Dum Dum Girls Announce Too True, Continue to Rule

Oh how far they've come since playing under the JMZ at the Woodsist fest that July 4th long ago. Too True is out January 28 via Sub Pop. Everything this band has touched in the past 3 or 4 years has been stellar, including the new single below. Awesome.

Dum Dum Girls: "Lord Knows" Video

[mp3] Dum Dum Girls: "Lord Knows"

We have a massive amount of respect for Dum Dum Girls. Starting as a dime-a-dozen lo-fi girl group, Dum Dum Girls have honed their songwriting, image and sound to remain cutting edge, and downright excellent - while their lesser peers (see Vivian Girls) have disappeared. Dum Dum Girls began as a band we were not destined to like, and have matured into a band we might end up loving. Their new EP End of Daze comes out today on Sub Pop.

New Dum Dum Girls: "Lord Knows"

Just love these gals so much. Dum Dum Girls' upcoming EP End of Daze is out on September 25 on Sub Pop, and includes a cover of Strawberry Switchblade's "Trees and Flowers".

This Week's New Release Videos

Twin Sister: "Kimmi in a Ricefield" [mp3] 

Dum Dum Girls: "Bedroom Eyes" [mp3] 

Tyler Ramsey: "The Nightbird" [mp3] 

He Gets Me High

[mp3] Dum Dum Girls: "He Gets Me High"

While admittedly ages old in the blog world (a month maybe?) we've been enjoying the hell out of this new Dum Dum Girls track "He Gets Me High." While we've never been one for the lo-fi girl group bandwagon, this song is just too good not to share with you all. It's certainly the best thing the Dum Dum Girls have ever written. The tune appears on the new Dum Dum Girls EP of the same name, that also features an extremely well done cover of The Smiths' "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" a bold venture to be sure. Pick it up now via Sub Pop. Thanks to Rollo for the mp3 host.

Bhang Bhang

[mp3] Dum Dum Girls: "Bhang Bhang, I'm a Burnout"

In honor of their doppelgangers (hereby known as the Smart Smart Girls) who crashed our little World Cup bar party yesterday with an impromptu bathroom break, pouty faces and wanna-be Janis Joplin sunglasses, we're posting this video by their far more talented superiors. Definitely our favorite track from their excellent Sub Pop debut I Will Be. See, again, the fidelity of the recording doesn't matter. Just write good songs.

More Than a Few Things to Get Excited About

After watching two excellent American Masters episodes last night on Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye, we were depressed first off, but knew that we needed to post on the new Sharon Jones record I Learned the Hard Way coming out May 4th on Daptone Records, of course. The press release promises big things, and if it were anyone but Sharon, we wouldn't believe it.

The record drips with warmth and spontaneity rarely found since the golden days of Muscle Shoals and Stax. Sharon's raw power, rhythmic swagger, moaning soulfulness, and melodic command set her firmly alongside Tina Turner, James Brown, Mavis Staples, and Aretha as a fixture in the canon of soul music.

[mp3] Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore: "Something, Somewhere, Sometime"

Vince caught word of Ben Sollee during his Nashville Scene tenure a few years ago. Ben has since made some good decisions, and partnered with Sub Pop's talented Daniel Martin Moore and producer Jim James (yeah that one) to record a stellar new record Dear Companion (Feb 16, Sub Pop). We say "good decisions" as Sollee's solo work showed flashes of Appalachian-style brilliance, but also tended to stray into dangerous Amos Lee territory. Dear Companion focuses on the former songwriting talents, especially as the album is a tribute of sorts to both artists' Kentucky home, and explores the awfulness that is mountaintop removal coal mining. A portion of the proceeds from Dear Companion will benefit Appalachian Voices, "an organization devoted to ending mountaintop removal and finding a better way forward."

Lastly, we have the cover for the new Dum Dum Girls record, which we've been spinning pretty incessantly since it's arrival yesterday afternoon. We caught the new Dum Dum's line-up during CMJ, and take it from us, the Vivian Girls have now become the poor man's Dum Dum Girls. I Will Be comes out March 30th on Sub Pop.

Woodsist Fest Recap

So - we had a fantastic Independence Day out at the Broadway Backyard for the Woodsist/Captured Tracks festival. We soaked up the beautiful rays beneath the JMZ, took part in our first "twitter meet-up" with some great NYC blogs, and indulged in the $1 24oz Coors cans from the bodega next door. Together with our first live experiences with Dum Dum Girls, Ganglians, The Fresh and Onlys, and many more - including the highlight Real Estate - the day was a giant success. Our new acquaintance Soundbites did an ace job compiling video from yesterday's show, which admittedly got a little hazy for us Starkians right around when Dum Dum girls took the stage, so I'm glad it's documented here. After the jump are a bunch of live videos - take your pick! Keep checking back as he is still uploading vids.



Yes, that is the dude from Crocodiles...

Friday Blog Reel

It's Friday. Watch these. See you out there. 

Girls: "Hellhole Rat Race"

Sigur Ros: "Inní Mér Syngur Vitleysingur"

Simian Mobile Disco: "The Audacity of Huge"

Elizabeth and the Catapult: "Taller Children"

Elizabeth & The Catapult :: TALLER CHILDREN

The Ultimate Mood Enhancer

[mp3] Woods: "To Clean"

Um. So, yeah. Continuing with the summer mood enhancer theme, is this pretty much amazing festival coming 4th of July weekend in New York. Holidays in the city are usually huge let downs, but the quality of this Woodsist/Captured Tracks showcase is too much to even list in one blog post. How big a year are THOSE guys having? It includes: Woods, Blank Dogs, Crystal Stilts, Kurt Vile, Vivian Girls, Thee Oh Sees, Dum Dum Girls, Ganglians, The Mayfair Set, Real Estate and much more. See after the jump for all of the bands and details, and yes, they really are all playing in one place. Tickets are on sale now, so hurry up. We'll see you there.

Full line-up:

Friday July 3rd @ 979 BROADWAY BACKYARD

9:45pm : CRYSTAL STILTS
9:00pm :: Blank Dogs
8:15pm ::: Psychedelic Horseshit
7:30pm :::: caUSE co-MOTION!
6:45pm ::::: the Mayfair Set
6:15pm :::::: Gary War
5:45pm ::::::: Little Girls
5:15pm :::::::: Kid Romance
4:45pm ::::::::: Beachniks
4:15pm :::::::::: the Gutsies
Saturday July 4th @ 979 BROADWAY BACKYARD

9:45pm : THEE OH SEES
9:00pm :: VIVIAN GIRLS
8:15pm ::: Kurt Vile
7:30pm :::: Woods
6:45pm ::::: Tyvek
6:00pm :::::: Dum Dum Girls
5:15pm ::::::: the Fresh & Onlys
4:30pm :::::::: Brilliant Colors
3:45pm ::::::::: Ganglians
3:15pm :::::::::: the Great Excape -- reunion, pre-Home Blitz
2:45pm ::::::::::: the Beets
2:15pm :::::::::::: Real Estate
1:45pm ::::::::::::: German Measles
1:15pm :::::::::::::: Beach Fossils

979 BROADWAY BACKYARD
979 Broadway btwn Myrtle Ave & Ditmars St Bushwick, Brooklyn
JMZ-Myrtle, L-Jefferson, G-Myrtle-Willoughby DOORS -4PM- $15 all ages
RAIN OR SHINE

ADVANCE TICKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE: $25 FOR 2-DAY PASS PLUS $2 SERVICE FEE. SINGLE DAY TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR ONLY, FOR $15.