Feel free to left-click [HERE] for the songs of August. (I accidentally labelled the Best of July zip file as "August," so this one will henceforth be known as "August-Actual." My apologies for the screw-up and any resultant confusion.)Left-click [HERE] for the JULY mix.
MAY [HERE].
APRIL [HERE].
MARCH [HERE].
FEBRUARY [HERE].
JANUARY [HERE].
BEST OF 2004 [HERE].
AUGUST 2007 TRACKLIST >>>
01) AUGIE MARCH/One Crowded Hour
02) KATE NASH/Foundations
03) THE THRILLS/This Year
04) JEFF HANSON/This Time It Will
05) MANDO DIAO/You Don't Understand Me
06) DU PACQUE/Quiet
07) THE KILLERS/For Reasons Unknown
08) JESCA HOOP/Money
09) MAPS/To the Sky
10) SUPER FURRY ANIMALS/Run-Away
11) AMY MACDONALD/Let's Start a Band
12) EVERYDAY MISTAKES/Walking About
13) BLACK BOX RECORDER/These Are the Things
14) MANDO DIAO/The New Boy
15) DAPPLED CITIES/Vision Bell
16) LAAKSO/Worst Case Scenario
17) VHS OR BETA/Love in My Pocket
18) MUSHI/Norma and I
19) LUCKY SOUL/One Kiss Don't Make a Summer
GORE GORE GIRLS have been a part of the Detroit garage-rock/girl-group scene for a decade now, though their line-up has undergone many a shift, shuffle, and side-step in that time. The songs below are taken from their 2007 full-length release, GET THE GORE.
GORE GORE GIRLS on MySPACE.
GORE GORE GIRLS on the go go >>>
Sep 12 2007 8:00P/Outland Ballroom/Springfield, Missouri
Sep 14 2007 8:00P/Rubber Gloves/Denton, Texas
Sep 15 2007 8:00P/The Meridian w/Reverend Horton Heat/Houston, Texas
Sep 16 2007 8:00P/Beauty Bar/Austin, Texas
Sep 18 2007 9:00P/Atomix/San Antonio, Texas
Sep 20 2007 9:00P/Hi Dive/Denver, Colorado
Sep 21 2007 9:00P/Spotlight Lounge/Grand Junction, Colorado
Sep 22 2007 9:00P/Burts Tiki Lounge/Salt Lake City, Utah
Sep 25 2007 8:00P/The Waiting Room/Omaha, Nebraska
Sep 28 2007 8:00P/Kraftbrau/Kalamazoo, Michigan
Oct 5 2007 9:00P/Double Door w/The Electric Six/Chicago, Illinois
Oct 6 2007 9:00P/High Noon Saloon w/The Electric Six/Madison, Wisconsin
[MP3] "Where Evil Grows"
[MP3] "All Grown Up"
Portland, Oregon's THE VILLAGE GREEN look to be one of those groups with little interest in living in the limelight. Naming themselves after the famous KINKS' album is about as far as they seem willing to go when it comes to engaging in hey-look-at-me! self-promotion.
Well, more power to them. Musical collaborators J. NICHOLAS ALLARD and JEREMY SHERRER have a pretty nice thing going right now with their BEATLES-, SUPERGRASS-, and -- yes -- Kinks-influenced tunes. But, some advice: If they're truly determined to remain under the radar, they'd best start trafficking in crappier fare.
THE VILLAGE GREEN on MySPACE.
From the LP FEELING THE FALL, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "When the Creepers Creep In"
[MP3] "Country Road"
From their self-titled EP, 2005 >>>
[MP3] "Under the Covers"
"Beware the gimmick." Normally, this would qualify as excellent advice.
So when you hear that Stockholm's LOVENINJAS kicked off their career "with a strict concept [of] playing in ninja-masks, a giant heart costume, and writing lyrics about sex, Japanese girls, and ninjas (mostly all at once)," you would have every right to run for the hills, hellish visions of INSANE CLOWN POSSE bouncing about your brain.
Fortunately, Loveninjas are just another one of those patented, indie-popping Swede outfits that couldn't compose an un-catchy jingle even if they tried. With or without the masks and giant heart costumes.
LOVENINJAS on MySPACE.
From the LP THE SECRET OF THE LOVENINJAS, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "I Wanna Be Like Johnny C"
[MP3] "It's OK"
From the EP KEEP YOUR LOVE, 2004 >>>
[MP3] "Keep Your Love"
BONUS TRACK >>>
[MP3] ACID HOUSE KINGS/"Keep Your Love"
[File Den seems to be down -- hopefully only temporarily. As a result, I've been forced to go with the somewhat more clumsy Box. A left-click on [MP3], followed by another left-click on the subsequent page, will get you the song(s).]And now presenting, from Wales: SUPER FURRY ANIMALS.SUPER FURRY ANIMALS on MySPACE.
