Covert Curiosity, an Austin Music Blog

Picks for Fun Fun Fun

2009-11-06T12:56:00.005-06:00

We couldn't be more excited to know that we will be able to spend the weekend soaking up the sights and sounds of Fun Fun Fun Fest at Waterloo Park. Tickets are still available, the weather is going to be perfect, and this might be the best lineup in the festival's brief history. We will have more coverage after the smoke clears, but for now here are our band picks for each day, along with info on a few after parties. The full festival schedule is here.

Mr Curiosity picks:

Saturday:

Crystal Antlers
Times New Viking
Vega
The Sword
Dead Confederate
DEATH
Neon Indian
The Cool Kids
Ratatat
The Pharcyde

Sunday:

Fuck Buttons
Atlas Sound
Why?
Broadcast
The Strange Boys
HEALTH
Crystal Castles
Danzig

Ashley Cass picks:

Saturday:

Melt Banana
DEATH
Neon Indian
Yeasayer
The Cool Kids
Les Savy Fav
Jesus Lizard
Destroyer

Sunday:

Atlas Sound
Mission of Burma
Crystal Castles
Danzig
Of Montreal

Here are a few pre/after parties that look nice.

Mega thanks to Peen Scene for the list!

Friday:

Cherrypeel's Combo Plate

The Hood Internet, Neiliyo, Prepmode, and more

Location: Scoot Inn

RSVP - $5/$8 at the door

Fu Manchu, Lions, Fucked Up(DJ set), and more

Location: Red 7

$10 Tickets

Saturday:

Deadmau5, Toddy B, Burns

Location: Stubb's

$20 Tickets

The Cool Kids (DJ set), DJ Mel, and more

Location: Beauty Bar

Before 10pm - $5/After 10pm - $10

The Octopus Project, Voxtrot, and more

Location: The Mohawk

$15 Tickets

Sunday:

Trail of Dead, Dark Meat, and more

Location: The Mohawk

$15 Tickets

Le Loup

2009-11-02T14:49:00.006-06:00

In the beginning, Le Loup was simply the bedroom project of Sam Simkoff. The debut Le Loup album arrived in 2007 and consisted of Simkoff handling all of the instrumental duties himself, blending keyboard loops with banjo, folk harmonies, percussion, and computerized effects. The album was released via Hardly Art, the new label started by Sub Pop founder Jonathan Poneman, and received positive reviews like this one from Pitchfork.

Le Loup has since evolved into a seven-piece band, with each member contributing vocals and songwriting credits. The second album, Family, finds the middle ground between tribal rock, freak folk, and sonic experimentation. Everybody in the live band sings, and all instruments work together to create a sound that is heavily laden with intricate patterns and swells, edging towards dramatic, sweeping movements. The group has drawn comparisons to the likes of Animal Collective and Yeasayer.

Le Loup will be performing in Austin tonight at the Mohawk, after playing a 5pm in-store at Waterloo Records. Opening the show at Mohawk will be Zorch, a local drums and keys duo who make experimental rock using Wurlitzer, Moog, Omnichord, frenetic drumming and some loud amps. They are influenced by the likes of Lightning Bolt, Death From Above 1979, Battles, and HEALTH. Here's two of their demo tracks:

Inside Fun Fun Fun Fest

2009-10-30T14:04:00.000-05:00

In less than a week from now, Fun Fun Fun Fest or the “Greatest. Festival. Ever,” as dubbed by credible music blog the Brooklyn Vegan will take over Waterloo Park. The ultra cool hipster’s wet dream features acts such as Crystal Castles, Of Montreal, Ratatat, Cool Kids, HEALTH, Atlas Sound and Les Savy Fav to name a few. This year’s highlights include Danzig, formerly of the Misfits, recently reunited 1970’s Detroit punk rock band DEATH and alternative rockers The Jesus Lizard, who originally formed in Austin back in the 80’s.

The fourth annual music fest which encompasses the notable genres of indie rock, punk, and hip hop has hosted performers Murder City Devils, Bad Brains, Dan Deacon, Cadence Weapon, MGMT and Atmosphere in the past. The brainchild of former Emo’s talent booker Graham Williams was actually conceived by accident. “I was booking for the club one weekend and a bunch of tours that were hitting Austin at the same time. We couldn’t accommodate them and neither could any other club in town it seemed, so I teamed up with my friends at Alamo Drafthouse, whom I'd done a few events at Waterloo Park with, and we rented the park to have a show...more bands were added and it ended up being a fest by default,” said Williams.

