• They are from the Netherlands.
  
  
• Their debut album caused rave reviews in the Netherlands and UK.
  
  
• Their second album Versus Life, is out now on the Dutch independent label Tocado Records.
  
  
• They are two girls. Jessie on guitar, Chay on bass.
  
  
• They rock.

Below are two songs from the new album Versus Life, and you can get the debut at eMusic. "No Nada" is the opening track and sets the tone for the rest of the album with a raging tempo. "Salt Sugar" builds for the first 1:12 and then goes ballistic with a four on the floor beat and frantic guitar riffs that any fan the blues/rock style popularized by the Stripes will immediately enjoy. Check out some Dutch garage-blues-punk rock with great guitar licks and pumping bass lines, both of which compliment the angry vocals and loads of distortion.


The Suicidal Birds - "No Nada"

The Suicidal Birds - "Salt Sugar"

Get Versus Life @ Tocado Records

suicidalbirds.com myspace/suicidalbirds

Labels: Albums, Rock

Taking on Austin's music scene is a bewildering endeavor, and we should know. At our last count, we figured there are at least 1,500 bands and artists that call Austin home, and we know that's really not even close to all of them. So the idea of putting together a compilation of Austin artists that we felt deserved more attention has become both a foolhardy and necessary endeavor, and one we figure we will have to keep up annually at the very least. With the entire independent music world descending upon Austin in the next couple of weeks, we thought it would be a prime time to, like SXSW, showcase some of the hometown talent. And so we present our first compilation of all Austin artists: Sound Advice Vol. I: The Start of Something.

Labels: Local

The first is a synth-pop-vocoder anthem for practicing some new dance steps, from Brooklyn's electronic son Wolfgang. Get more at myspace/wolfgangtherobot and Hypnote

Wolfgang - Master of the Music



Perhaps I was too quick to throw the word anthem out there before introducing this next track. It is a twelve minute quasi-pop electronic dittie that is only one of the standout tracks on Dan Deacon's forthcoming album Spiderman of the Rings. The first three minutes of "Wham City" start out with a chanting chorus and then the LCD Soundsystem-esque breakbeats kick in until the seven minute mark, followed by an abrupt stop-and-start with a sample of vocoder over snare drum before nicely segueing back into the original chant and riding the hyper electronic wave all the way until the end.

Dan was in Austin last week to showcase his work for SXSW, and you can read all about it over at Party Ends. Spiderman of the Rings is out on May 8 via Psych-o-Path Records.

Dan Deacon - "Wham City" (12:12)

Speaking of LCD Soundsystem, have you picked up a copy of Sound Of Silver yet? You should do that, it was officially released in the U.S. last week and sounds way better than the leaked version you might have heard. I'm still waiting for the vinyl to arrive at my doorstep. The track below is a remix and not featured on the album, just to avoid any confusion.

LCD Soundsystem - North American Scum (St.Laurent's Remix)

-- Slowing things down...

Below is just one of the many good songs on The Beggars Group - Spring Sampler 2007 that I snagged at SXSW. I just read that Elvis Perkins' "melancholy songs reflect the personal tragedy he's experienced over the years. His father died of AIDS in 1992, and his mother, a photographer, was on board a flight that was flown into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001." He will be in Austin on April 28 performing in support of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah at Stubb's.

Elvis Perkins - "While You Were Sleeping"

To end this entry on an even softer note, here is a track by an acoustic group from Glasgow who go by the name of Jo Mango. It sounds to me like they used a jack-in-the-box as an instrument on this song, or at least something that sounds very familiar to one. I found "My Lung" on the Clash Magazine - SXSW UK Invasion disc. Check PodBop to see their cool inventory of SXSW goodies, and if you're feeling left out in the cold you can even grab a SXSW swag bag at eBay.

Jo Mango - "My Lung"

Labels: Stochastic

Back in December I got a feelgood track from Terry Diabolik of NYC's Finger on the Pulse, a twenty-five minute DJ mix of vintage Soul tracks that provides great background music for doing nothing at all. Or slip it in to a classic party mix and remind your company of some of the groovy music that was being made way back when.

The tracklist for "And I’m Feelin Good" is as follows:

“Ain't No Reason For Girls (To Be Lonely) | Bobby Marchan
“Needle In A Haystack” | The Velvelettes
“Our Love Is In the Pocket” | Darrell Banks
“If Your Love Don't Swing” | Pete Kelly's Solution
“Something For Nothing” | Jess and James
“Looking for a Fox” Clarence Carter
“My Baby Likes To Boogaloo” | Don Gardner
“Out of Breath” | Ronnie Whitehead
“I Can't Stop (No, No, No)” | Arthur Conley
“Ain't Got No / I Got Life (Groovefinder Remix)” | Nina Simone

Listen: Terry Diabolik - "And I'm Feelin Good" (24:29)

Visit: myspace/iwasthere | myspace/fingeronthepulsenyc

Labels: Stochastic

Free promotional stuff gets passed around at SXSW more than cigarettes in a prison. CDs, vinyls, stickers, buttons, posters, they're all available in handfuls. I even got a voodoo doll from Ryko complete with detailed instructions on how to use it. I was given a handful of albums over the week of SXSW that left a good impression on me, including these first two.

Scott Thorough of the New York hip hop outfit Nuclear Family hooked me up with Nuclear Family Presents: Nuk Fam & Other Amazing Sub-Projects of Nuk Fam (SXSW Edition), which has some really great tracks from their musical collective of artists.

Via SX: "Nuclear Family (Nuk Fam for short) is a musical collective of seven guys from New York who make hip hop music with a decidedly honest, down-to-earth approach. They cast aside tough-guy posturing and self-referential boringness in favor of tongue-in-cheek humor and humble personal expression.

