Category Archives: general

general

Saturday: SoCo Music Experience in Tempe

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For an event sponsored by a liquor company, there’s a surprising dearth of information about Saturday’s SoCo Music Experience floating around the Internets. The SoCo site says the Phoenix (actually, Tempe) event is “coming soon.” Um, yeah, like tomorrow.

Nevertheless, we put together a preview at azcentral.com on three of the artists: Cold War Kids (thanks, Weiss), Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Girl Talk.

It’s an impressive indie lineup (with local bands littered in between) for such a corporate-tized event. Entrance is free and 21 and over (naturally), so I’m curious what the crowd will look like. If SoCo fliered up nearby Arizona State University, like it should have, my guess is we’ll be seeing lots of Hollister shirts and cargo shorts. Set times below.

2 pm: Doors open
2:30-3 pm: TBD
3-4 pm: William Reed
4-4:30 pm: Faucet
4:30-5:30 pm: Architecture in Helsinki (MP3: Heart it Races)
5:30-6 pm: Army of Robots
6:00-7 pm: Sick Puppies
7-7:30 pm: The Loveblisters
7:30-8:30 pm: Girl Talk (MP3: Bounce That)
8:30-9 pm: Awake and Alert
9-10 pm: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (MP3: Over and Over Again (Lost & Found) )
10-10:30 pm: Violet Wild
10:30-11:30 pm: Cold War Kids (MP3: Heavy Boots)

general

Gray Kid offers free download of Happy Feet

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For as much as I’ve talked about the Gray Kid before, I’m remiss in that I’ve neglected to mention his latest release, Vultures, released earlier this summer.

The album was inspired by the Kid reading Phaedra’s Love, a play by Sarah Kane. What I really wanted to do was read the play before I posted about the album (available at iTunes). But then I couldn’t find a copy at any of my local big-box bookstores. Then I started reading other stuff (namely, Into the Wild).

Nevertheless, that hasn’t prevented me from enjoying Vultures, an album rich in narrative and instrumental texture. You would swear this isn’t the same guy who’s happy to let you know about his, um, junk (Like a Comet) on … 5, 6, 7, 8. That’s versatility, friends.

The Gray Kid is offering up one of the albums tracks, Happy Feet (feat. Chris Garneau), as a free download at his MySpace page until Monday, at which point, he says, he will provide another track.

If you’re wondering, the mp3 is a 192 kbps file. Go get it.

general, radio rips

VHS or Beta: Can’t Believe a Single Word (WOXY)

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Some songs were not meant to be unplugged, acoustic or stripped down. Case in point: VHS or Beta’s Can’t Believe a Single Word.

I never listened to the group before this year’s Bring on the Comets was released. And this song grabbed me right out of the gate. How could it not? I haven’t even given two thoughts to the lyrics; I’m more interested in how the drums move me, how the chorus pulls me in. Again, how could it not?

The band stopped by WOXY for a Lounge Acts session. I can understand the desire to perform and hear a song in a different context. But acoustic guitars do Can’t Believe no justice. Still a great song … but gimme the drums!

  • VHS or Beta | Can’t Believe a Single Word (original, via Quick Before It Melts)
  • VHS or Beta | Can’t Believe a Single Word (live on WOXY)
general, radio rips

The New Pornographers: Myriad Harbour (on KCRW)

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Two years ago, my boy Royce fought me – but eventually caved – when I said the National’s Alligator was the best album of the year. He would say, “I hate that you’re right.”

Well, now I’m saying I hate that he’s right about Myriad Harbour, a song that is turning out to be my favorite of the year. Coincidentally, I started listening to Challengers really heavily – and Dan Bejar’s ode to New York – at about the same time I took my own trip to the Big Apple in early September. Yes, it took me that long to realize the greatness of Challengers. And now I can’t stop.

It also helped that we saw the New Pornographers in Tucson about a week later with Bejar in all his drunken glory. It was a sight to behold, Bejar moseying on to the stage for his songs then promptly exiting at the end of each song. Unreal. And hilarious.

Bejar was even kind enough to make the group’s KCRW appearance on Sept. 20. Not even Neko was there (at least from what I can tell). What’s that say when Bejar is the responsible one?