Since its beginning in 2006, the fest has added comedy, a fourth stage and tripled in artist count, bringing the amount close to 90. Also involved in the project are James Moody, owner of the Mohawk and Michael Terrazas of Club DeVille who are also partners in Transmission Entertainment, a local music booking and promotions company. The trio met while Williams was trying to find a venue for a band that wouldn’t play Emo’s. He called around to a few places, including the Mohawk and the dialogue with Moody and Terrazas (who is also an investor in Mohawk) just grew from there.

“The partners of Fun Fun Fun Fest are me, Graham and Michael, but we involve everyone, from our stage managers and our bookers Joe, Rosa and Brendan, our sponsor guy---we all vote and talk about bands that would be good. Graham is sort of the final say so because he started it. He’s the founder, but we all work together,” said Moody. Transmission Entertainment was formed almost out of necessity, because the progressive underground music market wasn’t being serviced. “We started it as a market need for local bands and up-in-coming bands,” said Moody. “We wanted to service that market of really talented struggling musicians and no one was really doing it and that’s how we started.”

Before making his home Austin eight years ago, Moody resided in 15 cities. “My dad was in the Air Force and he kind of dragged me all over the world... Germany, Nebraska, South Dakota, California ( a couple times), four different places in Louisiana, lived in Seattle,” he said. Like Williams, Moody also began his music career route by booking gigs for a club in Ruston, Louisiana. “The owner kinda said, “what are the kids listening too?” so I booked some what they called at the time “alternative,” but we don’t use that term anymore.”

We had the chance to ask both Williams and Moody a couple of questions about the festival and here’s what they had to say:

CC: What is your future vision for FFFFEST?

GW: I don't know… the concept has to stay the same from the style of music we book and the mix of genres--the whole scene within a scene concept. I could see it growing a bit, but I know it'll never be TOO big...and I don't want it to be.

JM: To be great at the middle, like to be a solid-medium sized fest. We don’t ever want to be a sort of big, huge fest, because it’s already been done and it’s being done well. We want to try to hold on, as closely as we can to that intimate experience of seeing a really big and talented band in a relatively small environment.

CC: What are some of the highlights this year, which acts are you looking forward to the most?

GW: Man, that's tough. I don't mean to pat myself on the back to hard, but this year is pretty fucking awesome. I mean there are so many bands I want to watch and so many playing at the same time...off the top of my head: The Jesus Lizard, Gorilla Biscuits, Destroyer, Crystal Castles, Pharcyde, GZA, DEATH, Mika Miko, Torche, Les Savy Fav, Buraka Som Sistema, etc, etc.... I'd say 75% of the acts I want to watch this year.

JM: Oh Danzig for me, just because I grew up with Misfits. Jesus Lizard getting back together is huge because David Yow is crazy and always puts on an insane show. Les Savy Fav, Pharcyde and one of the biggest stories, DEATH.

CC: How do you remain energetic throughout the weekend?

GW: I eat healthy; I try and get some sleep. I don't drink, so that helps. It's tough, because aside from all the set up and running the show, we also have all these big after parties at night during the festival, so we're out super late every night too and then back down there crack of dawn.

JM: I use a lot of tools, things like booze, Red Bull, gum, friends, popcorn, candy, coffee… Amongst all those things I tend to make it through plus we work all year for this, so the adrenalin alone gets me through the weekend, but I always crash real hard by the time Monday rolls around.

CC: Any advice for people who aspire to work in the music scene?

GW: You have to do it because you love it or want to do it, never because you think you'll make a ton of money. It's like playing music, being an artist, etc… if you do it right and because you want to do it and it's something you believe in, it usually works out. I think too many people go into it thinking it's going to be like any other job, but it’s not.

JM: You gotta fight for it; it’s a labor of love. You may never make money in it, but that’s not what it’s about. Those that make money in it are very few; but if you can make just enough money in it to make a decent living and pay your rent, then your blessed and lucky and that’s what you should fight for being able to do what you love and live in a place like Austin… those are my goals. Stay committed to it and it’ll happen, but also, make sure your goals are more around the music than around the business… then you’ll probably do well.

CC: What's currently rotating in your CD player? (What are you listening to?)

GW: I've been listening to DEATH a lot and that new Phoenix is the jam too. Been playing Negative Approach on my iPod a lot since they're playing a FFF afterparty and it's got me in the mood. And for some reason I've noticed me playing "Tim" by the Replacements a bunch these past few weeks. Not sure why, but it's been on regular rotation and all that. The Burn 7" I've played a good amt lately for some reason as well. The new YYY’s is underrated… Oh yeah, that Mayer Hawthorne record is really good too.

JM: I’ve been listening to Fugazi, School of Seven Bells…. The new Dinosaur Jr. is amazing. I’ve been listening to the Junior Boys, Murder City Devils and rotating some more Danzig into my system just to get ready for November.

Tickets for the two-day festival are still available and you can purchase them at FunFunFunFest.com.

