Left Lane Cruiser is a blues rock guitar/drum duo straight from Fort Wayne, Indiana with an unrelenting appetite for slide guitar and foot-stomping percussion. They make ferocious, whiskey-fueled music that is just right for driving a pickup truck 70mph down a narrow dirt road, with the cops in high pursuit. Their label debut for Alive Records was released last month, and it flaunts 12 cuts of high energy garage blues that falls somewhere between ZZ Top and the Black Keys. Hold on to your hat...

• Left Lane Cruiser - "Wash It"
  
• Left Lane Cruiser - "Set Me Down"
  
• Left Lane Cruiser - "Amy's In The Kitchen"
  

Alive has an eye for good blues, last year I developed quite an affection for the Radio Moscow album they released, and they have ties to the Black Keys, Soledad Brothers and many more. You can check out their press page for Left Lane Cruier at the link, and catch 'em in Austin on March 15th at the Hole in the Wall.

British psychedelic garage rockers Clinic will return April 8 with their fifth album, Do It!. The album was mixed by Jacquire King (Tom Waits, Kings Of Leon), and in a recent article Clinic frontman Ade Blackburn said it has a contrast between mellow and weirdness. "We heavily chopped up the song structures so they're not standard verse/chorus. It makes the record hard to pin down and unpredictable, quite a surreal mixture."

Somehow it all blends together into a colorful dose of psych-rock, and at 32 minutes the album is just long enough to get the job done without wearing off. Clinic has been creating music for over 10 years, still it sounds unique and they never repeat themselves. Pre-orders for Do It! are at Domino, where it is described as "a summer album, a warped technicolor celebration. Pop music and severe cut-ups going from melody to acid psychosis to acoustic, usually in the same song."

• Clinic - "Free Not Free"

• Clinic - "Coda"

Clinic will tour the U.S. in May, including a stop in Austin on May 23rd at Emo's. Tickets, $13 right here. They will structure the show into two sets, the first being a performance of Do It! in its entirety, followed by a second set of tunes that are selected by fans via request. I am voting for The Bridge.

• Clinic - "The Bridge"

When I a first discovered Beach House last year I couldn't get enough of it. If you are unfamiliar, Beach House is Alex Scally (guitar/keyboards) and Victoria Legrand (vocals/keyboards), a dream-pop duo from Baltimore. They have a new album out called Devotion that has been getting a lot of love, featuring ambient drum beats, mellow instrumentation, and of course Legrand's siren-esque female lead.

Baltimore Sun said:

"In a pop world where vocals and instrumentation are commonly filtered through various computer programs that virtually erase human presence from music, Scally and Legrand adhere to an organic approach that achieves much with less. The songs, created on keyboards and guitar, drift on waves of reverberating synths, echoey programmed beats and chiming, metallic noises. Legrand's airy, sensual vocals float through the mix."

• Beach House - "Heart of Chambers"

• Beach House - "Gila"

Legrand was classically trained in piano from the age of 7, began formally training her voice at the age of 14, and started writing her own songs at the age of 18. Plus, she's cute as a button. When they're not making music Alex slings a hammer as a carpenter and Victoria slings booze as a bartender. I saw them perform a couple of times last year and they really couldn't be a more likable duo. They will be back in Austin tomorrow night at Emo's, doing their thing in the lounge with Papercuts and Brother Will. If you're not busy, check it out.

On Saturday, March 8th Live Music Capitol & The Black Angels will present the First Annual Psych Fest. From noon until 1am there will be performances by both national & local psychedelic acts along with visual projections and art. This will all be taking place at The Red Barn, a new music and visual arts venue that will be dedicated to the preservation of Austin as the psychedelic birthplace of the world. Inspired by the old Vulcan Gas Company, organizers hope this will be the first step in providing a homebase for modern psychedelia.

You can check out video, audio & reviews for the performing artists by using the widget above. For more info, tickets & etc. head over to LiveMusicCapitol.com.

The Weird Weeds. I've seen the name countless times on the internet and in the AC. How can you not notice the name? Now that I'm listening for the first time, the name is absolutely perfect for this band. Their songs are like these short, but quickly budding compositions that don't seem to get out of your head. I could go on and on drawing comparisons between weeds and this band, but I'm sure you can do the same once you hear their new album.

