Fantastic song from their new album Intuit. The video, directed by Stefan Nadelman, is even better.

Ramona Falls is the solo work of Brent Knopf, one third of Menomena; Nadelman previously worked with Knopf on the similarly dark and fantastic video for ‘Evil Bee’ (from Menomena’s Friend or Foe album) which you can see here.

Mp3: Ramona Falls – “I Say Fever”

[via]

I just picked up the new Ramona Falls album Intuit (out now via Barsuk Records), which is the solo side project from Menomena member Brent Knopf.  If you like Menomena, then Brent’s solo project is like a familiar slice of bread but instead of whole wheat you’re getting whole grains.  And like nine of them.  Here he is talking about the recording process while laying down tracks for “Going Once, Going Twice.”

Ramona Falls (named after a hiking trail along Mt. Hood) had several great musicians pitch in during the recording process, including members of The Helio Sequence, Mirah, Loch Lomond, 31 Knots, Talkdemonic, Nice Nice, Tracker, Datr, Dear Reader, 3 Leg Torso, and Matt Sheehy.

The most interesting aspect for any art is the creative process.  How the art gets done.  I think a lot of people have this idea that music, etc. exists in a vacuum waiting to be discovered and set free, as opposed to crafted, shaped, built and sculpted.

Click here to view the embedded video.

See the song being built, hear it played live, download the studio track.

Mp3: Ramona Falls – “Going Once, Going Twice”

Not because we weren’t expecting it, but because producer Britt Daniel (Spoon frontman) managed to capture the drumtastic-excellence of their live show. The thumping piano, so prevalent on the first album, has taken a backseat to the drums.

You see, White Rabbits bring the thunder to their live show with dueling drum kits, in fact the drums are so overwhelming and forceful that that’s all I remember from seeing them live.  And nowhere on their debut album was the percussive attack so front and center.

All that’s changed on the new album, which is chaotic, unrelenting and leaps and bounds better than their first album (which is so good it’s still in heavy rotation two years later), evidenced by the first single “Percussion Gun,” which the band played for Letterman the other night.

Click here to view the embedded video.

White Rabbits – “Percussion Gun”

It’s Frightening is out now on TBD Records; you can stream the full album on their MySpace page.

I’m planning on catching them in Boston in early June and then again when they swing back to Portland later in the month.  And so should you when they come to your city.

WHITE RABBITS TOUR DATES
5/21 – Bowery Ballroom – New York NY
5/30 – Grog Shop – Cleveland OH
5/31 – Do Division Fest – Chicago IL
6/01 – Summit – Columbus OH
6/02 – Rock N Roll Hotel – Washington DC
6/04 – Middle East – Boston MA
6/05 – Johnny Brendas – Philadelphia PA
6/06 – Brillobox – Pittsburgh PA
6/09 – Mojos – Columbia SC
6/10 – Firebird – St Louis MO
6/11 – Bonnaroo – Manchester TN
6/14 – Emo’s – Austin TX
6/16 – Club Congress – Tuscon AZ
6/17 – Casbah – San Diego CA
6/18 – Troubadour – Los Angeles CA
6/20 – Independent – San Francisco CA
6/22 – Crocodile Cafe – Seattle WA
6/23 – Doug Fir – Portland OR
6/24 – Neurolux – Boise ID
6/25 – Urban Lounge – Salt Lake UT
6/26 – Bluebird – Denver, CO
6/27 – Slowdown JR – Omaha NE
6/29 – 400 Bar – Minneapolis MN
6/30 – High Noon – Madison WI
7/1 – Empty Bottle Chicago IL
7/02 – Pike Room – Pontiac WI
8/1 – All Points West Festival – Liberty State Park NJ

Click here to view the embedded video.

There’s an amazing Yahoo! video shoot of Patrick Watson performing in a pinata shop in LA. One of the songs even features his new megaphone suit that I was trying to tell you about the other day when he played in Portland.

“We wanted to create folk science fiction music, like in The Twilight Zone, where there’s a normal situation with a twist,” Watson recently explained to Yahoo!. “There should be an innocence to it, a sense of a humble, grounded story with a subtle twist.”

And that’s pretty much the best description of his ethereal psych-folk-pop that I would be able to come up with.  Of course, I didn’t come up with it, he did.  But the quote perfectly encapsulates how his music is at once familiar and nothing like you’ve heard.