The Jesus Lizard - "Mouth Breather"
Danzig - "Am I Demon"

Review: Dino Jr & Built to Spill

2009-10-28T16:06:00.003-05:00

Disco Doom, a relatively unknown band from Zurich, Switzerland was the opening band for Saturday’s 90’s indie explosion at Stubb's. The Swiss rockers were a perfect addition to the full lineup with their mixture of instrumental distortion, exploding atmospheric rhythm, mesmerizing guitar vibrato and down-tempo vocals. Second on the list were Dinosaur Jr.’s bassist Lou Barlow & The Missing Men, which were sort of a back-up band for Barlow’s solo stuff. Serving double duty, Barlow mostly played songs off his new record Goodnight Unknown which was released earlier in the month. Despite stopping and restarting the opening track twice, the rest of the set ran smoothly.

Following were notoriously loud alt-rockers Dinosaur Jr. Fans unequipped with ear plugs found themselves covering their ears more often than not as guitarist J Mascis’ distorted sonic waves boomed loudly over the three Marshall quad cabinets behind him. Almost from the beginning, a rowdy mosh pit consisting of mostly younger men slamming and shoving into each other occupied the front of the stage. “Murph is sick, he has the flu” announced Barlow over the microphone which drew loud applause from the slew of varied demographic of younger-aged and “back in the day” fans. The crowd went wild when the trio played “Feel The Pain,” off their 1996 release Without a Sound, the band’s most commercially successful album. “I Don’t Wanna Go There,” off the new album Farm concluded the deafening performance.

Before Built to Spill, the evening’s headliners, came on stage, Chicago based poet Thax Douglas recited a few lines inspired by the band. Douglas is a notorious “rock poet” who has read poetry before other notable acts including Andrew Bird, the Arctic Monkeys, Guided by Voices, The Flaming Lips, Of Montreal, Wilco, The White Stripes and Modest Mouse to name a few. He has since moved to Austin and has been spotted around town reading poetry for acts such as Sunny Day Real Estate.

Several minutes later, Built to Spill emerged from the darkness and commenced with “Three Years Ago Today,” a track from their latest release There is No Enemy. They followed with crowd pleaser “Distopian Dream Girl,” which solicited dancing and singing from fans. Front man Doug Martsch uttered “thank you” almost after every song. Mid-set, guitarist Brett Netson went into a political rant stating that “tonight is the 80th Anniversary of the American Stock Market crash, we’re in the second” while he pointed at the apartment complexes around the venue. He then said, “the next two songs are for the Texas Liberals.” The first of the two was “Wherever you Go,” a very jam and spacey melodic track off their 2006 release You in Reverse followed by “Planting Seeds” off of recent album There is No Enemy.

“We’re going to have to skip a song,” announced Martsch before going into “Big Dipper.” After finishing and thanking the audience, the band walked off stage only minutes to return to a crowding chanting “one more song, one more song.” “Stop the Show” from the band’s third album Perfect from Now On was the encore. The distorted chord progressions, swirly-psych riffling and upbeat drumming were a wonderful exit piece for a night of mind-blowing and eardrum busting music.

All photos by Ed Lehmann. Go to AustinExposure.net to see more.

Why There Are Mountains

2009-10-12T15:18:00.002-05:00

Why There Are Mountains is the independently released debut for indie rockers Cymbals Eat Guitars. Heavily reminiscent of Built to Spill, Pavement, and early Modest Mouse, Cymbals Eat Guitars encompass that familiar indie 90’s era with their slow disheveled strummed verses and loud boisterous choruses. Formed in 2005, the quartet hails from Staten Island, New York and consists of lead vocalist/guitarist Joseph D'Agostino, drummer Matthew Miller, bassist/vocalist Neil Berenholz and keyboardist/vocalist Brian Hamilton.

The opening Why There Are Mountains track, entitled “And the Hazy Sea,” erupts into an explosion of noise rock and screaming, but quickly defuses into a more passive melodic harmony only to skyrocket back into an outburst of guitar-saturated bombast. The song moves into a pattern of quiet, hushed moments followed by clamorous intervals. The back and forth bipolar roller coaster ride concludes with an intensely layered concoction of distorted guitars, almost inaudible vocals and gentle cymbal tapping. This track is also the album’s debut single.

“Indiana” features a Polyphonic Spree melody gracefully accompanied by D’Agostino’s nasally adenoidal vocals. This track is probably the most upbeat and “happiest” of the album with its poppy composition of soft piano and bubbly guitar. Despite being engaging and convincing, transitions between songs of the album are seemingly non-existent. While many of the tracks sound like they’ll lead flawlessly into the next song, they usually don’t and are often followed by a track which is completely different from the preceding.