"I Miss This" is The Weird Weed's third album, and was recorded over the span of 7 months in their house. The first thing that hits you on this album is the succinct sounds. I immediately wondered what studio they did this in, only to find out that the drums were tracked at the now defunct studio Singular Audio by Alex Keller. Everything else was recorded entirely in their home in Austin, and a bit in NYC. I can imagine over that type of time table that some days could be excruciating. Is it just me that gets excited by the process?

"Save the Dogs" is probably the most immediately accessible song on the album, and I wish they would have expanded more on that track. Although, I think that means they did their job right if that's what I come away with. Using a fast 3/4 count, the guitar screams through with cries of welcoming. There's really a strong sense of Malkmus in their guitar work.

Songs like "Lies" and "Atlas" go from one extreme to another, giving the listener a sense of traveling. The Weird Weeds need to be scoring movies, because this album definitely lends itself to a visual landscape.

Check out their CD release show tonight at The Cactus Cafe, and pick up a copy while you're there. Joining them will be ((((((Sunset ))))), who have an incredible live show if you haven't seen it. In addition, The Weird Weeds will be playing a show with Jandek during SXSW.

Black Lips are bringing their fun-filled garage punk show back to Austin on Saturday night. While they previously made a reputation for overt debauchery and onstage antics, the worst I've seen them do in their last two visits to the 512 was a well-executed dropkick to the guitarist's face on behalf of the bassist. I still wouldn't necessarily recommend that you bring the kiddos or anything, but at least the Black Lips' bodily fluids are more contained these days. The task of warming up the stage will fall on White Denim and The Strange Boys, the former soon to embark on a coast-to-coast tour with Tapes n' Tapes, and the latter reportedly scheduled to enter the studio with Jay Reatard. I'd say that's worth about 10 bucks tomorrow night on the Emo's outside stage, wouldn't you?

• Black Lips - "Everybody's Doin' It"

"Atlanta garage rockers The Black Lips are no strangers to praise. Last year's Good Bad Not Evil was a fairly well-regarded release in critics' circles, only helping add stock to this fuzzed-up retro act's reputation as one of the best and craziest live shows currently touring the States." -Dallas Observer

"Seconds in, we were swaying and stomping every which way, getting plenty covered by beers sloshing from multiple hands at once. It wasn't much a show for friendly indie kids, helping each other up and apologizing for space constraints; no, we shoved, we elbowed, we watched loads of kids steal a moment on stage before fighting off security." -Choir Croaks

"Good Bad Not Evil, however, is the record where naysayers, disinterested friends and acquaintances, and anyone else within earshot has to sit up, shut up, and listen." -Pitchfork

"The fans recognize the true beauty of a Black Lips show is the music. And the band played an extended 90-minute set on Saturday that didn’t disappoint. The Atlanta quartet played the Bluebird with endless energy, owning each song." -Denver Post

"What we saw last night was a super-fun, supercharged, tightly executed performance with a crowd rowdier than the band. Echo effects, psychedelic sitar-like sounds, surf guitar, doo-wop, garage rock, 60’s pop… One could go on, but why not see them for yourself." -Wired

The moment many of us have been waiting for is here. The official showcase schedule for SXSW 2008 has been published, so you can begin the process of meticulously planning out every hour your life over a 4-5 day time span. This is the perfect time to let your obsessive/compulsive tendencies run wild, otherwise you'll just be wandering around downtown Austin trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Get started at SXSW.com.

• Jeff Mangum - "I Will Bury You In Time"
• The Creation - "Making Time"
• A-Trak - "Time To Get Yummy"
  

Another good resource to keep track of what's going on during the week of South-by is Do512, where just about every FREE and RSVP event that gets announced will be listed for your perusal and scheduling. Keep the following links handy for ease of use, or just bookmark this page.

Event Listings For:

• Tuesday, March 11
• Wednesday, March 12
• Thursday, March 13
• Friday, March 14
• Saturday, March 15
• Sunday, March 16

As always, other good resources for SXSW info include: Austin, TX Showlist : Done Waiting : Austinist : SXSW Baby! : Austin360 : Am I missing any?

