The Rumble SF: Rumspringa, The Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt!, Billy & Dolly

the show is at CDN on Wednesday night, as always, RSVP to get in for free ($5 door)

from the EPK-

"This month we're lucky enough to have LA based blues soaked rock act, RUMSPRINGA traveling the entire leg of the tour. This newly expanded quartet are in the vein of the Black Keys and known for their live shows with MTV calling them "one of the best LA bands I've seen in a long time."

Another act we're super excited about it is, THE TERROR PIGEON DANCE REVOLT! This art collective out of SUNY Purchase are making anthemic, original and danceworthy music that's already caught the attention of Pitchfork and NPR. Known for their crazy live shows, you aren't going to want to miss this one.

Rounding out the bill are, SF based alt-rock folk act, BILLY & DOLLY. Comprised of ex members of The Monolith, BILLY & DOLLY are making heartfelt and memorable indie pop gems that have our friends at Noise Pop loving their "multi-part harmonies that won't soon be forgotten."

As usual, we'll have resident DJ Bagel Ted on the decks and Trumer Pils specials all night!"

Rumspringa - Shake Em Loose Tonight [mp3]

The Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt! - Ride Friendship [mp3]

Billy & Dolly -You Always Win [mp3]

new video: Dead Confederate - Giving it all Away

The Strokes Post #518

this is from Julian's deluxe set thing (I posted some poor quality videos of it months ago). it's been officially posted on his YT account, so enjoy Julian's acoustic glory in HD

happy weekend!

Classic Track Thursday

can you imagine if the Ramones were British, and more subversive? like, a fantastic lovechild of Sex Pistols and Ramones, only largely underrated in people's conception of essential punk music?

Wire - Mr Suit [mp3]
from Pink Flag (1977)
21 tracks. 35 minutes. yessssssss.

PLUS they are Rob Pollard's favourite band

NEW TOUR DATES: Free Energy + Titus Andronicus

if that isn't the best double bill I've seen since peanut butter met chocolate, I don't know what it

08/19: Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwells
08/21: Boston, MA @ Royale
08/22: Montreal, QB @ Il Motore
08/23: Ottowa, ON @ Mavericks
08/25: Ithaca, NY @ Castaways
08/28: Leeds, UK @ Leeds Festival
08/29: Reading, UK @ Reading Festival
09/05: San Diego, CA @ Belly Up Tavern
09/07: Los Angeles, CA @ Viper Room *
09/08: San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
09/10: Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret
09/11: Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge/Music Fest Northwest
09/12: Seattle, WA @ The Tractor Tavern
09/13: Boise, ID @ Neurolux
09/14: Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
09/15: Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
09/16: Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room
09/17: Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club
09/18: Chicago, IL @ Metro
09/19: Newport, KY @ Southgate House
09/20: Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
09/21: Durham, NC @ Duke Coffeehouse
09/22: Charlottesville, VA @ Jefferson Theatre
09/23: Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
09/24: Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel
09/25: New York, NY @ Webster Hall

* = Free Energy solo show

see you in San Francisco!

The Strokes Post #517

The Strokes Post #516

Going the Distance OST (24 Aug)

01. Generationals - "Either Way"
02. George James - "Places"
03. Katie Herzig - "Hey Na Na"
04. Albert Hammond, Jr. - "In Transit"
05. The Cure - "Just Like Heaven"
06. The Pretenders - "Don't Get Me Wrong"
07. The Boxer Rebellion - "Spitting Fire"
08. Cat Power - "Could We"
09. Band Of Skulls - "Cold Flame"
10. Eels - "Prizefighter"
11. Passion Pit - "The Reeling" (Groove Police Remix)
12. Fanfarlo - "Harold T. Wilkins, Or How To Wait For
A Very Long Time"
13. The Replacements - "Here Comes A Regular"
14. The Boxer Rebellion - "If You Run"
15. Gotye - "Learnalilgivinanlovin"
16. The Airborne Toxic Event - "Half Of Something Else"



hahah it's Charlie!

record review: Best Coast - Crazy For You

“my highs are high, my lows are low, and I don’t know which way to go”

When it comes to dreamy, sun-drenched nostalgia, LA’s Best Coast have bested SF’s Girls. The irony, of course, lies in the fact that Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino is actually a girl whereas Christopher Owens is gay at most. And whereas Owens' channels Costello, Cosentino's vocal style is much more comforting, like a friend's whisper delivered with perfect clarity.

