Hardworking Canadians Make Good - Sign to Saddle Creek

[MP3]
Rural Alberta Advantage: Don't Haunt This Place

The name Rural Alberta Advantage has been bandied about for some time now, but admittedly, we never really took the time to do some sufficient digging on the group. Our bad. Well, today came the announcement that they, along with the group UUVVWWZ (we hated even typing that name) have signed to Saddle Creek Records. Like the dutiful bloggers we are, we did our homework and discovered, wow, RAA are pretty damn good. So all in all it's a good day for everyone. After being named an eMusic select band and earning the praise of Pitchfork and the Associated Press at this year's SXSW, the powers that be could not deny this trio from the north country. Here's to wishing this band success, as it's always good to see a group rise on the quality of their music rather than a sweet haircut and manufactured buzz. Their debut album Hometowns will be re-released this July with the force a Saddle Creek marketing budget.

Sarah Siskind @ The Living Room, 4/27

(Not the Living Room)

Ok, so it's sort of a good news, kind of bad news deal with Sarah Siskind. We'll start with the good news. It's pretty good. Sarah Siskind has the talent to be a damn star. Her voice is huge, like - American Idol huge. It more than filled the tiny Living Room space, and one can easily see it carrying through large halls and theaters. When within her range, Siskind can easily out-sing any of her contemporaries, including one Mr. Justin Vernon who has more than aided Siskind in her recent ascent. Siskind's songwriting talents have been recognized by Allison Krauss who has recorded two Siskind-penned songs. If I were an A&R rep, I would sign Sarah Siskind as fast as I could. She has that raw, natural ability rarely found these days, especially in the singer-songwriter genre. Alone with her guitar on stage, I was fairly blown away. That brings me to my next point.

Read more after the jump...



For some reason, Siskind's captivating performance abilities did not translate well to her new record Say It Louder, which is being released on her own label in conjunction with Nashville's Thirty Tigers. While a fine album, featuring great musicians and producer Jason Lehning (Lyle Lovett, Guster, Nickel Creek), it could be much better, based upon Siskind's live performance. It seems a heavily polished affair, which strikes me as unnecessary given the strength of Siskind's songwriting and vocal abilities. Just give her a guitar, and let her sing. The cover art seems a bizarre choice, and does little to reflect Siskind's honest, humble and lovely personality.

The album and the performance at times seemed stuck between several genres; there were touches of main-stream country, Appalachian ballads, standard folk, and a less-than-stellar soul-piano ballad. The pop/country blend does succeed at times though, such as on "Lovin's For Fools," Bon Iver's choice cover. See video. With more development and the right producer, Sarah Siskind is capable of making a fantastic record and truly breaking into the mainstream. Say It Louder is a step in the right direction and her live performance makes Sarah Siskind an artist not to be missed in person -- she's capable of big things.

Crash Landing- 2009 Album Deletions

Photo Credit: www.stabur5productions.ws/page3.html

You click and drag new releases on to your iPod's 2009 playlist, but does everything deserve to stay? No. Well, we are at your service to aid you in proper, and deserved 2009 album deletions (not from the whole Pod, but rather the playlist.) Ultimately, we are helping you generate a Best of 2009 playlist, right? Maybe.

The Veils - Sun Gangs
Nux Vomica and more specifically "Calliope!" hit us hard, and kept hitting. This album rocked our speakers, bumped our chest and simply made us buy the album...and catch them at the Mercury Lounge. So Sun Gangs. Yeah, it just didn't live up to the pre-established standards. Its that easy. It's the sophomore slump and we know it blows. Rebound baby, rebound. Deleted.

The Black Lips - 200 Million Thousand
If you thought they were going to conform to a more mainstream sound, in true Lips fashion, you can go fuck yourself. They didn't and I kind of wanted an album of "Bad Kids"-style gems, but, oh well; their loss. Deleted.

Beirut - March of the Zapotec & Real People
This is just boring tuna. Though our one reviewer, Deanna, thought otherwise, this album is one tuba blast short of bearable. Deleted.