Here he is with his bandmates performing “Big Bird Small Cage.” It’s one of the standout tracks from the new album.

After watching them perform in the pinata shop, I hope Vincent Moon gets them to do a Blogoteque takeaway show sometime in the near future.

Patrick Watson – “Fireweed”

Well, if you did, now’s your chance.

M. Ward’s latest album Hold Time has been slowly growing on me as I let the songs slip over me.  It’s going to be a perfect summer backporch kind of affair – a little more subdued than his previous efforts.

And due to his cover of “Rave On” I’ve spent the past month or so digging back into my Buddy Holly albums and rekindled that love affair.  So, regardless there’s that. It took no time at all to realize I much prefer the Buddy Holly version of this song.  M. Ward’s feels too syrupy, too low key.  With Holly you get a coiled beast bursting at the seams – full of youthful energy and emotional confusion.

M. Ward (feat. Zooey Deschanel) – “Rave On”

Buddy Holly and The Crickets – “Rave On”

Portland’s The Thermals will release their new album Now We Can See on April 7.

It’s one of my most anticipated releases of the year.  The trio, we’re hoping, makes the leap and takes their place as the preeminent hard pop band in the vein of Ted Leo.

Muzzle of Bees sat down with singer Hutch Harris for five questions. It’s  a good quick interview, as is often the case with MOB’s Five Questions series.

The Thermals – “Now We Can See”

Justin over at Aquarium Drunkard is always doing cool stuff. Besides running one of the dopest (wow I just went 1994 on you) music sights, there’s also, the record label, the book he’s written, and the 826LA lecture this week, etc. To top all of that Justin’s managed in his spare time to gather a bunch of his favorite artists from his neighborhood to record a free album covering Paul McCartney’s 1971 solo album RAM.

The result will be free to download today, with a donation requested for No More Landmines. Yay, everybody wins!  Except for those who’ve already stepping on a landmine.  But that’s neither here nor there.

Many of the songs have already begun popping up on several must read music sites including: Fuel Friends, My Old Kentucky Blog, Gorilla vs Bear, Some Velvet Blog, etc.

Justin writes:

Los Angeles: huge, sprawling, and eclectic, has been likened to microcosm of the country as whole — truly a melting pot of various cultures, ethnicities, tastes and influences. So is her music. With various scenes and sub-scenes, rarely has there been a defining “sound” that marks the overall zeitgeist of what is happening in the city at any one time. In 2008 I set out to create a compilation of a dozen or so L.A. based artists that I felt were creating something both unique and diverse. After some thought I decided that there needed to be a running theme, something to tie the artists together into a cohesive whole, a common bond.

As records tend to do, a revisited appreciation of Paul McCartney’s 1971 solo album, RAM, had begun to see a resurgence of sorts within a number of local Eastside artists, coming up in conversations and on the turntables of various house parties.

The theme was found. Over the course of the second half of 2008 eleven Angeleno artists individually went in to various studios, rehearsal spaces and apartments to record their take on what is my favorite, and arguably, McCartney’s best solo work…. the end result is RAM On L.A.

I find this interesting because I’ve never actually listened to Sir Macca’s Ram. Now is as good as time as any, I suppose.  The bands included on the album are: The Parson Red Heads, Broken West, Frankel, Travel By Sea, Le Switch and Earlimart.

Parson Red Heads – “Ram On”
Broken West – “Eat at Home”

Are overdubs going to be the remix/mashup of 2K9?  It’s doubtful because so many of the ones on the site are just terrible.  The creators are taking various elements of the songs and simply laying them on top of one another.  Sometimes you get lucky though, like this overdub between Radiohead’s “15 Step” and jazz maestro Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five.”

It’s an amazing synergy between the two.   The textures blend nicely between the saxophone and piano of “Take 5″ with the vocals, the snapping rhythms of the drums, bassline, and other noises from “15 Step.”

Radiohead & Dave Brubeck – “Five Step”

The Scottish band has a new album coming out April 21 and I couldn’t be more excited.  The group will be hitting up SXSW on what will likely turn into a small American tour (or won’t) — so be on the lookout for them in Austin.

Camera Obscura – “My Maudlin Career”

The title track for their new album is a bit darker, a bit dialed down for them.  It’s not so tweepop, in the vein of Belle and Sebastian, but still a great slice of pop with a slight layer of fuzz running underneath it.