The music has the aesthetic of early 90's boom-bap hip hop, but Nuk Fam has no interest in being sound preservationists or genre purists.Screw that. Their music and highly charged live performances often take turns towards places and ideas that are �un-hip-hop�. But by simply being themselves, Nuk Fam feels they are staying truer to the spirit of a music whose roots lie in innovation and rebelliousness."

Listen:

Iller Than Theirs - "It Is What It Is (Featuring Cool Calm Pete)"
Iller Than Theirs - "Girl Song (Featuring Scott Thorough)"
myspace.com/illerthantheirs

Junk Science - "Do It Easy"
Junk Science - "House Wigger"
myspace.com/junksciencerap

N.E.M.C. - "Cliche (Featuring Tone Tank)"
myspace.com/nemcmusic

Nuclear Family has a cool site full of all sorts of interactive goodness at NukFam.com. Check it out.

---
The WIRED CD - Ripped. Sampled. Mashed. Shared. is the result of the Fine Art of Sampling Contests held in early 2005 by Creative Commons. Contestants were challenged to sample or mash-up tracks from the original WIRED CD - Rip. Sample. Mash. Share., a groundbreaking album distributed in WIRED Magazine's November 2004 issue. All pertinent info on that one is found at CreativeCommons.org/wired. The list of winners along with information for everything Ripped., which the following three tracks appear on, is found at ccmixter.org.

I knew I had something good as soon as I heard DANGEROUSE, and once I got down to Revolve I was hooked.

Listen:

Ashwan Featuring Curious - "DANGEROUSE"

Vego Featuring DJ AKA - "My Fair Hiphop (Challenge Mix)"

Hisboyelroy - "Revolve"

Visit: http://creativecommons.org | http://ccmixter.org

Labels: SXSW

I've just finished jotting down all of the stuff that I saw at SXSW, and it appears that I saw almost 50 bands. 47 different acts, to be exact. I knew that watching live music from noon past midnight for 3-4 days straight would allow for a lot of action, but, damn. 47 bands almost seems impossible to me now that I look back at it. I don't think I ate a single proper meal all week, and I know that didn't have more than four hours of sleep on any night. If my brain is still operating on all cylinders I will try to summarize the best SXSW I have experienced yet.

Tuesday I hung out at the Daytrotter recording and was able to watch some intimate performances by local artists Peter and the Wolf, Voxtrot and Tacks, The Boy Disaster. It rained cats and dogs all day long, and the building that houses the Big Orange studio was barely able to keep the flood from entering the studio dampening some of the equipment. Stay updated at Daytrotter.com where you'll be able to download those performances along with many others, from the people who were voted the Best Free Live-Music Site by Esquire magazine.

Wednesday there was more of the same weather, but more mist than buckets of rain this time. The first thing I was able to get to was Ghostland Observatory's live performance broadcast on KEXP from the Austin City Limits studio. I uploaded a video of part of this performance, specifically the song "Rich Man." The guys put on a great show as always, but the setting wasn't really conducive to the loud, frantic dance-party vibe that Ghostland usually create when they do their thing. From what I heard their official showcase at La Zona Rosa was a killer.

---



Softlightes - This four-piece from LA make pop music that is both soft and light, and it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. They were the first act of the day at Urban Outfitters along with Bonde do Role, Beach House and 120 Days.


120 Days - A rock/electronic outfit that came all the way from their home in the capital of Norway to perform a couple of times at SXSW. They were obviously humored by the fact that trendy college girls and metrosexual dudes were walking around Urban Outfitters buying ironic t-shirts during their performance, when their usual scene is a dimly-lit venue and a smoke-filled stage in front of a crowd more likely to riot than go out for a day of shopping. 120 Days will be back in Austin on April 6th opening for Ratatat at Emo's.

Peter Bjorn and John - I had intended to stay at Urban Outfitters to watch Bonde do Role, but the technical staff was ill-prepared for the equipment that Bonde uses so they had to scrap the performance. Luckily I found some live mp3s at this awesome place. Instead of waiting around I hurried down the street to watch the last half of the superb Swedes Peter Bjorn and John at the Austin City Limits studio. These guys, are good. Here is that swell remix once again..



Beach House - The main reason I was at Outfitters to begin with was so that I could see Beach House, because I didn't think that I would be able to catch any of their other sets. They only played for about thirty minutes, though their sound is so captivating that no one was paying attention to the time. They were happy to sign a few autographs and chat with fans who crowded the store.


The Apes - I ran into a guy on the street on Thursday who said that he couldn't wait to see The Apes' showcase on Friday, and that I should check them out. Later, when I went down to watch some music at the Hole, The Apes just so happened to be playing when I walked through the door. Hey, guy on the street who said to check out The Apes, you were right.

"Listen to Erick Jackson's burning, fur-lined bass growls, Amanda Kleinman's horny and celestial banshee organ, and Jeff Schmid's iron-chest-of-cocaine drums, throat chieftain Breck Brunson (ably picking up where previous vocalists Paul Weil and Joe Halladay left off.)"


Awesome Cool Dudes - Woah, these guys really are awesome. I had heard their name many times and knew of the Awesome Cool Dudes from right here in Austin, but I had never heard much of their music nor seen them in concert. Holy crap these guys put on a great show. All dressed head-to-toe in matching atheletic uniforms and belting out some of the funkiest dance inspired tunes that I've heard from any local act, the Awesome Cool Dudes make sure to have a good time when they plug in the keyboard. At the end of their set lead cool dude Cory Plump climbed into the wooden rafters of The Hole in the Wall's ceiling and traversed to the rear of the bar and back while the rest of the band did an extended jam until he returned to the stage bloodied, but triumphant. Video (and rrrough audio) of this can be seen here.