Each year the best in independent music is celebrated by the PLUG awards. Nominees are selected by the PLUG Cartel, a group of around 300 artists, journalists, record labels, and other music industry folk. Many of the artists on the PLUG ballot are well known to fans of independent music, but most are nowhere near the household names they deserve to be.

The winners are completely decided by the voters, and the winners will be announced at the PLUG Awards Ceremony and Concert on March 6, 2008 in New York City. PLUG attempts to highlight the best of indie-everything, including the best albums, music videos, record labels, concert venues, and music festivals.

For all of you homers, here are the Austin-centric nominees:

Live Music Venue of The Year:

• Emo's

Record Store of The Year:

• Waterloo Records
  

Music Festival of The Year:

• Austin City Limits Music Festival
• Fun Fun Fun Fest
• South By Southwest

Also, Spoon is nominated in about 50 different categories. Voting is almost closed so be sure to make your picks ASAP, and watch the awards ceremony at the Dell Lounge.

The Little Ones are an indie pop group out of L.A. who have garnered comparisons to 1960s pop bands such as The Beach Boys, The Zombies, The Kinks, and modern-day pop groups like The Shins and the Elephant Six collective. I had the pleasure of catching a couple of their live sets last year, and these guys are just as good in the studio. They are another one of the roughly 1700 bands that are listed for SXSW 2008, and if you're into freakishly infectious guitar pop you should definitely try to see them.

You can spin a couple of songs from their debut EP at the link, read a review and get some live studio cuts at Daytrotter, and hear a couple of remixes below. The first is a thorough dance mix of their newest single by X-Press 2, and the second is the Crystal Castles' 8-bit rework of their hit single from 2007. Enjoy...

• The Little Ones - "Ordinary Song" (X-Press 2's Rave 'n' Bleep Dub)
• The Little Ones - "Lovers Who Uncover" (Crystal Castles Remix)

Crystal Castles. You should go ahead and get accostomed to the fact that you'll be seeing more of that name, and it has nothing to do with Atari. Crystal Castles is multi-instrumentalist Ethan Kath and vocalist Alice Glass, an electronic music duo out of Toronto who have been gaining attention since a recording of the two practicing in the studio was posted on their MySpace page in 2005.

The duo have really taken their craft to the next level with their self-titled debut album, which is out in March via Last Gang Records. Instead of the constant 8-bit freakouts that highlighted their previous 7'' releases, with the full-length album Crystal Castles have pushed their sound forward with impressive structure and melody that will no doubt make them more accessible to new listeners. In other words, if you want to check them out at SXSW you'd better show up early. I tried to catch one of their performances at the festival last year, and even after a long wait in line I found myself on the outside looking in.

• Spin.com said:

"Remember the end of Matrix: Revolutions where Keanu Reeves' body is carted off into a mechanized dystopia? Crystal Castles' music is the sound of that world, from "Love And Caring"'s deathmatch between aging videogame consoles -- Ladytron should be officially envious -- to the ethereal beauty of "Tell Me What to Swallow," which is pretty much a fan love letter to the Cocteau Twins. The band refutes stories that part of its sound comes from wiring a chip from an Atari 5200 into a synthesizer, but listening to their creations it's no wonder such myths keep spreading. As cold and robotic as songs like "Vanished" sound at first, repeated listens reveal an organic pulse underneath the wires and electrons, thanks in no small part to Glass' vocals that retain their human touch even after heavy effects processing."

It is always exciting to find an act that is doing innovative things and making music that is uniquely their own. Listen to a few minutes of the new album to hear what I'm talking about...

• Crystal Castles - "Good Time"
• Crystal Castles - "Knights"

Last Gang Records is now offering a limited edition pre-sale of the album with the original cover art that was banned in USA and Canada. The first 100 shipped will receive a free Last Gang Records electro sampler featuring new music from Crystal Castles, Boys Noize, Chromeo, MSTRKRFT and Tiga. Check out that deal right here, and get more Crystal Castles here.

I have always had an interest in photography (even though I've always sucked at it), so I picked some random tunes and tried to find an interesting picture that relates to the song in a thoughtful or humorous way.

