New White Denim: "Pretty Green"

Love this! The boys are all grown up, but haven't lost any edge or swagger. Produced by Jeff Tweedy, new album Corsicana Lemonade is out October 29 on Downtown in conjunction with a tour w/ Tame Impala.

White Demin: 'D' Out Now

[mp3] White Denim: "Anvil Everything"

White Demin have been focusing and refining their sound over the course of numerous albums over the past few years. While, we don't think they have quite made the "complete" album we've been waiting for, 'D' is as close as they have come and it's a damn fine effort, well worth your money. It lacks a coherence, but the fidelity of the sound, musicianship, and songwriting are what make this an excellent effort. These Texas kids can play. It's worth it almost for the drum tracks alone. As we wrote long ago "White Denim sounded like an inverted, crazy-ass, 2008-version of the Allman Brothers. Lead singer James Petralli captured a fantastic amalgamation of Greg Allman's southern-soul and growl all while sounding completely cutting edge and modern." We would say that holds true today. 'D' is out yesterday on Downtown.

White Denim: "Drug"

[mp3] White Denim: "Drug"

Good morning people!White Denim's great new album D is due May 24th on Downtown.

Two Friday Mixtapes

[mp3] K. Flay: "Less Than Zero"

Most people familiar with this rag will probably recognize that posting about hip-hop/sample/dj artist K Flay, is a little outside of the usual for us - but there is something about her - her live show in particular - that is captivating and exciting. Certainly an artist on the rise. Today she released the first of 3 mixtapes - this one features samples from Artist to Watch Alex Clare, Vince's favorite The XX, and ESG. DOWNLOAD HERE for free.

Volume One - I Feel Nothing

1. Nothing At All [samples ESG 'Dance To The Beat of Moody']
2. Less Than Zero [samples The Xx 'Crystalised']
3. Waiting [samples Alex Clare 'Relax My Beloved']

[mp3] White Denim: "ShakeShakeShake"

We're waiting with baited breath for the new White Denim album D due May 24th on Downtown - but until that little gem shows up in our mailbox - we have this GREAT mixtape from them, which debuted last week on GVB. DOWNLOAD. Tour dates after the jump...

WHITE DENIM TOUR DATES

5/23: Sail Inn, Tempe
5/24: Casbah, San Diego
5/25: The Echo, Los Angeles
5/26: Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco
5/27: Cellar Door, Visalia
5/29: Bunk Bar, Portland
5/30: Sasquatch Festival, Quincy
6/01: Urban Lounge, Salt Lake
6/02: Larimer Lounge, Denver
6/03: Jackpot Music Hall, Lawrence

New White Denim: "Wet Sand"

[mp3] White Denim: "Wet Sand"

Look, White Denim are going to release one of the best albums of the year, Fits, coming up on October 20th (Downtown). It's like the Allman Brothers mashed with early Black Keys in the future. It's heavy, melodic, jarring and outright amazing. Enough said. RCRD LBL debuted the track "Wet Sand" today. Enjoy, you sons of bitches.

New White Denim LP + US Tour Dates

White Denim - "Mirrored and Reverse"

With a new album, as always, comes a new tour. Austin's White Denim follow suit readying the release of their sophomore full-length, Fits, dropping on Oct. 20 via Downtown Music. Weird. At one point this record was slated for a June 22 release. Guess that didn't happen. Their debut, Explosion, ravaged the scene with its off-beat guitar stylings and intricate song structures, eventually landing itself at #8 on Vince's Best of 2008 list. Wow, that was a long time ago. Enjoy "Mirrored and Reverse" from the upcoming record.


Full US Tour Dates After The Jump!