When SUPER FURRY ANIMALS attack >>>
Aug 31 2007 8:00P/Connect, Glasgow
Sep 2 2007 8:00P/Jersey, Live
Sep 15 2007 1:00P/End of The Road Festival/South
Oct 15 2007 8:30P/The Savoy, Cork
Oct 16 2007 8:00P/Dublin, Vicar Street
Oct 17 2007 8:00P/Belfast, Mandela Hall
Oct 19 2007 8:00P/Liverpool, Carling Academy
Oct 22 2007 8:00P/Nottingham, Rock City
Oct 23 2007 8:00P/Newcastle, Academy
From the LP HEY VENUS!, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "Show Your Hand"
[MP3] "Suckers"
From the LP PHANTOM FORCE, 2003 >>>
[MP3] "Liberty Belle"
From the LP RINGS AROUND THE WORLD, 2002 >>>
[MP3] "Juxtapozed With You"
I'm still slogging my way through RILO KILEY's latest, trying to get it to grow on me. It HAS grown on me, a bit, but I still have to rate it below their last two offerings. Kudos for attempting a new direction, though. Consistency, after all, is the hobgoblin of little bands.
RILO KILEY on MySPACE.
RILO KILEY easin' on down the road >>>
Aug 28 2007 8:00P/Ampere/Munich
Aug 30 2007 8:00P/Noveau Casino/Paris
Aug 31 2007 8:00P/Academy 2/Birmingham
Sep 1 2007 8:00P/Connect Festival/Argyll, Scotland
Sep 2 2007 8:00P/Electric Picnic/Stradbally
Sep 6 2007 8:00P/The Warfield/San Francisco, California
Sep 7 2007 8:00P/Crystal Ballroom/Portland, Oregon
Sep 8 2007 8:00P/Showbox/Seattle, Washington
Sep 10 2007 8:00P/McKay Events Center/Orem, Utah
Sep 11 2007 8:00P/Ogden Theatre/Denver, Colorado
From the LP UNDER THE BLACKLIGHT, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "Smoke Detector"
[MP3] "Dreamworld"
From the LP MORE ADVENTUROUS, 2004 >>>
[MP3] "It's a Hit"
[MP3] "I Never"
From the LP THE EXECUTION OF ALL THINGS, 2002 >>>
[MP3] "Hail to Whatever You Found in the Sunlight That Surrounds You"
[MP3] "The Execution of All Things"
From the LP TAKE OFFS AND LANDINGS, 2001 >>>
[MP3] "Always"
[MP3] "August"
BONUS TRACKS >>>
[MP3] "The Frug"
[MP3] "Teenage Love Song"
This particular Friday's highly danceable tracks come by way of Manchester's (WE ARE) PERFORMANCE.
Their self-titled debut can be ordered [HERE].
(WE ARE) PERFORMANCE on MySPACE.
(WE ARE) PERFORMANCE performing >>>
Sep 3 2007 8:00P/Barfly/Birmingham
Sep 8 2007 8:00P/Bestival - Rock 'n' Roll Tent/Isle Of Wight
Sep 20 2007 8:00P/Sankey's/Manchester Oct 1 2007 8:00P/Nights & Day (w/We Start Fires)/Manchester
Oct 3 2007 8:00P/Social (w/We Start Fires)/Nottingham
Oct 4 2007 8:00P/Central Station (w/We Start Fires)/Wrexham
Oct 9 2007 8:00P/Bar Academy (w/We Start Fires)/Birmingham
Oct 10 2007 8:00P/Barfly (w/We Start Fires)/London
Oct 11 2007 8:00P/Joiners (w/We Start Fires)/Southampton
[MP3] "Surrender"
[MP3] "Lost Youth"
It's difficult to know how seriously to take Sydney, Australia's DAPPLED CITIES (sometimes: DAPPLED CITIES FLY). On their MySpace, they categorize what they do as "Comedy/Classical Opera and Vocal/Showtunes." The members of the band are said to be DIRK STRONGHOLD, TIT TITTYCOURT, HUGE BOYCE, THE NUDE COOK and ANEX WHORE. Uh-huh. Exactly.Elsewhere, their music is described as "art rock" and "experimental pop." Judging from their 2006 release, GRANDDANCE, I'd say these labels pretty much fit the shoe (or vice-versa) (or whatever). I did, however, find the songs below quite accessible -- especially the call-and-response charmer "Vision Bell."
