Monday: Bottle Up & Go + No Place @ The Studio at Webster Hall 8pm FREE [info]There really is no better way to kick off a week than to have the opportunity to catch a free show! Tonight's free performance come courtesy of Bottle Up & Go and up-and-comers No Place. We are only vaguely familiar with No Place, but Bottle Up & Go played last year's After the Jump Fest and were a pretty solid act from what I remember. All though I was pretty wrecked at that point so you never do know, but you'll at least know that the price is totally right.Bottle Up & Go - "Until The Day I Die"Tuesday: Pretty & Nice + The Drunken Sufis @ Cameo Gallery 9pm $tba [info]You should all be pretty well versed with Pretty & Nice by now, we've definitely spoken of them more than enough that it should have penetrated at least one of those times, but I'm pretty sure we have failed to mention The Drunken Sufis on these pages until now. This band, consisting of members of Exit Clov and Jukebox the Ghost, is an absolute riot with some catchy tunes and a great sense of humor found in all of them. This show is sure to be the kind of move your feet, get excited, show that rarely comes around this early in the week, so if that's your type of scene don't miss it!Pretty & Nice - "Tora Tora Tora"The Drunken Sufis - "Dick Cheney's Big Adventure"Wednesday: Benefit for Haiti @ The Bell House 6pm $50 [tix]The music community has truly rallied some fantastic support for the tragic situation in Haiti. At this point I'm sure most of you have already donated some sort of money via text or some other way, but for those of you with deeper pockets we would highly suggest ponying up the cash for this benefit. Not only will you be helping people in desperate need you will also be getting a show that is absolutely loaded with indie rock studs from start to finish. This should be worth every dime you spend on it and I hope you will all seriously consider helping even further if you have the means to do so.The Walkmen - "Red Moon"Ted Leo - "By Your Side" (Sade cover)The Wrens - "Grey Complexion"AC Newman - "Miracle Drug"Here We Go Magic - "Only Pieces"Thursday: Dinosaur Feathers, Carnivores, + Shark? @ Cake Shop 8pm $8 [info]The three of these bands don't have all that much in common sonically, though we do recommend the music of all three, but to see this lineup written out is pretty freakin' awesome! Just think about it, sharks, carnivores, dinosaurs! These three bands were meant to play together even if only by associating the names of the three bands! Go for the music if you want, but the sheer novelty of the three acts name's is more than enough to entice us!Dinosaur Feathers - "Vendela Vida"Carnivores - "There Is Evil"Shark? - "Oh My!"Friday: Les Savy Fav + Vivian Girls @ Brooklyn Academy of Music 8pm $20 [tix]Kicking off the annual Sounds Like Brooklyn festival this year is none other than local indie rock legends Les Savy Fav with help from the Vivian Girls. The pairing of these two bands seems to symbolize the length and scope of the current Brooklyn scene, with Les Savy Fav representing the early days of the boom before condos and corporate sponsorship and Vivian Girls repping for what the scene has come to stand for. It's a pretty cool pairing and definitely worth checking out.Les Savy Fav - "The Sweat Descends"Vivian Girls - "When I'm Gone"Saturday: Quiet Color's Sloppy Circus @ House of Yes 9pm $10 [info]We're big fans of Quiet Color and the music they love to push over there, but as good as their site is they always seem to have even more kick ass shows! We've never been to House of Yes but based on the bands we're expecting a very eclectic and very entertaining show from start to finish. These bands really couldn't be much different in sound, but somehow we're sure Quiet Color knows what their doing and has a reason for stacking all these terrific bands on top of each other. At least we hope they do!Shark? - "I'm An Animal"Javelin - "Std Fury"Dinowalrus - "I Hate Letters"The Shivers - "Just Didn't Need To Know"Ava Luna - "Clips"Sunday: Extra Life @ Zebulon 9pm FREE [info]We started the week off with a free show and we get to end the week with a free show, truly a rarity at this time of the year! Extra Life is currently sitting on their new record readying it for its upcoming release which is sure to catch the eye of more than a few bloggers. Stereogum already premiered their new single so get ready to hear a lot about these guys by getting to see them before the hype shit storm really gets going!Extra Life - "The Ladder"<script type="text/javascript">
