The Glass Family Are So Hot Right Now

It seems like every great band I've been hearing about lately is either coming out of Texas or Canada. Austin, Tx's The Glass Family keep the streak going with their infectious piano-laden rock. The Glass Family come from the same vein as other recent successful acts like SOUNDteam, Voxtrot, Zykos, etc. The Glass Family's debut LP Sleep Inside This Wheel was recently released on I Eat Records and is getting lots of play on college radio across the U.S. I haven't been able to stop listening to this song since the first playthrough, everything is just perfect, especially those back and forth vocals in the chorus, those really grabbed me.

[MP3]: The Glass Family :: This Is Impossible

Buy Sleep Inside This Wheel directly from I Eat Records.

In early April they will embark on their first semi-national tour, starting in Houston then traveling to and up the east coast, over through the midwest, and back southward. They're even coming to Maryland! Except... I'm not 21. Well, hopefully everyone else will enjoy them without me.

Them there dates:

Mar 31 2006
The Parish Austin, TX
Apr 3 2006
Rudyard's Houston, TX
Apr 4 2006
Red Star Bar Baton Rouge, LA
Apr 5 2006
The Earl Atlanta, GA
Apr 6 2006
House Party!! Athens, GA
Apr 7 2006
The Cave Chapel Hill, NC
Apr 8 2006
Talking Head Baltimore, MD
Apr 9 2006
Mercury Lounge New York, NY
Apr 10 2006
Pianos New York, NY
Apr 11 2006
TT the Bear's Boston, MA
Apr 12 2006
Manhattan Room Philadelphia, PA
Apr 13 2006
Inside Out Gallery Cleveland, OH
Apr 14 2006
Lager House Detroit, MN
Apr 15 2006
Empty Bottle Chicago, IL
Apr 16 2006
Verde Iowa City, IA
Apr 17 2006
Replay Lounge Lawrence, KS
Apr 18 2006
Hi Lo Oklahoma City, OK
Apr 19 2006
The Cavern Dallas, TX

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About - "Think Niles Drink"

I got an email today about About and I haven't come upon too too many great bands through emails lately, but I'd heard things about About being "pop as hell" and an "electronic freak" at the same time, so I decided to give em a listen and I sure am glad I did. Based out of Amsterdam, About is mostly the solo effort of control freak extraordinaire Rutger Hoedemaekers, who walks the line between intricate electronic composions and pop music dynamics creating an irresistable final product.

[MP3]: About :: Think Niles Drink
The keyboards swell and buzz over distorted guitar riffs as Rutger's painstakingly composed electronics weave in and out of the melody. The vocals go from warm liquid singing to spastic overdriven shouting from one minute to the next wrapping the the instrumentation in glitched out pounding frenzy. A catchy pounding frenzy, that is oddly and unmistakably pop.

Be About's friend on MySpace.

About's debut album Bongo was released March 15th on Jason Forrest's Cock Rock Disco label and you can order it from Midheaven Mailorder.

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The Lovely Feathers - "Photo Corners"

I know it seems a bit early to be making a call like this, but Hind Hind Legs, the new album by Canada's The Lovely Feathers is definitely going to be in my top 5 of this year, it just HAS to be. There's enough energy and fun in this album to last me the rest of the year for sure. Hind Hind Legs culls from the ridiculous lyrics, wild antics and instrumentation of bands like The Unicorns and Man Man, but takes it in and comes out with something completely brand new. This is going to be 2006's quirk pop masterpiece. I just cannot stop listening to this album, spinning around the room with arms open, happy to be alive!

[MP3]: The Lovely Feathers :: Photo Corners (So Very Highly Rec'd!)
This song starts out with a soft simple acoustic strum and then drums and a shiny keyboard line come in and the strum gets louder and picks up, drops outs for second, starts up again and then the band takes off with everyone singing "We'd laugh if we were younger!" There's ooh's and ah's, there's recorder, there's chimes, what more could you ask for?


Matt's giving away a copy the new Pants Yell! album that may or may not be signed by the band! Hah. All you have to do is make the band laugh! Go here and find out more!

Sorry for the lack of post the past couple days, you know how midterms go...

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Ladyhawk

Now I don't remember exactly where I obtained this information, but according to carefully collected statistics the band member to totally rad facial hair ratio has a lot more to do with how good a band will be than you might think. Now, not only was that a really long sentence, but all of the members of Ladyhawk have totally rad facial hair, so techinically they should be awesome right?

"Ladyhawk's core is bracing rock. Neil Young's Tonight's The Night is the hailstorm on the hood of The Replacements Let It Be, while distorted guitars invoke the thread and swerve of Silkworm and Dinosaur Jr." - Jagjaguwar

I could be completely off here, but don't these vocals sound quite a bit like Wolf Parade, or well more specifically Spencer Krug. Feel free to yell at me and say, "No Matt! That's dumb, it's sounds nothing at all like Spencer Krug!" But you know it does, deep down inside, you don't want to think it, but it's there.

