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Monthly Archives: April 2012

watch: “QueenS” – THEESatisfaction

April 30, 2012
Music
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Sometimes, an album cover is enough to make you stop and take a listen.  In this case, it was R&B duo THEESatisfaction‘s artwork for their debut album, aWe NaturalE, which was released March 27th via Sub Pop.

THEESatisfaction consists of rapper Stasia “Stas” Iron and singer Catherine “Cat” Harris-White.  You may have come across the pair when they did a guest track on Shabazz Palaces’ 2011 release Black Up.

Now they’ve got their one full-length release, and a video for their single “QueenS.”  Warning:  Do not attempt to pull off any of the fabulous looks you see in this video.  Though they may pull them off flawlessly, you will not.  Trust me – I’ve tried.

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new sound: jaill

April 27, 2012
Music, new sound
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tom grimm / photo courtesy of subpop

There are times when you come across a band so many times it appears to be serendipity, and you just need to check them out.  This time, Jaill was that band.  I saw a friend posting about this band on twitter on Thursday, another friend brought them up on Friday, and they appeared on the Subpop sampler I got in my Record Store Day tote on Saturday.  That was the gods of indie music telling me to give them a listen, and now I’m telling you to do the same.

Jaill is an indie rock/pop band out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin that began in 2002 while Vincent Kircher and Austin Dutmer were at college.  They’ve toured and released music, including 4 EPs and 1 full-length, before signing to Sub Pop in 2009.  Now, they’re preparing for their second release on Sub Pop, Traps, which will be out June 12th.

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take cover: x-ray spex x titus andronicus

April 25, 2012
Music, Take Cover
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Who doesn’t love a good punk cover?  This time its Titus Andronicus, along with former guitarist Amy Klein, covering the X-Ray Spex’s classic “Oh Bondage! Up Yours!”.

The cover is part of Rebel On the Underground, which is a tribute to the seminal 1970s English punk band X-Ray Spex.  The compilation was put together by Permanent Wave, a feminist network that seeks “to challenge gender inequality as it manifests itself in art, politics, and our personal lives.”

You can stream “Oh Bondage! Up Yours!” below or purchase it for a dollar on Bandcamp:

 

Listen for: Amy Klein trying out her best English accent while singing/screaming some awesomely punk lyrics, beginning with the line, “Some people think that little girls should be seen, not heard / But I say ‘Oh bondage! Up yours!’”

watch: “sunday (psychic conversation #9)” – crocodiles

April 24, 2012
Music
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Crocodiles, the fuzz-rock band out of San Diego, have a new video for their song “Sunday (Psychic Conversation #9), shot by Sam Macon.  The song is off their upcoming album Endless Flowers, which will be out June 4th on French Kiss.

The fuzzed-out look of this video totally matches the fuzzed-out guitars, and the whole thing has a retro vibe courtesy of some nice camera filters.  Basically, it’s a video Instagram.

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record store day ’12: recap

April 23, 2012
Music
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As many of you know, Saturday was Record Store Day, or as I heard several people call it, “Christmas for hipsters.”  I’ve been to Record Store Day in the past, but this year was the first time I decided to really do it – get up early and try to get my hands on some of the more limited of the limited releases.

I arrived at my favorite local record store, Cactus Music, at 8:15 AM.  Though the store wouldn’t open until 10 AM, there was already a healthy line.  The first several people in line had already been there for 12+ hours, having camped overnight in front of the store to secure their position.  I’d estimate I was somewhere between the 50th & 60th person in line.

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watch: wild flag at coachella

April 23, 2012
Music
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It’s been a few months, so it seems like it’s time for me to gush about Wild Flag again.  The indie rock supergroup features members of ’90s favorites Sleater-Kinney, Helium, and The Minders.  They also will cure all that ails you.

Nostalgic for the 90s?  Their sound will instantly take you back.

Feeling down about the lack of women in rock?  Guitarists Carrie Brownstein and Mary Timony will restore your faith in the ability of women to shred.

Feeling like you’re getting too old for music?  All these woman are approaching (or over) 40, and cooler than you’ll (or I’ll) ever be.

The group played a fantastic set at Coachella this weekend (and last weekend), and the festival caught some great video of their performance.  Here they are closing their set with “Romance,” off their 2011 self-titled debut.

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my picks for record store day ’12 [updated]

April 20, 2012
Music
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I posted this list a few weeks ago, but as I was preparing for Record Store Day tomorrow, I noticed some awesome vinyl I didn’t include on my initial list.  So here’s an updated list of what I’m excited about for Record Store Day.

Also, We Listen For You has a great post on preparing for Record Store Day.  It includes some pretty straightforward tips – get there early, know what you want – but also some more serious tips if there is a piece of vinyl you absolutely must have.

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Record Store Day, happening on April 21st, is right around the corner, and they’ve just released a complete list of the special vinyl that will be available on that day.  Many of the releases have special features, like colored vinyl or an etching on one side of the record.

The list is pretty extensive, but here are my picks for the best releases coming out that day.

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listen: “25 for the rest of our lives” – the henry clay people

April 19, 2012
Music
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“We wanted to embrace the inner teenager in us,” says Joey Siara of The Henry Clay People, about their upcoming record.  With a title track like “25 For the Rest Of Our Lives,”   you’ll embrace your inner teenager too.

The Henry Clay People are a indie/punk band out of California that has 7 years and 7 recordings under their belt.  They’ll be releasing their 8th - Twenty-Five For the Rest Of Our Lives – on June 26th via tbd records.

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listen: “lazuli” – beach house

April 18, 2012
Music
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We’ve already heard one track, “Myth,” off the upcoming album from Baltimore dream-poppers Beach House.  Now, they’ve given us a taste of another track, “Lazuli.”

In addition to being the third track on their fourth full-length album, Bloom, this track will be the A-side on a special 7″ that the band will be releasing for Record Store Day on Saturday.  That 7″ will be on a gorgeous blue vinyl, b/w non-album track “Equal Minds.”   If you’re hoping to snag that record, make sure you get to your local record store early.  There’s only 2,400 of them being made, and it seems like it’s on many record collectors’ lists.

Until you can get it on vinyl, you can hear the track via YouTube.*

 

Is Bloom going to be better than Teen Dream?: I don’t know yet.  I’m calling it a tie for now.

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* By the way, what’s with the new trend of artists streaming (non-video) tracks on Youtube? What happened to Soundcloud or Bandcamp?  I’m probably just bitter because YouTube is blocked on my internet at work.

[via We Listen For You]

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