AZLTRON

Party Down with Arcade Eden!

2009-11-22T09:26:00.000-08:00

The UK's brother-sister duo Arcade Eden, Lawrence and Clare Welling, sound like a funky amalgam of The Ting Tings and Crystal Castles. Their jam "Black Light" is set for a December 7th release. If you're in the mood for some deer antler disco balls and some high waisted sparkly shorts check them out.

I just can't get over those sparkly shorts... is this a new trend? Am I morphing into a grandpa, overly concerned with dress of today's youth? Either way I'm eager to hear more from these two.

Arcade Eden - Black Light (I Haunt Wizards Remix)

Arcade Eden Myspace

Tahiti 80 are Buzzing with Activity!

2009-11-11T12:53:00.000-08:00

French band Tahiti 80 is set to release their fourth studio album “Activity Center” on November 24th. These feisty Frenchmen have crafted another euphoric pop masterpiece, rich with chiming guitars, twinkling keyboards and waves of pure fist pumping pop rock. From the opening track “24x7 boy” it’s clear we’re in for a bit of a changeup from their last album, 2005’s “Changes” as the band has opted to forgo the big beats that won them a spot on the 2007 FIFA official video game with their single “Big Day” and have steered towards a rawer live band sound. Don’t fret party-goers, there are still beats to bop along to, just pushed back in the mix slightly.

Tahiti 80 formed in 1993 in Rouen, France and is made up of vocalist and multi instrumentalist Xavier Boyer, guitarist Mederic Gontier, drummer Sylvain Marchand, and bassis Pedro Resende. Although they’ve been making music since 1993, Tahiti 80 first caught my attention with their 1999 single “Heartbeat” which rides along on a bubbling synth line and skittering beats that are perfect for a rollerskating rink. Their 2005 release “Fosbury” was another experiment in finely produced danceable rock songs with a thumping electronic twist and some gentle little folk songs peppered in to round out the tracklisting.

Once “Activity Center” gets rolling it really doesn’t slow down, like a horse chomping at the bit, Tahiti 80 plays potential singles one right after another. First it’s the contagious love tune “All Around” that wouldn’t be out of place on a montage video of people enjoying an afternoon at an amusement park. Then it’s their actual first single “Unpredictable” where Boyer laments over a woman in his life who is, you guessed it, unpredictable. The cut and paste animated promotional video for the tune featuring Boyer navigating the watercolored French countryside searching for his lost love accents the tune perfectly with its glittering crescendo and cheesy smirks and winks. Then it’s on to the guitar squealing “Brazil” that should get even the most rigid music listener tapping at least one toe. Following that the French quartet drops the beats per minute down a bit for the swaying slow song “Fire Escape.” Not wanting to lose your attention, Tahiti 80 quickly diverts you to the progressive funk of “One Parachute”. Following this slow growing number are a few tracks that are finely made but don’t stick as much as the earlier songs. It’s not until “Come Around” that the listener’s attention is grabbed again with energetic guitar riffs and a frenetic horn section as Boyer earnestly requests someone to “Come Around”. From here the album floats to its conclusion with the gently jangly “Whistle” before coming to a full stop with “Ear to the Ground”, a song that captures perfectly the mood of a lazy late afternoon walk through fallen leaves.

“Activity Center” distills both Tahiti 80’s precocious songwriting and raucous playing into one easily digestible package. There moments of pure melodic beauty and moments of absolute wall of noise bliss, but it never gets too far away from the cleanly produced songs that Tahiti 80 has become known for. My hypothesis for their newfound embrace of their live sound is that, like their fellow French band Phoenix, who also put out an excellent album this year with “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix”, they grew tired of depending on programming and electronics for so much of their sound and just wanted to play their tunes. Tahiti 80 sounds like they’re having so much fun on this album, who could blame them for dropping the processed Casio beats and going live with their uplifting bubble gum pop meets pop rock tunes.

Tahiti 80 - One Parachute

Tahiti 80 - Whistle

Tahiti 80 Myspace

Exclusive Interview with Jimmy Gianopolis of Pretty Good Dance Moves!

2009-11-06T05:55:00.000-08:00

I had a chance to correspond with Jimmy from the up and coming electro dance group Pretty Good Dance Moves (PGDM) about the beginnings of his band their ties to Bjorn from Peter Bjorn and John and what's in store for their future.

How did you guys meet up and form "Pretty Good Dance Moves"?

We are old friends. Aaron had a ton of old vintage synthesizer and keyboards and actually lived below a recording studio. I picked up a few drum machines and learned how to use them. Together we started making music. I really wanted to get some female vocals on our tracks so I called my friend Genevieve and she brought it.

How did the name "Pretty Good Dance Moves" come about?

We started making music just for kicks and wanted a name that was "Pretty Good". So we came up with Pretty Good Dance Moves. Originally I think our intentions were to make basement thumping, electro screaming, punk anthems.... It didn't exactly end up quite there.

Why not name yourselves "Really Good Dance Moves"? Do you feel that there is value in being modest about your fancy footwork?

To be honest i dont think either of us can really dance with out trampling those around us. However, i think... I think... Aaron thinks he is a good dancer.

Your sound is a great combination between beats, pleasing melodies and heartfelt lyrics that's on par with fine work by artists like Dntel and Sally Shapiro, who inspires you to make beautiful music?

We are huge fans of Kraftwerk, Album Leaf and bands like that. Aaron and I both have a pretty thick collection of deep cuts that we enjoy regularly. I do like Jimmy Tamborello and what he does with Dntel. I watched this youtube clip of him showing off his gear in his home studio, pretty fresh.

Bjorn from PB&J appears on your newest track "Leave Me Alone" how did you get him in on the track? Is it true that he also plays keyboards in the band?

Ha ha, no he does not play keyboards in the band but he has a bunch of his bands gear stashed at my place here in Brooklyn and I did do a little tracking with his Casiotone MT-68. I ended buying one off of eBay for 50 bucks! I met Bjorn a few years back in some basement bar in the east village. We liked each others music i guess, we talked about collaborating together. About 6 months later I sent him some tracks and "Leave Me alone" was cut.

Your video for "Demons Dancing" looks like it was a blast to put together, what was the process of making that video like?

Kristen [Schaal of Flight of the Concords fame] dug the track so I asked her to be in the music video, that was the easy part. Nick was the hard one to convince. I saw him at some dive having some sort of dance off, it was weird, it was amazing! I told him I was shooting a video in a few weeks and asked him if he would be in it, he responded by saying; "I don't do videos, sorry." It took a little convincing and a few beers for him to say yes but he agreed to do it. We're buds now. They were both a blast to work with. I remember it was really hot out and I had to catch a flight about 3 hours after we all met up to shoot it. We shot it in about 2. I have tons of great footage that didn't make the video, super funny shit !

Do you guys get out and DJ at clubs? If so, what's the most enjoyable aspect of doing that?

We do actually. People pay us to play tunes we like, its amazing! We have DJ'd opening for bands that we dig like Crystal Castles and Raveonettes. It's definitely a perk, getting to spin at rad clubs.

Your live show on KEXP was compelling with all kinds of electronic and organic (Flute!) eclectic bells and whistles, are you planning a tour anytime soon?