KEY FACTS: Spencer Krug-y vocals, really catchy chorus, shiny guitar distortion, totally rad facial hair. If these all interest you, then I highly recommend you download the song below at once.

[MP3]: Ladyhawk :: The Dugout

Ladyhawk will release their self-titled debut full length on Jagjaguwar March 6th. The cover art has a faceless woman with no shirt on in the woods. Boobies abound.

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Architecture In Helsinki - "Love Is Evil - The Prequel"

I know what you're thinking. "Hey, what going on? Architecture in Helsinki don't have anything new coming out." And you're right, they don't, this song is relatively old. However, I imagine a lot of you, like myself, hadn't heard it until now due to the fact that it appears on a limited edition Do The Whirlwind 7". An extended version of "Do The Whirlwind" also appears on this same 7", along with two other tracks one of which is a remix. Aside from "Do The Whirwind," this is the most interesting track from this 7". Also, keep in mind this is a vinyl rip. Okay? Okay.

[MP3]: Architecture in Helsinki :: Love Is Evil - The Prequel
One word to describe this song would be bizarre. Pulsing synths and kindergarten class-sounding percussion is accenting by rapping. Yep, Architecture in Helsinki can rap. Now, this isn't the kinda rap you'd leave the sticker on your hat for, but it's highly entertaining. But Architecture in Helsinki are too cool to just rap normal the whole way through, so about halfway through, japanese rapping. Did you expect anything less from these guys? Yeah, me niether.


Matt doesn't like the new Walkmen song he posted, I think it's pretty awesome, the horns are a bit odd, but it's a pretty good song.

The Paper Chase have a few samples from the upcoming album Now You Are On Of Us streaming on their website. I'm so excited for this album already, and now I cannot wait, it's sounding too good.

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New Xiu Xiu - "Vulture Piano"

Xiu Xiu performed at the Kill Rock Stars showcase at SXSW last week and played a few songs from their upcoming album The Air Force. "Hello From Eau Claire" and "Vulture Piano" were the two new songs that I heard were performed. I also heard the crowd talked over most of their set and were particulary loud during their moving perfromance of "Fabulous Muscles," which Caralee sang. You can see a somewhat decent video of "fabulous Muscles" here. And now the new song:

[MP3]: Xiu Xiu :: Vulture Piano
Obviously this isn't a studio recording, as you have probably already gathered, and if you hadn't, I'm very sorry for your newfound disappointment. However, this recording isn't that bad and it does give you a good idea of how the song's gonna sound recorded. It has kind of a "Pox" feel to it, which is probably due to the peppy drum machine beat used in the song. At about 2:18 though, I realize that this could plausibly end up being one of my favorite songs of the year, that guitar riff, all alone by itself, and then Jamie wailing "She was the best thing that you had!" It's magic.

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The Acorn - "Books"

The Acorn hail from from Ottawa, Canada. In Ottawa it can get retty chilly, so I can understand the band's blanket fixation. Last year's Blankets! EP is a glorious follow-up to their first album The Pink Ghosts. Now gone are the instrumentals and bedroom IDM and the band has moved onto more intricate songwriting and more vocals, good vocals. Most of the Blankets! consists of acoustic fare thats just wraps around you like a nice warm blanket. Aww. Having spent a healthy part of 2005 touring, they have built a loyal fan base and shared the stage with many of their friends, including Julie Doiron, Great Lake Swimmers, The Wooden Stars, Snailhouse, The Robot Ate Me. Check out this track from Blankets!

[MP3]: The Acorn :: Books (Highly Rec'd)
This song has a real fireplace feel to it. What I mean by that is, this song, along with the rest of the album, makes me feel like I'm up in the mountains somewhere in a cabin, watching the band sit there and tell me all their stories. The lyircs of the chorus really stuck out for me and I can't seem to get them out of my head. "I'm the books you're tired of reading / stories all the same / and the mess between the covers never change" There's a windy drone in the background that rises and falls throughout the song, and though you might not notice it at first, it does a lot to enhance the mood of the song.

Buy Blankets! from Kelp Records for $8!

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Radiohead Remixes

There was a pretty good response the last Radiohead post I made so I figured there might be some people who might be interested in these. There are a lot of Radiohead remixes out there, especially with the recent remix album releases and what have you. Like I said, there are countless remixes of Radiohead songs, but these two happen to be my favorites out of the many, many that I've heard, so enjoy.

