The Slits

I was watching TV in the other night, I think Eastbound and Down, when I heard a really nice cover of "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" that I was unfamiliar with. Thanks to the miracles of technology, I was able to pull out my iPhone and run the Shazam ap to find out who recorded the track.

After a few minutes of research I found out it was a cover by The Slits, a British female punk group that formed in the 70s and even supported fellow punk band The Clash on their 1977 White Riot tour. Check out the Grapevine cover below, and if it piques your interest simply follow the link to find lots of info and stuff to download.

• The Slits - "I Heard It Through The Grapevine"

Surf City - Kudos

I first stumbled across New Zealand's surf city a couple of years ago when they released a great little self-titled EP that mostly flew under the radar. I knew they were working on an album, so every so often I would check in to see if they had made any progress but never heard anything until earlier this month. As it turns out, the kiwi four piece with the Jesus and Mary Chain inspired name have signed with Fire Records to release their debut album 'Kudos' in November. Here is a handy little description from the label:

"Updating the psych haze of the Spacemen with the circular drone of Animal Collective and the off kilter melodies of The Clean with the drive of Interpol, Surf City is the perfect mix of everything you loved about the early 80’s New Zealand jangle and the 60’s blur of Velvets and Zombies with the shapeshifting songwriting of today."

What that fails to mention is Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, which is an obvious reference point for me, as I can't get past how similar their sound is. Surf City definitely take their pop songs down an alternate, drone-heavy path, but I think that any fan of the infectious repetition that CYHSY employed will also enjoy our friends from New Zealand. Kudos is the type of album that you can listen to from start to finish without ever skipping a track, which is all too rare a feat.

• Surf City - "Icy Lakes"
• http://www.myspace.com/killsurfcitygo

Daft Punk: Derezzed

Here are some new sounds from Daft Punk to accompany the totally awesome trailer for Tron: Legacy. "Derezzed" is just a glimpse of things to come from this deal, as the French DJs recorded a full soundtrack for the movie. Tron: Legacy, which is of course a remake of the classic Tron movie from 1982, will hit theaters on December 17. Fans can see a sneak preview this Thursday (October 28) as cinemas around the country are screening a 20-minute preview. For details, head to Disneyscreenings.com and enter the codeword “legacy”.

Austin Psych Fest / Halloween

AUSTIN PSYCH FEST 3 TRAILER

Alta Real Pictures is putting the finishing touches on the Austin Psych Fest 3 concert film, featuring some of the best performances from the 2010 festival that was held in April at The Mohawk. The Pirate Studio captured HD audio of the entire festival for the DVD release, and a limited edition vinyl LP will also be available to accompany the film. All of these items and digital audio will be available for purchase in Winter 2010.

This Spring, The Black Angels and The Reverberation Appreciation Society will curate and present the 4th annual Austin Psych Fest, to be held the weekend of April 29 – May 1, 2011. Fans can sign up for the newsletter on austinpsychfest.com for the latest info as it becomes available.


The Reverberation Appreciation Society and Laced with Romance vintage are also hosting a Halloween rock and roll costume party at The Mohawk on Saturday, October 30th, doubling as the APF3 screening party. The night starts early with the premiere screening of Austin Psych Fest 3 at 7:00, followed by live music on two stages from:

The Wooden Shjips (San Francisco, California) myspace
The Growlers (Costa Mesa, California) myspace
Mondo Drag (Davenport, Iowa) myspace
Rayon Beach (Austin, Texas) myspace
DJ MARKUS (Austin, Texas) myspace

Costume contest MC’d by KUT’s Laurie Gallardo. Contest prizes include $500 in gift certificates to Laced with Romance, 2 weekend passes for Fun Fun Fun Fest, 2 VIP passes to Austin Psych Fest 4, vouchers for free pizza from Hoboken Pies, haircuts from Bird's Barbershop and much more.

The evening will also bring a Halloween photo booth, palm reading, art installations by M. Lawrence Mcoy and Art Power Collective, visuals to enhance your musical experience, drink specials and some surprises in the works. Tickets are on sale right now on austinpsychfest.com.