Oh man! I flew in to Chicago a few nights before we did that and we had never performed live before, never even practiced really. The flute was a little joke between all of us, kind of like "lets see if we can pull this off"! Our live set is a lot different now but that was really fun and nerve wrecking! We plan on touring in the near future, we love playing for boys and girls.

Pretty Good Dance Moves - Demons Dancing

Pretty Good Dance Moves - Leave Me Alone (Ft Bjorn from PB&J)

Pretty Good Dance Moves Myspace

Make Way for Glide! An Exclusive Interview with the Dark Dance Rockers from Chicago

2009-11-03T05:19:00.001-08:00

It seems that Chicago is bursting at the seams with awesome new bands. Add to that list The Glide, whose new album "A Future for the Dead" is a celebration of everything sweaty, synthy, and rockin'. The band is made up of singer/guitarist Darius Lafkas, keyboardist/programmer Jason Little, lead guitarist Hector Segura, bassist Nick Lazas and percussionist Trevor Warren. Their core shaking bass, persistent beat and off kilter guitar solos are perfect for the Halloween season. Very Fun, but just dangerous enough to be exciting. I spoke with them about the origins of their band, their inspiration and their wildest moments touring so far.

Where does the name "The Glide" come from?

Darius noticed a function on a synth/keyboard called "glide" which controls the "slide" between two notes, like sliding on a guitar, or portamento. Later on I found this to be ironic since we became a really electronic oriented band.

How did all of you guys get together to form the band?

Most of us were friends in high school and played in different bands together.

You guys have a very dark dance rock sound, beyond obvious comparisons to The Moving Units and Muse what are some of your influences? and some we might not expect?

We actually never heard of The Moving Units until you mentioned it, they're pretty groovy though. Most of our relevant influences would range from old schoolers like New Order, Dépêche Mode and The Cure and more recently The Faint, Presets, Muse and Nine Inch Nails. Some of our favorite artists who may have not influenced the music directly would be Tom Waits, Pink Floyd, Phil Collins and Tears for Fears.

The Chicago music scene seems to be exploding with great new bands, how does it feel to be living in such a talented city?

It's great being in a city where the local scene actually means something to concert goers. We started off playing shows to 10-20 people and now play shows to 200-300 people and it's amazing. That's only possible because you can fit 3-4 awesome bands on a bill

In regard to your songwriting process, do you have really specific ideas about a song and its production or do you leave some room for improvisation?

Darius writes 90% of the music on his own at home. He's really gifted at finding great sounds and working out parts until they feel right. The rest of the band comes to writing sessions, different members at different times, and we discuss parts and composition and work out the concept/lyrics. We record everything ourselves so most of what you hear on the album was intended, we don't really rely on "happy surprises" that pop up when recording in a limited amount of time.

Despite your aggressive sound, you still have a few songs that are more or less love songs. Would you describe yourselves as romantics?

Absolutely. We're all really big softies on the inside, we just need an outlet to make observations about the things that bother us in this cruel world.

What's the wildest moment you've experienced at a show so far?

We were playing a show to about 200 people and in a really rocking part of a song the circuit blew, we assumed because we rocked too hard. The audience chanted "bring it back!" over and over until the power came back and we picked up from exactly where the power blew. It was a pretty awesome feeling to have people chanting for us.

What's the weirdest moment at a show you've experienced so far?

My PC malfunctioned at our record release show and a mutual friend of ours who happens to be a PC tech and happened to be in the front row hopped up on stage and fixed the computer, only sacrificing 10 minutes of our set. If he wasn't there, we wouldn't of had a show.

The Glide - This is Everlasting

The Glide Myspace

Echo and the Bunnymen hop to on latest album "The Fountain"!

2009-10-28T12:45:00.000-07:00

Echo and the Bunnymen, a band known for their soulful and chilling post punk/neo psychedelic rock are set to release their 11^th studio album entitled “The Fountain” on Tuesday, November 10^th. The album is the 12^th studio album collaboration between the two remaining original members, singer Ian McCulloch and guitarist Will Seargent if you count their 1995 grunge collaboration, Electrafixion’s “Burned”. The album is a soaring return to form for the band, which has endured through band tensions, critical acclaim, commercial success, the replacement of their lead singer, complete disbandment, death, their reformation and a newfound renaissance. The band’s own history seems to echo, a pun very intended, singer Ian McCulloch’s fascination with the deaths and resurrections of the Bible that he so often references in his songs.

The band formed in Liverpool in 1978 with singer Ian McCulloch, Guitarist Will Sergeant, Bassist Les Pattinson and their drum machine Echo. By 1980, Peter DeFreitas had joined the group as the band’s permanent drummer. The Bunnymen released their aggressive debut “Crocodiles” in 1980 that was striking but showed their debt to bands like Joy Division. It wasn’t until their third album, 1983’s “Porcupine” that the group began to evolve past their post punk influence. A striking example of this was the use of a strange eastern sounding string instrument for the lead melody on their song “The Cutter” which reached the top 10 in the UK charts. The band’s next album, the critically acclaimed “Ocean Rain”, was bathed in lush string arrangements and imagination that gave way to their most recognized single “The Killing Moon.” Following this release, the band once again claimed the limelight with the track “Bring on the Dancing Horses” which was featured on the soundtrack to the John Hughes film “Pretty in Pink”. The band claimed one more hit single, “Lips Like Sugar” off of their self titled 1987 album which hit the #4 spot on UK charts and became a modest hit in America, before singer McCulloch departed for a solo career and was replaced by vocalist Noel Burke.

This new incarnation of Echo and the Bunnymen released one ill-fated album “Reverberation” before disbanding completely. To make matters worse, their former drummer Defrietas died in 1989 as a result of a motorcycle accident. Hopes for a reunited Echo and The Bunnymen sprang from the ashes when McCulloch began to work with Seargent again in 1994 under the name “Electrafixion”. In 1997 original bassist Pattinson joined the group again and they officially revived the mantle of Echo and the Bunnymen with the album “Evergreen” which featured another top 10 UK hit “Nothing Lasts Forever”. Since then, bassist Pattinson left, but the group has soldiered on and cut four new albums.

There must have been something in the water while The Bunnymen were writing their newest album because “The Fountain” is their most spirited and raw release since their original reformation in 1997. Their efforts on previous reformation albums, while well written and performed, seem sedate when played next to the frenetic energy of “The Fountain”. From the opening single “Think I Need it Too”, it’s clear we’re about to be overtaken by a tour de force of classic Echo and the Bunnymen sound. Seargent’s guitar soars, McCulloch’s vocals, while weathered by age, return with a force and fervor that we haven’t heard since their 80’s heyday, and strings and piano are peppered throughout to recall various eras of The Bunnymen’s sound. A criticism that can be made of the album is that the lyrics written by McCulloch often but not always build strongly in each song before giving way to an ambiguous repetitive chorus. Either way, it’s no accident that Echo and The Bunnymen’s latest album has been named “The Fountain”, McCulloch and company have found the essence of their sound once more and distilled it into their most exciting release in more than a decade. It’s no wonder McCulloch has claimed the album is “The best one we’ve made, aside from Ocean Rain.”

Echo & The Bunnymen - Life of 1,000 Crimes

Echo & The Bunnymen Myspace

Tahiti 80 is abuzz with Activity!

