My mom has always said, “If you’re going to rip off another band, rip off someone good,” and this is just what Dr. Dog has done on their most recent album, "Fate." As many of their indie-pop compañeros have in the past, they didn’t waste time ripping off U2 (sorry Coldplay, wait, no I’m not), they went straight to the top—The Beatles. Granted, they do tend to be sparser than the Beatles, leaving more space, adding a bit more drama, and we can’t forget Scott McMicken’s Clap Your Hands Say Yeah-esque nasally vocals.

Despite this, there are some tracks that could be easily mistaken for unreleased Beatles tracks such as “100 Years”, “The Beach”, and “The Breeze”, and the use of the string quartet in “Uncovering the Old” is almost shameless. I say almost because the album is really quite good. If the album wasn’t good, I would be pretty angry, but they rip off the Beatles so well that to me, their music is just as enjoyable.

Dr. Dog will be coming to Austin on September 13, performing at The Parish with another favorite of ours, Delta Spirit.

• Dr. Dog - "The Old Days"
• drdogmusic.com

I'm not sure if anyone at The Life and Times show at Emo's on Monday could testify to how long the concert was, or how many songs were played. Everyone seemed to be happily swimming in the textures created by the three piece Kansas City indie rock outfit.

Eric Abert carefully tempered the distortion petals for his bass, Allen Epley's vocals took on a harmonious coo that wove in and out of his guitar, and drummer, Chris Metcalf formed a relentless backbone for all the songs. The result was a mesmorizing atmosphere of melodies that came in and out of focus. I would really keep an eye out for this band.

• myspace.com/thelifeandtimes

Kings of Leon came to me at the perfect time in my life, I won’t go into details as to why this is, but know that the band meant and still means a lot to me. Even with the change of tone in their most recent work “Because of the Times”, I maintain my love for the Southern boys, and was overjoyed to discover that they will be releasing their fourth album, “Only By The Night” on September 23 (through RCA). But September isn’t for two months, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s too long to wait.

To ease my pain Spin Magazine has teamed up with the Followills to let loose the first track (although not the official single) from the album, this song is entitled “Crawl”. Frankly, the track doesn’t do too much for me; it’s more ACDC rock ‘n’ roll than I usually like, and they seem to have completely let go of their Nashville roots. But I do have hope for the album; the song does seem to be a happy medium between the polish of their most recent album and the dirty southern rock of “Youth & Young Manhood”.

But check it out for yourself, the song will only be available for one week so don’t put this one off. Download "Crawl" at the link.

Dark Captain Light Captain sounds like a melancholy sunset. Like summer unwillingly coming to a close. Like a star that knows it is seconds away from exploding, but wants to exist a few moments more. They are a newly formed six-piece out of London who create sweet, harmonious psychedelic folk with whispery vocals, soft acoustic guitars, and subtle electronic elements.

Their Circles EP made its way into my regular rotation with ease, and it is but a taster for the band's forthcoming full-length album "Miracle Kicker," out on Lo Recordings this fall. With good representation and a beautifully understated sound, I think these guys have a bright future.

Drowned in Sound and Milk Factory have more, and Bearded Mag says:

"They have a solid understanding of instrumentation and texture, which is evident in ‘Robot Command Centre’ - a finely executed fusion of processed beats, bleeps and white noise with a healthy ensemble of Nick Drake-esque finger picked guitars, smooth brass and proper nice vocal harmonies complimenting the mix to a sickeningly sweet standard.

To praise further, the production on here is exceptional. Take for example ‘They Be Underwater’, a relevantly titled little ditty, with stream-like ethereal effects at the start and reversed samples towards the end building the soundscape with excitement and intrigue until BANG… the track is over with an abrupt gunshot."

• Dark Captain Light Captain - "Robot Command Centre"
  
• Dark Captain Light Captain - "They Be Underwater"
  
• myspace.com/darkcaptain

The Octopus Project are once again touring strong in support of the new album "Hello Avalanche", and they're kicking off the newest round of dates with a performance at Lollapalooza this weekend. After making a long trek through middle America, the west coast, and parts of Canada, the crew will make it back home just in time for the ACL Fest. In March they released a 7'' single via the UK label Too Pure, which somehow managed to fly under my radar. In case you were unaware, Too Pure has issued music by such artists as Stereolab, Electrelane, Scout Niblett and many others.

The Octopus Project 7", which features two new songs that were mastered at Abbey Road in London, was released in a limited pressing of 500 copies and made available only via subscription to the Too Pure Singles Club. On their official site the band describes the A-side (Wet Gold) as "a lovely jaunt through an arpeggiated land of goodness," and the B-side (Moon Boil) as "the most 'total rock' song we've ever done." If you haven't been able to get your hands on this thing, worry not, I've got your back.

• The Octopus Project - "Moon Boil"
• The Octopus Project - "Wet Gold"

Octopus Project "Truck" video:

Octopus Project Live:

• 08/02 Chicago, IL @ Schuba’s
• 08/03 Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
• 08/04 Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
• 08/05 Norman, OK @ Opolis
• 08/06 Lubbock, TX @ Tequila Station
• 08/11 Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room
• 08/12 Tucson, AZ @ Congress Theater
• 08/13 San Diego, CA @ The Cashbash
• 08/14 Los Angeles, CA @ Knitting Factory
• 08/15 Visalia, CA @ Cellar Door
• 08/16 San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill
• 08/18 Portland, OR @ Satyricon
• 08/19 Seattle, WA @ Nectar Lounge
• 08/20 Vancouver, BC @ Richard’s
• 08/22 Edmonton, AL @ Velvet Lounge
• 08/23 Calgary, AL @ Hi Fi
• 08/25 Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
• 08/26 Denver, CO @ Hi Dive
• 08/28 Dallas, TX @ Lola’s
• 08/29 Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
• 09/28 Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Festival

myspace.com/theoctopusproject

Somebody who had visited Kansas City once told me, "You know, there are not that many bands there (in K.C.), but the ones they do have are quality." Being from Kansas City, I never really considered the quality of shows. At the very most, there will be two shows a week I want to go to, and when I go, I always leave pretty satisfied.

But in Austin, you pretty much have to hide in your room to avoid seeing live music. It's glorious! ....but at times the musicians can be...self indulgent...and down right bad. So I want to pass on a secret about tonight's show; The Life and Times are good. They've played hundreds of shows with artists like Pelican, Murder by Death, Sparta, and Pinback.

The Life and Times play a musical scape of low drone, fuzz and distortion, which can be arresting and haunting. There are also moments where their sound teeters between Slowdive and Pink Floyd. If you still need convincing they were listed in AP's 100 bands you need to know in 2007. So, get to it and find out. Hear Life and Times at myspace, and see them tonight at Emo's.

Black Moth Super Rainbow have some new sounds coming your way. The "Drippers" Limited Edition Scratch N Sniff EP is currently up for preorder, a pot luck collection featuring some of their "most colorful stuff from the past year that won't be on the next album." The 9-track release will be in stores in November but orders will start getting shipped in August.

In the meantime thay are giving away another batch of unreleased songs called "Bonus Drippers" and you can download it for free at their official site. Check out two of them below, along with the "Drippers" tracklist. I can't wait to smell/hear it.

