speed of dark

By the time Indie Mom and I see Portishead, the British trio of Geoff Barrow, Beth Gibbons, and Adrian Utley, at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival at the end of April, their third album will still be a couple of days from release in the U.S. I didn't want to wait; I wanted to be familiar with the songs before then, so I managed to get hold of the album and listen to it while I was on vacation.

I loved 1994's Dummy, and I can remember exactly where I first listened to it: at the listening center of the music store where Indie Mom worked when she was in high school. At the time I had never heard anything remotely like it. There is still not much music as widely known that resembles Portishead's combination of trip-hoppy rhythms, bottomless melancholy, and quirky space explorations.

I never really found anything on their second album, 1997's Portishead, that pulled me in the same way that "Mysterons," "Wandering Star," and "Sour Times" did. However, Third, at least for me, is at long last the appropriate follow-up to Dummy. The more I listen to it, the more I find similarities and the more I enjoy the differences. As with Dummy, there are some songs that particularly stand out from the others.

The first song, "Silence," (dubbed "Wicca" in live recordings) begins with a male voice reciting a couplet in Portuguese that is a version of the Wiccan Rule of Three (see Wikipedia) before chugging instrumentally for about two minutes to arrive at Beth's vocals.

Translation:
"Ever mind the Rule of Three,
Three times what thou givest returns to thee,
This lesson well, thou must learn,
Thee* only gets what thou dost earn."

I don't know what Portishead's connection with Wicca or Portuguese is, but the association with the number three is clear: three band members, third album.

The fifth track, "Plastic," seems the most like the songs on Dummy, especially reminding me of "Mysterons." Familiar trademarks throughout the album are Beth Gibbons' quavery, grief-scoured voice, dirge-like melodies, unexpected skittery blips, and stumbling, shuffly beats.

The other songs contain some surprises, like a latin beat on "Nylon Smile," acoustic ukelele--disturbingly accompanied by a robot chorus--on "Deep Water," tribal jungle beats on "Hunter" and "We Carry On," and Beth holding notes for an impossibly long time on the lovely "The Rip." Sporadic rapid-fire percussion blasts holes through "Machine Gun".

The last track, the dramatic, slow-paced "Threads," pits Beth's wails against what sounds like an entire chain gang, and instead of weakly collapsing under the weight, her voice wavers but stands up to the assault. The song finally disappears into a droning foghorn-like sound. "Magic Doors" may be the most starkly beautiful song the group has ever produced, although "The Rip," with its rippling undercurrents, would be a close second.

The verdict? I have read some negative reviews, but I disagree with them. Third has far more beauty mixed into the weirdness than Portishead did and strongly challenges Dummy for intrigue if not novelty. I'm not crazy about "Small" or "Deep Water," but the more I listen to the others, the more I suspect they will be getting under my skin as deeply as "Sour Times," "Mysterons," and "Wandering Star." Portishead is not for everyone, but in my opinion, those who, like me, fell under the spell of Dummy should enjoy Third.

We Carry On from Third (performed live as "Peaches")
Wandering Star from Dummy

Portishead will headline the Coachella on Saturday, April 26.

MySpace | Website | Label: Island Records
Pre-order at Portishead Shop, Amazon.com

* As a former English major, I disagree with the use of "thee" in the construction of this sentence. Many languages have second-person familiar verb conjugations and pronouns (German: "du", Spanish, "tu"). "Thou" and "thee" are the second-person familiar pronouns in English, although they have been dropped from common usage and are poorly understood by a large number of American English-speakers. "Thou" and "thee" have the same relationship to each other as "he" and "him." "Thou" is the subjective form that should have been used above because "thee" is the objective pronoun. (reference)

belle and sebastian

B(oot)log shares some live Stars from 2005 and 2007.

Berkeley Place shows you how country can rock with some nice covers.

Can You See The Sunset writes some excellent reviews, including Murder Mystery and Aloha.

Start with the Daily Graboid at The Yellow Stereo and then keep reading.

Check out Song By Toad for a review of The Low Lows and the first ever Toad Session with Broken Records.

Motel de Moka has my other favorite obsession, bento! Read on past that for some excellent reviews and music.

Visit The Vinyl District for some of my secretly beloved music by Journey.

Hooray for musical sons and high school bands at Lost in Your Inbox (not to mention working your core).

I'm glad I stumbled upon To Die By Your Side, for an excellent blog with great music and insight, including a review of the always lovely (and underappreciated) Elbow, who have a neat intro at their official website. I just bought tickets to see them in L.A. in May.

And finally, I remembered that I have a Flickr account and have been browsing through some extremely beautiful photographs by Uchujin. Most were taken on the streets of Japan and have also been named after song titles or lyrics (some I know, some I don't, many by Belle & Sebastian and Morrissey).

belle and sebastian: i don't love anyone [buy]
belle and sebastian: take your carriage clock and shove it [buy]
colin meloy: i know very well how i got my name [morrissey cover]
elbow: snooks [progress report] [buy]

photo by Jacob Keinicke
The Fashion are a glam-new wave group out of Denmark who sent me an EP that I finally got around to listening to, and I'm glad I did. This fun, fast music that poured out of my car stereo had me awake and dancing on my way to work, which is not an easy feat, since I'm a morning zombie.