2009-10-23T09:01:00.001-07:00

The eclectic stylings of French band Tahiti 80 are back! With their new album "Activity Center", due out November 24th. Their lead single "Unpredictable" is a sunny romp through ample beats and cute keyboards, accented perfectly by their illustrated cut and paste video. The track is also available below, so if you want to banish those awful songs from your head and replace them with some slick sublime pop, please do so!

Tahiti 80 - Unpredictable

Tahiti 80 Myspace

Speaking in Tongues with Dave Davison of Cast Spells & Maps and Atlases!

2009-10-23T08:37:00.000-07:00

Cast Spells is the side project of Maps & Atlases singer/songwriter Dave Davison. His meticulous and playful songwriting has earned a lot of critical acclaim as well as a coveted spot on itune's "What's Hot" list. I spoke with Dave about the inspiration and process for his new EP "Bright Works and Baton." Cast Spells are set to play a show with Good Old War December 7th at the Westcott theatre in Syracuse, NY.

First off, why the name "Cast Spells"? Do you have an affinity for the dark arts?

I like the idea of a name being a vague, motivating command. I don’t have any knowledge of magic, or any particular interest in it, but I do have interest in the magical quality of doing things and thinking outside of the realm of the critical and logical world. Part of what is so inspiring about the works of great songwriters is their ability to make us see and feel in different ways and this is rarely based in them teaching us about scientific facts or the way that something objectively works.

Did you have extra songs hanging around that didn't fit the paradigm of Maps and Atlases or did you create all new songs for "Bright Works and Baton"?

I typically don't have a specific destination for songs during the early stages of the writing process. Maps and atlases spent a long time learning what we did well together and I try to think strategically about which songs would bring out the best of the band’s abilities rather than think about the most suitable finished products to bring into the recording process.

How exciting was it to be listed under "What's Hot" on the itunes homepage?

It was definitely a pleasant surprise! I didn’t know that it was happening beforehand at all and it seemed to have a very positive outcome. I think that a lot of people who may not have heard the EP otherwise stumbled upon it as a result, which is great.

What artists and groups did you look to for inspiration while recording "Bright Works and Baton"?

It was actually quite freeing to be able to do absolutely whatever we wanted song-by-song and part-by-part, so it’s difficult to nail down the specific influences of the EP. I think that the process became more intuitive and therefore more reflective of a history of influences than specific artists. That being said, Jason Cupp, the producer of Bright Works and Baton, and I share a love for some of the same artists which seems to have come out in many ways throughout the EP. I think that rhythmically there are parts that are reminiscent of the Talking Heads and Peter Gabriel. As for the overall pace and movement in songs such as A Badge, I think that there elements of Bill Callahan, whose work we both love.

You recorded the EP very quickly with producer Jason Cupp, using the first take more often than not. Was there a specific reason for the urgency of the recording?

The main reason for this was that it was fun and exciting to keep moving. We didn’t have any specific plan and weren’t even sure that we were making an album; we were just recording songs because we wanted to and it was exciting to keep going in the time that we had. It was also a process in which capturing the moment was more important than having a perfect-sounding take. A lot of the sounds on the record would be impossible to recreate in a different environment and all of the accidents or surprises become a part of what makes the work special.

I love all the xylophone and triangle use in your song "Potted Plant", was the song always so percussive or did it evolve that way?

We just started trying things and the songs started progressing that way. We didn’t really have a clear outline for most of the songs at the beginning. I recorded the vocals and guitar live and then we moved on to building them from there. Our friend Sandy was over the day that we were working on Potted Plant and she played the drums and vibraphone and it started developing into the percussive piece that it is.

The EP is like one of those tasty 100 calorie snacks, satisfying while you're eating it but after you finish, you're hungry for more. Are there any more releases for Cast Spells in the pipeline?

There are definitely some more releases at the ready. There are several songs that, for one reason or another, didn’t end up on Bright Works and Baton which will most likely be on smaller releases coming soon, and in the coming months I hope to begin finishing an LP

You recently had a tour with So Many Dynamos in July, how did it go? Did you and members of that dynamic group engage in any zany tomfoolery?

Those gentleman are chalk full of zany tomfoolery. Norm played the drums for Cast Spells during the entire tour and it was a real pleasure to perform with him every night. He’s a real lovable character in a band full of lovable characters and we always have a lot of fun together. I have seen So Many Dynamos perform live more than any other band in the world at this point, but the idea of watching them again isn’t repellent to me, which says a lot.

Following the release of "Bright Works and Baton" you toured extensively from July through September. Do you ever sleep? Or do you indulge in caffeinated beverages?

I do love coffee, but I feel that right now I am doing alright balancing activities and maintaining a decent sleep schedule. Although touring and recording can be time consuming, there is also a lot of down time either on the road or between tours and I often get restless during this time and have to find something productive to do. So keeping busy and taking things one day at a time is working well for me right now.

Cast Spells - Glamorous Glowing

Cast Spells Myspace

Exclusive Interview with Jerm Reynolds from Hockey!

2009-10-11T11:47:00.000-07:00

Hockey is a band from Portland, Oregon who have been gaining attention due to their danceable tunes and enthusiastic live performaces. Their sound is an amalgam of LCD Soundsystem’s relentless beats and self awareness with The Strokes’ effortless cool. Hockey played Thursday Oct. 15 on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

You guys have admitted that the name "Hockey" comes from your sense of humor moreso than any interest in the sport. Since your album is called "Mind Chaos", do you hope to inspire chaos in people's minds when they listen to your music?

Mind chaos is more about the way that we see the world in 2009, which is this beautifully, fractured hyper-individualized insanity we think that might be a result of the internet or technology in general. We live in a world where it’s more and more about the individual and the individual’s opinion. When you have a world like that it makes interaction between people a lot sillier and a lot crazier. So making a record for a world of people who are all standing mightily on their own unique opinion is kind of an interesting process so why not make it totally insane and then say ”Ha! Chew on that!”

You make all the artwork for Hockey’s releases, can you describe that process?

I work mostly with singer Ben Grubin. He executive produced the art work. I’m the one physically doing the artwork He works with me on the concepts. It was his idea to do the four covers. We kept doing the proofs and not being satisfied with them. He came into my room one day and just said put them all down. Then he said “Yeah that’s it! That’s “Mind Chaos”, four separate covers for insanity. The other guys put their opinions in as well, but I’m the guy who’s physically doing the cutting and the gluing and all the childish coloring with crayons and stuff like that but we all work together on it conceptually

Hockey has been doing a lot of touring at festivals in Europe and The United States and people have noticed. This has garnered you spots playing on Jools Holland, and press from Filter, Spin, NME, Q and even Marie Claire. How does it feel to see your hard work paying off?

It’s pretty fantastic, Ben and I have been playing in Hockey for almost 7 years. We’ve spent a lot of time toiling in obscurity which was fine, but to finally see it come around at this point is really great. I tell people that most of the time that we’re just so concerned with keeping everything going; getting the record out, getting the right mixing done, being a really great live band and all the other things that we do on a day to day basis, that we don’t even get a chance to sit down and be like “Whoa, things are happening for us. We’ve been touring the world for six months it’s just unreal and at the same time it’s really great, if I stop to think about it.

What is your favorite thing to do in downtime when touring?