If nothing else it's a good excuse to highlight some tracks that I might not otherwise, and also have a look at some cool photography. You can click on any photo if you want to find out more about it, they will open in a new window.

I see dozens of horrible band names day in and day out, and after a while it can drive you a little nuts. I won't get into specifics and call people out, let's just say that when I come across a band with a decent name I am a bit shocked and awed. If you think it's bad now, just imagine 50 years from now when all of the good band names have really been taken. I weep for billboards everywhere just thinking about it.

What does all of this have to do with Let's Wrestle? Very little, other than I think their name is the bees knees. Let's Wrestle aren't revolutionists or anything, they're just a trio from London who "write shambolic pop songs about sniffing glue, pissing on cars and hating girls." Hmmm, I guess that's called Brit-punk-pop? Maybe they are revolutioninsts afterall, in their own snotty way.

• Let's Wrestle - " I Won't Lie To You"
• Let's Wrestle - "Song For Man With Pica Syndrome"

Those are two cuts from their forthcoming EP titled In Loving Memory Of..., which you can score at Stolen Recordings. I for one think they are catchy as hell. Check the Let's Wrestle myspace for more.

While we wait to hear more of the Danger Mouse-produced Black Keys album, here is a handful of tracks that in the dudes from Akron recorded for a Peel Session in 2003. So far I've only heard one song ("Strange Times") from Attack & Release (out April 1st), and the jury is still out. But when I look at the tracklist I see that one of the best Black Keys songs I have ever heard will be on the album.

The last time I saw the Black Keys live they played a song called "I Got Mine", which stuck in my head immediately and had me looking high and low in search of a recorded version. Someone did us all a favor by videotaping the band performing the song at Lollapalooza, which you can check out down below. The Black Keys will be playing at few shows at SXSW, including Friday, March 14 at La Zona Rosa.

• Attack & Release:

1. All You Ever Wanted
2. I Got Mine
3. Strange Times
4. Psychotic Girl
5. Lies
6. 'Remember When (Side A)
7. Remember When (Side B)
8. Same Old Thing
9. So He Won't Break
10. Oceans & Streams
11. Things Ain't Like They Used to Be

"I think Dan and I were intrigued to work with somebody as a producer, because we both realized we couldn't teach ourselves anything more and it was best to start learning from other people." -mp3.com

Black Keys Peel Session - July 31, 2003

• The Black Keys - "Thickfreakness"
• The Black Keys - "I Cry Alone"
• The Black Keys - "Have Love Will Travel"
• The Black Keys - "No Fun"
• The Black Keys - "Them Eyes"

Apparently to get a SXSW Wristband this year you have to win some kind of lottery. The only advance wristband sale will be via an online drawing that contestants will sign up for, starting at 9am on Feb. 21st and ending on 9am on Feb 25th.

Here are a few details of the process:

• 4000 wristbands will be put on sale to area residents only for $139
• Entries will be drawn at random.
• Submitting an order does not guarantee eligibility to purchase wristbands.
• All entries must use a credit card with a local billing address.
• The wristband will be fastened on an individual's wrist at time of pick up and may not be removed until the festival is over.

Fourty-four funky minutes of DJ Shadow and DJ Krush cooperating on a live mix back in '95. It's a good mix that has an old-school feel, with a whole lotta scratching and some quality track selections, making it well worth a listen.

Take it for a spin...

• DJ Shadow & DJ Krush - Live in Leeds, 1995

Oakland DJ-producer AmpLive made an eight-track remix record of Radiohead's In Rainbows, composed of source material pulled from the album and complimented by verses from Del The Funky Homosapien, Too $hort, Chali2na of Jurassic 5, and more. The track featuring Del is the cream of the crop, a stutter-stop remix of Radiohead's "Videotape" interspersed with The Funky Homosapien's signature flow. Check it out...

