Red Blondehead

Florence and the Machine

2009-05-04T14:55:00.005-05:00

I first heard "Dog Days Are Over" by Florence and the Machine while watching the third season of Skins on Youtube a few months ago. (The 3rd season should air here in the States on BBC America this summer, if anyone's interested...but don't expect it to be at the same level as the first two seasons.) Then I started noticing mentions of Florence and the Machine everywhere. The band, fronted by Florence Welch, has released just two limited singles to critical acclaim in the UK and US, but their debut album, Lungs, will be released July 6.

If you have a fear of carnies/clowns/having glitter thrown in your face, I wouldn't suggest watching the video for this song.

Megafaun, yesssss!

2008-06-21T11:22:00.003-05:00

Greetings, dear readers, and we thank those of you who have checked our page EVERY DAY since March hoping for an update of some sort. Those who are patient and persistent will received blessed rewards.

Okay, so I don't really know if that's true, but I just opened a fortune cookie, and that's what IT told me. Who am I to be a doubting Thomas? I shall believe dogmatically in the veracity of my fortune cookie. DOGMATICALLY, I TELL YOU. I can just imagine some wise, whited-beared, ancient sage stuffing the tiny rectangular page into the cookie himself!

Moving onward and upward, here's where we tell you that Red Blondehead has become a bi-yearly publication, meaning of course that we e-publish something twice a year. What that means for you is that you'll only have stuff to read if we really, really think a band is worthy of your attention.

That's where MEGAFAUN come in.

Megafaun is a Raleigh/Durham, NC-based band close to our hearts, close indeed. They won us over in September of 2007 when they came to Birmingham and entertained us with their three-part harmonies and their countrified, half-dark, half-playful gospel tunes before hopping onstage with Akron/Family and holding their own with Brooklyn's famed 'Family. We've been hooked ever since, especially since the recent release of Bury the Square.

Here are two of the tracks from that release as well as a video of the 'Fauns performing "Lazy Suicide" and talking about their music. If you like it, you can pick up Bury the Square from spun.com. Also, plan to come out and hear them play in Birmingham for the second time on Thursday, June 26th. They'll be performing with Birmingham's Sworn Enemies, another folkish band that has picked up a following in our fair city.

Find Your Mark
His Robe

The Dodos

2008-03-25T15:31:00.002-05:00

The Dodos are playing tonight at Bottletree and both Leah and Jackson the Fantastic Bear are super excited about seeing them. So excited that they are spending the day dreaming about how great the show is going to be instead of posting a blog about the band in an effort to spread the good word. Leaving me to post songs and encourage you to come out tonight, even though I did not return from SXSW raving about The Dodos after seeing them twice like a certain (blonde) person did. That's not to say that I wouldn't have returned home singing their praises...if I had actually been able to go to SXSW this year. Does my skin look a little green to you? At least green works with red and purple.

The Dodos - Fools
The Dodos - Red and Purple

Oooh, girl

2008-02-19T10:47:00.005-06:00

I can't stop listening to these MGMT tracks. They're so synthtastic and delicious...and they make me feel like I should be skating around a roller disco to fully appreciate their Prince-meets-Bee Gees charm. I like almost all of Oracular Spectacular but I can't resist looping "Electric Feel" and "Kids" over and over..and over.

MGMT - Electric Feel
MGMT - Kids

Download and play the interactive video for "Electric Feel" here. It's like Choose Your Own Adventure!

Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars in Birmingham

2008-01-26T10:25:00.001-06:00

Dirty clothes, fast food, cramped vans, sweaty bandmates that get super annoying, the promise of anywhere from $25 to $500 (most likely the former) to get you to the next city: all of these things make us feel bad for indie bands getting their start in the US. They endure these unpleasant conditions--not to mention having to play some of the most awful clubs imaginable--in city after city as they drive through unfamiliar cities and desolate badlands.

