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Review: Varsity Drag | Night Owls [MP3]

2009-11-26T15:30:00.001-05:00

It neither sounds like it was recorded in a metal shipping container, nor does Night Owls completely hew to the straight pop-punk for which Varsity Drag fronter Ben Deily has long been known. But beyond the fully actualized production and more thoughtful compositions, fans of Mr. Deily's music will recognize a more subtle difference between the 2006 set For Crying Out Loud and his reconfigured Cambridge, Mass.-based trio's new collection. Simply put, For Crying Out Loud was an "if" record, but Night Owls is a "then" record. The former's biggest tune "Summertime" commences with the line "if you'd be mine, I'd find the time..." That record's opening anthem "Skinny Ties" is entirely predicated on supposition: "I'd give up all of my skinny ties, give up cheese omelets and curly fries..." Where Deily does not yearn on For Crying Out Loud ("the place just ain't the same without Billy Ruane..."), he cracks wise, sending up the last decade with "1999." Throughout Deily maintains a wish or a laugh's distance, stays to the left side of the comma.

Night Owls, by contrast, opens with the lyric "And so the years went crashing by..." and then examines various crashes one after another. And with that declaration Deily steps over the comma into the hindsight of unenumerated mornings after (or, more likely for a night owl, afternoons after) and confronts his emotions straight on. Calling Varsity Drag's new record introspective doesn't go far enough to describe some of the psychic scab-ripping herein. While Deily doesn't name names or proffer genesis stories, the meaning of lyrics including "I let you down to save myself... like an animal" is not cloudy. That said, it isn't all fear and (self-)loathing: the title track describes the phosphorescent glow of a new relationship with sentiments so positive they approach a giddy serenity. What does this difference between Deily's "if" and "then" worlds signify? Maturity? Personal peace? We'll leave that for individual listeners to ponder.

As we stated supra, the differences between the aforementioned sets are not limited to more intense lyrical themes. On Night Owls Mr. Deily -- now abetted by Lisa Marie Deily on bass guitar and Joshua Pickering detonating the cans -- reveals musical ambitions that fans were likely unaware that the punk statesman harbored. Old timers will recall Deily's affecting acoustic ballad "Postcard" from the latter days of Lemonheads Mach 1 (and featured on last summer's live release from Varsity Drag). On Night Owls Deily offers "Postscript," a Bacharach-esque and lush guy-piano-strings number. It is apparent that Mr. Deily has been thinking about making these songs nearly as long as he has been feeling them, and while he selected former Lemonheads producer Tom Hamilton to mind the faders and the knobs, Night Owls is a significant sonic step forward for Deily. The smart chord and key changes, keen production details and more orchestrated compositions make that plain. The vocals buried in the background of "Animal" are genius (particularly at the line "I know I failed my darling"), the layered acoustic and electric guitars of "Richard's Gone" deliver a completely satisfying, crystalline crunch, the aggressive attack of "In This World" (whose guitars recall Rush's "Fly By Night" in brief moments) entirely gratifying. Varsity Drag recently returned from two weeks in another country (namely the U.K.) and -- although there are no pending live dates currently listed at the band's MySpace dojo -- the trio is presumably now plotting the promotion of Night Owls to fans in the States.

Varsity Drag -- "Animal" -- Night Owls
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[buy Night Owls from the band right here]

Varsity Drag: Internerds | Bandcamp | YouTube | Flickr

Previous Varsity Drag Coverage:
Be Prepared: Varsity Drag | Night Owls | Date TBD
And Then This Happened: Varsity Drag | Middle East Rock Club | 8/7/09
Remarks: Varsity Drag, Grownup Noise, Winterpills
Review: Varsity Drag | Rock and Roll Is Such A Hassle: Live in Europe
Varsity Drag @ Cantab Lounge, March 2009
Varsity Drag @ O'Brien's, August 2008
Varsity Drag @ Cantab Lounge, February 2008
Free Range Music: Varsity Drag, May 2006

That Was The Show That Was: Sonic Youth, The Feelies | Wilbur

2009-11-23T14:50:00.001-05:00

[PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Piantigini | We welcome back to these digital pages longtime friend and occasional contributor Jay Kumar, who you may recall hosts the podcast Completely Conspicuous. -- Ed.]

The last time I saw Sonic Youth was way back in October 1995, when the band was already considered the elder statespeople of alt rock/punk/grunge/whatever. I was supposed to see them play at Avalon (now doing business as House of Blues) on Lansdowne Street in Boston, but the surprise success of their single “The Diamond Sea” caused the promoter to move the show to the larger Orpheum Theatre. In my late 20s at the time, I was struck by how many really young kids (i.e., pre-teens) were there, drawn by the radio edit of the aforementioned 19-minute song.

The audience at Sunday night’s SY near-sellout show with The Feelies at the Wilbur Theater had a decidedly different look: a mix of aging hipsters, college kids and the occasional pre-teen. And while the band is decidedly older -— all five members are 47 or older -— they rock as hard as they ever have.

Touring behind The Eternal, the band’s first release on Matador, SY played a 90-minute set that included pretty much everything from that album. The new material was strong, with “Anti-Orgasm” a standout with its cascading waves of noise. In addition, the band sprinkled in some classics from the 1980s: “Tom Violence” and “Shadow of a Doubt” from Evol, “Stereo Sanctity” from Sister, “Cross the Breeze” and “The Sprawl” from Daydream Nation and the scorching show closer, “Death Valley ’69” from Bad Moon Rising. Interestingly, the band didn’t play any material off its nine major-label albums. For those folks disappointed that they didn’t get to hear “Kool Thing” or “100%,” there’s always YouTube.

Guitarists Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo were in peak form, alternately bashing out violent riffs and coaxing squalls of feedback from their guitars. Moore especially was animated, jumping around and looking like he was going to jump into the crowd at times while playing at the edge of the stage. Pavement’s Mark Ibold has taken over bass duties, which freed up Kim Gordon to play rhythm guitar or just focus on vocals, although she still played bass on some songs. Drummer Steve Shelley was impressive, whether he was hammering away on the harder stuff or creating a psychedelic mood on songs like “Shadow of a Doubt.” Perhaps in a nod to the sheer volume of songs the band has written, a roadie brought out lyric sheets that were taped to the stage for Moore, Ranaldo and Gordon for the older material.

Openers The Feelies drew some of the older audience members, similar to its reunion show at the Roxy in October 2008. Although much of the younger crowd at the Wilbur were unfamiliar with the band, which only has four albums and hasn’t released one since 1991, the older fans were shouting encouragement throughout the 50-minute set.

Singer-guitarist Glenn Mercer said few words between songs but bounced frenetically around the stage as he played his similarly winding solos. Thanks to a muddy sound mix, however, Mercer’s already subdued vocals were barely audible. Rhythm guitarist Bill Million (who one audience member rightly noted bears a striking resemblance to talk show host Jerry Springer) kept the jangly chords going and provided occasional backing vocals along with bassist Brenda Sauter. Stanley Demeski was a powerful presence on drums while percussionist Dave Weckerman intently played a variety of instruments including drums, tambourine, cowbell and blocks.

Highlights included “The Time is Right,” a new song the band played last October in Boston, “Too Far Gone” and the one-two punch of “Raised Eyebrows” leading into the sped-up strumfest of “Crazy Rhythms.” Hopefully, the band will release some new material soon because they’ve obviously still got the goods.

The Feelies have been playing sporadic shows in conjunction with the recent reissues of their albums Crazy Rhythms and The Good Earth. No further dates have been announced. Sonic Youth, however, were slated to play another show at the Wilbur with openers the Meat Puppets and Cold Cave.