US Tour Dates:

10/24 - Mohawk - Austin, TX
10/31 - Granada Theater - Dallas, TX
11/02 - Firebird - St Louis, MO

11/03 - Jackpot - Lawrence, KS
11/04 - 400 Bar - Minneapolis, MN
11/05 - High Noon Saloon - Madison, WI
11/06 - Lincoln Hall - Chicago, IL
11/07 - Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH
11/09 - Horseshoe Tavern - Toronto, ON

11/10 - Il Motore - Montreal, QC
11/11 - TT the Bears - Cambridge, MA
11/12 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY
11/13 - Kung Fu Necktie - Philadelphia, PA
11/14 - Rock N Roll Hotel - Washington, DC

11/16 - The Basement - Nashville, TN
11/17 - The Bottletree - Birmingham, AL
11/18 - The Earl - Atlanta, GA
11/19 - The Social - Orlando, FL
11/20 - Cafe Eleven - St Augustine, FL
11/22 - One Eyed Jacks - New Orleans, LA

After the jump.

White Denim Signs to Downtown!

Great news today - Stark faves White Denim have signed to Downtown records. See? Good things still happen to good bands. Their second record Fits comes out in October, but it's out now overseas. VIA

New White Denim and Here We Go Magic

Things have begun to bubble up from the new White Denim release Fits. NME is streaming the album, but apparently we only get snippets here in the US? No Little Boots LP and now only White Denim snippets?? No US release for Fits is set yet either! When did the UK become cooler than the US? I guess we'll have to start eating more fried eggs and Heinz Baked Beans. (Looking at you Lauren Brailey). We've been fans of this rollicking, garage-soul trio out of Austin since their last record Workout Holiday stormed onto our iPods last year. See our live review here. White Denim are part of the "are you fucking kidding me??" bill of Dirty Projectors and Magnolia Electric Company on July 19th at the Williamsburg Waterfront. A concert series that no one has any idea about. Whtat's going on? Gongshow. (VIA)

In other news....

We get the new video today for Here We Go Magic's fantastic tune "Fangela." We were impressed by their opening for Grizzly Bear, but Town Hall wasn't really the right room for them. Looking forward to seeing them elsewhere. If you haven't checked out their fantastic record. Do so immediately.

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





White Denim - "Mirrored and Reverse"
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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"
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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.

Gorilla vs. Bear's Top 20 of 2008

Finally, a list that makes some sense. It's no shocker that I (Matt) share a lot of tastes with Chris at GVB. I don't want to speak for our other writers here, but I love a lot of the records on this list. Yet, I can't say I would put them all as high as he did, especially Little Joy. That's cool, though. There are certainly some great under-the-radar records here ( i.e. Grouper...) so if you haven't checked these out yet, make sure you do. After the jump is the write up for GVB's #1 record, the awesome Exposion from White Denim and the rest of his top 20. Texas favoritism? Wish I could say so, but the album is too good.
White Denim - "Sitting" - mp3

While Workout Holiday was garnering praise from just about everyone in the UK (the BBC, The Independent, Rough Trade, the Observer, et al.), White Denim quietly released their U.S. debut LP, Exposion, here in the states on Austin's fledgling Transmission label. To be real, I love both records immensely and either could be in this spot, but the slightly different sequencing and the addition of "You Can't Say," "Migration Wind," and the new extended version of "Sitting" (a song of the year candidate) give Exposion the slight edge, and offer a glimpse at the band's transition into slightly smoother waters without sacrificing a bit of the raw power, intensity, and sheer athleticism of the WD live show. Any and all conceivable hype aside, these guys were the best band in America in '08. [buy]

02. Grouper Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill
03. Erykah Badu New Amerykah Part I (4th World War)
04. Vivian Girls Vivian Girls
05. Q-Tip The Renaissance
06. Little Joy Little Joy
07. WAVVES Wavves
08. The Walkmen You & Me
09. Beach House Devotion
10. Paavoharju Laulu Laakson Kukista
11. Gang Gang Dance Saint Dymphna
12. The Very Best Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit are the Very Best
13. Quiet Village Silent Movie
14. Harlem free drugs;-)
15. Air France No Way Down
16. Flying Lotus Los Angeles
17. No Age Nouns
18. Department of Eagles In Ear Park
19. Lykke Li Youth Novels
20. Diplo & Santogold Top Ranking

White Denim - "Exposion" Available Now!