Every now and then, though, a band or group comes around that makes us question the hardships of these often-from-Brooklyn indie bands making their own way. One such group is Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, a West African reggae/hip-hop/Afro-pop group that formed in the squalid and often unsanitary conditions of an honest-to-god refugee camp in Guinea. Like countless other refugees, band members lost wives, were separated from parents, had limbs amputated by rebels--indeed, one member featured in the documentary film was forced to kill his own child before having rebels cut off part of his arm--and were forced to flee from the home most of them had known their whole lives.

And somehow, in the midst of the refugee camps, the musicians found their voice again and began playing to heal. Soon, they were playing to heal others. Documentary footage shows downtrodden refugees smiling and dancing at the sounds made by the all-stars on their second- and third-hand instruments and sound equipment. It wasn't long before the UN invited the musicians to return to their own country--to "look and see" the changes and, most importantly for the band, to record their record to share with the world.

As a result of that trip, we have the Refugee's first album, Living Like a Refugee, released in the US on Anti- Records. As an extended result, the band has gotten the opportunity to tour around the US to share their musical message of love and peace to the thousands who hear them play.

Finally, we have a chance to hear them in Birmingham this weekend. The All Stars will be performing at the Carver Theatre this Sunday night, January 27, at 8:00 p.m. It's rare to have such an opportunity in Birmingham, so we hope to see you all there tomorrow night!

For a taste, here are some songs from the band's 2006 release, Living Like a Refugee:

Soda Soap
Big Lesson
Garbage to the Showglass

Roses and Tulips and...Goats

2008-01-17T16:56:00.000-06:00

Hello, Blue Roses released The Portrait Is Finished And I Have Failed To Capture Your Beauty... yesterday. Like most Dan Bejar projects (this time with vocalist/flautist Sydney Vermont), it's growing on me. I've listened to "Sunny Skies" several times just trying to think of what other song it reminded me of, until I realized it was "This Woman's Work." Am I the only one that hears it?

Hello Blue Roses - Shadow Falls
Hello Blue Roses - Sunny Skies

Headlights is one of my favorite pop bands, so I'm greatly anticipating the release of their next album, Some Racing, Some Stopping on February 19. Their label has released their first single for our listening pleasure, and here it is in all its sweetly jangly bliss.
Headlights - Cherry Tulips

The Mountain Goats will also be releasing Heretic Pride on Feb. 19.
The Mountain Goats - Sax Rohmer #1

Traci's Top 20

2007-12-31T10:08:00.000-06:00

All the usual year-end favorites list disclaimers apply to this list: I've arranged this list several times, ranking is somewhat random past the first few albums, ranking varies depending on mood and time of day, please do not consume ranking on an empty stomach. There are a few debut albums on my list, but most are from familiar names.

1. The National - Boxer
The National - Slow Show
The National - Fake Empire

2. Stars - In the Bedroom After the War
Stars - Take Me To the Riot
Stars - The Night Starts Here

3. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Arcade Fire - Antichrist Television Blues
Arcade Fire - Intervention

4. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
Jens Lekman - Your Arms Around Me
Jens Lekman - Into Eternity

5. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Spoon - The Underdog
Spoon - You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb

6. Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog
Iron & Wine - The Devil Never Sleeps
Iron & Wine - White Tooth Man

7. Architecture in Helskinki - Places Like This
Architecture in Helsinki - Hold Music
Architecture in Helsinki - Red Turned White

8. Menomena - Friend and Foe
Menomena - Weird
Menomena - My My

9. Beirut - The Flying Club Cup
Beirut - Guyamas Sonora
Beirut - A Sunday Smile

10. The Rosebuds - Night of the Furies
The Rosebuds - I Better Run
The Rosebuds - Cemetery Lawns

11. Feist - The Reminder
Feist - I Feel It All
Feist - My Moon, My Man

12. The New Pornographers - Challengers
The New Pornographers - Myriad Harbour

13. Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
Andrew Bird - Heretics

14. Pela - Anytown Graffiti
Pela - Anytown Graffiti
Pela - The Trouble With River Cities

15. The Broken West - I Can't Go On, I'll Go On
The Broken West - Down In the Valley

16. The Ladybug Transistor - Can't Wait Another Day
The Ladybug Transistor - Always on the Telephone

17. St. Vincent - Marry Me
St. Vincent - Paris is Burning

18. Blonde Redhead - 23
Blonde Redhead - 23

19. Band of Horses - Cease to Begin
Band of Horses - The General Specific

20. Okkervil River - The Stage Names
Okkervil River - Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe

Honorable mentions:
Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter
The Shins - Wincing The Night Away
Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
Field Music - Tones of Town
Eleni Mandell - Miracle of Five
Through the Sparks - Lazarus Beach