The band made their U.S. debut at SXSW and are on their way to take over New York. Check out their myspace page for more tracks from their upcoming S/T album, to be released soon in the U.S.

the fashion: solo impala [take the money and run] [buy]
the fashion: like knives [tiger baby remix]

myspace | Label: Epic

from flickr photo set
This weekend I trolled my favorite local record store, Rhino Records, to see what I could find. I love their 99-cent bin, usually full of hidden treasures amongst the crap. Sometimes I find nothing, other times gold - and this time I was lucky. I picked up The Whigs' 2006 debut album, Give 'Em All A Big Fat Lip, due to the fact that I've enjoyed the couple of tracks I've heard from this year's Mission Control. The band got such a great reception at this year's SXSW Festival that I thought it appropriate to celebrate their humble beginnings. ...Fat Lip features the scratchy voice of Parker Gispert, drummer Julian Dorio, and former bassist Hank Sullivant (replaced by Tim Deaux).

...Fat Lip has a country garage band sound, bare bones and a little bit wild, something that I love in up and coming bands. The Whigs are from Athens, GA, a town with a musical reputation that is tough to live up to, but these three guys give it a solid go. Though these tracks have an obvious influence from other recent country-rock groups, it wouldn't be fair to say that the music on this album is a copy of such bands. Whereas the single from Mission Control, "Right Hand on My Heart" is fashioned much closer to the sound of groups such as My Morning Jacket and Kings of Leon, these tracks are a little bit rougher, less polished - but in a good way. There's some lovely guitar work throughout, highlighted nicely on songs like "Half The World Away" and the title track.

It's important to note that between the two Whigs albums is a budget of approximately zero and equipment purchased on eBay, and a top of the line studio and a heck of a larger budget. Compare a couple of my favorite tracks from the album and compare to the new single and see what I mean.

from Give 'Em All A Big Fat Lip (2006)
the whigs: give 'em all a big fat lip [buy]
the whigs: violet furs [buy]

from Mission Control (2008)
the whigs: right hand on my heart [buy]

official site | myspace | Label: ATO Records

Indie Mom and I had the excellent good fortune to see Midnight Movies at the Troubadour in December 2006, just after we had started this blog. The band was impressive then, and they seem to have only grown in maturity and confidence, to judge from their latest release, an EP called Nights.

Of course an old hippie like me has an occasional soft spot for remakes of old rock songs. That said, it would be easy for me to focus on Midnight Movies' great cover of the Moody Blues' "Nights In White Satin" that has been a showstopper in their live shows. In fact, Midnight Movies has two covers of that lush and lovely old song on this EP--the other version is in French.

But truly, of the six tracks on Nights, the best in my opinion are Midnight Movies' own tunes, which include two remixes of songs that appeared on last year's full-length Lion the Girl: "Souvenirs" (Rick Zinner Remix) and "Patient Eye" (James Iha Remix). It's easy to see why the former Smashing Pumpkins member would like this band--they seem to inhabit the same space between dance, goth, and psychedelia that the Pumpkins did. You can hear that scope and dynamic in both of the other tracks, "Should Have Known" and the dark and delicious "Stormy Eyes."

Nights is a very welcome addition to the song catalog of this very talented foursome.

Should Have Known from Nights EP (2008)

MySpace | Website | Label: New Line Records
Buy at Midnight Movies Store,
Amazon.com, iTunes, and eMusic

The big reason why I'm so fascinated with SXSW, even if I didn't get to go, and even though it's over for another year, there is still several months' worth of music that remains to be discovered from it. Here are just a few of my picks.

The Dodos (photo above): Jodi
MySpace | Website | Label: French Kiss Records | Hometown: San Francisco
Just released: The Visitor
Buy at Amazon.com, iTunes, and eMusic

Belaire: Shadows Moving On the Wall
MySpace | Label: Indierect Records | Hometown: Austin | Buy


Delta Spirit (photo above): People C'mon
MySpace | Website | Label: Unsigned! | Hometown: Orange County, CA | Buy

The Cotton Jones Basket Ride: Midnight Monday
MySpace | Label: Quite Scientific Records | Hometown: Velvet Belt, MD

Apteka: The Sheet
MySpace | Website | Label: Unsigned! | Hometown: Chicago

Driving By Night: Promise In Youth
MySpace | Website | Label: Dental Records | Hometown: Belfast | Buy

"Peep Show" (source unknown)
If you haven't already seen these, check out Sarah Silverman's birthday present to her boyfriend Jimmy Kimmel, and Jimmy's response. (NSFW)

If you're in L.A. tonight and you're not going to see Nada Surf and Sea Wolf at the Glasshouse, then check out Say Hi at Spaceland or The Mae Shi at the Knitting Factory. See Oh My Rockness or L.A. Underground for more local shows.

Not into March Madness or basketball but love categorizing and making fun of celebrities? Visit Go Fug Yourself to vote on the brackets of Fug Madness 2008.

See The Swill Merchant for a couple of tracks from Mark Kozelek's new album, April. Strangely enough, the album drops April 1, but you can buy it or download it now from Caldo Verde Records. More good Mark Kozelek can be found at Leaky Sparrow.

Pretty Much Amazing features some interesting covers, including John Mayer covering Radiohead and The Hold Steady covering Bob Seger, plus some new tracks by DCFC and Vampire Weekend.

wilco: leave me like you found me [live 2008] [buy]
mark kozelek: i'm sorry [john denver cover] [buy]
radiohead: everything in its right place [oakenfold remix] [buy]
chris walla: new candles [acoustic] [buy]

Bluebonnets - Texas State Flower

I'm on vacation! Guess where! I have a few posts in the can for you during the week I'm away.