[MP3]: Radiohead :: Skttrbrain (Four Tet RMX)
Nope, that's not a typo, that's how it's titled. Remix the song, remix the title, get it? Anyway, that's why I spell Skatterbrain on this website, with a "k." Enough about that, onto the song. Personally, I find it to be a much more interesting listen than the original version from Hail to the Thief. Four Tet did an incredible job of getting across the feeling of the song, which is obviously chaos and confusion, as brilliantly showcased with arcade bells, glitchy fuzzed out keyboards, and whats sounds like someone's fine china being shook in bag. This remix appeared on 2005's COM LAG (2plus2isfive) EP.

[MP3]: Radiohead :: Climbing Up the Walls (Zero 7 Mix)
This version gives the song an almost completely feel, gone are the strings and guitars, and in their place, eerie synths and drum machine beats. This song might as well say Portishead remix after, because that's exactly what it sounds like, that creepy lounge music sound. It's a little jazzy, a little creepy and a sort of uneasy listen, but ultimately rewarding. This track appears as a b-side on the second Karma Police single released in 1997.


Head here for a very interesting interview with Constellation Records co-founder Don. In the interview, Don talks about the future of his label, the music industry in general, his thoughts on compressed online music, and announces disappointing news about 2006 for GYBE!

Matt's been getting some great interviews lately, his latest Q&A with Honus from Man Man is definitely worth the read.

Head over to I Guess I'm Floating and pick up a couple tracks from Carl Newman's other other band, Zumpano. Sounds a bit more along the lines of his solo stuff than The New Pornographers, worth a listen though.

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.TAPE.

.TAPE. is 26 year-old Daniel Romero and he lives in Asturius, Spain. Daniel makes music with toy instruments like a Casio pt88, a toy accordion, and a toy spanish guitar. He then uses a simple sequencer and laptop and blends his sounds into beautiful bubbling melodies. .TAPE. is, for all intents and purposes, musical Nyquil. Within Daniel's songs you'll find a seamless mix of lush organic and electronic sounds such as crashing waves, buzzing keyboards, seagulls, jangly guitar along with countless other lullaby ingredients. Highly recommended for fans of Lullatone, Mum and any other soft expansive electro-lullaby-pop.

[MP3]: .TAPE. :: Making Waves

[MP3]: .TAPE. :: Sea-Scaping Monthly

Daniel also runs a mini label called Ambulatore. His latest album Paintings was released on Spain based label spa.RK Releases.
Buy Paintings here.

The above tracks come from .TAPE.'s MP3EP Sea-Scaping Monthly in 4 or 5 Movements which you can download in it's entirety, right here. This EP was released by net-label Observatory, which is probably one of my favorite finds in a while. They have tons of great indie-pop, electronica, glitch-pop, and etc artists and albums and it's all free! I strongly urge you to check it all out.

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Broken Social Scene Rarities

Due to the beautiful weather lately I've been listening to a lot of energentic happy sunshiney bands, or more specifically, a whole lot of Broken Social Scene. There's no more perfect song for flying down the road wit the sun shining and a nice breeze blowing than "Almost Crimes" and I don't think there's too many people who will dispute that. Anyway, I came across a couple Broken Social Scene tunes a lot of you probably haven't heard and thought you might like to hear them.

[MP3]: Broken Social Scene :: Stars and Spit LINK FIXED :)
This song appears on the forthcoming 7/4 (Shoreline) single, which will be available on March 27th on City Slang/Arts & Crafts, as a CD, 7" and download. If you're feeling detective-like today, you might have already assumed from the title of the track that it is indeed a remix/mash-up of two Broken Social Scene songs, "Stars and Sons" and "Lover's Spit." It uses the instrumentation from both songs and blends them perfectly with the vocals from "Lover's Spit", it's a very interesting listen.

[MP3]: Broken Social Scene :: Almost Crimes (Acoustic)
There isn't much to explain about this one, other than the fact that it is amazing. Back in June of 2004, Broken Social Scene found themselves at a Parisian radio station and recorded a six song acoustic set that included "Almost Crimes," an Apostle of Hustle jam, an Amy Millan ditty, a new Jason Collett tune and few other "classics." The shear beauty of this version takes this song to a whole different level and since I've heard it, I've found a new love for Broken Social Scene.

Buy Live at Radio Aligre FM in Paris from GalleryAC.

Watch the new video for "7/4 (Shoreline)" here. I really really love this video and Fiest is beautiful as always.

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A Taste Of What's To Come

Colid Greenwood of Radiohead posted this picture on the band's blog, Dead Air Space, last Wednesday. I'm speculating, as are most, that these are the new songs the band has been rehersing for their upcoming tour, due to the fact that "Tour" is written above them. As you can see I've highlighted two tracks, "Nude" and "Reckoner," both of which have been around for sometime and played live on several occasions, but never recorded. Both of these songs are also rumored to be strong contenders for ending up on Radiohead's next album, so here's a taste of what's to come. Keep in mind, these are early live versions of these songs and it is not unlikely that the recorded versions(assuming they're being recorded) may differ in some ways.