I like to go out with my sketchbook and just draw things that I see and write captions for them. It’s my way of internalizing where I am. Whether it be someplace weird in France, Germany, or Belgium. It can be restful when you’re so far away from your culture and what’s normal to you. So I like to go out and sit someplace by myself and just color. Just like a little kid with a box of crayons!

With your videos, do you guys come up with all the ideas or do you collaborate with a director?

We come up with some kind of an idea. It’s an interesting process for the videos because none of us are movie makers so we’re kind of delving into other people’s artwork which is interesting. You’re kind of giving up your creative control a little bit because we’re not in the editing room. So we’re not putting proofs together or scripts. We have basic ideas but it’s a totally different way of thinking artistically than performing or songwriting. We see what different directors have done, and say, “I really like this person’s style the most” then we email them and have a conversation. We say “Here’s what we’re thinking” and then bounce ideas back and forth and eventually you get an interesting hybrid of your vision and their vision.

You have done a lot of touring with bands like Friendly Fires and Passion Pit. Do you have any outrageous stories of hanging out with bands that you’re touring with?

We got trapped in Seattle, Washington in a big blizzard last winter with the band The Virgins. It was the last night of our tour and we had all just managed to reach Seattle just as 2 feet of snow fell on the ground. We were all hanging out together after the show because not that many people made it out to the show due to the snow. So after the show we all trudged out into the roads where cars were skidding everywhere. We had this hilarious adventure yelling at cars and laying in the street and just appreciating the anarchy of Seattle being totally shut down by a huge blizzard.

You're doing a tour with Portugal the Man, who are also a band from Portland, Oregon. Had you met them before the tour?

Our guitar player and drummers’ old band played a show with them four or five years ago in Spokane, Washington. I’ve never met them I’ve heard their music. I really like it; I’m really looking forward to meeting them on Thursday when our tour starts in Wisconsin of all places. I dig their Bob Dylan band style, that 60’s organ psychedelic rock sound.

You guys are playing your US network debut on The Jimmy Fallon Show Oct. 15th; do you have any superstitious rituals that you perform before important gigs?

I’m going to wear my lucky tour shoes. My dancing shoes if you will. I’ve had these shoes since our first real tour last December and the bottoms are all out and I had to duct tape them together. Also I’m going to try to keep a lid on it for TV, try to not do anything crazy, I tend to get a little excitable and if I feel like a lot of people are looking at me I might go crazy. I’ll have to be cool. Wear the tour shoes and play the song.

The songs “Too Fake” and “3AM Spanish” have a very drum machine and bass sound. I know that when Hockey started out you had that kind of set up. Did those songs begin in that era of your band or did they develop later?

Those songs developed later, but that original core sound is still with us. It’s about drum beats and bass lines and everything else musically and melodically is built around those very basic components because we did play like that for over four years, longer than we’ve had a four piece band. Most of the songs on the record were written after putting the band together, with a couple of exceptions. “Four Holy Photos” is a folk song. It’s the oldest song on record. Ben and I wrote that when we were still at school together in 2004. It’s an oldie but goodie that hung on and made it onto the record.

As much as you guys do that bass and beat centered music, there’s a classic rock-like component to your sound. What classic bands do you draw influences from?

We have a pretty heavy Beatles influence, as well as Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty Neil Young, Crosby Stills and Nash. All that really classic rock and roll found its way into our sound somehow even though a lot of our influences are more modern.

Who are your more modern influences?

I really like MIA quite a bit. I like The Virgins, Passion Pit, Ladyhawke, Yacht, and Little Comets. There’s so much great music right now. Sometimes I think about if it was 1999. Everyone would be all bummed out listening to Limp Bizkit and Marilyn Manson. What a drag that was! 2009 is so much better. It’s so much cooler, so much more expressive, so much more interesting and so much more positive.

Hockey will be performing Saturday October 17th at the Westcott Theatre in Syracuse.

Hockey - Too Fake

Hockey Myspace

Portland Bands Invade Syracuse! Portugal the Man! Hockey!

2009-10-05T11:28:00.000-07:00

Portugal the Man, contrary to the name, is a band, not a man. They were formed in Wasilla, Alaska (The home of everyone’s favorite former governor!) by singer/guitarist John Baldwin Gourey from the ashes of his previous project “Anatomy of a Ghost”. The current line-up of the band includes Gourey, Jason Sechrist on drums, Ryan Neighbors on Keys and Zachary Scott Carothers on bass. Their mysterious name comes from inspiration from David Bowie’s larger than life characters like Ziggy Stardust and the title of a novel Gourey had planned to write about his fathers’ travels which he intended to call “Portugal. The Man”.

Their mysterious origins aside, Portugal the Man is one of the hardest working bands in the business. Hot on the heels of picking up a mention on the Alternative Press’ ‘10 essential albums of 2008’and an award for best vocalist for their third album “Censored Colors”, Portugal the Man entered the studio in Boston to begin work on their fourth album, “The Satanic Satanist”. The album was released on July 21st to much critical acclaim.

The album is a bit of a departure for the band, which started out as a live outlet for Gourey’s experiments with tape loops and drum machines. “The Satanic Satanist” reigns in those experimental tendencies and focuses more on pop song structure. “I was really trying to go for the more Motown structure than anything,” Gourey Says, adding “It really took stripping things down to even get that sound.” The Result is a collection of songs that have an old school vibe, but by no means feel old. The high point of the album is the one two punch of the quiet/loud rock out jam “Do You” followed by the hazy sun-soaked psychedelic anthem “Everyone is Golden”. From the moment the organ sounds emerge and the first blues riff kicks in you’ll be swept away into intelligent, well crafted rock & roll.

Supporting Portugal the Man is another up and coming band called “Hockey” who, confusingly, have no interest in the sport but every intention of rocking your socks off. The band was formed five years ago in Los Angeles, California by singer Ben Grubin and bassist Jeremy “Jerm” Reynolds. Since then they’ve added guitarist Brian White, drummer Anthony Stassi, touring keyboardist Ryan Dolliver and risen from playing local venues in Portland to touring with other up and coming bands Passion Pit and Friendly Fires internationally as well as adding several important festival performances to their portfolios. The band has wowed crowds at festivals like South by Southwest, Sasquatch, Bonnaroo, Glastonbury and many more. All of their hard work has garnered them exposure in magazines like Spin, Filter, Q, NME, Marie Claire, a spot on the popular UK talk show “Live with Jools Holland” and their American network debut on the Jimmy Fallon show on Oct. 15.

The media frenzy surrounding the group has enabled them to pick and choose from a variety of major labels for the re-release of their debut album “Mind Chaos” eventually settling on Capitol records. Hockey’s “Mind Chaos” will be released Oct. 6th and deserves all of its positive comparisons to bands like LCD Soundsystem and the Strokes. To say that their influences and tricks end with that comparison however is like saying gourmet soups are made with rocks. Hockey’s galloping beats and occasional high pitched backing vocals evoke Blondie, while their cacophonic pop euphoria channels old school R&B acts like the Isley Brothers. Songs like “3am Spanish” and “Too Fake” highlight the band’s talent for igniting dancefloor mayhem while songs like “Song Away” and “Learn to Lose” show that the band has the heart to make it in this business. Tickets are on sale now for $15 at www.thewestcotttheater.com, that’s not much at all to say you “saw them before they were big”. See you October 17th.