DAPPLED CITIES on MySPACE.
DAPPLED CITIES in the U.S. >>>
Oct 11 2007 8:00P/Crocodile Cafe w/Figurines/Seattle, Washington
Oct 12 2007 8:00P/Media Club w/Figurines/Vancouver, British Columbia
Oct 13 2007 8:00P/Berbatis w/Figurines/Portland, Oregon
Oct 15 2007 8:00P/Bottom Of The Hill w/Figurines/San Francisco, California
Oct 16 2007 8:00P/Spaceland w/Figurines/Los Angeles, California
Oct 17 2007 8:00P/Club Congress w/Figurines/Tucson, Arizona
Oct 19 2007 8:00P/Emos w/Figurines/Austin, Texas
Oct 20 2007 8:00P/Cavern Club w/Figurines/Dallas, Texas
Oct 23 2007 8:00P/7th St Entry w/Figurines/Minneapolis, Minnesota
Oct 24 2007 8:00P/Schubas w/Figurines/Chicago, Illinois
[MP3] "Vision Bell"
[MP3] "The Eve The Girl"
Here are four songs that I've liked from a long-ways-back, but I've never known how to package them. It occurs to me today to package them... together. Eureka.
[MP3] SUE WILKINSON/"You Gotta Be a Hustler if You Wanna Get On"
[MP3] TENDER TRAP/"(I Always Love You When) I'm Leaving You"
[MP3] INGRID MICHAELSON/"Breakable"
[MP3] TAXI DOLL/"Waiting" [Harris remix]
Just a couple tunes tonight from Minneapolis' WALKER KONG -- a band, not a man. From their MySpace list of influences, I guess I'd select THE GO-BETWEENS, YO LA TENGO, and BELLE AND SEBASTIAN as most relevant to today's samples....
WALKER KONG on MySPACE.
From the LP DELIVER US FROM PEOPLE, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "We Are the Falling Stars"
From the LP THERE GOES THE SUN, 2001 >>>
[MP3] "Calvin Rae"
KATE NASH (not to be confused with KATE BUSH or... you know... GRAHAM NASH) is a 20-or-so Londoner who has been compared to (and praised by) none other than LILY ALLEN. Nash also names REGINA SPEKTOR as a great influence, so you can make of that what you will & whatever you want & etc.Nash's debut album, MADE OF BRICKS, was released earlier this month (though not in the U.S.).
KATE NASH on MySPACE.
KATE NASH strutting her stuff (which should not be confused with Kate Bush's or... you know... Graham Nash's stuff) >>>
Aug 24 2007 8:00P/Leeds Festival: Carling Stage/Leeds
Aug 25 2007 8:00P/Get Loaded in the Park: Main Stage (4th from the top)/Cardiff
Aug 26 2007 8:00P/Reading Festival: Carling Stage/Reading
Sep 8 2007 8:00P/Isle of Wight Bestival: Mainstage/Isle of Wight
[MP3] "Foundations"
[MP3] "Mouthwash"
I thought that I had written about the all-in-the-family, Texan collective EISLEY at some point in the past, but it seems this is not so. Alas, I'm too tired at the moment to do anything more than tell you that their new album, COMBINATIONS, was released last week and that it's rock-poppy and slick and probably, ultimately, a bit TOO slick to stick. But, even so....
EISLEY on MySPACE.
EISLEY here, there & everywhere >>>
Aug 22 2007 8:30P/The Fly/London
Aug 23 2007 8:30P/The Fly/London
Aug 24 2007 7:00P/Astoria/London
Aug 25 2007 5:00A/Reading Festival Reading
Aug 26 2007 5:00A/Leeds Festival
Sep 19 2007 8:00P/The Big Easy/Boise, Idaho
Sep 21 2007 8:00P/Roseland Theatre/Portland, Oregon
Sep 24 2007 8:00P/The Boardwalk/Sacramento, California
Sep 25 2007 8:00P/The Fillmore/San Francisco, California
Sep 28 2007 8:00P/The Avalon Theatre/Los Angeles, California
[MP3] "Many Funerals"
[MP3] "Ten Cent Blues"
FERRABY LIONHEART: L.A. troubador.
Upcoming LP: CATCH THE BRASS RING. In stores: September 4. On iTunes: now. Pre-order at Insound: [HERE].
FERRABY LIONHEART on MySPACE.