One note about the Wilbur: What’s up with the byzantine series of checkpoints, wristbands and holding pens that the venue concertgoers undergo? There had to be 87 people staffing this event, and it just resulted in absurdly long lines for the restrooms and overall confusion. And on top of all that, they collected everyone’s ticket stubs. Weak. -- Jay Kumar

Sonic Youth: Internerds | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr
The Feelies: Internerds | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr

Previous Sonic Youth Coverage:
Today's Hotness: Sonic Youth, Jai-Alai Savant, Thrill Jockey
Industry Watchdog: Sonic Youth, UMGI, Gawker Media
YouTube Rodeo: Sonic Youth's "Incinerate"
Review: Sonic Youth | Rather Ripped

Previous Feelies Coverage:
Review: Velvets | Big Star | Feelies | Pixies
That Was The Show That Was: The Feelies At The Roxy
YouTube Rodeo: Half-Way To The Feelies And "Higher Ground"

And Then This Happened: Sonic Youth, Feelies | Wilbur | 11.22.09

2009-11-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

Sonic Youth and the Feelies at the Wilbur Theatre, Boston, MA; 11/22/2009; Photos by Michael Piantigini

Review: Calories | Let's Pretend That We're Older EP [MP3]

2009-11-21T11:52:00.000-05:00

OK Calories EP review go the idea of a Calories EP is sort of laughable because the brilliant Birmingham, England-based power trio's no-bullshit approach to melodic, sculpted punkwhatever already ensures that there will be no dillying or dallying among the proceedings and the band's debut full-length was 10 songs long but a blindingly paced 23 minutes short so a four-song EP could almost theoretically take you just one cigarette to listen to the whole thing, or even a negative amount of time, yeah? The title track to Let's Pretend That We're Older is an end-of-the-night beer hall anthem, well, more contemplative than that, but the point being if we were pretending we were younger this is the song that we'd dial up every night with our last dollar for the jukebox and pound our thick-bottomed mugs to the shellacked tabletop along to as the barkeep reaches behind the dusty venetians and kills the window fluorescents and props open the door with a tired and meaningfully silent getthefuckout. Paradoxically the best track on this EP is buried in the side B track 1 slot were this a vinyl release, "Expect The Language" of the four tunes here best conveys Calories' characteristic panoramic optimism and that feeling that this day is going to be your day, which the substantially darker "Let's Pretend That We're Older" lacks a bit. In sum the EP is a fine collection to tide over fans who frothed at the debut Adventuring and are chewing fingers down to wrists waiting for the threesome's next full-length, which we are told will be issued in March by Smalltown America under the title Habitations. Let's Pretend That We're Older was co-released earlier this month by the aforementioned Smalltown America and Big Scary Monsters; the thing is being sold in a limited-edition denim sheath with a badge pinned to the front, the awesomeness of which need not be expounded upon. Mysterious commenters tell us that Habitations will be preceded in the new year by a single released by Coventry-based Tough Love Records for "The Mortal Boys" b/w "Drink The Potion," the a-side of which will appear on Habitations.

Calories -- "Let's Pretend That We're Older" -- Let's Pretend That We're Older
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[buy the EP from Big Scary Monsters right here]

Calories: ~~Internerds~~ | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr

Previous Calories Coverage:
Be Prepared: Calories | Let's Pretend That We're Older EP | 11 Nov.
YouTube Rodeo: Calories' "Forests of Varg"
Review: Calories | Adventuring
Show Us Yours #10: Calories
Todays Hotness: Fields, Johnny Foreigner, Calories

Coming To Your Local Bandstand: Lilys' California Mini Tour

2009-11-18T21:22:00.000-05:00

Well, they didn't take the stage for either of the Slumberland shows last weekend, but Kurt Heasley and his current cohorts (who knows who that is; the band's redesigned MySpace hacienda is cool-looking but fairly fact-deficient) will be trekking through several towns in California next week. As this is an extremely rare treat, it is a cause for some celebration. Lilys are also playing All Tomorrow's Parties Nightmare Before Christmas thing curated by My Bloody Valentine in England on 6 December, which of course is already sold out.

Footage: Lorelei Cover Lilys' "February 14th" | Slumberland 20th Anniversary

2009-11-17T20:27:00.003-05:00

Inveterate, jet-setting shoegaze junky and friend of Clicky Clicky mgrooves flew in from the left coast for the Slumberland 20th Anniversary shows in D.C. and Brooklyn last weekend, and captured the video above of Lorelei encoring with former labelmate Lilys' kaleidoscopic debut single. It's not the entire performance (the beginning is cut off), but it is quite awesome, and we suspect that if you watch until the huge transition at 2:30 you're mind may be blown. So while our dream of Lilys performing a surprise set during the celebration did not come to pass, the seminal Slumberland act was still represented. Lorelei delivered six other tracks, according to this set list also sent along by mgrooves, including the Clicky Clicky fave "Mostly I Sleep" and the classics "Float My Bed" and "Stop What You're Doing." "February 14th" was released as Slumberland's DRYL-7 in March 1991; the single is out of print. As we told our Twitter homies recently, NYCTaper was at the show Saturday night and recorded all of the sets. Pop over to NYCTaper now for live offerings from The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart and a sorta reconstituted Henry's Dress here and here respectively.

Lilys -- "February 14th" -- "February 14th" b/w "Threw A Day"
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[buy Lorelei records from Slumberland right here]

Rock Over Boston | drivin n cryin | TT the Bear's | 11.15.2009

2009-11-17T14:00:00.001-05:00

[Photos by Michael Piantigini]

It would be easy to go on for a thousand words about drivin n cryin (in fact, when I started this review it was starting to look like I would), because theirs has been a long and complex story since singer-sonwriter Kevn Kinney and bassist/mandolinist Tim Nielsen released the first album with the band's first lineup, 1986's Scarred But Smarter. So let's boil it down. Here's what you need to know: drivin n cryin are a part southern rock, part country rock, part folk rock, and part hard rock working class band from Atlanta, GA. They like folk music as much as they like the Stooges, and Aerosmith as much as country music.

And why not, right? That leads to glorious live shows that start with balls-out rockers like "Detroit City" from their great new album Great American Bubble Factory, and end with their sing-along country anthem "Straight To Hell" from their 1989 classic Mystery Road. That's how it went Sunday night at TT the Bear's, where drivin n cryin played a more-than-generous two hour set to a modest - but rabid - Sunday night crowd, their first in the area since they supported their self-titled last album opening for The Who's Quadrophenia redux tour stop at Great Woods in 1997.

That gave them plenty of time for a survey of the band's entire career as well as Kinney's solo career (the line between which has always been blurred). The fan favorites were all there: the hooky southern rock of "Honeysuckle Blue" and deep cut "Peacemaker" from 1989's Mystery Road; the hard rock riffs of the title track and "The Innocent" from the 1990's commercial stab at glory that was Fly Me Courageous, the working man angst of "Scarred But Smarter" (more or less the template for Kinney's songwriting) from their 1986 debut; and - of course! - the can't-do-anything-right staple "Straight To Hell." In between there were oddball covers: Nirvana's "All Apologies," sung by drummer Dave V. Johnson, the Dictators' "I Stand Tall" (which is on the new album), and the Beatles' "Why Don't We Do It In The Road;" the latter of which, bizarrely, was interpolated into "Straight To Hell." Latter-day guitarist Mac Carter beefed-up the rockin' stuff, added color to the quiet stuff, and played a particular beauty of a solo on the the non-album gospel/blues jam apparently called "Blues On Top Of Blues." All the while, Kinney was our charming host, weaving stories into the intros and breaks of songs making the whole thing feel as much like a back porch hang as rock rave-up.