Video: Holy Fuck

'Red Lights' is taken from Holy Fuck's latest album, Latin. The album was engineered by Graham Walsh and mixed by Dave Newfeld (Broken Social Scene), D. Sardy (Johnny Cash, NIN), Eli Janney (GvsB, Wilco,), Paul Epworth (Bloc Party, Primal Scream) and Holy Fuck themselves. The video was directed by Brian Borcherdt & Michael LeBlanc, and produced by Slowlover Films.

• http://www.myspace.com/holyfuck

autumnal rambles: a hungry hearted mix.

a mix for life’s adventures, introspective moments, sunny days, windy roads, and truckin’ along.

DOWNLOAD: AUTUMNAL RAMBLES

• Arcade Fire - "Wasted Hours"
• White Denim - "Some Wild Going Outward"
• Magnetic Fields - "Sunset City"
• Liz Phair - "Baby Got Going"
• Conor Oberst - "NYC Gone, Gone"
• Slow Club - "It Doesn’t Have To Be Beautiful"
• The Strange Boys - "Be Brave"
• Eric Clapton - "Lay Down Sally"
• The Techniques - "Traveling Man"
• M. Ward - "Shangri-la"
• Belle & Sebastian - "The Boy With The Arab Strap"
• The Walkmen - "Another One Goes By"
• Tennis - "Take Me Somewhere"
• Magic Man - "South Dakota"
• The Shaky Hands - "Another World"
• The Tallest Man On Earth - "Like The Wheel"
• Dan Auerbach - "Goin’ Home"
• Nick Drake - "Place To Be"
• Simon & Garfunkel - "Flowers Never Bend With The Rainfall"
• Cat Power - "Could We"
• The Sonics - "Have Love Will Travel"
• Bob Dylan & The Band - "Long Distance Operator"
• Deer Tick - "These Old Shoes"
• Huckleberry Flint - "Goodnight My Darling"

(via hungryhearted)

Review: Deer Tick at Emo's

With three albums under their belt, Deer Tick brought their blues-drenched rock sensibilities to Emo’s last night. The five-piece casually commanded the stage with earnest charisma (picture a modernized, scruffy, blue collar take on the rat pack) as they milled around between songs to the jazzy brush of a snare drum, cigarettes hanging from their lips, partaking in a little friendly banter with the crowd.


After opening for Dr. Dog in May, it was refreshing to see Deer Tick playing a proper set as a headlining act. Their set was laden with variations of studio songs. Loveable front-man John McCauley led the boys into a sauntering rendition of “Ashamed,” and continued with variations of their songs played as stylistic tributes to Chuck Berry and T-Rex. A slow, sentimental version of “Smith Hill” was dedicated to Bruce Springsteen, emphasizing their well-noted admiration for traditional rock music. Their live shows have a reputation for getting a little cover-heavy, and a rockin’ rendition of The Replacements “I Can’t Hardly Wait” was warmly received by the crowd as everyone happily sang along.

In addition to their musical catalog and some new Deer Tick songs, McCauley introduced songs from his new side project MG&V (a collaboration with Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes and Matt Vasquez from Delta Spirit). Though surprisingly young, McCauley’s scratchy vocals showed the range of a seasoned vet as he turned the somber redemption ballad “Christ Jesus” into a rockin’ anthem. The boys mixed and mingled through “20 Miles,” “Cake & Eggs” (which he co-wrote with fiance, Nikki Darlin) and met the audiences request for “Dirty Dishes,” before finishing their set with the high-energy “Mange” from this year’s Black Dirt Sessions.

The song stirred as McCauley and Ian O’Neil played dueling guitars until McCauley ditched his axe to jump into the crowd and continued to climb the rafters and dangle over excited fans. It was hard to tell who was having more fun, the audience or the band. The mutual admiration resulted in a three song encore after which McCauley asked fans to stick around and drink with the band 'til closing time.

[all photos by Mary Rehak]

• Deer Tick - "Sink or Swim"
• http://www.myspace.com/deertick
  

The Rumble: Austin

THE RUMBLE: AUSTIN – TONIGHT at BEERLAND

Featuring The Great Nostalgic, The Bubbles, and FM Campers

I've featured The Bubbles and FM Campers recently, and The Great Nostalgic come recommended by friends like The AV Club, Austin Town Hall and Austin Sound. As always, the show is absolutely FREE, so come on down to Beerland tonight and support local music! The first band will kick it off at 10:30. The Rumble Austin is brought to you by Future Sounds, The AV Club, Waterloo Records, The Austinist, Austin Town Hall and Covert Curiosity.

