Author Archive
Pepper Rabbit, “Murder Room”

Introduced the other day on Stereogum, “Murder Room” is a new song from LA’s Pepper Rabbit and the latest preview track from their new album, Red Velvet Snowball, which came out August 9th, on Kanine Records. Penned by Xander Singh and described as the most straightforward pop song he’s ever written, “Murder Room” talks that talk and walks that walk. There’s not much else to say about it: hot potato synth, hot potato drums, and some pretty harmonies. Nothing in the song is sustained, it just bounces along, proud of its poppiness. You can look forward to hearing it live on Pepper Rabbit’s Fall tour with Calgary art-rock group, BRAIDS.
Tour Dates:
A New Chairlift Track for You to Enjoy

New York City’s Chairlift are back to work after some “time off” collaborating with the likes of Das Racist and Washed Out. The duo have released a new single featuring the title track off their upcoming album, “Amanaemonesia.” Currently, the single’s A-side is available for streaming on their website, but you will likely have to wait or shell out eventually for the B-side, ”Peculiar Paradise.”
Matt Pond PA Want You to Pick the Songs They Play

The East Coast is about to have Matt Pond PA roll through on somewhat of a co-headlining tour with Rocky Votolato. For this tour, both artists will be accompanied by full bands, so they have claimed to “bring more of the rock” this time around. If that sounds exciting to fans of either band, here is the real treat: Matt Pond PA are accepting votes from you to pick the songs they will play on the tour. Votes should be sent to mppa@mattpondpa.com, and will be compiled by guitarist Chris Hansen. Choose wisely.
Tour Dates:
SEPTEMBER:
09 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
10 – Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
12 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
13 – Pontiac, MI @ The Pike Room
14 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
15 – Harrisburg, PA @ Abbey Bar
16 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg
17 – Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
18 – Ithaca, NY @ Castaways
19 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
21 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
22 – Raleigh, NC @ King’s Barcade
23 – Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club
24 – St. Augustine, FL @ Cafe Eleven
26 – Orlando, FL @ Will’s Pub
27 – Tallahassee, FL @ Club Downunder
(West Coast dates to be announced soon)
CSS Reveal Cover, Tracklist, and Title for Upcoming Third LP

Now that CSS have finished making the rounds on their co-headlining tour with Sleigh Bells, it’s back to the business that got them there. The Brazilian dance rock outfit will release La Liberación (cover art above) on August 22nd, at the peak of the Summer season — as if they weren;t the cause for enough perspiration already. The album will feature cuts like “I Love You” and “Fuck Everything,” so don’t think you know what to expect. La Liberación also features collaborations from Ratatat, Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie, and Mike Garson (the guy who played piano on David Bowie’s “Aladdin Sane”). Check back for the eventual preview track.
La Liberación Tracklisting:
I Love You
Hits me like A Rock
City Grrrl
Echo of love
You Could Have It All
La Liberación
Partners In Crime
Ruby Eyes
Rhythm To The Rebels
Red Alert
Fuck Everything
We Are Scientists Among Bands Contributing To Ben Sherman’s V.I.P. Charity for Trekstock
Mod British clothing company, Ben Sherman is about to open up a second round of auctions for their V.I.P. (Very Important Plectrum) charity. As it was the first time around 100% of the proceeds will be kindly contributed to a worthy cause. The focus for this auction is Trekstock, a UK-based foundation that specializes in this kind of thing. Trekstock works with Cancer Research UK, collecting donations and raising awareness for youth with cancer through shows, music and fashion collaboration, and the like.
Participating artists in the auction will offer up their signed plectrums, otherwise known as picks — but think more than just guitars! harpsichords, mandolins, and ukuleles need to be plucked too. To name a few bands involved: We Are Scientists, Anna Calvi, Band Of Horses, Interpol, and Broken Social Scene. Check the poster above to see all participating artists, and go to Ben Sherman’s VIP site or Trekstock’s site to learn more.
Vincent Moon Starts His Own Traveling Label, “Petites Planètes”