Holy Fuck - I just didn't get enough of Holy Fuck when I saw them earlier in the week, so I made sure to attend their last set in Austin before they hit the road with fellow North Americans Do Make Say Think. I mentioned to them before they went on that the bar they were playing at (Hole) was basically built on country & western music, and that this group of people (including authentic cowboys occupying the barstools) had never seen anything like Holy Fuck before. Before they got on the road I scored the new self-titled EP, and you can check out a few tracks from it at I Guess I'm Floating and Rewritable Content.

The Apples in Stereo - After fun at Urban Outfitters and the Hole I moved again over to the Austin City Limits studio to take in a short and sweet 6-song performance by The Apples in Stereo. If I remember correctly, all of the songs that they performed were taken from their latest (and greatest) album New Magnetic Wonder, which always puts me in a good mood. During the interview with KEXP the Apples' leader Robert Schneider mentioned that the mixing board caught on fire at one point during recording of the new album, because some of the songs are made up of 90+ tracks. I'd say that's worth whatever they're charging.


Errors - I don't remember very much about this band at all, and I think I must have been fairly inebriated. I do know that they kicked off the Clash Magazine showcase that featured five good acts from the UK, and they had a big drum on stage that was getting abused. You can head to ClashMagazine.com to see their coverage of the showcase. Per Sx, "The band take elements of new-wave, electro, 90’s rave, acid-house and make it their own."


Jack Penate - This was an entertaining set. The 22-year old Londoner jiggled and shook all over the stage while performing his original British pop songs, with a couple of friends manning the bass and percussion.

Fujiya & Miyagi - After seeing Fujiya & Miyagi's name floating around the web so much in 2007 it was a treat to be able to see them live. The softly spoken vocals can get old quickly, so it's a good thing that the music is addictive and makes the people move. I found myself quietly chanting Fujiya..Miyagi..Fujiya..Miyagi over and over again after I left the club.


The Sunshine Underground - I have already come to terms with the fact that I am going to lose my hearing one of these days. Some day when I'm an old man I will probably be sporting some super fly hearing aids because of the damage done to my hearing over the years. The Sunshine Underground reminded me of that fact on Thursday night. They were the "special guest" on the bill, and they were one of the loudest bands I have ever seen. I woke up on Friday with my ears still ringing.

To continue with the UK night theme I went down and watched half sets by The Young Knives and The Hot Puppies. I wish I could have seen all of both of them because what I got to see was great, and I might not have many more chances to see either of them in Austin.

---



Do Make Say Think - I had wanted to see their official showcase at Soho the night before but it didn't happen, so I got down to Emo's early enough to get a front row spot for their time slot (and everyone else's) at the Pitchfork/Windish party. They gave an impressive performance that sounded really good, and closed their set with my favorite track from the new album, "The Universe."


The Pipettes - These three young ladies from England are easily the most attractive trio of vocalists that I've ever seen together on a single stage, and that's only half of the show. They can dance, sing, and dish out enough personality and flare to keep all eyes of the audience focused on them for any good length of time.

The Ponys - They have some really good songs, it was a shame that there were technical difficulties that made it sound terrible. As soon as the keyboard got turned on the surge protector started to smoke, and the bass amp was also on the fritz which made everything sound muddy and jumbled together. Other than that, it was great.

RJD2 - He performed with a full band and played guitar and sang which was cool, but his set was way too short. I was glad to hear him do Ghostwriter and The Horror, those two tracks occupied just about half of the show. I remember that whoever he had playing drums in the band was a total badass, I wish I knew the guy's name.


Menomena - All three members are talented musicians, but their music isn't for me.

Girl Talk - Greg Gillis threw a party at Emo's, and everyone that could fit inside the building was invited. There was a young kid in front of me for the whole show who said he was twelve years old, and this was the first concert he had ever been to. I have a gut feeling that this kid will eventually grow up to be a DJ after experiencing Girl Talk live. "Yeah, but all he does is play songs on a laptop." Who gives a shit? If the man can make a the largest crowd I have ever seen at Emo's dance uncontrolably by using the musical tools that he has obviously mastered, then what else do you need?


After I wiped the sweat off from Girl Talk I caught half sets by El-P and Prom Nite, who happened to be performing nearby.

I had never heard of Nellie McKay before, but apparently the hundred or so people who were all waiting in line before me knew exactly who she was. It wasn't hard to figure out after almost the entire crowd emptied the club after her fantastic performance. The twenty four year old singer-songwriter, actress and former stand-up comedian sat down with nothing but a piano and a microphone and gave the most beautiful, fun, and memorable performance that I have ever seen at any SXSW.


High Class Elite - These guys were covered in glitter, had two go-go girls on stage singing backup and wearing nothing at all, and they were still unable to leave much of an impression on me. I guess they're going for some sort of glam punk look, except their music sounds more like a modern attempt at classic rock. Or, something.

Times New Viking - I knew a little bit about Times New Viking before SXSW and had written about their new album not too long ago, but I wasn't aware that their live shows (and fans) are totally raucous. If you like rock music and a band that can burn the place down when they hit the stage, I recommend that you familiarize yourself with Times New Viking as soon as possible.


Clockcleaner - The highlight of this show was the fight that broke out and left troublemaker with a Bluetooth hanging off of his ear outta the building. You know, just in case you get that urgent phone call that you won't be able to hear while you're picking a fight (that you lose) at a rock show. The baby powder-filled piñata that was hung from the balcony mid-set and ritualistically destroyed was a nice touch.



(photo by Mike Lewinsky)

Peaches - Oh hell yes, Peaches was awesome. I left Exodus with a body ache after the head-banging set filled with all of her usual performance checkmarks. Bikini and female fro-hawk? Check. Pushing, shoving, dancing and sweating? Check. This was one of the top shows I saw all week.


