There are two sides to The Ghost Is Dancing’s debut full-length, The Darkest Spark: One, the cheerful, up-lifting side; and two, the emotional driven, serious side. Songs like "We'll Make It" and "Shuttles And Planes" are fun and poppy as these songs suggest a feeling of accomplishment and a sense of victory. In contrast, the mood of the music shifts in "The Dark And The Bright" as well as "Arrivals (Are Never Enough)" to create a more dramatic tone. Nevertheless, The Darkest Spark is for the most part, a bright and glorious record. The Ghost Is Dancing is like a mellow down, less hyper version of Mates of State and Tilly & The Wall, so make sure you check out The Darkest Spark if you are a fan of the two bands.
The lovely Bat For Lashes will be releasing a new single "What's A Girl To Do" in the UK on July 9. The single will be available in 3 formats:
Digital Download: What's A Girl To Do? (Edit)
Enhanced CD: 1. What's A Girl To Do? (Edit) 2. Sarah Reworked (Live From Jo's Public Theatre NYC) 3. Tahiti (Live At Jo's Public Theatre NYC) 4. What's A Girl To Do? (Video)
7": 1. What's A Girl To Do? (Edit) 2. Sarah Reworked (Live From Jo's Public Theatre NYC)
Brand New will be touring with Thrice and mewithoutYou this fall. Presale starts today (Friday, June 29) at 1 pm local time.
Oct 18 Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore Detroit Oct 19 Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore Detroit Oct 21 St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant Oct 23 Maplewood, MN @ Myth Oct 25 Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theatre Oct 26 Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium Oct 27 Magna, UT @ The Great Salt Air Oct 29 Seattle, WA @ Fenix Underground Oct 30 Seattle, WA @ Fenix Underground Oct 31 Portland, OR @ Salem Armory Nov 2 San Jose, CA @ San Jose Event Center Nov 3 Los Angeles, CA @ Wiltern Theatre Nov 4 Los Angeles, CA @ Wiltern Theatre Nov 5 Los Angeles, CA @ Wiltern Theatre Nov 9 Las Vegas, NV @ Pearl Concert Theatre Nov 10 Phoenix, AZ @ Dodge Theatre Nov 12 Tulsa, OK @ Cains Ballroom Nov 14 Dallas, TX @ House of Blues Nov 15 San Antonio, TX @ Sunset Station Nov 16 Austin, TX @ Stubbs BBQ Nov 17 Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live Nov 18 Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live Nov 20 New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
...more dates will be announced soon!!!
from Brand New: The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me Welcome to Bangkok[wicked-cool song] Not The Sun[wicked-cool song]
from Brand New: Sowing Season [Single] Coca-Cola ***all files expire in 7 days or until bandwidth reaches its limit
I noticed that the links to the two songs by Napoleon IIIrd have expired. Since I feel so strongly about In Debt To, I have uploaded two other songs from the incredible record.
Defibrillator[wicked-cool song] Anti-Patria[wicked-cool song] ***all files expire in 7 days or until bandwidth reaches its limit
read my review for In Debt Tohere buy In Debt To digitally at iTunes or eMuisc
There is something about Meg Baird’s voice that makes her sound extraordinary on her new record, Dear Companion. Maybe it is the casually sincere quality in Baird’s voice over the mostly simple country folk acoustic guitar rhythms; but one thing for certain is that Dear Companion is such a comforting record to listen to on these hot and mucky summer days.
Last week, Portugal. The Man posted a couple of messages on MySpace addressing their new album, Church Mouth, being leaked:
First Bulletin:
Oh shit, I forgot to mention our record leak....
Go download it. Give yourself the tastes. Feel free. I will find out if there is some way we can stream it from here or whatnot, I know myspace has restrictions so I guess we may need to get in contact with them....
it is on oink for sure and i know people on our forum had put up links... www.portugaltheman.invisionplus.net
go grab it up
Second Bulletin:
Response on downloading leaked records... +links for more
...Thanks very much for the giant pile of responses to the first post about the leak, some very kind words for sure. We are just relieved to know that people can finally hear the new album. We got a lot of emails thanking us for "allowing" people to download church mouth. We are 100% pro-downloading in every way. It is huge. Having said this....
