Princeton Releases LP 2

We were initially apprehensive when we heard Princeton were taking a minimalist orchestral approach to the songs for their new album Remembrance of Things to Come, released yesterday. It wasn't until we heard the album via a Paste full album stream that we realized their charming west coast pop sensibilities were still intact, and in fact - better than ever. This is a more mature band, and one that has honed their song-craft for the second LP. Indeed including flashes of orchestral minimalism, their new songs still feature the wistful vocals we've come to love from the previous Princeton record, and our longtime favorite side project Kisses. Check out the Camera Obsucra remix, buy the album, see them on tour, stream it at Paste - do whatever you want - just tell your friends.

Live Dates: Feb. 22 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent*
Feb. 27 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
Feb. 28 - Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern
Mar. 01 - Salt Lake City, UT - In the Venue
Mar. 02 - Avon, CO - Snowball Music Festival
Mar. 10 - Phoenix, AZ - Lo Fi Coffee House
Mar. 13-18 - Austin, TX - SXSW
*Noise Pop Festival

Camera Obscura Acoustic @ La Route du Rock

Last week we posted a video of Annie Clark (St. Vincent) performing acoustically at this very same venue. Today we bring you Camera Obscura, in all their glory. My Maudlin Career, the newest effort from these Brits, finds a darker tone than previous efforts before as the title would suggest; there is heartbreak at work here -- in the raw. Yet, the album is not with out some fantastic pop gems such as "French Navy," "The Sweetest Thing," and "Honey in the Sun." In this acoustic video, we have two out of the three of the latter -- "French Navy," "Honey in the Sun" and "James." The egg shaker guy in the background simply makes the entire video. Please enjoy.

Short Handed

New video from Camera Obscura: "French Navy" off the upcoming release My Maudlin Career due sometime in April on 4AD.

Daytrotter session with Those Darlins.

Idolator report on Guy Hands and his depature from CEO chair of Terra Firma.

GVB: Gorilla vs. Booze SXSW showcase preview.

New video from the Veils via Stereogum: "The Letter" off Sun Gangs (4/7 on Rough Trade)

Pete Seeger, 90th B-Day special at MSG May 3 via Billboard.

Pop & Hiss SXSW photos and bullshit approximately.

Camera Obscura Mercury Lounge Tix - New Album + mp3

Camera Obscura "My Maudlin Career"

Somehow I was late on the Camera Obscura scene. I remember thinking they were a little too twee for my liking, a little too much like Belle and Sebastian. Yet somewhere through my third or fourth go-round of Let's Get Out of This Country, something clicked for me, and I became a huge fan. I spun that record and their equally awesome Underachievers Please Try Harder pretty much regularly after that. So it's been a few years since my early bender, and now we have their new record My Maudlin Career coming out on April 21st via 4AD -- their first post-Merge release. I'm eager to hear how their sound has developed, but from the P.R. it seems to be "darker" and "more intense." We have the first mp3 "My Maudlin Career" available for you above.

Tickets for their Mar 24 show at the Bell House are reportedly almost sold out, but they announced a show on the 25th at the Mercury Lounge that is on sale now. Tour dates and track list after the jump.


March 16 London, The Lexington
March 18 Austin, SXSW
March 24 New York, The Bell House
March 25 New York, Mercury Lounge
April 23 London, Shepherd's Bush Empire
April 26 Glasgow, Barrowlands Ballroom

My Maudlin Career tracklisting:
1. French Navy
2. The Sweetest Thing
3. You Told A Lie
4. Away With Murder
5. Swans
6. James
7. Careless Love
8. My Maudlin Career
9. Forest And Sands
10. Other Towns And Cities
11. Honey In The Sun

Poni Hoax - Images of Sigrid

Rating: 80
Dance parties beware! Best known for their single "Antibodies" this French-based electro-pop group combines baritone vocal lines, a female back-up singer and driving beats. Don't go looking for this in record stores just yet -- it is merely a french import. It is hard to draw references from this album, where as the mood, musical styles and vocals drift in and out of genre classifications. Punk guitar rifts here, energized beats and group choral singalongs there. Overall, an auspicious and powerful record.

Ezra Furman & The Harpoons - Inside the Human Body

Rating: 75
Furman relies heavily on his band of college buddies, which might have been a mistake. The Harpoons lack tight musical skills making the more prominent instrumental backing on this album hit-or-miss. We are here for Furman and there is not enough of him. While the more punk/rock n' roll-infused tracks show an exciting new side of Furman, they lack the intimacy of Furman past -- to-date, this album is the biggest departure from previous records.

Chairlift - Does You Inspire You

Rating: 73

Another band made famous by Apple. This record, however, is balanced nicely. Chairlift's ominous and sprawling musical techniques work from song-to-song. IPod tune "Bruises" is more fun than the lyrics may suggest. The song bounces along as Caroline Polachek's vocals bring to mind other indie-popsters such as Feist, Laura Marling, and Camera Obscura. The album ebbs and flows through angelic vocal harmonies, electronic beats and vamped guitar lines.

After the jump.