• Black Moth Super Rainbow - "The Dark Forest Joggers"
  
• Black Moth Super Rainbow - "Melting On The Meadow"
  

Drippers Tracklisting:

• Zodiac Girls (Pony Version of 7" Single)
• I Saw Brown (Pre-BMSR from 1999)
• Black Yogurt (with Mike Watt)
• Milk Skates
• Happy Melted City
• One Day I Had An Extra Toe (Esopus Magazine Compilation)
• We Are The Pagans (Dandelion Gum Outtake)
• Changing You All
• Just For The Night (by Laura Burhenn, BMSR Remix)

myspace.com/blackmothsuperrainbow

There will be some who say that this is Conor Oberst’s best album, that his most recent self-titled record is a healthy evolution into more adult song writing—I am not one of those people. All of the songs on the album seem to fall into three categories: his old stuff (good), his Bob Dylan stuff (bad), and his country pop (worse).

The first song, “Cape Canaveral”, is of the Bob Dylan variety. This and the other songs like it have the same basic foundation as Bright Eyes-era music, but with less whine and more cheese. Needless to say, I didn’t enjoy these tracks. But there were a few (“Lenders in the Temple”, “Eagle On a Pole”, “Milk Thistle”) that made listening to the album all the way through worth my time. Although less melodramatic than songs on his previous albums, they maintain the quintessential Oberst finger-picked guitar lines, and endearing emo-boy charm.

The way I see it, Conor Oberst should only be allowed to record using an acoustic guitar and anything he might find in his back seat, but certainly not an electric guitar. Songs when he attempts to use said instrument (“Moab”, “Souled Out!!!”) come off as very Tim McGraw-esque, and that’s a very bad thing.

My advice to you—if you like Conor Oberst as a musician—just pick up the three individual songs mentioned above (“Danny Callahan” is decent too.) If you like him as a poet the album is worth getting, but you will likely be disappointed. Conor Oberst, the album, is out next Tuesday (8/5) via Merge Records.

• Conor Oberst - "Danny Callahan"
• conoroberst.com

Friday night was a fun-filled affair. Very seldom do you see for bands back-to-back who are all really good, and when you do it is usually a special event. Most of the shows I go to don't match up well against the one that was held at the most indoor on Friday night, with a bill that featured Transmography, Nouns Group, Daniel Francis Doyle, and Health. First, I need to apologize to anyone I ever ignored when they tried to tell me about Health. I don't exactly know what I was expecting this band to be, but it wasn't anywhere near as kick ass as they actually are in concert.

The night started off with the crashing sounds of Transmography. The local duo put on what is probably the best show that I've ever seen these guys do, and I have seen my fair share. An energetic crowd showed up early to check out their set and Transmography didn't disappoint, blending together a tight set that was equal parts synth-jam and fierce drumming. Even when they swapped instruments and substituted the keyboard for guitar, the quality was seamless.

Nouns Group took the stage next and immediately caught my attention. From what I gather they are a new band out of Denton, and they were playing angular rock that was nice and loud, and somewhat chaotic, and complimented well by a violin. I should have taken a moment to go over and chat with them for a little while to find out more, because there are very few Nouns Group resources on the internet. Regardless, I will definitely be checking out their next show in Austin.

Further heightening the nights awesomeness was the extremely impressive performance of the Austin-based Daniel Francis Doyle. I had seen his name dozens of times in the past but had no idea what I was in for. Now I have seen plenty of one-man bands, probably more than most people, but I have never seen anyone do it as accurately, professionally, and intensely as Daniel Francis Doyle. He takes the looping of guitar riffs to the next level, looping three or four parts together, and controlling them via foot pedal while simultaneously beating a drum set worse than Ike vs. Tina and exorcising his insides by emitting anger-filled lyrics at top diaphragm capacity. Whoever booked this show knew exactly what they were doing, because all three of the opening bands complemented each other perfectly and put the crowd in the right frame of mind to take on Health.

Like I said earlier I had my doubts about Health and became sick of the hype that surrounds them a long time ago, but these guys came out and absolutely killed it. I was glad that I had chosen to skip Wolf Parade and Aesop Rock, because when these guys started cranking it out I knew that that's where I wanted to be. Their sharp, piercing, angular guitar riffs forged with thumping beats sounded like some sort of new age, instrumental psychedelic-rock/noise-metal hybrid. I don't know what I was expecting from Health, but it sure wasn't the overwhelming waves of guitar that they delivered. They closed out the bloody good show and left the crowd yelling for more. Switchburn was in attendance and caught much of the action, so keep an eye out. If you haven't already, give each of these bands some attention at your earliest convenience.

nounsgroup.com

myspace.com/transmography

• Transmography - "Car Commercial"
• Transmography - "Pupa"

myspace.com/danielfrancisdoyle

• Daniel Francis Doyle - "You're Nowhere"
  

myspace.com/healthmusic

• Health - "Perfect Skin"

I am a Spencer Krug addict; I can admit that. It started under control with a few Sunset Rubdown songs from "Shut up, I am Dreaming of a Place Where Lovers Have Wings" but by the time I found Wolf Parade and Frog Eyes it was an intense habit. So, as soon as tickets for the Wolf Parade show at La Zona Rosa were online I bought some, just to ensure that there was no miniscule possibility in this life that I wouldn't get in.

While checking the news today, I hear that one of my favorite record labels signed a new band that I just so happen to also be enjoying. That label is Jagjaguwar, and the band is Women. Their self-titled debut, which I told you about earlier this month, will be released throughout the world on October 7th. The band will tour the U.S., Canada and Europe in support of the album throughout 2008, and tour dates will be announced soon. Pitchfork might have put it best when they said

"Calgary's Women, like Columbus' Times New Viking, give tape hiss a place of honor more often reserved for instruments, or at least computers. The ensuing noisy jangle straddles the 1960s' divide between the Warhol crowd's speed-addled New York cynicism and the echoes of psychedelic San Francisco that bubbled up across the pond in the fey, catchy pop of UK groups like the Zombies."

Jagjaguwar, as always, has more good things coming to your headphones soon. The new Okkervil River album "The Stand Ins" will arrive in early September, and Oneida's "Preteen Weaponry" will be available in just a few weeks. I'm crossing my fingers for news on Besnard Lakes and Pink Mountaintops...

I have a running list of songs that would go in the soundtrack of my life (does everybody do this?). When I hear one of these songs I'm transfixed to each beat, anxiously trying to file it in my memory, and find out what it describes about me so well. Point being, when I turned on Sunset's newest effort The Glowing City and "Zombies" came on, I knew it was one of those songs. The track opens the CD with a delicate blend of keys, clapping, belles and air bursts. It sets the stage for the rest of the CD, a glowing melody paired with reflective lyrics.

The good people at Matador recently debuted a new track from the forthcoming Brightblack Morning Light album Motion To Rejoin. "Hologram Buffalo" treads on Brightblack's familiar psychedelic blues-folk territory, with the layers of drawn-out organ blended with atmospheric vocals that fans have come to expect.

When it comes to the new full-length album, Matador says Brightblack "might well have conjured the perfect Saturday night and Sunday morning album all on the same disc." Based on the expansive vibe of their 2006 self-titled major label debut, I don't think there is any hyperbole involved in that statement. Their sound is perfect for late night/early morning listening.

Brightblack Morning Light's co-founders Nathan Shineywater and Rachael Hughes are hyper earth-conscious, apparently living out of tents and cabins, and they even recorded the new album entirely via solar power in their adobe house in the mesas of New Mexico. What other band can possibly claim that? Look for Motion To Rejoin on September 23.