The reality is, downloading music and leaked records can hurt bands, first week sales especially. This is a very important time for bands. Everything that we do is based on numbers, and as much as we completely disagree with the awkward systems, at this point it is what it is. We offer the option to download the music because we are very happy with what we are doing and fully behind it. We don't write albums based around singles or write songs solely to fill out the record. It wouldn't matter if we offered it now, later, or at all, it would find its way to the file sharing sites regardless. We would much rather "you" hear the album in advance and make the decision to pre-order/purchase from and indiestore/us/or not at all based on your opinion rather than the amount of ads you see. As before, we are happy with Church Mouth. If you feel you want to support the band it is very appreciated and it will help us to continue what we are doing. If not, well shit, you probably would have downloaded it anyway and we can't blame you for that...
My favourite video blog, Shots Ring Out posted an absolutely astonishing live Daft Punk video yesterday. As the author of the post wrote, no words can describe the performance... or rather, the stage design.
Watch/Listen to The Format’s AOL video podcast set here. Don't forget... One: The Format's summer tour... Two: they will be celebrating the on year anniversary of their incredible record, Dog Problems, by offering if for FREE on their official site starting tomorrow till July 15!!!
It is rather difficult to describe the style of Mother Mother’s new album, Touch Up. It is full of different styles crossing numerous genres. Touch Up carries a very witty and poppy vibe similar to Tilly and The Wall; however, in addition, the record also borrows elements from folk, country, and even hip-hop. Although at times, this interplaying of different styles does make the album a little too scattered, Touch Up is overall a fine album.
According to Pitchfork, Girl Talk and Dan Deacon will embark on a North American tour together this fall.
09-12 Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix 09-15 New York, NY Webster Hall 09-17 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church 09-20 Charlottesville, VA - Satellite Ballroom 09-21 Asheville, NC - Orange Peel 09-22 Atlanta, GA - MJQ Concourse 09-27 San Diego, CA - Epicentre 09-28 Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex 09-29 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore Auditorium
On the surface, In Debt To by Napoleon IIIrd sounds like an anthem rock album; however, in reality, although there are songs with anthem like characteristics, In Debt To is an extremely complex and multi-layered album. The themes of a heroic revolution and celebrating a conscious mindset occur throughout the record. "This Is My Call To Arms" begins the uprising with, “All we do is evolution and how we evolve depends upon the choice we mace, brace for disaster... don’t live your life through the TV”. Napoleon IIIrd then provides guidance to the listeners in "The Conformist Takes It All": "Consistency and conformity in this modern world will put you on the top of the pile... listen to what I say, average is not the best you can do..." and similarly in "Hit Schmooze For Me": "this is not my life, this is just my day job, the way I pay the rent." Napoleon IIIrd’s In Debt To is a reality check album, the songs encourage people to speak and live freely without holding back. The record is brilliant in every level: from the highly textualized instrumentations to the thought-provoking lyrics, it is surely one of the most innovative records of the year by far!!!
Looks like the band Mutemath is covering the classic "Transformer Theme" on the soundtrack to Transformers: The Movie. See the rest of the tracklisting here.
Since this post is Transformers related, here's the greatest video ever:
No Age’s brand new record, Weirdo Rippers belongs to a genre which is relatively hard to please the ears, aka noise rock. Although I am not really a fan or too familiar with this genre, I find myself extremely excited about Weirdo Rippers. Not only am I completely in love with the album right now, but I think Weirdo Rippers is actually one of the finest records of 2007 so far. No Age has successfully created a brilliantly solid record from start to finish; the mixture of 80s' hardcore punk, indie pop and Suicide influenced approach make every part of Weirdo Rippers engaging. What also makes Weirdo Rippers such an incredible record is its wonderfully strange ability to project surreal/dreamlike sensations to its listeners.
Boy Void[wicked-cool song] Everybody's Down[wicked-cool song] Neck Escaper[wicked-cool song] Escarpment[wicked-cool song] ***all files expire in 7 days or until bandwidth reaches its limit
The first time I heard Tree, Swallows, Houses EP by Maps & Atlases, I thought they sounded a little like Portugal. The Man. In a way, the two bands have similar vibes, although the former is less psychedelic than the latter. Maps & Atlases is a band that experiments with how the instruments correspond with one another. Their progressive influenced guitar techniques combined with rhythmic drum beats make Tree, Swallows, Houses an absolutely fascinating EP to listen to. If you want progressive music, but feel that The Mars Volta is too overwhelming, don’t be hesitant to try out Maps & Atlases's fine EP, Tree, Swallows, Houses.