M.Ward - Hold Time
Just because it is another M.Ward album doesn't mean you have to like it. This is no freaking Transfiguration of Vincent. Maybe if Zoe Deschanel accompanied him on this we could call it, She & Him: Volume Deuce and Paste could name it best album of 2009. Deleted.

That should free up some space.

The Glass Bead Game

[MP3]
James Blackshaw: "Cross"

For several years now, James Blackshaw has been the silent purveyor of subtle gorgeous compositions written for 12 string acoustic guitar. Yet, over the course of several albums, Blackshaw has began to expand his reach, beginning to incorporate piano into his almost exclusively guitar centered affairs. This point holds true even more-so on his newest record and first for Michael Gira's Young God Records, The Glass Bead Game (May 26th.) This album finds Blackshaw incorporating vocals from Lavinia Blackwall as well as a string section and even features Blackshaw on piano. Blackshaw's compositions float in the space between modern classical music and recent progressive instrumental acts such as Sigur Ros or Mono. The melding of the two schools results in uplifting meditative music perfect for a morning drive or evening contemplation. Blackshaw has gotten a considerable amount of love from the indie and blog communities as well as from critics at large. The Glass Bead Game represents another entry into Blackshaw's excellent catalog, and his new signing to Young God Records will only help expose his music to a larger portion of the population, which is nothing but a great thing.

10 Reasons Why Music Festivals Suck

Credit:http://image.examiner.com/images/blog/wysiwyg/image/bonnaroo_dust.jpg

Let me count the ways: From Coachella, to the Pitchfork Music fest, to SXSW, to the James Gandolfini of festivals, Bonnaroo. Why do we go? Because we love music. We are here for the music...that makes us Band-Aids (always willing to drop an Almost Famous line.) However, such performance-based conglomerations have drawbacks, flaws, or things that just plain suck. This could be bitching for the sake of bitching, but have you ever read Bob Lefsetz? This shit sells. Here is a top 10 list of festival FML's:

Top 10 Reasons Why Music Festivals Suck:

10. They are fucking expensive --All day pass = 200 million thousand dollars; $6 water, beer, and chicken skewers. Come on!

9. Weather --It's the summer and it's soggy-ass hot, so let's get together in close quarters and sweat. No dice. Or MMJ in the rain at 3 a.m...good thing I was drunk.

8. You can't go to them all --then again why would you.

7. The sound is garbage -- most of the time, especially if outdoors, sound doesn't reverberate...it dissipates and that sucks.

6. Bands try too hard, or not hard enough -- it wasn't a festival and they were burnt out, but Arcade Fire at Randall's Island...disappointment. Also, see #7 for added failure.

5. The Dust Bowl Blues, plus mud and dirt -- Walk through Bonnaroo when it's blowing up a gail. You'll see. Or during a rain storm before M.I.A. You'll see.

To see the Top Five, continue after the jump.


4. So, you didn't go? That's fine, because the week prior and post-festival, all you'll fucking read about is that fucking festival. Let's be honest, baring a naked Wizard being tazed, you ain't reading all the Coachella coverage on Pop and Hiss are you? No. Not to mention you can see most bands next week at the Mercury Lounge anyway.

3. Press passes still blow -- I love looking at the portrait side of artists faces and critiquing music coming out of a monitor on stage. No thanks. But the damn photographers get three songs in the pit? Come on!

2. Ugly naked people -- if you're ugly, most likely you know it, so do us a favor and keep your clothes on. Check your wangs and boobs at the door. Did you see the Wizard?

1. KNOWING THAT NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY, THE ARTISTS ARE MORE COMFORTABLE AND HAVING MORE FUN THAN YOU ARE.

Throwback Progression

Mayer Hawthorne - Just Ain't Gonna Work Out from Stones Throw on Vimeo.

[MP3]
Mayer Hawthorne: "Maybe So Maybe No"

From Los Angeles by way of Ann Arbor, MI comes another entry into the white-boy vintage-soul movement. Yet, there is something different about Mayer Hawthorne that separates him from the Jamie Lidell's of the world. While fun, there's always an underlying cheeky grim beneath Lidell's music, but that isn't the case when listening to Hawthorne. Present video excluded. Signed to Stones Throw Records and hyped by Mark Ronson, Hawthorne has significant cred to back him up, and when turned the right way, you can hear the subtle Dilla-influenced break-beat grooves he employs in the understated rhythm section. Oh yeah, he plays all the instruments himself too. While we've only heard the "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out" single with the B-side "When I said Goodbye" (available now), Hawthorne is clearly one to watch this year. In the new-age quest for old-school authenticity and quality, Hawthorne has become the new front runner. He's also got heart-shaped vinyl, so, that's pretty sweet too.

