Kevin and I have criss-crossed the midwest to see Blitzen Trapper.  We hoofed it to a snowy Buffalo to see them open up for Iron and Wine in Ani DiFranco's converted church (and ran over a deer carcass on the way home) and hauled our asses to Detroit to see them at the Magic Stick (stopping in Bowling Green for Pollyeyes).  Each time it's been worth the gas money and effort; dudes slay live.  In the time that we've been blogging, however, Blitzen Trapper have bypassed our fair city here on America's north coast.  Tomorrow, instead of a caffeine-fueled roadtrip, we get to see Oregon's favorite progenitors of death ballads on our home turf.  Blitzen Trapper are headlining a killer bill at the Beachland Ballroom.  We'll be there early to catch Cincinnati popsters Pomegranates and (perhaps more excitingly for me personally) our first glimpse of Cleveland up and comers Cloud Nothings (the other Dicks have caught these cats and said glowing things, but I have a kid, so lay off me).

To sum up:  you, me, Kevin, and all of your friends will be seeing a triple bill of indie goodness tomorrow at the Beachland.  First beer (per usual) is on Petkovic.

We've got a taste of what to expect below.  We're reserving judgment on the new Blitzen Trapper record until we hear it live.  I like it, but I'm ready to love it (and get it more, if you can dig) after seeing Eric Earley, Cousin Marty and the rest of the boys take it to the stage.  Judging from the tracks below (one old and one new), BT has been honing their already impressive live chops.  To say that I'm stoked is an understatement.  We've also got a Pomegranates single to chew on and (again, really exctiingly) some Cloud Nothings audio (courtesy of the always on time NYC Taper).  Enjoy and get your tukas to the Beachland on Thursday.  For non-Clevelanders and homebodies, expect a full show dissection in the coming days.

Cloud Nothings – Even If It Worked Out – Live, 2010

Pomegranates – Corriander

Blitzen Trapper – Dragon's Song – Live, 2010

Blitzen Trapper – Sleepytime in the Western World – Live, 2010

Just a couple of days ago, I reviewed Black Mountain's blistering show at The Beachland Ballroom (see HERE).  My electronic mail woke me up this morning with a new cut from Black Mountain's upcoming LP, Wilderness Heart.  One of the things I loved most about In the Future was its psychedelic take on both the sludgier elements of early 70's blues-rock and the psychedelic modalities of their best acid-rock predecessors.  This newest track, "The Hair Song," fits right in line with what McBean has alluded to when discussing the upcoming album.  There's immediately a lighter and more airy feel to this, as opposed to the all out subterranean feel of In The Future.  The song absolutely shreds with a killer gypsy-like riff throughout the song, and Webber and McBean's vocals link together with more lively vigor.  This isn't Pink Mountaintops, but I don't quite think it's signature Black Mountain, either.  I'm absolutely revved to hear the new album in its entirety.  McBean has mentioned that the new release will carry more of this lighter feel.  More pop, in other words, but that doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't rock.  Listen to "The Hair Song" and you'll get the idea.

Black Mountain – The Hair Song

Now that the disclaimer bit is out of the way, let's dispose of one more piece of business.  Mines is good.  Really good.  To contextualize, consider, for a moment, the way the I interact with records.  As our own Justin (currently on hiatus in the Paris of the South.  Or maybe the Brooklyn of the East.  Can't recall exactly.) has pointed out, I base a lot of my critical perspective on my impression of a piece of work's longevity.  I latch onto records that I think I'll be listening to ten years from now.  I am only passingly interested in the ephemeral; I want to hitch my heart's wagon to records that I'll listen to for a long time.  This year, I've only purchased three physical copies of new releases (Local Natives, Suckers, and the record up for discussion today).  Those are the records that, to this point, I see myself wanting to hear when I'm 40.  Do I love, say, Sleigh Bells?  Of course.  But I think we can all acknowledge that that's a bit flash-in-the-pannish.  No reason to do anything other than an electronic copy there.  But a record like Mines is one that I want to know will exist in my life even if my hard drive explodes; I need the comfort of knowing  that I'll still be able to listen to it if my ipod falls down a well or society collapses and we get our music solely from hand-crank gramophones. 

In our internal Dick work sessions, I encouraged my colleagues to listen to two tracks on Mines. (We try to save each other some hassle on records we're trying to foist on others by pointing out the key cuts.  Kevin, for instance has sworn for a year the I'll love A.A. Bondy if I just listen to "A Slow Parade." I'm holding out to torture him.)  I told the other dicks to listen to "BOTE" and "Oh Pretty Boy, You're Such a Big Boy."  I'd urge you, dear reader, to do the same.  Wrap your brain around those two songs and you're halfway to loving Mines.  (Sidebar: I have no clue what's going on with the all caps thing in several song titles.  a.) BOTE, as far as I can tell, isn't a word.  Neither are the other all caps song titles, "TAOS" and "INTIL."  They also don't appear to be readily applicable acronyms.  b.) All caps?  For what?  Emphasis?  Visual counterpoint?  No clue.  If you are reading this and are Menomena, please clarify in the comments.)  "BOTE" starts with a frenetic drum beat, a pleading, snappily figurative lyric ("Oh sea legs please don't fail me now/I pray lord please help me right/This ship today/Cause I can't take much more/Of this strain on my battered hull.") and slowly integrates a wicked little saxophone blurb, spiraling guitar work (notably around the three minute mark) and some soaring, angelic harmonies.  There's a ton to like in the track's six minutes.  As a whole, it sums up what a lot of Mines is about: playful sonics (with the slow integration and methodical iteration of sounds, almost in a DJ Shadow "Building Steam WIth a Grain of Salt Way," but not at all electronic) buttressing lyrics that point to the bleakness of human affairs.  It's a doozy.  "Oh Pretty Boy, You're Such a Big Boy" is damn near a dirge about the fleeting nature of time, but it's saved from overt murkiness by a wildly unexpected piano riff and some killer synthesizer work.  If "BOTE" captures the up-tempo half of the record, "Oh Pretty Boy, You're Such a Big Boy" snags the quieter, more introspective chunk of Mines.  The hushed drums, squelched guitar wails and sneaky bass line underpin a near-funk song wrapped in gloom.  Good times.