Portugal the Man - Do You

New Echo & The Bunnymen Track! "Think I Need It Too"!

2009-09-29T14:22:00.001-07:00

Echo and The Bunnymen are slated to release a new album called "The Fountain" on October 13th. If their lead single "Think I Need It Too" is any indication we are in for a thrilling ride. The remaining Bunnymen (Ian McCulouch and Will Sergeant) have found a fountain of creativity within themselves and have delivered their most blistering upbeat rock tune in quite some time.

Oh! And They are playing their seminal 1984 album "Ocean Rain" live with a full orchestra!

Here are the dates!

Oct 12 2009 8:00P Wulfrun Hall Wolverhampton, Midlands

Oct 13 2009 8:00P The Ritz Manchestar, Northwest

Oct 14 2009 8:00P Barrowlands Glasgow, Scotland

Oct 15 2009 8:00P The Roundhouse London, London and South East

Oct 20 2009 8:00P Queen Elizabeth Theatre Toronto, Ontario

Oct 22 2009 8:00P The Fox Theater Oakland, California

Oct 24 2009 8:00P Nokia Theatre Los Angeles, California

Nov 15 2009 8:00P Masquerade Atlanta, Georgia

Nov 17 2009 8:00P Black Cat Washington, Washington DC

Nov 18 2009 8:00P State Theatre Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Nov 20 2009 8:00P Kewsick Theatre Glenside, Pennsylvania

Nov 21 2009 8:00P Stage One Fairfield, Connecticut

Nov 22 2009 8:00P Hammerstien Ballroom New York, New York

Nov 23 2009 8:00P House Of Blues Boston, Massachusetts

Nov 25 2009 8:00P Metro Chicago, Illinois

Dec 12 2009 8:00P Oxford O2 Academy SOLD OUT Oxford, South

Dec 14 2009 8:00P Newcastle O2 Academy Newcastle, Northeast

Dec 15 2009 8:00P Leeds O2 Academy Leeds, Northeast

Dec 17 2009 8:00P O2 Academy Liverpool, Northwest

Dec 18 2009 8:00P O2 Academy SOLD OUT Liverpool, Northwest

Dec 19 2009 8:00P O2 Academy SOLD OUT Liverpool, Northwest

Echo & The Bunnymen - Think I Need It Too

Viking Remixes The Sounds!

2009-09-26T19:51:00.000-07:00

To continue along with my love affair with The Sounds, Viking has released a remix of their latest single "No One Sleeps When I'm Awake". Complete with sliding vacuum cleaner MSTRKRFT synths, an alarm clock, and a near flawless incorporation of Maja Ivarrson's impassioned vocals. Do yourself a favor, download the song.

The Sounds - No One Sleeps When I'm Awake (Viking Remix)

AZLTRON 500th Post Spectacular! Part 2!

2009-09-26T05:58:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since the beginning of this blog, which is now well into it's third year. I just realized not too long ago that the 500th post was coming up fast, and wouldn't you know it, here it is. In a celebratory fashion I thought I would write about ten of the albums that I've listened to over the years that have changed the way I listen to music. I have three criteria for this list: These albums must be albums that came out during my lifetime (that means no collections or retrospectives), the albums must be albums that I discovered myself through word of mouth or research and the albums must be albums that I listened to almost religiously. Here is the second half of the list in chronological order:

6. The Faint - Wet From Birth (2004)

I had already heard of and loved The Faint from their previous releases Blank Wave Arcade and Danse Macabre for their ingenious integration of hard hitting electro beats with indie rock and punk flourishes. But Wet From Birth is something special, even if the band feels that some parts of it are a bit overcooked.

I can still remember my first listen of the album. I had travelled to the city of Rochester in the fall with some newfound college friends and somewhere along the tour we ended up at a record store. I picked up The Faint's Wet From Birth and The Notwist's Neon Golden. Both albums were excellent, but from the opening of the first track on the new album, "Desperate Guys", the glorious strings stabbed in adding an aura of class and sophistication to a track that is basically about hooking up at a party. The irony is beautiful. Next is the most aggressive use of ambient electronics I have ever heard, "How Could I Forget", followed by one of the album centerpieces "I Disappear" whose distorted bassline, swirling keys and guitar funk make it one of my favorite tracks of all time. I don't think I've gone more than a few weeks without listening to this song. Since 2004.

The next track, "Southern Belles in London Sing" is the closest thing The Faint will ever release to a straight up love ballad. From the muted trumpet intro to the classy violin I don't think there could ever be a more beautifully macabre dance track. Which is ironic because the very next track, "Erection", deals with probably the raunchiest subject matter The Faint have to offer, although they still do it with some class. The Faint rounds out the album with all strong tracks, the fuzzed out electro jam "Paranoiattack" that they played on Jimmy Kimmel, The reggae influenced "Phone Call", the relentless blood pumping "Dropkick the Punks", "Symptom Finger", which is perfect for the current health care controversy, and arguably the most epic song The Faint have ever released; "Birth". I remember I loved (and still love) everything about this album, from the bright colors on the album cover to the innovations in sound (A fork in the speaker? Brilliant!).

The Faint - I Disappear

7. The Walkmen - Bows and Arrows (2004)

I first heard The Walkmen watching David Letterman while waiting for my laundry to dry. They played "The Rat" from Bows and Arrows. They played with such intensity and originality that I had to check them out. Soon after I had their album. I admit that I didn't understand it at first. There was a lot of distorted droning and simple pop structures. It took a lot of listening right into the Christmas season before I had an epiphany. All of the songs on this disc are like taking something that has been shattered, destoyed, obliterated, then sewing it back together and making something timeless and beautiful out of it. Like taking Bing Crosby and putting him in the radiator with the woman with distended cheeks from Eraserhead so that they could sing about how their childhoods really were.

The song "The Rat" is obviously the big draw on the album because of it's dramatic guitar work and drumming, and listening to it now it's extremely apparent why it hooked me so much. Hamilton Leithauser wails about nerves and favors and going out alone and all those other dramatic things and the result is something that is truly exhilarating. The alternationg between these brazen rock numbers and delicate piano plunking ballads makes "Bows & Arrows" truly something special.

The Walkmen - The Rat

8. LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem (2005)

I became aware of LCD Soundsystem after learning about the band The Rapture and the DFA production team of James Murphey and Tim Goldsworthy which had produced their single "House of Jealous Lovers" and their debut LP "Echoes". That album was a lesson in the diversity of a sound that became to be called "Dance Punk". A genre that the DFA label (Owned By Murphey and Goldsworthy) continues to specialize in.

LCD Soundsystem is the pet project of "Dance Punk" producer James Murphey. From the opening blast of "Daft Punk is playing at My House" off of LCD Soundsystem's self titled debut LP it's clear that the album is a lesson in raw repetition. The album also showed me that an album could be very simple at times and still be good and not annoying, as long as there was a heaping helping of wit involved in the songwriting process. It is because of this that James Murphey also proved to be a fascinating front man. At the time of the release of the debut LP Murphey was in his late 20's, slightly overweight and not the best singer in the world by far, but he made it work. The secret ingredient to his contagious dance-punk stew is his completely self aware lyrics. For example in his song "Movement" he sings that "A fat guy, in a T-shirt, is doing all the singing!" He is clearly talking about himself, and that kind of humorous observation in dance music didn't exist prior to his debut album. You take that and combine it with all kinds of old school recording studio wizardry and you've got a timeless treat. If you doubt it, might I suggest the subwoofer workout "Disco Infiltrator".