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In recent years the crowd that is claiming "the album is dead" has grown louder and louder. We couldn't disagree more. As more and more people turn to iTunes and the Hype Machine to download the latest and greatest singles, we have stuck to the traditional album listening and found that there are still some truly great records being made these days. For most of this year we have been inundated by bands breaking into the world, mainstream artists trying to recapture their former glory, and indie rock "superstars" growing into their own, it has been exciting and fun and we love listening to all these great talents have to offer us. Some might say it was a weak year for music, they're really, really wrong on that one! These are our 50 favorite albums of 2009, it's a list that was pared down from over 300 entries, and which we have slaved and thought over for a good part of the last two months, tweaking things here and there, putting in new albums, taking out other records. There are other great albums that failed to make this list, but should be listened to and adored as well, we only wish we had more time and energy to make this list longer and longer. But that would also cheapen what the Top 50 were able to accomplish. Obviously we encourage everyone to chime in in the comments section, please tell us what we get wrong, what we leave out, what we rank too high, we seriously love those conversations more than you will ever know! Enjoy the list everyone!!!Download the ZIP!Top Albums #41 - 5040. Allen Toussaint The Bright Mississippi; We don't spend enough time escaping our normal comfort zone on this site, and as such albums like this normally slip through the cracks, but for whatever reason we took a flyer on Allen Toussaint's first album in a decade and fell in love with the soulful jazz found throughout it. Now we know this isn't the type of record you normally stop by here to check out, hell there's very music blogs I know of that cover jazz at all, but this record is so sweet and soulful that you could do no wrong by checking it out. Pop it on and listen as worries and fears just melt away if only for the duration of the record. It takes you to a place we rarely visit and one that we hope to be more open to after such a brilliant record turns us back around on it. Next up is that $400 Miles Davis collection! Probably not, but it is time to be a little more open about what we like here at Pop Tarts and it all starts with this.Allen Toussaint - "West End Blues"Allen Toussaint - "Bright Mississippi" 39. Japandroids Post-Nothing; We don't know what it is about two piece bands that we love so much, but we really go ape shit over just about all of them. The Moldy Peaches, The White Stripes, No Age, and now you can add Japandroids to that list. Of course most of those bands don't sound much alike, but Japandroids does follow fairly closely in No Age's footsteps. They are a lot more prog oriented than the boys from LA, but these Vancouver natives make music the wreaks havoc wherever it goes. The music is a visceral experience, launching into your ears and pouncing around like some sort of caged animal trying to get out. Post-Nothing is an explosive, dynamic example of what can be accomplished with a guitar, a drum set, and a few effects pedals, but there's more rock in this 35-minute long album than in most of the records that landed on our iPod this year. It's a sweet, sweet sound that we probably won't ever tire of.Japandroids - "Young Hearts Spark Fire"Japandroids - "Wet Hair" 38. Passion Pit Manners; The story of Passion Pit is the type of music industry legend that almost never comes to fruition. Songwriter makes an album as a belated gift to his girlfriend, becomes buzz band of the moment, releases debut full length and becomes insanely popular, all within a year of the first part of the story. It's mind blowing when you think about it, but the music Passion Pit puts out is so immediate and catchy that it kind of all makes sense. Of course this music should be featured on the radio and commercials, the synth sounds and the passionate yelp of their lead singer make it the type of dance happy rock music that has come to define the past few years. People can sing-a-long, dance-a-long, or just nod-a-long and find complete enjoyment in letting go in the presence of Passion Pit's tunes. Who doesn't want that from music? Combine that with all the lovey dovey messages in the music and there is a lot of stuff for people to connect with on