FERRABY LIONHEART, troubadoring >>>
5 Sep 2007 - Media Club - Vancouver, BC - Themediaclub.ca
6 Sep 2007 - Crocodile Cafe - Seattle , WA - Thecrocodile.com
8 Sep 2007 - Crystal Ballroom - Portland, OR -
11 Sep 2007 - Cafe Du Nord - San Francisco, CA - Cafedunord.com
12 Sep 2007 - Kuumba Jazz Center - Santa Cruz, CA -
13 Sep 2007 - Troubadour - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour.com
14 Sep 2007 - Casbah - San Diego, CA - Casbahmusic.com
15 Sep 2007 - Solar Culture - Tucson, AZ - Solarculture.org
18 Sep 2007 - Emo's - Austin, TX - Emosaustin.com
[MP3] "Vermont Avenue"
[MP3] "Before We're Dead"
I've been taking a little time away from the site, obviously. Wasn't planned; just happened. I'm hoping (and expecting) to have things back to normal by the beginning of September. Might even get a few things posted before then....
Louisville, Kentucky's VHS OR BETA are very aptly named. Their retro dance-pop sound harkens back to the '80s, when the VHS and Betamax formats were at each other's throats. I, of course, had my money on Betamax, which is why I'm nothing more than a poor, misguided MP3 blogger now. Sad, sad, sad....VHS or Beta's new LP, BRING ON THE COMETS, will arrive on August 28. Here's a preview....
VHS OR BETA on MySPACE.
VHS or BETA on the move >>>
Aug 28 2007 8:00P/Great Scott/Boston, Massachusetts
Aug 29 2007 10:00P/Bowery Ballroom/New York, New York
Aug 30 2007 12:00A/Studio B/Brooklyn, New York
Aug 31 2007 10:45P/Johnny Brendas/Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Sep 1 2007 11:30P/Rock N Roll Hotel/Washington, Washington DC
Sep 2 2007 11:00P/Grog Shop/Cleveland, Ohio
Sep 3 2007 8:30P/Subterranean/Chicago, Illinois
Sep 4 2007 8:00P/Subterranean/Chicago, Illinois
Sep 5 2007 10:15P/7th St. Entry/Minneapolis, Minnesota
Sep 7 2007 12:00P/Larimer Lounge/Denver, Colorado
[MP3] "Can't Believe a Single Word"
[MP3] "Love in My Pocket"
A week late... yes. And many of these songs have already been featured on the blog at one point or another... sure. But where else will you find them so artfully arranged? (A rhetorical question, if ever there was one.)
Left-click [HERE] to download the goods.
Best of May [HERE].
Best of April [HERE].
Best of March [HERE].
Best of February [HERE].
Best of January [HERE].
TRACKLIST >>>
01) NOVA ROBOTICS/Sophie Neveu
02) STARS/Take Me to the Riot
03) AN PIERLE & WHITE VELVET/Jupiter
04) CHERRY GHOST/Thirst for Romance
05) AMY MACDONALD/This is the Life
06) ART BRUT/People in Love
07) LE MUHR/Generation
08) GOD LOVE YOU FOR A LIAR/Love Like We're Lovers
09) SLAM/Bright Lights Fading
10) OKKERVIL RIVER/Unless It's Kicks
11) THE THRILLS/The Midnight Choir
12) BAT FOR LASHES/What's a Girl to Do?
13) MARITIME/For Science Fiction
14) THE PERISHERS/To Start Anew
15) MUSHI/Lyon 1995
16) SHOUT OUT LOUDS/Streams of Whiskey
17) MANDO DIAO/You Can't Steal My Love
18) METRIC/The Twist
19) MUNICH/The Young Ones
20) THE ENEMY/You're Not Alone
21) BEDROOM EYES/(Here's One for You) Underdog
New York foursome VAMPIRE WEEKEND don't seem to have an official full-length record out yet, but there DOES seem to be some sort of "unofficial" CD-R floating around cyberspace.The word "Afrobeat" gets tossed around a lot in regard to these guys. Also: PAUL SIMON's GRACELAND. And/or: late-period TALKING HEADS. But I don't know... the World Music aspect seems more garnish than entree in the greater scheme of things, so I wouldn't let it scare you off.
VAMPIRE WEEKEND on MySPACE.