Tokyo Police Club recently released a brand new single entitled "Your English Is Good". It is another fun, simple, and fast track very similar to those on A Lesson In Crime EP.
Your English Is Good ***file expires in 7 days or until bandwidth reaches its limit
Go below to read the fascinating liner notes from The Magic Position 7" Single explaining the origin of the song, "Augustin".
Augustin is a traditional song that started in Vienna during the Plague period of 1678-1679. the Legend tells us that one dark cold winters evening, Augustin walked out into the night fog from a bar and he suddenly realized that he had been drinking all night, then… he felt very tired, his heavy legs couldn’t carry him any further, so he decided on a nap half way home, which in the time of Plague, was not the most intelligent thing to do. In the morning, the corpse patrol found Augustin propped up against a tree, they threw his body on the cart with he other corpses and took him away. Luckily, Augustin woke in th nick of time, to the horror of the mortician and in no time at all, the rumor spread far and wide that wine was not only a cure but also a great cure for the plague.
Augustin[wicked-cool song] ***file expires in 7 days or until bandwidth reaches its limit
Without a doubt, Architecture In Helsinki has the ability to create some top-quality, catchy-as-hell tracks. Songs like "It'5!" and "Do The Whirlwind" from In Case We Die are absolutely fun to listen to as they are so full of life and energy! Their forthcoming album, Places Like This, features a handsome set of lively songs as well. The new record leans toward an older, funkier sound. Architecture In Helsinki borrowed elements from 70s disco and 80s pop to make Michael Jackson influenced tracks like "Red Turned White" and "Debbie". Places Like This is purely a fun record and there is really no other way to describe it.
Feist spoiled worldwide audience with yet another wonderful performance on network television. Watch Feist performs "1234" on Late Night with Conan O'Brien below:
From Patrick Wolf's MySpace: At the beginning of July, Patrick will be bringing his magical circus of sound to the land of the rising sun for a show in Tokyo, before heading down under for two shows in Australia.
Here're the full details.
Monday July 2 - Zepp, Tokyo Japan Friday July 6- The Basement Sydney, Australia (Buy Tickets) Sunday July 8 - Manchester Lane, Melbourne, Australia (Buy Tickets)
I was really irritated by Arctic Monkeys back when Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not came out: I did not think they were a good band and the hype around them really annoyed me at the time! However, I wanted to hear Arctic Monkeys’ song, "Temptation Greets You Like Your Naughty Friend" from the Brianstorm Single simply because it features guest vocals by Dizzee Rascal. Likewise, the track "Temptation", from Dizzee Rascal’s Maths + English, features the vocal of Alex Turner from Arctic Monkeys. The two songs are excellent! Not only have they changed my opinions on Arctic Monkeys, but I actually want to hear more from Favourite Worst Nightmare!
Fake Problems is a band that's been progressing with every release. One could easily hear the differences between the band’s last EP, Spurs And Spokes/Bull > Matador and their latest, How Far Our Bodies Go. It seems to me lots of changes were made for the new record... by changes, I don’t mean style, but in terms of the music quality. I liked Spurs And Spokes/Bull > Matador, but I thought there were always something missing from it, but I just have nothing negative to say about the new full-length! How Far Our Bodies Go sounds great: Fake Problems’ blend of folk, country, and punk along with catchy rhythms and crisp vocals give the record a much needed happy, fulfilling sound. Many have compared Fake Problems with Against Me!, but to me, How Far Our Bodies Go is my new replacement for Set Your Goals’ Mutiny! Finding a good, pure punk album nowadays is like looking for a needle in a haystack. You either get one of those bubblegum pop bands or the scream-chorus-scream-chorus generic “emo” bands that consider themselves punk. Fake Problems is the medicine to the badly wounded punk scene, How Far Our Bodies Go is one of the most natural, fun, and honest punk albums in years.
For the last little while, notably the past year and a half, has been exceptional for dance music, or music that you can dance to: Girl Talk, The Knife, LCD Soundsystem, Hot Chip, Klaxons, Battles, the new The Chemical Brothers record... when will the dancing stop?!?! NEVER! Thanks to Justice’s debut full-length entitled †. Justice are the same French duo who were response for the song "We Are Your Friends"... the same song with the video that beat out Kanye West’s "Touch the Sky"... which made Kanye very mad!† can only be described as a dance-fever-discotheque album: every track has the utmost energy; as a result, it is such a feel good album to listen to. One major problem with a lot of electronic/dance music is that the songs are always way too long; (and for those of us who are not on drugs) they tend to become extremely repetitive and dreadfully boring! However, the tracks on † average to about 4 minutes each, which is just about the perfect length for the kind of much Justice is producing.