While it's been a while since the band has been active beyond handfuls of shows in the southeast, it helps that they've released such a strong new album, (Whatever Happened to The) Great American Bubble Factory. The power-popping title track adding a new wrinkle to the band's sound with horns heralding over the insistent rhythm. Inspired Kinney's purchase from a dollar store a bottle of bubbles for his grand-daughter, "...Bubble Factory" is the sort of blue-collar rumination on which Kinney has long mused (as he points out, "if you can make it there, you can make it here"), and "Preapproved, Predenied" and "This Town" ask similar questions. Rockers like "Detroit City," a tribute to the likes of the Stooges and the MC5, "Get Around Kid," and "Trainwreck," along with folk rocker "Midwestern Blues," a reprise from an earlier Kinney solo album, and the strummy mandolin-flavored "Don't You Know That I Know That You Know?" help balance the record and keep things from getting too heavy.

This is a great, old-fashioned, unapologetic, rock and roll record with its heart in the right place and a drum stick on the bell of a ride cymbal at all the right times. It feels like it was always in the band's catalog.-Michael Piantigini

drivin n cryin: Internets | MySpace | YouTube | Twitter | Facebook

drivin n cryin at TT the Bear's Place, Cambridge, MA 11/15/2009:
1. Detroit City
2. Scarred But Smarter
3. (Whatever Happened to The) Great American Bubble Factory
4. With The People
5. The Innocent
6. Preapproved, Predenied
7. I Stand Tall
8. Paid In Full
9. Honeysuckle Blue
10. Let's Go Dancing
11. All Apologies
12. Peacemaker
13. Don't You Know That I Know That You Know?
14. A Good Country Mile
15. Let Me Down
16. Dirty Angels
17. Fly Me Courageous

Encore:
18. Blues on Top Of Blues (?)
19. Straight To Hell/Why Don't We Do It In The Road

YouTube Rodeo: Johnny Foreigner's "All Mosely Gardens" Rehearsal

2009-11-14T15:56:00.000-05:00

We're working on a write-up about this song for Sweeping The Nation's "Noughties By Nature" best songs of the decade thing. Yeah, surprise, surprise, we're writing about Johnny Foreigner again. This is one of our absolute favorite songs (statistically, it is our favorite song), and this very intimate rehearsal video is something we always rediscover every few months. Missing some of the spacey backing vocals and other extras from the version that most have heard. Despite failing to land this performance, the video is incredibly charming.

If We Ran The World: Slumberland Records 20th Anniversary Edition

2009-11-11T08:47:00.000-05:00

Venerable indie pop label Slumberland Records marks its 20th anniversary with special shows in Washington, D.C. Friday night and Brooklyn Saturday night. Full details and links to tickets can be accessed right here. We recall early on in the buzz for these events discussion of secret guests or special guests or some such, but looking at those line-ups, well we think it would be hard to do better than early Slumberland stalwarts The Ropers and Lorelei, who are already slated to play. The latter band, in particular, is near and dear for us, because we think Lorelei's Asleep EP is among the greatest EPs of the '90s (don't get us started). Even so, if we ran the world, and if the artists we are about to name could of course be bent to our will, here is what you'd see. Everything listed in the line-ups linked above, plus Plus PLUS (keep in mind this is all fantasy, it is not even conjecture, we are just totally making this shit up): Friday night would include Lilys performing their classic Slumberland/Spin-Art co-released In The Presence Of Nothing in its entirety; on Saturday night Rocketship would reform and deliver all of A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness plus the singles of that period. And that's what would happen this weekend if we ran the world. Earlier today Pop Tarts Suck Toasted posted a great interview with Slumberland ringmaster Mike Schulman; check it out here.

Lilys -- "Claire Hates Me" -- In The Presence Of Nothing
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[out of print / buy in-print Lilys records from MusicStack here]

Rocketship -- "I Love You Like The Way That I Used To" -- A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness
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[buy Rocketship records from MusicStack]

Review: Nosferatu D2 | We're Gonna Walk Around This City With Our Headphones On To Block Out The Noise [MP3]

2009-11-10T04:00:00.015-05:00

Here is England's greatest contemporary lyricist, Ben Parker, coupling his words and fairly singular guitar playing with the punishing drumming of his brother Adam to create perhaps the greatest unheard record of the decade. The contents of defunct duo Nosferatu D2's We're Gonna Walk Around This City With Our Headphones On To Block Out The Noise -- recorded years ago but only now available in stores -- seethe and brood with startling intensity, as Mr. Parker's narrators botch relationships, asphyxiate under the weighty, numbing press of an increasingly homogenized consumer culture, and second-guess their way into oblivion. The songs are uncompromising and raw: drumming is foregrounded and everywhere; torrents of lyrics occasionally unhinge from verses; and there are barely any guitar effects to speak of, save for the distortion and feedback in the stunning track "We'll Play The Power Of Love By Frankie Goes To Hollywood A Thousand Times Tonight."

In the hierarchy of credible angst in post-punk music, there's Morrissey, there's Cobain, there's Ben Parker, and then there's everybody else. Parker spits devastatingly personal lyrics as if they burn his mouth ("at the time I think I just thought they were funny. I guess a lot of stuff happened in those two years," he remarks in the liner notes). Most songwriters are lucky to have one line in a song that hits home; Parker's lyrics and their desperate delivery are all stunning. We're Gonna Walk Around This City With Our Headphones On To Block Out The Noise opens with the line "the only place I feel alone is in your arms," and the record gets increasingly harrowing from there, climaxing in the spine-tingling, final :29 seconds of the track "Springsteen." In those last moments Parker sputters over and over "It's all up here! Point to my head!" before boiling over with two terrifying screams. That the tune is followed by the beautiful, calm opening of "We'll Play The Power Of Love By Frankie Goes To Hollywood A Thousand Times Tonight" is just brilliant sequencing. The record's most immediately satisfying track, "A Footnote," conveys the disappointment of being an avid music fan in a way that could only have been written by an avid music fan: "and every song that makes me cry is embarrassing to talk about, and the worst album will always be the last one..."

We're Gonna Walk Around This City With Our Headphones On To Block Out The Noise was never released during the two-year span (2005-2007) in which Nosferatu D2 was a going concern. And so we were very excited to learn that it was finally to be properly released by the new label Audio Antihero 16 Oct. The set had very nearly been released in 2007, according to Parker, and in fact was so close to being issued that the title was chosen and the art work contracted. Alas, Nosferatu D2's split indefinitely shelved We're Gonna Walk Around This City With Our Headphones On To Block Out The Noise. For a long time the set was available for free download from Last.FM, although the title and art were not included. The title, incidentally, comes from the opening line of a never-completed Nosferatu D2 track, according to Parker. Parker previously fronted the trio Tempertwig and is the current proprietor of the newly dual-member Superman Revenge Squad.

Nosferatu D2 -- ~~"We'll Play The Power Of Love By Frankie Goes To Hollywood A Thousand Times Tonight"~~ -- We're Gonna Walk Around This City With Our Headphones On To Block Out The Noise
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[buy the record from Audio Antihero right here]

Nosferatu D2: ~~Internerds~~ | MySpace | YouTube |Flickr

Previous Ben Parker Coverage:
Be Prepared: Nosferatu D2 | We're Gonna Walk Around This City With Our Headphones On To Block Out The Noise | 16. Oct
Out: Superman Revenge Squad's "We're Here For Duration... We Hope!"
A Dish Best Served Cold: The Clicky Clicky Interview With Ben Parker
Logorrhea, Pathos and Superman Revenge Squad
Today's Hotness: Tempertwig, Naxos, Joy Division
Every Band I've Ever Loved Has Let Me Down Eventually

Ringo Deathstarr Will Storm Japan, U.K., Issue "You Don't Listen" Single

2009-11-08T07:53:00.001-05:00

We didn't know -- or learned and forgot in record time -- that Austin, Texas-based shoegaze goliath Ringo Deathstarr released a brand-new single Oct. 29. "You Don't Listen" b/w "Every Time I Leave You," was released by Custom Made Music, and the A-side will be on a planned full-length set issued by the band in 2010 (WOOT!) while the B-side is exclusive to the release. The Custom Made web site indicates the release is pending, but only by going to the Custom Made MySpace wigwam can one learn that the single can be purchased via PayPal right now. You can stream "You Don't Listen" at the band's MySpace drive-thru, which we recommend doing, because the track is killer. A little more sheen than the music from the band's excellent eponymous EP and the early demos we've been lucky enough to collect.