PlayRadioPlay!: Texas from Texas (2008)
MySpace

Lyle Lovett: That's Right (You're Not From Texas) from The Road To Ensenada (1996)

Ferraby Lionheart: Under the Texas Sky from Catch the Brass Ring (2007)

No Bridges To Cross: Texas Gurls from No Bridges To Cross (2007)
MySpace

I hope we get to see a couple of these green jays while we're there.

Hearing Buddy Holly's delightful little "Dearest" on the Juno soundtrack prompted me to search for other jewels by one of the founding fathers of rock and roll. I much prefer the ones with less orchestra, the plainer ones with less production.

I was alive but not even a teenager yet at the time of his death. It's surprising to read that Buddy Holly played rock and roll for only two years and died at the young age of 22. The reason his career seems much longer is that he had written and recorded so many songs that his record company was able to keep releasing new material for another ten years. These songs were a huge influence on other artists who developed rock and roll more fully.

Listen to "Blue Days, Black Night," and you hear exactly what inspired George Harrison's guitar style on the Beatles' early albums, while "Brown-eyed Handsome Man" shows you what McCartney and Lennon liked. The Beatles covered "Words of Love" and modeled several of their early songs on Holly's style. "Rave On" and "Changing All Those Changes" lead you straight to Elvis and Carl Perkins. I particularly like this unadorned version of "Rave On" with its boxy-sounding drums.

From For the First Time Anywhere (1983):
Maybe Baby
Brown-eyed Handsome Man

From The Memorial Album (1995)
Blue Days, Black Nights
Rave On

Official Website | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame | Buddy Holly Online
Buy at Amazon.com, iTunes, and eMusic

For an admirable effort to trace the history of country rock, check out this fine post, Who Invented Country Rock?, at Setting the Woods On Fire blog.

The photo above is from the Encyclopedia Britannica online. I always had the sneaky idea that Buddy Holly was less nerdy-looking than so many of his photos.

If you have not noticed how much I've mentioned the Glasgow, Scotland, band Sons and Daughters lately, then you're just not paying attention! I have talked about them twice in conjunction with SXSW, and now I'm going to hit you with an album review of their debut full-length CD, This Gift.

It's not too early for me to gush that this is the most exciting album I have listened to so far this year. With Adele Bethel on lead vocals and Scott Paterson providing backups, Sons and Daughters present tight power-house rock that never slacks on energy or melody. There are no weak tracks; it's 100% pure goodness.

Check how Bethel and Paterson trade wolf-howls against jangly guitar on the title cut. If you like this, trust me, you will want it all.

Sons and Daughters: This Gift
Listen to "The Bell" here and "Darling" live here

Sons and Daughters have just completed several performances at SXSW, and they will also be appearing at the Coachella on Sunday, April 27, in addition to the schedule below.

MySpace | Website | Label: Domino Records
Buy at Domino Mart, Amazon.com, iTunes

Show Schedule:
March
17 Atlanta, GA - The Earl
18 Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle
19 Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel
21 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
22 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
23 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s
24 Cambridge, MA - Middle East (Downstairs)
25 Montreal, QC - La Sala Rossa
26 Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace
28 Chicago, IL - Double Door
29 Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theatre
31 Denver, CO - Hi Dive

April
01 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
03 Seattle, WA - Neumos
04 Vancouver, BC - Richard’s on Richards
05 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
07 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall

taken at The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens

Between Thought and Expression brings you the sultry voice that Eliot Spitzer paid $4,300 a night to hear.

Can You See the Sunset reviews The Sugar Oaks, and brings you The Toadies' best song.

For the Records highlights the best of Canadian Music Week.

I Guess I'm Floating has new songs by My Morning Jacket, from their upcoming album Evil Urges (June 10)

LA Underground has links to all of the very long and impressive list of L.A.-area bands performing this week at SXSW, including several videos from artists such as Jesca Hoop, The Mae Shi, and Correatown.

Lonesome Music sings the praises of Leatherbag...check it out for yourself.

Music Under Fire celebrates their 100th post with Sera Cahoone and some Editors remixes.

Muzzle of Bees made the trip to SXSW and was lucky enough to see Bon Iver. Check out his blog for more reports from the festival.

The Yellow Stereo is also at SXSW, but took a detour to catch Vampire Weekend in a small Atlanta venue, and still had time to post his regular feature, The Daily Graboid!

Thanks Captain Obvious has so much great, new music, plus a review of Be Kind Rewind, that I am going to have to go back and spend more time reading his excellent blog.

And finally, if you're in the L.A. area, don't forget to enter our giveaway of tickets to see Switches at the Roxy on Tuesday, March 18.

And now for some artists who are not at SXSW:
damien jurado: texas to ohio [buy]
neil halstead: two stones in my pocket [buy]
brothers johnson: strawberry letter 23 [buy]
muse: house of the rising sun [animals cover] [buy]

Last but not least...Happy 18th Birthday Stephanie!

Switches, out of London, will be at SXSW on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday before heading to L.A. for their CD release party. The band will release Lay Down the Law on Interscope Records on Tuesday, March 18, but you can pre-order it and get a free t-shirt from Insound.