Crazy For You is the musical equivalent of reading a teenage girl’s diary, swimming with the nonsensical derision, the fogginess of self-medicating, the stubborn insistence on apathy when in reality, you’re emotionally attached.

It’s striking in the sense that teenage girls have as much emotional turmoil as there is water in the ocean. Theoretically, herein would lie its weakness—how interesting can this actually be? Surprisingly enough, though, the magic of the summer, which best summed up by the straightforward lyric “there’s something about the summer” (“Summer Mood”) gives the album more layers than it could ever have had if it relied on lyrics alone. Whether it’s the jangly tambourines in “Our Deal” or the ever-so-relatable desperate pleas in “Bratty B”, Cosentino’s songs don’t represent adolescent females as much as they reflect the general unpleasantness of being alone. The interplay of her lazy vocals and surprisingly advanced musicianship (aided by partner in crime Bobb Bruno) is reminiscent of early Sonic Youth albums. "I Want To" begins with two minutes of hazy wistfulness before an invigorating set of aggressive guitars changes the tempo of the song, and with it, the self-pitying perspectives that preceded it.

The songs are painstakingly genuine; on the closing track, Cosentino croons "my mama always told me there'd boys like you" before she concludes "I hate sleeping alone". Lo-fi indie doesn't get this honest. Ever. Put on Crazy for You and be comforted by the fact that misery makes for the best art, if not always the warmest sleeping companion.

4.3/5

Crazy for You dropped today. Pick it up at your local indie record shop.

Visit Best Coast on MYSPACE

The Strokes Post #515

aww, baby Strokes

record review: Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Imagine spending hours constructing an elaborate path of dominos, winding yard upon yard in various loops and shapes. Now imagine a small crack in your window—letting in just the slightest breeze from the clear skies above. It’s May. The silence of the sunny afternoon spent in solitude has enveloped your being and you have become content with the inactivity of your surroundings.

Out of nowhere, a lightning bolt strikes. There is no storm. Just a single, vicious jolt of electricity directed exactly at the tiny fenestration in your wall.

There go your dominos. There goes your silence. There goes your ease.

Now let’s give this lightning a name.
The Suburbs.

There are a lot of words that my mind associates with Arcade Fire. Full, orchestral, baroque, warm, communal. On their third album, however, the band reinvents itself into a fascinating combination of apocalyptic and gothic. I hear “Ready to Start” and I think of Robert Smith. “Rococo” sounds exactly like its title: creepy, Romantic-era horror story, complete with spine tingling violins and layers of echos and repetition. The band falters when it emulates U2 (“City With No Children”; “Half Light II”) but quickly redeems itself with the snarkiness of “Month of May”, a song that cleverly juxtaposes urgent guitars with lyrics lamenting the prolonged difficulty of the songwriting process. But nothing compares with the menacing rawness of “Deep Blue”, a song that captures the band’s warnings about suburban complacency with frightening precision.

Highly recommended.
4.7/5

The Suburbs drops next Tuesday, 3 August

photos: Ryan Adams in LA studio

oh

my

sweet

carolina.

more HERE

Delta Spirit to play free Long Beach gig on SATURDAY

Delta Spirit - Golden State [mp3]

SPIN celebrates 25 years by streaming live concerts (The National, The Black Keys, The Flaming Lips)

watch the live stream HERE

July 27
Fang Island - 8PM EST
The Flaming Lips - 9:15PM EST

July 28
The Whigs & Lee Fields and the Expressions - 10PM EST
The Black Keys - 12AM EST

July 29
Kurt Vile & Suckers - 8PM EST
The National - 10:30PM EST

July 30
Spiritualized - 8:30PM EST

Goodnight Lights - Deeper Down

for fans of: Guided By Voices

Goodnight Lights - Deeper Down [mp3]

This Philadelphia band has a very vintage sound. At times they bust out Stooges-inspired guitars or Bowie-esque keys but they mostly have that 90's metronome feel going on.

download the album for free HERE

Goodnight Lights on MYSPACE

The Strokes Post #514

The Henry Clay People featured in SPIN

The Henry Clay People - Slow Burn [mp3]

the band is currently on tour with Silversun Pickups and Against Me!

The Strokes Post #513

"Dude, my life is like any other cheesy hipster living on the lower east side"
-Nick Valensi

via the new issue of SPIN