• Brightblack Morning Light - "Hologram Buffalo"

from the s/t (review)

• Brightblack Morning Light - "Everybody Daylight"
• thebrightblackmorninglight.com
  

The picture up above is an action shot of the 2008 pop sensation Santogold getting down at SXSW, backed by the ever-productive DJ Diplo. I was one of the tiny specs in a large audience that showed up at the Fader party to catch the show, though I had absolutely no clue who/what Santogold was. Mind you this was a good month prior to the release of her debut album, which has since made its way near the top of the charts.

Diplo produced a few of those Santogold tracks, and the two also collaborated on a mixtape called Top Ranking that was officially released a few weeks ago. It must have sold well, because the label says it's out of stock. The mixtape has an enjoyable dose of remixes, dub beats, old-school favorites, and a quasi-cover of The Clash's "The Guns of Brixton." There are touches of Ratatat, Panda Bear, Devo, Aretha Franklin...all kinds of good stuff. Definitely worth taking for a spin.

• Santogold - "Guns Of Brooklyn"
• Santogold - "Get It Up" (Radioclit Mix w/ M.I.A./Gorilla Zoe)
• myspace.com/santogold

Santi & friends selling shoes, in fine style:

Here are some goods that I meant to add to the blog a long time ago, but quite simply forgot about until it came up on shuffle today. Nice work, itunes. Hallucinogen, In Dub. Hallucinogen is Simon Posford, a UK-based electronic musician and founder of Twisted Records. The "In Dub" connection comes from a fellow known as Ott, who supplies the ambient reggae-infused production to this sampling of Hallucinogen tracks.

The collaboration resulted in Hallucinogen In Dub, a 6-song, 60-minute journey through a trippy landscape of echos, reverbs, and bass-filled grooves that all synch together in perfect harmony. It can be found at the crossroads where psych, trance, and dub intersect. I've really never heard anything else quite like it. Even though most of the productions surpass the nine minute mark, they sound like they could comfortably, easily play on into perpetuity. Check out two of them below, and add the album to your collection via emusic, amazon, twisted, or wherever else you can find it.

• Hallucinogen - L.S.D. (World Sheet Of Closed String Mix)
• Hallucinogen - Solstice (Warwick Bassmonkey Mix)
• myspace.com/hallucinogen151

It is always a delight to discover an awesome new band when you least expect it. Such was the case at The Mohawk show with Boris, Torche and Clouds. I went to see Boris (and they were great having never seen them before) but it was Torche that had the most honest and brutal set of the night. They were just so precise, so rocking and the drummer had the biggest crash cymbal of all time. They knew what they were bringing and it was solid.

This four-year-old Miami, FL, quartet owned the stage: thrashing guitars around, assuming the rock stance during all solos and providing the crowd with endless head bobs. Call it stoner-pop, call it new-wave-grunge, call it anything but call it rock. Their new CD, Meanderthal, is my current vote for album of the year. Crossing the lines between Helmet, Injected, High On Fire, Jimmy Eat World, Kyuss and Norma Jean, this CD is a great summer listen. It is filled with grooving tracks like "Across the Shields," "Without a Sound," and "Fat Waves" as well as face melters like the opener "Triumph of Venus" and the 35 second "Little Champion."

Very solid musicianship and a wide spectrum of rock make the CD one that you will want to show your friends. The packaging on the disc is a huge glossy foldout of a giant mountain with weird creatures descending from the top - easily cool enough to hang on your wall. Torche is the summer groove for your dome. Be sure to catch them out on tour with Boris in the U.S. and with Pelican in Europe next month.

• Torche - "Across the Shields"
• Torche - "Fat Waves"
• myspace.com/torche

There is no mistake in saying that Papa Grows Funk are some of the funkiest of the funk jam-bands when it comes to New Orleans musicians, or any musicians for that matter. Their talent has gotten them gigs playing for the legendary Meters, as well as tour dates in Japan and all over Europe.

Papa Grows Funk's exorbitant talent cannot be harnessed in the recording studio, but rather emanates best during impromptu on-stage collaborations. Their local fans return to the Maple Leaf each Monday night, as if it were Sunday church, because they know they'll be seeing something fresh and even more funky each time. In true New Orleans style, PGF also makes a habit of inviting the local musicians (Steve Winwood, Joe Sample, and Art Neville just to name a few) to their shows onstage for impromptu jam sessions, keeping their sound in a constant state of change and progress.

John "Papa" Gros, a jolly giant of a man, is arguably one of the most dedicated musicians in the biz, hauling his mammoth Hammond B3 organ to and from every show. June Yamagishi, who has been called the father/founder of blues and funk music in Japan, rips some ridiculous guitar riffs. The first time I ever met him, he was surrounded by a Japanese film crew following him around to document his success in the US in a sort of "where they are now" documentary, and you can watch clips of it here. The rest of the band are all professionals as well.

Papa Grows Funk will be putting on a show in Austin next Thursday at the Parish, if you want to get a taste of some true New Orleans flavor. Get more info on the show right here.

Here's something interesting for you: Nomo. They are a group of musicians out of Michigan with a rhythmic and infectiously danceable sound that fuses Afrobeat, free jazz, funk, electronic dance music and other elements into a highly entertaining mix.

Nomo has been generating tons of much-deserved hype since releasing a new album (Ghost Rock) in June of this year, from being featured in Rolling Stone to receiving praise from the likes of Fader/XLR8R/Pitchfork, to performing their outstanding live show alongside names such as Earth, Wind & Fire and Radiohead. With eight people on stage pouring out this unique, high-energy brand of music, this is really something to see.

Nomo are currently on a nationwide tour in support of the new record, and they will make a stop in Austin at the Emo's lounge tomorrow night. For day trippers, Nomo plays Waterloo Records tomorrow at 5pm. Check out a track from Ghost Rock below, and head to the myspace to see their tour schedule.

• Nomo - "Brainwave"
• myspace.com/nomomusic

The Secret Machines, minus Ben Curtis, are back. They (Brandon Curtis and Josh Garza) are working on a new album, playing some shows, debuting new material, doing the whole thing. This is all recent news to me, as last I heard The Secret Machines were no más, so I kind of stopped paying attention. I was always a big fan of their first EP (September 000) and their debut album (Now Here Is Nowhere) especially, but they kind of lost me with the follow-up (Ten Silver Drops.) It was good, but that material couldn't touch their earlier stuff.

I saw the Secret Machines play a show in Houston back in 2004, and to this day my friends and I who were there still talk about it. Their drummer is intense (winning an Esky Award for Best Drummer from Esquire Magazine in 2005,) they had an brain-bending light show that was unforgettable, and the old Dallas natives sounded great blasting out their mixed bag of spacious rock.

It was definitely the best show I can remember seeing in the city of Houston, so I'm hoping that this new incarnation of the Secret Machines will rock as much as the previous one. I've read that the new stuff is return to the heavier sound found on "Now Here Is Nowhere," and Austin will have a chance find out on Saturday, August 2nd at Stubb's.