We're giving away a pair of tickets to their CD release party at The Roxy if you won't make it out to Austin to see them. All you have to do is send an email to indie.mom@att.net with the words "Switches Contest" in the subject line, and tell me who is your favorite SXSW 2008 artist/band. The deadline to enter the giveaway is Sunday, March 16 at midnight, PST - I'll select the winner at random and send an email to alert the winner.

Check out "Drama Queen" from their upcoming album and head over to their myspace for more songs (my favorites are "Lay Down the Law" and "Stephanie").

switches: drama queen

Watch the video for "Lay Down the Law":

photo by Hudson Gardner
Eagle Seagull, currently on tour with Tokyo Police Club, have just announced that they will be the special guests of the B-52's on their tour this spring. While I wouldn't be excited to see the B-52's necessarily, Eagle Seagull is a band I would highly recommend checking out. If you miss them at SXSW, hopefully you can catch them at one of their shows on their massive US and European tour schedule. I'll be at one of their shows in L.A. next week with TPC at the Troubadour.

Pick up their new EP, I Hate EP's, just released on March 11, which includes one of my favorite ES songs, "I'm Sorry, But I'm Beginning to Hate Your Face". Their 2006 S/T debut album is amazing, and I'm really looking forward to their follow-up, The Year of the How-To Book, hopefully to be released this spring. You can hear some of the new tracks, such as the excellent "You Can't Call Yourself a Secret" on their myspace page.

eagle seagull: i'm sorry, but i'm beginning to hate your face [buy]
eagle seagull: hello, never [buy]

We're down to the final day of my imaginary SXSW schedule. Probably the best thing about my imagination is that I don't have to stay up to the wee hours of the morning to see some of these shows. In real life, I don't hold up well to that kind of schedule. But whether you make the pilgrimage in person or via the Internet, the best thing about SXSW is being introduced to a lot of great new bands. Of course I'll be monitoring the bloggers who actually attend these shows to see what it was really like!

I can't resist a second performance today by Liam Finn and a full set by Scotland's Sons and Daughters, who are turning out to be one of my favorite bands of 2008 so far. We also have the Beangrowers from Malta as well as Delta Spirit, allegedly from "the core of the earth" according to their MySpace page, but actually from good old Orange County, CA.

Indie Mom and I saw the electronic duo of Oppenheimer open for They Might Be Giants and found them very entertaining as well as being excellent musicians. Their signature instrument is the airhorn.

Today's schedule also includes a bunch of Los Angeles bands: The Deadly Syndrome, Phantom Planet, Sea Wolf, and the legendary X. Speaking of legends, we also have Texas native Roky Erickson. Hometown Austin bands include Okkervil River and Oh No! Oh My!

1:30 PM — Liam Finn — Music Day Stage Café

Listen to "Second Chance" here — SXSW Page — MySpace

7:00 PM — Sons and Daughters — Bat Bar, Austin Convention Center

Darling (live @ KEXP) — SXSW Page — MySpace — Scots Invade SXSW

8:00 PM — Beangrowers — Habana Annex

Listen to "Quaint Affair" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

8:00 PM — Spiral Beach — Momo's

Listen to "Made of Stone" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

8:00 PM — Magic Bullets — Bourbon Rocks

Listen to "Red Room" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

8:00 PM — Oppenheimer — Emo's Main Room

Breakfast In NYC — SXSW Page — MySpace — Concert review

9:00 PM — Okkervil River — Stubb's

Red — SXSW Page — MySpace

10:00 PM — Roky Erickson — Stubb's

You're Gonna Miss Me — SXSW Page — MySpace — Concert review

10:00 PM — Oh No! Oh My! — Buffalo Billiards

Listen to "Walk In the Park" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

10:00 PM — The Deadly Syndrome — Cedar Street Courtyard

I Hope I Become a Ghost — SXSW Page — MySpace

11:00 PM — Phantom Planet — Spiro's Amphitheater

Do the Panic — SXSW Page — MySpace

12:00 AM — WHY? — Lambert's

Listen to "The Hollows" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

12:00 AM — Delta Spirit — Emo's Main Room

Listen to "Trashcan" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

12:25 AM — Film School — Bourbon Rocks (above, Greg Bertens of Film School)

Dear Me — SXSW Page — MySpace — Concert review

12:30 AM — X — Emo's Main Room

Johnny Hit and Run Paulene — SXSW Page — MySpace

1:00 AM — The Stills — The Parish

Allison Krausse — SXSW Page — MySpace

1:00 AM — Sea Wolf — Buffalo Billiards

Winter Windows — SXSW Page — MySpace

Related posts:
SXSW Fantasy Day 1
SXSW Fantasy Day 2
SXSW Fantasy Day 3
Scots Invade SXSW - Again!
Indie Mom's SXSW, Part 1

The schedule for Friday, March 14, includes some bands that are brand new to me, like Minneapolis band Solid Gold, King of Prussia from rock-rich Athens, GA, Driving By Night from Belfast, Ireland, Austin's own the Lovely Sparrows, and the exotic Ruby Suns from New Zealand. I knew People In Planes previously from only one song, "If You Talk Too Much," and I was pleased to find out that I like more of their songs.

Liam Finn, son of Neil Finn (Crowded House), obviously inherited his dad's talent for melody, harmony, and hooks. Speaking of exotic, there is another chance today to see DeVotchKa in case we missed them before. I can't wait to see what new stuff those multi-lingual gypsies have got now.