• AmpLive - "Video Tapez" (ft. Del The Funky Homosapien)

Since Radiohead would likely cause a fuss if the album were sold for profit, it has been made available to download for free at the link.

myspace.com/amplive

"We need something huge. Something that's going to make them feel our presence right away and not just hear us. You know, like if you rescued a wounded bird in your front yard, cared for it for weeks giving it more attention than your own girlfriend, ready to let it take flight, and then BAM! Right when it begins to fly your neighbor's kid shoots it down with his BB gun. The BAM. How do we get the BAM? How do we get the BAM feeling in their stomach that comes only from the most deceitful of women finally being honest with their man about all of his best friends they had sex with. The BAM that comes when he has struggled for 30 years just trying to find a glimpse of his dream. No money in his account. Car is in the shop with $1,200 in repairs. Got a few warrants for unpaid tickets and they just started the Warrant roundup. Just got the flu over the weekend so you have to call in to work only to find out they may fire you for excessive absenteeism. His new gig writing blogs for Covert may be taken away since he hasn't contributed anything in over a week. Not even a dog to lick the tears away. That BAM that comes from the moment of realization that shit just aint' gonna get any better for a little while, or maybe ever. We need that to hit them and more" BAM!" "Why did you do that?" "Stupid washing machine door will never stay closed."

Listener Project is a group from Arkansas that possess a unique enough stage performance that they can setup shop anywhere, in any venue, surrounded by any genre, and still pull everyone in. For the entire set. Right away, I feel like I'm in a living room. There's like this feeling of intimacy. Maybe that's because Dan, the founder of Listener Project, is barefooted. Maybe it's because there's this washing machine on the stage being hit with a bat. Maybe it's because he's asking questions between songs. It appears that's what he wants us to feel as his first tour was titled "Tour of Homes," in which he was playing only living rooms.

Here's an excerpt from Wikipedia when I look up Listener:

Via Yahoo! Finance

"In his new research paper entitled, “Does Chatter Matter,” co-authored with former student Elaine Chang, NYU Stern Professor Vasant Dhar, an expert in the strategic implications of information technology, finds that the volume of blog posts featured on the Internet before an album’s release can significantly affect future album sales, and in turn predict sales for record labels. This is the first study to quantify the economic impact of user-generated content for the music industry."

Based on a sample of 108 albums released during the first two months of 2007, Professor Dhar found:

• When legitimate blog posts exceeded a threshold of 40 before an album’s release, sales were three times the average

• If the albums blogged about were associated with a major record label, sales increased five-fold

• When blog activity reached more than 250 posts, sales were six times the average regardless of an association with a major or independent label

• The number of an artist’s MySpace friends also contributed to higher future sales, but had a weaker correlation as compared to blog chatter

Click here to read the full study

• Bone Thugs-n-Harmony - "Foe Tha Love Of $"
  

Just in the nick of time, SXSW has released the list of 2008 Showcasing Artists. They don't have all of the media and links put together for the artists yet, and the list is subject to change, but at least we have our first official list of the hundreds of bands who will be infiltrating Austin from all over the globe next month.

Assuming I can take care of a few things that I have on the docket for the next few weeks, I will try to highlight a good number of the bands that I think people should check out during the week of SXSW. Needless to say it will be a monumental task, we are the live music capital of the world after all.

Out of curiosity I sifted through the list to see what local acts have been included, and here is a number of them that I recognized immediately. There are many more, these are just the ones I have become most familiar/friendly with since I started running this blog.

• Amplified Heat
• Awesome Cool Dudes
• Scott H. Biram
• The Black
• The Black & White Years
• The Black Angels
• Black Joe Lewis & the Honey Bears
• Brazos
• Brothers And Sisters
• Brownout
• Car Stereo (Wars)
• DJ Chicken George
• Experimental Aircraft
• Future Clouds & Radar
• Grupo Fantasma
• Lemurs
• Li'l Cap'n Travis
• Lions
• The Lovely Sparrows
• Maneja Beto
• Monahans
• The Octopus Project
• Oh No! Oh My!
• Okkervil River
• Peter and the Wolf
• The Steps
• The Strange Boys
• Tacks, the Boy Disaster
• Tia Carrera
• The Ugly Beats
• Ume
• White Denim
• YellowFever
• Young Heart Attack
• Zookeeper
• Zykos

The Danish duo with a healthy affection for the ecletic sound of the 50s and 60s will release their new album in a couple of weeks. After spending some time listening through it a few times over, I feel pretty confident saying that it is their best work so far. Lust Lust Lust was self-recorded, self-produced, and features a much dirtier, fuzzed-out sound than their previous efforts. The distortion is hazier and the melodies are darker, and their pop/rock/shoegaze influences all merge together in a refined blurryness that is reflected by the album's 3D packaging.