Wilco (The Blog Post)

Photo: Flanigan/FilmMagic for RS

So according to Rolling Stone, the new Wilco album is called Wilco (The Album). This album will include "Wilco (The Song)" an open-hearted tribute to their fans that first debuted on The Colbert Report during the election. We actually sorta love the song. Wilco (The Album) comes out in late June with festivals and touring to follow. Go get em fellas. RS writes:

There’s a little something for everyone on the group’s new disc, which they recorded in their loft space in Chicago. “One Wing” and “Sunny Feeling” are breezy, pop-friendly tunes; “Deeper Down” is a mellow ballad spiked with atmospherics and chamber strings; the nearly-six-minute jam “Bull Black Nova” starts with rollicking drums, stacatto keys and guitars before exploding into a killer solo from guitarist Nels Cline. Think of the it as a sonic follow-up to the kraut-rockin’ “Spiders (Kidsmoke).”

Young Adult Friction!

[MP3]
Pains of Being Pure at Heart "Young Adult Friction"

You all know we love this band - that's right, it's Pains of Being Pure at Heart! Sometimes effusive exclamation marks are fun. They're one of the biggest new acts of '09 and we've been running our mouths about 'em for awhile. Today we get a new video for "Young Adult Friction" - a standout track from their self titled debut out now. Here's an mp3 for the cut as well. Enjoy. (Via P4K.TV)

Featured Releases 4/28

Artist: Crocodiles

Album: Summer of Hate (Fat Possum)
Mp3: "Neon Jesus"
Mp3: "Summer of Hate"

This record blindsided us the week before SXSW. Then, Crocodiles went down south and blindsided the entire festival. Garnering wide-sweeping praise for their live show, on this blog and elsewhere, Crocodiles have just released their debut Summer of Hate today on Fat Possum. While the latter half of the record has lost some of it's luster over the past few weeks (a little long on noise and short on songs), there are gems on this album that make it absolutely worth the purchase -- notably the standout track "I Want to Kill." If Crocodiles can keep the momentum going they have potential to be one of the breakout bands on the indie scene in 2009.

Artist: Bob Dylan
Album: Together Through Life (Columbia)
Stream the Record @ Paste Magazine

Yeah, so - the new Bob record. Ok. Heard it was bad. From a few reputable sources. Contributor Mike Bailey said it was his weakest batch of songs since the 80s. Rolling Stone liked it, but they're hero mongering baby-boomers who will never give anything Bob does until he dies less than 4 stars. In fact, they will go back and give every Dylan record they panned 5 stars retrospectively. Apparently, there is more accordion on this record than a bad night in Venice. You know what? We're cool with that. I like Southwestern stuff, like chipotle. And belt buckles. Look, it's Bob, we love Bob, we sometimes even love bad Bob. So there you have it. Thanks to Microphone Memory Emotion for pointing out a great list of Dylan covers posted at Paste. She also posted a nice mp3 of Nanci Griffith covering "Boots of Spanish Leather." Click here for it. Damn you Suze Rotolo and your stupid trip to Europe. (Kidding, we still think you're awesome.)

Still Flyin' MP3 + Tour Dates

[MP3]

Still Flyin' - "The Hott Chord is Struck"

Do the H.O.T.T. C.H.O.R.D.

Another pop gem emerges from the West Coast via our good friends at Force Field PR. San Francisco's Still Flyin' combine the jaunting poppiness of Noah and the Whale, with the group-choral raucousness of MGMT. Some instrumental aspects recall newer Modest Mouse and the Black Kids, but the combination of all musical elements work nicely, giving way to spunky, listener-friendly tunes. After listening to "The Hott Chord is Struck," you'll see that it is definitely a hand clap song and the chorus is simply a modified take on Justice's "D.A.N.C.E." Can't beat it though. Their newest record, Never Gonna Touch the Ground, dropped April 21 on Ernest Jenning Record Co. See tour dates after the jump.