And a few of my favorite songs of 2007 (excluding any included above)
Loney Dear - I Am John
Calvin Harris - The Girls
The Virgins - Rich Girls
Josh Ritter - Rumors
Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew - Lucky Ones
Illinois - Screendoor
Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/Lovesounds
Amy Winehouse - Rehab

Have a happy New Year!

PSA from Jackson the Fantastic Bear: Don't drink and drive or you may be my first afternoon snack of 2008.

Jackson's Top Ten (x 2)

2007-12-17T15:37:00.000-06:00

Red Blondehead presents:
Jackson the Fantastic Bear's 2007 Top 10 (x 2) - straight from his honey-encrusted claws to your computer screens!

When Traci asked me if I wanted to do a write-up of my favorite albums of 2007, I didn’t even know where to start. I have listened to so much music this year that I couldn’t even remember what was released this year, let alone how much I liked it. So I did what needed to be done… I sorted my music by year, pulled out all the music from 2007, and listened to every single album again. So if the Red Blondehead ladies were wondering why the hell my list was taking so long, that’s why.

After my listening fest, I found myself split between a number of amazing pop records and an even longer list of experimental/electronic/noise/ambient music. I mean, how can you compare Jens Lekman with Boris? You just can’t. No way, no how. So, I made it easy on myself and made two lists that were, nonetheless, just as hard to narrow down.

Albums my father would wear earplugs to:

10. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
Jens Lekman - If I Could Cry (it would feel like this)

9. Akron/Family - Love Is Simple
Akron/Family - Ed is a Portal

8. Prints - Prints
Prints - Blue Jay

7. Caribou - Andorra
Caribou - She's the One
Caribou - Melody Day

6. Beirut - The Flying Club Cup
Beirut - A Sunday Smile

5. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam

4. Panda Bear - Panda Bear
Panda Bear - Bros

3. Le Loup - The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations Millennium General Assembly
Le Loup - Canto Xxxiv
Le Loup - To The Stars! To The Night!

2. Low - Drums and Guns

1. LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver
LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends

Albums that would give my father diarrhea:

10. Burial - Untrue

9. Andrew Pekler - Cue

8. Black Dice - Load Blown

7. Stars of the Lid - And the Refinement of Their Decline

6. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam

5. Wzt Hearts - Threads Rope Spell Making Your Bones

4. Battles - Mirrored
Battles - Race In

3. Boris with Michio Kurihara - Rainbow

2. The Field - From Here We Go Sublime
The Field - A Paw In My Face

1. Pantha Du Prince - This Bliss
Pantha Du Prince - Saturn Strobe

And as a bonus, Jackson did some tinkering on our banner to make it even more awesome!

Leah's favorite albums of the year

2007-12-10T15:45:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year again: drunk Santas, reindeer, presents, decorated trees, best-of lists... I'm happy to go first on that last item!

I've got ten favorite albums this year. There were many to choose from, but the way I look at it, the smaller the list, the more prestigious. Or at least rare. I'm going with that, anyway. I tried to choose albums from this year that I'll most definitely be listening to next year (and hopefully beyond that if they hold up as well as others have).

10. CocoRosie - The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn
9. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova - Once soundtrack
8. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
7. Levon Helm - Dirt Farmer
6. The Roadside Graves - No One Will Know Where You've Been
5. Akron/Family - Love is Simple
4. Through the Sparks - Lazarus Beach
3. Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter
2. The Real Tuesday Weld - The London Book of the Dead
1. The Felice Brothers - Adventures of the Felice Brothers Vol. I

Looking back, I've posted mp3s from most of these albums. Here's a few from the list that were overlooked, though. Oh, and Happy Holidays to you all!

