Menomena performs live for La Blogotheque

I heart Menomena.

#62.3 - Menomena - Wet and Rusting
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Black Lips CD Release Show Tonight, 9/11

Just a quick reminder that Atlanta's own Black Lips are playing an "invite only" CD release show tonight (9/11) @ MJQ Concourse in Atlanta for their "ICTH Recommended" new full-length "Good Bad Not Evil". How do you get an "invite" to the show? By purchasing the new album for $11.99 at Criminal Records that's how! You will not only receive a copy of the album at a discounted price AND a ticket to tonight's show, you will ALSO receive a copy of their new DVD "Live In Israel"!!! It's a total win-win-win. The only unfortunate part is that the show is 21+ over, but don't fret you youngins, buying this bad-ass new 'Lips album and getting a free DVD is still pretty fucking boss! You under-agers still say "boss", right? Damn right, you do! Cuz it's boss!

***Get directions to MJQ Concourse, here.***
(MJQ is located right behind the Drunken Unicorn)
MJQ Concourse
736 Ponce De Leon Ave NE # 17
Atlanta, GA 30306
(404) 870-0575

Criminal Records
466 Moreland Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30307
(404) 215-9511

[MP3] Black Lips - Good Bad Not Evil from "Good Bad Not Evil" (via Box.net)

STILL MORE, GREAT NEW MUSIC: Le Loup & Georgie James

First off, let me say that this year keeps seeing the release of some truly fantastic albums, and it doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. This brings me to two more "truly fantastic" groups that I was originally going to post about separately, but it seems as though they will be touring together (there is an Atlanta date!!), so it seems appropriate to put them together into the same post.

First off there is Le Loup, who just recently signed to the Sub Pop sub-label, Hardly Art, and is releasing their long-worded debut "The Throne Of The Third Heaven Of The Nations' Millennium General Assembly" on Sept. 11. Playfully combining glitchy keyboard electronica, banjo, horns, multitracked vocals, and ballooning melodies: they have created one complex and truly engaging album. There is no "one sound" here, it's more of a chameleon that seems to be walking through a diverse landscape where danger is lurking everywhere. I can't possibly allow you, the reader, to pass this group by. This album carries my highest recommendation.

[MP3] Le Loup - We Are Gods! We Are Wolves! from "The Throne Of The Third Heaven Of The Nations' Millennium General Assembly" (via Box.net)
[MP3] Le Loup - Planes Like Vultures from "The Throne Of The Third Heaven Of The Nations' Millennium General Assembly" (via Box.net)

Le Loup - website | Myspace


From the ashes of Q And Not U comes Georgie James, featuring multi-instrumentalist John Davis (drummer of Q And Not U) and singer-songwriter Laura Burhenn. Slightly reminiscent of A.C. Newman (and this is due to their shared love of 60's and 70's pop), this duo brings the pop in the best way possible. It's multi-part harmonies, driving rhythms and catchy-as-fuck melodies make for one amazingly fun album. Their album, "Places", will drop on Sept. 25 via Saddle Creek. This is also highly, highly recommended!

[MP3] Georgie James - Need Your Needs from "Places" (via Box.net)
[MP3] Georgie James - Only 'Cause You're Young from "Places" (via Box.net)

Georgie James - website | Myspace

Le Loup TOUR DATES:
Sep 17 - Granada Theatre - Lawrence, Kansas %
Sep 18 - W L Lyons Brown Theater - Louisville, Kentucky %
Sep 19 - Buskirk Chumley Theater - Bloomington, Indiana %
Sep 20 - Schubas Tavern - Chicago, IL
Sep 22 - The Canopy Champaign - Urbana, Illinois
Sep 29 - Black Cat - Washington, DC
Oct 03 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
Oct 13 - Terrace F Club - Princeton, NJ
Oct 22 - Local 506 - Chapel Hill, NC $
Oct 23 - Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, GA $
Oct 24 - Taste - Orlando, FL $
Oct 26 - Spanish Moon - Baton Rouge, LA $
Oct 27 - The Mohawk - Austin, TX $