It's been a relatively busy fall for the quartet, which Sept. 14 released via UK label Spoilt Victorian Child Records the scorching single "Summer Time" b/w "In Love" (buy! buy! buy!). And the band is about to make what we believe is its maiden voyage to Japan, where it will stomp Yokohama, Osaka and Tokyo like Godzilla, before embarking on a thorough tour of the U.K. We're posting the full tour dates below. Ringo Deathstarr's self-titled EP was among our 10 favorite records of 2007, as you can see here. Readers may recall the EP was reissued on hot pink vinyl by Fan Death Records earlier this year. We don't have a copy of the new single yet and MySpazzz doesn't allow embeds, so we can't post the new single. But here is a stream of "Summertime," the B-side to September's SVC Records single.

11.20 -- Dragon Club -- Yokohama
11.21 -- Kitahorie Club Vijon -- Osaka
11.22 -- Kouenji High -- Tokyo
11.26 -- The Bodega Social Club -- Nottingham
11.27 -- Old Blue Last -- Hoxton, London
11.28 -- Reverence @ ICA -- London
11.30 -- Jericho Tavern -- Oxford
12.01 -- Korova -- Liverpool
12.02 -- Fibbers -- York
12.03 -- Sneaky Pete's -- Edinburgh
12.04 -- Captain’s Rest -- Glasgow
12.05 -- Academy 2 -- Birmingham
12.06 -- Joiners Arms -- Southampton
12.07 -- Brixton Windmill -- London
12.08 -- White Heat @ Madame Jojos -- London

The Elevators Drops | One Night Only | Middle East Rock Club | Dec. 18

2009-11-06T20:55:00.001-05:00

After allegedly reforming in 2006 only to stealth release a fourth record (if you include the odds 'n' sods collection Epidose 1) more than a year later and disappear back into the ether, storied Boston psych-pop trio The Elevator Drops are reforming for a single show Friday, Dec. 18 at Cambridge, Mass.'s Middle East Rock Club. One odd Tuesday or Wednesday night this band pulled an 18-wheeler on to the lawn of the prominent anti-frat at our undergraduate institution and played one of the most bizarre and amazing sets of music we've ever seen. Allow us to recycle a paragraph from our Nov. 2006 item:

During our senior year in college we were pulled to a show on campus for a band we knew nothing about. The show was in the middle of the week or on a very beat Friday night, and as far as we can recollect there were no opening acts and the show was minimally attended. Which was too goddamned bad because we saw one of the most exciting and bizarre shows of our then 22 or so years. Yes, it was The Elevator Drops, and if we are recalling this correctly the trio showed up to the residence hall hosting the show in a giant, gleaming white 18-wheeled truck. Or at least that is what they pulled away in after the show as we stood with our mouth agape at the wonders we had just witness. You see, when The Elevator Drops took the stage they did so in make-up and in-character as evil clown robots strung out on heroin. Their movements were rigid and pop music glorious and weird. We have always had a hard time explaining the spectacle of the band that night.

All of The Elevator Drops' records appear to be out of print. We're posting a track from Epidose 1 below, which is not really representative of the band's recorded output, but it is a beautiful ambient track that shows how much range the trio had, and just how amazing of a band this really is. Uhh, "was."

The Elevator Drops -- ~~"If You Were Invisible"~~ -- Epidose 1
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[buy Elevator Drops records from MusicStack right here]

The Elevator Drops: ~~InterWeb~~ | MySpace | Flickr | YouTube

Footage: Pants Yell!'s "Someone Loves You"

2009-11-05T20:47:00.000-05:00

We, of course, think smoking is something that one should not do. But when was the last time you saw a smoker smoking in as cool a fashion as Pants Yell! drummer Casey Keenan? Seriously. But anyway, this is a hot track from the Cambridge, Mass.-based trio's forthcoming long-player Received Pronunciation. The record, Pants Yell!'s fourth, will be issued by the mighty Slumberland Records next week. You can already pre-order that shizz right here.

Review: The Swimmers | People Are Soft [MP3]

2009-11-03T08:01:00.002-05:00

The title to Philadelphia-based The Swimmers' ambitious sophomore set is not a put-down, it's a poignant acknowledgment of human flaws. Or at least that is the impression we get after listening to People Are Soft, which is starkly different from the band's excellent 2008 debut Fighting Trees. The latter album was a scritchy, upbeat collection of jangly, rootsy indie rockers that sounded like the earliest Wilco records. By contrast People Are Soft is awash in icy, futuristic synths (as in the New Order-y "Anything Together"), electronically augmented rhythm tracks and imaginative production.

The remarkable difference -- production-wise -- can in part be attributed to the fact that between the recording of the two records The Swimmers built their own home studio. And if it wasn't for a freshly realized, pronounced darkness that hangs over People Are Soft we'd chalk up the startlingly dissimilar sonic palette purely to the band's newfound freedom to experiment in the studio without having to worry about paying for all the hours. Album closer "Try To Settle In" certainly takes an everything-and-the-kitchen sink approach while recreating a sound -- one melodically akin toThe Clash's "Hitsville UK" -- that wouldn't be out of place on The Magnetic Fields' recent Distortion. The second track of People Are Soft, "A Hundred Hearts," stomps along with a slight hint of roller disco funk that recalls Lilys' recent dance floor filler "A Diana's Diana" (for that matter, the closing seconds of album opener "Shelter" sound very similar to the closing seconds of Lilys' wonderful "Black Carpet Magic"). The lazery clean, glossy production of the new Swimmers record not only contrasts with the moodier outlook in the new songs, but also places them in the same sort of sonic area as another Philly band that drastically retooled (along with a name change and personnel pruning) from a rootsy sound to a spacey, glossy and studio-influenced one: Sun Airway.

As we alluded to above, even more jarring is the darker vibe of the new record, whose songs in sum suggest a loss of innocence. Where Fighting Trees included wide-eyed and infectious anthems like "Heaven," "Pocket Full Of Gold" and "It's Time They Knew," People Are Soft's post-lapsarian sound is more troubled and reflective. The overdriven rocker (and album highlight) "Drug Party" includes the lines "when they cut me open they'll see why I didn't fit" and "I'm always outside getting sick." These sentiments, that loss of innocence, could easily be a result of the band -- led by Steve Yutzy-Burkey and whose principals met at a small Bible college -- moving to the big city and confronting new, more complicated lives. But if we had to venture a guess we'd say that the new record carries a certain resignation and weariness that manifests itself among 20-somethings when youth and idealism become increasingly distant memories. People Are Soft is released by Mad Dragon Records today. Fighting Trees was named one of our top 10 records of 2008 right here, and we reviewed it here. The band will tour briefly to support the new collection, and Boston-area fans should make a special note about the Dec. 12 date at PA's Lounge.