Though it was released overseas late last year, the February 19th US release of Lust Lust Lust includes two additional tracks not found on the initial pressing. It is difficult to choose a single favorite track, so I'll just go with the noisy, somewhat funky, somewhat menacing album opener...

• The Raveonettes - "Aly, Walk With Me"

To hear more, head to the band's myspace page where the album is streaming in its entirety. Last but not least, you can catch The Raveonettes in Austin next month while they are here for SXSW.

Ghostland Observatory recommends that you just keep on dancing. With the brand new track “Dancing On My Grave” making it's way across the internet, I have a feeling that a whole bunch of people out there will be doing exactly that. Robotique Majestique is available for pre-order right this very second at Trashy Moped, so get on it.

• Ghostland Observatory - "Dancing On My Grave”

GLO on Tour:

• Feb 29 2008 Austin Music Hall (sold out) Austin, Texas
• Mar 8 2008 Langarado Music Festival Everglades, Florida
• Mar 13 2008 House of Blues New Orleans, Louisiana
• Mar 28 2008 Webster Hall New York, New York
• Mar 29 2008 9:30 Club Washington DC, Washington DC
  
• Apr 3 2008 Crystal Ballroom Portland, Oregon
• Apr 4 2008 Showbox Seattle, Washington
• Apr 5 2008 Showbox (sold out) Seattle, Washington
• Apr 17 2008 The Mezzanine San Francisco, California
• Apr 18 2008 Henry Fonda Theatre Los Angeles, California
• Apr 19 2008 Fox Theatre Boulder, Colorado

I got my first real taste of the local 6-piece experimental rock band Haunting Oboe Music at the big Do512 Halloween bash last October. The band is fairly new to the scene here, having spent only about two years together, and up until recently having just one EP under their belt.

Haunting Oboe Music has an incredibly ambitious plan for 2008, where they aim to release an EP per month that will highlight their live intensity while also capturing the electronic and adventurous side of the six members. The band utilizes a unique combination of a dual drummer assault, trumpets, synthesizers, and back beats mixed with always-improvised fills, which they use to create strange, yet remarkably catchy songs.

Try on one of the tracks from the first Haunting Oboe Music EP of 2008. "Slavery in Space" starts out with a dark, pounding beat that is surrounded by some intense guitar work and eerie vocal repetition. Before the song can progress into full attack mode, there's an impressive breakdown near the end to calm things down and provide a harmonious finale. If these six guys can continue to match this creative output for each EP they plan to release this year, watch out.

• Haunting Oboe Music - "Slavery in Space"

AS: 12 EPs in 12 months is an ambitious undertaking. Do y'all have a particular strategy for accomplishing it, or is it something that's developing as you go along?

HOM: "We are kind of creating a system of recording, then trading mix-downs from separate computers and then democratically sorting through the differences... and then recording some more. I think the process will gain a certain rhythm and become more streamlined as we progress through the year. The beauty of this project is that it creates so much room for spontaneity. If we were just creating one EP or LP, we would be more inclined to record songs that fall within a certain spectrum. The enormity of this year-long undertaking allows us to really stretch our concept of the band. If a song seems too out there or doesn't fit with the current EP, we can just save it, wait and see if it is meant to go with another month's set of songs." -read more

Haunting Oboe Music are playing Emo's on Friday with Ume, and Switchburn will be filming one of their upcoming gigs so I just might have some video for you soon. Check out a recent article on Haunting Oboe Music at Crunkbox, and get more at myspace.

The Dodos, a San Franciscan guitar-n-drum duo, recently offered up another track from their forthcoming album Visiter, which is due March 18th via Frenchkiss Records. Guitarist/singer Meric Long and drummer Logan Kroeber, who have played the part of Red Hunter’s backing band as Peter and the Wolf in the past, will embark on a tour throughout the continental US with an extended stop right here in Austin for SXSW.