The Real Tuesday Weld - It's a Wonderful Li(f)e
The Real Tuesday Weld - Last Words
The Real Tuesday Weld - Bringing the Body Back Home
Levon Helm - Calvary
Levon Helm - Got Me a Woman
CocoRosie - Japan

Clearing the cobwebs

2007-11-12T17:10:00.000-06:00

Wow, it's been a real ghost town around here lately, hasn't it? I had to fight off a dust bunny of gargantuan proportions while tumbleweeds were hot on my heels just to get to the ol' RB. Allow me to dust off the cobwebs and share two albums that I've been enjoying since they were released in early October.

In his most recent album Night Falls Over Kortedala, Jens Lekman swings from orchestral pop, soul, and disco to doo wop and African rhythms, without ever losing his inherent wit and romanticism. It's the romanticism of everyday life, the observance of small moments that are so often overlooked: a haircut, fumbling over words because someone makes you nervous, a heartbeat "beating like Ringo." And somehow Jens makes a story about cutting off the tip of his index finger and bleeding all over the sink because he was surprised by a stealth hug while chopping an avocado sound like one of the sweetest things you've ever heard in "Your Arms Around Me."

Jens Lekman - Your Arms Around Me
Jens Lekman - Into Eternity
Jens Lekman - Kanske Ar Jag Kar i Dig.mp3

And then there's my new favorite band-with-a-name-likely-to-confuse-people-if-heard-instead-of-read: Prints.

"What music are you playing?"
"Prints."
"Wha? That's not my favorite funky 5'2" Purple One!"

While not the product of Minnesota's finest, Prints is the result of Zac Nelson (Who's Your Favorite Sun God) and Kenseth Thibideau (Sleeping People, Pinback) self-recording their brand of eclectic pop in their homes.

Prints - Too Much Water
Prints - Blue Jay

Final Fantasy (and Lylas) tonight!

2007-11-05T17:01:00.000-06:00

Don't forget Final Fantasy tonight with Cadence Weapon and RB favorite, Lylas! Owen Pallett was enchanting when he last played at Bottletree, so this promises to be a show not to miss.

A couple of my favorite live tracks from Final Fantasy's Bottletree performance August 24:
Final Fantasy - Hey Dad + The CN Tower Belongs to the Dead (live)
Final Fantasy - Peach Plum Pear (live Joanna Newsom cover)

And check out "Hey Dad" featuring Beirut on Final Fantasy's myspace.

Thriller...thriller night

2007-11-02T16:35:00.000-05:00

Some pics from the Halloween Josh Ritter show:

As you can see, it was a fun night.
Check out Leah's review over at tinymixtapes.

Josh Ritter on Halloween

2007-10-30T11:11:00.000-05:00

Kids! It's the day before Halloween!

And where will you be tomorrow night?

Where will Red Blondehead be, you ask?

How awfully kind of you to inquire, dears. This fearsome, firesome duo will be spending the evening at Workplay--in costume, might I add--enjoying performances by Eric Bachmann and current RB favorite Josh Ritter. That's at 8:00 p.m.

Later on that night, Laser's Edge in Homewood, RB's very favorite indie record store, is hosting a supercool Josh Ritter afterparty. Here are the details for that:

What: Post-concert in-store performance/recording and Halloween party
Who: JOSH RITTER and you
Where: Laser's Edge Compact Discs. You know how to get here.
How: Bring your Workplay ticket stub or wrist band or stamped hand to the store, along with some semblance of a Halloween costume for admittance. Those who come dressed without Halloween garb may be forced to wear something of our choosing...cardboard box hats dressed-up with Sharpie art and two holes for eyes are a distinct possibility.
When: Halloween night, around 11:00 pm, immediately following Josh's concert at Workplay
What Else: A GuessTheCharacterFromAPopularSong costume contest, special prizes, refreshments, merry fellowship

Also, many of our costumed peeps will be heading to BottleTree to catch a FREE and freely spectacular show featuring Celebration, Dragons of Zynth, and Lonesome Spirit Device. LOTS to do on Halloween night, kids, so don't stay in and sulk. Put on a goofy-spooky costume and join the thousand eyes of the night!