We could do the song by song dissection of the rest of Mines, but it's probably as functional to just tell you that there isn't a clunker on the album.  A few words on some standouts are probably in order, however.  "Tithe" opens with a minute of what sounds to be a bottle solo (a la "Accidentally Kelly Street" crossed with Billy Martin; it's kind of like the sound a ghost might make at a bachelor party) then segues into a swaying, piano driven near-hymn, punctuated by frenetic drums and power chords.  (Also, "Tithe" bears a strong resemblance to Billy Joel's "Goodnight Saigon," at least to my ear.  That's the first and last time you'll hear an indie band of some renown sincerely and non-snarkily linked to the Piano Man, I'd guess.)  "Sleeping Beauty" is a hot mess of distortion and dance beats.  "INTIL" (another sonic doppelganger, this time for Radiohead's "Videotape") closes the record on an elegiac note and is particularly stirring.  I don't have anything clever to say about "Lunchmeat" and "Dirty Cartoons;" they're good. 

Two thoughts to close: First, I kind of like the idea of geographically polar bands.  Local Natives, for instance, as the west coast Grizzly Bear is the kind of thing I can hang my hat on.  Menomena may well be the Oregonian Akron/Family.  The extremes aren't as extreme here and there's a sort of northwestern pall over much of the album, but I'd bet that if you raided both bands' closets, you'd find the same records.  Secondly, Megafaun's Brad Cook told us in March that he'd heard a rough cut of Mines and was jaw-on-the-floor-excited about it. (I recognize how evil and pretentious name-dropping is, but it seemed warranted this one time.)  If Brad's stoked, you should be too.  We've got two tracks to get you primed, both of which are top drawer.  (And, we'll be discussing The Suburbs at some point this week; I'll wager that even that gem doesn't have a more cutting lyric about North American ennui than the one in the middle of "Five Little Rooms."  You'll know it when you hear it.)

Menomena – Five Little Rooms

Menomena – TAOS

Grab Mines at Insound.

Lastly, there's this, just for tickles.

Vince, the C.D. Cultural Attache to the Lake County Embassy, is catching The Kickdrums tonight at the B-Side.  In celebration of both that event (which, if you're reading this on Monday, you can probably still make it to) and in recognition of our continuing commitment to post all available remixes of "Two Weeks," we bring you the following track.  Word.  Snag the rest of the excellent Kickdrums mixtapes here. (The track below segues into a slightly manipulated version of The Specials' "Ghost Town," so get on it.)

Grizzly Bear, Jay-Z, and The Kickdrums – Two Weeks

I subscribed to Rolling Stone for something like 12 years, from around the time I was 15 to a few years ago.  I stopped subscribing because the magazine stopped being interesting to me; I dropped my subscription after a year where Timberlake (or some similar popular entity) was on the cover like six times.  I couldn't justify the expense anymore.  Last week, I got a copy of Rolling Stone in the mail.  I have no idea why.  It just showed up, unexplained.  I remembered how much I love David Fricke and Peter Travers, how good the political reporting can be, and how entertaining Random Notes can be.  It's weird, given that I now write for a music blog that operates (at least moderately) outside of the popular mainstream, but I'm back on board with Rolling Stone.  I don't know how the magazine found it's way back to my mail, but I'm glad it did.  (Jann, if you're reading, I'd love to have Austin Scaggs' job if you're getting tired of him.)

Two things of interest in the issue of Rolling Stone (1107) that got me back in the fold:

1.) Sting is a complete asshole.  A few choice cuts from his "Q & A," followed by my own brief. snarky comments: 

a.) "For pop music to reach me, it has to surprise every eight bars."  (Go fuck yourself.  Every eight bars?  Really?  So you want 15 tempo shifts or something in one cut?  Really?) 

b.) "The song is really about the idea of guns having a totemic magic that will attract their misuse."  (Ah, I love it when pompous cocks misapply big words.  Something totemic wouldn't invite misuse, as it connotes something positively powerful.  Read a book, you illiterate son of a bitch.) 

c.) Upon being asked "Can you go the rest of your life without playing with the Police," Gordon replies: "Why do you think that's important?"  (Um.  Because the Police were important and you're solo shit eats a bag of dicks.)  I'm probably not breaking new ground in the blogosphere by pointing out the bombast of an aging rock singer, but it makes me feel better about myself.

2.) Neil Young is playing solo gigs and absolutely laying waste to all venues in his path.  He's workshoping some new stuff, but these three tracks from olden days are amazing.  Just Neil and his ax, letting shit fly with stark and striking beauty.  Yes please.

