Note the Time Changes! See you there!
7:30-8pm Marc Pinansky
8:15-8:45 y/y
9pm – 9:45 Robbers on High Street
10:15-10:45 The Twees
11pm – 11:45 Bottle Up and Go
12:00-12:30 Yellow Ostrich
Marc Pinansky
y/y
Take a listen HERE!
Robbers on High Street
The Twees
Bottle Up & Go
Yellow Ostrich
On the True Panther Sounds record label website, a love letter written by label member Christopher Owens is published. Owens and Chet “JR” White are the two California boys who make up Girls. The letter’s subject is you and me: the fans. His confession that without us, their fantastic new EP, Broken Dreams Club wouldn’t exist is oozing with sincerity and endearment to a surprising and delightful degree, for I fear we are the ones who should be thanking them.
It starts out with “Thee Oh So Protective One,” an almost loungey, luxurious cruise ship dance tune. It has the kind of sound meant to be played on or by water, begging for a steel drum to make a cameo, but Girls know better than to ham it up that far. In all seriousness, it’s a well dichotomized song with an easy, rich and full sound with brilliant, almost majestic trumpet incorporation but then sad and unfortunate lyrics: “He’ll never know about the times that you cried in the movies, never know about the times that you cried to the music” and insecure reflections: “I wonder if he’s impressed/Should I have worn the other dress?” This first track is also a great introduction to Owen’s classic vocal style, conjuring that of Burt Bacharach.
White’s bass skills really shine through on “Heartbreaker.” The bass drives the song and adds an extra level of cool to this already radical song. It’s full of charm from the groovy, playful vocals, expert bass, innocent and earnest piano, 80s electric guitar riffs to the light, twinkly tambourine. This well polished song exhibits professional production and a band who means serious business, as far as quality is concerned.
There’s a significant country influence on the title track and on fittingly titled “Carolina,” the former with a somber blues tone actually quite in line with Bright Eyes’ I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning. The muffled, raunchy horns add a nice ragtime jazz touch. “Carolina” is much more experimental but still carries the twangy, drawling, country guitar featured on “Broken Dreams Club.” “Carolina” is a delicious pop dish with booming lines delivered a capella, an oldies “do run run run do do run run” refrain in the background and trippy electronic effects.
“Substance,” if you couldn’t guess from the title, is about drugs: “If you want to shape your brain, I know a substance…that helps you rock and roll.” Ironically enough, it seems to be an anti-drug anthem mocking drug users and their absurd habits, and based on their West Coast, partially ex-hippie cult background (Owens hails from the Children of God cult – or movement – spawned during the 60s California drug phase), are probably mocking themselves: “You can do anything yeah, you can rock and roll outta control/Who wants something real when you could have nothing/Why not just give up, who wants to try.”
This record is buoyant, a little kitschy, and varying in styles. If you’re not already one of the addressees of Owens’ letter, listen o this EP immediately and find out what you’ll soon to be gushing over.
Synth-Pop outfit Neon Indian has unveiled their new video for the widely well-received single, “Mind, Drips.” Directed by Lars Larsen, the video features for the first time ever, the use of the LZX Visionary – a brand new piece of technology developed by Larsen and his partner Edward Leckie- which manipulates images in the same way a musical synthesizer does for sound. The resulting video is one that compliments the track perfectly, bringing to life the sounds of the song with incredibly vibrant colors and layered imagery. All visual effects were recorded in real-time, using techniques such as abstract pattern synthesis, video feedback, and analog compositing.
The video for “Mind, Drips” is in support of Neon Indian’s current album Psychic Chasms, released via FADER Label / Static Tongues earlier this year. Recently, Neon Indian released Mind Ctrl: Psychic Chasms Possessed, which contains nine bonus tracks consisting of exclusive remixes and cover versions by Toro Y Moi, DNTEL, Bibio, Javelin, YACHT, and more.
Neon Indian will be heading to Australia for the festival circuit before returning to the States in February to open for The Flaming Lips in Dallas, TX.