Even his decision to put The Fruit Bats on hold in early 2006 seemed like a curious one – a momentum killer for a band that finally locked down a steady four-piece lineup and released an amazing nature/romantic tinged third album. Just when he decided to shelve the band, music fans realized they were one of the most compelling pop-rock groups combining great lyrics, tightly written songs and excellent musicianship.  Essentially they became The Shins, without the benefit of Zac Braff’s sloppy wet kiss.

There’s no indication as to why he wanted to put The Fruit Bats back together at this point in time.  Three years is a long time in the now and gone world of internet media. But if I were to hazard a guess, I’d say he built up some financial security playing with The Shins and missed his own creative outlet. He’s too good a songwriter and singer to be playing rhythm guitar for another band.

“I almost retired the Fruit Bats name, because this is such a different concept,” he told the Willamette Week. “But we decided not to. We couldn’t think of another band name, anyway.”

The different concept, a newly retooled lineup, rolled into the Mission Theater with a half-dozen new songs, several old favorites and proof that the most interesting aspect of The Fruit Bats hasn’t yet happened yet. 

The biggest difference in the new lineup is the addition of drummer Graeme Gibson, formerly of Chicago’s The Boas. He plays the drums in the same vein as Keith Moon, always attacking and pounding the kick drum with abandon – so much so, that he broke his snare midway through the show.

Nowhere was his addition felt greater than on “Rainbow Signs.” What was once a delicate mid-tempo song from second-album Mouthfuls was transformed into a jazzy triple-time country funk barn burner.

They closed the night with arguably their most crowd-pleasing number “When You Love Somebody” and then came back out for an encore cover of Neil Young’s “Helpless, Helpless.”

It’s fitting they closed with a Neil Young song. Eric Johnson clearly has a thing for Young, blending those traditions of country, rock, blues and folk. He also shares Young’s ability to damn the torpedoes and follow his unique musical path, wherever it takes him.

This isn’t even the same band, with the exception of Eric Johnson. Now The Fruit Bats are a confidant muscular rock band. Similar to their previous DNA, but now ready for their next evolution. They hop into a recording studio in two weeks to lay down tracks (several they played) for their fourth studio effort. It should be worth the wait.

New Song #2

Sorry I didn’t catch the name of this tune.

Tegucigalpa

Of all the new songs, this and “Blessed Breeze” (which they opened the show with) sound like early highlights from the new album.

The Fruit Bats – “Tegucigalpa (new song)”
The Fruit Bats – “Untitled New Song”
The Fruit Bats – “Helpless, Helpless (Neil Young cover)”

Coppola always straddles a fine line with us; in that we have to be in the right mood for her stylized films.  When the mood fancies us The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation and her take on the doomed French Queen offer pleasures few film directors can match.  But again, the mood has to strike.  I wouldn’t argue if someone said her movies come of as slow, precious, fey, etc.

That style, of blending old school cinematography with excellent music, is on full display in this Dior commercial.  It’s set to the Brigitte Bardot song “Moi, Je Joue” (interestingly enough one of the few great Bardot songs not written by Serge Gainsbourg) and stars model Maryna Linchuk.

If this doesn’t make you want to go to Europe and traipse through the cobblestone and country side, sipping wine in cafes and wearing ascots, then I don’t know what it would take. Mostly, I just wish my entire life had the sheen of 60’s French new wave cinema.

Mp3: Bridgette Bardot – “Moi Je Joue”

Cinematic Titanic, the creators behind the movie skewering MST3k, are taking on one of my favorite awful Christmas movies this year.  It’s available now and might just be worth the $15.

Mp3: Milton Delugg – “Hooray for Santa Claus”

It’s a slightly updated take on that jangly, mid 80’s/early 90’s rock and calls to mind bands like New Order and then later Black Tambourine or My Bloody Valentine.  Still, it’s impressive that their sound is so cohesive, well-arranged and poppy without losing any of that edge.

Signed to Slumberland Records, which is building an impressive roster that includes the Crystal Stilts, Cause Co-Motion, Brickolage and others, the band’s debut album doesn’t drop until Feb. 2009 but it’s certainly on our radar.

For the Art Boonparn-directed clip for “Everything With You,” which shows up on the album, the New York quartet’s represented by keyboardist/vocalist Peggy and her best friend, who have pillow fights, share gum and otherwise wander a graying city.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I know the Vivian Girls have been getting a lot of great press this year – and for good reason.  However, when I listen to POBPAH I only think how much better/enjoyable they are making comparable music.