Neil Young – Down by the River – Live, 2010

Neil Young – Ohio – Live, 2010

Neil Young – Cortez the Killer – Live, 2010

I've often alluded to the chemistry of Amber Webber and Stephen McBean vocally.  There is a decisive distance between the two and this back and forth evokes much of the band's harrowing stage presence.  The band rolled through as much of 2008's In the Future as time would allow.  The 7+ minutes of "Tyrants" and the epic jam session that "Druganaut" turned into, managed to leave the band with about 7or 8 nuggets of wailing perfection.  "Wucan" was one of my favorite tracks a few years ago, so this was a treat to see in a live setting.  McBean stomps on the pedal and sends it into overdrive halfway through.  It translated perfectly in the darkened quarters of the Beachland.  Most tracks did, and whether it was soloing, the synth-wizardry of Jeremy Schmidt, or the smoky reverb of Amber Webber, each piece was orchestrated brilliantly.  There were a lot of Clevelanders that headed to the Black Keys show down the street, but the fairly packed crowd spoke volumes about our growing scene here.  Two packed venues, two great bands.  A rowdy fan shouted, "Cleveland likes Black Mountain more than the Black Keys!"  McBean shot back with, "We'll have to tell Mr. Auerbach about that one."  In any event, scheduling bottlenecks aside, the hour and half was well worth it. By the time they slowed it down a little with "Stay Free," folks were locked in and ear drums were pulsing.

Black Mountain – Tyrants

I suppose the best way to substantiate this review is to mention that I went to this one solo.  No, peanut gallery, I do have friends, but half our crew decided to go the "other" show in town, and I think I made the right choice.  The clouds above Cleveland dissipated while I was indoors, but the sullen and retro psych sounds of this quintet were just enough to lift this Clevelander out of the muggy haze.  Enjoy our concert footage of "Evil Ways" and the killer six-minute jam session of their "Druganaut" rendition.  Fuck the Cadillac commercial.  This is how it's supposed to be done. (Concert photos below the vids – Pardon the amateur photography).

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

(Editor's Note: You're reading this on July 24th, but I'm writing it on July 17th.  I'm out of town all week; kind of a no phones, no lights, no motor cars kind of thing.  I didn't want to leave you in the lurch today, so I'm writing ahead of time.  If something crazy happened in the last seven days, like Mel Gibson converted to Judaism or whatever, I won't be touching on that today, given my lack of a device for reliably seeing the future.  For reals.)

It's hard to overstate how much I love Violent Femmes.  Their self-titled debut came out in 1982, well before I had anything like autonomous muscial consciousness (I was four).  The cassette tape (as far as I can guesstimate) came into my possession in or around the summer/fall of 1994.  I don't remember the circumstances involved that led me to buy the tape, but I do remember listening to that cassette over and over and over when I started to drive.  (I've written it before, but it bears repeating; for the first five or so years that I drove, I drove a 1989 Plymouth Acclaim.  I carried four cassette tapes: REM’s Document, the soundtrack to Repo Man, the first Violent Femmes album, and Led Zeppelin II. It was one of those or the radio.)  Violent Femmes might be the perfect record for the bookish high school kid.  Shit, Gordon Gano sang what I thought of as my life on that record.  Kevin and James listened to hair metal in high school, presumably because they played football and scored with chicks.  I read Ray Bradbury, talked to five people, and put my stock in Gano and Stipe.  Mike (I'd argue) speaks to the romantic at the heart of every dork; Gordon speaks to the brooding depressive, the last picked kid in gym class who doesn't think things are going to change (at least on that first record; I mean "I'm so lonely/feel like I'm gonna crawl away and die" isn't even the most depressing lyric on the record, which is certainly saying something). 

All this to introduce the fact that I turn 32 this summer.  The last time I shouted the lyrics to "Add It Up" in my car (three days ago, for the record), it hit me that I've been listening to Violent Femmes for longer than I haven't.  I didn't have that record (or cassette, or "mp3," or whatever) in my life for my first sixteen years on the planet.  I've now had that record coursing through my brain for more than half my life.  Mrs. Citizen and I have always put a lot of stock in those kinds of dates (for instance, we'll have been married longer than we haven't been married in June of 2023, which is crazy).  That record (and, obviously, the band itself and the records that came after it, most notably Hallowed Ground, but also Why Do Birds Sing?) has shepherded me through the greater part of my adult life.  Weird shit.  To commemorate my half-life-averssary with Violent Femmes, we've got two of the best tracks, live from 1984.  (In related news, neither of them are "Blister in the Sun," which is kind of like "Love Her Madly," as far as that goes.)

Violent Femmes – Promise – Live, 1984

Violent Femmes – Kiss Off – Live, 1984

To close out today, as promised in the run-up to my jaunt to Chicago, we've got some live MMJ.  If you are on the way to the Notherly Island on August 17th as well, first Old Style is on you.

My Morning Jacket – Dancefloors – Live, 2008

Filmstrip describes themselves on their Myspace as, “a band from Cleveland, Ohio made up of two brothers with white blood and an Arabic name (Matt and Dave Taha) who were raised by a catholic, a muslim, and a kuwaiti drop-out, and a guy (Nick Riley) who thinks Allah/God/Krisna/Buddah must be or have been, a drummer."  I'm still wrapping my brain around this desription, and have been for a couple of hours.  Nonetheless, they're really three irish dudes who are putting a little sheen on their in-your-face garage rock anthems.  This track, "In My Mind," begins with fuzzy central riff and maintains a consistent Cleveland thumbprint throughout.  We wear the furrowed brow of the blue collar.  Our fashion is based on durability and we drink real beer in real bars.  Our attorneys shake hands with steelworkers in rustbelt brotherhood.  Filmstrip fights right in here.  What initially pops off as something infectiously melodic is actually quite a bit more complex.  These guys have chops and we're excited to hear the rest of the album.  So much regional music rarely bounces out of the local scene that births it.  I don't see that happening with these guys.  They had the opportunity to play at Sundance recently and have enjoyed the flirtation with national exposure.  We'll stamp our approval on it right now.  If you're in Cleveland, there's no reason to be out of the loop.  If you're from elsewhere, check out their myspace HERE.  The band is having their record (self) release party at one of our favorite venues, Happy Dog, and will be supported by local favorites Hot Cha Cha and Founding Fathers.