Their live shows are reportedly phenomenal, and after self-releasing their debut album in 2007 they are making the jump to the next level in 2008. I have only been familiar with this duo for a few weeks, and I already want to drop everything I have planned and go out to find some drums to beat on.

"It was my first time seeing them live. They positioned themselves across from each other on stage - Meric sitting in a bar chair and Logan positioned on a wobbling stool. They launched into their first number and did not hold back. I was positively DUMBFOUNDED by the display of musicianship seen on stage that night. Meric picked his guitar like he had 3 hands. Logan went bananas behind his drum kit - no kick drum, just a trio of toms, a few symbols, and a tambourine ducked taped to his shoe. I could not believe I had never heard of this band before." -Rock Insider

from Visiter

• The Dodos - "Jody"

from Daytrotter

• The Dodos - "Red and Purple"

from Beware Of The Maniacs

• The Dodos - "Trades And Tariffs"

The Underground Railroad To Candyland is four gents from the shores of California. In 2006 they were in The Onion's list of Worst Long Band Names, and in 2007 released an album called Bird Roughs that I have had in rotation. From what I gathered this band would be considered a power group in their native San Pedro, having formed from the hiatus of the much adored Toys That Kill.

Bird Roughs was released on Recess Records late last year, and it has some high-quality pop punk tracks that have been getting quite a few spins around here. It wouldn't hurt if these guys took themselves a bit more seriously, but even with their occasional goofiness some of these songs really jump out and grab you. I would recommend that you give them a listen...

• The Underground Railroad To Candyland - "Don't Expect For Me To Sleep"
• The Underground Railroad To Candyland - "Yuppie Hip-Hop Ad"

You can download the album on mp3 at Amazon, get a physical copy via Recess, and get friendly with URTC at myspace.

At SXSW 2007 I saw 47 bands in five days. I don't know if I will be able to match that number at SXSW 2008, but it's going to be one hell of a time. I have been keeping my eye on the list of confirmed/rumored bands that has been in circulation, and so far things are looking pretty good.

You can check out a comprehensive list of SXSW bands at Club Kingsnake, read festival updates over at Austinist, get party info at Done Waiting, and as we get closer to March you can find detailed SXSW event information at Do512 and text info at Austin Showlist. If you keep those sites bookmarked, along with SXSW.com, you should be able to find out just about everything you need to know about my favorite week of the year.

Almost 700 bands have been confirmed so far, and here are some sounds from a random handful of them. Ice Cube and The Roots are still rumored at this point. My fingers are crossed...

• Simian Mobile Disco - "Clock" Web
• Shout Out Out Out Out - "Nobody Calls Me Unless..." Web
• Cassettes Won't Listen - "Change" (Blind Melon) Web
• Q-Tip - "Wait Up" Web
• N.E.R.D. - "Everyone Nose" (BASS ILL EURO Juke Remix) Web
• Ice Cube - "Check Yo Self" (Remix) Web
• The Roots - "Y'all Know Who" Web
• Lou Reed - "Venus in Furs" (Demo) Web

Sometimes, to be able to get into a band, you have to find yourself in a particular setting or be in a state of mind that is condusive to enjoying said band. This happened to me last night when I was out partying with a few good friends, losing money on the outcome of the Super Bowl, and checking out a live performance by Dead Confederate.

We were all hanging out polishing off a few drinks and casually listening to whatever house music the sound guy was playing. At one point during the night I leaned over to my buddy and mentioned that I really liked the last couple of songs that had just played and asked if he knew what band it was. He thought it was MGMT, who we had both sort of agreed that we weren't huge fans of, so it was kind of a funny moment when we walked over to the sound guy and found out it was indeed MGMT that we were enjoying.

I figured that once I had a minute today I would give their album another spin to see if I really liked any of it, or merely confirm that I was just really wasted last night. Well, I just completed my little experiment, and while I might have in fact been completely hammered last night, I have also come to appreciate some of the material that is on Oracular Spectacular. I still feel that the album could be stronger as a whole, but much of it is top-notch and worthy of all of the buzz that this band has been generating. "Time to Pretend", "The Youth", "Electric Feel", "Kids", these are all songs that grabbed my attention and had me walking across the bar to figure out what band had written them.