Looking for a new genre to redirect his musical aspirations, Vincent Moon has branched out to all corners of the world to expose local musicians to the traditional western audience. Typically blanketed under the insufficiently described banner of “World Music,” a Sao Paulo rooftop musician, a street performer in Chinatown, a folk singer in Buenos Aires, and a cello player in Rio are a sample of artists Moon will profile with his new label, Petites Planètes.
The project, solely funded from donations, will see an update every Friday, with both the films and soundtrack available for download for free under a CC license. Go to www.petitesplanetes.cc for a look at this fantastic new series.
Tape Deck Mountain Kick Off Tour with New Single
Want a tour-exclusive limited edition Tape Deck Mountain cassette limited to 100 copies? These few and proud tapes house the brand new single, “Kellies,” a fuzzed-out stomper you can stream below. Of course, to acquire a cassette, the stipulation is you go to the show… which should be an easy sell with Denver band Woodsman on the bill.
Here are the dates:
Thu 6/2 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo *
Fri 6/3 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar *
Sat 6/4 – Sacramento, CA @ Luigi’s Fun Garden *
Sun 6/5 – San Francisco, CA @ Hemlock Tavern *
Mon 6/6 – Portland, OR @ Someday Lounge *
Tue 6/7 – Seattle, WA @ The Funhouse *
Wed 6/8 – Boise, ID @ Visual Arts Collective *
Thu 6/9 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge *
Fri 6/10 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge *
Sat 6/11 – Boulder, CO @ Astroland *
Sun 6/12 – Lawrence, KS @ Jackpot Music Hall *
Mon 6/13 – Iowa City, IA @ Public Space One *
Tue 6/14 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas *
Wed 6/15 – Flint, MI @ Woobies Bar *
Thu 6/16 – Toronto, ON @ NXNE *
Mon 6/20 – Rochester, NY @ Bug Jar
Tue 6/21 – Scranton, PA @ Embassy Vinyl ^
Wed 6/22 – New York City, NY @ Mercury Lounge #
Thu 6/23 – Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory ^
Fri 6/24 – Philadelphia, PA @ M Room ^
Sat 6/25 – Baltimore, MD @ Golden West Cafe ^
Sun 6/26 – Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter ^
Mon 6/27 – Charlotte, NC @ Snug Harbor
Tue 6/28 – Knoxville, TN @ Pilot Light
Thu 6/30 – Jackson, MS @ Hal & Mal’s
Fri 7/1 – Ft. Worth, TX @ Lola’s
Sat 7/2 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk (inside)
Sun 7/3 – Houston, TX @ The Mink
Tue 7/5 – Albuquerque, NM @ Low Spirits
Wed 7/6 – Phoenix, AZ @ Trunk Space
* with Woodsman
^ with Grooms
# with Keepaway
Here We Go Magic Offer Track for Download off ‘The January EP’

Here We Go Magic are coming off the well-received release of The January EP, which they would be pleased for you to hear. A couple of the EP’s tracks are available for download over at Pitchfork, “Song In Three” and “Hands In The Sky,” and you can stream the whole thing over at Spinner. Easy enough, then.
Consisting of leftovers from Pigeons, the band’s sophomore LP, The January EP wraps up a plentiful creative chapter for a group honing their original sound.
Moby Releases First Single From ‘Destroyed’
It’s easy to still root for Moby, but tough to expect to be surprised by him anymore. ”The Day” is the first single on Moby’s new album, Destroyed, out May 17th, and it’s an unbelievable bore. If you want, you can listen here anyway.
The production, a homage to the Berlin Trilogy, has an emotionless gloss over it which gets further obscured by Moby’s flat vocal delivery. Overall, the track is bogged down by sheer monotony; there’s no tonal shift, no significant tempo change, and nothing to hold on to. Maybe he should have sang it in French. No, that’s worse.
Ponytail Unleash “Honey Touches” Video On Unsuspecting Fruit

The manic Ponytail have released a video for “Honey Touches,” the first single on their third LP, Do Whatever You Want All The Time, out this week. Fruit is the theme here — whether it’s being caved in, roundhouse kicked, blended, chopped, splayed, punched, dropped, bisected, or moved telekinetically… but never eaten. There’s no reason to the madness, and not enough karate styles to vanquish all the fruity foes. They even throw some bacon in the mix. Check it out over at SPIN. Direction credits go to Bill Benz and Mike Giambra, or MENZ for short.
Full Stream of the New Crystal Stilts Record

The new Crystal Stilts LP, In Love With Oblivion, came out this week but over at the Hype Machine you can get a free stream of the entire album to try before you buy! Throw these guys in with the likes of Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, The Fresh and Onlys, and fuck it, The Doors too — spooky, atmospheric pop songs wrapped in fuzz and reverb. On first listen, this is their most effective work yet.
Woodsist Festival 2011 Returns to Henry Miller Library in Big Sur

Woodsist Records, the fan-savvy label run by Woods’ Jeremy Earl, aim to please and they’re always on the mark. Home to some of the best contemporary guitar bands around, including Real Estate, The Fresh and Only’s, Sun Araw, Thee Oh Sees, and Nodzzz, Woodsist found the best possible venue to showcase their lineup for the Woodsist Festival. The Henry Miller Library has received heightened attention lately from a couple of Animal Collective shows, highlighting the venue’s intimate location in the heart of gorgeous Big Sur. Tickets for both Saturday and Sunday, July 30 & 31, went on sale last Friday, so check here to see if you can scoop anymore up before they’re gone. Weekend passes already sold out. Check the lineup below!
SAT JULY 30 @ FERNWOOD
doors at 9pm- live music from 9:15pm – 12:30am
NODZZZ
ART MUSEUMS
DUCKTAILS
WOODS / FRESH & ONLYS BIG BAND
SUN JULY 31 @ HENRY MILLER LIBRARY
gates at 1pm- live music from 2pm – 10:30pm outdoors
REAL ESTATE
THEE OH SEES
FRESH & ONLYS
WOODS
SIC ALPS
SUN ARAW
WHITE FENCE