• The Secret Machines - "First Wave Intact"
• thesecretmachines.com

Secret Machines Tour Dates:

• Sun 07/27/08 West Hollywood, CA Viper Room
• Mon 07/28/08 Tucson, AZ Rialto Theatre
• Tue 07/29/08 El Paso, TX Club 101
• Wed 07/30/08 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theatre
• Fri 08/01/08 Dallas, TX House Of Blues
• Sat 08/02/08 Austin, TX Stubb's (tix)
• Sun 08/03/08 San Antonio, TX White Rabbit
• Tue 08/05/08 Jacksonville, FL Plush
• Wed 08/06/08 Fort Lauderdale, FL Revolution
• Thu 08/07/08 Saint Petersburg, FL Jannus Landing
• Fri 08/08/08 Lake Buena Vista, FL House Of Blues
• Sat 08/09/08 North Myrtle Beach, SC House Of Blues
• Sun 08/10/08 Jersey City, NJ Liberty State Park

High Places is a couple of kids from Brooklyn making minimal, folky, electro-pop. The music sounds like it was made down in a cave, only the people who are down in said cave are okay with the situation. In fact, they're having a good time. Kind of like imagining a couple of Fraggle Rock creatures had gotten together around a kitchen sink deep underground and started a band.

High Places' music can be as catchy as the Fraggles were awesome, primitive or not. The duo's debut full-length is due out on September 23rd via Thrill Jockey, and they're currently making road trips with Deerhunter and No Age in the meantime. High Places will bring their keyboards, drumsticks, and microphones to Emo's on October 15th.

• High Places - "Head Spins"
• High Places - "Jump In"
• High Places - "Head Spins" (Hawnay Troof Remix)
• myspace.com/hellohighplaces
  

Press bits:

"Head Spins" bounces along on aquatic steel drums, good vibes and a melody built from samples drained almost completely of their source material. "Jump In" doesn't have a lot of the murkiness that colors much of High Places output thus far. Instead, it nakedly showcases the bells, whistles, woodblocks and doodad's that the group buries underneath. It's a revelatory moment here — Pearson and Barber aren't just noiseniks having fun, they're first-rate pop songwriters." -emusic

"Multi-instrumentalist Rob Barber creates soundscapes that are both eerie and soothing, while Mary Pearson sweetly delivers bizarre lyrics about banana slugs and hermaphroditic flings. Anchored by tropical rhythms and ambient drones, the band has created a surreal sound that will hopefully develop into something truly unique." -WSN

Everyone likes b-sides, right? Here's a Beck/Modern Guilt b-side from the "Chemtrails" 7''. The song (Vampire Voltage No.6) rocks, I just wish it rocked for another 2 minutes or so. An extended guitar-jam-freakout would have really been killer. But as it stands, it's pretty solid for a b-side. I'm assuming that Dangermouse lent a production hand on this one as well. Pick up the Chemtrails 7'' right here.

• Beck - "Vampire Voltage No.6"
• myspace.com/beck
  

Gamma Ray video:

Beck Tour Dates:

• Aug 21, 2008 Grand Sierra Resort and Casino Reno, NV
• Aug 22, 2008 Golden Gate Park San Francisco, CA
• Aug 24, 2008 Les Schwab Amphitheater Bend, OR
  
• Aug 27, 2008 Royal Theatre Victoria, BC, Canada
• Aug 28, 2008 Orpheum Theater Vancouver, CAN
• Aug 30, 2008 Bumbershoot Seattle, WA
• Sep 19, 2008 San Diego Street Scene Festival San Diego, CA
• Sep 20, 2008 Hollywood Bowl Los Angeles, CA
• Sep 22, 2008 Dodge Theatre Phoenix, AZ
• Sep 23, 2008 Kiva Auditorium Albuquerque, NM
• Sep 25, 2008 Abraham Chavez Theatre El Paso, TX
  
• Sep 27, 2008 Zilker Park Austin, TX
• Sep 29, 2008 Uptown Theater Kansas City, MO
  
• Sep 30, 2008 Wilkins Auditorium Minneapolis, MN
• Oct 2, 2008 Aragon Ballroom Chicago, IL
  
• Oct 3, 2008 Aragon Ballroom Chicago, IL
  

Big Ass Manatees come from West Virginia. They remixed some old 90's hits and put 'em up on their homepage, which I stumbled upon a few days ago. Most of the tracks are fairly uninspiring (sorry marine mammals), but I did save this Busta Rhymes mix for future party usage. Something you probably didn't know about the original song, released in 1997:

"The chorus of the song (This is serious/We could make you delirious/You should have a healthy fear of us/'Cause too much of us is dangerous) was taken, apparently unwittingly, from a 1983 Long Island Regional Poison Control Council PSA warning children of the danger of loose prescription medications."

• Busta Rhymes - "Dangerous" (Big Ass Manatee Remix)

While the UK has always been a hub for revolutionary music in several genres, the US takes the cake for hip hop; until now. In the early 2000s in London “grime”, a new style of hip hop utilizing breakbeats and unorthodox sounds, began to emerge in the crevices of UK pirate radio. And from this scene came Dizzee Rascal, the first person to bring this new sound to the public.

Dizzee Rascal’s music is bold, not only in its lyrical content, but also stylistically. He has sampled everything from Rogers and Hamerstein’s South Pacific to video game sounds, and often does not include a chorus in his songs. This lack of conventionality is what has made grime a genre that the mainstream media sees as inaccessible to the average listener. Despite this, his 2003 album "Boy in da Corner” found its was onto Rolling Stone's top 50 albums of the year alongside Kanye West, Mos Def, Eminem, and Jadakiss. Dizzee Rascal has collaborated with hip hop ledges Bun B and Pimp C, as well artists outside of his genre such as Beck, Arctic Monkeys, and Basement Jaxx.

Dizzee Rascal will be coming to Austin on Monday July 21 and it is bound to be an incredible show. You can get more info on the show + win tickets here. In addition to seeing him live, I recommend you pick up his latest album “Maths + English”. Though poppier than his earlier works, he maintains his raw sound and intense energy. Here's a live cut of Dizzee Rascal covering The Ting Tings with the help of Calvin Harris.

• Dizzee Rascal - "That's Not My Name" (Feat. Calvin Harris)
• myspace.com/dizzeerascal

*photo courtesy Connie Tsang

Have you ever personally witnessed some good old-fashioned Alaskan rock 'n roll? If not, I think it is just about time for you to do exactly that. Portugal. The Man are Alaska's finest experimental-indie-blues-rock export, and they will be kicking out the jams tomorrow night at Emo's. Here is what a few people had to say about their 2007 album, Church Mouth:

• "You might be forgiven for listening to Church Mouth and confusing them with a group like Kings of Leon." -Stylus

• "Once their formidable sophomore effort, Church Mouth, strikes, it's guaranteed to take every respective listener's breath away, just like the sprawling, glacier-dotted landscapes of the band's native Alaska." -Anti

• "Church Mouth is an organic rock record that transcends genres by managing to reference seemingly disparate acts such as the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, the White Stripes, the Mars Volta and Santana without sounding dated or derivative of any particular act." -Fearless

• "The debut album by Alaska-born quirksters Portugal. The Man, expanded the parameters of punk to encompass hip-hop and prog, but the band's second album Church Mouth is practically all epic blues-rock, in the vein of The White Stripes and The Allman Brothers." -A.V. Club
  

You don't have to take their word for it, go check them out the live. You can get more details on the Austin show here, and the rest of the tour schedule is here. Look out for Portugal. The Man's new album, Censored Colors, coming this September. The photo above was taken by Sound on the Sound at the 2008 Do512 SXSW party.