% - Andrew Bird
$ - Georgie James

Georgie James TOUR DATES:
Oct 03 - Brooklyn, NY. - Europa
Oct 04 - Troy, NY. - Revolution Hall #
Oct 05 - Montreal, Quebec - Main Hall #
Oct 06 - Ottawa, Ontario - Barrymore #
Oct 07 - Toronto, Ontario - The Mod Club #
Oct 08 - Cleveland, OH. - Beachland Ballroom #
Oct 09 - Nashville, TN. - Exit/In !
Oct 10 - Memphis, TN. - Hi Tone Cafe !
Oct 11- Columbia, MO. - Mojo !
Oct 12 - Des Moines, IA. - Vaudeville Mews !
Oct 13 - Omaha, NE. - Slowdown !
Oct 22 - Chapel Hill, NC. - Local 506 $
Oct 23 - Atlanta, GA. - Drunken Unicorn $
Oct 24 - Orlando, FL. - Taste $
Oct 26 - Baton Rouge, LA. - Spanish Moon $
Oct 27 - Austin, TX. - The Mohawk $
Oct 29 - Phoenix, AZ. - Modified &
Oct 30 - San Diego, CA. - The Casbah &
Oct 31 - Los Angeles, CA. - The Echo &
Nov 01 - San Francisco, CA. - Rickshaw Stop &
Nov 03 - Portland, OR. - Holocene &
Nov 04 - Seattle, WA. - Crocodile Cafe &
Nov 06 - Salt Lake City, UT. - Kilby Court &
Nov 07 - Denver, CO. - Hi Dive &
Nov 09 - Grinnell, IA. - Gardner Lounge/Main Hall &
Nov 10 - Minneapolis, MN. - 7th Street Entry &
Nov 11 - Chicago, IL. - Schubas Tavern &
Nov 12 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom Tavern &
Nov 14 - Allston, MA. - Great Scott &
Nov 15 - New York, NY. - Knitting Factory &
Nov 16 - Washington, D.C. - Black Cat &

# - Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
! - The Good Life
$ - Le Loup
& - Aqueduct

Off to the beach...

So, me and the wife are off to Isle of Palms, SC for a little weekend retreat. I'll be back in time for some fun posts on Monday, enjoy your weekend!!

[MP3] Beach House - Saltwater from "S/T" (via Box.net)
[MP3] Califone - Wade in the Water from "Roomsounds" (via Box.net)
[MP3] Clientele - From Brighton Beach To Santa Monica from "God Save the Clientele" (via Box.net)
[MP3] The Decemberists - Summersong from "The Crane Wife" (via Box.net)

GREAT NEW MUSIC: Fionn Regan

I've meant to post on this for awhile, sometimes life can be a little distracting. I was introduced to Fionn Regan by the musician whose music video is going to be my directorial debut (mad props, Brock!!), and what an introduction it was. Fionn's music hit me the same way that Elliott Smith, Conor Oberst, Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits did when I was introduced to their catalog...this is not a comparison of musical styles, but rather a comparison of the effect their music/lyrics have on my psyche. It (my psyche, that is) is not easily moved, but when it is it wanders far and completely out of my control. It is a visceral experience, rendering rich visuals & painting a place in my subconscious that I don't want to leave for conscious reality anytime soon. That is my benchmark for success in art/music, and Fionn scores a 10.0. I really can't recommend this new album, "The End of History" enough. You should judge for yourself though. Check out the two MP3s below, and if you feel so inclined, purchase his album from your favorite local independent record store (if you live in Atlanta, might I suggest purchasing it from Criminal Records).

[MP3] Fionn Regan - Put A Penny In The Slot from "The End of History" (via Box.net)
[MP3] Fionn Regan - Be Good or Be Gone from "The End of History" (via Box.net)

Fionn Regan - website | Myspace

Oh, and this video for "Be Good or Be Gone" is pretty cool too. It's kind of "live", he was filmed playing the song in many places, and then the multiple takes were edited together KEEPING the actual audio from the footage as opposed to putting the recorded version of the song back overtop. I like.