[MP3]: Radiohead :: Nude (aka Big Ideas)
This song was first performed acoustic by Thom in 1998 and was thought of to be a strong contender for OK Computer, but the band ultimately decided to leave it off. Musically, the song is beautiful. The standout in the song is obviously Thom's voice, but the keyboard, organ and glockenspiel melody is gorgeous and puts this song in the same category as say, "Motion Picture Soundtrack" or "True Love Waits."

[MP3]: Radiohead :: Reckoner
"Reckoner" unlike "Nude" is not what one would consider beautiful. This song is Radiohead at some of their rocking best, and the vocals are immensely engaging. The lyrics combined with Thom's whining and screaming give you feeling that Thom is losing his mind while performing this song, which could be entirely possible, mind you. This song isn't all Thom however, there's no way you can miss Jonny's brilliant police siren-sounding guitar riff that accompanies Thom's freakout.


A blog I've been reading a lot lately is I Guess I'm Floating. If you don't already read it daily, I highly recommend you begin doing so, today they've got a mess of Go! Team and Andrew Bird radio sessions. Plus, I've always loved that header.

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When I Was Young I Wanted To Do Great Things

I've never been too fond of e-labels in the past because I've never really come upon any that put out anything even remotely interesting to me. However, there's always something out there to change my opinion and in this case it was the e-label Sundays In Spring. I'll admit, I've only listened to one of their releases, but if Chauchat is any indication of how good the rest of their artists are, I'm very excited.

At first listen it would appear that Chauchat is quite possibly the illegimate child of David Bazan and Connor Oberst(don't question it, it could totally happen), but their more than that. Chauchat's Tyler Whitney is a heck of a songwriter, with lines like this from "When I was Young I Wanted to Do Great Things": These pillows are anchors and it seems like you’re still here / But we already went over that / A couple poets are singing as I try to sleep / Forcing couplets from their busted beaks. His emotion is just as real as Mr. Bazan or Mr. Oberst's and frankly, even sometimes more engaging.

[MP3]: Chauchat :: When I was Young I Wanted to Do Great Things

Listen to the rest of the self-titled album right here.
Check out more Chauchat releases on Frigital Records.

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You're Not An Astronaut

There's no need to introduce The Most Serene Republic, I'm quite sure that by now, you should all recognize them. Last year's Underwater Cinematographer was one of the most refreshing albums I heard all year, and they've finally got some new material, if you plan to catch them on tour, that is. Their new tour-only EP Phages is an even more brilliant listen than Underwater Cinematographer. The greatest thing to see here is that they realized what worked on Underwater Cinematographer and seem to have focused their attention to that style specifically on Phages, which really really worked in their favor. Here's a track from Phages.

[MP3]: The Most Serene Republic :: You're Not An Astronaut
One of the standout features of last year's Underwater Cinematographer was the incredible drumming and it's only gotten better as proven by the intro of this song, well actually, the whole song. While the drumming may be the highlight, the vocals are equally as engaging with just enough effect to make them sound otherworldly while remaining coherent. I don't want to spoil the outro, but it's probably the most fascinating 1:15 I've heard this year. It's pretty much the musical equivalent of a mental breakdown.

Unfortunately, Phages is currently only available at shows, but perhaps Arts & Crafts will eventually make it more widely available.

Site Tweaks:
I'm sure you've all noticed by now that I changed the site up a little bit. I'm aware that it's screwed up for Safari users, hopefully I'll have that fixed soon, once I figure out what's wrong. Is anyone else having difficulties or does the site look wierd? Please let me know. Thanks.

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Neko Case - "Dirty Knife"

First of all, PLEASE go here and vote for the Parlour Boys. They are in the running for the Verizon V-Cast "Calling All Bands" contest. The winner will be the first ever to release a song and video on V-Cast from Verizon Wireless. Go Vote! The Parlour Boys will love you! Okay, onward.



I've noticed this has already been making the rounds on the blogs lately, but I'm absolutely in love with this album and it would be a crime for me not to encourage you to listen to it, if you haven't already. I was going to put up a song called "That Teenage Feeling," but you can go get that here or here. Another one of my favorite tracks from Neko Case's Fox Confessor Brings the Flood is "Dirty Knife" and that's the one I decided to put up. I'm still blown away by how much I love this album, because typically, this type of music isn't my thing at all. I'd say it's probably a combination of Neko Case's irresistable voice and the recent beautiful weather, but i just can't seem to put it down.