• Portugal. The Man - "Bellies Are Full"
• myspace.com/portugaltheman
  

PTM will be sharing the stage with the RX Bandits and Facing New York, whose info goes like this:


After a quick spin of RX Bandits (above) it's not hard to guess where they are from; their ska punk edge is undoubtedly evolved from the L.A. punk scene that has been brewing for decades. Yet, while their roots are easy to detect, it's much harder to guess where they are going. They've taken risks in sounds and lyrics that make them hard to categorize. With jazzy astringent guitar riffs and emphatic lyrics, they slip in perfectly at warped tour, and with inventive trombone ensembles they slot in nicely at Bonaroo. You have to watch them closely to catch where they are headed next; as they like to say "Our music breathes when it hits YOUR ears."

If you missed out on Hymns at Mohawk last week, you've still got another chance. They will take over the stage at Momo's tonight at 8:45, followed by Nakia & His Southern Cousins. Hymns won't be in Austin again for a while, so take advantage while you can. More details are at the link.

Calamity Magnet, Built By Snow, Hollywood Gossip and Household Names played at Emo's on Monday, and it went a little something like this:

Household Names (above) was charged with the task of starting off a Monday night at Emo's, which can't be possibly be anyone's dream come true. Judging by the sparse crowd, there were people who still hadn't recovered from the weekend's shows. The lead singer, Jason Garcia, had a nice voice, and their set went down like a glass of cool lemonade. They have well-composed rock songs, nothing jarring, just nice songs to refresh the heat of the night. They ended the set with their best song of the night, a cover of "Making Plans for Nigel" by XTC. This time Chris Peters took lead vocals and Garcia sang back up, resulting in a thrilling combination of charged vocals and guitars. If they can pump more of this style into their other songs, then I will be more than excited to see them again.

Although the Austin City Limits music festival has never been known for its hip hop, this year with N.E.R.D., Del Tha Funky Homosapien, and Gnarls Barkley among the 2008 lineup, they seem to be making a commendable effort at expanding into this Austin-illusive genre. Despite this, the hip-hop pickings at ACL are slim, so if throwing down $170 for three artists seems completely unreasonable to you, there is a fourth that may change your mind.

Bavu Blakes put himself on the map in 2006 when he received the Austin Music Award for “best hip-hop act” and since then has redefined the Austin scene. Even with the position of ME Television Urban Music Director, he continues to create ever original, ever changing music. His beats pay homage to artists from Bob Marley to Jimi Hendrix to Stevie Wonder, as well as more recent artists; not through direct sampling, but through an innovative transcendence of genre classification. With rhymes as rhythmic as those of Ice Cube, and as poetic as Kanye West’s, Blakes is notable as both a producer and a lyricist.

Blakes is one of the top few artists who are really making hip-hop an attraction in Austin. Accordingly, he receives praise from media outlets big and small, and has also shared the stage with influential artists like Snoop Dogg, UGK, Jurassic 5, the Roots, and many more. I highly recommend that you check out his music, and add him to your ACL schedule. With the momentum he is gaining locally, people better watch out.

• Bavu Blakes - "'08 Flow Series"
• Bavu Blakes - "Smiley Faces"
• myspace.com/bavu

A few other upcoming Austin hip hop shows:

http://do512.com/event/2008/07/21/dizzee-rascal

• Dizzee Rascal - "Dream"

http://do512.com/event/2008/07/25/aesop-rock-tba-outside

• Aesop Rock - "No Regrets"

http://do512.com/event/2008/08/02/311-snoop-dogg-w-fiction-plane

Aug 24, Nas w/Talib Kweli at Emo’s

• Nas - "Hip Hop Is Dead"

Grupo Fantasma's new record Sonidos Gold is sure to keep their die-hard fans pleased, while simultaneously appealing to a broader listener base with their mixture of funk, swinging brass, and rock guitar solos layered with island beats. Though certain moments on the new album might sound traditional to some, there are quite a few tracks that allow Grupo to flex their muscles and flaunt their own unique style.

Collaborating with musicians like famed saxophonist Maceo Parker, trombone player Greg Boyer (Prince, Parliament Funkadelic), and Fania All-Stars pianist/arranger Larry Harlow all worked in Grupo's favor on this album. Never ones to disappoint (see Movimiento Popular), the 11-piece "Latin funk orchestra" have created a diverse and comprehensive album that displays their immense talent through the exploration of different genres and styles.

Co-Founder and guitarist Adrian Quesada describes the album's sound as "organic, live, while sonically it's big and roomy with psychedelic and cinematic undertones." Accordingly, the excitement in listening to Sonidos Gold comes from the live-show energy the band brings to their variety of Latin influences. Grupo Fantasma has an abundance pf energy to go around, usually playing 150+ shows a year. They have performances lined up throughout July and August, including stops at the Cambridge and Riverside Festivals in the UK. Take a look at their schedule at grupofantasma.com/tour, and check out some of Sonidos Gold at myspace.

The more I look at the calendar for this week, the more good things I notice. If any of these gigs sound appealing to you, just check out the links to get more info...

• On Thursday Maneja Beto are doing their thing at Mohawk, and Tilly and The Wall bring some Nebraskan indie pop to town.

• Portugal The Man and The Warlocks (who I told you about last year) are both playing Emo's on Friday.

• Hieroglyphics are coming for a visit on Saturday and Ghostland will be entertaining down at White Water in New Braunfels.

Here is a little Maneja Beto for your eardrums. Try to check them out sometime, they put on a pretty good live show.

• Maneja Beto - "Campanera"
• myspace.com/manejabeto
  

DJ Melee /dee jay maylay/ n. 1. A touring DJ competition showcasing the vinyl scene and urban nightlife in major U.S. cities. 2. A gritty, documentary style reality show. 3. One hell of a party.

The DJ Melee is an original Austin-based production where some of the best DJ's in town square off in a winner-take-all battle for rhythmic supremacy. To showcase the best of Austin's DJ subculture and vinyl scene, each DJ visits a local record store to pick out the best 30 pieces of vinyl they can find in the span of five minutes, and all of their selections go into a locked box until show time. When it is their time to spin, each contestant creates their best 30-minute set and local judges vote on the DJ's mixing skills and music knowledge.

This is one of the largest DJ promotions to come out of Austin, including 8 record stores, 9 DJs, and 3 clubs. Three rounds have been completed already, and the winners will go up against each other this Friday at Mohawk for the top prize. Check it some the footage at djmelee.com to see what it's all about.

Friday. Stubb's. US Air Guitar Championships. You know you want to see this.


If I were in the competition I would probably choose a Whitesnake song, or maybe even some Darkness. I saw the Darkness once upon a time back when they were still rocking, at Stubb's as a matter of fact, and that show was an incredibly good time. Mid-show Justin Hawkins (singer/guitarist) moved through the entire crowd on some bouncer's shoulders, wireless guitar in hand, shredding the whole time.

When he got back to the stage he asked if there were any young kids in the audience, and one girl at the front of the stage yelled out that she was 12 years old. "Are your parents here?" he asks. The young girl points to her mother, who was standing beside her. He asks the mom, "Is it okay if we curse?" The mother laughingly obliges, and a few seconds later the band rips into the most kickass version of "Get Your Hands Off My Woman" that you've ever heard. It was a hilariously memorable moment in rock and roll.