Mp3: Pains of Being Pure At Heart – “Everything With You”

Mostly, I think because Lewis is interested in a southern musical stew throwing country, blues, gospel and rock into a pot and seeing what works. It’s obvious these are the genres of music that have influenced and moved her musical outlook.  As a solo artist she is allowed to pursue what interests her the most, with Rilo Kiley it’s almost like she is forced to reign it in for the sake of everyone else in the band.

The album has plenty of highlights and stretches what we have come to expect from Lewis.  If before this album I thought she was a capable front woman for a band or need the soulfulness of The Watson Twins as a crutch, I’m now more than curious about what her future holds.  In many ways this album has raised her ceiling – she’s like a poor woman’s Neko Case.  And I don’t mean that as an insult, but rather the highest compliment I could give a female country artist.

There are a few throw away songs on this album, not that the songs are bad per say, but that I just don’t care for them because they are uninteresting in a pedantic way (”Pretty Bird,” “Bad Man’s World” and “Black Sand” come to mind).

The best songs here have those awkward phrasings and lyrics, that while on her last album seemed to be a detriment, here it works in her favor.  It gives the album personality and a certain quirky charm.  It also helps that several songs shift genres over the course of their duration – “Jack Killed Mom,” and “Acid Tongue” are the best examples of the wildly shifting sounds at work.

Anyway, this wasn’t meant to be a fullblown review of Jenny’s new album.  I came to praise her duet with Elvis Costello on “Carpetbagger.”

Though I don’t think she’ll ever want to be a prototypical Nashville country star, the child-actress raised in Hollywood could be considered something of a country music carpetbagger.  Which is not to say her love of southern musical culture isn’t genuine, I think she combines those tropes better and in a more cohesive sound than many who try.

“Carpetbaggers” is an uptempo rocker and stolen from Elvis Costello.  Even at his age his voice is one for the ages – smoothed out but still nasally. It’s like he’s not even trying in this song and yet, I don’t think it would nearly work as well without him.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Knowledge bomb alert: Carpetbagger, while now considered a derisive term for any politician running for office in a district other than their own, i.e. Hillary Clinton running for Senator of New York, the term was originally given to Northerners who moved south during Reconstruction (1865-1877).  Southerners were worried that white republicans from the north (who came with their belongings in travel carpetbags) were going to loot and plunder their defeated lands.  Which is probably true, since with a coalition of freed slaves and scalawags (southerns who supporter reconstruction) they attempted to politically control confederate states.

Mp3: Jenny Lewis – “Carpetbaggers”

Having just seen David Gordon Green’s Snow Angels, it looks like Beckinsale is finally moving away from low-grade romantic comedies and schlocky vampire flicks.  And that is a great thing for film buffs.

Nothing But the Truth is both written and directed by Israeli filmmaker Rod Lurie, of The Contender and Resurrecting the Champ previously. The film first premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and is being distributed by Yari Film Group. Nothing But the Truth will arrive in very limited theaters starting on December 19th before expanding wider throughout January.

Mp3: The Decemberists – “Valerie Plame”

LA’s The Happy Hollows draw easy comparisons to both Sonic Youth and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs with vocalist Sarah Negahdari’s quirky delivery and fuzzy guitar lines and abrupt tempo switches from the deft rhythm section of Charles Mahoney and Chris Hernandez .  Comparisons aside, however, it’s hard to not to be immediately drawn into their infectious rock.

The band has decided to release their new The Imaginary EP, which comes out tomorrow in physical format (Heart Records), a day early in that old “pay what you want model.”  Check out the widget below and if you pass the along to five friends then you can download it for free.  And it’s totally worth it. Both for you and your friends.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Imaginary EP Tracklist:

1. Lieutenant (Mp3)
2. Labyrinth
3. Tambourine (Mp3)
4. Big Bad Wolf
5. Colors

Britt Daniel is one of us.� Yeah sure, he’s the front man for Spoon and that makes him nothing like us on a certain level.� But seeing him kick around Portland at shows, whether it’s checking out White Rabbits or Los Compesinos!, I get the impression he’s one of us.