• The Great Nostalgic - "Southern Charmer"
• http://www.myspace.com/thegreatnostalgic

• FM Campers - "Maytown"
• http://www.myspace.com/fmcampers

• The Bubbles - "Never-ending Summer"
• http://www.myspace.com/thebubblesmusic

Video: Warpaint

Warpaint’s debut album The Fool will be released on October 25, 2010 on Rough Trade. The band just released the first video to come from the album, appropriately beginning with the first single "Undertow." The video was directed by the multi-talented Shannyn Sossamon, the original drummer who was featured on the band's 2009 EP, Exquisite Corpse.

Springsteen's Promise airs tonight on HBO

As a kid I remember my mom driving me to school/camp/babysitters and together we'd listen along to her cassette tapes of Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Elton John and The Rolling Stones. I recall being genuinely proud of myself when I started to learn the songs well enough to sing along with her. Of course I got older, discovered mainstream radio, and in turn rejected some of the classic rock that defined my childhood.

Six years ago I was living in Philly and solidified a life-long friendship with The DiMedio's, a classic Philadelphia (via South Jersey) couple. My family is North Jersey to a T, so when they waxed philosophic on the intricate layers of Springsteen's body of work, it struck a chord of nostalgia. One afternoon at their apartment, I found myself hypnotized as we watched Springsteen's 1975 performance with the E Street Band at London's Hammersmith Odeon. Bruce was just a kid: skinny and disheveled under a big mop of curly hair. His performance is relentless and meticulous. He hams it up pal-ing out with Stevie and Clarence and incorporates theatrical accents on "Lost In The Flood" and "Jungleland." Bruce was fresh on the scene and turning heads with Born To Run and the 30th Anniversary Edition of Born To Run provided a glimpse of the young blue-collar hero from Jersey. I fell in love.

Tonight's HBO debut of "The Promise: The Making of Darkness On The Edge of Town" will be an epic retelling of Bruce and The E Street-er's struggle to strike gold again in 1977, following the success of Born To Run. The documentary mixes 30 year old backstage footage with recent interviews revealing the madness behind the man and insight to the careful balance between passion and endurance that we recognize as The Boss.

Springsteen's "The Promise," is the namesake for the documentary though the track, like many others, never made the final cut for the album due to the obsessive re-working the film focuses on.

Smoke Weed About It

Walsh is Brandon Biondo from Knoxville, TN. He has also released music under the name COOLRUNNINGS. This "Smoke Weed About It" EP is great stuff. And a free download. Go for it.

• Walsh - "Sweet Draemz"
• Walsh - "Luxury" (Ft. Squadda Bambino)
• bandcamp.com/Walsh

Walsh - Smoke Weed About It EP

Women - Public Strain

I've mentioned Women quite a few times in the past, and the selected their debut album as one of my top picks from 2008. The four members of the Calgary, Alberta band have been playing music together since childhood, and as a result the foursome is able to marry dense experimental noise and intricate instrumentation with delicate, melodic songwriting in a seemingly effortless manner. Jagjaguwar recently released their sophomore LP, Public Strain, and the band will bring their new sounds to Austin next week for a Saturday night show at The Mohawk with local favorites Brazos.

"With Chad VanGaalen again on production duties, the band laboriously crafted a timeless sounding recording over the dead of winter in Alberta, Canada. The result exploits their usage of harsh, grating dissonance in smaller and controlled doses, using noise as the foundation for richly structured, layered songwriting.

In places claustrophobic, conjuring walking dreams of sexual anguish and general decay, elsewhere soaring with vintage guitar tones and vocal melodies or collapsing into swirling, mesmerizing swells, "Public Strain" cycles through insomnia, paranoia, resignation and euphoria, to capture a band with an undeniable voice coming into full awareness of their craft."

from Public Strain :

• Women - "Locust Valley"

from the Service Animal 7" :

• Women - "Grey Skies"
• http://www.myspace.com/womenmusic

Shiner Local Stage

If you're engaging in some of the festivities at Zilker Park this weekend, make sure to stop by the Shiner Local Stage outside of Flipnotics to enjoy some free local music and cold beer. Ten different Austin-area bands will rock the stage throughout the afternoon on both Saturday and Sunday. Check out the lineup and schedule below, and find more details at the link.