• The Darkness - "Get Your Hands Off My Woman"

Anyway, enough about the Darkness. I swear that was an unplanned tangent. Go check out the Air Guitar Championships, it looks like an entertaining way to spend some time drinking on a Friday night. Their website is jam-packed with information, so head over to usairguitar.com for more.

This Wednesday the Emo's Lounge hosts an assembly of four local indie pop bands who go by the names of Gulf of Mexico, The Little Gentleman, The Drawing Board, and The Nasty Clan, respectively.

Upon first listen Schlammpeitziger it almost sounded as if he could be the German alternative to Dan Deacon. The Cologne-based musician creates funky grooves with little more than a keyboard, but overall he keeps everything a bit more minimal and downtempo than our friend Deacon.

His music is constructed almost entirely using the factory presets of his trusty Casio CZ-230S, adding in a little drum machine for flavor. The opening track (Bassbesties Blaesse) on his new album (Schwingstelle Für Rauschabzug) really puts a smile on my face. Zimmermann's simple, retro-tinged music has apparently been a fixture on Cologne's electronic scene since the early '90s.

• Schlammpeitziger - "Bassbesties Blaesse"

Via Brainwashed: "With this album, Jo Zimmermann pulses his listeners (and surely himself) into hypnosis. This new quality transforms Schlammpeitziger's music in a remarkable way: it remains friendly and weird, but gains in seriousness and depth. This kind of club-suitable pop music (or radio friendly club music?) possesses hidden qualities which readily disclose themselves on a second or third listening."

• myspace.com/schlammpeitzigerjozimmermann

As if their name itself doesn’t already suggest something epic and amazing, going to a This Will Destroy You show will definitely leave you convinced. These guys have roots in two of the, arguably, greatest things in the world: post-rock music and Texas. Post-rock bands are awesome, and Texas is awesome, which means that post-rock bands from Texas are just ridiculously awesome.

This Will Destroy You have proven to be one of my favorite solutions to an array of crappy things: the stress that comes with having a bad day, being stuck in traffic for an unnecessarily long period of time, and that feeling of emptiness you sometimes get when you lie awake in bed at 3 in the morning, wondering what you’re going to do with yourself as you look into the ceiling for answers. I don’t listen to This Will Destroy You songs, I experience them.

Guitarist Jeremy Galindo appropriately describes their music as “ambient thrash” and I honestly couldn’t find a better way to describe it. They completely redefine what it means to create ambient music, shoving the preconceptions of those mellow, quiet songs that are so boring that you never even noticed they ended (because, honestly, you didn’t even notice when they started playing either) out the door and writing some of the most powerful, emotionally-driven, and uplifting songs I have in my library.

Their live shows are intense. I know “intense” is usually a word reserved for detailing deathly circle pits at a metalcore show, but in this case, “intense” means epic 8-minute long instrumental tracks that use ambience to build and build and build and build, allowing for a climactic explosion of sounds and emotions. Just close your eyes and let the music hit you.

Before embarking on a massive European tour, This Will Destroy You are playing a show in Austin on August 5th at the Hideout Theater. I’m having trouble containing the excitement. Here are two songs, one from each of their releases thus far.

• This Will Destroy You - "Leather Wings"
• This Will Destroy You - "Quiet"
• myspace.com/thiswilldestroyyou

Until someone builds a time machine and we can all sail back to a time when getting from Woodstock to San Fransisco in a Volkswagen van with your best friends was the only thing that mattered, we can only relive it through the tunes. So I encourage all of you who may be looking for an escape from the heat this summer to hop into your air-conditioned vehicle, get in tune with your funky 70's side, and put on The New Mastersounds' latest album Plug & Play.

True to their genre label of "New Funk," The New Mastersounds combine the acid-tripping guitar riffs of The Jimi Hendrix Experience with classic funk bass-popping and throw in a good dose of Fender Rhodes jamming for good measure. The only real "new"ness about the NMS is that their eight albums have all been produced in the past nine years. Plug & Play, released just last month, sounds as though it could have been recorded forty years earlier, right down to funkstress Dionne Charles' vocals which could rival the passion and power of Aretha's in her heyday. Plug & Play carries on its cover a gust of funky fresh air to the hallowed (hah!) halls the modern day music industry.

The New Mastersounds are a true sign that the return to 70's style good times, free love, and groovin' jams is here to stay. An even better sign is their growing popularity here and across the pond. They are scheduled to play in several festivals through next year all over their native UK, Europe, and the US. They have no official dates in Austin yet, but if the spirit of '69 strikes you, gather your closest friends into your gas guzzler and head out for a memorable roadtrip to one of their upcoming tourdates in Kentucky or Colorado.

• The New Mastersounds - "Altitude"
• myspace.com/newmastersounds
  

Summer can be vicious. The past few weeks I've had wild fantasies about fall weather...a time when I want to reunite with my hoody, and my hair feels good on my neck again. I was beginning to think that summer had completely turned against me. However, when I came across Emo's monday night show with Calamity Magnet, Built by Snow, Hollywood Gossip, and Household Names, it sparked memories of the summer I used to love. When summer was the golden age of freedom from the oppressors, epic super soaker battles, and perfecting the art of doing nothing. Not to say that the music sounds juvenile, just that each band manages to create their own breed of unadulterated fun, the way I remember summers of my youth.

There is plenty of good stuff to check out in Austin this weekend. Here's a quick list of some of it with handy info & links.

• Tonight - Friday, July 11

Doyle Bramhall II combines forces with Gary Clark Jr. for the first of two shows at Antone's. Bramhall is a guitar legend; He's the second guitarist in Eric Clapton's band, he's played with The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Roger Waters, and once formed a band with Stevie Ray Vaughan's rhythm section Double Trouble. This event celebrates the anniversary of Antone's and the life of Clifford Antone.

The Austin Symphony Orchestra and a local choir will perform along with exclusive video footage and music arrangements, synchronized lighting, solo performers, electronic percussionists, live action and unique interactive segments to create an explosive entertainment experience. It's called Video Games Live!, which is a concert event featuring music from the most popular video games of all time. There is also interactive game demos, a costume contest, prize give-a-ways, game competitions and the very popular meet-and-greet with top game composers and designers.

Get some coffee mixed with good, local, live music. Weird Weeds, who we told you about, and Brazos, who we told you about, are plugging it in at Progress Coffee, which we just so happened to tell you about.

• Saturday, July 12

The local eight-piece folk rock collective Brothers and Sisters get their CD release party on at Club de Ville, and admission includes a copy of the new record. Openers Shapes Have Fangs do Kinks-ish garage-pop, and Frank Smith open with some progressive alt-country.

Check out the one-man band-off at Emo's. Bob Log III does lo-fi punk blues while wearing a full-body jumpsuit and a microphone-equipped motorcycle helmet, which allows him to devote his hands and feet to guitar and drums. One of his traditional numbers involves inviting people onstage to stir his beverage with a certain body part. Local one-man bands Scott H. Biram and Possessed By Paul James will get the party started.

Get some local Russian music at Beerland. A buffet of local artists will take part in a Russian Classical Music Hoot Night, including composer Graham Reynolds' Golden Arm Trio, the Invincible Czars, and many more. Definitely something out of the ordinary.