---



(photo by Leuwam Tesfai)

Deerhunter - When you've got a freakeshly skinny man wearing a dress and sobbing, a bassist who gets floored by a roundhouse kick to the face and a bunch of other random nonsense you've already got the makings for an entertaining show. Deerhunter had all of that, but the music (for the mostpart) was underwhelming.


Black Lips - One of the bands that I told myself not to miss was Black Lips, who turned in a fine set at Red 7 on Saturday. The action was mostly subdued by Black Lips' standards, see: no fires, nudity or exchange of fluids, but their performance was tight and the songs sounded almost as good as they do on Los Valientes Del Mundo Nuevo.



Rakim - At Stubbs on Saturday afternoon there was free beer in the VIP area, with warm sunshine coming from above and one of the greatest, most influential rappers and lyricists of all time performing to a packed house full of fans who knew every syllable to every song. We got in too late to watch Ghostface Killah, but having a rare opportunity to see Rakim perform was what mattered most.





(photos)

After Rakim we headed down to the Fader/Levis party to have some more free beer and see RedMan do his thing. A great live band called No Age were playing when we got there, and they were soon followed by Ladyhawk. VietNam came out afterwords and put on a really great performance, much more impressive than when I saw their in-store at Waterloo Records a few weeks ago. Redman kept the mic to himself and made sure to touch on many of his well known songs so that the crowd could rhyme along.


White Williams - White Williams is a friend of Greg Gillis, which I learned after asking him what he was doing standing next to me at Beauty Bar, when he was supposed to be down the street at Elysium soon to do another show. As for White Williams, his performance was a memorable one. The stage was masked with hard plastic from floor to ceiling and was lit from behind with different colors to show only shadows of the performers behind it, and a two-man team used cardboard cutouts to cast various shapes and create scenery for each song. My camera was dead by this point, otherwise I'd have some pretty cool pictures to show you.

After that I lounged on the patio and watched Clipd Beaks from a distance, before moving inside to watch Kid606. I watched about ten minutes of that while I cursed the Red Eyed Fly for being at capacity an hour earlier when I was unable to get inside and watch the Detroit Cobras. Damn the man.

A few buddies were already inside at Elysium to see Girl Talk's grand finale at SXSW and said the line outside was manageable, so I went over to see how it would go. In my opinion his set at Emo's was better, though I'm sure I will get disagreement from my friends (along with dozens of other people) who danced the performance away while crowding around Greg and his laptop upon the stage. Check out the Austinist interview.

--

Odds and ends:

I met Tom Morello outside of the Mellow Mushroom, and he recommends the mushroom & cheese. I also met Danny Masterson and offered him a smoke, but he declined. Yeah you heard that right, he declined. I ran into Britt Daniel out on the street and he said that Portland is great, and the new Spoon album will be out on July 11. And I lost my cell phone at some point, did you see it? It's blue in color.

I also have to tip my hat to the SXSW organizers and staff for their fantastic work in running a nearly flawless festival. I can't wait until next March!

A new friend turned me onto an interesting two-piece musical act from Amsterdam called About, who were recently featured on Daytrotter and played a couple of shows around Austin last week. Below is one of the songs from the Daytrotter session, and here are links to their homepage and MySpace.


One more random find was Fast Heart Mart, who were performing for an enthusiastic crowd on the sidewalk. They hail from New Mexico and apparently travel all over the place and play to any and every audience they can find. I stopped to capture some video and missed my bus in the process. I think you can hear it go by at 1:35 of the video. Luckily, I had something entertaining to watch while I waited for the next one.

Labels: Local, SXSW

An update is coming, I promise.
--

Here's a song to enjoy in the meantime. Say to ciao to Fake P from Verona, Italy, with their nice indie orchestal electronic pop song "QWERTY." You can hear and see more here and of course at MySpace.

How do you say "you're totally rad," in Italian?



Also, a nice person just sent me a track from MiceCars, who hail from Rome. Make sure to listen for the switches at :55 and 1:47, and visit their space.



MiceCars - "Introducing the Liquid Pets"

Labels: Stochastic

Wedsnesday I saw Ghostland Observatory at the Austin City Limits Studio, and chatted it up with the KEXP folks after their interview with Lily Allen. They said all of the people who came from Seattle felt right at home, speaking of all the rain over the past two days.

After that I made my way down to Canadian Blast where I caught The Cliks, Holy Fuck and Malajube. Holy Fuck put on a really great show just as I suspected, and I think I'll try to catch them tomorrow as well. I upped a few pics of the show, here.


Holy Fuck - Live from SXSW part One (10:50)
Holy Fuck - Live from SXSW part Two (5:24)

Saw Tacks, The Boy disaster at 8:00 and then hung out at Antone's for the Merge showcase with Oakley Hall and The Rosebuds. Emo's, Beauty Bar and Red Eyed Fly were all at capacity once I made it back over to Red River, so I opted for Razorlight at Stubb's. Once this week is done I'll review all of the pics, audio and video that I'm getting and put the good stuff into one long Sx wrap-up. For now, I must get a couple hours of sleep.

Labels: SXSW

In May the good people at Morr Music will bring us a melodic, folksy experimental lo-fi release by Seabear. Seabear is 23-year old Sindri Sigfœsson from Reykjavik, Iceland who writes beautiful songs using acoustic guitar and piano, gentle vocals, tinkly-winkly mallets, synth flourishes, and restrained percussion. Seabear started as a one man project and then turned into a band when Sindri was asked to open for The Books in Berlin. Never having performed these songs live he asked two of his friends, guggý and örn, to come with him and play. They had so much fun playing live and practising that they decided that they would join the band. The music is subdued and mellow folk pop, with a little piano, violin, acoustic guitar and atmospheric vocals, all carefully squeezed through a lo-fi filter.

From The Ghost That Carried Us Away

Seabear - "Arms"

Seabear - "Seashell"

Also, from the Singing Arc EP (Get it)

Seabear - "Drunk Song"

Live video of Seabear performing the 1978 single by The Undertones, "Teenage Kicks."