LCD Soundsystem - Disco Infiltrator

9. Secret Machines - Ten Silver Drops (2006)

I first heard of The Secret Machines my freshman year of college when they played a show literally right next to my campus. Unfortunately I was ignorant to their greatness and missed the show. Which to compound insult to injury was also a free show. I made my way over to my school store however and picked up a copy of their debut album "Now Here is Nowhere" which I proceeded to put in heavy rotation in my dorm room. I particularly liked the tracks "Now Here is Nowhere", "Lights On" and "The Road Leads Where it's Led" (In part thanks to it's stunning video). Although I felt at times that the album had become a little overblown, like on "First Wave Intact" and "Now Here is Nowhere" due to their repetitive nature and long running time.

However on their second album "Ten Silver Drops" the Secret Machines had learned how to let a song unfurl itself with a long running time but also kept it compelling. I had also learned that when they come to town, I should get tickets (I did manage to see them in Syracuse). Some of the tracks on "Ten Silver Drops" that are really long but don't seem it due to excellent songwriting were "Alone Jealous and Stoned", "I Hate Pretending", "I Want to know if it's still possible", "Faded Lines" and the album's lead single "Lightening Blue Eyes". All of these songs envelop you in psychedelic reverb and thump along in perfect rhythm that the lyrics wrap around like a sushi roll. Add into that the cool concepts of some of the songs, like the aforementioned "Alone, Jealous and Stoned" which is about waiting for a girl to call who never does. Or the song "I Hate Pretending" which is about robbing a bank with a girl with bright orange hair. The extra space in each song lets your imagination create the scene for all of these songs. Plus they are pretty rockin'. The Secret Machines recently lost their original Guitarist and he went on to found The School of Seven Bells, so The Secret Machines have had a bit of an identity crisis on their most recent album with it being so hard and dissonant, but I think they'll continue on and do great work.

The Secret Machines - Lightning Blue Eyes

10. Thieves Like Us - Play Music (2008)

I first heard of Thieves Like Us through the excellent blog Big Stereo. I saw their video for "Drugs in My Body" and saw that they described the group as influenced by both Daft Punk and New Order. Which immediately grabbed my attention. The track "Drugs in my body" was so simple, so repetitive, but there was something about it that was so fresh. Whether it was the almost spoken word vocals or the clever samples that the band collected. Either way I had to hear more. I began searching the internet for any remix or b-side that had been done by Thieves Like Us. I found a few things, but I had to wait for what felt like a year before they released their "Your Heart Feels" EP which was followed shortly after by their full length album "Play Music".

"Play Music" was not purely a party album. Granted there were lots of great dance songs, but each track had a different emotion embedded in it. Some of the songs are angry, some are sad, some are menacing but all of them are compelling. Thieves Like Us took inspiration from artists such as Dr. Dre, David Bowie, and obviously New Order (Their name comes from a New Orde song) to create music with a minimalist thump and intellectual bite. The vintage synthesizers echo and modulate subtly all over the place as Andy articulates his delicate poetry in a way that is far less embarassing than some of those old lyrics that Bernard Sumner of New Order came up with way back when. One very bright spot on the album in contrast with all the moody retro electronica is the quasi-rap "Miss You" which makes reference to David Bowie and his ex wife Angela over a funky bass and those ever addictive moody synths. The whole construction of their songs is so authentic. Unlike bands that take New Order and Daft Punk influences and twist them into some kind of bizarre hyrid, Thieves Like Us brings in the influence straight up, and somehow in that they've created something totally fresh. Their music is very electronic, but it feels very organic. Their streak of compelling releases is continuing as they released a new EP over teh summer called "Really Like to See You Again" which featured tracks with the Blue Monday (New Order song) influence on high. Thieves Like Us are surely in store for great things in the future if they stay on their current trajectory.

Thieves Like Us - Miss You

An Evening with The Sounds! Au Montreal!

2009-09-25T15:39:00.000-07:00

I recently traveled to Montreal, Quebec in Canada to see The Sounds. If you still don't know who they are, they are a rock and roll band from Sweden led by the fierce frontwoman Maja Ivarsson. Their music is a sonic blend of Blondie and the Cars with a bit of a punk bite for good measure. They had just released their third album "Crossing the Rubicon" to much critical and commerical success and had recently finished a run of shows with No Doubt in Europe. The drive was relatively painless, a lot of straight shots that just go on and on forever. I was suprised along the way on a stop to get some gas, where I couldn't figure out how to initiate the gas pump, but a polite Quebecian woman on a motorcycle helped me out. Take that anyone who thinks that Quebecians aren't polite!

Once we were in the heart of Montreal, it was relatively easy to navigate, there was parking right in front of the Metropolis (where The Sounds would be playing) as well as giant murals of musicians and stylized comic book faces on buildings adjacent to the venue.

Inside, it was spacious and foggy, already prepped for extravagant lights shows. Waiters with little platters scurried about getting alchoholic beverages for the French Canadian fans. It wasn't too long before the lights dimmed and a band called Foxy Shazam took the stage. They looked like some kind of mismatch of styles from the 70's and 90's crossed with muppets. The lead singer, Eric Nally, wore a moustache and a hairdo that wouldn't look out of place in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. He also never stopped moving around the stage, beginning with a prat fall on his face, and continued on throuought the show with movements that could have been mistaken for the most bizzare yoga moves ever. At one point he even dry humped his guitarists head while riding on his shoulders. All Foxy Shazam's blatant disregard for the taboo and energetic stage pressence certainly embeddeded them into my memory.

Up next was the band "Creature", who are all Montreal Natives and dance funk fashionistas. They wasted no time launching their post punk disco spell over the crowd. While they didn't irreverently hump everything on the stage they did bring their own unique energy to the Metropolis. Singer, keyboardist and auxillary percussionist, stage-named Cowbella, ran frenzied around the stage with drumsticks in her hands and hit on toms, wood blocks, and yes, even her namesake instrument. She and guitarist and singer Kim Ho stunned the crowd with their on point and lightening quick raps and vocal talent. Kim Ho further showed his stage bravado by playing his guitar like a violin as the group smashed through their hits "Who's Hot, Who's Not" and "Pop Culture". The highlight of their set was when the glamourous girls in the group donned aviator sungless and military hats as the band sucked the crowd into their hypnotic rhythms on the track "Kandahar". As Creature's funky sounds faded and they exited the stage, anticipation was as high as ever for the sounds to take the stage.

As the clock inched toward ten o' clock cheering and stomping shook the Metropolis until, under the red smokey lights, The Sounds emerged from backstage without lead Singer Maja Ivarrson as they began the title track off of their new album "Crossing the Rubicon". As the boys finished up the somber intro and launched into the next track, Maja Ivarsson emerged to thundrous applause, clad in an adidas striped hoodie, some serious bling, three inch heels and the shortest shorts in the world. Armed with an arsenal of kicks and suggestive poses the singer wailed through "Queen of Apology" before pausing and reflecting about the creation of their new album, and how it was made for the fans and that she was so thankful for them. She then stated "This song is for you!" as the group began the epic riff from their latest single "No One Sleeps When I'm Awake".