• Sunday, July 13

Spend your Sunday with Afrofreque at Red 7. They've got funky bass lines, elements of electronica, afrobeat, reggae, and spontaneous fits of boogiement. Plus, the folks at Red 7 will be firing up the grill at around 4pm. Afrofreque gets funky at 7.

Wilco guitarist Nels Cline brings his improv/free jazz ensemble to Stubb's. The Nels Cline Singers have recorded three albums, and Cline himself has performed on over 100 albums in multiple genres. He was featured in the cover story of Guitar Player Magazine for his collaboration with Wilco, and was chosen by Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the Top 20 New Guitar Gods.

• On the horizon:

Dizzee Rascal, Girl Talk, Heiroglyphics, and Warlocks coming to Emo's
Ratatat, Toadies, coming to Stubb's
Republic Tigers and Flosstradamus coming to Mohawk
Strange Boys doing The Hole, Wolf Parade doing La Zona

There is a sparse crowd at Mohawk tonight, and I wonder who they are here to see...I must admit I don't know who I am here to see. On the bill: Hymns, Gabe Hascall, and the Visitors. All I know is I saw the word 'acoustic' and I fell for it. Acoustic is one of the most terrifying words in music. At its worst it can be painstakingly embarrassing for all parties involved (audience included), but at its best a performance can unfold into a perfect translation of those emotional things under the surface.

El Guicho, the Barcelona-bred DJ above, applies the remix treatment to the Australian indie pop collective known as Architecture in Helsinki. El Guincho is the recording alias of Pablo Díaz-Reixa, who introduced himself late last year with Alegranza! - an album full of tribal dance rythyms done Panda Bear-style - which sparked a bidding war to retain his services for SXSW. This remix is featured on Architecture's Like It or Not EP, alongside two long-time crowd favorites in "One Heavy February" and "Beef in Box." Available via Polyvinyl.

• Architecture in Helsinki - "Like it or Not" (El Guincho Remix)

de Alegranza!

• El Guicho - "Palmitos Park"
• myspace.com/elguincho
  

All Women are Canadians, but not all Canadians are women. If all Canadians were women, I would be establishing residency north of the border as soon as possible. The Women I'm currently referencing are a Calgary-based band, and two of the Women are brothers, making things slightly more confusing.

They have just released the self-titled debut album they worked on for four months with fellow Canadian artist and label-mate Chad VanGaalen, who made use of some interesting recording techniques. Namely ghettoblasters, old tape machines, a basement, and a crawlspace. The result is a lo-fi creation of something you might call psychedelic-bedroom-surfer-pop.

It's an interesting little record, clocking in at only 29 minutes long, and noisily touching on everything from the Zombies, to the Velvet Underground, to the Beach Boys. It's been dug by the Gramophone Pitchfork, mp3hugger, GvB, Paper Thin, & more. The label brass says:

"Noisy and claustrophobic songs smash through junkyard trash brawls while others lift and soar across the landscape of 50’s-informed pop; a contradiction and an enigma, the debut album by Women will find its way onto summer bike ride mixes and the turntables of record store devotees."

• Women - "Cameras"
• Women - "Black Rice"
• flemisheye.com/women

I've Got My Eye On You, the new album from DFA's anonymous analogue electronic outfit, kind of sounds like the soundtrack to a videogame about breakdancing. It also kind of sounds like something you could do on your own if only you had the equipment, except the more you listen to the album, the more you realize there is no way on Earth you could pull this off. For some reason every time I hear it all I can think of is the Ghostbusters movie, which is something that you'll never convince me isn't awesome. Dusted Mag says it better than I:

"Start spinning this record and you’ll be too busy loving the sped-up sonar of “NR17” to care about what’s going on behind the scenes. I’ve Got My Eye on You simmers with stunning arrangements driven by a loose, live feel exemplified in the drumming of “Nelson’s Back” and the jazzy piano on “A Lovely Sunday.” It’s still too early to be talking about what we’ll remember at year’s end, but I’ve Got My Eye on You is a potent mix of dancefloor deadringers and outer-space experimentation that never wears out a listener for being blandly slick or too abstruse for its own sake. Maurice Fulton and his anonymous band of beatmakers may very well have found the key to the DFA’s next dimension."

Here's two cuts from the album to try on for size:

• Syclops - "Nelson's Back"
• Syclops - "Where's Jason's K"
• myspace.com/syclopsband

Hiero, y'all. They're coming back to town. Who? Hieroglyphics. From Oaktown to Austin, with love. I know they're coming back, because every time I'm at Emo's I notice their well-placed sticker (like above) on the door leading to the stage. The Hieroglyphics crew, birthed by Del The Funky, are celebrating their 10th Anniversary as an independent label and hip-hop collective with the Freshly Dipped Tour, a 45-date, three month-long trek through North America.

Bringing along both classic and new West Coast hip-hop artists, the players include Domino, Pep Love, Tajai, A Plus, Phesto, Opio, Musab, Casual, Knobody, Prince Ali, Blue Scholars, Tanya Morgan, and more. If you're unfamiliar with any or all of those names, roll one and stop by Emo's next Saturday to get familiar and get your boogie on. For some queer reason Del won't be there, or so I hear, but there will be plenty to see. Get a bit more Freshly Dipped info here.

• Hieroglyphics - "You Never Knew" (Domino Remix)
• Hieroglyphics - "Heatish"
• hieroglyphics.com
  

The dynamic duo Ratatat just added some dates to their tour schedule, which I'm pretty much keeping an eye on at all times. In addition to the cool sounds Ratatat creates on record, in concert these are two of the nicest guys that will ever melt your face...with guitar riffs and dance beats. They are currently touring in support of their third studio album, the keyboard drenched LP3.

Ratatat will hit Austin on Septemer 15th, stepping it up a notch to play Stubb's outdoor. After that they will head to up Dallas to play the Grenada, then continue north for three more shows and end up at home in NY. I'm telling you, get some tickets, these shows are a good time.

• Ratatat - "Shempi"

U.S. Dates:
Jul 7 Neumo’s (sold out) Seattle, Washington
Jul 8 Holocene (sold out) Portland, Oregon
Jul 10 Slim’s (sold out) San Francisco, California
Jul 12 Echoplex (sold out) Los Angeles, California
Jul 15 Music Hall of Williamsburg (sold out) Brooklyn, New York
Aug 29 Diesel Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Aug 30 Washington University St. Louis, Missouri
Aug 31 Grenada Theatre Lawrence, Kansas
Sep 2 Gothic Theatre Englewood, Colorado
Sep 3 In The Venue Salt Lake City
Sep 5 Showbox Seattle, Washington
Sep 6 Wonder Ballroom Portland, Oregon
Sep 8 Fillmore San Francisco, California
Sep 9 Henry Fonda Theatre Los Angeles, California
Sep 10 Henry Fonda Theatre Los Angeles, California
Sep 12 House of Blues San Diego, California
Sep 15 Stubb’s Austin, Texas (Tix)
Sep 16 Grenada Theatre Dallas, Texas
Sep 17 Marquee Tulsa, Oklahoma
Sep 20 Calvin College Grand Rapids, Michigan
Sep 21 Hideout Block Party Chicago, Illinois
Sep 27 Terminal 5 New York

• ratatatmusic.com

I normally make a point to refrain from any sort of negativity on this blog, but sometimes you just have to get up on a soapbox. I scheduled a casual meeting this afternoon and believed that the Halcyon Coffeehouse would be a comfortable spot where it could be conducted. Just to add a bit of history to this story, I used to really like Halcyon. They had a separate smoking room inside, a stocked humidor, and it was always maintained by an interesting person who was usually playing good music. They had a huge bar, a case full of sweets & eats, and plenty of space to lounge while getting some work done on the computer.