[MP3]: Neko Case :: Dirty Knife
This song showcases Neko's amzing ability to build atmosphere in her music through her voice. I'd describe the song as a sort of country-noir due to the haunted feeling I get when listening to it. The cello builds up the tension at the end of the sound with it's very low pitched quick strokes. Hey, almost like, someone's coming after with a "Dirty Knife" perhaps?

Buy Fox Confessor Brings the Flood from Amazon.com

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Silver Jews Headlining Pitchfork's Summer Music Festival!

Pitchfork hasn't announced it yet, but last night on MTV2's "Subterranean" David and Cassie Berman announced that they'll be headlining this year's Pitchfork Summer Music Festival along with already confirmed acts: Mission of Burma, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, The Mountain Goats, The National, Jens Lekman, and Hot Machines. There are still 29 bands still to be anounced so keep your ears and eyes peeled. Can you peel your ears? I can't.

The Silver Jews are also touring for the first time in a very long time, in support of last year's fantastic Tanglewood Numbers. Check out the dates:

03-14 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle ^
03-16 Charlottesville, VA - Satellite Ballroom %
03-17 New York, NY - Webster Hall $
03-18 New York, NY - Webster Hall @
03-19 Cambridge, MA - Middle East &
03-21 Philadelphia, PA - Starlight Ballroom
03-22 Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
03-24 Columbus, OH - Little Brother's =
03-25 Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig
04-13 Bloomington, IN - Bluebird #
04-14 Chicago, IL - Double Door +
04-15 Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon +
04-24 London, England - Scala
04-25 London, England - Scala
04-27 Edinburgh, Scotland - Bongo Club (Triptych Festival)
04-28 Glasgow, Scotland - Tramway (Triptych Festival)

* with Spiritual Family Reunion
^ with Edith Frost
% with the Janks, Mas y Mas
$ with Beans, John Tully
@ with Tammy Faye Starlite, John Tully
& with Ketman, New Radiant Storm King
= with Horns of Happiness
# with Baby Teeth
+ with Why?

[MP3]: Silver Jews :: Sometimes A Pony Gets Depressed

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New Elf Power - "The Spider And The Fly"

April 25th will see the release of Back to the Web, Elf Power's self produced follow-up to 2004's Walking with the Beggar Boys. The new album will be Elf Power's first release on Rykodisc. The sound of the new album is more than a little different than their previous works. "I was listening to a lot of Middle Eastern folk and gypsy music when I started writing these songs, and I tried to emulate some of those sounds by combining 12-string acoustic guitar with violin and accordion," says frontman Andrew Rieger. In addition to founding members, Elf Power has also picked up new drummer Josh Lott, Olivia Tremor Control's John Fernandes (violin, clarinet), Jimmy Hughes (guitar) and Heather McIntosh to give Back to the Web a much fuller sound than the band's previous albums. After one listen through, I can't stop listening to this track.

[MP3]: Elf Power :: The Spider and the Fly
Andrew noted being influenced by a lot of Middle eastern and Gypsy music on this new album, and it's very evident on this track with the Cat Stevens-esque picking on the lead guitar. I'd also like to say that grabbing up the new drummer was a fabulous decision on Elf Power's part, his military march-style rolls on this song tie it all together.

Tracklist for Back to the Web:
01. Come Lie Down With Me (And Sing My Song)
02. An Old Familiar Scene
03. Rolling Black Water
04. King Of Earth
05. Peel Back The Moon, Beware!
06. 23rd Dream
07. Somewhere Down The River
08. The Spider And The Fly
09. Forming
10. All The World Is Waiting
11. Under The Northern Sky
12. Back To The Web

Preorder Back to the Web from Rykodisc.

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The Battles - "(Make Love) In Beds Of Rivers"

Some things I think you should consider before listening to this track:

• The Battles are NOT the same band as Battles.
• The "The" is very important and makes your Google searches find much less information.
• The Battles apparently do not like to take press shots or have live shots anywhere on the internet(to my knowledge).
• There is also a Argentinian Beatles cover band called The Battles.
• But, The Battles I speak of include Steve Wood(Ex-Destroyer), Dan Bejar(Destroyer, The New Pornographers), Scott Morgan(Loscil, Destroyer) and Tim Lowen(Destroyer, Precious Fathers).

So, as you can see, lots of talent in this bunch and Steven Wood's songwriting is spot on here, as visible in this track with it's inumerable great moments. Starting right from the beggining with the catchy organ-y sounding keyboard line and the fuzzy guitar riffs. Then about halfway through the song take's a turn and practically slows to halt as Steven repeatedly commands: "Make sweet love!"

[MP3]: The Battles :: (Make Love) In Beds Of Rivers (HIGHLY REC'D!)

After five years since their debut Lycanthropy, The Battles' new album Tomorrow's Eager Hands delivers exactly what they're debut promised would be coming. Tomorrow's Eager Hands is out now on Soft Abuse and you can(will) buy it here.