You can track Seabear at MySpace and watch Morr Music for updates and info on The Ghost That Carried Us Away.

Labels: Albums, Indie

Well it looks like all of the fun will get started tomorrow for SXSW 2007, and as long as the rain holds off (pretty please) I think we'll all be in good shape. I've been compiling some last-minute notes of some of the stuff that I'm going to try to catch this week, and most of my proposed schedule is listed here for anyone that is curious. This will most likely be revised for each day, and I still don't have my evening show picks figured out yet, but here is what I have as of this minute. Hope to see some of you out there this week!

• Tuesday:

Daytrotter recording
11 a.m. -- The Little Ones
1 p.m. -- Peter and the Wolf
3 p.m. -- Voxtrot
4 p.m. -- Tacks, The Boy Disaster
5 p.m. -- Sparrowhouse

Free pre-SXSW @ Emo's - 10 PM
The Lemurs
Quien Es Boom
Lalaland
The Laughing
Brothers & Sisters
White Denim

• Wednesday:

3pm
Ghostland Observatory
@ Austin City Limits Studio

3-7pm
Holy Fuck, Malajube etc.
@ The Big Top at Brush Square

2:30 p.m. Bishop Allen
3:00 p.m. Scanners
3:30 p.m. Prototypes
4:00 p.m. Robyn Hitchcock
5:00 p.m. Cyann & Ben
5:30 p.m. The Ettes
@ Austin Convention Center

• Thursday:

12-4pm
Beach House, 120 Days, Bonde Do Role
@ Urban Outfitters

(1pm) The Ponys
(1:45pm) Peter Bjorn and John
(3pm) TBA
(5pm) Fujiya & Miyagi
(7pm) Apples in Stereo
@ Austin City Limits Studio

(Noon-?)
Dizzee Rascal, Adele, To My Boy, Jack Penate, Elvis Perkins, RJD2
@ Emo's Annex

(1-5pm)
Okkervil River, Tally Hall, Great Lakes Myth Society, The Walkmen
@ Bourbon Rocks

4:15pm
Blonde Redhead
@ Antones

10pm Cold War Kids
11pm Architecture in Helsinki
12am Ghostland Observatory
1am What Made Milwaukee Famous
@ La Zona Rosa

• Friday:

Do512.com party (all day)
@ Freddie's Place

Pitchfork party @ Emo's
(outside)
(noon) Do Make Say Think
(12:45pm) The Pipettes
(1:30pm) The Ponys
(2:30pm) Rjd2
(3:30pm) Menomena
(4:30pm) Girl Talk
(5:30pm) Peter Bjorn and John
(inside)
(2pm) Beach House
(3pm) Fujiya & Miyagi
(4pm) Simian Mobile Disco
(5pm) Deerhunter

(1:30pm)
The Black Lips
@ Club Deville

The Current live broadcasts
(12:15pm) Fujiya & Miyagi
(12:45pm) Tom Morello
(1:45pm) Andrew Bird
(3:15pm) Bonde Do Role
(4:30pm) RJD2
@ Buffalo Billiards

This Will Destroy You 8:00 p.m.
Dirty on Purpose 9:00 p.m.
Six Parts Seven 10:00 p.m.
@ Maggie Mae's

• Saturday:

Mess With Texas (all day)
The Walkmen
The Apples In Stereo
The Black Lips
The Ponys
Deerhunter
@ Red 7

(12:30pm) Prototypes
(3:30pm) The Rosebuds
@ Club Deville

(1pm) Malajube)
(2pm) The Ponys
(4:30pm) RJD2
@ the Mohawk

Noon-4PM:
Rakim, Ghostface Killah etc
@ Stubb's

The Berg Sans Nipple 9:00 p.m. @ Elysium
Kings of Leon 10:00 p.m @ Stubb's
Detroit Cobras 11:30 p.m. @ Red Eyed Fly
Girl Talk 1:00 a.m. @ Elysium

• Sunday

Daytrotter recording
11 a.m./Noon -- Daniel Johnston
2 p.m. -- Young Knives

Whoopsy Magazine Morning After Pill Party
Jungle Rockers etc.
@ Red 7 (1pm-?)

Monterey Pop Tribute
Li'l Cap'n Travis, Tia Carrera, Brothers and Sisters etc.
@ Hole in the Wall (9pm)

---

Big, huge mega dope props go to ShowListAustin.com

Labels: SXSW

After seeing Sister Vanilla mentioned on a number of good music sites recently I took the opportunity to hear for myself what people have been talking about. Sister Vanilla is a project of Linda Reid along with her brothers Jim and William, who were the dual songwriting force that led to The Jesus and Mary Chain becoming one of the most influential bands in alternative rock. Also involved in the production of Sister Vanilla's aptly-titled debut Little Pop Rock was fellow JAMC member Ben Lurie, and the material featured on the upcoming album has reportedly been in production in some form over a span of ten years.

To call this band a "Jesus and Mary Chain side-project" would not only be a misnomer but it would also steal the thunder from Linda Reid, whose warm and luscious vocals are the main focal point of Little Pop Rock. Nevermind the fact that the album features the first new work that brothers Jim and William have produced together since their falling out in 1998 and that the Jesus and Mary Chain have agreed to reunite to perform at Coachella, this is their sister Linda's time to shine. The music is fuzzed-out and feel-good pop that leans more toward rock than shoegaze, with inviting and catchy songwring that will get stuck in your head and provide the perfect soundtrack for a sunny day.