At some point all of this changed, and for the worse. The smoking room was removed, the bar was cut in half, the spacious lounge appeal was strangled, and the whole place received some sort of faux-elitist whitewash treatment. Snap forward to today, and even the staff who run this place have been ruined. As I entered Halcyon today I immediately spotted the person I was to meet with, so we exchanged introductions and began our discussion.

I had arrived late so I figured we would go ahead and get down to business, planning to grab a coffee to go after we wrapped up. I also figured to buy a pack of smokes while I was there, since my supply had run out. As our fairly brief conversation neared its conclusion, one of Halcyon's militant staff slithered over to our table and began to berate the two of us for having the audacity to believe that we could actually have a brief, casual sit-down at a coffee shop without immediately ordering something first. And one simple explanation of our cowardice wouldn't suffice, she felt the need to thoroughly detail our horrendous offense and curtail any possible repentance on our part. We quickly ended our conversation, and kindly left.

I traveled a few blocks to find an alternate business to buy a pack of smokes, and then made a trip across the river to lend some patronage to Jo's Hot Coffee on South Congress. As I arrived I noticed they were closing down early for the day, but I asked if they might have one more cup of coffee left in there. The courteous fellow quickly obliged, handed me a glass, and then said "it's on the house." Could he sense my potential coffee shop abandonment after the ineptitude I experienced at Halcyon? No, he probably just knows how to treat his customers.

Halcyon, I'll never visit your establishment again. Not only that, whenever the topic of coffee arises in conversation amongst the company I keep, I'll recommend that they steer clear also. And guess what? I just did.

For reference, here is a list of places that you can get coffee in Austin where they won't treat you like you just kicked a puppy:

Progress, Irie Bean, Jo's, Ruta Maya, Flipnotics, Spider House, Bouldin Creek, Green Muse, Austin Java, Mozart's, Cafe Caffiene, Caffé Medici, Dominican Joe, Summermoon Coffee Bar, Little City, and Hot Mamas.

/end rant

To make this music blog related, here's a few songs about coffee:

• Mississippi John Hurt - "Coffee Blues"
• Lightnin' Hopkins - "Coffee House Blues"
• Bob Dylan & Emmylou Harris - "One More Cup of Coffee"

I rounded up the troops last weekend to down some drinks and join in the fun of a Death Set show at Mohawk, and it's safe to say that a memorable time was had by all. This was the third show I've seen these Sydney-Brooklyn-Baltimore dudes do in Austin this year, and as you can see by the pictures they received a proper welcome by a super-rowdy audience.

Front-to-back it's the best set I've seen them put together so far, even though everything started to unravel towards the end due to the high level of rowdiness. But that's par for the course at a proper Death Set gig, elbows to the face and all. I picked up a sweet Crystal Antlers shirt while I was there, plus the last Retarded Kitten (side project) 7'' they had, so perhaps I'll rip those tracks from vinyl when I get home and put them up in this post. The Death Set are currently in the middle of a massive tour, so check the dates and show 'em some hospitality if they come near.

El Ten Eleven is a two-man post-rock-disco from Los Angeles. I heard they were coming to town last week but I didn't have a chance to go check it out, so the best I can do now is jam out to some of their tunes and recommend finding yourself in their tour path. Armed with only guitar, drums and an array of foot pedals, the duo creates instrumental music that has been desrcibed as "Justice meets Tortoise."

By listening further, I think you could also equate some of the things they do as a cross between the emotional riffs of Explosions in the Sky and the synth-based sound of a band like Ratatat. Whatever you want to call it, this stuff is right down my alley. I picked up both albums they have released thus far, plus a stomping track from their forthcoming EP, and I plan on spending some quality time with all of it.

In addition to El Ten Eleven, both of these guys are members of a band called The Soft Lightes, formerly known as The Incredible Moses Leroy. The two met while playing in an experimental 4 piece organic / electronic group that eventually got scrapped, but both were impressed by each others unique approach to their instruments and chose to continue working together.

Los Angeles Alternative: "Kristian Dunn (rockin’ a kick ass double-neck bass/guitar combo) and Tim Fogarty (busting out the mathy cross rhythms of three drummers) manage to play music as intricately layered as any Radiohead album, utilizing a garden of pedals to loop themselves into a 12-piece concept band. Besides probably saving a shit-load of money on tour, cutting their band down to the pure essentials maximizes their live impact as audience members stare in amazement at the fury of Kristian’s fingers and feet, and it makes the Polyphonic Spree seem like member-hoarding pussies."

from their forthcoming EP:

• El Ten Eleven - "Jumping Frenchmen of Maine"

from Every Direction Is North (2007)

• El Ten Eleven - "Every Direction Is North"

from El Ten Eleven (2004)

• El Ten Eleven - "Lorge"

Get this and more at elteneleven.com

There's a saying that goes "I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as soon as I could." Well, I had never listened to The Notwist before this week, but I'm catching up quickly. I recently took their newest album for a spin and heard some things that I liked, so I went back to check out 2002's Neon Golden and heard even more goodness. Neon Golden appears to be some of their best stuff, but in my opinion The Devil, You + Me can't possibly be far behind.

It's definitely indie rock, but they toss in these electronic elements and other little nuances that subtly add life to their music and generates a flow that moves nicely from front to back. Each track is just a little different than the last, blending singer-songwriter pop with electronic rock into an oddly captivating recipe. The live drums, bass, and guitars mesh seamlessly with electronic beats and synths, all complimented nicely by the soft-yet-solid vocals of Markus Acher. The Notwist has been around since 1989, forming in the German town of Weilhelm, and they've been successfully crafting pop experimentation ever since. Here's a track from the new album, plus two from Neon Golden.

• The Notwist - "Alphabet"

• The Notwist - "Solitaire"
• The Notwist - "Neon Golden"

notwist.com

I saw these British-electro gents for the first time at SXSW this year, and they made a huge concrete parking garage tremble under my feet. I've been looking around the internet ever since trying to find a proper live set that would be fit for posting, and yesterday I finally came across one. A good friend of mine just returned to Austin after spending four years in Nagasaki, which borders Osaka, so I guess the timing of this find is somewhat fitting.

• Simian Mobile Disco - Live in Osaka, Japan 2008

1. Sleep Deprivation
2. Animal House
3. The Go! Team - Ladyflash (Simian Mobile Disco remix)
4. It's The Beat
5. System
6. Hustler
7. Tits and Acid
8. Scott

myspace.com/simianmobiledisco

If you're a frequent attendee of live music in Austin, I bet you'd be interested in scoring two free passes to every single show at some of Austin's top music venues for a full month. That's what you'll get if you win this new contest that Do512 is currently running.

One winner will receive a pass allowing them free entry for the entire month of August to each and every show that they desire at Emo's, Antone's, The Parish, Flamingo Cantina, Beerland, Beauty Bar & Threadgill's, and they will have a +1 so that any live-music-obsessed friends can tag along.

Just about anyone who uses the internet can participate, and the only requirement is that you create a personalized event calendar and embed it wherever you hang out online. If you're interested in free tickets for a month of music, check out the link.