The album’s closing track “Like Blood Does” starts off tranquil and slow-paced, but like most of the other songs mutates into an orchestration of loud vocal resonance, guitar distortion and prolonged reverberation. The crazy instrumentation lasts 40 seconds which is long enough to take someone for a ride mentally. The band is currently on tour with the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and we heard they killed it at the Mohawk a few weeks ago. Pick up this self-released album at cymbalseatguitars.com.

Covert Concert Picks

2009-10-08T18:30:00.002-05:00

Here are a few good shows that are on my radar for the weekend. Tonight I'm going to watch Mike Relm do his audio-visual mashup thing at the Austin Music Hall. Wilco is at the Cedar Park Center, too.

Friday it is Black Lips and Strange Boys at the Mohawk, or Dan Deacon at Emo's.

Saturday it is Wavves and The Soft Pack at Emo's or Murder City Devils at the Mohawk.

Sunday, one of my favorite live bands, A Place to Bury Strangers are doing an in-store at Waterloo Records at 5pm before rocking the Mohawk later that night. And, Ghostface Killah is at Emo's.

Art Outside will be taking place all weekend at Apache Pass, featuring Dead Meadow, The Vandelles, The Warlocks, Woven Bones, Shapes Have Fangs, Arc Attack, Reggie Watts and all kinds of Burning Man-inspired stuff. Preview here and here and here.

Video: Times New Viking

2009-10-07T15:55:00.003-05:00

Times New Viking present their first ever music video. This is "No Time, No Hope", from their new album Born Again Revisited, out now on Matador Records. I got my first taste of TNV at SXSW 2007.

STS9 - Band to watch for this weekend.

2009-09-30T20:14:00.004-05:00

I had always heard of STS9 and never really gave them a listen until recently. A listener’s mind is sure to get lost in a fusion of jam, jazz with a multitude of schizophrenic tempo changes and unbridled improvisations. The unique thing about this group is that they combine this very “jam band” sound with electronic beats. Having played numerous sold-out shows and even rocking the main stage at Lollapalooza this past year, the instrumental rockers recently put out an album entitled Peaceblaster: The New Orleans Make it Right Remixes. The album is basically what it sounds like, a remix of thirty original STS9 tracks by the likes of The Glitch Mob, Pretty Lights and Count Bass D. All proceeds go to the Make It Right Foundation which is Brad Pitt’s Lower 9th Ward rebuilding project. These do-gooders will be here Friday, October 2nd at Stubb's and then Saturday at ACL. With an amazing light show and energetic live show, STS9 is a “won’t miss,” they’ll be at the X-Box Stage, 7 p.m.

Here’s a video which encompasses their jazz progressions and unsullied rhythm.

If you’re not planning on fighting the crowds at ACL you can snag ticket to their Friday show at Stubb’s HERE.

Tarot Sport

2009-09-29T18:45:00.001-05:00

We heard the first single from the new Fuck Buttons album in August, and I have been listening to the rest of the album in bits and pieces since last week. I feel like my endorphins get out of whack if I listen to this thing from start to finish. What's for sure is that Tarot Sport is a different animal than Street Horrrsing was, but will likely be just as polarizing. The sounds may be somewhat less abrasive than before, but these guys are still unafraid to create head-shattering noise.

After the opening single comes "Rough Steez," a trippy mid-tempo thing that mixes tribal and industrial beats. The next tracks to really impress are "Olympians" and "Flight Of The Feathered Serpent," two absolutely epic songs that both surpass the nine-minute mark. The latter dips into some crazy jungle percussion before coming to a metallic climax. Before those two is "The Lisbon Maru" which sounds like a re-imagined cut from the first album, in a good way.

The Andrew Weatherall-produced Tarot Sport will be released on October 20 via ATP Recordings. Fuck Buttons will perform in Austin at Fun Fun Fun Fest on Sunday, November 8.

Junior Boys

2009-09-29T15:00:00.003-05:00

The duo of Greenspan and Matthew Didemus, otherwise known as Junior Boys, will be embarking on a North American tour next month. The tour will include a show at the Mohawk on Monday, October 19, followed by a show at Walter's on Washington in Houston. They released their third album, the Norman McLaren inspired Begone Dull Care, earlier this year on Domino Records. Here's a cut from the album remixed by Prins Thomas.

ACL Festival Attractions

2009-09-28T21:41:00.001-05:00

It's no secret, the 8th annual Austin City Limits Music Festival will take over Zilker Park this weekend with more than 130 acts spread across eight stages. I haven't been by the park since they began working on the $2.5 million in renovations, so I'm looking forward to seeing what difference it has made.