5.08.09 Sacramento, CA Blue Lamp
5.09.09 San Francisco, CA Cafe Du Nord
6.08.09 Seattle, WA Neumo's *
6.09.09 Portland, OR Holocene *
6.11.09 San Francisco, CA Bottom of The Hill *
6.12.09 Los Angeles, CA Echoplex *
6.13.09 San Diego, CA Casbah *

* = w/ Love is All

New Ólöf Arnalds mp3 & Nite Jewel Tour Announcement

[MP3]
Ólöf Arnalds - "Við og Við" (VIA)

Ólöf Arnalds subtly made her way into the US over the past few years as more and more people discovered the delicate wintry folk music contained on her stellar debut Við og Við. The great news is, she's just finished recording her second record in Iceland, enlisting the help of producer Kjartan Sveinsson from Sigur rós along with musicians Skuli Sverrisson (Laurie Anderson), Shahzad Ismaily (whooo) (Tom Waits, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy), and Davíð Þór Jónsson (Mugison). We caught her last September at Le Poission Rouge as she captivated the audience with guest spots from Nico Muhley, Ismaily, and Sam Amidon. Arnalds has announced several NY dates including a special show with Bjork and the Dirty Projectors (!!). Can't wait for this one.

May 5th- Union Hall- Brooklyn
May 6th- Sycamore- Brooklyn
May 7th- Scandinavia House (Volvo Hall), NYC
May 8th- Housing Works Bookstore Cafe w/Björk and The Dirty Projectors- NYC

In other tour news...

[MP3]
Nite Jewel "Weak For Me"

Longtime Stark fave Nite Jewel has teamed up with new Stark sort-of-fave Telepathe for a run of dates only on the west coast (boo). See those dates after the jump!



NITE JEWEL

May 28 2009 The Smell Los Angeles, California
Jun 04 2009 Oasis Oakland, California
Jun 05 2009 Aunty Mo's Eureka, California
Jun 07 2009 Northern Olympia, Washington
Jun 09 2009 Biltmore Cabaret Vancouver, British Columbia *
Jun 10 2009 Chop Suey Seattle, Washington *
Jun 11 2009 Holocene Portland, Oregon *
Jun 12 2009 Bottom of the Hill San Francisco, California *
Jun 13 2009 The Smell Los Angeles, California *#
Jun 16 2009 Detroit Bar Costa Mesa, California *
Jun 17 2009 Modified Arts Phoenix, Arizona *

* = w/ Telepathe
# = w/ Abe Vigoda

MP3 Round Up

Monday springs forth with beautiful weather, delectable Byrne and Boots coverage and now, a slew of MP3's for YOU.

Passion Pit - "Moth's Wings"
______

Another cheery effort from Passion Pit, off the highly anticipated May 19 release, Manners.





White Denim - "Mirrored and Reverse"
______

Calm, collected, German*. After clinching a #8 spot on Vince's Best of 2008, White Denim return with "Mirrored and Reverse" off their June 22 (StarkNY birthday what!what!) release, Fits.
*(Life Aquatic. White Denim are from Austin.)


Wavves - "Friends Were Gone"
______

Off the Fader-released 7-inchers comes this fuzzy beauty from good old Wavves. Nathan's at it again and as low-fi as ever. Mercury Lounge show = one of the best this year.

Artist: David Byrne
Album: Rei Momo (Warner / Luaka Bop)

[MP3]
David Byrne: "Make Believe Mambo"

Not that much attention is often payed to David Byrne's solo output after he left the Talking Heads. With the notable exception to his 2008 album Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, which featured his reunion with long-time Head's producer Brian Eno, most solo albums make only minor splashes in the press. To my knowledge, not many have made any significant waves in the sales world either.

