GREAT NEW MUSIC: The Mabuses "Mabused"

Man, my mind has been wanderin', wanderin', wanderin' for the last hour or so. I can't really explain, at least coherently, where it's been. All I can say is that it was a very waking-dream state kind of experience. The catalyst...the new album from The Mabuses, "Mabused". I can't really explain the music either, only to say that it's very playful and it's palette is varied and expansive. For fans of Syd Barrett, Grizzly Bear, early Elephant Six stuff, Joanna Newsom, Devendra Banhart & Menomena...hell, anything good and truly exploratory. Be prepared. You're about to jump down the rabbit hole, and I can't say for sure what you'll find there. Just make sure your headphones are on tight!!

Mabused will be released on Sept. 25 via their own record label, Magpie Records.

[MP3] The Mabuses - Mirth from "Mabused" (via Box.net)
[MP3] The Mabuses - Sugarland from "Mabused" (via Box.net)

Jesu/Eluvium limited edition split 12", available for pre-order.

If you're anything like me, then you've been jonesing to hear some new material from Jesu. Well don't just stand there and shake in the corner! Go pre-order the new Jesu/Eluvium split 12" from Temporary Residence now! It's limited to 4000 copies (2000 Temporary Residence versions and 2000 Hydrahead versions..the HH versions are different than the TR ones, and will be available shortly), and the TR version is available in two colors, red and black! It features three new songs from Jesu, and one long song in three parts from Eluvium! Go! Buy! Here!

Stereogum releases OK X: A Tribute to OK Computer

Stereogum gets the hotness award this year!! Getting some amazing talent to cover "OK Computer" in it's entirety, then offering it up for FREE DOWNLOAD!!! You really couldn't pay tribute to one of the most influential & envelope-pushing albums of all time any better than that. Kudos Stereogum, kudos. Bands who contributed tracks include: The Twilight Sad, Vampire Weekend, Cold War Kids, David Bazan, Doveman, My Brightest Diamond, John Vanderslice, and more. I haven't finished listening to the whole thing yet, but so far it's light years better than most of the tribute albums I heard before. Which is saying a lot.

You can download the whole album, here.

Stars announce tour & release new album early!!

Canadian indie-popsters Stars, in an attempt to foil those damn music pirates, digitally released their newest album "In Our Bedroom After the War" yesterday. The album was supposed to come out on Sept. 25 (the physical album's release is still 9/25). They're hoping that given the choice to download the album legally, that fans will do the right thing. I did, and it felt real good. They also announced their fall tour dates which you can check out below.

Buy the digital version of "In Our Bedroom After the War" from iTunes, or from the Arts & Crafts website.

[MP3] Stars - The Night Starts Here from "In Our Bedroom After The War" (via Box.net)

Tour dates:
09-06 Grand Rapids, MI - Calvin College Fine Arts Center
09-08 Montreal, Quebec - Parc Jean-Drapeau (Osheaga Festival)
09-09 Toronto, Ontario - Virgin Festival
10-17 South Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
10-18 New York, NY - Town Hall
10-19 Boston, MA - Berklee Performance Centre
10-20 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
10-24 Philadelphia, PA - Starlight Ballroom
10-26 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
10-27 Atlanta, GA - The Variety Playhouse
10-28 Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder
10-30 Austin, TX - Stubb's BBQ
10-31 Dallas, TX - House of Blues
11-02 Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre
11-03 Minneapolis, MN - Pantages Theatre
11-04 Omaha, NE - Slowdown
11-06 Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre
11-08 Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre
11-09 San Diego, CA - House of Blues
11-10 Los Angeles, CA - The Orpheum
11-13 San Francisco, CA - Bimbo's 365 Club
11-14 San Francisco, CA - Bimbo's 365 Club
11-15 Portland, OR - The Crystal Ballroom
11-16 Seattle, WA - The Showbox

Boris & Michio Kurihara coming to Atlanta in October

Boris & Michio Kurihara, whose recent collaboration "Rainbow" is one of my favorite releases this year. Having missed them when they played here last year (Sparklehorse was the same night, :( ), this is great news for yours truly. I have been reading about how sick they sound live and now I get to witness this first hand. Plus, I'm pretty psyched about seeing them perform their "Rainbow" material with Michio. So it's a win/win. They haven't released the rest of the dates for this tour yet, but as soon as they do I'll post 'em.

Boris w/ Michio Kurihara @ The Earl, 10/22

The National on Daytrotter.com

Man, you gotta love those guys over at Daytrotter...they keep delivering some great live sets from some some really great bands. The latest in this long list is The National, who decided to include a cover of the Psychedelic Furs classic, "Pretty in Pink" in their set (which is pretty damn good, btw). Download the whole session here.