this album, making it an easy sell. Now we are left to wonder what's next for Passion Pit. Are they a one trick pony or is there really a future for them in all of this? Those answers will come and go, but we'll still be singing "Sleepyhead" to ourselves no matter what.Passion Pit - "Moth's Wings"Passion Pit - "Sleepy Head" 37. Here We Go Magic Here We Go Magic; Luke Temple first appeared on the blog scene in 2005 with the release of his debut album Hold A Match To A Gasoline World. The record was the standard singer/songwriter fare with good enough songs to make enough people take notice. If you would have asked us then if a sound like Here We Go Magic's could be born from that I would have thought you were crazy. Temple shocked everyone this year, breaking out with a fantastic, well rounded sound that seems to incorporate bits of everything we enjoy in the indie world right now. There's tribal elements, sing-a-long choruses, big rhythms, pretty much everything that could ever woo us is found on this record and somehow it doesn't sound like a mess. Temple did an amazing job with this record, putting layers of sounds together and creating a cohesive indie pop that is difficult to turn away from. Next time out he'll have his whole band on the record, but hopefully he will continue to let the parts overlap like this and let the music come together as a blissful whole right before our listening ears.Here We Go Magic - "Only Pieces"Here We Go Magic - "Ahab" 36. DOOM Born Like This; When DOOM released Born Like This back in March it seemed everyone was all about the new record, pimping it as one of the legendary producer's best efforts especially with the rhymes he laid down on it. But as the year has gone on Born Like This seems to have faded out of the minds and memories of all but a handful of music loving fans. Personally we thought the record was damn and that opinion hasn't changed, but it has aged in a quite a short period of time. No longer can if hold a candle to albums like Madvillainy or The Mouse and the Mask, and it honestly might keep fading until it's all but a distant memory. Which is a shame because with production from J Dilla, Madlib, and DOOM himself, this record is pretty damn sleek and loaded with some sick, furious beats that do not bow down. DOOM himself is as strong as he has ever been on the mike, but for whatever reason it hasn't stayed in constant rotation for a lot of people. I can't explain it, but I'm starting to see why it might fade away.DOOM - "Gazillion Ear"DOOM - "Cellz" 35. Neon Indian Psychic Chasms; If at this point you are getting a bit tired of the "chillwave" presence in this list I apologize, we're kind of getting tired of writing the word itself too but we still cannot escape how catchy and good some of these albums were. Neon Indian's full length version of Psychic Chasms was one that hit us with a lot of force. The upbeat pop sounds on his debut record are so familiar we can't believe we didn't hear it all before it was ever release, but just as we're ready to say where we already heard it we are hit with a different sound that is almost as familiar. Basically he's taking some sounds and splicing them together to make unforgettable pop music and we have fallen for all of his tricks! Like the rest of the buzzworthy genre, it reminds us of summer and warmth and right now with this chill running down our spine it feels pretty good to be reminded about warmer, brighter days. Like we already said, we have no idea what the future holds for this sound but for now we can totally get down with what Neon Indian gave us.Neon Indian - "Deadbeat Summer"Neon Indian - "Local Joke" 34. Sharon Van Etten Because I Was In Love; All the potential we've seen in Sharon Van Etten's fragile warble for the past year or so finally came to fruition on this enchanted record. Because I Was In Love is a truly delicate record. If any parts were removed or added this would not work, but with Sharon's gentle voice and careful strumming we are given the sound of a young enchantress slowly wrapping her musical fingers around our throats. The music is subtle but warming, but everything comes back to the power and emotion of Sharon Van Etten's voice. It is like listening to the gentle breeze and hearing all the feelings being passed from person to person across the zephyr. Yeah, we're in love with everything Sharon does at this point, have been for quite some time, but this record shows that we were only scrapping the surface when we first saw her live. This shows depth, humanity, and a penchant