Matt's got a new Pants Yell! song! Yes! Hopefully these guys will get the attention they deserve this year.

Miles Kurosky of the late Beulah is back in the hospital AGAIN for shoulder surgery. Sad! Get well Miles!

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New Stellastarr* Single And Tour Dates

Stellastarr* is coming back to tour the US in late March and April to support the new single “Love and Longing” from their album Harmonies for the Haunted. I wasn't a huge fan of the new album at first, but it eventually grew on me. It doesn't have a "Pulp Song," but it does have some shining moments, this song being one of them.

[MP3]: Stellastarr* :: Love and Longing

Tour Dates:
3.20.06 - Boston, MA (The Roxy)
3.21.06 - South Burlington, VT (Higher Ground)
3.22.06 - Montreal, QC (Cabaret du Musse Juste Pour Rire)
3.24.06 - Toronto, ON (Phoenix Concert Theater)
3.25.06 - Cleveland, OH (Agora Theater)
3.26.06 - New York, NY (Bowery Ballroom) – only Stellastarr*
3.27.06 - New York, NY (Bowery Ballroom) – only Stellastarr*
3.28.06 - Brooklyn, NY (Warsaw)
3.29.06 - Washington, DC (9:30 Club)
4.01.06 - Philadelphia, PA (Trocadero)
4.02.06 - Baltimore, MD (Sonar)
4.04.06 - Norfolk, VA (The Norva Theatre)
4.05.06 - Carrboro, NC (Cat's Cradle)
4.06.06 - Athens, GA (40 Watt Club)
4.07.06 - Orlando, FL (The Social)
4.08.06 - Miami, FL (Studio A)
4.09.06 - St. Petersburg, FL (State Theater)
4.11.06 - Nashville, TN (Exit/In)
4.12.06 - Columbus, OH (Newport Music Hall)
4.13.06 - Detroit, MI (Magic Stick)
4.14.06 - Covington, KY (The Mad Hatter)
4.15.06 - Columbia, MO (Blue Note)
4.16.06 - Chicago, IL (Metro)
4.18.06 - Minneapolis, MN (Fine Line Music Cafe)
4.19.06 - Lawrence, KS (Granada Theatre)
4.21.06 - Denver, CO (Bluebird Theatre)
4.22.06 - Salt Lake City, UT (TBD)
4.25.06 - Vancouver, BC (Richard's On Richards)
4.27.06 - Seattle, WA (Chop Suey)
4.28.06 - Portland, OR (Dante's)
4.29.06 - San Francisco, CA (Mezzanine)
4.30.06 - Indio, CA (Coachella)

*All shows with The Editors unless otherwise noted.

www.stellastarr.com

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Early/Rare Mogwai Tracks

Considering that Mr. Beast is garnering much more popularity for Mogwai than any of their previous albums and the current U.S. tour and what-have-you, they've been gaining a lot of new fans and I couldn't think of a more perfect time to showcase a few early and/or rare Mogwai songs that I love.

[MP3]: Mogwai :: Xmas Steps
This song appears on the No Education = No Future (F*** the Curfew) EP (1998) and is an early version of "Christmas Steps" which later appeared on the album Come On Die Young. Personally, I prefer this version over the CODY version for a couple reasons, one being that it's a bit faster than the later version, and the other reason being that it just feels more raw and powerful. The distortion in the chreshendo on this version feels so much dirtier than on CODY and I really love it that way.

[MP3]: Mogwai :: Untitled
"Untitled" comes from Travels in Constants Vol. 12 (2001), a three song EP that Mogwai contributed to Temporary Residence's subscription-only Travels in Constants series that began back in 1999. This track, along with the other two tracks on the EP, is a mostly mellow piece complete with distorted guitar drone, piano and drumming that moves in and out of the spotlight throughout the song. In the last 15 seconds there is what sounds like a large woman ranting about "intestinal troubles."

[MP3]: Mogwai :: Stanley Kubrick
I was so incredibly excited when I saw "Stanely Kubrick" on the setlist last night(they did it beautifully, by the way) as it's probably one of my favorite songs they've ever written. This is probably Mogwai's most haunting sounding track, and mostly built upon a simple drum and distorted and delayed guitar melody, but then builds up to a wave of layered guitars creating a huge bright sound. "Stanley Kubrick" appears on Mogwai EP+2 (1999).

Buy most all Mogwai releases from Amazon.com.


Matt has a HUGE load of Yo La Tengo by request cover songs that they performed live on WFMU to aid in their fundraiser. Act Fast.

