Typically, I try to avoid the pitfall of hyperbole when writing about bands I like. Otherwise, after awhile, it’s just going to sound like you’re crying wolf (hey, I didn’t say I avoided cliches).

So take my word when I tell you I’m really (italics, even!) excited about Magneto, a four-piece outfit from Seattle. It just so happens Magneto will be in Phoenix on April 2, playing with sourceVictoria and Seven Storey Mountain. (Venue TBD.)

The Seattle Times recently hailed Magneto as “a promising Dinosaur Jr.-meets-My Bloody Valentine (don’t try this at home) quartet. Lian Light, sounding like the stepdaughter of J Mascis, could be Seattle’s next indie icon.” Heady praise and probably spot on.

Without hearing the whole of Magneto’s new LP Sounds Like Space, my initial attempt at a comparison is something in the vein of Hum – spacious, unconfined guitars (sounds like space, perhaps?) and vocals that drift over the whole arrangement. Those big, melodic guitar lines might even be categorized as “shoegazing,” if one were so inclined.

Buy Sounds like Space (on The Swingline label) at CDbaby or iTunes.
Check Magneto’s MySpace page.

Magneto | Touch and Go (very highly recommended. really.)
Magneto | So Tired

Mates of State at Austin City Limits festival last year.
I have to be honest: I’m still not sure how I feel about Mates of State. The best way I can say it is that some days I like them better than other days. I feel like I have to be in a certain mood, though I haven’t quite put a finger on what that mood is.

Typically, I like my pop/indie rock a little more downtrodden and somber. But I find myself coming back to the cool two-part vocals of Mates of State and those hooky synth lines.

What really amazes me is how any husband and wife co-exist as bandmates. Don’t get me wrong: I love my wife and all, but might there be some awkward moments when one is trying to do some writing about the other? But it appears to be working for Mates of State, the Rosebuds and The Arcade Fire.

Mates of State vs. the Rosebuds. Steel-cage match. Fight to the death. Who ya got?

Anyway, I’m enjoying the new Mates of State album Bring it Back, due for release March 21. Visit Barsuk for more information.

Mates of State | Fraud in the ’80s
Mates of State | For the Actor

Also …

Matt asked about the iSpin debut last Thursday … and, well, it went OK. Could have been better, could have been worse. We’re scoping out new venues for the idea, possibly closer to the Arizona State campus to lure the college folk. These young kids and their iPods.
Here is the winning playlist, from Sam (aka DJ G3K). He put nice time and effort into to it, and, for that, he wins a $50 iTunes gift card courtesy of iLounge. We’re excited about the potential of the event and we’ve got lots o’ good ideas for it. We’ll keep ya posted.

And Annie and I are headed to Tucson to check out Low and Damien Jurado at Club Congress on Wednesday. (Any Tucson readers in the house?) Expect a post for that on Wednesday. Thanks to Chad for getting me hooked on Jurado’s Where Shall You Take Me?.

I know. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is so 2005. But I’ve been meaning to split up this set from WOXY’s Lounge Acts for quite some time now. (The set and interview is available as a download in one file here.)

Just last night, Royce and I were lamenting the fact that we missed the Clap Your Hands/The National show at Modified in Phoenix last year. Granted, we were working, but still … what the hell were we thinking?

Alas, here’s four tracks, including the unreleased Cigarettes.

Support WOXY.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, WOXY Lounge Acts, 9/21/05
1. Details of the War
2. Gimme Some Salt
3. In This Home on Ice
4. Cigarettes

EZarchive appears to be acting up, so now is as good a time as any to tie up a few loose ends, eh?

• First off, tonight is the debut of iSpin. Anyone in Arizona reading this should head down to the Paper Heart and check it out. We’ll be up after the nice boys in Secret Life of Painters play their rock. Open iPod DJ sets; how can you resist? Our great sponsor, iLounge, has hooked us up something serious with iTunes gifts cards for $50, $25 and $15 for the best three sets. Be there!
• Have you visited Audio for Drinking? Our friend Josh over there is a kind soul. Go say hi.
• You guys all know about what’s going on with WOXY, right? The online radio station is moving to a listener-supported model and needs your help because of music royalty and licensing fees. Read more. The WOXY Lounge Acts podcast is one of my favorites, and the station is a great source for some of my posts. Go support.

How did I forget this? I saw The Hold Steady (above) on Saturday on a whim after work. Another great show from Stateside Presents. I was really impressed with Craig Finn’s stage presence because he’s not the most physically imposing figure. I’m still not sure I get the Bruce Springsteen comparisons in the music, but maybe I’m not paying close enough attention. Anyway, here’s an mp3 from the group’s Web site, a great track off Separation Sunday, available at eMusic:

The Hold Steady | Your Little Hoodrat Friend

So, I’m not sure if there’s some sort of statute of limitations that must expire before you should post a second time about a band. But I like the Radar Bros. quite a bit, and I posted on them way back in August, around the time I discovered The Fallen Leaf Pages, so I figured it was time to revisit them.