The Sounds jammed through a collection of hits from their new album and their equally amazing sophomore album "Dying to say this to you". After rifling through "Tony the Beat" and "Beat Box" the band slowed down for the piano ballad "Night After Night". Maja Ivarsson took a swig of her Heinekin lit a cigarette and implored the crowd to sing along. Which they did obediently. Another highlight of the show was when The Sounds played "Don't Want to Hurt You", a song that has been getting attention from being featured in a Geico ad that featured motorcycle riding cave men. During the song the crowd got noticably wilder, pushing up against the stage and jumping erratically. Afterwhich, Maja stated "You liked that one, huh?" with a wry smirk. The Sounds finished out their set with "Painted By Numbers", the lead single from their sophomore album "Dying to say this to you" complete with a rythmic hexagon synth pad duet between guitarist Felix Rodriguez and keyboardist Jesper Anderberg.

After a roaring request for an encore, The Sounds once again took the stage to play "Song with a Mission", "Hit Me" and "Living in America". Maja thanked the crowd, handed out some beers and left the stage to a recording of their lullaby-like track "Goodnight Freedy". A more appropriate ending to such a great night, I couldn't think of.

The Sounds - No One Sleeps When I'm Awake

Make way for The Glide! (New Music from Chicago!)

2009-09-24T15:00:00.001-07:00

Chicago, it seems, is bursting at the seams with awesome new bands. Add to the list The Glide, whose new album "A Future for the Dead" is a celebration of everything sweaty, synthy, and rockin'. The core shaking bass, persistent beat and off kilter guitar solos are perfect for the Halloween season. Fun, but just dangerous enough to be exciting. Put on your skeleton t-shirts, it's party time.

The Glide - This is Everlasting

New Pretty Good Dance Moves and Mason Proper Remixes!

2009-09-24T14:40:00.000-07:00

Pretty Good Dance Moves, a band out of Chicago and Brooklyn has released a new track to the universe. That tracking being "Leave Me Alone" featuring Bjorn Yttling of Peter Bjorn & John. The track sparkles and wiggles along on handclaps and phosphorescent synth.

Pretty Good Dance Moves - Leave Me Alone (Ft. Bjorn Yttling)

In other news, Mason Proper has some sweet remixes out of some of their tracks from their sophomore album "Olly Olly Oxen Free". They've been out for a while now and I'm just now listening to them. I'm really enjoying Wallpaper's classic house take on "Safe For The Time Being". Gotta love those string stabs over the staccato piano chords.

Mason Proper - Safe for the Time Being (Wallpaper Mix)

Alan Wilkis remixes Warm Heart of Africa ft. Ezra Koenig

2009-09-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

If you were looking for the jam of the summer, look no further. This "Warm Heart of Africa" remix by electro funk master Alan Wilkis featuring Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend transports all listeners instantly to a fantastic island themed party on the beech with all the bacardi and bikinis anyone could ever want. If only we could extend summer past September 22nd.

The Very Best - Warm Heart of Africa (Alan Wilkis Remix ft. Ezra Koenig)

Left and Right from I am Noxious!

2009-09-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

I am Noxious is an electronic artist out of London whose work I have been enjoying lately. His track "Left & Right" skitters about on some catchy chords while he croons about the multiple meanings of the terms left and right. The lyrics might be ambigious, but the melodies and clubby beats make this worth a listen... or two... or five. it's up to you really.

I am Noxious - Left & Right

Vivek Shraya set to Return with "Keys and Machines"!

2009-09-14T10:08:00.001-07:00

You might remember Vivek Shraya from a post on this very blog a long time ago. Well, our favorite Canadian indie/electro upstart is back with his sophomore album "Keys and Machines" and it's set for a release this November! So hold onto your hat and enjoy this funky preview track "In Out" featuring Meghan Toohey.

Vivek Shraya - In Out

Horse Shoes Come Back!

2009-09-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

As if they ever left, Horse Shoes the prodigious band out of Brooklyn is set to release their Imperial School EP very soon, and the EP is a twinkling nastolgia dance party. The band (Composed of Drew Diver and Jacob Graham) lets all of their influences show featuring some songs that emulate the Smiths self deprecating intelligence and others emulate New Orders restless longing. Throw in a bit of twangy surf guitar and some gentle vocals and you've got the overall flavor of Horse Shoes new EP. Surely a delieght for the ears.

Horse Shoes - Hey Come Back!

Horse Shoes Myspace

An Interview with Pocket! (Richard Jankovich from The Burnside Project)

2009-08-26T07:33:00.000-07:00

Richard Jankovich A.K.A. Pocket has been busy working on original singles with vocalists from Menomenae, Asobi Seksu, The Church, The Chameleons, and more. I had a chance to speak with him about those collaborations and where he sees Pocket going in the future.

1. You've been doing Pocket remixes for a while, what prompted you to expand the project to collaborate with other artists on original songs?

The plan all along was to use remixes to cut my teeth and use those experiences to make me a better producer. I had always loved collaborating with other artists. The first Burnside Project album had lots of guest musicians on it like the Mendoza Line, Hub Moore, and a bunch of friends and colleagues. I wanted to continue the idea but without my voice being a central part. So, I started the remixes as a way to build my resume so other artists would see my capabilities. I guess it worked!

2. How is the process of writing songs different or similar for Pocket than it is writing a song for The Burnside Project?

It couldn't be more different, actually. When I am writing for a singer, I think about them, their style, their voice, etc. while I am writing. While I definitely want these to be "Pocket" songs, I also tailor it to the singer's strengths. In [The] Burnside [Project], it's much more personal. I just take an idea and develop it without much thought to anyone else's role.

3. For each track that you did, did you have a specific artist in mind that you wanted to sing on it?

It depends, in the beginning, before I had singers on board, I created a bunch of instrumental tracks. Now, however, I generally create a custom track for each singer. So I would say that, yes, I usually have a singer in mind, but I like to get them on board first.

4. Did you know any of the vocalists personally or professionally before reaching out to them to provide vocals or were you just an admirer of their previous work?

I think most of them I did not know. I knew Yuki from Asobi Seksu but most of them I was a fan of and met through this process.

5. What's the most surprising thing you've found about sending out tracks to artists and having them send back the vocal tracks?

The most surprising thing is how simple it all is. Rarely does any artist hate the tracks I send or demand changes. They almost always record their part and then leave me to finish the track. The trust that they put in me is humbling.

6. You worked with Steve Kilbey from the seminal Australian Post-Punk band The Church for your single "Hear in Noiseville" and you're lined up to work with another post-punk front man, Mark Burgess from The Chameleons, on a future single. Are you reviving 80's alternative front men in a way similar to how Quentin Tarantino resurrects leading men from 70's TV shows?

It is very funny, but yes. I actually thought of Tarantino many times while working on this idea, nice of you to catch that! Not just "Men from the 80's" but in general I have wanted to work with people who have fallen from the limelight in recent years. These artists all still make great, compelling music and I want to help them get heard if I can.

7. Speaking of "Hear in Noiseville", you just put together a video for the single with footage sent to you by Steve Kilbey and your own hand drawn signs. It looked like it was a blast to put together, do you have any plans to do videos for any other singles?