Also on today's schedule are bands that we have seen before, and I can vouch for their performances. Joseph Arthur, originally from Texas, is a must-see, as are The Builders and the Butchers. We start the afternoon with the showcase of Scottish bands.

12:00 PM — 3:00 PM — Showcasing Scotland

Sons & Daughters, Frightened Rabbit, The Dykeenies, Make Model, Jyrojets and Our Lunar Activities — Latitude 30

12:30 PM — Delorentos — Music Day Stage Café

Basis of Everything — SXSW Page — MySpace

1:45 PM — Tulsa (Massachusetts band) — KORA Records Party —

Mass — SXSW Page — MySpace

8:00 PM — Eagle Seagull — The Thirsty Nickel

Ballet or Art — Also hear "I'm Sorry But I'm Beginning To Hate Your Face" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

8:00 PM — Daniel Lanois — Bat Bar, Austin Convention Center

Listen to "Here Is What Is" on his SXSW Page — MySpace

8:00 PM — The Lovely Sparrows — Red Eyed Fly

Listen to "Chemicals Change" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

8:30 PM — Driving By Night — Soho Lounge

Listen to "Fears of Men" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

8:30 PM — The Ruby Suns — Bourbon Rocks Patio

Listen to "Tane Mahuta" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

9:00 PM — The Builders and the Butchers — Club de Ville

Listen to "Bottom of the Lake" on their SXSW Page — MySpace — Concert review and more songs

9:00 PM — Solid Gold — The Thirsty Nickel

Listen to "Bible Thumper" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

9:30 PM — People In Planes — Latitude 30

Listen to "Pretty Buildings" on their SXSW Page —
Listen to "Falling By the Wayside" on their MySpace

10:30 PM — Handsome Furs — Bourbon Rocks Patio

SXSW Page — MySpace

10:00 PM — Land of Talk — Red Eyed Fly —

(above, Lizzie Powell of Land of Talk)
Listen to "Speak To Me Bones" on their SXSW Page — MySpace — Concert review

10:00 PM — Liam Finn — The Ale House

Second Chance — SXSW Page — MySpace

10:00 PM — Rogue Wave — Cedar Door

Phonytown — SXSW Page — MySpace

11:00 PM — Say Hi — Red Eyed Fly (above, Eric Elbogen of Say Hi)

Listen to "Northwestern Girls" on their SXSW Page — MySpace — Concert review

11:00 PM — Vampire Weekend — Antone's

A-Punk — SXSW Page — MySpace

11:30 PM — The Helio Sequence — Bourbon Rocks Patio

Can't Say No — SXSW Page — MySpace — Concert review

11:30 PM — Nik Freitas — Habana Calle 6

Listen to "Sun Down" on his SXSW Page — MySpace

12:00 AM — DeVotchKa — Antone's

SXSW Page — MySpace

12:00 AM — The Dodos — Mohawk Patio

Listen to "Fools" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

12:45 AM — Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin — Habana Calle 6

House Fire — SXSW Page — MySpace

1:00 AM — Joseph Arthur — Buffalo Billiards (above, Joseph Arthur)

Devil's Broom — SXSW Page — MySpace — Concert review

1:00 AM — Let's Go Sailing — Victorian Room at the Driscoll

This Rope Is Long (live) — SXSW Page — MySpace — Concert review

1:00 AM — Nada Surf — Cedar Door

Happy Kid — SXSW Page — MySpace

1:00 AM — King of Prussia — Light Bar

Listen to "Misadventures of Campaign Kids" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

Related posts:
SXSW Fantasy Day 1 schedule
SXSW Fantasy Day 2 schedule
Scots Invade SXSW - Again!
Indie Mom's SXSW, Part 1

Here is my fantasy SXSW schedule for this Thursday, March 13, which didn't get quite so crowded as Wednesday's schedule. I would probably try to spend the afternoon at the Clermont Team's party. They have turned me on to a lot of good music in the past year. I saw the Helio Sequence recently, and that was a good show; and I'd love to see Elf Power and hear songs from their new album which will be released this year.

I have two of the Scottish bands, the Dykeenies and Popup, on the list, and no way would I miss Throw Me the Statue. The Black and White Years is the new project of Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads), and that sounds interesting. I know I'm going to see DeVotchKa at the Coachella next month, so I might skip that one, but they are still very tempting. And I wouldn't miss J. Tillman for anything.

12:00 PM to 6:00 PM — Clermont Team Party

Shout Out Louds, Rogue Wave, Akron/Family, The Helio Sequence, Fleet Foxes, and Elf Power — Flamingo Cantina

1:00 PM — Augustana — The Bat Bar, Austin Convention Center

Stars and Boulevards — SXSW Page — MySpace

5:00 PM — Martha Wainwright — Lone Star Lounge, Austin Convention Center

Listen to "Bloody Mother F*ckin Asshole" on her SXSW Page — MySpace

6:00 PM — Sia — The Bat Bar, Austin Convention Center

Listen to "Electric Bird" on her SXSW Page — MySpace

8:00 PM — Wisely — Green Room Music Source

Listen to "Through Any Window" on Wisely's SXSW Page — MySpace

8:00 PM — The Dykeenies — Wave Rooftop

Waiting For Go — SXSW Page — MySpace

8:00 PM — Popup — Habana Annex

SXSW — MySpace

9:00 PM — The Black and White Years — Maggie Mae's

Listen to "Power to Change" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

9:30 PM — Throw Me the Statue — Mohawk

Listen to "About To Walk" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

10:00 PM — The Pines — The Driskill

Throw Me In the River — SXSW Page — MySpace

10:45 PM — MGMT — The Rio

Kids — SXSW Page — MySpace — (above, MGMT at the Avalon)