Filmstrip – In My Mind

Sometimes strangled, sometimes assaulting with strobelight intensity, Marnie's back, and I couldn't be more excited.  There is not a soul in music producing this kind of sound, and I can't wait for the October 5th Kill Rock Star's release of Marnie Stern. Describing Marnie's guitar virtuosity is fruitless at this point, because descriptors are difficult to hone in on.  The blistering chorus of "For Ash" manages to sound like someone karate-chopping her in the throat, yet it's entirely melodic at the same time.  When it comes to staggering and colorful experimentation, Stern reigns as queen with smoke flying from her fingertips. As far as early comparisons to her back catalog, I'm intrigued slightly by the backseat the noodling takes in this one, leaving Marnie's alien-starship vocals front and center.  This isn't a huge leap away from her last record, at least parts of it.  She's left us with the album's opener here, and if this is your first listen, have a seat and tie your shoes tightly.

Marnie Stern – For Ash

Hidden is hugely one of the more complex and ambitious efforts of 2010, and These New Puritans has always been able to stretch the parameters of normalcy and comfort into strangely listenable audio.  It's a shame that SALEM didn't remix "Three-Thousand," because that's easily one of my favorite tracks of the year.  Nonetheless, SALEM has taken the near vaudevillian arrangement of "Hologram" and morphed it into a Fantasia meets "Straight Outta Compton" kinda thing. I realize the buzz surrounding SALEM, but all this has done is forced me back into These New Puritans.  Thanks, SALEM.

These New Puritans – Hologram (SALEM Remix)

Last winter, Brian and I had the opportunity to rap a bit with Annuals frontman and producer, Adam Baker, just outside The Grog Shop entrance.  An immediate endearing quality of Baker's is that he's entirely humble and loves performing.  Repeatedly, he mentioned how excited he was that people even showed up on a cold and blustery Cleveland night.  Self-deprecation can look ugly, but not in this situation.  Annuals kicks into full octane when seen live, and in the wake of all the hullabaloo surrounding Arcade Fire's upcoming release, at least to me, it'll be nice to enjoy the Arcade Fire-Light sounds of Annuals as they are releasing a full collection of b-sides and unreleased material on September 7th.  Count the Rings opens with "Eyes in the Darkness," a colorful jam, devoid of some of the more brooding folk energy usually infused into Annuals material.  It's vibrant electronically and only vaguely resembles the back catalog, until it shifts into Baker's signature chorus vocals.  The sextet is worth checking out live if you've not gotten the opportunity.  When people begin to drop 60 bucks a ticket to see Arcade Fire this fall, I'll be clutching familiarly onto the last three of these dudes' albums.  Yeah, I might buy The Suburbs, too.

Annuals – Eyes in the Darkness

Not long after writing the Dreamend post earlier today I got an e-mail featuring a pretty cool cover of Devendra Banhart's “Body Breaks,” so I figured I would continue the freak folk theme of the day and post it up. Pegi Young is best known for her role as backup singer for her iconic husband, the Legendary Neil Young. Pegi recently released a new solo record of her own called Foul Deeds, available now on Vapor Records (you can stream the whole thing this week only via AOL's Spinner.com). The record features a mix of original songs and covers like this one. Being a big fan of Devendra, and “Body Breaks” being one of my favorite tracks, I am pleased to say that this rendition delivers. It skews a good bit more country than the original, but it is unbelievably earnest and a little bit retro (think old-school Dolly or Loretta). Check it below.

Pegi Young – Body Breaks (Devendra Banhart Cover)

Dreamend is Ryan Graveface, the guitarist/bassist of famed synth-poppers Black Moth Super Rainbow. I mention that strictly for biographical purposes, because this solo effort is a drastic departure from the sound he perfected in his work with the band. His upcoming debut album under the new moniker is called So I Ate Myself, Bite by Bite, a pshycadelic folk concept record chronicling the life of a serial killer. The release is scheduled for 8/10 but today we have the first track from the album, "Magnesium Light," which is a rambling freak-out highlighted by Graveface's sunny (almost Silversum Pickups-esque) vocals and a whole lot of banjo. Yeah, banjo.

Dreamend – Magnesium Light

Remember when I told you a couple of days ago that, in the summer, for teachers, every day is Saturday.  We get operational proof of that today.  I rolled out of the rack this morning, fed the littlest Dick, put on a pot of coffee, put the littlest Dick down for a nap, and fired up the computer to check my electronic mail.  The first memo was this one, from our own Diamond Jim, reprinted here in its entirety:

"Please post a lazy Saturday. That is all."

I forgot that this was actually Saturday.  Totally slipped my mind.  My halcyon days of summer have bled together to such a degree that I am now officially unable to identify the days of the week.  Crazy times.  I haven't quite slipped to this level, but I think I'm close. 

It was a big week for shows at Citizen Dick's Cleveland campus.  On Sunday, Kevin and I took in Indianapolis's We Are Hex at the Happy Dog.  We were expecting a raucous, noisy affair and were not disappointed.  Frontwoman Jilly Weiis is a whirling dervish of energy, bounding across the stage, standing on tables, throwing shit, and (through it all) absolutely wailing out impassioned vocals.  There's a good bit of Karen O in her stage presence, I'd argue, but that's the sort of sincere, powerful delivery that translates really well in a small venue (and probably in a larger venue as well; but in the intimate setting, you get the added bonus of being close to the energy, which is always good.).  The rest of the quartet fills out We Are Hex's sound with a pummeling, yet diverse, post-punk cacophony.  Matt Hagan (guitars) had a shit ton of pedals and squeaked a wide array of tortured noises and squeals from his ax.  Trevor Wathen (bass), produced a series of killer lines and probably would have been the focus of attention if Jilly wasn't rattling about.  Overall, the show was outstanding, recalling a broad range of bands over the course of the set (I swear to Christ that I heard the bass riff from "Psycho Killer" in the closing strains of the last song of the set).  If We Are Hex gets close to your neighborhood, it's certainly worth the trip out.  Wear a shirt you don't mind sweating through.  (Editor's Note: Kevin took video with his fancy new iphone, but couldn't sort out how to transpose that to the interwebs.  He had much better luck at the next show we'll discuss, but we are sadly without video from the Happy Dog.  In the stead of visuals, however, we've got another killer track from We Are Hex's recently released sophomore record.  Enjoy.)