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I Never Got A Room At Kit Club Hotel

I would like to thank the wonderful soul from the Sigur Ros forums who turned me onto The Kid. The Kid is a four piece from Sweden who make what one would possibly call "Gothic Dance." They mix dark instrumentation and breathy female vocals to make a sort of chamber-rock meets post-punk meets dance sound that is both haunting and irresistable. If I were to throw a few artists into a pot, I'd say they sound like a mix of Joy Division, The Cure and The Knife. This song is from their album La Société Nouvelle, which was released exactly a month ago on Hybris Records, I highly recommend that you go buy it right now.

[MP3]: The Kid :: Kit Club Hotel (Highly Rec'd)

Watch a streaming video for "Kit Club Hotel" HERE. Sadly, it's a RealPlayer stream, and I hate RealPlayer, so I haven't watched it. Someone let me know how it is.


Y'know, since I apparently have the maturity of a five year-old, I can't stop singing the lyrics to these songs by a lovely demented man by the name of Black Nasty. Thanks Dodge, thanks a lot for tainting my poor fragile person.

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Lines Of Parallel Minds

I'm pretty busy this morning, but here's a little something. I was sent this song by a band called The 303s yesterday and I've been listening to it a lot, its very... mesmerizing.

"The 303s music overflows with loud yet sweet aural dialogues that showcase Ingrid and Parixit's shared attractions to anxiety, love, experimentation, and letdown amidst all of their jarring guitars, complex rhythms, shoegazy fuzz, and synthesizer harmonics."

[MP3]: The 303s :: Beyond The Lines

Their debut LP Lines of Parallel Minds will be out April 11th on Cult Hero Records, I recommend checking it out.

Be their Myspace friend.


As you may have noticed I didn't post a thing yesterday, because of two things: A) I was sick and the monitor hurt my eyes. B) I went to see Mogwai. I was going to do a review of the show, but you see, I forgot my camera, so I'm not going to bother, but I'm pretty sure it was best show I've ever seen. My ears are still ringing.

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New Jade Tree Signees: Panda And Angel

Continuing it's recent signing frenzy, Jade Tree has picked up Seattle, Washington's Panda and Angel. Panda and Angel is a relatively new collaboration between Carrie Murphy of Touchdown Eagle, Josh Wackerly of S and several other players. In simple terms, their sound is very moving, their music can move from delicate melodies and vocals into a wall of graceful distortion in the blink of an eye. That's what makes this band very interesting to me though, songs with large expansive chreshendos always get me and Panda and Angels have got 'em down. Panda and Angel recently completed work on their self-titled six song EP at Avast! studio in Seattle, it's expected to see a release by mid-summer.

[MP3]: Panda and Angel :: Dangerous (Very Highly Rec'd)
First of all, if the rest of the EP is on par with this song, I can see it definitely being a big favorite of mine this year. The song starts out with a bubbley beeps and pops and then a low lying guitar line comes in and it's a only a matter of seconds until Panda and Angel turn on the distortion and set the song in motion. But the wave distortion leaves as quickly as it came and gives way to a tempo change and handclaps! I don't know about you guys, but I feel like some perfectly placed handclaps can take a song from good to amazing just like that. But no, they don't stop at handclaps, after a few more movemts through the song, a definite buildup begins that eventually leads the explosive ending I was hoping for the whole time.

Panda and Angel on Myspace.


Head over to You Aint No Picasso and check out Matt's new interview with Jay and Becca from The Light Footwork.

Also, You can listen in to an interview with Stuart on Terry Gross' NPR show TODAY from 3pm NYC (ES) time. Tune in online at www.npr.org or if you're in New York, it airs on WNYC-AM from 7-8PM, and WNYC-FM from 3-4PM.

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The New Rochelle Rotary Club

I'm having a really terrible time at work this morning because I've got a cold and I keep getting bad sinus headaches and it hurts to look at the monitor, but I found something this morning that I think most of you will really like.

Although The New Rochelle Rotary Club sounds like it would be a large collective of musicians, it is in fact, just one guy. Will Benoit dwells somewhere in a valley between lo-fi pop and electronica, running back and forth creating sounds and sometimes blending the two worlds together. His debut on Radar Recordings is a double album, disc one, Vol. 1 The Tide Below, focusing on his more pop-driven efforts and the other, Vol. 2 Air Currents, being more on the modern electronica side. With such a diverse range of styles, there's pretty much something for everyone here, or if you're like me, you'll probably just like all of it. Vol. 1 RIYL: The Flaming Lips, Travis Morrison, John Frusciante; Vol. 2 RIYL: Aphex Twin, M83, Autechre.

From Vol. 1 The Tide Below
[MP3]: The New Rochelle Rotary Club :: Solitary Holiday (Highly Rec'd)

From Vol. 2 Air Currents
[MP3]: The New Rochelle Rotary Club :: Air Currents Part III

Get both discs from Radar Recordings for just $8!