The Swimmers -- ~~"A Hundred Hearts"~~ -- People Are Soft
[right click and save as]
[buy Swimmers records from Newbury Comics right here]

The Swimmers: Internets | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr

11.06 -- Kung Fu Necktie -- Philadelphia, PA
11.07 -- Main Street Music -- Philadelphia, PA
11.07 -- Pianos -- New York, NY
11.13 -- Progressive Galleries -- Lancaster, PA
11.14 -- The Bog -- Scranton, PA
12.11 -- DC-9 -- Washington, DC
12.12 -- PA’s Lounge -- Boston, MA

And Then This Happened: Future of the Left, The Beatings

2009-11-02T12:17:00.002-05:00

Future of the Left with the Beatings at TT the Bear's, November 1, 2009;
-Photos by Michael Piantigini

Future of the Left f'n delivered. As you can see from the photos, they take no shortcuts, spare no piece of equipment, and are always willing to risk injury in their endeavor to entertain. What you can't see is their sense of humor - Too many bands that are this loud, this unrelenting, and this menacing take themselves way too seriously, and Future of the Left's refusal to do so is part of what makes them such great fun to see.

I am a believer in the Beatings too. It pains me to admit that this was my first time seeing them; it certainly won't be my last.

-Michael Piantigini

Future of the Left: Interwebs| MySpace | Falco's blog
The Beatings: Interwebs | MySpace

Today's Hotness: Projekt A-ko, Pants Yell!, Shout Out Louds, She Sir

2009-10-29T21:12:00.001-04:00

>> We were rapping with our tweeps last week on the Interzizzles about the wonderful Glaswegian indie rock trio Projeckt A-ko, who released the superlative full-length Yoyodyne this past spring. The discussion reminded us that when we had communicated with band fronter Fergus Lawrie last he had mentioned that writing and recording for a new Projekt A-ko was already in the works. We checked back in with Mr. Lawrie last weekend, who provided us with an update on all things A-ko. Recording started a year ago at The Diving Bell studio in Glasgow, at which time drum tracks for five cuts (including the oft-discussed cover of the amazing Drop Nineteens classic "Winona") were recorded. In August Projekt A-ko returned to work and committed to tape bass and rhythm guitar tracks for the aforementioned five cuts, and the band hopes to finish eight songs by Christmas. The plan is to record some additional songs in 2010 and aim for a June release. Lawrie reports that the new songs are "heavier and deeper" than the material on Yoyodyne, and offers My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth and Smashing Pumpkins as reference points for the sound. Touring is still not in the cards for Projekt A-ko, sadly, as the band members have other commitments, although Lawrie notes he has felt conflicted when turning down gig and tour offers. While we wait for new Projekt A-ko music, here's an awesome non-album track called "Our Teenagers Need Healthy Touch."

Projekt A-ko -- ~~"Our Teenagers Need Healthy Touch"~~
[right click and save as]
[buy Yoyodyne from the band right here]

>> Cambridge, Mass.'s own twee pop stars Pants Yell! will release their fourth album (and Slumberland Records debut) Received Pronunciation Nov. 10, and the trio is promoting the release with the MP3 "Cold Hands." Our quick and first impression of the track is that it's not immediately hooky, but the production is spectacular and tight and the guitars are heavier and generally sound amazing. Pants Yell! hit the road the day after release day for a nine-day tour of the mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States. We're posting the tour dates below.

Pants Yell! -- ~~"Cold Hands"~~ -- Received Pronunciation
[right click and save as]
[buy Pants Yell! records from Newbury Comics right here]

11/11 -- Bronxville, NY -- Sarah Lawrence College
11/12 -- Philadelphia, PA -- University of Pennsylvania
11/13 -- Washington, DC -- Black Cat (SLR 20th Anniversary show)
11/14 -- Brooklyn, NY -- Bell House (SLR 20th Anniversary show)
11/15 -- Bethlehem, PA -- Secret Art Space
11/16 -- Cambridge, MA -- Zuzu
11/20 -- Portland, ME -- Space Gallery
12/05 -- Brooklyn, NY -- Bruar Falls

>> Swedish indie pop phenoms Shout Out Louds return with its third full length Work, which will be issued by Merge on Feb. 23 in the U.S. The set was recorded with Phil Ek, whose work you know from classic albums by Built To Spill, Modest Mouse and Unwound. You can watch a short preview promo of Work right here. Shout Out Louds' sophomore set Our Ill Wills was released in 2007 and the record closed with the amazing brooder "Hard Rain," and we are hoping as hard as we can hope that the new record will pick up where "Hard Rain" left off, because that track is amazing.

>> We ran this out our Twitter feed the other night, but it is worth repeating here that Austin, Texas-based shoegaze luminaries She Sir have pushed the release of their sophomore set Go Guitars to next summer. But in the near-term the band intends to issue the four-song, digital and vinyl Yen EP, and you can hear two of the tracks "Ginger" (sadly not a Lilys cover, but still exceptional) and "Lemongrass" at the band's Internet Home Page right here.

Be Prepared: Calories | Let's Pretend That We're Older EP | 11 Nov.

2009-10-27T20:57:00.001-04:00

There are number of important thing to note about Birmingham, England-based power trio Calories' forthcoming EP. But most important of all of these is, yes, that is a denim CD sleeve. With a real badge affixed to it. Hats off to Big Scary Monsters for this awesome package (a co-release with Smalltown America, which released Calories' full-length debut), which reminds us of the good ol' days of the music industry being fun, awesome, and ready to dole out all manner of crazy stuff. Like the inflatable sheep Epitaph Records sent us in 1995 to promote one of its releases, a sheep with, ahem, special properties for people who really like sheep, well, too much. Anyway, back to Calories. Another remarkable thing about this EP, slated for release Nov. 11, is that it does not include that as-yet-unreleased-but-wholly-awesome track "Drink The Potion" [video]. What Let's Pretend That We're Older does include is four tracks, none of which will be on Calories' next record:

1. ~~Let's Pretend That We're Older~~ [right click and save as]
2. Arm A Leg
3. Expect The Language
4. Hands Off...

As you can see from the hyperlinked text about, the labels in question are giving away the title track for free. Fans lucky enough to catch Calories in the next few weeks can purchase the entire EP in person, otherwise you've got to order that stuff from BSM or STA. As for "Drink The Potion," we're hopeful that the tune will be on Calories' second record, which is titled Habitations, which we are told will be released in March on Smalltown America.

28.10 -- Brighton -- Audio
04.11 -- York -- City Screen
05.11 -- Nottingham -- The Bodega
06.11 -- Brighton -- The Freebutt
07.11 -- Southampton -- Lennons
08.11 -- Reading -- Oakford Social Club
09.11 -- Birmingham -- The Flapper
10.11 -- London -- The Barfly

Calories: ~~Internerds~~ | MySpace | YouTube | ~~Flickr~~

Footage: The Answering Machine's "Emergency (Acoustic In New York)"

2009-10-25T20:50:00.001-04:00

Very nice rendition of this album cut from the band's barn-burning 2009 debut Another City, Another Sorry. Read our review of the record right here.

The Answering Machine: Internets | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr

Clicky Clicky Music Blog's Top Albums 2000-2009

2009-10-23T04:00:00.008-04:00

The span of years roughly book-ended by the launches of Napster and Spotify -- a decade during which many perpetually proclaimed the album format dead -- was crammed with crates and crates and crates and crates of compelling music. And why wouldn't it be? Ones and zeroes do not obviate humanity's innate need to rock. But that is a subject for another day. Today, as part of Deckfight's ongoing Albums Of The Decade Blog Tour, we force ourselves to choose the 10 best of the last 10 years. For weeks we've debated how to weigh the best versus the most representative versus the most influential and so on. It's difficult stuff to parse, but we think ultimately what it came down to was giving respect where respect was due for songcraft, innovation and gusto. While we offer our picks for 10 best records below, we are not ranking them, as simply making the cut is the honor here. What is below is listed alphabetically.