Austin trio White Denim finally released their debut record Exposion via their direct fan-to-band subscription site. It seems like this record has been around forever, but honestly that's not a bad thing. We caught them in NY last week and their live show was just as kick ass as the record. You can get the digital download or order vinyl through the band's website. Subscribers will get things like a limited 7", limited live tracks, videos, artwork by Steve and the album, which is also available in FLAC format.

White Denim

Mercury Lounge
NY, New York
10.19.2008

Due to lack of photos on flickr and general assholery on the part of the Stark staff, we have no photos of the show last night.

White Denim - "Sitting" - mp3

CMJ week unofficially kicked off for Stark last night at the Mercury Lounge with a full dose of White Denim, Amazing Baby and Papertrigger.

All we can really say is that we hope Amazing Baby stuck around for White Denim's set so they could see what a real rock band looks and sounds like. (Unfortunately, we saw them cooing with their rhinestone-studded, headband-wearing groupies out at the bar.)

White Denim sounded like an inverted, crazy-ass, 2008-version of the Allman Brothers. Lead singer James Petralli captured a fantastic amalgamation of Greg Allman's southern-soul and growl all while sounding completely cutting edge and modern. The Austin, TX trio focused largely on their instrumental sections, employing tasteful loops, and complex song structures -- the vocals were just the icing on this delicious, bourbon-infused cake of a night. Drummer Joshua Block covered the part of both the Allman's drummers with ease and style. (There's no quicker way into our hearts than a damn good drummer). The set was amazingly tight and their stage energy matched the excitement of their music. Sometimes the hype machine is correct - White Denim might be the best thing we see all week. They play in NY again tonight at Union Hall.

White Denim just released their debut, Exposion today via Topspin -- a direct band-to-fan service also employed by David Byrne and Brian Eno on their recent release. Go HERE to sign up.

**A quick note on the openers...
After a rather unfortunate set by Papertrigger, Amazing Baby took the stage. They basically looked like Spinal Tap, compared to White Denim. Their cliche of the night was TIEDYE (WHOO!) and vintage Jim Morrison-beaded necklaces. Their back-up singers were still off-key and they still don't have good songs - nor do they have a good drummer.
Too harsh? We don't think so.

Up Coming Featured Bowery Presents Shows

Bowery Presents is bringing a few Stark favorites to NYC in the next few months. We chose a few choice dates that you should mark on your calendar, iPhone or maybe on some crazy new electronic device we don't even know about yet.

8/27 (Wed) - DR. DOG - Bowery Ballroom *SOLD OUT*
8/28 (Thu) - XIU XIU - Bowery Ballroom
8/30 (Sat) - DOES IT OFFEND YOU, YEAH? - Bowery Ballroom ** Make sure to check out the opener Zambri
8/31 (Sun) - JAMES JACKSON TOTH (Wooden Wand) - Mercury Lounge
10/4 - FLEET FOXES - Grand Ballroom...(*tickets on sale today)
10/19 - WHITE DENIM - Mercury Lounge
11/29 - THE KING KAHN & BBQ SHOW - Music Hall of Williamsburg
11/30 - THE KING KAHN & BBQ SHOW - Bowery Ballroom

After the jump.

Friday Afternoon Video and mp3 - White Denim "Shake Shake Shake" and "Sitting"

White Denim "Sitting" mp3
If you haven't already heard of this Texas rock/punk group, get ready. You will. Their sound is ragged, powerful, danceable and well, awesome. This song comes from their Workout Holiday record released overseas. The mp3 above "Sitting" is the closing track from their US debut Explosion due November 3 on Transmission. This album is sure to be on many a best-of list so keep your eyes open for them this fall; although they probably won't be far from the public eye.