Via Chemikal Underground Records: "It is with barely concealed excitement that we can announce the release of ‘Little Pop Rock’ by Sister Vanilla in on April 2nd. Featuring ex-Jesus And Mary Chain luminaries Jim Reid, William Reid and Ben Lurie with Jim and William’s sister Linda on vocals, Sister Vanilla’s Little Pop Rock is an exhilaratingly fresh pop record which also serves as a timely reminder of just how essential the seminal group from East Kilbride actually were.

There can be no doubt that the song-writing on Little Pop Rock incorporates many elements that will be familiar to Mary Chain fans, but to focus solely on the input of the estranged Reid brothers would be a disservice to the vocals of their sister Linda. If the reconvening of Jim and William on the same album (since The Jesus And Mary Chain’s final offering Munki in 1998) is some cause for celebration, it’s the sheer strength of Little Pop Rock, the allure of Linda’s vocals and how angry, reflective and urgent the songs sound that should have you throwing an all-out street party."

Sister Vanilla - Little Pop Rock (purchase here, here)

1. Pastel Blue
2. Jamcolas
3. Slacker
4. Delicat
5. Can't Stop The Rock
6. Kissaround
7. What Goes Around
8. K To Be Lost
9. Angel
10. Down
11. TOTP
12. Two Of Us

SisterVanilla.com - Label Site - Linda Reid interview

Labels: Albums, Indie

The weekend is almost here, and next week is going to be crazy hella super busy with all of the SXSW action. To help get the party started here are some tracks guaranteed to make you move. You'd do your inner dancing machine a disservice by not turning the volume up. Follow the links to get more.

1. Notorious B.I.G. - "Party and Bullshit (Ratatat remix)"
   Another new one from the upcoming remix album that I told you about.
   
   
2. Up, Bustle & Out - "Dance Your Troubles Away (Trumpet Mix)"
   From City Breakers: 18 Frames Per Second
   
   
3. Sneaky Sound System - "Pictures (Tonite Only Remix)"
   Both Sides of the Mouth has your Sneaky Sound System info.
   
   
4. Beck - "Cellphone's Dead (Jamie Lidell Remix)"
   From The Information: Deluxe Edition
   
   
5. The Gossip - "Standing In The Way Of Control (Soulwax Edit)"
   Get Standing In The Way Of Control at eMusic
   
   
6. Justice - "Waters of Nazareth (Erol Alkan re-edit)"
   From Waters Of Nazareth
   
   
7. Peter Bjorn & John - "Young Folks (re-animation)"
   That's from the Writers Block Bonus Disc
   
   
8. Cansei de Ser Sexy - "Let's Make Love.. (Spank Rock Remix)"
   Remix of the original from the self-titled. And speaking of DFA...
   
   
9. Death From Above 1979 - "Romantic Rights (Erol Alkan's Re-Edit)"
   From Romance Bloody Romance
   
   
10. Bang Gang - "Find What You Get (Shout Out Out Out Out remix)"
    Shout Out at MySpace
    
    

Labels: Mix

My time has been running very short lately (SXSW is coming,) but here is a little something for those of you who enjoy my coverage of music from the UK. A live set from Good Shoes, the British act from Morden who are signed to the indie label Brille Records. If my math is correct then I guess you'd call this indie-Brit-pop, if a label is necessary. This recording was made at London's Southern Studios, and it basically served as a demo that brought the four-piece to the attention of BBC Radio. Their debut album titled Think Before You Speak will be released soon, precipitated by the "Never Meant To Hurt You" single on March 12th. Info about all of this can be found by following the links listed at the bottom of this entry.

Good Shoes - Southern Studios Live (.Rar)

1. In The City
2. Never Meant To Hurt You
3. Small Town Girl
4. The Photos on My Wall
5. We Are Not The Same
6. All In My Head
7. Blue Eyes
8. Everybodies Talking
9. May Lannoye
10. Morden
11. Nazanin
12. Valleyboy

Goodshoes.co.uk - MySpace.com/GoodShoes

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Since we're on the topic of Brits and live recordings, here's a few live Arctic Monkeys cuts.

Arctic Monkeys - "Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts" (Live)
Arctic Monkeys - "Mardy Bum" (Live)
Arctic Monkeys - "When The Sun Goes Down" (Live)

I'm not exactly sure what language this site is in, but you can hear one of the new AM tracks that have surfaced here.

Cheers.

Labels: UK

This is the definitive double-disc set which brings together Okkervil River's ground-breaking Black Sheep Boy project in its entirety - including the original album, the 7-song Black Sheep Boy Appendix EP, the song "The Next Four Months" (originally released on the "For Real" CD single), the "For Real" video as well as a new video of a magical alternate slower take of "No Key, No Plan". Enjoy this panoramic perspective of a modern masterpiece and one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the new millennium.

Black Sheep Boy is Okkervil River's most ambitious and cinematic record to date, a love story and adult fable carved in lacerating rock and roll, desolate late-night country weepers, and a few shining moments of sheer, shameless pop. Along the way, the compositions of Will Sheff evoke the mature songcraft of Leonard Cohen's New Skin for the Old Ceremony, the sophistication of Scott Walker's Scott 4, the shambling slow-motion bravado of Neil Young's On the Beach, and the raw nerves and trick effects of Big Star's Third/Sister Lovers.

The Appendix is not just a companion piece to Black Sheep Boy; it's also a condensed, alternate vision of that record's imagery and themes, with the ultimate intent to exhaust and destroy both. This ambitious mini-album rounds up and reworks the band's favorite unfinished songs (tracked for the full-length) and then punctuates and bookends them in brand-new compositions.

"Will Sheff, leader of the Austin indie-rock band Okkervil River, writes like a novelist. His songs are full of elegant phrases and unexpected images that tell - or don't quite tell - stories of characters trying to figure out if they need each other...The marvelous new Okkervil River album Black Sheep Boy should advance his cult further."