for emotional story telling that few artists are capable of matching.Sharon Van Etten - "For You"Sharon Van Etten - "I Fold" 33. Woods Songs of Shame; The whole lo-fi genre that is so damn popular right now has really spread far and wide to encompass bands that don't really belong amid all the noise that's coming out these days. When we think of the current state of lo-fi we think of noisy bands, hiding pop songs under poor recording techniques and lots of effects, but we certainly don't think of a band like Woods. They fit in more on the late-90's version of lo-fi, think Guided By Voices instead of Times New Viking. Their music is subtle, loaded with feeling, and much, much quieter than most of the stuff getting passed around with the current lo-fi label. Yeah, the recording techniques are not of the highest standards, there is a tape hiss running through most of Songs of Shame but to just label lo-fi and walk away at a time like this is totally wrong. This music has so much more to offer than all the noise and I think that's why we've fallen for this record. We were surprised to find what it hid inside its cover and we've truly come to appreciate every careful strummed note and gently sung lyric. This is about making pop songs with what you got, not hiding them away with effects and noise and we couldn't be happier to welcome this type of lo-fi back with open arms.Woods - "Rain On"Woods - "Born To Lose" 32. Mastodon Crack the Skye; Metal music has spent the last 10-years surging back to acceptable levels of greatness. There was a time when we were worried about, when nu-metal reigned supreme and defied everyone's expectations by becoming radio friendly, well that metal is gone over turned by the drone bands and true metal shredders of today's bands. Mastodon have been one of the forerunners of the resurgence, making albums loaded with mythology and unbelievable guitar riffs that absolutely soar above the standard chords we normally listen to. On their last album, Blood Mountain, these dudes to metal to a place that it had never been before, accepted by metal heads and indie fans alike it made it acceptable to rock the metal again even in places like hipster Williamsburg. Crack the Skye comes awfully close to matching the power and majesty of Blood Mountain, though in my eyes it falls just a little behind that album. Yeah the riffs are all amazing, the rhythm section is as pounding as any in metal right now, and lyrically it's as close to a sing-a-long metal album as there has been in ages, but it's just inches shy of the high watermark made by Blood Mountain. It's still great though, and should be regarded as such!Mastodon - "Divinations"Mastodon - "The Czar" 31. BOAT Setting the Paces; In recent years the success of indie pop has forced a lot of us to look to new places for bands and sounds that aren't quite as popular. Call it a revolt, but when your favorite bands are selling out the same venues as Coldplay you may wanna look for something newer to keep you interested. BOAT don't care about any of those things, they make indie pop that is fun and exciting and catchy as all hell and they will probably get to the point where they too get shunned for their popularity. I doubt they'll care then either, but for now these guys are cranking out some of the best indie pop on either coast and anywhere in between. The Seattle natives have grown a lot since the underrated Let's Drag Our Feet, making a record that could have soundtracked a certain Zach Braff film had another band not beat them to it. Yeah, this music sounds like the stuff that made indie so popular in the first half of the decade and we don't know if nostalgia for that time is driving our adoration of this band or not, but we love every minute of this insanely catchy record.BOAT - "Lately"BOAT - "Reverie" <script type="text/javascript">
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Monday: Bottle Up and Go @ The Studio at Webster Hall 8pm FREEYou should have seen them at After the Jump on Saturday, but for the few that missed their energetic set make sure you head to The Studio for this free show. Oh and if you did see them Saturday I assume I'll see you there!Bottle Up and Go - "Wayward Son"Tuesday: Screaming Females @ Mercury Lounge 7pm $10After supporting The Dead Weather on their recent tour it must be weird for Screaming Females to return to small clubs without green rooms where they aren't separated from their fans, but knowing this Jersey trio they probably prefer it this way. This is a band that is quickly launching into