In case you are just catching up, yesterday's Albums Of The Decade Blog Tourist was Eric from Can You See The Sunset From The Southside, and you can read his list right here; Monday you can check out Brendan from Count Me Out's list right here. And for those of you who want more in depth discussion of our favorite songs and records of the last 10 years should listen to our four-part appearance on Jay Kumar's Completely Conspicuous podcast [part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4].

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1. The Books -- Lost And Safe -- Tomlab (2005)
The Books: Internerds | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr | Buy

No matter whether you are gauging by songcraft or innovation, The Books deserve recognition for writing some of the most amusing, compelling and beautiful compositions of the decade. In particular we find Lost And Safe's closer "Twelve Fold Chain" incredibly moving. Here's a digested version of what we said in our review May 10, 2005:

Even on this, their third album, The Books sound like they've got secrets to tell. But the most solid clues they offer on Lost And Safe are fragments of dreams, stream-of-consciousness queries and allusions to spiritual questing. An intricate mix of serene vocals, spoken word samples, understated clattering percussion, guitar and cello, the duo's music is enchanting and hypnotic. "A Little Longing Goes Away" opens the record with soft vocals swathed in reverse reverb, making lines like "our minds are empty / like we're too young to know to smile" sound like prayer.

All musical elements are expertly but gently balanced like a series of birds on a wire. Although not overtly apparent, the band's lyrics, in addition to being spiritually inquisitive, can be quite funny. This is most apparent during the act's current live show, during which video accompaniment emphasizes the graduate school-level word play that characterizes songs like "Smells Like Content" and "An Animated Description of Mr. Maps." No matter the context or what you call it, The Books are in relatively uncharted territory with bountiful potential in every direction. Although Lost And Safe would be a crowning achievement for any band, The Books show no sign of running out of beautiful musical ideas to convey.

Twelve Fold Chain - The Books

2. Destroyer -- Destroyer's Rubies -- Merge (2006)
Destroyer: Internerds | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr | Buy

We didn't review this record upon its release (or ever). As with songwriter Dan Bejar's finest efforts, the record is self-referential, inscrutable, beautiful and biting. Destroyer's Rubies in particular seems like a record ripe for academic examination. But no matter how layered or diffracted the narratives, the songs themselves are hook-filled, generously melodic and wholly rewarding. Bejar's smarter-than-you lyrics, singular vocal delivery, and attention to production detail make all of his records great -- Destroyer's Rubies is exceptional. What else is there to say? We recently saw Bejar perform solo in Boston, and for much of the performance we were thinking how we wished he was performing with a full band. But even performing solo with a weather red acoustic under spare spotlights the songs were completely arresting.

Rubies - Destroyer

3. The Hold Steady -- Separation Sunday -- French Kiss (2005)
The Hold Steady: Internerds | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr | Buy

This list is not really about success stories, but The Hold Steady's sophomore set certainly qualifies as one, and -- of course -- one of the biggest of the decade. The burgeoning blogosphere was alight with praise when this was issued, and although our first inclination was to ignore the band because of the bountiful praise from seemingly every corner (we're contrarian like that), we were an embarrasingly ready convert when we finally stopped to listen to Separation Sunday. And what's not to like? As Mr. Kumar states, The Hold Steady is like Jim Carroll fronting Thin Lizzy playing Bruce Springsteen songs. Like the aforementioned Mr. Bejar, Hold Steady fronter Craig Finn is an amazing lyricist and he crafts on this record an amazing, conceptual collection that follows the rise and fall and rise again of certain gutter-frequenting, drug-gobbling drifters. Mr. Finn and his cohort take these losers and wring from them incredible tales of spine-tingling desperation and redemption. Also, there's a whole hell of a lot of rock music on this record, including the highlights "Your Little Hoodrat Friend" and "Stevie Nix." Ground-breaking? No. Awesome? Yes.

Stevie Nix - The Hold Steady

4. Johnny Foreigner -- Grace And The Bigger Picture (2009)
Johnny Foreigner: Internerds | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr | Buy

Did you think a guy who co-operates the Johnny Foreigner fan site Keeping Some Dark Secrets wasn't going to pick a Johnny Foreigner record for his list? There are so many reasons why this record is awesome, front to back, but here is just one: on the rare mornings where we walk to the subway, ride the subway, and then walk to our office, it takes exactly one run through the entire record to get us from door to desk. Wonderful. Here's a digested version of our review from Sept. 28, 2009:

Grace And The Bigger Picture is pointedly heartfelt, jubilantly aggressive, road-weary and resigned all at once. The record is populated with wistful ideals of home ("we'll throw parties in the yard") and amazing letdowns ("all we have is miles and wires and all I am is calls tomorrow"), but there are also wonderfully carefree moments, as in the almost blindingly brief "Kingston Called, They Want Their Lost Youth Back." [The record] is painstakingly crafted, deeply layered, and hangs together as a collection more firmly than even its ambitious predecessor. The narratives sparkle like dizzying mosaics comprised of thousands of digital snapshots. Themes appear and re-appear, e.g. the clarion call "some summers!" in "Feels Like Summer" resurfaces in "The Coast Was Always Clear;" "More Heart, Less Tongue" is transmogrified into "More Tongue, Less Heart;" the breakdown to "Custom Scenes And The Parties That Make Them" even repurposes the breakdown from the band's break-out single "Eyes Wide Terrified;" and keen ears seem to hear the familiar cry of "Amateur! Historian! shouted in the closing moments of the squalling anthem "Dark Harbourzz." But even more impressive than the whole are the parts, as there is a remarkable compositional cleverness in certain of the songs that points to an ever sharpening songcraft among Berrow and company. This is no more apparent than within the almost linear, structure-flouting gem "Custom Scenes And The Parties That Make Them." Best Before Records releases the record 26 Oct. in the U.K.

Criminals - Johnny Foreigner

5. The Mendoza Line -- We're All In This Alone -- Bar/None (2000)
The Mendoza Line: Internerds | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr | Buy

After it had exhausted a Superchunk fixation, a record label and Athens, Georgia, and before its late embrace of a rootsier sound enamored a major rock critic or two, this always-at-the-brink-of-destruction collective created this wondrous, sweet full-length. A slapdash concoction of literate, lo-fi balladry and everyman indie rock channeled through three songwriters is remarkable perhaps mostly because, like the band itself, We're All In This Alone somehow manages to hang together. All at the same time the proceedings sound like the end of the '90s, point toward the ascendency of the band's adopted hometown of Brooklyn and presage a decade that once more embraced folk rock. It's a weird record, but it's a fantastic record, held aloft by great songs including the devastating "I Hope That You Remember To Forget." Of course, The Mendoza Line did not survive this decade, but part of the magic of We're All In This Alone is that the record sounds like a band with a world of possibilities in front of it, which was fairly accurate in the year 2000.

6. Meneguar -- I Was Born At Night -- Troubleman Unlimited (2006)
Meneguar: Internerds | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr | Buy

With the ascendancy of the related, more psych-leaning project Woods, and with silence from the band going on uninterrupted, we are starting to believe we may have seen the last of our beloved Meneguar. Which is a shame because the Brooklyn-based quartet's brand of desperate, shouty, smart and guitar-driven indie rock pushes all the right buttons for us, and we see no American successor really taking up the banner for the style. I Was Born At Night, so good it was issued twice, is seven anthems brimming with brawling attitude, splendid guitar interplay and heavy dynamics pounding home hooks galore. And it all comes down to the "The Temp," a fist-banging shouter about dead-end employment (or something -- who knows?) with a killer chorus that out-Slack Motherfuckers Superchunk's renowned "Slack Motherfucker." We recall that at one point Troubleman Unlimited had posted the MP3 for "The Temp" as a promo track, so here it is in all of its glory. Actually, this is the mix from the original Magic Bullet release -- retro!