Oddly, the Radar Bros. (on Merge) don’t seem to be blogged about very much, not that that’s some damning statement of their music. But Merge is such a great label (one of my favorites), so I just assumed people would have picked up on them.

Maybe the Radar Bros. aren’t indie enough? Is that even a plausible theory? I don’t know. But I typically find myself helplessly sucked in when I listen to them with their delicate lyrics and sweeping instrumentation. Catchy melodies aren’t readily apparent, but there’s something alluring about that. Their deliberate pacing somehow manages to rein in my quick trigger finger on my iPod. They remind me to slooooow down and enjoy the music.

Here’s a few of my favorites:

Radar Bros. | Shifty Lies
(From The Singing Hatchet)
Radar Bros. | On the Line
(From And the Surrounding Mountains)
Radar Bros. | Government Land
(From The Fallen Leaf Pages)

And the Surrounding Mountains and The Fallen Leaf Pages are available – as is most of the Merge catalog – at eMusic, so pick ‘em up using their free trial of 50 mp3s.

About that live Nada Surf …

Some folks were asking about live recordings from Monday’s Nada Surf show. With the group’s permission, I recorded the in-store performance at Stinkweeds. They asked to hear the files before posting to ensure sound quality and such, which I absolutely respect. I’ll be sending those tracks to them via e-mail. It was a tremendous set of 11 (!) songs.

This isn’t so much of a review of Monday’s Nada Surf/Rogue Wave/The King of France show in Tempe, Ariz., as it is a quasi-examination of a trend that Nada Surf – for better or worse – seems to somehow epitomize.

That said, I don’t want to minimize Monday’s performances. That was my first experience with Nada Surf live, and I’m really impressed at how seemingly innocuous pop songs translate into these powerful anthems on stage. On top of that, we were treated to two encores: the first about five songs and the second a closing dose of Blizzard of ‘77.

But even more surreal was that Nada performed that blessing and curse of a song: Popular. Given the group’s fairly drastic shift in style since 1996’s High/Low, I guess I had just sort of assumed – incorrectly, it appears – that the group disavowed that song.

In all honesty, I like Popular. It’s a good song with a timeless message about the social caste system of high school – something to which anyone who has or will go to high school can relate.

Unfortunately, Popular was so, well, popular that people tend to only associate Nada Surf with that song. To wit: Do a search for Nada Surf on iTunes. The band comes up on one of iTunes’ “essentials” lists: ” ’90s One-Hit Wonders.” Oh, that dreaded “one-hit wonder” label. Lumping Nada Surf into a playlist alongside artists such as Snow, Eagle-Eye Cherry and Chumbawamba isn’t only unfair and irresponsible, it’s misleading. Did iTunes forget about Nada’s three terrific albums since?

So when someone in the crowd Monday actually requested Popular during a silent moment between songs, I cringed. I turned to my wife: “No. Someone didn’t actually just request that, did they?” I’m still not sure what surprised me more: that someone requested it or that Nada Surf played it. I don’t think it was part of the set list, but I can’t be sure about that.

What was more telling was lead singer Matthew Caws’ reaction before and after the song. Bassist Daniel Lorca asked the crowd for help singing, and Caws said, almost sheepishly, “I like singing that song.” Afterward, Caws explained, “Hey, we still like that song. We just don’t play it every night. No big deal.”

It almost sounded like an apology, but it was more of a statement that Popular is still part of Nada Surf history, one-hit wonder tag be damned. I think it’s to Nada Surf’s credit that the band has created such a great catalog of songs since Popular that anyone who actually thinks of Nada as a one-hit wonder is missing out entirely on what the group has to offer.

So, uh, what the hell:

Nada Surf | Popular
Nada Surf | Armies Walk
(A song I wish they would have played off The Weight is a Gift. Buy it!)

A little fact about me: I love presidential history. For whatever reason, I especially enjoy the Founding Father era. And I’m a Harry Truman fan. In fact, I have David McCullough’s somewhat intimidating, 1,120-page epic Truman staring at me on my bookshelf, waiting to be read in this lifetime.

Learn about all the presidents here. Anyway, I haven’t often done theme posts, so I thought today would be a good day for that.

Blackalicious | Paragraph President
Eric B. & Rakim | Eric B. is President
Death Cab for Cutie | President of What?
(Version from You Can Play These Songs with Chords)

Tonight …

Going to check out Nada Surf, Rogue Wave and the King of France at the Clubhouse in Tempe. Can’t wait. Plus, I’ll be checking out Nada Surf doing an in-store acoustic set at Stinkweeds Records. Depending on the set-up, I’ll likely record (and post) that set.

On that note, surely you’ve already checked out the double post from Rogue Wave’s December show in Phoenix. Right?

Earlier in the week, Dodge was raving – finally! – about Elbow’s fantastic Leaders of the Free World (V2 Records). The album was a cinch for my favorite albums of 2005 list; in fact, it checked in at No. 3.