the stratosphere so make sure to catch them before you have to go places like Terminal 5 to see them.Screaming Females - "Boyfriend"Wednesday: Titus Andronicus, The Smith Westerns, + So So Glos @ Monster Island Basement 8pm $9Tonight is loaded with excellent shows, Ra Ra Riot, Pattern Is Movement, and other Pop Tart's faves are playing throughout the city, but this is the best overall lineup with one of the best live bands going right now! Both the So So Glos and The Smith Westerns are starting to get noticed by their peers and music fans all over the place and the attention is 100% justified, but the real draw tonight is Titus Andronicus' always insane live show. These guys flat out know how to play so make sure you catch 'em tonight., you can always DVR Top Chef.Titus Andronicus - "Titus Andronicus"The Smith Westerns - "Girl In Love"So So Glos - "Throw Your Hands Up"Thursday: Darlings @ Cake Shop 8pm $7We generally try to avoid the Cake Shop during the summer, something about going into a cramped basement while it's 90-degrees outside just doesn't seem natural. Now that the temperatures are getting cooler and the calendar is turning to fall we'll start heading back to one of our favorite venues to get a look at up-and-coming talent from the 5 boroughs and beyond. Tonight is Darlings, who we have talked about but are yet to see. Should be a good one!Darlings - "We're Not Going"Friday: Battles, !!!, Flying Lotus, + Pivot @ Terminal 5 6pm $27.50Along with Merge and Matador, Warp Records are celebrating their 20th anniversary this year and they are bringing a bunch of shows to New York to celebrate. The biggest of the shows is tonight's fantastic bill featuring Battles, !!!, Flying Lotus, and Pivot, all of whom are worthy on their own but put together like this should make some magic happen on stage. This should be a special night, make sure you don't miss it.Battles - "Leyendecker"!!! - "Myth Takes"Flying Lotus - "Rickshaw"Pivot - "Sweet Memory"Saturday: Chairlift + Here We Go Magic @ Bowery Ballroom 8:30pm $15Two of the most buzzed about bands of the last two years are joining forces and taking over Bowery for what promises to be a pretty fun Saturday night. Now I know I haven't said the best of things about these two bands live shows, but they still have solid songs in their pocket and hopefully will coax the best out of each other. Hopefully!Chairlift - "Le Flying Saucer Hat"Here We Go Magic - "Only Pieces"Sunday: New York Electronic Music Festival @ Randall's Island 11am $70With The Pool Parties over and done with and football still a week away we are probably going to spend our Sunday catching up with our Netflix queue but if you're desperate to spend a shit ton of money to see bands go to this. Or send me the $70 and spend all day downloading the mp3's I've posted the last few months. Your choice.Hercules & Love Affair - "I Can't Wait"Lindstrom & Prins Thomas - "Tirsdagsjam (Lang Version)"<script type="text/javascript">
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כשאתה מוצא את עצמך עושה ברביקיו בגשם קיצי מרענן אתה מבין ששום דבר הוא לא מה שהיה פעם. העולם כמו שאתה מכיר אותו השתנה ואתה ביחד איתו. לפעמים שומן עסיסי שנוטף על גחלים לוחשות זה מה שמעודד תובנות. חזיר שלם היה צריך להטחן וחתיכות קטנות ממנו להעטף בניילון בשביל שהאסימון הקוסמי הזה יפול. ואני? אני בסדר עם זה. נעים לי. גם עם החזיר וגם עם הגשם. כל מה שנשאר לי הוא לתבל את הארוחות בפולק של קיץ והחיים שלי יפים.Forest Fire הם אלה שנתנו לי השראה בעודי מנסה להדליק את הגחלים (טוב נו, לא באמת אני הדלקתי אבל ההשראה עדין הייתה). פולק-רוק עצל, כמעט מרושל אבל מלא רגש. לו ריד היה גאה בהם. גם בוב דילן. למעשה, סיכוי סביר שהוא כתב להם את השירים. למרות השוני בין הקטעים באלבום הבכורה שלהם, Survival, הם מצליחים להתמזג אחד לתוך השני במעין עייפות וכבדות נעימה שכזאת. כוס הויסקי האחרונה לסגור את הערב.Forest Fire – Slow MotionForest Fire – Through My Glovesהאלבום של Here We Go Magic, נדחק הצידה לפני כחודשיים-שלושה אחרי שהתוייג כהחמצה. יותר מדי קטעים אינסטרומנטליים פסיכדליים מתישים וצליל בעייתי הרגישו כמו אלבום חצי אפוי. הכל השתנה כשראיתי הופעה חיה שלהם. כמו ההבדל בין נתח בשר חי לסטייק עשוי מדיום. פתאום הכל נכון, הסאונד נפלא, השירים מרתקים והבסיסטית והקלידנית מעוררות תאבון לא פחות. אם נדבוק במטאפורות מעולם הגחלים, גם פה, הכל תלוי בהגשה. אם יש לכם את היכולת כמעט ולחוש בטעמו של הסטייק על קצה לשונכם כשאתם רואים פרה באחו, השירים הבאים בשבילכם.Here We Go Magic – FangelaHere we Go Magic – Only Piecesואחרי ארוחה מדושנת שנשטפה בבירה ותובלה במוזיקה איכותית הייתי מוכן ללכת לראות את Strange Folks בהופעה חיה. בפעם השלישית בחודש האחרון. אבל להם עוד יגיע פוסט משל עצמם.