Meneguar -- ~~"The Temp"~~ - I Was Born At Night
[right click and save as]

7. The Notwist -- Neon Golden -- City Slang (2003)
The Notwist: Internerds | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr | Buy

When we mentioned innovation supra, The Books weren't even the first band to come to mind. Instead we thought of The Notwist, and how in the wake of this landmark release that melded laptop electropop and indie guitar music suddenly, for at least a year, every one tried to replicate the Weilheim, Germany-based quartet's sound. Only by watching the amazing "On | Off The Record" DVD does one develop an appreciation for just how difficult an undertaking such replication would be (the opening seconds of the album were incredibly difficult, actually impossible, to perform), which is why -- despite seemingly providing the formula for an aesthetic perpetuated by labels like Morr Music for years afterwards -- so few acts came close to The Notwist. Even more amazing? The band's astonishing, dub-injected, Wii-dazzled live show, which we caught for the second time a year ago, makes Neon Golden and it's excellent successor The Devil, You & Me seem pale in comparison. But at the warm, digitally-pulsing heart of Neon Golden are 10 incredible, catchy songs delivered in Markus Acher's emotive deadpan murmur.

One With The Freaks - The Notw...

8. Spoon -- Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga -- Merge (2007)
Spoon: Internerds | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr | Buy

Flawless, every song, from a songwriting and a production standpoint. Endlessly listenable. As we said here in our Best Records of 2007 wrap-up:

We listened to this record over and over and over: in the car; in the office; in the kitchen. It's exceptional. Taut, glistening pop-rock, touches of spacey, warts-and-all production, and hooks galore. The songs all flow with an ease, an internal logic that is so finite that each tune seems representative of what indie rock is, at its core. If (when?) space aliens come to the United States asking about indie rock, perhaps the most obvious example to hand them is Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga.

Finer Feelings - Spoon

9. A Weather -- Cove -- Team Love (2008)
A Weather: Internerds | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr | Buy

Digested from our review posted Feb. 10, 2008 right here:

Portland, Ore.-based A Weather's beautiful full-length debut has a persistent but slippery allure. Populated almost entirely with murmured bedroom ballads driven by brushed drums, guitar and electric piano, the set somehow succeeds in not repeating the same tricks over and over again.

Is there a voyeuristic attraction inherent in pretty songs delivered in hushed tones simultaneously by male and female singers? Or is there something universal -- an inverse of voyeurism, in a way -- conveyed by these intimate, poignant tracks that make them so arresting. What we are certain of is that sping-tingling moments are frequent on Cove: when the ride cymbal pulses louder and louder during "Shirley Road Shirley" as fronter Aaron Gerber and drummer Sarah Winchester desperately assure "I swear, you won't even know I'm there;" when the duo stingingly confesses during "Oh My Stars" that "sometimes it's hard thinking about how the plans we make won't happen;" when the pair utters during "Spiders, Snakes" the unfathomably sweet sentiment (for those of us of a certain age, anyway) "I want to have you again, listening to Bedhead."

Shirley Road Shirley - A Weath...

10. Yo La Tengo -- And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out -- Matador (2000)
Yo La Tengo: Internerds | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr | Buy

When your band puts out what is arguably the best record of 1997, what is the likelihood that only three years later it will release one of the best, if not THE best, records of 2000? This doubt is why we were quite ready for Yo La Tengo's And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out to be a disappointment. But it was nothing of the sort. Opening with the Mogwai-toned spook droner "Everyday" and closing with the 17-minute spectral masterpiece "Night Falls On Hoboken," the record provides easy exuses for lapsing into over-the-top praise. This is simply a perfect record, and we'd argue it is downright better than the admittedly fine records that the trio has released since. In addition to the droners we already named, And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out also carried the sugary, caffeinated rocker "Cherry Chapstick," the marvelously affecting ballad "Tears Are In Your Eyes" and some bossa-tinted toe-tappers "Let's Save Tony Orlando's House" and "You Can Have It All." For the rest of the decade Yo La Tengo delved into murky sounds, garage rock and shiny pop, but when we think of the band, we think of And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out.

Tears Are In Your Eyes - Yo La...

Reader Rewards: Win Tickets To See Raveonettes In Boston Tomorrow!

2009-10-19T08:47:00.001-04:00

[PHOTO CREDIT: Camilla Stephan] We've always been suspicious of national ticketing and events concerns, because, well, it's hard to see what they are doing for concert-goers at the local level. Any convenience the former provide those unwilling to make the trudge to the venue or the small network of retail outlets that once serviced the needs of ticket seekers (does anyone sleep out all night on the sidewalk outside Mad's Records in Ardmore, PA to buy tickets any more? Anyone?) is typically eliminated by fees and bad vibes. The larger live events concerns, well, their ability to bring big names to fans is certainly appreciated, but the benefit they bestow on local acts is hard to quantify. But here's a slam dunk for Clicky Clicky readers: a nice rep from Live Nation recently asked us if we wanted to give away tickets to readers, and we of course said hizzell yizzeah. Which is a long way of explaining why we have two tickets for Tuesday night's Raveonettes show at Boston's Paradise Rock Club up for grabs.

The first person to email us (address is linked in the sidebar) the name of her or his favorite Raveonettes tune gets the pair. The Danish/New York-ish duo, in case you didn't know, is supporting the release of its new set In And Out Of Control, which was issued by Vice Records Oct. 6. The collection, the duo's fourth, plays up the band's tuneful, Spector-ish attack. This is somewhat to the detriment of the band's fondness for regularly spreading out blankets of blissful white noise. But our initial streams of In And Out Of Control make us nearly as excited about it as we were about the band's prior effort, Lust, Lust, Lust (one of our favorites of 2008, particularly the track "Dead Sound"). Anyway, the first person to email us as directed above is our winner, and we'll update this space once the tickets are gone. We'll be giving away tickets to Thursday night's Atlas Sound show at The Paradise later this week, probably via Twitter, so if you aren't already following us @clickyclicky, get with that. [UPDATE: Congrats to reader Dave, who won the Raveonettes tickets!]

Speaking of Twitter, The Raveonettes recently disclosed it will give away a different pair of tickets, and those tickets come with a backstage drink with the band prior to show time. All fans need to do is tweet the date on which they’d like to see the band, along with a new merch idea, making sure to include the hash-tag #ravestour. The band will select the winner at random and alert the lucky someone in each city via direct message two days before the show. This, of course, is awesome, and makes our ticket offer feel a little inadequate. We will make sure our ticket offer seeks the appropriate counseling. But if you are thirsty and love The Raveonettes, you should really give that a shot. Remaining tour dates and MP3s below.