Now, for a couple of my favorite Josh Ritter songs, just to get you in the mood!

Kathleen from Hello Starling
Come and Find Me from Golden Age of Radio

Stars at the Variety Playhouse - 10/27/07

2007-10-29T12:52:00.000-05:00

It is my opinion that Stars is worth driving over 2 hours to see, which is exactly what I did on Saturday when they played the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta. I haven't seen them live since the fall of 2005 when they opened for Death Cab at the Tabernacle (also on the Saturday before Halloween). At that time they didn't seem to be very well-known among the showgoers in my general vicinity, but quite a few people were buzzing after their performance. They've certainly become more well-known in the past 2 years, so I was expecting a good turnout for their return to Atlanta. I guess the band wasn't because they expressed their surprise that so many people showed up in a city where they only know 2 people.

Magnet opened and he played a pretty good set but talked too much. I didn't count how many songs he played but it felt like he only played 5 because of his stage patter. I would have been happy to listen to his charming Norwegian accent if he had been the co-headliner but when you're the opener, it's time to get down to business. He also asked for audience participation on practically every song, which was a little annoying.

After a short break, Stars took the stage (which was covered in flowers and artwork) to begin their energetic performance. I don't see how anyone could have left the venue unhappy with their Stars experience because the band's joy in performing is so contagious. Some highlights included the band throwing flowers into the crowd every few minutes, Torq coming on stage in a light-covered coat during "The Ghost of Genova Heights," a lovely version of "Look Up" (which was the song that introduced me to the band in 2003), Amy Millan diving into the crowd, "Elevator Love Song" and "On Peak Hill." I wish that they had played more than one Nightsongs selection and "My Favourite Book" from In the Bedroom, but those are small grievances. It was a fantastic show.

The setlist to the best of my memory:

Take Me to the Riot
Set Yourself on Fire
Elevator Love Song
Ghost of Genova Heights
Bitches in Tokyo
One More Night
Personal
Look Up
Soft Revolution
Midnight Coward
Window Bird
Your Ex-Lover is Dead
Reunion
Sleep Tonight
What I'm Trying to Say
Ageless Beauty
In Our Bedroom After the War

Encore
On Peak Hill
Calendar Girl

A few Nightsongs
Stars - Counting Stars on the Ceiling
Stars - My Radio (AM Mix)
Stars - Going, Going, Gone

Long Time, No Blog

2007-10-26T16:54:00.000-05:00

There's not been much time for blogging recently with my returning from vacation this week and Leah leaving for one. But I brought you souvenirs from Montreal and L.A. and Brooklyn (and Jersey, whoo! how exotic) to show you how much I missed you!

Pas Chic Chic - Sur les Écrans Statiques
Soft - Dumb Blood
Young Galaxy - Come and See
Saturday Looks Good to Me - Make a Plan
West Indian Girl - To Die in LA
Chromatics - I Want Your Love

John Fitzgerald Page loves Los Campesinos!

2007-10-12T11:31:00.000-05:00

I planned to post about Los Campesinos! yesterday but then this fantastically awesome Gawker post and its comments pretty much ruined my productivity for the whole day. (You must click on the link. A coworker and I would randomly break into giggles throughout the day yesterday just thinking about it.)

If I ran a record label, it would be Arts & Crafts. Their taste in pop acts is right in line with my own. And they continued the trend by signing 7-member band Los Campesinos! and releasing their debut EP, Sticking Fingers Into Sockets back in July. They sound like early Architecture in Helsinki, but with less Vegemite (they're from Wales instead of Australia).

Los Campesinos! - We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives
Los Campesinos! - TheInternational Tweexcore Underground.mp3

Video for "You! Me! Dancing!"

p.s. Seriously, click the Gawker link.

Calling all spazz-dancers!(!!)