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Monday: Sharon Van Etten @ City Winery 9pm $12This has been a very good year for a couple of the better Brooklyn bands out there. Bands like The Antlers, Here We Go Magic, and now Sharon Van Etten have grown in leaps and bounds with their new releases and have finally started to garner the attention they deserve. Tonight you can check out what all the fuss is about by watching Sharon and listening to her incredible voice. It's a damn fine way to start off a week.Sharon Van Etten - "Consolation Prize"Tuesday: Explosions in the Sky @ Central Park Summerstage 5:30pm $25I've been listening to a lot of Explosions in the Sky lately, or more specifically one of their songs a whole lot - "Your Hand In Mine", which serves as the theme song for NBC's Friday Night Lights. I've been catching up on the show on DVD and have fallen in love with the soap opera based on football. You already should know that seeing Explosions in the Sky in the middle of Central Park on a (hopefully) nice summer evening will be mind expanding.Explosions in the Sky - "Your Hand In Mine"Wednesday: Jay Reatard @ Music on the Oval 6pm FREEThe first of three free shows this week is a really, really good one as Jay Reatard takes his 25-minute long set to the family friendly Stuyvesant Town Oval. Not really sure how well the two will mesh, Jay Reatard certainly has a history for being brash, loud, and aggressive, but I know fans of Reatard's will be there in droves to push the kiddies out of harms way. And if you feel like paying to see Jay Reatard this week he plays Music Hall of Williamsburg Thursday night.Jay Reatard - "See/Saw"Thursday: Thee Oh Sees, Golden Triangle, + The Beets @ Glasslands 8pm $8To be fair most of these bands are playing again either Friday or Saturday night as part of the Woodsist/Captured Tracks festival (see below), but it's such a good bill for really damn cheap that it's worth mentioning these guys again. Thee Oh Sees might be the finest of a strong group of garage acts coming out of San Francisco these days and The Beets are up-and-coming favorites of mine. This show should be effing awesome!Thee Oh Sees - "Ruby Go Home"Golden Triangle - "Red Coats"The Beets - "What Did I Do"Friday: Here We Go Magic + Bachelorette @ South Street Seaport 6pm FREELast week's Kid Cudi/Chester French lineup was not actually the kick off of the 2009 Seaport Music Festival, no the actual kickoff is tonight's excellent show catering to the indie music fans of New York City. It may not be as big as some of the recent kick off shows, but it's still a damn sweet lineup for the right price. And if you ask me nicely I may even tell you where to buy the really big really cheap beers!Here We Go Magic - "Only Pieces"Bachelorette - "Mindwarp"then...pow wow!, Dinosaur Feathers, + Darlings @ The Studio @ Webster Hall 8pm $8One of the great things about the Seaport shows is that they are over and done with early so you can add on some fun activities to your night. This week I'm thinking that involves heading up to Webster Hall for a show featuring three up-and-comers we just adore. Check it out!pow wow! - "So Weird"Dinosaur Feathers - "Teenage Whore"Darlings - "Teenage Girl"Saturday: Woodsist/Captured Tracks Fest @ 979 Broadway 2pm $15This is actually the second day of the Woodsist/Captured Tracks fest, but for my money day 2 has the slightly better lineup (2 day tickets are $25 though). With band like Vivian Girls, Woods, Tyvek, Thee Oh Sees, and a lot more it's a lot of bang for your buck. Seriously check this out!Vivian Girls - "Death"Kurt Vile - "Slow Talkers"Woods - "To Clean"Tyvek - "Stand and Fight"Sunday: Afro-Punk Fest @ Brooklyn Academy of Music 3pm FREEAs far as I know this is the first time this Afro-Punk Fest is happening but it's a pretty solid lineup and a damn free way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Day 2, which takes place on Monday, may have a slightly better lineup (hello, Janelle Monae!) but this seems like a good precursor for the JellyNYC shows!Apollo Heights - "Shallow By Shallow"<script type="text/javascript">