So here's a shout out to MGMT, Tito's Vodka, and some random sound guy with good taste in music.

• MGMT - "Electric Feel"
• MGMT - "Kids"
• Get it at iTunes
  

This is a screen capture of someone playing the interactive music video game for MGMT's new song "Electric Feel". There are 625 to the 229th power different ways the video can turn out. Create your own at the link.

Since a couple of my partners let the cat out of the bag today, I feel compelled to follow their lead. We are putting on a day party at SXSW, and it is going to be the jam.

I got together with a couple of other Austin blogs, namely Sonic Itch Music and Cubik Musik, as well as a fine blog from Seattle in Sound On The Sound, and we have booked two stages for a big SXSW party with a whopping 12 acts. We still have a couple of loose ends to tie up (like naming this thing), but it is most definitely on, and we'll be serving it up all day on Thursday, March 13th at Trophy's on South Congress.

The indoor stage will feature some mighty strong rock & roll, and the outdoor stage will host a straight-up dance party. Here is the deal:

On The Outdoor Stage:

• Lady Pterodactyl (Austin)
• Transmography (Austin)
• The Death Set (Sydney-Brooklyn-Baltimore)
• Table Manners Crew (Austin)
• 1/2Alive (Vancouver)
• Ghislain Poirier (Montreal)

On The Indoor Stage:

• UME (Austin)
• Thee Emergency (Seattle)
• Monahans (Austin)
• Land of Talk (Montreal)
• The Shackeltons (Chambersburg, PA)
• Dead Confederate (Athens, GA)

When: 12-7pm on Thursday, March 13th

Where: Trophy's, 2008 S. Congress

Let's make something perfectly clear. This post is for you, and not your friends. . . because your friends won't like this. Nope. You, the music enthusiast that you are, that daily browses the blogs looking for the freshest tunes, or, those dusty gems you passed along when you were 21 because you were preoccupied with things like college and girls (boys). Yes, you, will appreciate this album in all its insane glory. I've played the album five times since coming across it yesterday.

Now, I'm only going to make one request from you (and I'm sure The Mae Shi will be behind me when I say this). The next time The Mae Shi are in town, take those said friends we were just talking about to the show. I haven't seen the show, and perhaps you haven't either, but we can both agree from just one spin of this album, that both of our lives may be different from that night on. Don't believe me, check out the live videos on their MySpace.

The Mae Shi began in 2002, and are now signed to 5RC Records, whose roster includes Deerhoof and Xiu Xiu, as well as a load of other bands I've never heard of, but am educating myself on as we speak.

Hlllyh is their 5th album, and will lock you in at the first riff of crunchy keyboard pop, and then keep you there with the driving drums that do not let up until the album is over. Well, they do let up for the 11.5 minute epic dance track, "Kingdom Come", as those are programmed beats, but it is worth it for the rehash of "Run To Your Grave" mixed with elements that have proven successful in countless dance tracks. They're having bit of fun with us here.

"This is our story, and we invite you to come along. It's about self-improvement and trying to live life at the top of your lungs, living life rightly, respecting others, making something you're proud of, and trying to sort out all the static and figuring out what matters. It's about trying to forge that third way, that way everyone said it couldn't be done. We do this in basements and backyards and in fancy clubs we don't even feel comfortable in."

"We do this in living rooms and bathrooms and bedrooms and wherever the sound sounds best. We do this with ten dollar keyboards and Olvera Street guitars and with light-reactive synths we built ourselves. We do this with broken cymbals and busted speakers. We do this the first thing when we wake up. We do this after a hard day at work, when it's the only solace and life seems to be a constant source of frustration. We do this on weekends. We do this all the time."

As of now, there's only a handful of dates that you can catch them at:

• Feb 1 Birmingham
• Feb 2 London- Push@The Mean Fiddler

Last year, they put out their DVD "Lock the Skull, Load the Gun," which by the looks of the trailer, is worth all 15 bones.


Here's a couple of tracks from the new one...