[VIDEO] Fionn Regan "Be Good or Be Gone"


TOUR DATES:
09/08 - Bestival, Isle Of Wight, UK
09/15 - Longhorn Ballroom (w/ Lucinda Williams), Dallas, TX
09/16 - ACL Festival (Austin Ventures Stage), Austin, TX
09/19 - WorkPlay Theatre, Birmingham, AL
09/20 - The 5 Spot, Atlanta, GA
09/21 - The Basement (w/ Teddy Thompson), Nashville, TN
09/22 - Rudyard Kipling, Louisville, KY
09/24 - Lake Shore Theatre, Chicago, IL
09/26 - Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto, ON
09/27 - Cabaret, Montreal, Quebec
09/28 - Lizard Lounge, Boston, MA
09/29, 30 - Irving Plaza (w/ Lucinda Williams), New York, NY
10/02, 03, 04 - Town Hall (w/ Lucinda Williams), New York, NY
10/06 - Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, San Francisco, CA
10/08 - Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA
10/10 - World Cafe Live Downstairs, Philadelphia, PA
10/12 - Blender Theater @ Gramercy, New York, NY
10/13 - IOTA Club & Cafe, Arlington, VA
10/14 - Cultural Center Theater, Charleston, WV
10/22 - Social, Nottingham, UK
10/23 - Little Civic, Wolverhampton, UK
10/24 - Komedia, Brighton, UK
10/26 - Cockpit, Leeds, UK
10/27 - Night and Day, Manchester, UK
10/28 - King Tuts, Glasgow, Scotland
10/30 - Plug, Sheffield, UK
10/31 - Kings College, London, UK
11/01 - Fleece, Bristol, UK
11/03 - Vicar Street, Dublin, Ireland

SO MANY GOOD NEW SONGS....

A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS
Holy crap is this band fucking loud. Their music is a literal wall of sound...beautiful, tangible, organic sound. Highly recommended!

[MP3] A Place To Bury Strangers - My Weakness from "S/T" (via Box.net)
A Place To Bury Strangers - website | Myspace


LIARS
How do I explain the Liars? Not sure, but this song reminds me of looking over the edge of a 30-story bldg. when you're afraid of heights...exhilarating, piercing & overwhelming all at the same time. This whole album is also recommended!

[MP3] Liars - What Would They Know from "S/T" (via Box.net)
Liars - website | Myspace


NINA NASTASIA AND JIM WHITE
I've been traveling a bit, as of late, and this what I listened to on my way back from New York...which was perfect because this is definitely exploratory music. Take your time with this album, it will not disappoint.

[MP3] Nina Nastasia And Jim White - How Will You Love Me? from "You Follow Me" (via Box.net)
Nina Nastasia - website | Myspace


POLYNYA
I was just sent this track a couple of days ago (I'm anxiously awaiting the full CD in the mail), and it's so much fuckin' fun!!! It's like Sonic Youth, Le Tigre & Huggy Bear playing at the same time in your younger sibling's room (where it doesn't matter what the hell breaks) while 20 people have a no-holds-barred, feather-flyin' pillow fight.......fun. Hope the rest of the album is as interesting as this song is.

[MP3] Polynya - Sweatshop from "S/T" (via Box.net)
Polynya - website | Myspace

VIDEO: Menomena "Evil Bee"

I'd almost forgotten about this album amongst the deluge of amazing music that we've seen so far this year (I'm definitely going to change my "Top 25 of 2007" list to "Top 35..."). The video made me revisit it today, and guess what...it's even better after a few months of no listening. It's in my top ten, folks...count on it.

NEW Gogol Bordello Tour Dates!!

My absolute favorite live band ever, is coming back to Atlanta!! It seems like a lifetime since I saw them last, around Fall 2004. The last time I saw them, they played the 40 Watt in Athens, GA (the above pics are from that show) and every single one of those 60 or so people were having the fucking time of their lives. Since then they've gotten a ton of well-deserved attention: like playing with Madonna(!!) at Live Earth, Eugene co-starred in "Everything is Illuminated" with Elijah Wood, and he is now slated to star in Madonna's directorial debut "Filth and Wisdom" in 2008. So I guess that means that there will be more than 60 or so people at this next show. Good for you guys, you totally fucking deserve it. If you haven't seen them live yet, you are totally missing out...I've seen so many shows over my 16+ years of attending concerts, and Gogol Bordello has by far put on the most energetic & fun show I've ever seen. You should go.