Now that the summer weather and spring months are upon us, it's time to dust off the crown jewel of David Byrne's solo output, 1989's Rei Momo. His first post-Talking Heads record showed the direct contrast between the tense, new-wave synth of the Talking Heads and the world-music loving, melody-driven dance music that was going on inside David Byrne's brain. Rei Momo is a survey of Brazilian and Latin music, featuring some of the best Latin musicians in the world and amazing production by Byrne and Steve Lillywhite. Each track moves with a relaxed, lilting feel, creating tension during extended horn bridges before releasing into spacious hook-laden choruses. Percussion drives each song, with horns up front and guitar and drums pushed down in the mix. The results are intoxicating.

On Rei Momo, Byrne employs age-old songwriting tactics to great success, utilizing minor-to-major key changes, tension and release, and dark-to-light color shifts. His lyrics are predictably out-there and bizarre in all the best ways. I could give you a track-by-track break-down here, but I'll spare you the long analysis. Let me just say this, whenever you host a BBQ, go to the beach, walk around in the warm weather, or just sit on your roof reading the paper - put this album on. It's been a part of my spring and summer since I was born, and hopefully it can be part of yours. Buy it today.

Little Boots "New in Town," This is Going to Explode

Little Boots - New In Town


Dig the new video from to-be (already is) U.K. sensation Little Boots. "New in Town" is one of those highly repeatable, hook-laden-pop-gems that insures album success. After the BBC, and subsequently us (plus interview), named Boots 'artist to watch in 2009,' she began buzzing out of control, singing with Atlantic and gearing up for a June 8 release of her debut LP Hands. Enjoy. Happy Monday.

Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson Announce Ballpark Tour

Photo Credit: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3247/2368051286_524d7c7fce.jpg

Rolling Stone just gave Dylan's Together Through Life a four star review. You know they would have gone five, but they would have caught too much heat from us bloggers. Plus, it would just be too easy to give Dylan five stars. He's Bob Dylan. We know. We love him.

Dylan, Shotgun Willie AND the original cougar, John Mellencamp are teaming up to take us all out to a ball game this summer, with a tour of the nations' most famous (or not famous) baseball stadiums. Sure, the sound will probably be shit in most of the venues, but deal with it. See tour dates and venues after the jump.

On a side note, we wish we could catch Tinariwen at Le Passion Rouge this evening, but we have the all important Pomp & Circumstance party to attend. Gotta represent.

Date City
7/2 Sauget, IL at GCS Ballpark
7/4 South Bend, IN at Coveleski Stadium
7/8 Louisville, KY at Louisville Slugger Field
7/10 Dayton, OH at Fifth Third Field
7/11 Eastlake, OH at Classic Park
7/13 Washington, PA at Consol Energy Park
7/14 Allentown, PA at Coca-Cola Park
7/15 New Britain, CT at New Britain Stadium
7/19 Syracuse, NY at Alliance Bank Stadium
7/21 Pawtucket, RI at McCoy Stadium
7/23 Lakewood, NJ at FirstEnergy Park
7/24 Aberdeen, MD at Ripken Stadium
7/25 Norfolk, VA at Harbor Park
7/28 Durham, NC at Durham Bulls Athletic Park
7/29 Sevierville, TN at Smokies Park
8/4 Round Rock, TX at The Dell Diamond
8/5 Corpus Christi, TX at Whataburger Field
8/7 Grand Prairie, TX at QuikTrip Park
8/11 Glendale, AZ at Camelback Ranch
8/12 Las Vegas, NV at Cashman Field
8/14 Fresno, CA at Chukchansi Park
8/15 Stockton, CA at Banner Island Ballpark

How Sad, How Lovely

Still here in jury duty, but in my immense boredom, I wanted to share some music that was introduced to me by the NPR song of the day. NPR isn't cutting edge about much, but they have certainly gotten my ears up about a long-lost songwriter named Connie Converse. One of those long-gone lonely women, who has apparently since "disappeared," Converse sounds like something out of an old Kerouac text. Sorry, I'm a sucker for stories like this, especially when it comes coupled with introspective folk-ish music. Lau derette records have reissued her only recordings under the title How Sad, How Lovely. It's out now. Hear a track at NPR. Certainly worth further investigation.