Tickets ran out faster than ever this year, but I imagine that anyone without a ticket can still pick one up an outside the gate for a decent price. As always, there are plenty of pre-and-after parties going on that will have people looking like hungover zombies by the time the sun rises on Sunday. Find more info on those events below.

ACL artist picks:

Friday:

Kings of Leon or Yeah Yeah Yeahs, too close to call
Them Crooked Vultures
Thievery Corporation
Bassnectar
Phoenix
The Walkmen
Blitzen Trapper

Saturday:

Sunday:

ACL afterparties and such:

Thursday, October 1

Beauty Bar: Art Disaster w/ Lemurs, White White Lights RSVP
Emo’s: The Walkmen, Blitzen Trapper Info here
Stubb's: Them Crooked Vultures Info here

Friday, October 2

Emo's: !!! w/ Harlem & Neon Indian Info here
The Independent: The Knux, Table Manners Crew RSVP
The Parish: Raveonettes, Here We Go Magic Info here
Beauty Bar: Loyaute Soundsystem, Voxtrot RSVP
Seaholm Power Plant: Broken Social Scene, free booze RSVP
Emo’s: Deer Tick, the Henry Clay People Info here
La Zona Rosa: Devotchka, Los Amigos Invisibles Info here
Stubb’s: STS9 Info here

Saturday, October 3

La Zona Rosa: Bassnectar Info here
Emo's: Grizzly Bear w/ Beach House Info here
Antone’s: Dan Auerbach, Rodriguez Info here
Seaholm Power Plant: Live at Seaholm, acts TBA RSVP
Stubb's: Thievery Corporation Info here
Mohawk: NASA w/ VEGA RSVP
Club de Ville: T Bird & the Breaks, Brownout Info here
Emo's: Felice Brothers w/ Red Cortez Info here

Sunday, October 4

Paramount Theater: Bon Iver, Megafaun Info here
Stubb's: Ghostland Observatory Info here
Mohawk: Hacienda Info here

Review: The xx

2009-09-28T15:03:00.002-05:00

XX is the debut album for The xx, a South West London quartet who aren’t even old enough to drink in United States. The four 20-year olds met at Elliott School in London, whose notable alumni include Hot Chip, Four Tet and dubstep producer Burial. The band consists Romy Madley Croft on vocals and guitarist, Oliver Sim on vocals and bass, Baria Quershi on guitar and Jamie Smith on sampler.

The album's opening number is a 2 minute instrumental prelude into this dreamy pop album. The song is reminiscent of something you’d hear on a Pure Moods CD commercial with its new age guitar riff, tribal drum beat and chanting. “VCR” begins with a toy xylophone melody which is quickly joined by a down tempo guitar rift. The album’s second single “Crystallized,” is undeniably the album’s stand out track; commencing with a gradually increasingly high pitch “oooh” sound which becomes almost uncomfortable until interrupted by an arpeggio of guitar chords. “Islands,” is the most upbeat track of the entire track which offers some sort of hope for love.

“Fantasy” is a sensual, yet disconnected reverb heavy track that seems to serve no real purpose other than an introductory to the sultry “Shelter.” The only thing perpetual about “Infinity” is Sim’s persistence in pleading Oliver to “give it up.”Oliver repeatedly refutes with a soft, almost desensitized “I can’t give it up.” The last track entitled “Stars” begins with a heavy bass line which seems like it’s going to go in the Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer.” After a few strums, the beat is abrubtly consumed by a sequence of three piano notes which play over and over throughout the song.

This overtly sensual and slow-strummed album encompasses a theme relating to relationships, feelings, and love, and has become a personal favorite. I look forward seeing The xx when they open up for Friendly Fires at the Mohawk on Thursday, November 19. You can buy your tickets at the door.

Joan As Police Woman

2009-09-25T14:28:00.003-05:00

Joan Wasser began playing violin at age eight, and played with the Boston University Symphony Orchestra while she was in college. Her resume also includes live performances and studio work with Lou Reed, Elton John and Sparklehorse.

Along with working as a violinist for hire with artists as diverse as Sheryl Crow, Rufus Wainwright, and Antony and the Johnsons, Wasser formed Joan as Police Woman in 2002. While on their current tour they are selling a brilliant compilation of cover versions, taking on artists like Public Enemy, T-Pain, David Bowie, Hendrix, Sonic Youth and more. Here is some info I found at The Independent:

"It's a weird mix of old pop and psychedelia, hip-hop and garage indie, capped by a tremendous reading of the Nina Simone cornerstone "Keeper of the Flame", where her quiet dignity and spare guitar-and-strings arrangement gives the song the stature of a requiem for the High Priestess of Soul."