We Are Hex – Birthplace of the Mystics

On Tuesday, Kevin, Rob, Vince (C.D.Attache to the Lake County Embassy), and I caught Sleigh Bells.  Rob's been pushing Treats on me for a good while and been extolling the virtues of Sleigh Bells in this forum for a good long while.  They were as good as advertised.  Strobe lights, hair metal histrionics, and sweat defined the set for me.  I don't think I have to sell you on Sleigh Bells at this point, right?  They're good.  Kevin had worked out his technical issues by this point, so we can give you a perfect display of the anarchy that is "Infinity Guitars."  Shit yeah.  Also, Alexis said that we were the best crowd ever.  She probably says that to all the crowds, but I blushed anyway.

Click here to view the embedded video.

It's been a while since we first reviewed Floating Action, but it's a record from last year that I find myself appreciating more as time passes.  When a track from that record pops up on the random play, I always smile.  I liked the record at the time and then kind of stopped thinking about it.  My bad.  (Grammar Note: Shouldn't this song be "I Bleed Easily?"  It should, right?  What would it even mean if "easy" was a predicate adjective here?  Discuss.)

Floating Action – I Bleed Easy – Live

Lastly today, Mrs. Citizen came through with the world's greatest anniversary present.  On August 17, the C.D.Attache to the Lake County Embassy (Vince) and I will travel to Chicago, stay with Acting C.D. Chicagoland Adviser (N.B.) and take in My Morning Jacket.  We're also going to play some disc golf, catch a Cubs game and, in general, raise a little bit of Hell.  In the run-up to that weekend, I'll throw some MMJ at'cha, just to prime my own brain.  Word.

My Morning Jacket – The Dark – Live

Brooklyn's own April Smith is coming to The Bell House in Park Slope on Thursday, and your favorite Dicks would like to send one lucky reader and a friend to see her. On us. In case you missed it, April Smith and the Great Picture Show released Songs from a Sinking Ship back in November to a host of acclaim. The record is an explosion of loungy jazz-pop, and by all accounts the live translation is not to be missed.

All you have to do to enter is drop us a line via THIS FORM and tell us why we should send you to the show. We will be accepting entries through the end of the day on Tuesday 7/20, and the winner will be chosen at random and notified by Wednesday morning. Good luck!

To get you ready for the show, we have a couple of tracks from Songs from a Sinking Ship posted below for your llistening pleasure.

April Smith and the Great Picture Show – Movie Loves a Screen

April Smith and the Great Picture Show – Colors

We got turned on to Conrad Plymouth by friend and fellow blogger Ryan over at Muzzle of Bees (check it out on the off chance you haven't already). We were reading MoB long before Citizen Dick was even a glimmer in our eye, and we pretty much take Ryan's word as gospel when it comes to folky Americana music, so when he let us know that he was working with the band on the release of their debut EP we knew we would be fans. After a few days of listening, that suspicion has been confirmed.

The Wilco influence is evident throughout the four tracks found here, but Conrad Plymouth also delves into A.A. Bondy and Iron & Wine territory at times as well. Though not as dark and brooding as Bondy, there is a distinct ominous tone at play, most evident on the opener "Metamora." Elsewhere there is a more delicate, almost desperate vibe. That tortured element of the music is particularly present on "Captain Video," where frontman Christopher Porterfield proclaims to drown is sorrows in "rosemary-infused everclear," one of my favorite lines on the EP. On closer "Fergus Falls" we find him channeling his best Springsteen as he sings about being a misplaced city boy while harkening back to his small town roots, a track I'm sure plenty of us can relate to.

Below is a free download of my personal favorite from the EP, "Metamora." If you dig it, please check out the rest HERE. The band is doing a Radiohead-style pay-what-you-want download thing with this, so please support them if you can.

Conrad Plymouth – Metamora

Back in 2004 Cut Copy's Bright Like Neon Love was on heavy rotation in my now-ancient click wheel iPod. Though I have largely ignored their last few efforts, I was still intrigued to see a new track from the Australian crew show up in my inbox today. "Where I'm Going" is a one-off single intended to pass the time while the band works on a brand new LP slated for a January 2011 release. This latest tune finds Cut Copy light years ahead of the dance rock sound they pioneered in the their earlier days, moving into a lush, hazy almost orchestral pop realm. Self-describes as "the kind of track Brian Wilson would've written if he took ecstacy and hung out in 60's London instead of California," the reinvented Cut Copy reminds me more of Polyphonic Spree than Hot Chip, who I previously would have compared them to. Needless to say I am looking forward to what comes next.

Cut Copy – Where I'm Going

Despite the fact that you probably already know about them and that they aren't really my bag, I feel that we would be remiss to go on acting as though Best Coast doesn't exist. Their first full-length record hasn't even dropped, yet the duo has managed to take the Interwebs by storm over the last few months. I find this curious because in addition to being less-than-mediocre (IMO), they don't seem to have many fans in the world of critics and journalists either. Why everyone is talking about them anyway is beyond me. That said, it is difficult to write them off completely if for no other reason than their cultural significance at this particular moment. While it isn't something I would reach for under normal circumstances, I could definitely see myself jamming out to it while enjoying a cocktail (something fruity, this ain't whiskey drinkin' music) on a rooftop in Brooklyn. To draw the obvious comparison (partially because Beth is banging him), they sound like Wavves with a uterus. Hazy, beachy melodies with a pronounced punk influence and seemingly no regard for composition is what we are talking about here. Like I said, not really my thing, and it all comes off as just a bit self-indulgent to me, but certainly not without it's own little niche.