- Kelefa Sanneh, New York Times


Okkervil River - "No Key, No Plan"
Okkervil River - "Black"

MySpace.com/OkkervilRiver

Labels: Local

I don't know exactly what it is about The Detroit Cobras that makes me love them so much, but I do. I love The Detroit Cobras. There, I said it.

Maybe it's because of their original take on R&B and Soul from the vaults of Motown, reworked and infused with their vintage garage rock sound. Maybe it's because I find myself going back to listen to their albums over and over again, and never tire of hearing them. It might also be because I got absolutely trashed at their gig at Emo's last year and they provided one of the most entertaining live performances that I saw in 2006. They had the whole raucous crowd moving from the very first song of the set, and nobody stopped dancing until the last second of their encore. Lots of bands are able to do great things in the studio but can't pull it off in a live setting. The Detroit Cobras are not one of those bands. I'm excited to know that they will be back in Austin on March 17 for SXSW, filling the 11:30 p.m. slot for the official Bloodshot Records showcase at Red Eyed Fly.

The core of the Cobras is Rachel Nagy, with her distinctive and sultry vocal style, and her partner in crime Mary Ramirez on the guitar. Over the years the two have been joined in studio and on the stage by a revolving cast of band mates, and they will be touring extensively once again in 2007 following the release of their new album titled Tied & True (April 24.) One of the most accurate descriptions that I have seen of The Detroit Cobras reads "While a band that only does covers may sound like a one-trick pony, the Cobras manage to mine the hidden parts of bygone eras, coming back with gems that might go otherwise unheard to the next generations, and creating a great style of their own in the process."

Read some background information at Detroit Cobras.org, and if you have an interest you should check out Detroit Cobra Covers for some detailed info about some of the tracks they have done over the years.

Turn the volume up, sucka

The Detroit Cobras - "Putty (In Your Hands)" from Mink Rat or Rabbit 1998
The Detroit Cobras - "Right Around the Corner" from Life, Love and Leaving 2001
The Detroit Cobras - "99 and a Half Just Won't Do" from Seven Easy Pieces 2003
The Detroit Cobras - "The Real Thing" from Baby 2005

B-Sides

The Detroit Cobras - "Ain't It A Shame" from Smooch Pooch Records.. 1996
The Detroit Cobras - "Shout Bama Lama" from Sympathetic Sounds.. 2001
The Detroit Cobras - "Last Night" (the Strokes) from Stop Me If.. 2003

MySpace - Label - eMusic - DetroitCobras.org - Wiki

Labels: Rock, SXSW

Late last night as the evening was winding down I started to flip through some of the CDs that came in the mail this week. After a hectic day I was really hoping to find something that would calm things down, something that wouldn't require me to think too deeply or need to focus on intently to understand. I spotted a particular CD by Let's Go Sailing, which I soon found out is a project based in Los Angeles headed by Shana Levy (previously of the band Irving.) I put the album on and said to myself "nice, this is exactly what I was looking for." Shana Levy makes beautiful and introspective pop music with the help of a few friends, and the debut album full of her heartfelt and painfully sweet songwriting is titled The Chaos In Order.

Let's Go Sailing might sound familiar to you if you like the Flaming Lips....engineer Chris Chandler has been playing it as the house music after Flaming Lips shows while the album has been in various states of completion over the last few years....

In November of 2002, Shana Levy left indie pop outfit Irving to pursue Let's Go Sailing. She asked friends Tanya Haden, Nikki Monninger (Silversun Pickups), Brent Turner and Byron Reynolds to work on an album's worth of material and soon enough they began recording a demo with Chris Chandler (Flaming Lips/Modest Mouse/Elliott Smith) and Rod Cervera (The Rentals/Weezer). The recording process quickly gained momentum and, with the help of Chris and Jim Putnam (Radar Bros.), Shana decided to make a hi-fi record independently. With lots of tweaking and a little tlc from Ben Mumphrey (Frank Black), the record is finally finished.

You can preview a couple of tracks from the finished record below, and get it for $10 from the official site, or in a record store near you on March 27th.

Let's Go Sailing - "Sideways"
Let's Go Sailing - "It's As Clear"

MySpace.com/LetsGoSailing

Labels: Albums, Indie

"This record started with a simple idea: What if houses had memories? What if, when we lived in them, our stories bled into the walls and became a part of the house? What if our ghosts were always going to haunt the places we’ve lived, along with everyone else who’s lived there? In comparison to the very song-oriented debut by Electric President, 24-year-old Ben Cooper’s alter ego (Radical Face) and second musical affair of the heart, Ghost, has become a songwriter-album. Or rather a song-writing album, the tracks as carefully arranged interiors, chamber folk, pocket symphonies, passionate melodies." - PopMatters

Playing every instrument himself (banjo, piano, drums etc.), Ben Cooper recorded everything on Ghost in his Jacksonville, FL studio over the course of a few months. I think it is marvelous. I'm pretty sure that I hear some Elliott Smith influences in there, only this time with plenty of tempo and handclaps. Have a listen...

Radical Face - Ghost (Morr Music)

01. Asleep on a Train (2:03)
02. Welcome Home, Son (4:47) *This comes via The Podbop Blog
03. Let the River In (5:18)
04. Glory (6:19)
05. The Strangest Things (4:28)
06. Wrapped in Piano Strings (3:45)
07. Along the Road (4:25)
08. Haunted (5:23)
09. Winter is Coming (4:23)
10. Sleepwalking (4:54)
11. Homesick (3:45)

Ghost is out on March 20th, and you can hear more of it here or at Morr. You can find Radical Face at the official site and at MySpace.

