your life’s about to flash before your eyes

In many ways, Enter Shikari’s Take To The Skies belongs in the very generic and much tired genre known as scremo. However, their excessive use of synthesized sound effects creates a somewhat fresh stir in an otherwise dull sound. This is a similar trick that is exercised by Scary Kids Scaring Kids and likewise, on Underoath’s forth record, They're Only Chasing Safety. Although Enter Shikari is not really original, the band has successfully put on an ambitious sounding record; not only is Take To The Skies tremendously energetic, it is catchy as hell!

Enter Shikari
Anything Can Happen In The Next Half Hour
Labyrinth
OK Time For Plan B
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buy Take To The Skies here

in the cold cathedrals

New Patrick Wolf blog:

Oh my
Its one of those nights,
I cant sit still.. ive been listening to old cdrs all night of backing tracks I made for
songs when I was 16 and making new lyrics up.. getting beats going that were made on atari in a rundown teenage runaway house in richmond...
I get this sometimes, its super creativity
overload, who knows where it all leads to, full moon, half moon, total eclipse.

I was very inspired after reading and leed festivals, thankyou so much for coming,
the monitors at reading were absolutely abismal so it made it very hard for me and my band to do a good job, it helps if you can hear what you are playing especially with string instruments so that you can pitch correctly. Four piece rock and roll band set ups were not really made for double bass, violin and viola let alone electronics, oh I wont complain as the show felt amazing and you all left me feeling like a dream had come true somewhere in the ether so thankyou.

So anyway, its almost six in the morning and theres still no sign of feeling sleepy, Im listening to my archive and thats a little like opening up the photo album you should have thrown away when you were seventeen.

Very soon I will be able to announce new usa, japan, australia and u.k tours, I should be singing right up until december, then starts a self imposed non public phase of my next year when I will dissapear into the studio to make my fourth.

Must go now, to feel my insomnia, sit infront of a piano, feel to much, think not enough or perhaps the other way round. All in the palm of your hands my darlins...

Right now, the dictaphone recordings I made in the cathedral of st eustache in paris are coming on the cd player, I was 17 on a mission to find some joy in my heart somewhere away, away from the city I was born in.. I think I found it that day judging by what im hearing....

Good night or good morning, wherever you may be

xxx patrick

susan said that maybe you're scared

I found this really cool video by The Blow for the song "Knowing The Things That I Know". It features Khaela Maricich and Jona Bechtolt playing Magic Cards:



Everyone should check out Poor Aim: Love Songs, the recently reissued EP is now packaged with six very handsome bonus remixes! But more importantly, Poor Aim: Love Songs features one of my favourite Blow songs. In "Hey Boy", Khaela sings humorously about her theory on why a boy didn’t call her. Khaela explores the possibilities in some brilliantly memorable lines: "A. You're gay; B. You've got a girlfriend; C. You kind of thought I came on too strong or D. I just wasn't your thing: no ring!" …oh, this song is priceless! Also, don’t hesitate to pick up a copy of last year’s genre-bending masterpiece, Paper Television... I guarantee that you will not be disappointed.

from Poor Aim: Love Songs EP [reissue], 2007
Hey Boy [super-wicked-cool song]
Knowing The Things That I Know
We Are Over Here (Lucky Dragons Remix)

from Paper Television, 2006
The Big U [wicked-cool song]
Pardon Me [wicked-cool song]
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buy Poor Aim: Love Songs EP [reissue] here




buy Paper Television here

the seasons have changed from the present to past

Feist will perform on The Late Show with David Letterman tomorrow (August 27th), don't miss it!

ben lee sings against me!

I was on Punknews.org yesterday and saw an album cover under reviews that looked awfully like the new Against Me! record, New Wave. I closely examined it and to my shocking surprise, the caption said: Ben Lee Sings Against Me! New Wave. Yes, it’s true, Ben Lee covered the entire Against Me! record. Here’s Lee’s blog entry on why he did the cover:

A couple of weeks ago I downloaded the new "Against Me!" album "New Wave". I didnt really know too much about this band but had been reading lots of good things about it, and my friend Tegan sings on it. I like to keep myself up to date with whats going on musically in the world, so I checked it out. I fell in love with the album. Really. Like, couldn't stop listening to it. As heavy and gnarly as it sounds at times, it is unmistakably a pop masterpiece. Listening to it on the way to Australia, I wondered to myself how these songs would sound acoustically.

A couple of days later I was on a flight from Sydney to Melbourne and had the thought "I'd love to cover this album." The whole thing. Beginning to end. So I did.

Anyway, here are the results. If you already know the original album, I hope these recordings shed a different light on it. If you don't know "Against Me!" and like what you hear, go check them out.

Nic Johns is the unspoken hero of this tale. He recorded, produced and mixed it and basically made my dream a reality. Hats off to him.

Hope you guys dig it.

Enjoy!

Ben

You can download the entire cover album by Ben Lee here!!!

buy New Wave (Against Me!) here

scout niblett on the road again

Scout Niblett is returning to North America this fall. I saw her opened for St. Vincent about a month ago and her voice was powerfully gorgeous live! She will also be releasing a brand new record entitled This Fool Can Die Now on October 9th in the US and October 15th in Europe.