11:00 PM — Ouija Radio — Molotov Lounge

Listen to "Red Eye Fly" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

11:00 PM — Dawn Landes — St. David's Church

Tired of this Life — SXSW Page — MySpace

12:00 AM — DeVotchka — Cedar Street Courtyard

SXSW Page — MySpace

12:00 AM — Mark Kozelek — Central Presbyterian Church

Moorestown — SXSW Page — MySpace fansite

12:00 AM — Hot Springs — Maggie Mae's

Gotta DJ — Listen to "Headrush" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

1:00 AM — Gliss — Spiro's

Listen to "Kissing the Boulevard" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

1:00 AM — Bedroom Walls — Green Room Music Source

Listen to "No Wedding Cake" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

1:15 AM — J. Tillman — Habana Calle 6 Patio

Listen to "With Wolves" (one of my favorites) on his SXSW Page — MySpace — (above, J. Tillman at the Glass House)

Related posts:
SXSW Fantasy Day 1 schedule
Scots Invade SXSW - Again!
Indie Mom's SXSW, Part 1

Austin-bound? No, not me. So I don't know whatever possessed me to start a series of posts based on a fictional four-day schedule for SXSW 2008 that probably no one will look at. But it's like, once I got started I felt kind of duty-bound to finish, even if I'm the only one interested in the idea.

The main problem with rock festivals is that all the good stuff gets scheduled at the same time. Look what happens to my schedule at 11:00 PM and midnight. How could I possibly choose between those acts? At least in my fantasy schedule, time and distance do not matter, and I can be in more than one place at once if I want.

This would be my dream schedule for the first day, Wednesday, March 12. I guess this means that I'm posting a schedule for the other three days too. Wish me luck! To everyone who isn't going to Austin this week, why don't you dream along with me?

1:00 PM — Cassettes Won't Listen, Akron/Family and more —

SESAC Day Stage, Austin Convention Center —
Listen to Cassettes Won't Listen's "Paper Float" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

7:00 PM — Earlimart — Bat Bar, Austin Convention Center (free show)

Sounds — SXSW Page — MySpace

8:00 PM — Jesca Hoop — Buffalo Billiards

Listen to "Money" on her SXSW Page — MySpace

8:00 PM — Summerbirds in the Cellar — Stubb's

Listen to "Wicked World" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

8:00 PM — Saint Bernadette — Wave

Listen to "Love Is a Stranger" (not a cover of the Eurythmics tune) on their SXSW Page — MySpace

8:50 PM — The Cotton Jones Basket Ride — Soho Lounge

Listen to "Chewing Gum" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

9:00 PM — Johnathan Rice — Stubb's

Listen to "We're All Stuck Out in the Desert" on his SXSW Page — MySpace

10:00 PM — Kate Tucker and the Sons of Sweden — Wave

Listen to "Faster than Cars Go" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

11:00 PM — Division Day — Buffalo Billiards

Bad Black Moon — SXSW Page — MySpace

11:00 PM — Sons and Daughters — Antone's

The Bell — SXSW Page — MySpace

11:00 PM — Okkervil River featuring Roky Erickson

— Austin Music Hall— Wow, doesn't that sound fascinating? — SXSW Page

11:00 PM — Kaki King — Brooklyn Vegan, Club de Ville

Listen to "Pull Me Out Alive" on her SXSW Page — MySpace

11:00 PM — Bowerbirds — Central Presbyterian Church

Listen to "In Our Talons" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

11:00 PM — AM Syndicate — Ninety Proof Lounge

Listen to "To the Peasants of the Emperor" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

11:00 PM — Daniel Lanois — Pangaea

Listen to "Here Is What Is" on his SXSW Page — MySpace

12:00 AM — R.E.M. — Stubb's

SXSW Page — MySpace

12:00 AM — Delorentos — Ninety Proof Lounge

Listen to "Stop" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

12:00 AM — Frightened Rabbit — Maggie Mae's Rooftop

Listen to "Modern Leper" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

12:00 AM — Elf Power — Spiro's

Paralyzed — SXSW Page — MySpace

12:00 AM — Tacks, the Boy Disaster — Maggie Mae's Gibson Room

Man With a Plan — SXSW Page — MySpace

12:20 AM — Balmorhea — St. David's Church

Listen to "limmat" on their SXSW Page — MySpace

1:00 AM — Johnette Napolitano — 18th Floor at Hilton Garden Inn

Amazing — SXSW Page — MySpace

1:00 AM — The Deadly Syndrome — Beauty Bar Backyard

Animals Wearing Clothes — SXSW Page — MySpace

1:00 AM — Shearwater — Club de Ville

Rooks — SXSW Page — MySpace

If I haven't bored you to death, check out this excellent post on the Austin-area bands at Austin Sound. I found some really nice bands there that were new to me, including Balmorhea.

This is the fifth year that The Scottish Arts Council in conjunction with BBC Radio Scotland has sponsored Scottish bands to attend South By Southwest in Austin, TX. Their support has brought a total of over 50 bands (16 were sponsored for SXSW 2007), including Franz Ferdinand, Paolo Nutini, the Delgados, Emma Pollock, and the Fratellis, to the attention of rock music lovers in the U.S. I admit to being a total sucker for a Scots accent.