Wearing jeans, red chucks and t-shirts he blends in more than most of the crazy fashionistas here, except it’s Britt Daniel and he stands out because of who he is.� Still, I get the sense that Britt Daniel was the most popular guy in high school.� Not in that captain of the football team kind of way, but the kind of guy who floats between cliques, excels at everything, is loved by cheerleaders, teachers and moms alike.� He’s that guy.

And we’re all the better for it.� Nowhere were these traits on display more than during his solo set at Wonder Ballroom for MusicFest Northwest.� He was charismatic and coy, often laughing at his mistakes and having fun.� He came on the stage with a simple “thanks for coming to my show” (as if noone would show up?) before blasting into “The Beast and the Dragon, Adored.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

His set was rife with material from Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Gimme Fiction and Kill the Moonlight. But the highlights were the three new songs he debuted.� One was “Writing to You in Reverse,” a song Spoon played at Pitchfork Music Fest that’s been kicking around; the second had no name but it was an aggressive uptempo number in the vein of their Telephono days.� You could almost here the Pixies influence in the tune’s rawness.� Unfortunately, I didn’t get great video of the song; a shame because it was the best of the three.� Finally, he played “Who Backs Your Money?”

Click here to view the embedded video.

But over the course of the hour that he played there is no doubt that Britt Daniel is one of the biggest rock stars we have, even if he refuses to act like it.� His mini-set with Quasi/Sleater-Kinney drummer Janet Weiss was one of the highlights of the entire music fest, just an awesome surprise.

He left the stage with an even simpler slight wave of the hand and “goodbye.”� In five years I doubt I’ll remember most of the music I caught this week, but Britt Daniel solo isn’t one of them.

Mp3: Britt Daniel (w/Janet Weiss) – “Who Backs Your Money?” (new!)

Mp3: Britt Daniel – “Underdog”

Mp3: Britt Daniel – “The Beast and Dragon, Adored”

Mp3: Britt Daniel – “Something to Look Forward To”

More videos from the set after the jump.�

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Photo: Dave Allen (who also has some great behind the scenes video of Britt and Janet)

He doesn’t deviate much from the song and I never thought I’d miss the washboard in this lazy, ramshackle of a song, but it’s a good cover and a great way to start the morning.

Mp3: Devendra Banhart – “In the Summertime”

It cracks me up everytime he sings the line “When the weather’s fine you got women on your mind.� Have a drink have a drive go out and see what you can find.� If her daddy’s rich take her out for a meal, if her daddy’s poor just do what you feel.”� Just puts a big ole shit-eating grin on my face.

M4a: Mungo Jerry – “In the Summertime”

Also, I just learned that Mungo Jerry was an English folk group and not some Appalachian American musician.� If you could see my face it would be the look of extreme disappointment mixed with utter happiness. Because the song and the video below is just that awesome.

In “Swing that Tambourine” the song starts off with that Southern Cali, slow-dub rhythm – you know the one made obnoxious in every Jack Johnson song and the one that Sublime helped make popular. Still, about a minute into this song when the pianos start twinkling and the other instruments begin to build it’s clear that he has something much more glorious in mind than your average campfire sing-along song.

The video, directed by Adam Buncher, has Ragnstam in a Twilight Zone situation of trying to escape from a box! Twist ending alert!

Also: This is a great interview with him.
Mp3: Kristoffer Ragnstam – “Swing that Tambourine”
And: Wrong Side of the Room drops Aug. 19 on Bluhammock Records [Buy the record]

I do sorta dig The Republic Tigers breed of sensitive electronic rock. It’s not quite progish, not even close, but that’s the descriptor that comes to mind. Like it’s an Americanized late-period Britpop.� The Tigers write tight upbeat pop songs, with dark and moody underpinnings.

Photo by: Jalapeno at Philly’s North Star Bar

One day I will get my camera back up and working.� So on to the new music.�

The Cold War Kids

I loved The Cold War Kids’s debut album. They had such a unique sound, loose structures, jangly guitars, blues rhythms and they sung about some heavy shit. Not even shy to sing about religion or alcoholism and the characters in their songs were all lovably damaged. They’re back with a new album out in September, Loyalty to Loyalty. From the sounds of their first single “Something is Not Right With Me” they’ve amped up their sound. Listening to this reminds me of what it’s like after pounding down 12 cups of coffee before 8 a.m.