The amazing new Wilco album Sky Blue Sky is enhanced with a free bonus download of a track entitled "The Thanks I Get". It is a little song about two people trying to make their relationship work once again. The song has this old rock and roll-ish feel to it, it kind of reminds me of something from The Beatles’ Rubber Soul or even "Maggie May" by Rod Stewart. Nonetheless, it is a nice bonus track and it is free... enjoy!
The Thanks I Get ***file expires in 7 days or until bandwidth reaches its limit
I didn’t really know what to expect when I received Straylight Run's The Needles, The Space in the mail on Monday morning. Aside from the new single, "Soon We’ll Be Living In The Future", I haven’t really heard any new Straylight Run materials since their self-title album back in 2004. After listening to The Needles, The Space for the past few days, I strongly feel that it is an overall more solid record than Straylight Run. Unlike their former album (which had a handful of highlights but the overall album felt a little empty), most of the tracks on the new record fit wonderfully together and they work excellently with each others. Perhaps one of my favourite elements on The Needles, The Space is the lovely balance of vocal duties between John and Michelle Nolan. The contrast of their voices from track to track creates a sense of flow and movement. Michelle Nolan’s pretty, but at the same time haunting vocal strangely fits perfectly with the joyful sounding music in "The Miracle That Never Came" while John Nolan’s quiet and humble voice will sure make "Buttoned Down" a fans’ favourite. Their contrasting vocals on "Take It To Manhattan" interplay with one another to generate a grand volume. The production on The Needles, The Space is superb as well! The record is full of fantastic layers right from "The Words We Say" as the xylophone notes give the track extra textures. After listening to The Needles, The Space, I thought that Straylight Run has changed a great deal. Yes, they are a much better sounding band and the new album is a definite improvement from their self-titled debut. Nevertheless, aside from the terrific production and increased vocal contribution from Michelle Nolan, Straylight Run’s style reminds similar: they are still very emotionally charged and truthfully genuine in their songs.
Sorry, I cannot share/upload tracks from The Needles, The Space at the moment, but you can watch the brand new video for "Soon We Will Be Living In the Future" below.
North By Northeast starts today in Toronto, what bands are you seeing? Multi-dates music festival can be pretty overwhelming; and deciding which few bands to see out of hundreds can be tough! So, to help all you concert goers out, I have narrowed down three bands you must see during NXNE!
1. The Nymphets
The Nymphets was the best act I saw during CMW a few months back. Their fast tempo and ultra energetic sets will win anyone over.
The Nymphets is playing at Comfort Zone on Friday at 11pm
2. A Northern Chorus
Their 2005 release, Bitter Hands Resign, featured some beautifully composed music. A Northern Chorus will sure produce a grand atmosphere with their heroic music.
The only release that matters this week is Maths + English, the third studio full-length by Dizzee Rascal. The album features "Sirens", which is one of my favourite tracks/videos of 2007 so far. Despite the fact that Dizzee’s sound and style has not really evolve dramatically overtime, Maths + English certainly carries the best elements taken from Boy In Da Corner and Showtime. Aside from one lousy song ("Suk My Dick"), the new record is pretty much flawless! Each song is highly additive and memorable; from the in-your-face loud beats to electronica-inflenced dance rhythms, Maths + English offers a wide variety of Dizzee’s innovative styles.
Patrick Wolf has the most impressive collection of b-sides in music right now. From early wonders such as "Penzance", Nico’s "Afraid", "Souvenirs", and the Yeats tribute "The Hazelwood", P. Wolf has showcased his magnificent musical talent in non-album forms. His latest, The Magic Position, has yet another lovely collection of b-sides. He has already brought us "Ari's Song" (Nico), "Underworld", "Adder", and "On Sussex Downs" (Larrikin Love) ; however, if those are not enough, you can now add "The Marriage", "Augustin", and "Secret Garden II" to quench your thirst. The lyrically brilliant song, "The Marriage", is in my opinion, Patrick’s most sexual song to date. It is an extremely intimate and delicate track. "Augustin" and "Secret Garden II" should have been produced as one track rather than two different tracks. They fit so well together, it is really a crime to split them up!! "Augustin" is lonely without "Secret Garden II" while "Secret Garden II" sounds incomplete without "Augustin". Therefore, you need both "Augustin" and "Secret Garden II" together to complete "The Marriage"!