Here are four of the Scottish bands, all from the vicinity of Glasgow (Glaswegians! I love that word), who will be featured at SXSW this year. A special event, Showcasing Scotland, will take place on Friday, March 14 in the heart of Austin's Warehouse District.

Sons and Daughters

I started getting into Sons and Daughters when their new album This Gift was released this year. I like the give and take exchange of female and male vocals with hard-driving guitar. You can hear the influence of the Smiths' Johnny Marr in the way they go at a song.

Sons and Daughters: The Bell from This Gift (2008)

MySpace | Website | Label: Domino Records | SXSW Info
Buy at Sons and Daughters Store, Domino Store, iTunes, and Amazon.com



Frightened Rabbit



The threesome of Frightened Rabbit make their second appearance at SXSW, following up last year's successful album Sing the Greys with a new album in May called The Midnight Organ Fight.

Frightened Rabbit: Head Rolls Off from The Midnight Organ Fight (2008)

MySpace | Website | Label: FatCat Records | SXSW Info
Buy at FatCat Store, iTunes, Amazon.com, and eMusic



The Dykeenies



Influenced by Blur, Bloc Party, late 70s Bowie, and 80's bands, The Dykeenies took their name from the race of humanoids in the fantasy film, Willow. A new single called "Waiting For Go" is due out on March 10. Hopefully their albums will start becoming available in the States soon.

The Dykeenies: Stitches from Nothing Means Everything (2007)

MySpace | Website | Label: Sony BMG | SXSW Info
Buy at Amazon.com (Imports)



Popup



Popup have the distinction of being known as "Scotland's biggest unsigned band." They have just completed their debut album a time and a place, which will be self-released later this year.

Popup: Love Triangle from a time and a place

MySpace | Website | Label: Unsigned | SXSW Info

Last Sunday Mr. Folkie and I participated in the 10th Annual Hike For Hope which raises funds for breast cancer research. There are Walk For Hope activities around the country, so do a good deed and lend your support to an excellent cause.

I bet you didn't know you could help breast cancer victims by just listening to music, though. Joseph H. Spadaro, founder and president of American Laundromat Records produced a double-CD tribute album of Neil Young songs covered by women artists in memory of his mother Norine Spadaro, who died of breast cancer in 2005. Proceeds from the sale go to Casting For Recovery, which provides fly fishing retreats all around the U.S. specifically for women who have or who have had breast cancer.

The song selections are from Young's early albums, mostly Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (1969), After the Goldrush (1970), and Harvest (1972). "I Am a Child" appeared originally on Buffalo Springfield's Last Time Around in 1968, and "Ohio" appeared on CSNY's Four Way Street in 1971. Later songs include "Like A Hurricane" from American Stars and Bars (1977), "Walk On" which first appeared on Decade (1977), "Comes A Time" (1978), and "Powderfinger" from Rust Never Sleeps (1979).

So how is the record? Quite nice, really, but my main complaint, as I listened to Disc 1, was that the ladies could have been more adventurous in their covers. I don't hear anyone go out on a limb to reinvent the song and make it personally her own. Dala's cover of "A Man Needs A Maid" is sweetly sad but lacks the hollow ache of loneliness that marked Young's original. Except for Veruca Salt's "Burned" (also a Buffalo Springfield tune), Disc 1 has a bit of a smoothed-out, country-pop feel that might be meant to appeal to a broader than alternative/rock audience. My favorite from this disc is "Down By the River" by Jill Sobule and John Doe (X).

Disc 2, however, seems to have more spice, and I think Dala does much better with her piano-laced "Ohio," also covered pretty well on Disc 1 by Darcie Miner. In fact the first four tracks on Disc 2 are excellent, as is Louise Post's "Sugar Mountain." As for "Helpless," k d lang's version remains the definitive cover. I did expect more gumption from The Watson Twins, but Kristin Hersh makes up for the lack with dark, buzzy electric guitar and an echo-y chorus on "Like A Hurricane." I would think Neil approves of that one and of Luff's equally thick and fuzzy "Tell Me Why." Heidi Gluck's closing song, "Walk On," is a jaunty, gutsy rocker.

These sample MP3s will be here for only a very short time due to the charity purpose of the CD. Buy it--the price for the two CDs makes it a bargain--for yourself or as a gift for a special lady friend.

Disk 1
1. Heart Of Gold - Tanya Donelly
2. I Am A Child - Britta Phillips (Luna)
3. Comes A Time - Kate York
4. The Needle And The Damage Done - Lori McKenna
5. Down By The River - Jill Sobule with John Doe
6. Burned - Veruca Salt
7. Cowgirl In The Sand - Josie Cotton
8. A Man Needs A Maid - Dala
9. Ohio - Darcie Miner
10. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere - Carmen Townsend

Disk 2
1. Cinnamon Girl - Euro Trash Girl
2. I Believe In You - Julie Peel
3. Tell Me Why - Luff
4. Ohio - Dala
5. Helpless - Elk City
6. Only Love Can Break Your Heart - Amilia K. Spicer
7. Sugar Mountain - Louise Post
8. Powderfinger - The Watson Twins
9. Like A Hurricane - Kristin Hersh
10. Old Man - Cindy Wheeler (Caulfield Sisters)
11. Walk On - Heidi Gluck (Some Girls)

Label: American Laundromat Records
Buy at Amazon, iTunes

CD cover art by Katy Horan

The Builders and the Butchers opened for the Helio Sequence at Spaceland on Tuesday, Feb. 26, and this is a continuation of that concert review.