The Line Up:

Saturday Oct 9

• 2:00 Radar Radar: http://www.myspace.com/radarradar23
• 3:00 Through the Trees: http://www.myspace.com/thetreesaustin
• 4:00 Slowtrain: http://www.myspace.com/slowtrainmusic
• 5:00 Hickoids: http://www.myspace.com/hickoids
• 6:00 White Rhino: http://www.myspace.com/whiterhinorocks

Sunday Oct 10

• 2:00 Olde World: http://www.myspace.com/oldeworldmusic
• 3:00 The Preservation: http://www.myspace.com/thepreservation
• 4:00 Leo Rondeau: http://www.myspace.com/leorondeau
• 5:00 Black Forest Fire: myspace.com/theblackforestfire
• 6:00 Chris Gates and Gatesville: myspace.com/chrisgatesandgatesville

Play It Strange

In The Red Records will release the third album from San Francisco psych-pop outfit the Fresh & Onlys on October 12. Play It Strange was recorded outside the band's home-side recording space, at San Francisco's Louder Studios, with Comets on Fire and Fucking Champs producer Tim Green. The Fresh & Onlys will be in Austin on October 27 for a show at Emo's.

"For those unfamiliar with The Fresh and Onlys, their sound draws from jangly psychedelia, Morricone-style Western twang, dark vibes a la Bad Seeds / Gun Club, melodic '60s sunshine pop and a hint of garage rock swagger. While this disparate list may look strange on paper, it makes perfect sense when you hear it. Play It Strange is the sound of a band that has ingested a wide range of rock 'n' roll influences from nearly every genre and sub-genre to come up with something fresh and immensely enjoyable."

• The Fresh & Onlys - "I'm A Thief"
• http://www.myspace.com/thefreshonlys

Video: Nosaj Thing

VIA

http://www.myspace.com/nosajthing

Neil Young - Le Noise

Neil Young released a brand-new solo album, entitled Le Noise, on September 28th. The eight-song album is a collaboration with Daniel Lanois, known for his work with U2, Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel, Willie Nelson and many others.

Recorded in Lanois’ home in the Silverlake area of Los Angeles, Le Noise features Young on acoustic and electric guitars with Lanois adding his trademark sonic textures, creating one of the most sonically arresting albums Young has ever recorded.

To accompany Le Noise, a black-and-white movie of Neil Young performing the eight songs from the album was posted on Young’s YouTube channel. The 38-minute film shot by Adam CK Vollick captures the musician performing solo on both acoustic and electric guitars, including his famous Gretsch White Falcon.

• http://www.neilyoung.com
  

We Were So Turned On

Manimal Vinyl recently released We Were So Turned On: A Tribute to David Bowie. The album features contributions from the likes of Duran Duran, A Place To Bury Strangers, Warpaint, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Vivian Girls, and Devendra Banhart. The project began in early 2008 by Manimal Vinyl founder Paul Beahan, and is one of the only records of its kind to be approved by David Bowie and his management. Proceeds go to support War Child, which helps children affected by war across the globe.

Check out two samples below, and follow the link to get more.

• A Place To Bury Strangers - "Suffragette City"
• Warpaint - "Ashes To Ashes"

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In related news, Warpaint are back in Austin this week. They will open the Sonic Youth aftershow at La Zona Rosa on Saturday, then play at the ACL Festival early on Sunday. Rough Trade will release the band's long-awaited debut full-length album, The Fool, on October 26th, 2010. Recorded in LA, The Fool was produced by Tom Biller (Beck, Karen O, Liars), with further mixes from Andrew Weatherall (New Order, Primal Scream, Bjork) and Adam Samuels (John Frusciante, Daniel Lanois).

• Warpaint - "Undertow"
• http://www.myspace.com/worldwartour

Also in related news, A Place To Bury Strangers have a new video. "I Lived My Life To Stand In The Shadow Of Your Heart" is featured on their latest album, Exploding Head. This video was directed by Sian Alice Group guitarist Ben Crook (Spiritualized, Fratellis, Black Lips), and shot during the band's London show at Heaven on May 25th 2010.

• http://www.myspace.com/aplacetoburystrangers