You know Steven Ellison, you just haven’t realized it yet. The beat-and-bass-heavy producer who goes by the mantra Flying Lotus has been creating the bumper music on Cartoon Networks’ Adult Swim programming block for some time now (yet uncredited). Now he is looking to get some studio energy out into the crowds after completing his latest. His upcoming album, Cosmogramma, is set for release May 4th via Warp Records but he’s breaking free from those studio shackles to trial his new material and get some much deserved street cred starting with SXSW this year.
Flying Tour:
03-17 The Phoenix [Warp SXSW Showcase] - Austin, TX
03-27 Mezzanine - San Francisco, CA
03-30 Le Poisson Rouge - New York, NY
04-01 Magic Stick - Detroit, MI
04-02 Double Door - Chicago, IL
04-03 BarFly Loft - Minneapolis, MN
Influential but long since defunct Chicago punk emo group Cap’n Jazz has announced an official reunion show. For those who are taking notes, the January 22nd reunion show was never official – more of a surprise to play alongside Joan of Arc’s variety show (a band they notably influenced) at the time. The upcoming July 17th event at Chicago’s The Bottom Lounge promises to be grander in every aspect. You can grab your tickets here.
The band’s cult-like following is especially impressive when you take into account that they only released one full-length album: Burritos, Inspiration Point, Fork Balloon Sports, Cards in the Spokes, Automatic Biographies, Kites, Kung Fu, Trophies, Banana Peels We’ve Slipped on and Egg Shells We’ve Tippy Toed Over – better known as Shmap’n Shmazz - way back in 1994. Jade Tree is reissuing on vinyl not only this album but also combining material from early singles, compilation tracks, and split releases: all of which the band did a plethora of in their short but active years. The double LP goes beyond the original compilation CD’s release several years back by offering bonus material not included on its original issue including never before seen photos, show fliers, and new liner notes by Tim Kinsella. The deluxe reissue, entitled Analphabetapolothology, will be available on vinyl only care of Jade Tree on June 15th.Check out one of the tracks below.
stream: ‘Oh Messy Life’ by Cap’n Jazz
from Analphabetapolothology
Tracklisting:
01 Little League
02 Oh Messy Life
03 Puddle Splashers
04 Flashpoint: Catheter
05 In the Clear
06 Yes, I Am Talking To You
07 Basils Kite
08 Bluegrassish
09 Planet Shhh
10 The Sands Have Turned Purple
11 Precious
12 Que Suerte!
13 Take On Me
14 Tokyo
15 Ooh Do I Love You
16 Hey Ma, Do I Hafta Choke On These
17 Forget Who We Are
18 Olerud
19 We Are Scientists!
20 Sea Tea
21 Troubled By Insects
22 Rocky Rococo
23 AOK
24 Sergio Valente
Bonus Downloads:
25 In the Clear
26 Soria
27 No Use For A Piano Player When You Got A Player Piano
28 Scary Kids Scaring Kids
29 Bluegrass
30 Winter Wonderland
31 Geheim
32 Easy Driver
33 Theme to 90210
34 Ooh Do I love You
After being crowned by the fans and indie scene – not to mention Billboard – as one of the best new electronica acts, NYC outfit Glint is setting their sights and hopes high for 2010. Finishing up a tour that saw the band across Europe for most of 2009, the Muse-meet-Radiohead group is back in the studio working on their follow to 2007’s studio debut Sound in Silence. Expected sometime this year, the album is said to be mixed by Michael Brauer of Ben Folds, My Morning Jacket, and Wilco credits and who also aided the band on their upcoming self titled EP due out in March stateside. Check out the single ‘Freak’ off of the upcoming EP, filled with booming howls and larger-than-life chamber rock.
For those of us who didn’t get the warm and fuzzies this Valentines Day and are looking for wtf answers to our life, the UK has some insight. Electro poppers Viva City plan to answer that question with the release of their new single ‘Have You Ever Felt So Messed Up’ off the forthcoming album of the same name (due out March 22nd Stateside) as well with as a handful of US dates leading up. The Newcastle band has pegged the dance floor banger sound by making those Depeche Mode influences their own personal Jesus and enough synchs to make Prodigy green with envy. Ok so that last part isn’t hard to do but you get our point.