Labels: Albums, Indie

"Drakkar Sauna, two dudes from Lawrence, Kansas, very much belong to that Fugs school of weirdness. Almost every one of their songs consists of acoustic guitar, rattling percussion and some of the most gorgeous (in that weird Fugsy way) old-timey harmonies you'll ever hear. They sing about canoes and death and the Civil War and loose women — the sorts of things that matter to folks like you and me on a daily basis." - eMusic

"Instead of taking the easy coffee-shop route, Drakkar Sauna infuse their front-porch folk music with an absurd Captain Beefheart spin ... it's an extremely smart, hilarious, musical, and oblique combination for all you fans of The Fall that keep a couple of Elliot Smith singles under the mattress." - Portland Mercury

"The Kansas two-piece play sing-along folk with just a touch of traditional country and a firm sense of absurdity." - Urban Pollution

"Sounds good." - Me

Drakkar Sauna are Jeffrey A. Stolz and Wallace J. Cochran, and the duo’s third studio album is a masterful one on Marriage titled Jabraham Lincoln. You can hear a couple of tracks from it below.

"Decoy Schmecoy" is a three and a half minute harmonized romp that you should be seated to hear, because you just might want to tap both feet. And snap your fingers while you're at it, if you're really coordinated. Harmonium said "The rather simplistic lyrics of “Decoy Schmecoy”, which run “actually you have a nice body/actually you have a nice voice” recall the better pure-pop moments of the Gerbils, and the musical tone of the track follows suit."

"Abandon Love" is another one of those shout-a-long songs. "I wanna go to Monte Carlo, and kill myself with a silver gun, at the roulette wheel after I have won." "I want to be as tall as I am when I am really high, so I may reach the untold of heights." It's a pretty heavy track, and Paper Thin Walls has some thoughts about it.

Drakkar Sauna - "Decoy Schmecoy"
Drakkar Sauna - "Abandon Love" (9:05)

-----

Find out more about Drakkar Sauna:

Perm & Skullet, and some live tracks.

Daytrotter: One - Two - Three - Four

Purchase: Marriage Records, eMusic, Amazon

Official Site and at MySpace

Labels: Albums, Indie

I'm very excited to report that Hot Chip will finally bring their Mercury Prize-nominated electropop to my beautiful town on April 25th. They are embarking on a mini tour of the US to make the trip stateside to perform at Coachella a little more worthwhile. In 2006 these Londoners had people all over the world dancing to their super sophomore album The Warning, winning over many critics and getting mentioned in countless Best of The Year lists, including my own.


If you're new, and have no clue as to why you should care that a group of English electronic kids are coming to your neighborhood, feel free to initiate yourself using the tracks below. The first selection is a remix that is hot off the presses, featured on the upcoming Junior Boys EP titled The Dead Horse, slated to hit stores on April 10. A bit more info on that one, here.

Junior Boys - In The Morning (Hot Chip Remix) - (9:45)

Hot Chip - "Look After Me" from The Warning
Hot Chip - "A Glue Too Think" from Boy From School
Hot Chip - "Keep Fallin" from Coming On Strong
Hot Chip - "Over and Over" (live)

The Go! Team - Ladyflash (Hot Chip Remix) from Ladyflash EP


Get more at myspace.com/hotchip and www.hotchip.co.uk

Labels: Tron, UK

There is some weird, wild stuff going on with the forthcoming release from The Aliens, which is the Scottish band formed in 2005 consisting of ex-Beta Band members John Maclean (keys) and Robin Jones (drums) plus Gordon Anderson (lead vocals & guitar.) On March 19th the trio will release their full-length album titled Astronomy For Dogs via their own EMI imprint, Pet Rock Records.

From the Aliens official site: "Armed with a bottomless bag of psychedelically inclined rock and acid dipped electronics, The Aliens bring a freedom of spirit and a certainty of intent that immediately sets them out from the current crop of guitar slingers.

These Aliens have history - between them they have been behind some of the most enthralling British music of the last decade. John Maclean and Robin Jones where members of the Beta Band. Gordon Anderson was a founding Beta Band member who went on to record two albums under the Lone Pigeon moniker."

The music presented here is like a journey through outer space destined for some groovy planet in a far off galaxy of funk. It is definitely unlike anything the Beta Band ever produced. I'm still unsure if I should merely take this output with a huge grain of salt, or if I should don a silly hat, swallow some drugs and buy a flying car to take me wherever these guys have gone.

The Aliens - Astronomy For Dogs

1. Setting Sun (video)
2. Robot Man
3. I Am The Unknown
4. Tomorrow
5. Rox
6. Only Waiting
7. She Don't Love Me No More
8. Glover
9. Honest Again
10. The Happy Song (video)
11. Caravan

You can hear more of the new stuff at The Aliens MySpace, or put in a pre-order and more at their official site.

Labels: UK

On May 15, 2007 Wilco will release their sixth studio album which has been titled Sky Blue Sky. It will be their first studio album since 2004's A Ghost Is Born, and their first release since 2005's Kicking Television. It will also be the first studio album to feature the touring lineup heard on Kicking Television.

The following tracklist for Sky Blue Sky was revealed last month at the official Wilco website, which reads:

"Direct from Gateway Mastering Studios in Portland, Maine... here's the tracklisting, as of now, for Sky Blue Sky - which those of you who pay attention to such things know is coming out on Nonesuch on May 15."

Wilco - Sky Blue Sky (Album Art)

1. "Either Way"
2. "You Are My Face" (Listen)
3. "Impossible Germany"
4. "Sky Blue Sky"
5. "Side with the Seeds"
6. "Shake it Off"
7. "Please Be Patient With Me"
8. "Hate it Here"
9. "Leave Me (Like You Found Me)"
10. "Walken" (Listen)
11. "What Light"
12. "On and On and On "

*Listening party

I think these new tracks sound pretty good, Jeff Tweedy and Co. seem to have discovered a way to alter their approach with each new release and still retain a firm grip on the same sound they've been mastering for years. These seem to be the type of songs you could listen to on repeat multiple times and never tire of.

Your thoughts?

Labels: Albums