Mp3: The Cold War Kids – “Something is Not Right With Me”

GZA

GZA will always have Liquid Swords to fall back on but he’s called The Genius for a reason. His new album Pro Tools drops August 19 and the beats and lyrical flow sounds like GZA is still going strong. I like how he transitions between doing dope soundtracks and his own albums, plus the last Wu Tang album was like a master thesis.� If his new track “Alphabets” doesn’t get your morning going, then you need to go back to bed.

Mp3: GZA – “Alphabets”

From Bubblegum to Sky

The pop group is actual the work of one Mario Hernandez. The album A Soft Kill is out now and it’s reminiscent of the bouncy pop of The Beach Boys, The Turtles mixed up with the distorted buzz of say, early shoegazer. Still, it’s an easily listenable and relatable album. Unlike say, Dr. Dog, Hernandez is pushing forward while also looking back. He’s building on the music he loves instead of just aping it. Not an easy thing to do.

Mp3: From Bubblegum to Sky – “I Always Fall Apart”

The Best of the Rest

- Oh man, there is nothing like hearing a symphonic song full of banjo, trumpets, falsetto singing and shimmering joyous song writing. Somehow Jeff Hanson pulls that off. New favorite artist alert.� It’s not easy, but this is a summery song that I’ve been digging a lot. “If Only I Knew” (Mp3) is off his Kill Rock Stars release Madam Owl.

- I wasn’t much of a Kings of Leon fan because when they first hit the scene they seemed superfluous and derivative, but lately either they’ve been getting better or I’ve just broken down and given in to their scuzzy, bass heavy brand of Southern Rock.

Their new album Only By the Night is out Sept. 23 and the Followill Clan bring the noise again with their new single “Crawl” (Mp3). It hits you heavy out of the gate, with that thumping bass line.� Holy hell is all I can say.� I’m coming around in a big way.

- And finally, two tracks I’ve enjoyed from Portland bands. One because of the recent closing of the Oregon State Hospital, which was where One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was filmed. “Medication” (Mp3) by Super XXMan is a morose reminder of the importance of mental health.� Okay, not really.� But it’s an oddly infectious tune, hypnotic might be the better word.� Also, this might be the raddest video going, with a claymation chicken.� It’s not for the song “Medication” but who cares.

Click here to view the embedded video.

- System and Station rock things with a mid-nineties alternative song, sorta like Built to Spill, that just hits all the right notes. Takes me back to high school in a good way. I love that this song isn’t complicated, as most of their songs are just straight up rocking tunes, but has some nice changes in the structure of the song. This is off their fourth album A Nation of Actors which comes out Aug. 19.

Mp3: System and Station – “The Magnetic North”

As it is, this toes the line between slinky summer jam (that organ and horns are reminiscent of Curtis Mayfield) and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if it became a quasi-club anthem.

This cracked me up from their website: “People are going to drive their cars, smoke their cigarettes, drink their alcohol, drive their petroleum powered SUVs, but what if we were just a bit more conscious about it all? People are going to be people, but what if there was a small alternative to these activities? What if you could do these things and help yourself AND the world at the same time?

Armed with hybrid cars, clear rolling papers, and bottles of smart water, we will prove on our journey from NYC to Los Angeles that alternative options, can be better for us all.”

Admirable, I’d offer. Lyrics are definitely NSFW or grandma.

Mp3:Vamoose – “Step Out”

We’ve been jamming out to this tune and anticipating the Omaha band’s third album O, which streets on June 17. You can stream Tilly and the Wall’s new album on Spinner this week.

“Pot Kettle Black” is a fighting song, though the video seems to have the band traveling and doing some good ol’fashioned busking.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I like the new direction the band is taking. Different, but in a good way. Here’s another tune off the album to chew over.

Mp3: Tilly and the Wall – “Cacophony”

Tour Dates:
07/02 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Sound
07/04 – Vancouver, BC @ Richards on Richards
07/05 – Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s
07/06 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
07/08 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
07/10 – Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex
07/11 – San Diego, CA @ Epi Center
07/12 – Phoenix, AZ @ Modified
07/13 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
07/16 – Dallas, TX @ Granada
07/17 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s
07/18 – Houston, TX @ Engine Room
07/19 – New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks
07/22 – Orlando, FL @ The Social*
07/23 – Jacksonville, FL @ Jackrabbits*
07/24 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse*
07/25 – Carrboro, NC @ Cats Cradle*
07/26 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat*
07/27 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church*
07/29 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg*
07/30 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom*
07/31 – Boston, MA @ Paradise*
08/01 – Buffalo, NY @ The Mohawk Place*
08/02 – Toronto, ONT @ Mod Club*
08/03 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Hartwood Acres*
08/05 – Detroit, MI @ The Magic Stick*
08/06 – Chicago, IL @ Abbey*
08/07 – Omaha, NE @ Sokol Auditorium*

*with The Ruby Suns

It’s apparent, more than anything else, that the Lakers are not the better team in this series. But that in no way guarantees the Celtics will wrap this thing up for banner #17.