The aforementioned debut LP, called Crazy for You, is out 7/27 on Mexican Summer in the USA and Rough Trade in the UK.

Best Coast – Boyfriend

GIven that I have been jamming out to Common Prayer for well over a month now, I feel pretty lame for just now getting around to posting about them. Fronted by Mercury Rev alum Jason Russo, the band soundls like the gritty lovechild of Jeff Buckley and Wolf Parade, if you can imagine that. Their debut effort There Is a Mountain was releasd digitally in the States on the band's own label last month, with a physical UK release on the way next week. Unfortunately I missed these guys on their last US dates here in NYC last week, but if you happen to reside across the pond check the band's website for a list of UK tour dates.

Common Prayer – Us vs. Them

When it comes to David Bowie, I'm on board with our friends The Modern Electric. The man is a legend and I personally hold him very high in my eschelon of all-time greats. I have even gone so far as to name my prized kitty cat after The Thin White Duke. As such it is only fitting to me that some of the most esteemed indie artist of our generation pay tribute to the man on the upcoming War Child benefit album, a charity that Bowie himself has been very vocal about supporting. As in the past, all proceeds from the record will go to help children in areas across the world that are affected by war (more info on the charity HERE).

The collection, appropriately, will be called We Were So Turned On and is set to release on September 14th via Manimal Vinyl. Check out the mind-blowing track listing below:

Disc one:

Exitmusic "Space Oddity"/ Duran Duran "Boys Keep Swinging"/ Megapuss "Sound+Vision"/ Warpaint "Ashes to Ashes"/ Corridor "Be My Wife"/ Chairlift "Always Crashing in the Same Car"/ Vivian Girls "John, I'm Only Dancing"/ All Leather "Fame"/ We Are the World "Afraid of Americans"/ A Place to Bury Strangers "Suffragette City"/ Tearist "Repetition"/ Halloween Swim Team "Look Back in Anger"/ Afghan Raiders "Fashion"/ Polyamorous Affair "Theme from Cat People"/ Swahili Blonde "Red Money"/ Jessica 6 "I'm Deranged"/ Aska + Bobby Evans ft. Moon & Moon "African Night Flight"/ Xu Xu Fang "China Girl"

Dics Two:

VoicesVoices "Heroes"/ Carla Bruni "Absolute Beginners"/ Papercanes "Blue Jean"/ Keren Ann "Life on Mars?"/ Lewis & Clarke "Changes"/ Zaza "It Ain't Easy"/ Genuflex "Soul Love"/ Sister Crayon "Bewlay Brothers"/ Marco Benevento "Art Decade"/ Mick Karn "Ashes to Ashes"/ Lights (NYC) "World Falls Down"/ Aquaserge "The Supermen"/ Caroline Weeks "Starman"/ Rainbow Arabia "Quicksand"/ Mechanical Bride "Sound+Vision"/ Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros "Memory of a Free Festival"

Bonus Tracks (iTunes Only):

Viv Albertine "Letter to Hermoine"/ Ariana Delawari "Ziggy Stardust"/ Gangi "Oh You Pretty Things"/ Amanda Jo Williams "The Man Who Sold the World"/ Laco$te "Within You"/ Universe "Heathen"/ St. Clair Board "Secret Life of Arabia"/ Pizza! "Modern Love"

We have the Edward Sharpe cover of "Memory of a Free Festival" to share with you today, so check it out below and then pre-order your copy pronto.

**Please be aware that this album is for charity. Manimal Vinyl is offering a slew of great tracks at an incredible price, so please support a great cause and purchase a copy. Enter your e-mail HERE to stay update on the release details.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – Memory of a Free Festival (Bowie Cover)

Not having summer employment provides benefits in more ways than just sloth and weight gain.  I trolled over to Chocolate Bobka, which is where I usually end up when I'm looking for something ethereal or eclectic to put my ears to.  Since we've been sort of absentee landlords over the last month or so, we've missed a few things.  If this is your first taste of Pigeons material, expect an excellent start to your morning.  The band just released Si Faustine via Olde English Spelling Bee, and additionally released The Curatorial Club 006, a cassette with brand new material and an entirely live B-side.  The folks at Chocolate Bobka used the terms "luminous" and "intoxicating" to describe the TCC006 track, "en rêve," and these descriptors are more than pinpoint.  I've grown so tired of lullaby synthesizers and if I'm going to be entranced, I'd much prefer some meat to the bone.  Pigeons is satiating my ears like nothing else has over the last few weeks.  It's sonorous and methodical, yet entirely expansive and wandering at the same time.  Kettle drum percussion, interwoven synths and warbly guitar fills sit behind beautiful vocal harmonies.  Si Faustine's "Wrong Man" has given my speakers a nice coat of darkened oil over the last two days.  "en rêve" goes into the foreign realm, but it's equally as intriguing.  Sweeping guitar fills bleed into a gripping solo.  Yeah, sign me up.  Pick up Si Faustine by clicking HERE.

Pigeons – "en rêve"

Pigeons – Wrong Man

The summer of remixes, begrudgingly, continues around these parts.  How to Dress Well, to me, is an extension of the glo-fi movement, but there's something darkly sinister and unique about it with Twin Sister at the helm.  This isn't metaphysical poetry here, but it's not Lincoln Logs either.  It's relaxing, and no doubt, our writer Brian will be all over this.  I'm putting this on background loop as I clean the kitchen. It beats the cats meowing….