Augustin from The Magic Position 7" Sinlge - Part I[wicked-cool song] Secret Garden II from The Magic Position 7" Sinlge - Part II[wicked-cool song] The Marriage from The Magic Position CD Sinlge[super-wicked-cool song] ***file expires in 7 days or until bandwidth reaches its limit
buy The Magic Position 7" Sinlge - Part Ihere buy The Magic Position 7" Sinlge - Part IIhere buy The Magic Position CD Sinlgehere
The Format has announced new tour dates!!!! They will be on the road all summer long, so make sure to check them out when they are playing at a city near you!
Jun 14 Mayan Theater - DVD TAPING! Los Angeles, California Jul 13 Orpheum Theatre Phoenix, Arizona Jul 14 Orpheum Theatre Phoenix, Arizona Jul 16 House of Blues Dallas, Texas Jul 17 Antones Austin, Texas Jul 18 Meridian Houston, Texas Jul 20 The Club @ Firestone Orlando, Florida Jul 21 Fuel Coffeehouse Jacksonville, Florida Jul 22 Jannus Landing St Petersburg, Florida Jul 24 Culture Room Ft Lauderdale, Florida Jul 25 Masquerade Atlanta, Georgia Jul 26 House of Blues New Orleans, Louisiana Jul 27 New Daisy Theatre Memphis, Tennessee Jul 28 D-Fest Tulsa, Oklahoma Jul 29 Sunshine Theatre Albuquerque, New Mexico Jul 31 SOMA San Diego, California Aug 1 Avalon Hollywood, California Aug 2 House of Blues Anaheim, California Aug 3 Great American Music Hall San Francisco, California Aug 4 Hawthorne Theatre Portland, Oregon Aug 5 Neumo's Seattle, Washington Aug 7 Croatian Cultural Centre Vancouver, British Columbia Aug 9 The Warehouse Calgary, Alberta Aug 10 Dinwoodie Lounge @ University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta Aug 11 Louis Pub @ University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Aug 12 Ramada Theatre Winnipeg, Manitoba Aug 16 The Opera House Toronto, Ontario Aug 18 Higher Ground Burlington, Vermont Aug 19 Avalon Boston, Massachusetts Aug 21 Webster Hall New York, New York Aug 22 Starland Ballroom Sayerville, New Jersey Aug 23 The Trocadero Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Aug 24 Norva Norfolk, Virginia Aug 25 930 Club Washington, Washington DC Aug 26 Cats Cradle Carrboro, North Carolina Aug 28 Bogarts Cincinnati, Ohio Aug 29 Agora Theatre Cleveland, Ohio Aug 30 Intersection Grand rapids, Michigan Aug 31 St Andrews Hall Detroit, Michigan Sep 1 The Vic Chicago, Illinois Sep 2 Station 4 St Paul, Minnesota Sep 4 The Picador Iowa City, Iowa Sep 5 Pops Sauget, Illinois Sep 6 The Granada Lawrence, Kansas Sep 7 Gothic Theatre Englewood, Colorado
The Format will celebrate the one year anniversary of Dog Problems' release by offering it for FREE!!!! That’s right, the entire album will be available for download from June 25 till July 15 on their official site. This is your chance to get a hold of my favourite record of 2006!!!
There are two sides to The Ghost Is Dancing’s debut full-length, The Darkest Spark: One, the cheerful, up-lifting side; and two, the emotional driven, serious side. Songs like "We'll Make It" and "Shuttles And Planes" are fun and poppy as these songs suggest a feeling of accomplishment and a sense of victory. In contrast, the mood of the music shifts in "The Dark And The Bright" as well as "Arrivals (Are Never Enough)" to create a more dramatic tone. Nevertheless, The Darkest Spark is for the most part, a bright and glorious record. The Ghost Is Dancing is like a mellow down, less hyper version of Mates of State and Tilly & The Wall, so make sure you check out The Darkest Spark if you are a fan of the two bands.
North By Northeast
