weekend -- The Selmanaires are playing tonight and tomorrow is Super Bowl Sunday. If you live in Atlanta, remember to buy beer tonight. Stupid blue laws.

On a sad note, vampires everywhere are in mourning this evening as their patriarch Grandpa Munster has passed away. Here's hoping he eventually married off that homely granddaughter of his.

Belle and Sebastian on The Music Show


Well, here's a treat. On January 31, BBC2 aired video of a Belle & Sebastian set recorded for The Music Show. Now you can watch it even if you don't pick up the Beeb. It's a set of six songs from their new album, The Life Pursuit.

Tracklist:
Another Sunny Day
Dress Up In You
To Be Myself Completely
Mornington Crescent
Funny Little Frog
White Collar Boy

If you haven't ordered it yet, you can buy The Life Pursuit (and tons of other B&S stuff) here.

Here you go, you crazy kids:
Belle & Sebastian - Live on The Music Show, BBC2, January 31, 2006 (280mb .avi) (LINK REMOVED)

Thanks a ton to latexblade for the rip. Enjoy!

Bonus 411:
It's been brought to my attention that my recording of Rogue Wave's recent appearance at The EARL (in December) is now available for streaming or download via the Live Music Archive. Thanks to Dodge for initially hosting it!

Kite Flying Society

Just noticed that IndiePages updated their featured demo page yesterday, and the new entry is a band from San Diego (which, of course, in German means "a whale's vagina") called Kite Flying Society. Let me say up front that I'd never heard of this band until 20 minutes ago. In fact, all their name brought to mind was Rushmore. After reading their bio on their MySpace page, it seems that may have been intentional. Go figure. IndiePages likens them to the Beach Boys, The Shins, and Magnetic Fields and elements of each are easily identifiable in the demo tracks. Their website also lists Fruit Bats, Rogue Wave, and the Velvet Underground as influences. This, my friends, is a recipe for music likely to appeal to yours truly. Here's hoping a release comes soon for these guys. I'd like to hear more.

IndiePages asks that you don't link directly to the mp3 files, so you can go grab them here. I know it's one more click but it's soooo worth it. At least check these guys out.

You stay classy, Planet Earth.

Friday, February 3

Songs from the Idiot Box, Part I


Not to discount The King Center, The Carter Center, or the Claremont Lounge, but The EARL may be the coolest damn place in all of Atlanta. They book great shows, their hamburgers are scrumptious, and they have fried okra on the menu. Plus, once in a while they have awesome theme shows that are pretty much a guaranteed good time. One such night came a couple weeks back when The EARL hosted "Songs from the Idiot Box." Basically, they had 9 local bands come in on a Saturday night and cover songs from '70s and '80s TV and movies. Yes, it was as awesome as it sounds. I have proof. Because there was so much damn music played on that night, I'll just post a few selections for now. All of these were live at The EARL on January 21:

Cadillac Jones - Theme from S.W.A.T.
Blake Rainey - Believe It or Not (Greatest American Hero theme)
Blake Rainey - Good Ol' Boys (Dukes of Hazzard theme)
Eric Belt and Dave Strohauer - Theme from Barney Miller
Eric Belt and Dave Strohauer - Theme from Fat Albert
Unicorns! The Musical - You're the Best! (Karate Kid)

More to come later. Don't change that dial. Or something.

Bonus hilarity:
Here's a "glorified" version of The Thermos Song from the Steve Martin classic The Jerk. GLORIOUS! You can also grab the original audio from the movie here.

Thursday, February 2

63 Crayons



Yep, that's right. 63. One crayon short of a box? No big deal. Probably just lost something lame like periwinkle or burnt sienna anyway. Either way, 63 Crayons is a nifty little band from Athens, Georgia. Their music is pure indie pop -- hooks, melodies, and toe-tap-inducing beats abound. There are also xylophones, glockenspiels, and the occassional female vocal. Yippy skippy.

Like a number of Athens bands of recent vintage, they offer '60s-flavored pop of various sorts -- straight-ahead fuzzy rockers as well as pop songs infused with enough bah bah bah's and la la la's to please even the fuzzy bunnies crowd. If you dig bands like Of Montreal, The Happy Bullets, The Boy Least Likely To, or Architecture in Helsinki then this is probably for you. If not, come back to C&T on Death Metal Tuesdays.*

A selection of tracks from their 2004 album, Good People, on Athens-based Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records:

63 Crayons - Go Now April
63 Crayons - Mrs. Brewster
63 Crayons - It's About Time!
63 Crayons - Rocketship

You can buy the CD from No Karma for only $7! That's a bargain, yo. It's also available via AthensMusic.Net.

Visit their homepage for an additional track. You can also visit them on MySpace.

Also... if anybody can hook me up with a source to get their 2002 EP, it would be fantabulous.


*No, C&T will not actually host Death Metal Tuesdays. However, Disco Wednesdays are still under consideration.


Oh, and Stereogum linked to an awesome Brokeback Mountain parody featuring our old pals Marty McFly and Doc Brown. I just saw BBM last night (finally) so I found this really amusing. It's worth the 2 minutes and 11 seconds. You're not chicken, are you?

Here Come The Selmanaires


You know that feeling when you see a local band and you're keenly aware that they won't be local much longer? There are a few such artists rockin' the ATL at the moment, and The Selmanaires are my favorite among them. The band is made up of Herb Harris (guitar/drums/vox), Jason Harris (drums/keys/vox), and Tommy Chung (bass/vox). All three sing and play multiple instruments. They claim The Kinks, Devo, and The Meters among their influences and it shows. Basically, they're the kind of music that makes me sing along and dance alone in my living room. Their lone album, Here Come the Selmanaires, has been among the top sellers locally since its release in the fall of 2005.

The Selmanaires have just announced a run of shows throughout February and March that takes them far from the Peachtree City, including a stop at SXSW. They're even playing my old stomping grounds in St. Louis. I have no doubt they'll get plenty of new fans on the way. No proper webpage yet, but you can give them a visit on MySpace.

Flava for your ear:

The Selmanaires - Selmanaire Rock
The Selmanaires - High Tide
The Selmanaires - In the Direction of Yes

You can order their album from Criminal Records here. For you vinyl nuts out there, they also have a brand new 7" available from Atlanta's own Rob's House Records.

I'm seeing them twice this week so expect some live material soon. Sweet.