The Raveonettes -- "Suicide" -- In And Out Of Control
The Raveonettes -- "Last Dance" -- In And Out Of Control
[right click and save as]
[buy Raveonettes records from Newbury Comics right here]

The Raveonettes: Internerds | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr

10/21 -- MONTREAL, QC -- CLUB SODA
10/22 -- TORONTO, ON -- PHOENIX
10/23 -- DETROIT, MI -- MAGIC STICK
10/24 -- NEWPORT, KY -- SOUTHGATE HOUSE
10/25 -- CHICAGO, IL -- THE METRO
10/26 -- MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- FIRST AVENUE
10/28 -- KANSAS CITY, MO –- BACKYARD
11/05 -- VANCOUVER, BC –- VENUE
11/06 -- SEATTLE, WA -- NEUMO’S
11/07 -- PORTLAND, OR -- DOUG FIR LOUNGE
11/09 -- SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- BIMBO’S
11/10 -- COSTA MESA, CA -- DETROIT BAR
11/12 -- SOLANA BEACH, CA -- BELLY UP
11/13 -- LOS ANGELES, CA -- HENRY FONDA THEATRE
11/14 -- POMONA, CA -- GLASSHOUSE

And Then This Happened: For Amie Breast Cancer Benefit with Colin Clary, Drew O'Doherty, Travels

2009-10-18T07:29:00.000-04:00

Not pictured are these other kind performers supporting the effort: Broken River Prophet, Kristin Hersh and Bill Janovitz. We were surprised at how much fun an afternoon indie rock show where everyone brought their kids was. We'd like to see more of that happen, if only because it means we could finally blend kid time and rock club time. The short review is that Colin Clary was endearing, Drew O'Doherty's playing was mesmerizing and voice as killer as always, and Travels were even better than we had hoped. We left before the bigger names hit the stage, but had a really great time. If you couldn't make the show, you can still make a donation to a very worthy cause right here.

Footage: The XX's "Basic Space" Live In Brooklyn

2009-10-17T09:43:00.002-04:00

[Via Gorilla vs. Bear] Man, how good is this band? We first read about them on Saam Das's blog here, maybe even heard them on his podcast, and the hype continues to build. And this live clip really brings it all home. The drum machine stuff isn't programmed! It's performed live! Love that. And it contrasts so hard with the sedate instrumental work and soul harmonies. Word is The XX will be all over CMJ next week, which is no surprise since they are probably about to explode huge, to the point we'll be sick of them by January. But for now, The XX, we think you are the bee's knees. [EDIT: JaneInMA helpfully points out the London-based foursome will be at Boston's Paradise Rock Club December 4 supporting Friendly Fires. Excellent.].

For Amie: A Breast Cancer Awareness Benefit | Oct. 17

2009-10-14T07:55:00.003-04:00

All the info is there in the poster. Interesting fact: we've never seen Bill Janovitz perform, not solo, not with Buffalo Tom, not with Crown Victoria. So we're actually really looking forward to this for more than just a chance to get out and support friends and a good cause. We've never seen Ms. Hersh either, although her bands don't loom nearly as large in our musical past as does Buffalo Tom. That band's "For All To See" from the No Alternative comp is as perfect an indie rock number as has been recorded, and there are tons of great songs spread across albums like Big Red Letter Day, Sleepy Eyed and Smitten. If you haven't been keeping up with Mr. Janovitz lately, his blog is always interesting and entertaining. Even better, he has been recording and posting cover tunes for about a year, if not more. We're posting a couple of our favorites below. We'll note for the record that right after Palace released Hope we stole the opening line for "Agnes..." for one of our own songs, brazenly, blatantly. And we'd do it again. See you Saturday afternoon at the Middle East.

Bill Janovitz -- ~~"Agnes, Queen of Sorrow (Palace Music cover)"~~ -- Cover of the Week
Bill Janovitz -- ~~"Johnsburg, Illinois (Tom Waits cover)"~~ -- Cover of the Week
[right click and save as]
[buy Buffalo Tom records from Newbury Comics right here]

Be Prepared: Nosferatu D2 | We're Gonna Walk Around This City With Our Headphones On To Block Out The Noise | 16. Oct

2009-10-13T08:12:00.005-04:00

The best six pounds sterling you will spend this year will get you Audio Antihero's remastered reissue of the mighty (and depressingly defunct) Nosferatu D2's only long-player, We're Gonna Walk Around This City With Our Headphones On To Block Out The Noise. This re-release of the Croydon, England based duo's set is something of a relief to us here at Clicky Clicky HQ. That's because we've been told by a fellow with Audio Antihero that the label was launched in part just to make this reissue available, which means that there is at least one dude out there who is as obsessed with Mr. Parker and his songwriting as we are (and perhaps even more so, as quite literally Audio Antihero is putting its money where its mouth is).

Anyway, you can pre-order the thing via PayPal right now, here's the link, scroll down, spend the money now and thank us later. This is the record that has the amazing tracks "A Footnote," "Broken Tamagotchi" and "It's Christmas Time (For God's Sake)" on it, among others. Audio Antihero is offering "Springsteen" as a promo track, which we are posting below for those of you who didn't download the record from Last.FM back when the old version (which we think was self-titled at the time) was available for free download. But anyway, Parker, holy Jesus, this guy can write songs ("A Footnote" is the band's crowning achievement), and particularly lyrics, and with his brother Adam slaying the drum kit behind him the Nosferatu D2 was simply unbeatable. Here's the full running order:

1. Broken Tamagotchi
2. A Footnote
3. Colonel Parker
4. Flying Things and Pests
5. I Killed Burt Bacharach
6. 2 People, 0 Superpowers
7. Mojo Top 100
8. Springsteen
9. We'll Play The Power of Love by Frankie Goes to Hollywood A Thousand Times Tonight
10. It's Christmas Time (For God's Sake)

Nosferatu D2 -- ~~"Springsteen"~~ -- We're Gonna Walk Around This City With Our Headphones On To Block Out The Noise
[right click and save as]
[buy the record from Audio Antihere right here]

Previous Ben Parker Coverage:
Out: Superman Revenge Squad's "We're Here For Duration... We Hope!"
A Dish Best Served Cold: The Clicky Clicky Interview With Ben Parker
Logorrhea, Pathos and Superman Revenge Squad
Today's Hotness: Tempertwig, Naxos, Joy Division
Every Band I've Ever Loved Has Let Me Down Eventually

Varsity Drag UK Tour Diary 6: Cymru am byth! Abbys, tea, on to Cardiff & disco fever...

2009-10-11T12:30:00.009-04:00

On our way to beautiful Cymru (Wales, for all you illiterates), we make a stopover to marvel at the excellently-maintained Tewkesbury Abby.

Josh snaps some illicit pictures--you're supposed to buy a camera license of some sort for a vast sum, but as we all know, Josh is a rebel who lives by his OWN rules, etc, etc.

Then we repair to a nearby teashop for our long-anticipated full-on cream tea--with PLAIN scones, thank you very much, no fruit in them--which for some reason, despite being in a kingdom of tea, we had so far failed to procure. It was all we had waited for and more. If clotted cream were this easy to get ahold of in the States, I have no doubt we'd all be swiftly bound for morbid obesity.

In Cardiff, our bill at Clwb Ivor Bach includes the vastly talented Bedford Falls--another BossTuneage artist, natch--with newlywed frontman Tom Willecome, our old pal from last tour, greeting us at the venue. They play a great set, as do the Mags. Both the sound and the crowd were more than respectable. I have some great--albeit shouted, and all-too-brief--conversations with a couple of fans I've been corresponding with in Wales for some time. Good times.

And of course, afterwards came the ultimate in zaniness: as soon as the 11 o'clock "curfew" struck, the PA was swiftly bundled away, a dance floor cleared, and a DJ in the corner began what was to be the evening's 3 or so hours of dance club. Swept up in the moment, we all proceed to get down with our modestly bad selves--(NB: copious photos were taken, and some may actually escape suppression)...

Our boogie shoes now reduced to mere smoldering soles, it's time to find sleeping quarters. Jim and Jamie kindly offer their house, which turns out to have been a brothel in a former life. (Apparently, such was its notoriety that at one point the new owners had to hang a sign outside reading: "This is NO LONGER a brothel." One can only imagine the awkward conversations at the door, punctuated by resolute head-shaking, late at night...)

Nice place. Too bad we don't have more time for Wales, but this 8-Day Express Crazy Train ain't stoppin' for no one...

COMING NEXT: Midsomer Norton, our radio debut, and cozy cavern the Wunderbar!

[originally posted here]

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