GREAT LOCAL MUSIC: Gringo Star (formerly A-Fir-Ju-Well)

So the forthcoming self-titled EP from Gringo Star (formerly A-Fir-Ju-Well) has hit my iPod and it's still spinnin'...both the 'Pod and the music. I've been a A-Fir-Ju-Well fan for awhile, it was always easy to find out when they were playing next because they used old tree stumps, furniture, crates & even refrigerator doors as giant "pain in the ass to remove" flyers. They put those huge painted motherfuckers in high traffic areas of Atlanta which pretty much guaranteed two things: everyone at least "knew" of A-Fir-Ju-Well, and the flyers never got torn down. So now they go by Gringo Star, same band different name. This new self-titled EP has some re-worked "A-Fir-Ju-Well" classics, as well as some new tracks. All of which still have that 60's mod/spanish/southern-psychedelia flavor that made me a fan in the first place. They're currently touring, so check 'em out if you feel so inclined. I highly recommend you do.

TOUR DATES:
07/09 - Flying Monkey Art's Center, Huntsville, AL
07/10 - White Water Tavern, Little Rock, AK
07/11 - Creepy Crawl, St. Louis, MO
07/12 - The Lakeshore Theater, Chicago, IL
07/13 - Southgate House (Free Show!!), Newport KY
07/14 - 30th B-Day Party, New Bedford, MA
07/15 - Bar, New Haven, CT
07/16 - Mercury Lounge, New York, NY
07/17 - IOTA, Arlington, VA
07/19 - Asheville Pizza & Brewing, Asheville, NC
07/20 - The Rusty Nail, Wilmington, NC
07/21 - The Map Room, Charleston, SC

[MP3] Gringo Star - No Reason from "S/T EP" (via Box.net)
[MP3] Gringo Star - Transmission from "S/T EP" (via Box.net)

Gringo Star - Myspace

FREE St. Vincent performance @ Wordsmiths Books, Tuesday 7/10

St. Vincent (aka Annie Clark) will be performing a FREE show at Wordsmiths Books in Decatur, GA on Tuesday, 7/10 to celebrate the the release of her new album "Marry Me" which hits stores that day. The performance is at 8pm, and you can buy a copy of the new CD at the show. She will also be performing with Scout Niblett at The Earl the following night, Wed. 7/11. Tickets for that show will be $10.

Wordsmiths Books
141 E. Trinity Place
Decatur, GA 30030
(404) 378-7166
Wordsmiths Books - website

The Day After Independence Day Mix

So I decided to post this mix today instead of yesterday, because it's easy to get motivated and wrapped up in wanting to take care of this country on a holiday. It's the day after, when you have to motivate yourself, that's when you see if your feelings are still strong enough to actually do something. Hence the "The Day After Independence Day Mix". I love this country, not in a "my country is better than another" way, but rather in a "I grew up & live here, and I want to make sure all the good parts of it don't get abused and destroyed" kind of way. Just because I am out-spoken about the problems in this country doesn't mean I hate it, just the opposite, it means I actually give a shit and want to see those problems fixed. So yesterday, I celebrated the good things about this country and rekindled the flame of dissidence over the things that still need to be fixed. The freedom that was fought for (I used "fought", because I don't believe that we are currently fighting for OUR FREEDOM) in this country allows us a platform to speak out from as well as to affect change. This is one of the many reasons I love it here, and so I plan on using that freedom as much as I can...starting today. Enjoy the mix. Peace to all.

[MP3] Tom Waits - Road To Peace from "Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards" (via Box.net)
[MP3] John Lennon - Imagine from "Imagine" (via Box.net)
[MP3] Neil Young - Keep on Rocking in the Free World from "Freedom" (via Box.net)
[MP3] Pulp - The Day After The Revolution from "This Is Hardcore" (via Box.net)
[MP3] Violent Femmes - America Is from "Add It Up (1981-1993)" (via Box.net)
[MP3] Trey Parker & Matt Stone - America, Fuck Yeah! from "Team America - Soundtrack" (via Box.net)

Man Man @ The 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA 6/29/07: SHOW REVIEW