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I think this is the first list I've made where the struggle in constructing the list didn't come from the quality of music...but on the criteria I set forth in making the list. Coming up with some of the best albums so far this year this easy...but trying to figure out which ones were unknown (or at least lesser known) was a hard to call to make. I have no idea what albums you've heard about...
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It's finally starting to happen outside, the summer season is slowly controlling the atmosphere around us. It's been an extremely warm and weather confidence-boosting three days; the kind where all day in the sunlight leaves your skin feeling sticky. Despite a potential swine flu outbreak, the summer still brings out shorts, sandals, bikinis, and bathing suits. Some will freckle, some will glow, and even more will be burnt. The fact it's been a lengthy three days of blistering sunshine forcing me to turn on the A/C (RIP Spring 2009), made me want to share three songs I've been spinning lots lately. Bring your shades, sunblock, and auditory senses into summer.[MP3] Here We Go Magic - Only PiecesI think one reason I've been spinning this song so much stems from the memories associated with my live concert experience. Connor and I were standing front and center for Here We Go Magic in Austin, TX - a city known for producing heat that emulates Hell itself - in an extremely crowded and hot (small) venue. The show was incredible and "Only Pieces" was mesmerizing live, with vocals and lyrics reminiscent of Paul Simon coupled with an elongated experimental edge. [MP3] White Rabbits - Right Where They LeftSummer, for some, also represents the forthcoming album It's Frightening from Missouri-born rock outfit White Rabbits. Their sophomore release is hitting shelves May 19th and sounds all the bit of a solid follow-up. Aside from establishing a deeper sound and what looks to be an extremely bright future, they've also built upon a solid single and penned the catchy "Right Where They Left You". The funky percussion and enjoyable melodies go well with the windows down in your car.[MP3] Bat For Lashes - Pearl's DreamI really didn't start to dig deep into Bat For Lashes until she released Two Suns, which converted me from a passive to an active listener. Her music falls somewhere between the ranges of ambient pop and sympathetic synth, but nestled in between those categories she's created a niche for producing enticing music. "Pearl's Dream" is every bit the lucid epic it sounds like, creating a synthetic symphony with the pop appeal of Madonna.. on acid.Time to get some grub and head to my last week of classes (ever!), enjoy the afternoon if you've got similar sunshine.
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Tonight here in Baltimore I like my options for good music. The Ottobar has Titus Andronicus, Siren, and Here We Go Magic while the Golden West Cafe has The Weakends and Sri Aurobindo. Down in DC New Rock Church Of Fire light it up while celebrating the unveiling of their new hamburger (see flyer above) at DC9 with Damiera, Man Without Wax, and Meow Vs. Meow while Booka Shade dips the 9:30 Club into electronics. That sweet tour of White Lies, Friendly Fires, and The Soft Pack rolls up north to Philly. They play the First Unitarian Church. Enjoy!