2007-10-03T16:00:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow night, Red Blondehead presents !!! with The Field at Bottletree for what should be a fun night of electro-dance-punk music. And you know how we like to give away things so the first 30 ticketholders through the door will receive a token of our appreciation. Please spazz-dance responsibly!

!!! - Bend Over Beethoven
!!! - Must Be The Moon

The Felice Brothers

2007-09-29T16:23:00.000-05:00

A friend and I caught The Felice Brothers at AA Bondy's CD release party of American Hearts a few weeks ago in Birmingham. I dug up some of their music online (it was initially pretty difficult to find) and loved every second of it, and Scott... er... AA Bondy has good tastes in opening acts.

Good taste in brothers-in-law, too, apparently. The Felice Brothers, hailing from New York state, are the rough-and-tumble brothers of Bondy's lovely missus; they were opening for Bondy, but I'll be damned if they didn't near steal the show.

Five minutes into their set, my friend and I were dancing up a storm and laughing like crazy; the brothers were having just about as much fun as any band I've ever seen. Where did these guys come from? That's what I wanted to know. Soon, others around the country will be asking the same question. An upcoming US tour with Bright Eyes has been announced, and the brothers have also landed an enviable gig with Levon Helm and his Midnight Ramblers. This shouldn't be surprising, as comparisons to Bob Dylan and The Band have been irresistible for reviewers who have listened to these guys:

“Singers of ragged and lovely Catskills harmonies, rickety gospel backporch jams, 19th century medicine show charmers, cheap suit rhapsodizers, watchers of the Nashville skyline, part-time residents and always-welcome houseguests at Big Pink, students of Bob Dylan and Levon Helm, the Partridge Family in pinstripes and scruffy beards.” -stolen from songs:illinois, stolen from Gabe Soria of Vice Magazine

Upcoming Dates:

Wed-Oct-10 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom (supporting Jason Isbell)
Sat-Oct-13 Woodstock, NY Woodstock Film Festival
Sat-Oct-27 Woodstock, NY Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble

With Bright Eyes:

Tue-Nov-06 Memphis, TN Orpheum Theatre
Wed-Nov-07 Birmingham, AL Alabama Theatre
Thu-Nov-08 Charleston, SC The Plex
Fri-Nov-09 Winston Salem, NC Millennium Center
Sat-Nov-10 Norfolk, VA The NorVA
Sun-Nov-11 Washington, DC DAR Constitution Hall
Mon-Nov-12 Wilmington, DE Grand Opera House
Wed-Nov-14 Binghamton, NY Magic City Music Hall
Thu-Nov-15 Rochester, NY Main Street Armory
Fri-Nov-16 Portsmouth, NH The Music Hall
Sat-Nov-17 Providence, RI Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
Sun-Nov-18 Worcester, MA Palladium

Finally, the songs, the songs! These are from The Adventures of the Felice Brothers Vol. I:

Frankie's Gun!
Radio Song
Whiskey in my Whiskey

Find the Felice Brothers on myspace.

Writing sentences composed only of song titles

2007-09-24T16:50:00.000-05:00

...results in sentences that sound like the product of a game of drunken Mad Libs.

Ra Ra Riot - Each Year
Little Name - Tracy and I
The Long Weekend - Record
Los Campesinos! - You! Me! Dancing!
Sunset Rubdown - Up on your Leopard, Upon the End of your Feral Days
Le Loup - We Are Gods! We Are Wolves!

Oh, Sophia Petrillo!

2007-09-11T16:57:00.000-05:00

I was excited to see Biirdie's second album, Catherine Avenue, in my inbox last week because I was a fan of of their last album, Morning Kills the Dark. It looks like Biirdie decided to follow up Morning's "Open Letter to Jenny" (their ode to Jenny Lewis) with a tribute song to Estelle Getty. Well, actually I'm not sure if "Estelle" is really about her, but it should be if it isn't. Because she is awesome and we need more songs in this world written in her honor. In fact, I think I will begin to compose a concept album about Sophia, Rose, Blanche, and Dorothy as soon as I finish this blog.