Tue 09 Oct 2007 @ Holocene in Portland OR
Wed 10 Oct 2007 @ Hemlock Tavern in San Francisco CA
Fri 12 Oct 2007 @ Pehr Space in Los Angeles CA
Sat 13 Oct 2007 @ Plush in Tucson AZ
Sun 14 Oct 2007 @ Modified Arts in Phoenix AZ
Tue 16 Oct 2007 @ Hi Dive in Denver CO
Wed 17 Oct 2007 @ Record Bar in Kansas City MO
Thu 18 Oct 2007 @ Vaudeville Mews in Des Moines IA
Fri 19 Oct 2007 @ The Waiting Room in Omaha NE
Sat 20 Oct 2007 @ Empty Bottle in Chicago IL
Sun 21 Oct 2007 @ Division Arts in Grand Rapids MI
Tue 23 Oct 2007 @ Silver Dollar in Toronto ON
Wed 24 Oct 2007 @ Le Divan Orange in Montréal QC

Pompoms [wicked-cool song]
Fuck Treasure Island [wicked-cool song]
Safety Pants [wicked-cool song]
Wolfie
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buy Kidnapped By Neptune here

met a girl on a plane to canada, drinking wine, watching maid in manhattan

It is a crime that I have forgotten to review Good Shoes’s Think Before You Speak on this blog. It is pretty strange that I forgot to recommend Think Before You Speak since one: it is one of my top three albums of the year; and two: I have virtually told every one I know to listen to it! Think Before You Speak is a powerhouse pop record. With most songs under three and a half minutes long, the record is jam-packed with fast, catchy, and absolutely witty songs! There are endless highlights as well; in fact, every track on Think Before You Speak has the potential to become a massive hit single! About four minutes into the album lays the greatest song of the year! "Morden", the most serious and honest song of the record is the band’s commentary on their hometown Morden, located in south-west London. The next track, "All In My Head" is the song that introduced me to Good Shoes... it is probably one of the catchiest songs I have ever heard... why is this song not big!?!? Come on people, "All In My Head" has the power to create world peace! Sure, a few songs on Think Before You Speak are slightly cheesy, but as I have mentioned like a thousand times already, they are catchy as hell, and that's all that matter. Think Before You Speak is a must-have for every music lover out there because once in a while, everyone needs to let loose and just enjoy a fun pop record!

Morden [super-wicked-cool song] this is pretty much the best song of the year!!!
All In My Head [super-wicked-cool song]
Blue Eyes [wicked-cool song]
Sophia [wicked-cool song]
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buy Think Before You Speak here

when the wind would blow with rain and snow

Watch Beirut's brand new video for "Postcards from Italy" below:

oh, ontario... oh, jennifer jason leigh!

On September 25, The Weakerthans will finally release their follow-up to Reconstruction Site. Given that Reconstruction Site is one of my favourite records in the past ten years, I was very nervous to hear the new record even though I have been looking forward to Reunion Tour for a long time. In the end, I am far from being disappointed with the band’s new record as it is everything I was hoping for. Like most work by The Weakerthans, Reunion Tour is another tour de force in the lyrics department. The album begins brilliantly through the perspective of a bus driver. In "Civil Twilight", a bus driver is passionately recollecting his memories of a former commuter. Reunion Tour is full of genuine emotions: "Sun in an Empty Room" provides a saddening tone as it tells the parting of two roommates; and "Utilities" is narrated by a self-conscious individual who wishes that he/she is more useful. Lighthearted songs such as "Tournament of Hearts" and "Elegy for Gump Worsley" further enhance Reunion Tour. The former uses curling lingoes as metaphors to a relationship while the latter is a tribute song to Lorne John "Gump" Worsley, an ex-NHL goalie. It has been four very long years since The Weakerthans released their 2003 masterpiece; although I still think the absent was ridiculously long, I am very impressed and tremendously satisfied with Reunion Tour.

Civil Twilight [wicked-cool song]
Elegy for Gump Worsley [wicked-cool song]
Sun in an Empty Room
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Reunion Tour comes out on September 25, you can pre-order it here

bat for lashes us/canada tour!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bat For Lashes will be touring the USA and Canada in September and October... I am beyond excited... Natasha is FINALLY coming to Toronto!!!!!!!!

September 23rd: Johnny Brenda's - Philadelphia PA
September 24th: Great Scott - Boston MA
September 25th: Bowery Ballroom - New York NY
September 28th: El Macambo - Toronto ON
Septmber 29th: Petit Campus - Montreal QC
October 1st: The Basement - Columbus OH
October 2nd: Empty Bottle - Chicago IL
October 3rd: Varsity Theatre - Minneapolis MN
October 5th: Larimer Lounge - Denver CO
October 9th: Troubadour - Los Angeles CA
October 11th: Slim's - San Francisco CA
October 13th: Plaza Club - Vancouver BC
October 14th: Crocodile Cafe - Seattle WA
October 15th: Doug Fir Lounge - Portland OR

Le Pettit Chevalier/Trophy (Demo) [wicked-cool song]
I'm On Fire (Live) [wicked-cool song]
Sarah Reworked (Live in NY) [wicked-cool song]

What's A Girl To Do [super-wicked-cool song]
The Wizard [wicked-cool song]
Bat's Mouth [wicked-cool song]
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buy Fur And Gold here