stream: ‘Have You Ever Felt So Messed Up’ by Viva City
from Have You Ever Felt So Messed Up
Electro Poptastic Tour:
03-12 Road 34 - Fort Collins, CO
03-13 The Meadowlark - Denver, CO
03-15 The Roxy – Hollywood, CA
03-17 SXSW – Austin, TX
03-18 SXSW – Austin, TX
03-19 SXSW – Austin, TX
03-20 SXSW – Austin, TX
When you are as talented as Roberto Lange, you need to spread your talent in as many ways as possible. Or if you are Roberto Lange, you create alter egos to play your talent as. As Epstein, he oozes beats heavy with muddled bass all on washed out upbeat electronics. And accompanied by El Conjunto, this band bleeds for his personal dance party. When Man Gets Full He Falls Asleep (due out March 10th) is a 14-track folk jam with some of today’s best to join the ride. The first single ‘A Lost Animal’ has Yeasayer member Jason Trammell’s drumming and moodsters School of Seven Bells as Epstein mixes his dangerous humanistic sounds and haunting jams.
stream: ‘A Lost Animal’ by Epstein Y El Conjunto
from When Man Gets Full He Falls Asleep
Tracklisting:
01 Arrival to New York (a short story about getting there)
02 When we Hide (this time)
03 Vilcabamba
04 El Condor Despierta (El Conjunto Edit)
05 I can Memorize you (can you?)
06 Una Tarde
07 Gallop
08 Needed
09 BgBgBg (offset tape splice)
10 Our Brain That Wouldn’t Die
11 Temporary
12 A Lost Animal - Featuring School of Seven Bells
13 Ting and Pinge
14 There’s a Way under (Here)
Most may have written Franz Nicolay off after high-tailing it out of Brooklyn and The Hold Steady’s camp. But apparently he had a ton of talents and plans up his sleeves … and in his mustache. Not only does he have a book of short stories, Complicated Gardening Techniques, hitting shelves February 11th to accompany his solo album that dropped last year, but he seems happy in his new digs as part of the gypsy-punk unit Guignol. The band is working out the details on a physical release of their recently completed collaboration with Mischief Brew entitled Fight Dirty. But in the meantime you can pick it up digitally over at Cottage Records as well as catch Franz on his solo of which he shares time along the way with Guignol.
Franz and His ‘Stash Tour:
02-19 Alfred University Knight Club - Alfred, NY
02-20 DC9 - Washington, DC +
02-21 Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar - Charlottesville, VA
02-22 Guest DJ on WNRN In The Morning - Charlottesville, VA
02-22 The Camel - Richmond, VA
02-23 Guest DJ on WTJU Afternoon - Charlottesville, VA
02-24 Otto Bar - Baltimore, MD +
02-25 Khyber - Philadelphia, PA ^
03-04 TBA – Boston, MA *
03-05 Bennington College - Bennington, VT *
03-06 Bat Barn - Great Barrington, MA *
03-08 Live on WUML - Lowell MA *
+ with Roman Kuebler of Oranges Band
^ with Ha Ha Tonka, Peasant
* with Guignol
It’s been three years, and two repurchases of 2007’s Living with the Living (we scratched the original from heavy rotation) since we’ve had new Ted Leo and the Pharmacists but come March 9th, our wait – and yours – will be over. That’s when the band’s long awaited follow-up The Brutalist Bricks will be available both by digital and physical release. Just around that time, the boys will be hitting the road in support of the new album which was recorded over most of 2009 at Brooklyn’s Seaside Lounge. The studio has shared the company of Beirut, The New Pornographers, The Oxford Collapse, and more.
Judging from their first rad single ‘Even Heroes Have to Die’ [stream below] either a lot of the talent that went through those doors has rubbed off or their influence is bigger than we ever expected. Filled with fist pumps and familiarity, it’s like falling onto your own bed after being on vacation for a long – long time.
stream: ‘Even Heroes Have To Die’ by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
from The Brutalist Bricks
Tracklisting:
01 The Mighty Sparrow
02 Mourning in America
03 Ativan Eyes
04 Even Heroes Have to Die
05 The Stick
06 Bottled in Cork
07 Woke Up Near Chelsea
08 One Polaroid a Day
09 Where Was My Brain?
10 Bartomelo and the Buzzing of Bees
11 Tuberculoids Arrive in Hop
12 Gimme the Wire
13 Last Days
Brutal Tour Dates:
03-11 Grog Shop - Cleveland Heights, OH
03-12 The Crofoot - Pontiac, MI
03-13 The Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL
03-14 High Noon Saloon - Madison, WI
03-15 First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN
03-18 The Blvd - Spokane, WA
03-19 Nuemo’s - Seattle, WA
03-20 Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, OR
03-21 Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, OR
03-23 Great American Music Hall - San Francisco, CA
03-24 Soho Restaurant & Music Club - Santa Barbara, CA
03-26 The Glass House - Pomona, CA
03-27 Troubadour - West Hollywood, CA
03-28 Club Congress - Tucson, AZ
03-31 The Parish Room April - Austin, TX
04-02 One Eyed Jacks - New Orleans, LA
04-03 Club Downunder - Tallahassee, FL
04-04 The Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
04-05 Cat’s Cradle - Carrboro, NC
04-07 First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia, PA
04-08 930 Club - Washington, DC
04-09 Irving Plaza - New York, NY
04-10 Paradise Rock Club - Boston, MA
Lets get it out of the way: The Do are French. But damnit if they don’t super punch our disparaging faces with a bevy of folky hip hop experimental heaven. Hailed overseas with their debut A Mouthful, guitarist/vocalist Olivia Merilahti and everything-else-man Dan Levy are set to release Stateside care of Six Degrees Records with three bonus tracks come April 6th!
Check out the video for ‘Playground Hustle’. So many mix cuts it’ll make you want to get your skates on and prove this duo is more than just fancy fresh.
video: ‘Playground Hustle’ by The Do from A Mouthful
Tracklisting:
01 Playground Hustle
02 At Last!
03 On My Shoulders
04 Song for Lovers
05 Bridge Is Broken
06 Stay (Just a Little Bit More)
07 Unissasi Laulelet
08 Tammie
09 Queen Dot Kong
10 Coda
11 Searching Gold
12 When Was I Last Home?
13 Travel Light
14 Aha
15 In My Box
16 On My Shoulders (chamber version) *
17. Unissasi Laulelet (chamber version) *
18. Playground Hustle And Bustle *
It’s a fact: no one likes sour puss sound forever. Aussie garage rockers Operator Please, who founded their 2008 debut Yes, Yes Vindictive on such, have seemingly taken a pop-punch in the face as a result. Fresh off a year long tour that took them through the UK, Europe and Japan, full of buoyancy (see tour buddies Lightspeed Champion) and wiped from non-stop writing and studio work, the band is ready to release its fancy follow up.
But first things first: the single! Starting today, you can download the first of such from their upcoming release for free from the band’s site by signing over your life to their mail list. But this also puts you ahead in line for the forthcoming album and fan first loot. Of course, try-before-you-download rules apply here, so stream the song below prior to Daniel Webster-ing yourself.
Teaming up this time around with No Doubt collaborators Jimmy Harry and Chris Fudurich, the band has ditched its worry wart sound. In its place are weighty synths with a punch of pop driven by bass – just malevolent enough to retain their garage sound but still moving out of their parent’s basement. ‘Logic’ is a tweak in this direction with its catchier vibe and gleaming chorus. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the album turns out.
stream: ‘Logic’ by Operator Please from forthcoming release
A 7” of the single is due out March 8th. Full album details to follow.
What have you done in the past three years worth bragging about? If you’re Aloha, you would have been prepping to blow our fucking minds with proggy rock care of their upcoming anticipated release Home Acres. Since their 2007 Light Works EP, we’ve been left out in the cold. But those days are almost behind us. From what we’ve heard so far, you can bet your crummy life savings that the final product will bleed brand of fuzzy guitars, Cale Park’s bombastic drums and the bands continued tradition of radiant melodies. But you’ll have to wait until March 9th to form your own opinion; that’s when Home Acres, well – comes home.
You can also catch the foursome on the road starting in April as they tour the Midwest and East Coast.
All Green Acres Tour:
04-09 Terrace Club - Princeton, NJ
04-10 Kung Fung Necktie - Philadelphia, PA
04-12 Will’s Pub - Orlando, FL
04-13 Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, GA
04-14 Local 506 - Chapel Hill, NC
04-15 DC9 - Washington, DC
04-17 Knitting Factory - Brooklyn, NY
04-18 The Middle East - Cambridge, MA
04-21 The Pike Room - Pontiac, MI
04-22 Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL
04-24 Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH
04-25 Brillobox - Pittsburgh, PA
The Honey Claws are four friends you’d want in your late night corner. Their hardcore hip hop dubstep makes Junior Boys look like a child and Duppy nothing more than Katie Couric’s playlist. Beatbox and microphones be damned, these basement music addicts have the ability to keep you going all night long with their brand of electronic sampling bliss. Using tools like the Junkbox to make their brand of mash ups (a tool to mold 5 tracks together simultaneously, smoothly, and in key) The Honey claws have made a name for themselves by brining what use to only be a studio perfected art to the live floor. We sat down with them to discuss bootlegs, finding their sound, and turning as many tables in as short a time as possible. ‹read more›