In Scottish guitar rock news, Pitchfork wasn't exactly blown away by Mogwai's Mr. Beast, although, I can't really blame them, considering how great the album could have been, it was a bit of a letdown. Also in Rock Action news, Part Chimp will be heading to the U.S. for a rather large tour through most of March with Oxford Collapse. Dates dates dates.

GvB, lover of all things Sound Team, has two tracks from sunset}}}}}}}}}}, Bill Baird of Sound Team's multi-named solo project. I highly recommend downloading "Bourbon," it's so so so so good.

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Why'd You Have To Die Without Saying Goodbye?

Toothfairy, who most of you already know from his popularity in the "blogosphere" a month or two ago over his Formative EP, also got involved with Portland's PDX POP NOW! last year for their PDX POP NOW! 2005 compilation album. Toothfairy, along with The Decemberists, Sleater Kinney, Viva Voce and many many more Portland musicians contributed tracks for the two disc compilation. Many of the tracks were previously unreleased, including this one by Toothfairy.

[MP3]: Toothfairy :: Why'd You Have To Die?
This song is mostly about the lyrics, as the instrumentation, albeit electronic, is fairly sparse. But the melody does follow the lyrics well, creating a tense atmosphere around Chad Crouch's lyrics, which sound much more bitter than what he had to say on Formative. Although, if someone I knew died without saying goodbye, I would'nt exactly be in a chipper mood either.


Im a little late getting to this but Matt's got a new Page France track, and it's fantasnificent.

Sorry for the dry spell the past couple days, but as crazy as it sounds, I do have a life outside of this lovely blog and I was well, living it.

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It's A Long Way Down

I don't know how I didn't know about this guy until now, seeing as he's from Maryland and well, whatever, I thought I would of heard of him by now, okay. Hailing from DC, by way of Prince Georges county Benjy Ferree embodies that sort of rustic feeling pop, that The White Stripes captured so pefectly on Get Behind Me Satan. Ranging from slight honky tonk sounds to slow acoustic folk, Ferree's songs rely on a "keen understanding of the spiritual side of music from a variety of sources."

From outside his bedroom in PG County, Ferree and friends recorded a stunning EP that was eventually mixed by Brendan Canty of Fugazi. This EP titled Leaving The Nest was released October 1st of last year on Box Theory Records, you can buy it from their website.

[MP3]: Benjy Ferree :: Leaving the Nest (It's A Long Way Down)
You know when Jack White's vocals sound really dirty? Well, try to think something like that but even rustier sounding, basically he sounds just like it looks like he would sound. This song's perfect for today, it just resonates with the rainy hazy look outside.


If you haven't already, go check out Matt's interview with Page France.

Artex Monkeys? I have no idea what to make of this, but the lyrics are pretty funny.

If you find yourself being bored, I suggest a few games of The Boy Least Likely To's Fur Ball Pong.

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New Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Cheated Hearts"

Yesterday the new album Show Your Bones by New York art rockers, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs was leaked. Discussion on the band's official message board has indicated that this is infact not the final version of the album, which is even worse because, unfortunately when an album leaks, of course their are the fans of the band who will hear it, but still go out and buy the album later, but then you've got to imagine how many people out there will end up just keeping their unfinished version and never hearing the album as the band meant it to be heard. Anyway, as incentive to BUY the album when it comes out, this track is much more convincing then the widely circulated "Gold Lion." I would recommend getting this quick.

[MP3]: Yeah Yeah Yeahs :: Cheated Hearts (HIGHLY REC'D!)
In the coming weeks you're gonna hear a lot of people saying "UH OH! Karen O has lost her edge!" and although that isn't completely false, she's still Karen O, and she can still sing the hell out of songs like this. While this song is definitely no "Y-Control" it is definitely an early favorite of mine and I could see it easily being a single. This song practically explodes right as Karen O finishes repeatedly screaming "I think that I'm bigger than the sound!" and just then, the sound does in fact get much bigger when Nick Zinner throws out a charing guitar riff, making me feel like this band hasn't really lost a thing.


I can really argue his logic never having seen Of Montreal myself, but nary a week after declaring Sigur Ros as the best show he's ever been to, Matt goes and pulls a fast one on us, moving Om into the top spot. Read his review of the show. Wow, looks like he just put up a Tapes 'n Tapes interview too. No stopping this kid.

If you haven't yet noticed it on my sidebar, I would like to direct your attention towards Sings Like Lightening. My friend Leza runs it and she likes romanticisms and writes a lot better than me, so you should definitely stop by and say hello.

Also, for those of you concerned(and how could you not be?), Circulatory System has of today gotten three of the approximately 25 or so tracks from the new album mixed. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and it looks glorious! Man, I cannot wait!

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