Also, welcome officially to our new site re-design.  Let us know if you see any random weirdness or have any suggestions.

How to Dress Well – Ready for the World (Twin Sister Remix)

Folks, if you weren't living underneath a big mossy rock last year, then you know how gorgeous Bonfires on the Heath was, right?  It doesn't get more pristine and well-produced than that.  Not only was it one of our Best Albums of 2009, but it was one of those albums that manages to fill the belly regardless of mood or location.  The heavily orchestrated album weaved through a myriad of styles and instrumentation, never once abandoning the jazzy and psychedelic ethos that they've always maintained.  In a surprising move, the band is quickly turning around and following their creative muses up the flagpole.  Minotaur, a quick hitting thirty minute, 8-new track album is hitting shelves on August 31st through Merge.  However, don't bank on this thing being available physically by that point, because it's being limited to 1000 copies.  Enjoy the first taste of the albu, "Jerry," below.  You can preorder Minotaur right now by clicking HERE.

The Clientele – Jerry

Nearly one year ago today, James and I snuck up to the front of the side stage at The Pitchfork Music Festival to catch Jagjaguwar's newest flagship band, Women, for their stripped down and fairly mellow set.  Their self-titled 2008 release received quite a bit of critical acclaim, and I'm a fan of the eclectic arrangment with solid-body rock core of most of their tracks.  The band is releasing their sophomore effort, Public Strain (produced by Chad VanGaalen), the last week of September.  The initial taste, "Eyesore" has me completely in a conundrum.  Women always manages to foster the brooding sense of darkness in me, while keeping me completely addicted for more.  "Eyesore" is the closing track of the record and has me fairly excited to see if the first part of the album toes the line in this direction.  If so, this is going to be an excellent follow up.

Women – Eyesore

I'm sitting here enjoying my coffee at Loop here in Tremont, and the daunting task of getting back into the swing of things at Citizen Dick involves getting up to speed with local things going on here in Cleveland.  James is busy in Brooklyn, and we're over here sorting through all the LeBron James muck for signs of life.  Luckily, starting on July 14th, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame begins their annual Summer in the City concert series.  Last year, Akron/Family zapped every last bit of oxygen out of the Cleveland lakeside air, and we're stoked to see an even heftier lineup of shows this year.

Here's the lineup:

Wednesday, July 14 – Carolina Chocolate Drops with Lighthouse and the Whaler

Wednesday, July 21 – Free Energy with Founding Fathers

Wednesday, August 11 – Deer Tick (Yeah!)  with The Modern Electric (Double Yeah!)

Wednesday, August 18 – Trans Am with Megachurch

Sign us up immediately for the Carolina Chocolate Drops and Deer Tick show.  The Modern Electric playing at The Rock Hall?  Are you kidding?

Here are a few MP3's of the bands to whet your appetite.  Stay tuned for more info as the dates near.

Free Energy – Hope Child

Carolina Chocolate Drops – Cindy Gal

Deer Tick – Dead Flowers (Rolling Stones Cover)

The Modern Electric – As Sharp As Knives

Who is that dude with his jugular vein bulging out of his neck as he snarkily belts out power pop hooks big enough to travel on?  Oh, that's Hutch Harris, that's who.

A sneaky secret – The Thermals 2009 effort, Now We Can See, never left my rotation once.  We talked about Hutch Harris at length last year, and regardless of how polished and power-pop-esque the record was, I couldn't stop spinning it.  As far as the power pop genre, there is absolutely nobody doing it as well as these guys.  The songs are catchy, infectious, and injected with suprisingly intelligent lyricism.  The band is poised to pull off  a well-executed and fast turn around with the forthcoming album, Personal Life on September 7th.  Although that's a ways off, you can snag the first single, being released in early August, called "I Don't Believe You."  If this is the first taste of the upcoming album, fans can expect more of what they're used to.  This album begins at high octane and ends just as energized.

The Thermals – I Don't Believe You

On Record Store Day, we had the pleasure of having Portland's Casey Dienel (AKA White Hinterland) in town to play The Beachland to close out the festivities on Waterloo.  Beforehand, she rolled in and hit a half-hour DJ set at Music Saves.  We've had our hands on Kairos, WH's full length LP, for quite awhile and it's still sitting atop my playlist.  Generously filling and hauntingly satiating, the album is beautiful from top to bottom.  Trolling the internets for music has its perks.  Here's her cover of Neon Indian's "6669 (I Don't Know if You Know)."  I don't have a lot to comment on this one, other than I love both versions.  Enjoy, pals of the interwebs.

White Hinterland – 6669 (I Don't Know if You Know)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Kevin and I don't work in the summer.  Essentially, for three months, every night is Saturday night.  We'll be taking full advantage of our fortunes in that department tomorrow night, when we take in Indianapolis's We Are Hex at The Happy Dog.  We're excited to take in what appears to be a raucous, loud, engaging live act (check that video above for some credible visual evidence).  We're also pretty stoked to sample Cleveland's newest hotspot (we know that The Happy Dog has been where it is for a good long while, but the ownership shifted, the dude from Momocho got on board and they're booking a metric ton of bands now, so we're counting it as a new thing; also, I'll be going with the saffron aioli).  If you see us, the first beer is on John Petkovic.  Good times!