This Week In Tesh

There is currently a line that's about a quarter mile long in front of Waterloo Records in Austin. What could possibly generate this kind of mayhem at a record store in the middle of the Great Recession? DUH. It's April 24th and the NEW JOHN TESH RECORD IS OUT. The new bombshell titled John Tesh Live: Greatest Hits Volume 1 is jam packed with all your favorites including "Siberian Allegretto," "Valley of Dreams," and "Heart of Sunshine." He will be supporting this instant classic with a tour called The $12 Ticket Tour. Ironically, tickets are $14.50. I CAN'T FUCKING WAIT. NO REALLY. I. CAN'T. FUCKING. WAIT.

-Stark contributing writer and Tesh enthusiast Tim Emmerick

Blank Dogs - Under and Under - mp3

[MP3]
Blank Dogs: "Tin Birds"

While wallowing away here, I will post a short little blurb that I meant to get up yesterday on the kick ass Blank Dogs. Actually, one dude. Blank Dog. Blank Man. J5? They've hit most of the art spaces here in NY at some point, but we've never been able to make it out to one. Lame? Yes. Blank Dogs are yet another entry into the noise rock scene of '09 but we don't give a shit really. Compared to Blank Dogs and Wavves, the Vivian Girls are beginning to sound like the Byrds. Under and Under (20 songs!) comes out June 2 on In The Red (of course!!) Here's a freaky video for "Setting Fire to Your House" and mp3 for "Tin Birds". Enjoy, I know I won't, being stuck here in this jury box of hell 'n all. Vid after the jump. VIA

Twittering Jury Duty?

Photo Credit:http://www.searchmarketinggurus.com

We know that certain biases can nullify your jury-selection-status, but what if you threaten Twitter? Matt explores his options this morning as he awaits jury seeding, serving his public duty to America. His presence will be missed and blogging will decrease as I will be traveling, and he will be courting. Andrew, here's looking at you!

Obviously we are joking (not about jury duty, but rather Twitter.) Hey, crazier things have happened.

Bowerbirds Release Upper Air July 7

[MP3]

Bowerbirds: "In Our Talons" (from Dark Horse)

One of our favorite new bands of last year was Bowerbirds. They were captivating when we saw them open for Bon Iver, and their debut record Hymns For a Dark Horse made such a splash that Dead Oceans signed them, re-released Dark Horse and will now release Upper Air, their sophomore LP, on July 7th. Their music is organic and earthy in such a way that if dirt had a sound, it would sound like Bowerbirds. We mean that in a good way. According to the press release, the songs on Upper Air will focus less on humanity's relationship with nature, and more upon confessional pieces from the two protagonists' (Beth Tacular and Phil Moore) daily lives. "...each and every song on Upper Air is a journal entry that stands on its own, each a singular, beautiful piece. The arrangements are subtle: acoustic guitars, organ, piano, autoharp, violin, percussion, upright bass and more are used throughout the recording." Cover art and tour dates post jump.





















Bowerbirds on tour:

04/25/09 Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel w/ Bell
04/26/09 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Chapel w/ Bell (Early)
04/26/09 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Chapel w/ Bell (Late)
04/27/09 New York City, NY - Mercury Lounge w/ Lost in the Trees, La Strada, Bell
04/28/09 Brooklyn, NY - Monkeytown - Early Show w/ Bell
04/28/09 Brooklyn, NY - Monkeytown - Late Show w/ Bell
04/30/09 Cambridge, MA - TT The Bear's w/ Sarah RabDAU, Bell
05/01/09 Montreal, QC - Il Motore w/ La Strada
05/02/09 Toronto, ON - The Drake Hotel w/ La Strada
05/04/09 Chicago, IL - Schubas w/ La Strada
05/05/09 Bloomington, IN - Bear's Place w/ La Strada
05/06/09 Newport, KY - The Southgate House - Parlour w/ La Strada
05/07/09 Asheville, NC - The Rocket Club w/ La Strada
05/08/09 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 w/ Wes Phillips, La Strada
05/22/09 Groningen, Netherlands - Vera
05/23/09 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
05/24/09 Brussels, Belgium - Maison Des Musiques
05/25/09 Paris, France - Point Fmr
05/26/09 London, UK - Borderline
05/27/09 Nantes, France - Spoutnik
05/28/09 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Festival
05/29/09 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Festival
05/30/09 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Festival
06/01/09 Carpi, Italy - Mattatoia
06/02/09 Pisa, Italy - Caracol
06/03/09 Basel, Switzerland - Volkshaus
06/04/09 Zurich, Switzerland - El Lokal
06/05/09 Ebensee, Austria - Kino
06/06/09 Vienna, Austria - Arena