All tour dates, as well as a tracklisting for Mind Ctrl: Psychic Chasms Possessed after the video:
Australia:
Wednesday, December 29 Revolver Upstairs Prahran – Melbourne
Thursday, December 30 Pyramid Rock Festival – Phillip Island
Friday, December 31 No Years, Brisbane Powerhouse – Brisbane
Saturday, January 1 Field Day, The Domain – Sydney
Monday, January 3 Happy Mondays, Level 7 Curtin House – Melbourne
US:
Thursday, February 3rd W/ Flaming Lips
Palladium Ballroom
Dallas, TX
Mind Ctrl: Psychic Chasms Possessed
1. Deadbeat Summer (Toro Y Moi Remix)
2. Should have taken acid with you (Body Language Remix)
3. (if I knew, I’d tell you) (Javelin Remix)
4. Mind, Drips (Bibio Remix)
5. Terminally Chill (YACHT Remix)
6. Ephemeral Artery (Darby Cicci of The Antlers – Fresh Breath Remix)
7. Psychic Chasms (Twin Shadow Cover)
8. Local Joke (Dntel Mix)
9. Psychic Chasms (Anoraak Remix)
The fact that The Pains at Being Pure at Heart can make a lyrically anguished song like “Heart in Your Heartbreak,” sound so damn cheery is an achievement in itself. It’s a power pop ballad about falling victim to the vixen that cast you aside and it’s simultaneously sweet, fun, pathetic and resilient.
It’s a multifaceted song with edgy electric guitar, effervescent and gliding vocals and a fun, dance summoning synth bit toward the end. It begins immediately with a really cool line that kind of epitomizes the single: “Take a look around when you’re goin down cause you’ll never get so high.”
California based label Slumberland will release the single on December 14th as a teaser for upcoming album Belong, their second full length to be released in March 2010.
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart “The One” by Slumberland Records
In a mix between VH1’s Storytellers and La Blogotheque, The Guest Apartment keeps things on a simpler side, much like its name. Miniature Tigers are one of the latest group to get the feature’s treatment, playing a miniature set comprised of a single guitar, plenty of harmonies, and the majority of the band taking up percussive roles. Tambourines tap, shakers shake, and the band talks about the creative process for songs they perform from their latest album, Fortress (Modern Art). You wouldn’t know it from these live renditions, but expect Fortress to exhibit some darker vibes. The band mentions gearing up to record by watching “The Shining” in a converted woodland 19th century church. Sound familiar? That’s because bands from Beach House to the B-52’s have shared the same recording space, not that you should expect the same output from this band.
Check out the living room jam over at baeble’s website and find Fortress out now on Modern Art.
Kevin Devine and Manchester Orchestra teamed up to create indie super group, Bad Books. We had the opportunity of interviewing Kevin recently who was ever so nice to answer our questions.
Modern Mystery: This is one of the most anticipated lineups in a while. Kevin Devine and Manchester Orchestra. How did Bad Books come about?
Kevin Devine: We’ve known each other for almost four years now, met on tour with Brand New in 2007, and got along really well, enjoyed each others’ stuff, and have been talking about actually making music together ever since. It was a question of aligning two separate and busy schedules to give it a fair shake, and we were able to do that this January.
Do you find it hard to work on Bad Books and still be able to work on your original projects?
Not yet, not at all. It kind of worked out perfectly in terms of finding a window where we were both pretty available to devote the necessary focus to at least lift this off the ground. I wish we’d have been able to do a bit more touring for the record, but our collective schedules just didn’t really allow for it, and with that in mind, I’m glad we got to wedge in as much as we have.
How does playing in Bad Books feel, as far as writing songs and playing live, differ from what you’re used to as a solo artist?
I’ve been playing in bands my whole life, and have a group I play with when I do my own stuff, so it’s not like I went from playing exclusively alone with an acoustic guitar to playing in this big rock context and it required a super big adjustment. What’s different about playing in Bad Books is the people – people always bring their stamp to things and by nature songs change if you let the personnel change them – and the dynamic – I’m not necessarily “leading” here as much as I am part of a whole, and that’s been really nice and I think strengthens the performance and material, being able to spread that role and responsibility around.
When it came to writing songs, how did you two collaborate? Did you work on the tracks together or did you come in with music you have already worked on?
We both came in with some structures and ideas, some basic frameworks lyrically and melodically, and then built out around those. We were both very vocal and involved with each others’ songs, suggesting structural changes, harmony ideas, arrangements, all that stuff.
What is your favorite track on the album and why?
Probably “Holding Down The Laughter” or “Baby Shoes”. I just think those are the best developed and the most exciting to me, the most progressive. They make me excited to see what we’ll do next.
What was the inspiration behind the songs on this record?
I think each song carries its own inspiration; there was no binding governing principle to create some sort of theme or collectivized idea, it’s not like a concept record or anything. I wouldn’t speak for Andy but I’d say that my songs tend to be about people figuring out the relationship between crisis and hope, people dealing with loss and acceptance, people trying to make sense of how to keep open in a very difficult and at times relentless world. I think to varying extents all the songs on this record are about those things, too.
What are the future plans for Bad Books? Can we expect to hear more from you?
That’s the plan. Hopefully we can get in and make another record sometime next year.
Modern Mystery 
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