Immediately after the ladies of Hearts of Palm UK exited, the members of The Builders and the Butchers materialized out of the audience and took over the low stage by climbing onto it from the front. I didn't know anything about them before the show except for a couple of songs I had picked up just to see what they were like.

Those few recorded songs did not in any way prepare me for this band's impact live--imagine a southern roots gospel stomp with references to the night crawling in on red hands and finding yourself at the bottom of a vampire lake. The heavy stomp is produced by the double percussion team of Ray Rude (snare drum), who wears a tambourine strapped to his left leg while he uses both hands on drums, and Paul Seely thumping away on bass drum (he also plays trumpet and melodica).

"Ragged, ramshackle, raucous and fucking brilliant..." gushed Matt at Song, By Toad blog, placing the The Builders and the Butchers' debut self-titled CD in his top five albums of 2007, and I'm stealing his words because they're a really accurate description. Matt would probably deposit a cow at their live show, however.

Ragged, yes, but just to the point of having delicious texture. Ramshackle, yes, but not in any way due to lack of skill. Raucous, yes! And magnetic, and impossible to look away from. To anyone planning their schedule for SXSW 2008, you need to put this band on your must-see list because if you don't, everyone will be telling you what a damn good show you missed, and you will be SORRY--mark my words!

One of The Builders and the Butchers' major charms is using unconventional items as instruments. Singer/guitarist Ryan Sollee altered his voice with a huge megaphone during "Bottom of the Lake" and on another song sang through what he told me later was a collapsible auto oil funnel. Paul Seely flailed away with bright green styrofoam swim tubes (see top photo) on "Bringing Home the Rain."



Alex Ellis (bass, above in Zero T-shirt) and Harvey Tumbelson (below left, mandolin, banjo) complete the lineup with more regular instruments. Everybody sings backup and is credited with percussion. I don't have the titles of all the songs because they performed some that are not on the CD. If I find out, I'll add a comment.



COPYRIGHTED CONTENT HAS BEEN REMOVED

Setlist:
1. Vampire Lake
2. ?
3. Sollee announced this as a brand new song, which I'll guess is called Short Way Home
4. Black Dresses (a sing-along!)
5. Bottom of the Lake (with Sollee on megaphone)
6. When It Rains
7. ? (something about the house on fire)
8. ?
9. Spanish Death
10. Bringing Home the Rain

For "Bringing Home the Rain," Ryan and Paul opened up a wooden chest and brought out tambourines, shakers, and pot lids and passed them around to the audience for a big play-along that had everyone in the room contributing. Ryan told me later they always lose a few at each show, so they regularly shop at 99-cent stores. They had picked up the swim tubes there just before this show.

This ramshackle bit could result in cacophony instead of music, but it doesn't, in fact it works great. Underlying it all is firm musical skill and sensibility that transcends whatever The Builders and the Butchers use to produce the music. Would I see them again? You bet, and I may get the chance to do that in May.



MySpace | Label: Bladen County Records | SXSW Info
Buy at CD Baby, iTunes

Watch this video of "Bringing On the Rain"

The Duke Spirit - photo
As this year's SXSW Festival draws nearer, we'll be bringing you some highlights of a few of the many bands to look out for. Put these bands on your schedule if you're going, or on your radar if you're not.

Delorentos are an impressive group of four young men from Dublin. The band have released a number of EPs and singles since 2005 but debuted their first full-length album, In Love With Detail last April, and followed up with a 4-track EP, Do You Realise in November. The songs make me think of the 80's, a little new wave, fun and energetic. I loved the tracks available on their myspace page, and you can stream more on their official site. See them at SXSW on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

We last saw Oppenheimer in October and really enjoyed this playful band, a duo from Belfast on the Bar/None label. Rocky, Shaun, and their airhorn are currently enjoying the rest of their tour with They Might Be Giants before heading to SXSW on Friday and Saturday, then to L.A. on March 17 at The Viper Room. The band will release their second album, Take the Whole Midrange and Boost It on June 3. See the rest of their tour schedule on their myspace and check out the band's recent set on WOXY.

The Duke Spirit are a five-piece from the UK with a mighty female vocalist and lovely, dreamy songs. The band was featured on "May Day", my favorite track from UNKLE's 2007 release, War Stories. Neptune, their new album, will be released on the Shangri-La label on April 8. Their tour schedule starts with a show at The Echo on March 5, shows at SXSW on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and meanders over the UK and the midwest before concluding at the Isle of Wight Festival in June.

We last saw Johnathan Rice with Ben Gibbard in May, where his acoustic set wooed us with his quiet humor and quirky, heartfelt lyrics. See him at SXSW on Wednesday and check out his myspace to stream songs, see videos, and check out the rest of his tour, which culminates in a residency at Spaceland every Monday in April.

Seattle's J. Tillman will be at SXSW on Thursday. Tillman's album Minor Works was finally released in the US on Undertow in January, and he is working on his new album Vacilando Territory Blues, to be released in 2008. Check out his myspace to see more tour dates and hear more music.

oppenheimer: straight out of comp'in' [buy]
j. tillman: steel on steel [buy]
UNKLE: may day (featuring the duke spirit) [buy]
delorentos: basis of everything [buy]