But back to Catherine Avenue for a moment. Team Clermont describes the album as a collection of "sweeping anthems told in California semi-gloss, with twinges of West Coast Country and big-hearted Southern balladry" and this is an apt description.

Biirdie - Estelle
Biirdie - Him
Biirdie - I Wish I Could've Been There

Catherine Avenue will be released on October 30. Okay, I'm off to write the lyrics to "Picture It, Sicily 1912" and "Back in St. Olaf."

This Season In Indie Music, Sneaky Is The New Black

2007-09-09T20:28:00.000-05:00

From the Desk of Jordan Sowards, RB Semiregular Guest Blogger

Remember a couple months ago when Stars oh-so-quietly released the digital version of In Our Bedroom After the War approximately 1/4 of a year before the previously announced release date? The official reason given for the premature "drop" was to, like a diaper, "combat leaks."

And how silly did we all feel, scrambling to be the first to download it after Arts & Crafts threw a royal monkey wrench into our own personal album release schedules? I had already used up my eMusic downloads for the month, for crying out loud.

To me, this release-to-beat-the-leak business is also not unlike one of those middle school preemptive defensive breakups. You know, when you catch wind that your B or GF is going to break up with you, so you make tracks to their locker and announce conspicuously that you will, in fact, be doing up the breaking. Upper hand officially secured. And me and my denim shirt are back all up on the market.

Well, apparently this ultra-absorbent (back to the diaper joke) record release method is becoming a fashionable trend among the twee pop set. Last night I was having a look at the Internet, and at one point I must have blinked because when I looked back, there was the new Beirut album, The Flying Club Cup. And it was all, "What? I've been here the whole time." But I knew it hadn't. It had snuck out. And it's been out since Tuesday on iTunes, people! Did we know this?

Whatever. All I know is it's out now. And, as you might expect, it's gorgeous. I'm talking Brad Pitt sliding up out of the swimming pool in slow motion gorgeous. Wait, did I say Brad Pitt? I meant Angelina Jolie, but the backspace key is broken on my compuper.

The Flying Club Cup is said to be based more on French pop than Balkan music, so expect less Hawk and A Hacksaw, and more Yann Tiersen's Amelie soundtrack. "A Sunday Smile" opens with a waltzing organ whose sound you will recognize from the pair of sublime lo-fi electronic numbers on Gulag Orkestar, and continues with the gentle, more familiar still, baritone croon of youngster Zach Condon. Like any indie pop song worth its salt, "Guyamas Sonora" starts with a cute, tinkling glockenspiel (which I adore) and whimsical piano. As proof of the community effort, both songs build into a mighty Euro-hoedown sing-along. The whole of The Flying Club Cup, like the Lon Gisland EP, employs the contribution of Condon's entire touring orkestar, and is also augmented with string arrangements from Owen Pallett of Final Fantasy. And is awesome.

Listen here first, then go score it for yourself. The physical release is still scheduled for October something somethingth. (Ed: October 9)

Beirut - Guyamas Sonora
Beirut - A Sunday Smile

more love for Akron/Family

2007-09-06T15:41:00.000-05:00

I have championed freak-folk rocksters Akron/Family so much around friends and family that most folks hold their breath or roll their eyes whenever the words "Akron" and "Family" come out of my mouth in close proximity to each other.

Like I care. People, when I champion bands, I champion them for a reason. Because this band is Gary Oldmanin' AMAZING. Their upcoming release, Love is Simple, both improves upon things they've been doing and showcases them diverging from the path they've been traveling.

The abrupt, mid-song changes (from slow- or mid-tempo to fast, soft and pretty to raucous and weird, raucous and weird to laid-back and country) that characterized, nay, helped to define their first, self-titled album is still present, but the transitions on Love is Simple are smoother.

Although the warm sounds/moods we've become accustomed to are still present, the band's style changes quite a bit on this record. It's more primitive and more communal; they added some additional musicians to what sounds like a big, sometimes jam-bandish party.