The Field - The More That I Do - mp3

[MP3]
The Field: The More That I Do

We've been waiting a bit now for an mp3 premiere from the new Field record Yesterday and Today, and today Pitchfork debuted "The More That I Do." The track is an undulating mash of vocal samples, electronic beats and repeated rhythms; yet, as always, there is a tinge of melancholy underneath that makes it truly individual and great. Yesterday and Today comes out May 19 via Anti and Kompakt. Can't wait for more.

The Pack A.D. at Santos Party House!

[MP3]

The Pack A.D.: "Show Me Love"

The Pack A.D. sideswiped us at SXSW this year. We were really planning on acting surly and burned out by the time we saw them in the wee hours of the closing day but these sneaky fuckers totally beat us at our own game. Leave it to a couple of boot stomping, blues riffing, Canadian chicks in storm trooper masks to provide a much needed slap in the face. Think the baby daughter of Joan Jett and Dan Auerbach with Meg White on the kit. They're coming to Santos Party House tomorrow night and admission is only $6 if you print the gig flier here. Check out more on The Pack A.D. here. Cherie Lily, May Lane and Tayisha Busay round out the bill.

Tim Emmerick - Stark Contributing Writer

Photo by Mark Maryanovich

Happy Earth Day, You Sons of Bitches Part II

RT @StarkOnline: Yeah, that's right, you read correctly. Happy Earth Day, you bastards. Re-use your damn water bottles, stop taking plastic bags when paper will do, carpool, be like Larry David and buy a Prius, move to California, watch Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth"... whatever you need to do. If you need to take a day off from work to achieve all the above, then do so. What have you done for the Earth lately? Probably nothing. Who cares about music today? Go Earth!

TWITTER US!

Has Jarvis Gone Rock?

"No - but during the course of touring his last record he discovered that , with this band, he COULD rock & so he'd be a fool not to. (When the situation demanded it)."

[MP3]
Jarvis Cocker: "Angela"

That's right folks, a new Jarvis Cocker record, this time produced by ace-rock-knob-twiddling-legend, Steve Albini. Fans of the softer side of Jarvis shouldn't fret though; this isn't a full on blasting rock affair. As Jarvis comments above, when the situation demands it, he brings the house. Further Complications was written as: "more of a group effort than the last one. So we had worked songs out in rehearsal rather than me delivering them fully-written & now I wanted to record them in an environment where we could all play at the same time & hopefully capture something of the spirit of a band all working together, all aiming in the same direction." Further Complications comes out May 19 via Rough Trade.

Dexateens - New Video + Tour Dates + MP3

[MP3]
Dexateens - "Down Low"

Tuscaloosa, Alabama's the Dexateens prepare to release their debut album, Singlewide, dropping May 12 on Skybucket/Cornelius Chapel Records. These 'Bama boys conjure images of jangling Kinks, with Ray Davies-esque, nasal-lead, scratchy vocals and hooky choruses. 2:57 running time, "Down Load" bounces along, only after a slow start, but picks up speed with that Traveling Wilburys sound; i.e.hard-strumming, layered-acoustic patterns. It's definitely a good start for this down low band, from down south.

Check out tour dates with The Features and Those Darlins after the jump.

Tour dates:
May 2 Tuscaloosa, AL Mellow Mushroom
May 8 Birmingham, AL Zydeco
May 9 Atlanta, GA The Earl
May 11 Charlotte, NC The Milestone
May 12 Washington, DC Rock and Roll Hotel
May 13 Charlottesville, VA iS Venue
May 14 New York, NY Pianos
May 15 Cambridge, MA TT the Bears
May 16 Philadelphia, PA Khyber
May 17 Brooklyn, NY Union Hall
May 19 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
May 20 Chicago, IL Schuba's Tavern
May 21 Newport, KY Southgate House-The Parlour
May 22 Lexington, KY The Dame
May 23 Knoxville, TN Barley's
May 24 Nashville, TN The Basement
Jun 6 Chattanooga, TN Riverbend Festival Bud

May 8th The Features open
May 11th - May 23rd co-bill with The Features
May 11th - 13th & May 19th-23rd Those Darlins open

Why Stephen King Is Just The Worst

Because he's old and terrible. 

