All posts by Kevin

arizona, general, remix

Bark Bark Bark

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I’m a little embarrassed that Dodge at My Old KENTUCKY Blog beat me to the punch on an Arizona artist. Hey, what’re you gonna do?

No matter. I’ve seen the name Bark Bark Bark around town for quite some time now, then I saw a Retard Disco sampler at Stinkweeds and figured it was the opportune time to listen.

From my limited sampling of his music, Bark Bark Bark (who signs his checks Jacob Cooper … wait, do people still use checks?) is cut from the same cloth as artists like Panther, who has been featured here prominently. It’s a one-man show, all freaky and fractured electro-pop. Bark Bark Bark is from Tucson, but he reminds me a bit of Phoenix artist Treasure Mammal, who perhaps lays on the irony a little thicker.

You can buy Bark Bark Bark’s new LP, Haunts, at Retard Disco.

  • Bark Bark Bark | Gtfo
  • Bark Bark Bark | I’m Needy (Milk:Blood remix)
    • general

    Weekend itinerary

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    While I’m in Chicago this weekend for a bachelor party (woot!), my fellow Phoenicians have a plethora of shows from which to choose.

    TONIGHT:
    The Album Leaf with Lymbyc Systym and Back Ted N-Ted at the Brickhouse in Phoenix.

    SUNDAY:
    Voxtrot with Au Revoir Simone and Futurekind at Anderson’s Fifth Estate in Scottsdale.

    MONDAY:
    Blue Scholars and Common Market at the Hidden House in Phoenix or Sparta at the Clubhouse in Tempe.

    general

    Albert Hammond Jr. at Martini Ranch last night

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    hammond.jpg

    I’d listened to Albert Hammond’s Yours to Keep just a few times via Rhapsody, and, even though I really like it, I kept my expectations for his live show in check. Needless to say, he was outstanding, skinny/white jeans notwithstanding. (Also, the vest-with-T-shirt look is so in right now.)

    Maybe there’s nothing to it, but should we read anything into the Strokes taking the year off and Hammond’s burgeoning solo career being so well-received? He insists that isn’t the case.

    More on Hammond to come, including a possible entry into the I Used to Love H.E.R. series.

    • Albert Hammond Jr. | Cartoon Music for Superheroes
    hip-hop

    Phat Kat: Cold Steel

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    phatkat.jpg

    I recently read a little bit about Detroit rapper Phat Kat, the first time I’d heard of him, which is fitting seeing as how that story details his success in Europe and relative obscurity in the U.S.

    Analog Giant already has been up in your face about fellow Detroit emcee/producer Black Milk, who makes an appearance on Phat Kat’s Carte Blanche, released last month on Look Records.

    Phat Kat (aka Ronnie Cash) not only name-checks Phoenix, AZ, on Nasty Ain’t It, he also has worked with J Dilla, so you probably shouldn’t need any more proof to check it out. But if you do, Cold Steel (courtesy Spinner) should set you straight. Have you ever heard such a menacing bass line?

    • Phat Kat (feat. Elzhi) | Cold Steel

    TONIGHT: Finally. El-P is at the Clubhouse in Tempe. Get your tickets. I was fortunate to talk to him for my day job. Check it out.

    general

    TV on the Radio: Live at Amoeba EP

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    This might very well be the first (and last?) post here ever on TV on the Radio. See, my boy Royce is crazy about ’em, and I’ve tried to get into ’em and it just hasn’t stuck the way I (or he) had hoped. Whenever I offer the dismissive shrug followed by “eh,” I get the evil eye.

    So, this one is for Royce, who could use your donations as he grows something sort of resembling a mustache for a good cause.

    TV on the Radio played the fantastic Amoeba Records in Hollywood on Sept. 22, 2006. A four-song EP has been released, and I snagged it after racking up some Stinkweeds credit for a minor cleansing of unwanted CDs.

    Buy the EP at (where else?) Amoeba.

    • TV on the Radio | Wolf Like Me (live at Amoeba)

    View some video and interview footage, courtesy of Amoeba.

    arizona

    sourceVictoria streaming new tracks

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    For many reasons, sourceVictoria has been name-checked here quite often, not the least of which is that the band hovers among my favorites (think the sort of admiration reserved for bands like the National).

    The group has been recording new material, and, from what I’ve heard so far, it only cements my near-flawless reasoning. You can listen for yourself at MySpace. Pay particular attention to Miss Spiritual Tramp of 1948, a song based on the J.D. Salinger story A Perfect Day for Bananafish.

    “There’s nothing more to say / this suffering’s all that I own.” Love it.

    Unfortunately, Jeff Livingston will be playing his last show as piano/keys player for the band on May 25 at Yucca Tap Room; Jeff is moving soon to San Diego. (You can also catch Jeff on Friday at the Paper Heart as part of the Jon Rauhouse Orchestra.)

    Stream four tracks at sourceVictoria’s MySpace.

    general

    Stateless … again

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    I talked a little about Stateless back in August 2005, when the group was hustling its Bloodstream EP.

    I’m happy to say now Stateless has a full-length ready for release, a self-titled effort coming out June 19 on !K7. If you’re the type who likes to play name association (as I sometimes am), Stateless singer Chris James spent a good chunk of last year – 70 shows in 19 countries – touring with the great DJ Shadow (James appeared on Erase You on Shadow’s The Outsider).

    On the Stateless LP, you can sense a little bit of Shadow rubbing off – pretty soundscapes punctuated by drums, both live and programmed. Mostly, Stateless (from Leeds) seamlessly blends classic piano sounds with more modern collage techniques of sampling and turntablism. It’s a tricky balance, and one the group pulls off with nary a glitch on tracks like Exit, the lead single, and Down Here, one of those songs I’m all too eager to tell friends about and put on mixes.

    • Stateless | Exit
    • Stateless | Down Here (studio session)

    (Two more stripped-down versions of songs – Horizon and Running Out – available on the group’s Web site.)