mp3: Here We Go Magic - Only Pieces
mp3: New Rock Church Of Fire - Death Truck
mp3: White Lies - Unfinished Business
mp3: Friendly Fires - Skeleton Boy
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(click to enlarge)After missing their show at the Mohawk on Wednesday because I flubbed the set time, I was glad to catch Here We Go Magic at Side Bar on Friday afternoon. They were one of just a handful of bands that I had made a point to go see (see also: Harlem Shakes, Wavves, Grizzly Bear), and Side Bar provided the perfect atmosphere for the band's weirdo psych folk.The place was packed with the stage set up on the floor, a very intimate setting for what has always seemed to be very intimate music. There was immense backlight coming in from two windows behind the stage that covered the band in a dusty, auratic haze, and if you squinted just right a halo encircled frontman Luke Temple's head. Tunnelvision indeed.Although "Tunnelvision" was unfortunately left off the set list, a new favorite song of mine did emerge from the experience:[MP3] Here We Go Magic - Only Pieces
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Luke Temple has one of the best voices in the indie rock spectrum and has impressed loads of people with his two solo records in the past few years. Never afraid to re-invent himself, Luke decided to change course for his latest project Here We Go Magic by taking his exceptional vocals and layering the album with a wide variety of sounds and adventures. In order to perform the album live, Luke enlisted the help of some other musicians who joined us in the WOXY Lounge for this session.
During this set we get three songs from Luke and his band from the debut Here We Go Magic album, as well as a new song that could land on an upcoming release.
Track Listing:
Fangela
Tunnelvision
- interview -
Surprise (new/unreleased)
Only Pieces
Here We Go Magic - Fangela (Live On WOXY.com)
Here We Go Magic - Tunnelvision (Live On WOXY.com)
Here We Go Magic - Surprise (Live On WOXY.com / New / Unreleased)
Here We Go Magic - Only Pieces (Live On WOXY.com)
Here We Go Magic - Live On WOXY.com (full session download)
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Tonight in Baltimore is another TAXLO event at the Talking Head with DJs Cullen Stalin, Simon Phoenix, Chris O and a performance by Triobelisk. Also in town are Longwave who play the Recher Theatre with OK Go and Oppenheimer. If that doesn’t suit perhaps the Ottobar’s show for tonight will. They have Hipnotic Buddha, Matt Rocks, E. Joseph and the Phantom Hearts, and Gavin Elder. Down in DC the Red and the Black has a great show with one of my new favorites performing, Here We Go Magic. Callers and Typefighter open for them. Also in DC the Rocka and Roll Hotel has Lydia, Black Gold, and All The Day Holiday while the Black Cat has Kimya Dawson. Finally if you cross the district to Arlington you can catch Imperial China, Maserati, and Tone at Iota. Enjoy!
mp3: Here We Go Magic - Only Pieces
mp3: Black Gold - Detroit
mp3: Longwave - It’s True
Photo of Longwave By Benjamin Hoste (www.benjaminhoste.com)
Related posts:Suggested Listening: Here We Go MagicLongwave - “Secrets Are Sinister”Siren In The Deep Sea - New FREE Longwave Track
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Someone out there went through and compiled all of the free tracks available on the SXSW website and put them in to a couple of torrents you can download. With over 1,000 total songs it won't be the fastest download ever, but once you do get these torrents downloaded you can just throw all of the songs into a folder and then freely browse through many of the artists performing at SXSW.This could be an easy way to discover a new band to add to your schedule for the festival, like Here We Go Magic for instance. Happy listening.Here We Go Magic - "Only Pieces"westernvinyl.comVia Pitchfortk.tv:<object height="320" width="470"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="movie" value="http://video.pitchfork.tv/mediaplayer.swf"><param name="flashvars" value="file=http://pitchfork.tv/node/2989/embed.xml"><embed src="http://video.pitchfork.tv/mediaplayer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars="file=http://pitchfork.tv/node/2989/embed.xml" allowfullscreen="true" height="320" width="470"></embed></object>Photo thanks: Steve Hopson
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