Luckily for those of us in Alabama, these fellas will be returning to Birmingham to play their second show in Alabama. It's been two years since their last performance, and nobody has been anticipating a return performance more than I. If you're in town next Thursday, September 13, come out to Bottletree to catch the show.

Oh, and menfolk, be sure to grow out your beards!

Ed is a Portal
I've Got Some Friends

Buy the new record in all its hippie glory here

Side Project Friday

2007-08-31T11:04:00.000-05:00

Lately I've been listening to Memphis and The Whitest Boy Alive, side projects of a couple of my favorite bands, Stars and Kings of Convenience respectively. Torq (Stars) and Erlend Øye (KoC) both have distinctive voices that I really enjoy...they're definitely in my favorite male singers pile.

Here's a couple of songs from A Little Place in the Wilderness.
Memphis - Incredibly Drunk On Whiskey
Memphis - I'll Do Whatever You Want

Leah and I were shopping in the SCAD store in Atlanta earlier this month when I heard a familiar voice over the sound system. The music sounded like Kings of Convenience mixed with dancepop, so I asked the shopgirl if it was a remix of a KoC song. "No, it's Erlend Øye...The Whitest Boy Alive." I never checked out this band when Dreams came out last year, but I'm digging the crap out of it now.

The Whitest Boy Alive - Fireworks
The Whitest Boy Alive - Don't Give Up
The Whitest Boy Alive - Burning

Have a fun Labor Day weekend!

Josh Ritter

2007-08-29T22:24:00.000-05:00

This is the blog entry where I stand up on my soapbox and proclaim my love for Josh Ritter. I think he's the king of Americana right now, to be rivaled only by the formidable Brooklyn songsters Hem. But this blog is about how much I love Josh Ritter. Right. To this day, I can't tire of 2004's The Golden Age of Radio, and Hello Starling's "Kathleen" is enough to make any girl weak-kneed. Show me a woman who isn't wooed by that song and I'll show you a woman with a heart of stone who is insusceptible to flattery:

"All the other girls here are stars
You are the northern lights
They try to shine in through your curtain
You're too close and too bright...

And I won't be your last dance
Just your last goodnight
Every heart is a package
Tangled up in knots someone else tied...

I'll be the one
To drive you back home, Kathleen"

SWOON!

It was hard to pull myself away from "Other Side" and "Harrisburg," but I finally left them alone long enough to listen to The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter. Hyperbolic title? Maybe. I mean, most definitely, and for the best Ritter album it's got some stiff competition, but it's worthy in its own right as a more straight-up rock record than his previous efforts. And once again, I'm smitten.

Here's a few favorites from the new record:
The Temptation of Adam, a more folky and traditional sound for Ritter. Yum. I dig the horn intro.

Rumors, I think this one has gotten the most attention of all the songs on the new record, and rightly so. I love the lines "And the string section's screamin' like horses in a barn burning up" and "Can't seem to forget you 'cause the music isn't loud enough."

Real Long Distance, a fun rocker tune with pounding keys and skronky horns.

You can, of course, pick up the record at all your favorite record stores and my favorite, the insanely cheap spun.com. Do yourself a favor and check out the other albums mentioned, too. It's love at first sight for folkies.

Oh, and:

That's what happens when you ask Mister Ritter to "smile stupid" with you.

Cheers!

Pinback - Autumn of the Seraphs

2007-08-28T17:51:00.000-05:00

Pinback will release Autumn of the Seraphs on September 11. I've got to say, I really don't like the album artwork or title at all. It seems like the work of one of those girls who are obsessed with angels and dark fairies...you know, the sort that have a large selection of angel statue photography on their myspace profiles. Not really my bag. Thank goodness the music on the album is classic Pinback and it doesn't sound like the tunes that might be more at home on a record called Autumn of the Seraphs. So far I'm digging "Bouquet" and "Blue Harvest" the most, but those tracks are not label-approved for posting so here's the promo single instead, along with my 2 favorite Pinback songs from previous albums.

Pinback - From Nothing to Nowhere

Pinback - Crutch
Pinback - Penelope