Author Archives: aitorzabalegui

01.26.11
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Jesse Harris Shares Live EP from Porto Alegre

Jesse Harris recently wrapped up a South American tour, which is quite the endeavor given that fans in that sector of the globe rarely see anyone come through other than U2 or Guns n’ Roses.  Harris seemed to really enjoy a set he did in Porto Alegre, Brazil, because he’s releasing it as a live EP.  That show, back on November 18, was an intimate acoustic offering from Harris and percussionist Bill Dobrow.  It’s hard to believe the crowd could have been very large; from the sound of it, the audience was very quiet and benevolent.  Most of the time, its easy to forget this is a live recording until applause segues between tracks.  Below is a chance for you to preview three of the EP’s tracks (after sacrificing your email address), which are soothing parables told in Harris’ breathy, soft register behind sparse guitar work.  No wonder the crowd was so silent.

<script type=”text/javascript” src=”http://cdn.widgetserver.com/syndication/subscriber/InsertWidget.js”></script><script type=”text/javascript”>if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget(‘7046eebb-2f38-4e4a-9273-d54f87297ebe’);</script><noscript>Get the <a href=”http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/jesse-harris”>Jesse Harris</a> widget and many other <a href=”http://www.widgetbox.com/”>great free widgets</a> at <a href=”http://www.widgetbox.com”>Widgetbox</a&gt;! Not seeing a widget? (<a href=”http://docs.widgetbox.com/using-widgets/installing-widgets/why-cant-i-see-my-widget/”>More info</a>)</noscript>

If you’d like to have these gems on your iTunes then head over to Jesse’s Facebook and leave a comment with #livemusicisbettermusic and you will be sent a download link.

01.14.11
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Still Flyin’ Want You to Relive Their 2010

Still Flyin’ have put together a nice little stocking stuffer retrospective to remind you of how much fun their 2010 was.  Appropriately titled, Neu Ideas will package both of their 7 inch releases, A Party in Motion EP, and include re-workings of certain tracks by Papercuts, Hood Internet, Love is All, and Signals among others.  You can imagine the remixes as sort of an alternate universe Still Flyin’ 2010 retrospective.  The collection is scheduled for a February 1st release on Ernest Jenning Recording Co. For those intrigued as to more current workings of the band, Still Flyin have wrapped up recording on their second LP, which is said to be released in the Spring.  Some would call that prolific.

Here’s Papercuts’ version of “Victory Walker”:

01.12.11
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Pepper Rabbit Reap A Bountiful Video for “Harvest Moon”

Thanks to the likes of Beirut and Edward Sharpe’s traveling circus, french horns, tubas, harpsichords, pump organs and other self-consciously nontraditional instruments have rounded up a substantial little corner of the indie realm. Regardless of this sub-genre’s forefathers exhausting any remaining ingenuity Balkan/freak/avant folk could possibly offer, more and more musicians seem to be deeming themselves multi-instrumentalists these days.  Pepper Rabbit is a great example of a band putting out what you can call good music – as long as you choose to disregard anything that came out before it, or at least, not care. The point is, there’s nothing about Pepper Rabbit’s “Harvest Moon” that hasn’t been heard before, nor does it really succeed as a homage to the music that inspired it.  It simply exists; relevant by association.  Oh well.. watch the video (directed by Alex Disenhof and David Altobelli) at the link below:

http://stereogum.com/612712/pepper-rabbit-harvest-moon-video/mp3s/

If you found this post to reek of cynicism and want me to shove it up my own ass, you should know Pepper Rabbit’s debut LP, Beauregard is out now on Kanine Records and here are some tour dates with Ra Ra Riot for good measure:

Pepper Rabbit 2011 Tour Dates
1/22 – Harlows – Sacramento, CA*
1/23 – Gundlach Bundschu Winery – Sonoma, CA*
1/25 – WOW Hall – Eugene, OR*
1/26 – Hawthorne – Portland, OR*
1/27 –  Neumos – Seattle, WA*
3/23 – Low Brow – El Paso, TX**
3/24 – The Rhythm Room – Phoenix, AZ**
3/25 – The Casbah – San Diego, CA**
3/27 – Rickshaw Stop – San Francisco, CA**
3/29 – Holocene – Portland, OR**
3/30 – Crocodile Cafe – Seattle, WA**
4/1 – Filling Station – Bozeman, MT**
4/2 – Kilby Court – Salt Lake City, UT**
4/3 – Hi Dive – Denver, CO**
* w/ Ra Ra Riot
**w/ Miniature Tigers
12.29.10
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Spectrals Feel the Love from Critics

This isn’t much of a news story, more so another outlet to herald Louis Jones’ project, Spectrals — but this time with some stamps of approval.  Yes, people are currently digging the UK band’s coyly titled debut EP, Extended Play.  Spectral’s dreamy, romantic 60s pop could be well-received nearly anywhere (including your parent’s prom).  Your parents wont be telling you to turn this shit down.  If you’re new to Spectrals, here is a salvo of tracks and a video to whet your palate.

“I Ran With Love But I Couldn’t Keep Up”

“Chip A Tooth (Spoil A Smile)”

“7th Date”

“Peppermint” (video)

12.27.10
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Soda Shop Jerk a 7″ and a Video

Not to take anything away from Soda Shop, but they sound exactly like their name would lead you to believe.  Imagine an Utopian 50’s diner, where half a decade of hindsight has allowed Soda Shop to go back and doctor up the ideal atmosphere with “Farewell” — where everyone is smoother than the Fonz, with even the next generation’s hippies wishing they could be this chill.  Washed out Chuck Berry guitar licks go a long way to accomplishing this lofty vision.  Add bells, a tambourine, and kind vocals awash in reverb and Soda Shop make it seem natural and fun.  The Brooklyn duo features Drew Driver from Horse Shoes and Maria Usback from Selebrities.  Look for the “Farewell” 7″ out January 18th and pick up the song at this link.  The accompanying video puts the archetypal images in place to round out the experience.  Enjoy!

12.17.10
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Delicate Steve Fail at Attempting to Take a Detour From Near Perfection

Don’t let the title of this post fool you, even though it doesn’t give any hint as to what the post is about.  Delicate Steve just seem to invite this sort of diction – whether it be their unwaveringly funny PR email with quotes including, “We are as delicate as the wings of butterfly with AIDS. Anything could crush us. And until we all decide that art is the only thing that makes life livable, we’ll just be another instrumental five-piece from New Jersey.” and “I’ll fight anyone, for any reason. I’ll fight a dog for no reason. I’ve seen the inside of juvenile hall. I’ve tasted blood in my mouth. I’ve stepped on throats and I’ve thrown bottles at strangers. But that was all in the past. It’s still part of me, but – now – I use that intensity for good. I want to attack people with music the same way I used to attack them with my fists.” or the reminder they give us that life is more palatable when (metaphorically) take a la mode.  Whatever that may mean to you, Delicate Steve fittingly leave almost everything up to interpretation.  Being an instrumental band, in a way, you choose your own adventure.  Take the video for single, “Wondervisions” featuring Dirty Projectors’ Nat Baldwin as an example.

Delicate Steve take you back to the days when basketball players wore shoes made vintage upon conception that offered no support whatsoever.  And with that alone, a non-point has been made: if anything, Delicate Steve wanted to disassociate themselves from an effortlessly applicable “beach vibe” that gets slapped onto this kind of music (see Ducktails) and pit their music against an irrelevant backdrop.  The result is you wonder why you’re watching two men play one-on-one while you dig on a fun little jam.  And thanks to the power of editing, nobody misses a shot, and you don’t have to either because it’s streaming below.  Look for Wondervisions out February 1st on Luaka Bop.

http://player.vimeo.com/video/17367289