We Are Hex – We Are the Goer

(Editor's note:  I only have three things to say about it:  1.) I told you that was going to be some seriously self-aggrandizing shit. You knew it was going south (lit. and fig.) when the stentorian announcer paid homage to the king over a series of highlights to kick off the festivities.  "Where will the greatest person who ever lived decide to play basketball?  The world will find out in mere minutes."  Suck it.  2.) Miami is not going to be very good next year.  Chris Bosh isn't as amazing as he thinks he is.  Dwyane (sp?) Wade's middle name is Penny Hardaway.  LeBron James, while phenomenally gifted, won't be able to cram his ginormous ego into the arena and he'll still shrink from big moments (see Game Five).  And I'm on their depth chart at center.  Mark this down: somewhere between 50 and 55 wins and a second round playoff exit.  3.) I'm proud to be a Clevelander.  I love this city unconditionally and the presence or absence of a 25 year old douchebag doesn't factor into it.  We still have a whole mess of douchebags in the Warehouse District, so I think we'll be fine.  Go Cavs.)

Not a ton of introduction for the live tracks today; I just grabbed a couple of things that rule off of the sheld.  Enjoy.  First off, I felt like some Akron/Family.  I like the tenuous titular link to recent current events and these cats always cheer me up when I'm feeling a touch bleak.

Akron/Family – Phenomena – Live

I've been pushing this track on strangers for a while.  It's sad and thoughtful and perfect.  This live version is particularly praiseworthy.

Magnolia Electric Co. – Whip-poor-will – Live

To wrap things up today, we've got another entrant in the Summer of Remix.  Remember last year, when it seemed like everybody was doing something freaky with "Two Weeks?"  This summer, the track that everybody wants to mess about with appears to be Local Natives' "Wide Eyes."  Given that the best description of the band that I've heard is "sort of a west coast Grizzly Bear," their remixability makes some sense.  (Sidebar:  the quote comes from P4K . What does it mean that I quoted those cats?  Am I slipping?  Am I selling out?  I could probably count the number of people who know the answers to those questions on one hand.)  We've already posted this and this, but today's blast might be the best, if not the most danceable.  This one comes from the laptop of Fool's Gold's Lewis Pesacov.  While touring with Local Natives he "couldn't help but envision it as a southern rap joint, with its half-time drums and deep-azz bass-line."  Agreed.  This one even has a rap verse.  Good times.  Fool's Gold continue to tour; I'm optimistic that more remixes are on the way.

Local Natives – Wide Eyes (Fool's Gold Remix feat. Aristotle Pop A Bottle)

Sure we're a music blog, but today is LeBron's day and the rest of us are just waiting until 9 PM EDT. Though I generally concur with Brian's comments earlier and am well aware of the absurdity of this entire situation, I still can't pull myself away from hysteria. Collectively, we all have a vested interest in the outcome of tonight's shenanigans: three of us currently reside in Cleveland, I am a New Yorker via Chicago currently living in Brooklyn, and all four of us (I assume) hate Miami.

Say what you will about the Summer of LeBron, but at this point it's beyond anyone's control. The economy is still failing, there is more oil than water in the Gulf, the sun is melting most of the east coast, and all anyone can talk about is which professional basketball organization will be granted the honor of paying a 25-year-old egomaniac upwards of $120 million to play a game. Luckily this will all be over soon, but in the meantime I have compiled a playlist (with commentary) featuring all of the teams and cities involved in this spectacle. So at least we have something to listen to as we sit on the edges of our collective seats for the next nine hours…

Cleveland Cavaliers – Staying in Cleveland is the only option if LeBron wants to avoid being a complete villain. The problem is he would be coming back to the same team (minus Shaq) that hasn't been able to get it done the last three seasons. Clearly he wants to stay, as evidenced by his lobbying for Bosh, but if winning is the goal it will be hard for him to return. Signing on for another five to six years would require a leap of faith in the Cavs' ability to improve their roster in the very near future, but a big part of me wants to see it happen.

All-Time Quarterback – Cleveland

New Jersey (Brooklyn) Nets – Though I would love to see him stay in Cleveland, If LeBron is going to leave I would prefer to see him in a Nets uniform. I can't really back that up from a basketball perspective, and I highly doubt it will happen, but I am walking distance from the new arena being built for them in Brooklyn. It's unlikely that he would want to go to a rebuilding team, but the possibility of single-handedly putting sports back on the map in Brooklyn (and hanging with Jay-Z) could be appealing.

Marvin Gaye vs. Jay-Z + Lil' Wayne – Hello, Brooklyn

Miami Heat – As of press time, most experts are considering Miami the favorite. I happen to think that no matter how many rings James wins in South Beach, doing it on a glorified all-star team would tarnish his legacy. If we have learned anything about LeBron over the last month, it should be that he is far too selfish to share the spotlight with Wade and Bosh. For that reason alone, I think James in a Heat jersey is almost as ridiculous as this song.

LMFAO – I'm In Miami Trick

New York Knicks – The Knicks are definitely still in the thick of things, despite having the weakest roster of the five teams in contention. If New York lands LeBron it will be based solely on the potential for off-court dollars and the allure of playing in the spotlight. They could be a contender a year or so down the road, especially if they land Carmelo Anthony or another big name next summer, but basing a decision on that could be a risky endeavor.

Sex Pistols – New York

Chicago Bulls – At this point Chicago seems like a long shot, though it's likely that they would provide The King with his best shot at winning a title now and over the next few years. The shadow of Jordan could be plus or a minus depending on how you look at it, but the Bulls would be a legit title contender immediately and (maybe more importantly) James would be the unquestioned star on the team.

Sufjan Stevens vs. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Maps to Chicago

I am omitting Los Angeles from the list because the Clippers have absolutely no shot. I'd feel sorry for our Los Angeleno readers, but they already have Kobe and I'm pretty sure most of them aren't even aware that the Clippers play in the same town. As a consolation prize, I'm going to throw some Tupac at you anyway.

Tupac Shakur – To Live And Die In L.A.

Feel free to get at us in the comments section you have any thoughts, rants, or rumors to share.