I watched the game from a pizza place with a poor reception and me thinks I should have stayed home to stream the radio feed from my computer. Oh well.

Here’s some tunes that have been getting me through the past week and a half. I know there’s a heat wave going on back east, but out here in Portland it’s the middle of June and I’m wearing a winter coat in the morning and using a bit of heat when I get up. Ridonkulous.

- The Hold Steady are streaming their new LP Stay Positive. It’s a doozy of an album. Similar to their past efforts but satisfying like Linus’s comfort blanket. Give a listen on their Myspace page.

Mp3: Sigur Ros – “Gobbledigook”

You’ve got to love a band that is self aware enough to title one of their songs after what it sounds like to listen to them, if you don’t speak Hopelandic, that is. But the Icelandic band has created a sound that defies language or location or time. An almost impossible feat. This one has a Dave Matthews guitar line, as if “Grey Street” were remixed by Animal Collective.

Mp3: Last Town Chorus – “Loud and Clear”

I had the chance to see Last Town Chorus open up for Kathleen Edwards a few weeks back. I didn’t care much for Kathleen Edwards, but was completely blown away by the one woman band of Last Town Chorus – otherwise known as Megan Hickey.

The band is Megan and her lap steel guitar and she uses it like a gut wrenching weapon; bending and twisting notes to wring every ounce of heartbreak and love from them. It is a simultaneously beautiful and frightening thing to watch. Her performance was like dark magic in that regard. There is nothing more spectacular than listening to music that is played in the silences between notes.

Also, the crowd was mostly made up of NPR listeners, seriously I was the youngest person in the audience, and they had no idea what to make of Megan Hickey. Sure, some clapped out of respect or being an automaton, but honestly I think most were scratching their heads in bemusement.

Mp3: Travis – “J Smith”

Scottish rockers Travis are one of the best going. For whatever reason they’ve slid below the radar, even after the superb 2007 album The Boy With No Name. They’re back in the studio working on a follow-up already, tentatively titled An Ode to J Smith. Word on the street is that this could be a concept album of sorts or at the very least the band’s stretching their musical chops. The first song from that album is a heartier rock affair and has drawn comparisons to Queen, though I don’t hear that. Still, the final half of the song is killer, with an excellent guitar solo leading into an operatic outro that is just chilling. It’ll be great to hear this one in context.

Mp3: Mason Jennings – “Soldier Boy”

There are two modes where Minnesota troubadour Mason Jennings shines: when he’s penning sensitive long songs or rocking out like a railroad busker. Isn’t that really all we want him to do? I’ve resigned myself to knowing that Mason will never be anything more than this, that the greatness I had hoped for him might be beyond his reach. Still, this is an ebulliently bouncy tune in the railroad busker tradition. There’s a line in this song that goes, “She broke my heart with my best friend’s name and my mind still works, but it’s not the same.” It’s odd phrasing, but somehow Mason makes it work.

Mp3: Love Psychedelico – “Standing Bird”

I had never even heard of this band until some promo material came across my way. BUT. I haven’t been able to stop listening to this song for about two weeks now. With it’s crunchy keyboards and full on attitude, this is one addictive song.

The band is a Japanese pop outfit and something tells me I’ll be digging deeper into their catalogue. I have no doubt that this will be my summer jam in 2008.

Mp3: Parenthetical Girls – “Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans)”

I saw Parenthetical Girls (a Portland band) open up for Los Compesinos! last week and though they came off as taking themselves waaaaaay too serious, that is until the cloyingly cute keyboardist opened up her deadpan wit and sarcasm. I will begrudgingly admit that they have the chops and the sound to make a name for themselves. Their theatrical arty rock seems destined for the Pitchfork crowd and a good barometer for whether or not you might enjoy them is Sunset Rubdown – adventurous, unstructured songs, that have the ability to transform your world. And when they occasionally added a structured melody it was a thing to behold.