This Nina Simone cover is on fire, and her take on Hendrix is really cool too. Since COVER is a limited edition release that will only available at shows this Fall, click the image above to try it out. If you want a physical copy you might be able to pick one up when Joan opens for Rufus Wainwright at the Paramount Theatre in Austin on November 16 & 17.

Dracula Boots

2009-09-24T17:43:00.000-05:00

I love In The Red for putting out records like this. Kid Congo Powers is the stage name of Brian Tristan, best known as a member of The Gun Club, The Cramps and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. He also gets bonus points for being the president of The Ramones fan club in 1976. With a few friends known as the Pink Monkey Birds, Kid Congo recorded the Dracula Boots album, which reminds me of a soundtrack to some old campy B movie. It sounds like rock 'n roll inspired by Rocky Horror.

from Midheaven:

"The legendary Kid Congo Powers returns to the psychedelic jungle with a stripped-down, no-frills set of volcanic songs. The premier voodoo guitarist for seminal sexy, swampy bands like Gun Club, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, and The Cramps, Powers is a restless aesthete whose earlier solo efforts explored and mixed genres. With Dracula Boots, he comes back to his roots as a crackerjack guitarist playing the primitive music that inspired him-- the raw sounds of garage and early Chicano rock. You will dance your way from the cradle to the grave, and beyond."

Covert Concert Picks

2009-09-24T15:33:00.003-05:00

Before all of the ACL madness starts next week, here are a few events on the schedule that have my attention:

The first is Rob Dickinson at Mixx. A lot of folks (like Do512, Nites, Adi, Eavesdropper etc) appear to be excited that the old Catherine Wheel frontman is back in town on Friday.

Another band we've talked about a lot lately, Monotonix are also in town on Friday at Mohawk. Woven Bones and Crocodiles are at Emo's on Saturday. More on them here and here.

Monotonix - "Set Me Free"
www.monotonix.com

Learning Secrets brings the superb DJ Annie Mac from BBC Radio One to Barcelona for some dancing on Saturday night.

The Secret Machines and Ringo Deathstarr are at Emo's on Wednesday, and it's gonna rock. Titus Andronicus, whose live show we've covered before, are at The Mohawk on Wednesday.

Video: St. Vincent

2009-09-23T17:04:00.002-05:00

Check out this new St. Vincent video for "Marrow," which comes from her latest album Actor. Delusions of Adequacy says the album "has redefined the definition of pop music."

Austin bands at CMJ '09

2009-09-23T15:04:00.004-05:00

The 2009 version of the CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival will hit New York City from October 20-24. For 5 days and nights, over 1,200 artists and 120,000 fans will take over more than 75 of the city's greatest nightclubs and theaters.

Local bands who will make the trip to represent Austin include The Frontier Brothers, Pompeii, Reckless Kelly, Ringo Deathstarr, Suzanna Choffel, My Education, Bird Peterson, The Great Nostalgic, Moth!Fight!, Corto Maltese, Billy Harvey, Wolfgang Gartner, Loxsly, Alpha Rev, The Story Of, Ume, VEGA, and The Black & White Years.

Thanks to Sonicbids, which allowed these bands an easy way to apply to CMJ '09, we can offer up a free compilation of Austin bands who were happy to provide a piece of music for your listening pleasure. Which bands are included? And which songs? Click here to find out.

Monolith Festival- Sunday

2009-09-17T17:18:00.001-05:00

The sun radiated through the early morning clouds and light drizzle for the majority of day two at Monolith, which hosted a crowd sporting more neon than an American Apparel display window. Rahzel, virtuoso beatboxer and former member of The Roots began his routine at the Esurance (Main) Stage at 2 p.m.

A line of almost 40 people long formed outside the Woxy Stage set up in an interior room of the venue’s lower deck, in hopes of catching indie-electro duo Neon Indian---which filled to capacity 30 minutes before show time. The band originally hailing from Brooklyn recently re-located to Austin. They are scheduled to play an ACL after show at Emo’s and Fun Fun Fun Fest.

During that time, garage/prog-rock group Monotonix of Tel Aviv, Isreal rocked in nothing but 70’s short shorts and chest hair at the Southern Comfort Stage. The setup was one which took place within the audience. Even before finishing the first song, singer Ami Shalev stage-dove into the crowd and gauchely crawled and climbed on enthused hipsters. Banned in several venues around the world including Flamingo Cantina located here in Austin, the trio are notorious for their over the top antics which include setting things on fire, beer spitting, climbing on bars and over-zealous interactions with fans.

Following the energetic performance we sat down for a chat with guitarist Yonatan Gat, singer Ami Shalev and drummer Haggai Fershtman of Monotonix.

CC: What’s the origin of name Monotonix?

HF: Too long to describe it, it’s a very complicated story.

