May 15, 2008
Alphabeat, that danceable, '80s-loving Danish sextet, have promised us "10,000 Nights Of Thunder," which is why covering Daft Punk's "Digital Love" makes perfect sense: It takes care of at least one night ... and this dream ... and you. It showed up in our Inbox this AM and has been on repeat. As might be expected, it's less digital, more warm and cuddly than the French duo's take. That's because there are more indie-pop hands on deck here, and they don't wear space helmets.
CONTINUE READING ALPHABEAT COVER DAFT PUNK...
Posted at 11:01 AM in
Tags: Alphabeat | Daft Punk
latest by Martin
One of Dan's many shining moments at Mount Zoomer, "Language City" is a driving early-album rocker that shifts through a few sections of alternating urgency, pairing salt-of-the-earth guitars with Spencer's winding synths. Honestly, though, every time we hear it it's like we're just biding time to the 3:45 mark and that stomping, club-ready bassline that delivers thrills, and chills, each time out. It's one of those moments that sounds like it's always been written, just that Wolf Parade fell upon it, and it makes us want to see them live so fucking badly. It's yours for the downloading at MySpace.
At Mount Zoomer is out 6/17 via Sub Pop.
Posted at 8:13 AM in
Tags: Wolf Parade
latest by germango
May 14, 2008
Unless you were born with one of those silver spoons, you likely work a day job, sneaking time for your own business when not taking care of someone else's. You're not alone. Brandon Stosuy finds out how our favorite indie artists make ends meet...
Valet is Honey Owens. She was recently on tour as a member of Atlas Sound, but if you want to hear her own unique approach to homegrown ambiance, check out her beautiful sophomore album Naked Acid. I posted one of its standouts "Keehar" in the Outsiders a few months ago, and have the beautiful album closer, "Street," after our discussion. Our "discussion" because, yes, of course, she has a job. As she told me:
Basically my job is co-owning a vintage and handmade clothing/record store here in Portland called Rad Summer. We're about a 8 to 9 person collective. We all take turns working the store. The other time "working" is shopping at estate sales and Goodwill utlet stores to bring in fresh and delectable items ... basically the work part is driving and carrying heavy bags around town/digging through garbage, etc. Picking (what we call it in Portland) is kinda like an addiction or a mania.
I wanted to know more so I asked.
CONTINUE READING QUIT YOUR DAY JOB: VALET...
Posted at 4:23 PM in ,
Tags: Valet
latest by douglas martin
We dug Invasive Exotics, Indian Jewelry's 2006 long player, but the feedback feels warmer, the structures more assured, expansive, unhinged and less Doors-y/VU-derived on Free Gold!. In fact, even if you didn't like the Houston crew's older work, you might find your groove within the excellent murk: For instance, check out Gold standout "Walking On The Water," which debuted beautifully in this week's Drop, where we also asked guitarist/vocalist Tex Kerschen about the fuzz-drenched hymn. Should we believe he's never heard of Jesus & Mary Chain or is that just one of those things? Judge for yourself here. Free Gold! is out 5/20 on We Are Free.
As is our way, we also have a giveaway. This time we're not fucking around: One winner takes home an Eastwood Airline 3P DLX electric guitar signed by Islands.
CONTINUE READING THE 'GUM DROP XXXVII: HEAR NEW INDIAN JEWELRY, WIN AN EASTWOOD GUITAR SIGNED BY ISLANDS...
Posted at 12:42 PM in ,
Tags: Indian Jewelry | Islands
latest by Vishal Agarwala
Few shows come through NYC these days that make us feel guilty for missing 'em even a week after the fact. So fuck you, Flight Of The Conchords. Everybody loved the two sold out nights at Town Hall. Everybody except us ticketless lovers of Kiwi-created song satire. Anyway this morning we're consoled by an official video (non-show version) for "Ladies Of The World," featuring Jemaine and Bret fantasizing about being the lady killers you so know they are in real life (on roller skates). Videogum beat us to the post, so be sure to watch, but don't end your day without this:
Flight Of The Conchords - "Ladies Of The World" (MP3)
And this one too why not:
Flight Of The Conchords - "Business Time" (MP3)
Flight Of The Conchords is out via Sub Pop, and the band is on tour:
05/14 - Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
05/15 - Denver, CO @ Ellie Caulkins Opera House
05/16 - Columbus, OH @ Value City Arena
05/26 - George, WA (Sasquatch!)
05/27 - San Francisco, CA @ Nob Hill Masonic Center
05/30 - Los Angeles, CA @ Orpheum Theater
07/12 - Redmond, WA (Sub Pop 20th)
Don't be like us. See them.
Posted at 11:32 AM in ,
Tags: Flight Of The Conchords
latest by Miguel
May 13, 2008
Make this advance track two from noted child-rearing bloggers/indie rock couple Mates Of State's Re-Arrange Us. Maybe not as memorably melodic as the outstanding "Get Better," but it's not for lack of arrangement: "My Only Offer" builds bells, glockenspiels, horns on top of a simple two-chord piano figure, with Kori and Jason's vocals swapping on the verses, harmonizing on the hook, hitting the callback/echoes later. All in all pretty pop, but the story here's in the lyrics, two lovers maybe not so much in love, slogging through the dulled luster, trying anyway. The chorus: "Oh, It's my only offer / stifled copies of myself / as someone else." Gives a little more resonance to the melody, innit.
CONTINUE READING NEW MATES OF STATE - "MY ONLY OFFER"...
Posted at 6:04 PM in ,
Tags: Mates Of State
latest by Noel
When Port O'Brien get nautical -- boats, ports, fishermen's sons -- they speak from experience. Or at least lead Porter Van Pierszalowski and bandmate Cambria Goodwin do. During a recent QYDJ they shared what it was like to work in a small Alaskan fishing town, on a boat and in a cannery respectively. Mix in that geographic isolation and disparate day jobs with the pair's romantic relationship, and you've got a fertile space for songwriting. The band name tells you just how heavily the seafaring life weighs on the band's work, but maybe nowhere more evidently and autobiographically as in "Stuck On A Boat." In this video the band put together for us, Van speaks to the intersecting themes that spark the simple All We Could Do Was Sing standout, and the band follows the intro with a La Blog-styled live performance in the lobby of Port O'Brien's Oakland, CA rehearsal space.
CONTINUE READING PORT O'BRIEN GET "STUCK ON A BOAT" FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT...
Posted at 12:34 PM in ,
Tags: Port O'Brien
latest by james l
Ryan Lott, aka multi-instrumental anticon electro-sound sculptor/singer Son Lux offers a remix of "A Little Bit Of Feel Good" that doesn't involve seducing a unicorn lady. Bummer! It also doesn't include a bevy of dancing mimes for Lidell to heal with his sweet sounds or much of the instrumentation from Jim's lead track, actually. Which is why it's more than fitting it arrived to us retitled "Just The Sound Of Your Voice." Yes, you are the "your," Jamie, and it's plenty of your voice.
CONTINUE READING NEW JAMIE LIDELL - "LITTLE BIT OF FEEL GOOD" (SON LUX REMIX)...
Posted at 11:23 AM in ,
Tags: Jamie Lidell | Son Lux