Today’s three tracks were taken from the great Xfm Sessions, which I receive as a podcast. Anyway, for all the rave in the U.S. over bands from the U.K., Elbow seems oddly lost in the shuffle. Elbow does not possess the cachet of Coldplay, yet, in my opinion, come off more sincere and thoughtful.

Here’s hoping Elbow has enough of a following here in the States for a tour.

Elbow, from the Xfm Sessions:
1. Station Approach
2. Forget Myself
3. Leaders of the Free World

BONUS mp3:
Mexican Standoff (Spanish version)

Also …
On this rare post for a Saturday, I’d like to point out an e-mail I got from Clea, who runs (Sm)all Ages, an mp3 blog aimed at folks with children. This is a fantastic idea because, as Clea points out, “no one should have to listen to the Wiggles. Ever.” As the uncle of a 3-year-old and 1-year-old, all I can say is, Amen! The Teletubbies typically frighten me, and the world would be such a better place if our kids were raised on Wilco. Thank you, Clea. Our future is safe in your hands.

Hey, if you live in Arizona and plan on attending Nada Surf/Rogue Wave/King of France on Monday, did you know Nada Surf is doing an in-store acoustic session at Stinkweeds in Tempe at 5 p.m. Monday? Yeah, I’ll be there. Probably recording, too.

We all love freebies. And I’ve come across a few free promo sampler CDs in the past couple weeks on my record-store excursions. So, thank you, Zia Records and Stinkweeds.

Part of the fun of promo samplers is weeding through the, um, crap to get to the goods. I don’t wanna name any names (Scott Stapp) but there was some garbage (new Rolling Stones) to pluck through. But I do the hard work so you don’t have to.

Included in the pile of the choice cuts are The Wand by the Flaming Lips (I know, I’m a little late here), the Strokes’ B-side Hawaii and the Most Serene Mix of the Stars’ Ageless Beauty.

From Monitor This! (Dec. 05/Jan. 06):
Death Cab for Cutie | Jealousy Rides With Me

From Monitor This! (Feb./March 06):
The Flaming Lips | The Wand
The Strokes | Hawaii
Ray Davies | After the Fall

From Polyvinyl Summer/Fall 2005:
Saturday Looks Good to Me | Lift Me Up
Owen | I Woke Up Today (from Japanese release of I Do Perceive)

From Arts & Crafts Adventures in Advertising:
Stars | Ageless Beauty (Most Serene Mix)

Contest winner …

Nobody correctly guessed my other favorite hip-hop album (along with Tribe’s Midnight Marauders) in my contest for a pair of 12″ records. Perhaps I made it too difficult, but one contestant – cbtoot – was excruciatingly close with this comment: “Since i highly doubt it was run dmc’s tougher than leather, i’m gonna have to go with Straight Out the Jungle by the JBs.”

It actually is Run-D.M.C.’s Tougher Than Leather. Now I have to wonder why anyone would “highly doubt” that. My reasons are strongly sentimental – it was one of my first tapes – but also because I thought the group was branching out a bit but still keeping its edge. Hard to explain, really. Raising Hell is probably the default choice of most for a favorite Run-D.M.C. record. I’ve just always felt a stronger pull to Tougher Than Leather.

Alas, the winner was selected by my wife at random from all entrants by pieces of paper from a hat. She pulled … (drum roll, please) … the man who goes by Jon Manyjars! Get in touch, Jon, and we’ll square away shipping details. Thanks to all for playing!

An acquaintance recently described the music of art-pop duo Sparks to me this way: “Think like over-the-top insane dudes, making giant almost operatic opuses but with lyrical content not that much different than your typical indie rock song. It’s kind of insane glam but with a heart.”

I was skeptical … but after listening to this track Perfume about, oooooh, 27 times on Wednesday, I’m sold. Crazy thing is, the pair – brothers Ron and Russell Mael – have been around since the ’70s, yet this is the first I’d heard of them. Learn something new every day. And that’s the beauty of the blogs … expanding my horizons.

At heart, Perfume, from the LP Hello Young Lovers (due for U.S. release in March I believe), is pretty basic in its intent: He wants to spend the rest of his life with this girl because “you don’t wear no perfume.” It’d be wholly ridiculous if the musical composition weren’t absolutely pop greatness.

Perhaps my favorite line:

“The olfactory sense is the sense
that most strongly evokes
memories of the past …
Well, screw the past.”

Listen to the bass and piano lines. Even if you find the lyrics laughable or pretentious, there is no denying the near-perfect pop construction of the instrumentation.

The great Marathonpacks has another mp3 from the album here.

Sparks | Perfume

Also …

After two months of not being able to sign on to MySpace, I’m baaaaaack. Hit me up!

We also created a page for our iSpin night, which is now a week out, here. On that note, we have an amazing sponsor on board: iLounge.com, the site for all things iPod. Give them a visit. iLounge is graciously providing iTunes gift cards for the best three sets of the evening. Time to ramp it up!