At any rate, this version (mandolin and all) is pretty funny because Bejar starts laughing and nearly loses it in the first verse before composing himself.

There’s also something very subtle but somehow defining when he changes the lyric “I walked into the local record store” to “I walked into your local record store.” The slight one-word switch really emphasizes the theme of his singing from the perspective of a New York outsider.

  • The New Pornographers | Myriad Harbour (live on KCRW)
general

New Nada Surf: See These Bones + bonus mp3

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Thanks to Brooklyn Vegan for the heads up on news from the Nada Surf camp.

The new album, Lucky, is due out Feb. 5 on Barsuk. And the group has made available for download the first single, called See These Bones.

BONUS:
Nada Surf played an acoustic set at Stinkweeds’ former Tempe location (R.I.P.) in February 2006. I recorded but never got proper permission to post the whole thing. Here’s an mp3 of Happy Kid from that performance.

  • Nada Surf | Happy Kid (live at Stinkweeds, 2/20/06)
general

Incoming: Vampire Weekend/Trolleyvox

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New York’s Vampire Weekend, recently signed to XL Recordings and previously discussed here and at Circa 45, return to Phoenix for a Dec. 1 show at Casa Blanca.

The Trolleyvox is co-headlining. Tickets are $8 (statesidepresents.com).

Vampire Weekend’s three-song EP, a promising peek into what a full-length holds (due for January ’08 release), is available at eMusic.

general, video

Elvis Perkins on Take-Away Shows

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I’m a little late on the draw on this one, but check out Elvis Perkins playing my favorite song of 2006 on La Blogotheque’s fantastic Take-Away Shows series.

On a somewhat related note, I’m happy to say that last week in Los Angeles I snagged a 7-inch of While You Were Sleeping (b/w Counterclockwise).

Enjoy the video (which might require a little Dramamine).

general, radio rips

The Twilight Sad on KEXP, 10/4/07

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Credit: Susana Meza (via KEXP blog)

I guess it was a sign that while having lunch with co-workers at a newish (well, new to me) cafe one day last week, the Twilight Sad was playing over the speakers in the restaurant (compliments to the playlist maker).

Just the previous week, I had been jotting down my favorite albums of the year, and I completely forgot about Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters, which seems fitting considering one of the main themes of the album centers on disaffection and alienation.

Seattle’s KEXP hosted the Scottish quartet for a studio session during KEXP’s live broadcasts from Chicago. I missed the band when it came through Phoenix a couple months ago, so I’m glad to have some semblance of a live set, including the fairly epic Cold Days from the Birdhouse.

Download full set as one mp3 here.

Subscribe to KEXP podcasts.

The Twilight Sad on KEXP, 10/4/07:

  • Cold Days from the Birdhouse
  • Watching the Chair Painted Yellow
  • And She Would Darken the Memory
  • I’m Taking the Train Home
general, video

Doveman: Castles video debut

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With My Left Hand I Raise the Dead cover art.

The fine folks at Brassland, home to So Much Silence favorite Baby Dayliner and former home of the National, have offered me (to share with you) the new Doveman video for Castles, from his forthcoming album With My Left Hand I Raise the Dead.

Startling in its minimalist approach – black and white, slightly grainy, single-camera view – this video works as an ideal visual complement to the hushed vocals of Doveman (aka Thomas Bartlett). If Doveman’s voice doesn’t elicit some sort of inner emotional response, then the video’s surreal slo-mo pacing should.

With My Left Hand already is available on eMusic; it will be on record shops Oct. 9 and on iTunes later in the month.

general

Check out ajisignal.com

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A quick note while I’m still in Los Angeles (yes, the National was amazing … shocker): Be sure to check out ajisignal.com, a city-specific magazine/blog devoted to music. I met Patrick Woodward, one of the site’s co-founders, over the weekend in LA and had a nice chat about all things music.

I expect to help out as time permits to show off the Phoenix/Tempe music scene. In the meantime, you probably already know a few of the contributors to AjiSignal: Aquarium Drunkard (Los Angeles), Dan and Sean at Said the Gramophone (Montreal) and Liz at Come Pick Me Up.

I love the idea for the site, like MetroBlogging but for music. So be sure to bookmark it or add featured cities to your RSS feeds.