The video was so fun and easy that we are going to try to keep making them for all the singles. The Craig Wedren video is already in post production an d we are making plans for a Mark Burgess one too, since he is going to be in LA this week. As long as they are simple and fun, I would love to keep doing them!

8. Are you planning anything special to coincide with the release of the singles this year like a DJ Tour or even just hanging out with any of the vocalists?

Well, I am actually going to be playing with Mark Burgess this week while he is in town for a Chameleons show. I am going to play guitar on a few songs and we might try to do the Pocket song. Other than that, I am still working on a live component for Pocket, It's very challenging as you can imagine.

Pocket Official Site

Pocket - Surround Him with Love (The Somnambulants Remix)

An EP of Pocket! (Richard from the Burnside Project)

2009-08-20T04:25:00.000-07:00

Richard Jankovich is a producer from Los Angeles who goes by the name Pocket. He is also the front man of electronic pop outfit the Burnside Project who have put out two excellent albums; 2003's The Network, The Streams, The Harmonies and 2005's The Finest Example is You. Under the Pocket name, Jankovich has has remixed Beck, Radiohead, Kristin Hersh, Of Montreal, Elk City, Joanna Newsom, Mendoza Line, Dirty on Purpose, Eskobar, Cat Power and others, always with groovy results.

Now, Jankovich has taken his music production skills one step farther, enlisting the aid of current and classic vocalists and musicians for a series of singles for online release. Among the collaborators are Yuki Chikudate from Asobi Seksu, Steve Kilbey from The Church (Known for their single "Under The Milky Way"), Mark Burgess from the Chameleons (Another influential post punk band!) Danny Seims from Menomena and many others. I've been able to give a listen to three of the tracks so far, and I can really hear how Jankovich's songwriting and music production have evolved over the years. I think it was a good exercise for Jankovich to distance himself from vocal and lyrical duties because while his vocals are innovative and his lyrics are insightful his actual vocal abilities aren't his strong suit. Not that there's anything wrong with that, case in point Bright Eyes, James Figurine, Casiotones for the Painfully Alone etc. don't' have exceptionally strong vocals but make great music. On the new EP, free from those duties, the melodies soar, The arrangements are more lush, and the sound just envelopes you like a warm blanket.

Pocket - Hear in Noiseville (Featuring Steve Kilbey of The Church)

The Church - Under The Milkyway

and I'm loving this track too much not to share:

Pocket - Sampo (Featuring Yuki Chikudate from Asobi Seksu)

AZLTRON Back to School Concert List!

2009-08-18T06:36:00.000-07:00

The end of summer is fast approaching and it is time for many people to begin to think about their return to school in the fall. Some may dread the end of the carefree days of summer, but I am eagerly anticipating heading back to my collegiate institution. Partially because I'm ready for my summer job to be over, but also because when kids go back to school there are loads of concerts. Summer festivals are grand, but there's something magical about traveling to see a specific band at a specific venue at a specific time. That and you can bring your own water. I have done my homework and picked four shows that aren't too far away for my fellow Central New Yorkers to drive to and enjoy as well.

First up is Syracuse's own Ra Ra Riot. They are playing at the Castaways Bar in nearby Ithaca on September 10th. For the uninitiated Ra Ra Riot is an indie band that formed during 2006 that combines the sounds of clean college rock like Vampire Weekend with the drama of string accented groups like the Arcade Fire. Their debut album The Rhumb Line has been garnering them critical accalaim from just about every major music publication you can think of and a spot performing on the David Letterman show. If you're curious or a big fan don't miss out! Tickets are only $15 dollars and available here.

Ra Ra Riot - Too Too Fast

The Sounds - No One Sleeps When I'm Awake

If you're willing to do some driving and have a passport, The Sounds are playing at the Metropolis night club in Montreal on September 12th. The Sounds are a Swedish rock band that sound like the angry love child of The Cars and Blondie. Their new album Crossing the Rubicon is one of the hottest records of the year so far with anthems like their track No One Sleeps When I'm Awake poised for some crossover success. I swear, if I don't hear a track by The Sounds on my local pop music station in at least a year, there is something seriously wrong with the ears of America. Either way, the show will be a blast of showmanship and attitude from the crew and lead singer Maja Ivarsson. If you can read French, tickets are available here and they are $20.00 Canadian dollars so there might be some flux in the currency but the show will definitely be worth the hassle.

Fun and the Miniature Tigers are playing at the Waterstreet Music Hall on September 13th. Tickets are available here for the low low price of $10.00. Fun is the new band of the former frontman of The Format, Nate Ruess. They play catchy eclectic pop songs that are more fun than seven kittens and fourteen balls of twine. The Miniature Tigers play a similar brand of straight up authentic rock/pop that will set the mood perfectly.

Fun Myspace

If you're looking for a more local show, check out another Syracuse born band, Professional Victims, who are having their album release party with Sirsi on September 18th. The Professional Victims seem to have a foot in a few different genres. One in classic rock, one in electronica, one in pop, one in industrial and one in punk. They are probably one of the most original acts to spawn out of Syracuse in the last year or so. If I had to compare them to other bands I'd say they sound like a mix between TV on the Radio and The New Pornographers. They are being supported by the hard rocking boy/girl duo Sirsi. Tickets are available here.

Professional Victims Myspace

Listen to As Tall as Lion's 'Circles' !

2009-08-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

As Tall As Lions is a quartet from New York City whose new album, You Can't Take it With You, will be released on August 18th. Their lush and eclectic arrangements range from beautiful soundscapes to impassioned rocking riffs. Catch them at any of the locations listed below.

Tour Dates:

8/5/09 Detroit, MI St Andrews Hall

8/6/09 Chicago, IL The Bottom Lounge

8/7/09 Sauget, IL Pops

8/8/09 Des Moines, IA People Court

8/9/09 St Paul, MN Station 4

8/11/09 Denver, CO Gothic Theatre

8/12/09 Murray, UT Murray Theatre

8/13/09 Boise, ID Neuerolux

8/14/09 Seattle, WA Neumos

8/15/09 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom

8/17/09 Sacramento, CA Empire Events Centre

8/20/09 San Diego, CA The Casbah

8/26/09 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore

8/28/09 Cosa Mesa, CA Detroit Bar

8/30/09 Los Angeles, CA El Ray Theatre

8/31/09 Los Angeles, CA El Ray Theatre

As Tall as Lions - Circles

As Tall as Lions Myspace

Simian Mobile Disco set to release "Temporary Pleasure"!

2009-08-15T18:38:00.000-07:00

UK Dance sensation Simian Mobile Disco is set to drop a new album called Temporary Pleasure which features Gruff Rhys of the Super Furry Animals and Beth Ditto from The Gossip among others. For an interview with the band check out this interview at Dummy. I haven't heard the album in full yet, but I am eagerly awaiting my first listen, and if the Obama inspired single "Audacity of Huge" is a sign of things to come it's gonna be good.

Simian Mobile Disco - Bad Blood (Featuring Alexis Taylor)

Calvin Harris Creates the "Humanthesizer"!

2009-08-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

Calvin Harris has returned with a new single, "Ready for the Weekend" and has been busy in his laboratory of disco not only crafting new tunes but co-creating the first human synthesizer! It works through conductive ink, but of course it wouldn't be Calvin Harris if he didn't include anywhere from 7 to 15 scantily clad women. The man has style.

Calvin Harris - Ready For the Weekend