YG: When Haggai went to art school, when he was a teenager, everybody thought he was retarded... It’s just his lip went to the side a little bit. And he would say the same thing over and over again and everyone would say “you are very monotonic” and then we added the “x,” because he couldn’t say ‘x’.

HF: This is the real story.

YG: It’s the first time we tell anybody.

CC: How did you snap out of it?

YG : He got a chicken bone stuck in his throat once and Avi gave him the Heimlich and ever since he stopped being a “retard.”

HF: Monotonix! Monotonix… I could say the ‘x’.

CC: Where have you performed and what are your favorite and least favorite venues?

HF: Austin is one of the best!

YG: Austin is fun. We played good shows at a place called the Mohawk, we played SXSW. One of the venues we don’t like is Flamingo Cantina because we’re banned from there.

CC: How much lighter fluid do you go through in a tour? Usually you light your drums on fire.

AS: Depends. Sometimes if it’s too crowded, we can’t use the lighter fluid. We have to talk to the venues, fire is sensitive issue.

CC: What kind of access do fans have to your music?

HF: Combination of many things. Record company… iTunes, Myspace.. We have a Twitter that someone we don’t know is doing.

CC: Someone you don’t know is tweeting for you?

YG: We have a fan twitter.

HF: Yeah, he’s twittering! Haha…

CC: Israel is pretty far away. Do you have a US home base?

AS: We have friends that we love, they love us and we see them while we’re touring. But home is where the heart is, like Frank Zappa’s song.

Quite the opposite of their crazy, raucous stage personas, the trio was reserved yet charismatic after the show. They are scheduled to play Emo’s on Friday, September 25. You can buy tickets here. Check out this amateur video we got of them at Monolith:

The Glitch Mob dropped dope beats on the Esurance stage while one of this year’s most anticipated acts Passion Pit rocked the Southern Comfort stage. The pavement slab in front of the stage vibrated and shook throughout the set, especially during the dance-y number “Sleepyhead.”

MSTRKRFT canceled their appearance at Monolith due to an untimely illness. Replacing them on the main stage were French alternative rock band Phoenix. They opened up with "Lisztomania,” the first single of their upcoming album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. In spite of the slow start, the band had the entire venue dancing with their jaw-dropping performance.

Concluding the evening were experimental-progressive rockers The Mars Volta. They commenced their powerful set with “Inertiatic ESP,” off their 2004 release De-Loused in the Comatorium. Their stage set featured an array of psychedelic colors and patterns on the rock wall behind them. They ended with “Wax Simulacra,” the first single off their fourth studio album The Bedlam in Goliath.

All photos courtesy of Mary Rehak. Go here to see more shots from the festival.

Brain Children

2009-09-17T16:03:00.003-05:00

The album cover alone was more than enough to entice me into trying on this self-titled release from Australian honky-disco duo Brain Children. Apparently these two dudes, Mikey Young and Max Kohane, are seasoned Melbourne punk veterans who have spent years touring and releasing records in the DIY Punk / Garage / Hardcore circuit.

When the two realised they shared a passion for classic disco and vintage hip-hop, it was only a matter of time before they were making music together. One of the results is this 6-song effort released on Stained Circles. If they rounded up a cape and a ponytail these guys could be on their way to becoming an Aussie version of Ghostland.

Psychic Chasms

2009-09-16T19:39:00.005-05:00

Neon Indian comes from the mind of Alan Palomo, who was the creative force behind Ghosthustler and spends some of his time on the synth-pop sounds of VEGA. With visual artist Alicia Scardetta he forms the Austin/Brooklyn-based Neon Indian, which made its live debut at the Monolith Festival over the weekend. The debut album Psychic Chasms will drop early next month on Lefse Records. It is the best lo-fi, warbled electro-video game pop I've ever heard. Pitchfork calls it "kind of like MGMT on a ramen budget-- and with less face paint." That makes absolutely no sense to me, but it is pretty funny.

Psychic Chasms is now available for pre-order from Insound. As a bonus if you pre-order the vinyl format, you’ll get the full album in mp3 format on September 28th. Catch them live at the Austin City Limits afterparty at Emo's on October 2, and at Fun Fun Fun Fest on November 7.

Review: KiD CuDi

2009-09-16T15:00:00.001-05:00

Not knowing what to expect from KiD CuDi, I approached his new album Man on the Moon - The End of Day without hoping for much. After listening to it, one thing is for sure; Man on the Moon is a perfect title. This album definitely sounds like it is being transmitted from outer space, ranging from melancholy tunes that give off a zero-gravity vibe to eerily dark tracks as well as some lighthearted fare. CuDi establishes himself as anything but your stereotypical ringtone rapper or club clone with an intensely personal debut that accomplishes the increasingly rare feat of being an actual album instead of a collection of single tracks.