DATES WITH DESTINY:
08-31 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
09-01 Seattle, WA - Bumbershoot Festival
09-02 Vancouver, British Columbia
10-07 New Haven, CT - Toad's PLace
10-09 Toronto, Ontario - Opera House
10-10 Montreal, Quebec - Club Soda
10-11 Boston, MA - The Roxy
10-13 Lewiston, ME - The Gray Cage
10-15 Asbury Park, NJ - Stone Pony
10-16 Baltimore, MD - Sonar
10-18 Blacksburg, VA - Lyric Theater
10-19 Atlanta, GA - Roxy Theatre
10-20 New Orleans, LA - Tipitina's
10-21 Dallas, TX - Granada Theatre
10-22 Austin, TX - Emo's
10-24 Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
10-25 Los Angeles, CA - Mayan Theatre
10-26 Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre
10-27 Las Vegas, NV - Vegoose Festival
10-29 Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater
11-01 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
11-03 New York, NY - Terminal 5

Gogol Bordello - website | Myspace

NEW VIDEOS!!!

[VIDEO] Okkervil River "Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe":


[VIDEO] Animal Collective "Peacebone":

Burn To Shine: Vol. 6: Atlanta

On July 29, 2007, Mastodon, Deerhunter, Black Lips, Snowden, the Selmanaires, Shannon Wright, The Coathangers, The Carbonas, The Liverhearts, The Mighty Hannibal, Delia Gartrell, and the All Night Drug Prowling Wolves performed one song each at 54 Moreland Ave. in Atlanta as part of the Brendan Canty (Fugazi) & Christoph Green DVD series, "Burn To Shine". The DVD series, which documents a particular city's bands performing in a space slated for demolition, has already completed similar sets in Washington (DC), Portland (OR), Seattle (WA), Chicago (IL), and Louisville (KY). Much thanks to Chad Radford for posting pics of the Atlanta set (all of the above photos were taken by Chad).

You can purchase Vol. 1-3 via the Trixie DVD website as a bundle package (with a reduced price) now. No word yet when Vol.4 (Seattle), Vol. 5 (Louisville) or Vol. 6 (Atlanta) will be released, but you can bet I'll first in line when they are.

Trixie DVD / Burn To Shine - website

Midlake To Release B-sides/Rarities Digital EP on Sept. 4th

Midlake are set to release the four track digital EP of rarities/b-sides, "Oak and Julian" on September 4 via iTunes. It includes acoustic versions of "Roscoe" & "It Covers The Hillsides", both off of another of last year's best albums "The Trials of Van Occupanther" (#8 in my Top 25 of 2006 list), and two previously vinyl-only tracks.

Midlake - "Oak and Julian" EP
1. Roscoe (Acoustic Version)
2. It Covers The Hillsides (Acoustic Version)
3. Marion
4. Mornings Will Be Kind

TOUR DATES:
Tue - Sep 04 @ The Earl, Atlanta, GA
Wed - Sep 05 @ Cat's Cradle, Carrboro, NC
Thu - Sep 06 @ Black Cat, Washington, DC
Fri - Sep 07 @ Theatre of Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Sat - Sep 08 @ Webster Hall, New York, NY
Sun - Sep 09 @ Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA
Tue - Sep 11 @ Grog Shop, Cleveland, OH
Wed - Sep 12 @ Metro, Chicago, IL
Sun - Sep 16 @ Austin City Limits, Austin, TX
Thu - Sep 20 @ Numbers, Houston, TX
Mon - Sep 24 @ Rhythm Room, Phoenix, AZ
Tue - Sep 25 @ Henry Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
Wed - Sep 26 @ Belly Up Tavern, Solana Beach / San Diego, CA
Thu - Sep 27 @ Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA
Sat - Sep 29 @ Doug Fir, Portland, OR
Sun - Sep 30 @ Crocodile Cafe, Seattle, WA
Tue - Oct 02 @ Bluebird Theatre, Denver, CO
Wed - Oct 03 @ Jackpot, Lawrence, KS

Midlake - website

Grizzly Bear to release new 10-track "Friend" EP

I'm back! New York was a blast thanks to two very amazing friends of mine (Sarah & Andrew, you are the BEST!). The Bookeaters benefit show was interesting, short sets by some very amazing talents (I will post pics/show review later this week), including Kevin Drew who I wasn't even expecting to be there (he was very good BTW). But onto the news at hand, Grizzly Bear (who also had an amazing set at the Bookeaters show) are set to release a 10 song EP, Friend, via Warp Records on November 6th. No track listing yet, but I'm sure we'll see more info soon. This will be the first new material since last year's fantastic Yellow House (which was #2 in my Top 25 of 2006).

Grizzly Bear - website