Twin Sister: Tonight at Webster Hall

[mp3] Pigeons: "Tendress"
[mp3] Big Troubles: "Sickdays"
[mp3] Twin Sister: "I Want a House"

Twin Sister came out of no where seemingly. Their free EP Vampires with Dreaming Kids has been a constant fixture in our listening habits of late. The charmingly low-key vocals are highlighted with subtle male/female harmonies and tasteful band arrangements. While hinting at strands of gentle-folk melodies, Twin Sister seem to exist in a genre all their own. Equipped with down-tempo grooves accentuated with shakers and occasional finger-picked guitars, Twin Sister elicit comforting waves of nostalgia. You've heard these songs somewhere before -- on some sun-drenched, late-afternoon, cross-country drive that you've never actually been on. Their EP is, simply put, quite wonderful. Twin Sister have another six song EP Color Your Life, coming in March.

Tonight at Webster Hall's "The Studio," Chocolate Bobka and Olde English Spelling Bee present Twin Sister along with a stellar slate of artists including the quickly rising Big Troubles, Pigeons, Alice Cohen, Run DMT and DJ Raw Thrills. Big Troubles draw from the cacophonous noise-pop-well spring that seems to be flowing steadily out of New Jersey these days, while Pigeons and Alice Cohen purvey hazy, delicate, mystical folk offerings. Certainly a disparate and excellent collection of musicians that shouldn't be missed. See the flier after the jump for further details.

The Studio at Webster Hall (aka Downstairs)
125 East 11th Street, New York, NY 10003
Thursday, Feb. 4th
8 pm doors
9 pm show
$5 advance / $7 at door

Forest Fire "Survival" CD Release Party

[mp3] Forest Fire: "I Make Windows"

[mp3] Forest Fire: "Fortune Teller"

We're newcomers to the sounds of Brooklyn's Forest Fire (dig their myspace URL!). We're glad we made it though. Forest Fire's debut record Survival saw a limited release last year, but those who found it praised it quite heavily. The most notable outlet to do so, the venerable La Blogotheque, named Survival their number one record of 2008. The album will finally see a proper release on Infinite Best Recordings, which will include a limited edition vinyl, of which only 300 will be produced. We've been listening to Survival over here for the past week and enjoying every minute. It's a ramshackle collection of genres ranging from country, to folk, to more straightforward jangly rock and roll. Yet, all of it mashes together into a tasteful melange of tambourine, guitar, campfire vocal harmonies and lo-fi drums. You can almost see the various musicians wandering into the makeshift studio (see above) to record their takes, relax, have some drugs and hang out. To make the deal even sweeter, one of our 2009 favorites, Sharon Van Etten sings back up on many tracks and takes the lead on track "Sunshine City."

One of our favorite blogs, Chocolate Bobka will be hosting Forest Fire at Union Hall on Monday, August 10th for their CD release party. The show also features Shilpa Ray and Holograms. According to the band "there will be an overall sense of danger in the air" there will also be cookies. You can win free tix on Chocolate Bobka by naming your favorite tree in the comments section. Check out the flyer for more details after the jump.

Liam the Younger

[album] Liam the Younger: After the Grave

[album] Liam the Younger: Clear Skies of Black River

The photo says it all. Thanks to Chocolate Bobka for pointing us to the 2 free albums from Liam the Younger. His two tracks "Country Wide" and "This Land pt 1" stood out to us immediately from the fuzzy, reverb-heavy noise of the excellent Underwater Peoples summer compilation. Out of the haze, came this lonesome acoustic guitar hinting at familiar strains of old American folk melodies. His voice was understated and closely recorded, while the songs as a whole hinted at the dustbowl world of Woody Guthrie. We took to him immediately. While we can't go on record as to the quality of the two albums available above via Brave Men Run (we just got them last night), we can safely state that Liam the Younger plays a mysterious strand of lo-fi folk that we find addicting and highly rewarding. He somehow channels visions of a rural americana that is slowly being phased out by the generic strip malls and freeways of 2009. Certainly looking forward to hearing and learning more about this artist soon.