The man who named Buckcherry's Black Butterfly as the best album of 2008 should never be allowed to comment on anything remotely related to pop culture. Yet he continues to write an awful column for Entertainment Weekly (yes, I have a subscription, because I am a girl) where he muses on irrelevant artists and topics pandering to middle-age readers but mostly just to himself. His latest opus is a glorious slice of cheese where he lists all the songs that he gets stuck in his head -- he calls them 'earworms' -- and then follows up each one with a witty observation or piece of advice. When a reader mentions she's had the Sesame Street theme song in her head for over 30 years, the comedy master offers these insatiable words: "Get this woman a doctor!"

That's why Stephen King is just the worst. Read the whole scanned column after the jump, or spare yourself and don't. 

Click to enlarge.

Oh Noo! New Passion Pit Video - "The Reeling"

Clearly, we love Passion Pit. Manners drops May 19 in the US on Frenchkiss. Love the children's choir back up singers. Scroll down to check out the awesome video from Passion Pit's tourmate, Ebony Bones. Both of their sounds would work brilliantly in concert, one of which we would love to catch.

New Ebony Bones - "The Musik"

MTV Shows

UPDATE: Apologies for the commercial. No wonder no one cares about MTV. Assholes.

We got to McCarren Pool early last summer to make sure we caught Ebony Bones' US live debut. Our friends from across the pond have been going on about her decidedly international rock/funk/hip hop inspired sound for a long time now. It seems Ms. Bones is now beginning to ramp up her US marketing campaign in anticipation of a full LP release, Bone of My Bones, coming this fall. The video excerpt has nice MTV backing, and is shooting for a viral fan-meets-artist appeal. Honestly, the jury is still out in our camp on Ebony Bones. There are aspects of her street-party live show, pulsing rhythms and driving vocals that we clearly love. Yet, some of the costumes, rock guitars and dancers seem like an affected attempt to hide the fact that the music really isn't all that different from an MIA/Santogold mash-up minus the gun shots, hooks and bud light. It's really a day to day thing here. Certainly an artist to watch though. We'll see how the full-length comes out. Stay tuned.

Sarah Siskind, Frisell and Bon Iver

As much as we hate to post on top of Andrew's sick photo spread, we wanted to share this video of Sarah Siskind, Bill Frisell and Justin Vernon performing Siskind's song "Lovin's For Fools." We've really loved this song since watching Bon close with it at Town Hall this winter. Sure it's kinda singer/songwritery in that TV licensing sort of way, but then again so is Bon Iver... We're just trying to say, a good song is a good song regardless of genre. Siskind's new album Say It Louder is out now, and she will be playing at the Living Room in NY on Monday the 27th. Our next post is probably going to be on Mastodon or something like that.

A Saturday In Bethlehem: The Roots, The Thermals, Third Eye Blind Photos

THE ROOTS / THE THERMALS at LEHIGH UNIVERSITY

THIRD EYE BLIND at MORAVIAN COLLEGE

BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA

APRIL 18, 2009

Saturday was just about a perfect day in good old Bethlehem, PA. While Matt was cruising around Brooklyn during Record Store Day, Vince and I caught The Roots and The Thermals at a beautiful outside show on top of South Mountain, presented by Lehigh University. Both bands brought the party all day long, and we were on hand to document the action by taking seriously uncomfortable close-ups, like Thermal Kathy Foster above. Later that night, while on assignment for The Morning Call, I caught 1990's alt-everything band Third Eye Blind at nearby Moravian College and witnessed ageless wonder Stephan Jenkins dance around and light incense. Again, more uncomfortable face shots. Check it all out after the jump.

The Thermals

The Roots

Third Eye Blind

Photos by Andrew Daniels