Man on the Moon takes you on a strange journey through CuDi's consciousness, with spaced out beats and lyrics that are either chock-full of pain and angst or simply the musings of an introspective stoner. CuDi goes autobiographical early on the emotional 'Soundtrack 2 My Life,' gets lovey dovey with the help of psychedelic mushrooms on 'Enter Galactic,' and gives what feels like an obligatory salute to oral sex on 'Make Her Say,' a remix of Lady Gaga's 'Poker Face' that couldn't sound less like the original.

Another unexpected and unprecedented move by CuDi was soliciting two tracks for the album from Ratatat, who are no strangers to remixing rap tunes but have never provided original beats for other artists. One of the Ratatat tracks even features MGMT singing background vocals, a collaboration that will undoubtedly wet many hipster panties. And he caps it all with an oddly upbeat and almost bubbly finish in 'Up Up & Away' that leaves an optimistic, weed-flavored taste in your mouth.

The end result is an extremely listenable album that establishes KiD CuDi as a complex dude with plenty of talent and style that defies classification and transcends genres in a way that leaves you wanting more.

Monolith Festival 2009- Saturday

2009-09-16T14:15:00.000-05:00

The third annual Monolith Festival was this past weekend at Red Rocks in Morrison, Colorado. The two day fest was undoubtedly a hipster’s wet dream with acts such as Girl Talk, Passion Pit, Phoneix, M. Ward, Of Montreal, and Neon Indian to name a few. Despite a downpour of intermittent showers and temperatures in the upper 40’s on Saturday, indie-fans congregated for what has to be the biggest catalog of indie acts at one venue.

Pains of Being Pure at Heart played at the Southern Comfort stage amidst steady rainfall. In spite of the low temperatures and cold rain, they remained ardent and even joked that they were the ‘Rains of Being Pure of Heart.’

Ok Go played on the larger stage sponsored by Esurance. Mid set, Damian Kulash stepped over the railing into the rain with his guitar and told the crowd that this would probably be the only time they’d see him literally playing in the rain.

Meanwhile, Hamilton Leithauser of The Walkmen crooned tracks off the You & Me album on the upper level Southern Comfort stage. Almost like lightning the mellowed-out crowd broke into a dance at the start of “The Rat,” the hit single from the band’s debut album Bows + Arrows. Following The Walkmen on that stage was iron-masked DOOM, whose set up took longer than 30 minutes due to technical difficulties.

After a raging set, the masses made their way towards the main stage where Girl Talk, aka Greg Gillis remixed and mashed up samples ranging from Missy Elliot to Flashdance to the Jackson 5. Rain poured heavily throughout the set while presumably over 100 fans crowded Gillis on stage.

Ending the evening were the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. While the audience had thinned out to almost a 3rd of the seating due to weather conditions, the confetti, extravagant stage décor, and Karen O’s multi-color bell sleeve romper were more than enough to rock the house. Among the songs played were "Heads Will Roll," "Zero," and “Maps.” The encore was "Y Control.”

Here’s some amateur video we got of the YYY’s performing Black Tongue:

All photos courtesy of Mary Rehak. Go here to see more shots from the festival. We'll have a recap of Sunday at Monolith up shortly...

Video: Clues

2009-09-16T13:18:00.002-05:00

The sounds are from Clues, the entertainment is from Tim.

Atlas Sound

2009-09-15T16:54:00.004-05:00

There are some strong moments on the soon-to-be-released album by Atlas Sound, aka Bradford Cox from Deerhunter. We already posted the sample-tastic collaboration he did with Noah Lennox from Animal Collective, but that might not even be the best track on Logos, the second proper Atlas Sound full-length. "Quick Canal" has a constant downtempo groove that clocks in at nearly 9-minutes, and features the lovely vocals of Stereolab's Laetitia Sadier. This album leaked in demo form months ago, but will finally see proper release on October 20th via Kranky. Atlas Sound will perform at Fun Fun Fun Fest on November 8.

While we're on the subject, here are two Deerhunter tracks from the Sub Pop Singles Club. These two are re-workings of songs that appeared on Microcastle, and you can get the actual 7″ through Ebay. Find out more about the Sub Pop Singles Club here.

Beck Acoustic

2009-09-11T11:32:00.001-05:00

Here's an acoustic version of Beck's Modern Guilt, taken from his recent Record Club recordings. They haven't yet released an acoustic version of the album closing "Volcano", at least not that I've seen, but nine of the ten songs are available. I have a feeling that some people are going to dig this acoustic version more than the original. It's just Beck with a guitar and a minimal amount of accompaniment. Get the tracks as a zip file here.

Also, Beck's cover of the The Velvet Underground & Nico album I told you about is available to download in its entirety right here.

beck.com