Because I have deep connections (OK, bloodlines … whatever) I’ve got my paws on four new sourceVictoria tracks. For a little history, backtrack here.

Anyway, these songs are near-final tracks, being mixed and produced by fellow Arizona son Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World. I’ve devoured these songs, and it’s become abundantly clear that my brother hoarded all the talent genes in this family. I’m only a little jealous … and very much in awe.

I was already impressed with their work on the EP, but the new material represents a major leap forward. The End is Just the End is, no doubt, my favorite sourceVictoria track now and (in my little opinion) their best. The sound is big, and the drums come in flourishing waves that lure you in. Though I must admit: I’ve yet to attempt to dissect my brother’s writing, for I’m fearful/curious if I’ve somehow inspired a scribbling session on a notepad somewhere. (I know, don’t flatter yourself.)

sourceVictoria | Burn the Pianos
sourceVictoria | Heartless Boy
sourceVictoria | The End is Just the End
sourceVictoria | The Fast Escape

Sleepwalker was/is an Arizona-based trio that was more or less a side project of three very talented musicians: Jamal Ruhe (bass vocals); Darren Henley (drums); Jon Rauhouse (pedal steel, vocals).

Sleepwalker put out one album, The Man in the Moon, in 1998 on the Tempe-based Hayden’s Ferry label, which specializes mostly in Americana-type artists.

Each of the members is working on other projects (click their names), but Sleepwalker is coming together tonight at Modified in Phoenix to open for Freakwater, so this is the perfect time to feature some of the music.

It’s a minimal combination of steady rhythms and striking vocals, colored by one of my favorite instruments in the pedal steel, which gives the whole thing a mood and downcast temperament. (Quick FYI: Jon Rauhouse is a touring member of Neko Case’s band.) Really, the name is an excellent description of the music’s subtle style.

Sleepwalker | Out of Here
Sleepwalker | Dandelion
Sleepwalker | Shenandoah (traditional cover, see more info here)
Sleepwalker | Pony Bones

I’ve only mentioned it about 50 times this week, but we’re going to see Dios (Malos) tonight at Modified. One of the two openers is Phoenix band Asleep in the Sea.

I’m really enjoying this trio because they seem to go against the grain of what a band should do. Their melodies sound off-kilter and the whole orchestration just feels loose and a little skittish; yet, you get the feeling that’s sort of the point of it all. The vocals are frail and a touch out of tune in an endearing kind of way.

I’m eager to see them tonight for the first time. You can visit them on My Space here, where they have four songs available for download. Below are two songs off their new EP that you can buy at their Web site.

Asleep in the Sea | Dance On (highly recommended)
Asleep in the Sea | Seashorshes

My friend/co-worker is a member of Tokyo Electron, and I’ve been meaning to do this post for a while. It’s a little punk outfit originally from Yuma, Arizona, which is pretty damn close to the Ariz./Calif. border.

So, he’s on a leave at work because the band is touring Europe right now (enter Napoleon Dynamite voice: LUCKY) in support of the group’s debut self-titled LP. He dropped me an e-mail from Stockholm with this bit of news: The lead singer of the Hives bought a Tokyo Electron shirt and walked out of the club wearing it. Nice! Pretty sweet endorsement if you ask me.

Enjoy these two punk ditties:

Tokyo Electron | Electrify Me
Tokyo Electron | Darkside

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I hate fantasy football. Mind you, I’m doing just fine in the music bloggers league: 2nd place heading into this past weekend. Of course, there is no money involved in that league. No, in the league I pay $60 to enter my team is absolutely horrendous. I lost this week in a game I had no business even flirting with victory, but I’ll complain anyway. I lost when Antwaan Randle El — a wide receiver, but a college QB — threw a freaking touchdown pass on Sunday night. I lost by two points. Woe is I.But how ’bout them Bears! First place. 6-3. Nathan Vasher pulls an Arena Football League play and returns a missed field goal 108 yards for a touchdown; longest play for TD EVER in the NFL. (And I love the orange uniforms.) This is starting to feel like a few years ago when the Bears were pulling all sorts of strange plays outta their asses — remember two Mike Brown interception returns for TDs to win games? — and went 13-3.

Meanwhile, my Arizona State Sun Devils lost yet again, to UCLA on Saturday. Now they have to beat the hated Arizona Wildcats on Nov. 25 to even sniff a bowl, most likely the Las Vegas Bowl. How awful. I am not banking on a win. UA has plenty of incentive and would love nothing more than to keep ASU bowl-less. Not good.

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I’ll be hitting you up with some previews/mp3s this week on bands playing at this Saturday’s Grand Cayenne Music Festival, which features Spoon as the headliner. It’s an all-day affair in Mesa, and should be a blast.

It’s about time I propped up another Phoenix artist, and he’s a great one at that (come on, did you expect anything less?).

Sean Szafran is a longtime — not to mention versatile — player in the Valley’s music scene. His 10-track long player, Stumblefoot of the Century, is Szafran’s debut as a solo act, with the emphasis on solo. He tracked every sound and every instrument you hear throughout the CD.

The results are excellent, specifically the sturdy and rhythmic piano bars (see also, Crimson Hair, Hazel Eyes). Bright melodies are underpinned by lyrics of love and longing. Heartache always feels so much better when it’s enveloped by inspired instrumentation.

Visit Sean at his Web site or at on his My Space page. Buy Stumblefoot here.

Sean Szafran | Jennifer
Sean Szafran | Crimson Hair, Hazel Eyes
Sean Szafran | I Wonder Why

Secret Life of Painters is a Phoenix-based band that has essentially been together for five years, and has stockpiled enough songs that the guys have their first two full-length albums already mapped out. Impressive.

The group — John Hofmann (vocals, guitar), Aaron Kiley (guitar), Dan Cortez (bass), Matt Castleberry (drums) — released The Sound of Your Chains EP in April, which drew a positive response from the weekly alt-newspaper New Times:

“I like these lo-fi revisits and impressionistic word jumbles, like Guy Bowcock’s Second Coat and Fast Black Rats, the closest thing here to a radio-friendly cut (well, “Redefine your acronym,climb into your bastard skin” is shower singing, anyway).”

A 7-inch single is due shortly, and the guys are wrapping up recording a full-length debut, Careers in Poverty. You can find demos from Careers and even some material from their older bands here. Quite generous they are with mp3s.

What about the name, you ask? Well, Hofmann and Kiley were, in fact, house painters,but they never let on to their co-workers they played in rock band. Hence, Secret Life of Painters. They’ve given up the trade, but the name remains the same.

Secret Life of Painters | Hold Your Flashlight
Secret Life of Painters | Magnets and Energy
Secret Life of Painters | Fast Black Rats (this comes with my highest recommendation)

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Also on the Phoenix front, sourceVictoria has posted a couple mixes of new tracks — The Fast Escape and Heartless Boy — for a forthcoming LP at their MySpace page. Be sure to check them out.