Still, though I danced like a crazy guy during Los Campesinos!, it’s been this band that I haven’t stopped thinking about. I’m intensely curious to hear what they sound like recorded and wonder where their career will take them. I could see it go either way – flame out or make it big.

Mp3: Tilly and the Wall – “Pot Kettle Black”

Tilly and the Wall hail from Omaha and are most noted for having a tap dancer as their percussionist rather than your standard drummer. Cool, but a gimmick like that only works if you can back it up and they certainly can. “Pot Kettle Black” comes roaring out of the gate and is a rave-up rock tune. It’s like a call to arms from start to finish.

Mp3: The Sweet Serenades – “I Can Never Die”
Mp3: The Sweet Serenades – “First Taste of Trouble”
Mp3: The Sweet Serenades – “Coming Closer”

You know sometimes you get strange emails and it’s like huh? Well, a while ago I got an email from this dude named Martin Nordvall. He was from Sweden. And though I’m sure he sent the email to like 500 other blogs he took the time to personalize it a bit so I was charmed.

And then I was floored by his band’s music. So much so I included three tracks to listen to! There is something in the water in Sweden. But The Sweet Serenades are Nordvall and his friend Mathias Naslund. And together they create some badass rock and roll. They obviously owe a huge debt to The Boss and The Stones, but also Kings of Leon and The Strokes. Think crunchy garage-riffs, hand claps, lots of ooh and aahs and shout backs.

The duo only has one EP under their belt, 2007’s First Taste [buy] and they should be coming out with an album in the fall of 2008. If this early taste is any indication I’ll be lapping up the full meal.

Shifting Gears

Things have been getting pretty busy around these parts for me and so I’m not quite sure the direction the site is going to take over the coming months. Though I’m sure for like the five people who check in everyday what it means is that I’ll probably be scaling back and maybe doing one giant post with some news, Mp3s, videos, trailers, etc. It’ll be like a Sly Oyster variety hour only you’ll get it in 10 minutes. We’ll see, just thinking out loud here.

“Super Collider” was played at both Dublin shows and was only previously soundchecked.

Radiohead – “Super Collider”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Radiohead – “The Rip (Portishead cover)”

Click here to view the embedded video.

(Thanks Lucas!)

One of the things that makes The Hold Steady great, besides their aural blend of The Replacements and Springsteen (I can’t tell you how many times people have actually asked if it was The Boss we were listening to) is that Craig Finn is one of us.� You get the sense that even though he is now a rock star, at 37 the dude hasn’t forgotten how unbearably shitty or equally wonderful life can be.� And on both occasions he’s in the bar drinking away the pain or pouring another in celebration.

Their new tune sounds a lot like several of their other tunes, which is slightly annoying but also gratifyingly sweet.� Much in the same way that Craig Finn probably looks at life when he was attending Boston College or working some crap job watching the clock and bolting out the door at 5 p.m. and heading for the bar or the practice space.

Mp3: The Hold Steady – “Sequestered in Memphis”

“Sequested In Memphis,” from the forthcoming Stay Positive LP, is available on iTunes now.� The album will be available 6/15 on Vagrant.� Also, the band is currently on tour so check them out when they cruise into town.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Also: Some early reviews of the album have begun to pop up online. UNCUT Magazine has a very positive one here and The Music Magazine Blog has a track by track breakdown here.

HOLD STEADY SUMMER TOUR
07.17 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
07.18 – Pontiac, MI – Crofoot Ballroom
07.19 – Chicago, IL – Pitchfork Festival
07.21 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre
07.22 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
07.23 – Fargo, ND – Fargo Theatre
07.26 – Seattle, WA – Capitol Hill Block Party
07.27 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
07.29 – San Francisco, CA – Mezzanine
07.30 – Los Angeles, CA – Avalon
08.02 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre
08.03 – El Paso, TX – Club 101
08.05 – Dallas, TX – Palladium Ballroom
08.06 – Austin, TX – La Zona Rosa
08.08 – Oxford, MS – Proud Larry�s
08.09 – Athens, GA – 40 Watt
08.10 – Charleston, SC – The Pourhouse
08.12 – Carrborro, NC – Cat�s Cradle
08.13 – Norfolk, VA – The Norva