VAMPIRE WEEKEND in contiguous countries >>>
Aug 11 2007 3:00P/East River Music Project/New York, New York
Aug 11 2007 8:00P/Maxwell's with TOKYO POLICE CLUB & RA RA RIOT/Hoboken, New Jersey
Aug 12 2007 8:00P/Middle East with TOKYO POLICE CLUB & RA RA RIOT/Boston, Massachusetts
Aug 23 2007 8:00P/Space Gallery with DIRTY PROJECTORS and YACHT/Portland, Maine
Aug 24 2007 8:00P/Casa del Popolo with DIRTY PROJECTORS and YACHT/Montreal, Quebec
Aug 25 2007 8:00P/Sneaky Dee's with DIRTY PROJECTORS and YACHT/Toronto, Ontario
Aug 26 2007 8:00P/Bug Jar with DIRTY PROJECTORS and YACHT/Rochester, New York
Aug 27 2007 8:00P/Soundlab with DIRTY PROJECTORS and YACHT/Buffalo, New York
Aug 28 2007 8:00P/Beachland Tavern with DIRTY PROJECTORS and YACHT/Cleveland, Ohio
[MP3] "Oxford Comma"
[MP3] "Walcott"
BONUS TRACK >>>
[MP3] "Exit Music (For a Film)" [RADIOHEAD cover]
A gray, damp day around these here parts... what we need is something shiny, happy, and happenin'... some music to lighten the mood....Instead, we're going with JOHN VANDERSLICE -- he of the cracked, asylum-oubliette croon and manic-depressive, garage-sale symphonies. Soundtrack to a suicide? Nah. Just an idiosyncratic dude with a penchant for road-less-traveled reveries. Hell, even his album titles seem to be trending shinier & happier....
JOHN VANDERSLICE on MySPACE.
JOHN VANDERSLICE road-trippin' >>>
Aug 11 2007 8:00P/Amoeba In-Store, 3pm/San Francisco, California
Aug 17 2007 8:00P/Soundfix In-Store, 7pm/Brooklyn, New York
Sep 6 2007 8:00P/Troubadour w/Bodies of Water/Bowerbirds/Los Angeles, California
Sep 7 2007 8:00P/Casbah w/Bowerbirds/San Diego, California
Sep 8 2007 8:00P/Modified w/Bowerbirds/Phoenix, Arizona
Sep 9 2007 8:00P/Plush w/Bowerbirds/Tucson, Arizona
Sep 11 2007 8:00P/The Parish w//Bowerbirds/Austin, Texas
Sep 12 2007 8:00P/The Opolisw/Bowerbirds/Norman, Oklahoma
Sep 14 2007 8:00P/The Loft w/Bowerbirds/Dallas, Texas
Sep 15 2007 8:00P/Spanish Moon w/Bowerbirds/Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Sep 17 2007 8:00P/The Social/Orlando, Florida
From the LP EMERALD CITY, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "The Parade"
[MP3] "Time to Go"
From the LP CELLAR DOOR, 2004 >>>
[MP3] "Promising Actress"
[MP3] "When It Hits My Blood"
From the LP THE LIFE AND DEATH OF AN AMERICAN FOURTRACKER, 2002 >>>
[MP3] "Me and My 424"
From the LP TIME TRAVEL IS LONELY, 2001 >>>
[MP3] "Keep the Dream Alive"
[MP3] "My Old Flame"
From the LP MASS SUICIDE OCCULT FIGURINES, 2000 >>>
[MP3] "Confusion Boats"BONUS TRACK >>>[MP3] "Let Down" [RADIOHEAD cover]
IRON AND WINE has never been a favorite of mine, but I'm sure the blogosphere is all aquiver with anticipation for the upcoming THE SHEPHERD'S DOG (September 25; SUB POP). Well... to each his own. Whatever rows your boat. There's no accounting for taste.
IRON AND WINE on MySPACE.
IRON AND WINE on both sides of the pond >>>
August 9, 2007/London, England The Spitz
September 27, 2007/Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre
September 28, 2007/Upper Darby, PA Tower Theatre
September 29, 2007/Washington, DC 9:30 Club
September 30, 2007/New York City, NY Town Hall Theatre
October 23, 2007/Leeds, UK City Varieties Music Hall
October 24, 2007/Gateshead, UK Sage Gateshead
October 25, 2007/Manchester, UK Academy 2
October 26, 2007/Belfast, Ireland Belfast Festival at Queens (Spiegel Tent)
[MP3] "Boy With a Coin"
[MP3] "Flightless Bird, American Mouth"
Sorry, but there are only so many things I can tell you about JESCA HOOP.There are the things I can tell you: 1) She's from California.2) She's an ex-Mormon.3) She has toured with THE POLYPHONIC SPREE. 4) She was TOM WAITS' nanny.5) Her somewhat kooky name perfectly reflects her somewhat kooky musical sensibilities.6) Her debut LP, KISMET, will be available for purchase on September 18.JESCA HOOP on MySPACE.[MP3] "Money"
[MP3] "Dreams in the Hollow"
Feel free to left-click [HERE] for the songs of August. (I accidentally labelled the Best of July zip file as "August," so this one will henceforth be known as "August-Actual." My apologies for the screw-up and any resultant confusion.)