I haven't seen a show this spectacular since Gogol Bordello (one of my top four shows EVER, btw) a couple of years ago. This was musicianship & showmanship at it's finest, folks. A show so great, that the albums themselves pale in comparison to what Man Man is capable of delivering in their live performance. Like a hipster Peter Pan and his Lost Boys, Man Man performed in a wild, manic, fun-addicted frenzy decked out in all white (tennis short-shorts, t-shirts, polos & headbands) with streaks of white face paint, hell-bent on sucking us into their "happy place". Their stage setup was like a bed-sheet/pillow fort, with the lead singer and the drummer facing each other up front jumping around like 8 year olds hopped up on pixie sticks, while the other members surrounded them from behind frequently switching up instruments. Yet, it was all choreographed perfectly. The songs were spot on, and like I mentioned before, actually BETTER than the CD they came from. If there was ever a candidate for a live album, it would be Man Man. In fact, every album they record from now on should be live. From now on, whenever I'm stressed out & need to center myself, I'm gonna go back to that Man Man show. I'm gonna remember dancing my ass off, I'm gonna remember singing loudly & trying not to spill my PBR on the dude in front of me, I'm gonna remember the blur of lights and music, and I'm gonna chill out for awhile...in my new "happy place". Whatever you do, NEVER MISS a Man Man show. It WILL be the biggest mistake you will ever make (unless you're The President, then..well, you might be able to think of a bigger one).

MORE Interpol Tour dates!!

Interpol has just added more dates to their current tour in support of their album "Our Love To Admire" which comes out on 7/10, including an Atlanta date on 9/21.

DATES:
7/05 - POR - Lisbon Superbock Superrock
7/07 - Eire - Oxegen
7/08 - UK - T in the Park
7/19 - Rochester, NY - Harro East Ballroom
7/20 - Atlantic City, NJ - Music Box @ Borgata
7/21 - Norfolk, VA - Norva
7/23 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
7/24 - Pittsburgh, PA - Byham
7/25 - Columbus, OH - The LC Ampitheatre
7/27 - Grand Rapids, MI - Orbit Room
7/28 - Detroit, MI - State
7/30 - Milwaukee, WI - Rave
7/31 - Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian
8/01 - St. Louis, MO - Pageant
8/03 - Covington, KY - Madison Theatre
8/04 - Lollapalooza Chicago, IL - Grant Park
8/05 - V Festival Baltimore, MD - Pimlico Race Course
8/11 - JAP - Summersonic Festival
8/12 - JAP - Summersonic Festival
8/16 - Austria - Frequency Festival
8/17 - Germany - Highfield Festival
8/18 - Netherlands - Lowland Festival
8/20 - UK- Birmingham Academy
8/21 - UK - Newcastle Academy
8/22 - UK - Edinburgh Corn Exchange
8/24 - UK - Reading Festival
8/25 - UK - Leeds Festival
9/08 - Toronto, ON CAN V Festival
9/09 - Montreal, QC - Osheaga Festival
9/10 - Albany, NY - Palace Theatre
9/12 - Boston, MA - Agganis Arena
9/14 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
9/15 - Philadelphia, PA - Tower Theatre
9/16 - Raleigh, NC - Disco Rodeo
9/18 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
9/19 - Miami, FL - Bank United
9/21 - Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
9/22 - Nashville, TN – Ryman
9/23 - New Orleans, LA - Sugar Mill
9/25 - Houston, TX - Verizon Wireless Theatre
9/26 - Austin, TX – Stubbs
9/27 - Dallas, TX – Palladium
10/10 - Kansas City, KS – Uptown
10/11 - Chicago, IL – Aragon
10/12 - Minneapolis, MN - State Theatre
10/14 - Denver, CO – Fillmore
10/15 - Salt Lake City, UT - McKay Center
10/16 - Boise, ID - Big Easy
10/18 - Seattle, WA – Wamu
10/19 - Portland, OR - Memorial Coliseum
10/20 - San Francisco, CA - Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
10/23 - The Forum - Los Angeles, CA
11/12 - ITA - Florence - Sachhall
11/13 - ITA - Milan – Alcatraz
11/15 - SWITZ - Zurich - Volkshaus
11/16 - GER - Munich - Tonhalle
11/17 - GER - Berlin - Columbiahalle
11/19 - GER - Cologne - Palladium
11/20 - HOL - Tilburg - O13
11/23 - BEL Brussels - Forest National
11/24 - GER - Hamburg - Docks
11/25 - GER - Hamburg – Docks
11/28 - UK/ Blackpool Empress Ballroom
11/29 - UK/ London Alexandra Palace
11/30 - UK/ London Alexandra Palace

Kindercore Records is back!!

Thanks to Cable and Tweed for the heads up. Glad to see a great local independent label triumph over the those assholes that tried to take 'em down. Hopefully we can expect to see some cool releases from them soon! Glad to have you back guys!!!

Kindercore Records - website