Of Montreal "Hissing Fauna Are You The Destroyer?"

So I also wanted to mention that the new Of Montreal album, "Hissing Fauna Are You The Destroyer?" is way awesome as well. Local guys and gals making absolutely bad-ass music. I have to say it's definitely one of my favorites so far this year. Pitchfork gave it a 8.7. Athens represent.

Buy it at Insound,
or Criminal Records.

Accessible is not a dirty word

So I just bought the new Deerhoof album, "Friend Opportunity". No, I didn't download it when it leaked like 4 months ago..not that I don't do that kind of thing (sample purposes only..I buy, I swear!!), I just wanted to wait. I sometimes get a little nostalgic about going to the record store the day something comes out, you know...other people there buying the same record, talking about the band in line with some stranger, the guy behind the counter playing the album in the store's stereo, anxiously waiting to buy the CD and aimlessly drive around for an hour playing it. Ahh, memories. So I'm glad I waited. This album fucking kicks. No fucking lie..it really kills. Amazing, and every other word for amazing: astounding, stunning, staggering, shocking, breathtaking, sensational, remarkable and FUCKIN' AWESOME!! I read some reviews of it, and one word that seems to get used a lot is accessible. Like, "the new Deerhoof album is their most accessible to date". So what do they mean by accessible? Does "accessible" mean you access the album, or does the album access you (more specifically, the "happy center" part your brain). I like to think it's the latter. And man has my "happy center" been accessed. Yeah the art rock spazziness is not as art-rocky. So? Now their spazziness is hard-rock-alicious. Hooray for my "happy center"!
I do have to say it was fun driving around listening to this album full blast. Especially when I would pull up next to someone at a light. I wonder if they thought "Tinky Winky" just put out rock album.

Buy it at Insound,
or Criminal Records.

Menomena announce tour

Menomena, whose new album "Friend or Foe" just came out yesterday, announced their North American tour plans. "Friend or Foe" is quickly becoming a contender for my album of year spot...at least so far. I highly recommend seeing them live, here are the dates:

01-28 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
02-02 Seattle, WA - Crocodile Cafe
02-03 Vancouver, British Columbia - Pat's Pub
03-09 San Francisco, CA - Cafe du Nord
03-10 Los Angeles, CA - Echo
03-20 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
03-21 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
03-23 Toronto, Ontario - El Mocambo
03-24 Ottawa, Ontario - Zaphod Beeblebrox
03-25 Montreal, Quebec - Main Hall
03-27 Allston, MA - Great Scott
03-28 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
03-29 Princeton, NJ - Princeton University
03-30 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's
03-31 Washington, DC - Rock & Roll Hotel
04-01 Carrboro, NC - Local 506
04-03 Atlanta, GA - The Drunken Unicorn
04-07 Denver, CO - Hi-Dive

Menomena - website
Menomena - Myspace

Criminal Records Midnight Sale tonight!!

Just a friendly reminder that Criminal Records will hosting a midnight sale/party tonight. The new Shins album 9 hours before everyone else? Free cake too? Sold.

"Don't forget our big midnight sale (and belated birthdays party) this Monday around 11:59PM. You are all invited, even if you don't know whose birthdays we're belatedly celebrating and even if you don't plan on buying the new Shins or new anything. (Not that I'm going to discourage you from buying stuff if that's what you want to do. You can buy whatever you want. Or not. No pressure, that's all. It'll just be a nice little get-together. With the option to buy stuff. If you want.) There'll be cake. Actually, there will two cakes, baked by our friend, Garland! And there will be ice cream, various beverages, and other goodies. See, I told you it was a party!"


Criminal Records | 466 Moreland Avenue NE | Atlanta | GA | 30307

Band of Horses take a small jaunt to Atlanta...oh, and some other cities too

Band of Horses are going out on a small six-day tour starting in St. Augustine, FL. and ending in Knoxville, TN. They play The Earl in Atlanta on 3/14. If you're in the Atlanta area, don't miss an opportunity to see this amazing live band in a small club setting. The Earl may be a small club, but it more than makes up for it with it's sexiness (Playboy hearts da' Earl!).

03-10 St. Augustine, FL - Cafe Eleven
03-11 Sunrise, FL - Langerado Festival
03-12 Orlando, FL - The Social
03-13 Gainesville, FL - Common Grounds
03-14 Atlanta, GA - The Earl
03-15 Knoxville, TN - Blue Cats

The wait will be over soon...

So next Tuesday (January 23rd), will bring an absolute shit-ton of new (and highly anticipated) music releases. And here they are:

The Shins "Wincing The Night Away"
Deerhoof "Friend Opportunity"
Menomena "Friend or Foe"
Of Montreal "Hissing Fauna Are You The Destroyer?"
Rob Crow "Living Well"
Six Parts Seven "Casually Smashed To Pieces"
Mew "Frengers" (US release)

On the horizon:
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah "Some Loud Thunder" - 1/30/07
Deerhunter "Cryptograms" - 1/30/07
Lily Allen "Alright Still" (US release) - 1/30/07
Apples In Stereo "New Magnetic Wonder" - 2/06/07
Bloc Party "Weekend in the City" - 2/06/07
Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter "Like, Love, Lust, and the Open Halls of the Soul"- 2/06/07
Jesu "Conqueror" - 2/06/07
Explosions in the Sky "All Of a Sudden I Miss Everyone" - 2/20/07
Peter Bjorn & John "Writers Block" (US release) - 2/20/07
Arcade Fire "Neon Bible" - 3/06/07
!!! "Myth Takes" - 3/06/07
Air "Pocket Symphony" - 3/06/07
Bright Eyes "Four Winds EP" - 3/06/07
Gruff Rhys "Candylion" - 3/06/07
Andrew Bird "Armchair Apocrypha" - 3/20/07
LCD Soundsystem "Sound of Silver" - 3/20/07
Low "Drums and Guns" - 3/20/07
Ponys "Turn the Lights Out" - 3/20/07
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists "Living With the Living" - 3/20/07
Bright Eyes "Cassadaga" - 4/10/07
Pelican "City of Echoes" - 5/22/07

Save your money.

Buy these releases from Insound.

Questionable Content

There's a really great online web-comic I've been reading for awhile, Questionable Content. A friend of mine turned me onto it by saying, "Hey, you gotta check this out. It's web-comic about love and indie rock!" "Oh yeah, and there's this little robot that acts like a cross between John Belushi's Animal House character and a 5-year old."
Sold.
Jeph Jacques is the creator, and he's been crankin' it out, five days a week, for the past 3 years. The cast of characters has grown considerably since then, and so has the drama. It started off with just Marten and his Anthro-PC (pet-robot), Pint-Size. Marten meets Faye, who just wants to be friends..even though it's obvious he likes her. She moves in, they stay friends and the robot destroys things. Hilarity ensues. Currently on issue #797 (as of this post), a lot of things have changed since the first issue, including Jeph's drawing skills (pretty basic at first, now pretty damn good). I've got it set as my homepage and I never miss an issue. I suggest you check it out if you like obscure indie rock references, crass-but-witty humor, love, romance-novel writing rednecks and/or tequila monsters.
Questionable Content - website

Jesu "Conqueror"

So I've been really digging the new Jesu album, "Conqueror". Despite all the heavy drone and low-end sonics, it's actually quite pretty. Yes, pretty. Not that there's anything wrong with drone, I just wouldn't normally describe drone as "pretty". It invokes the same kind of visual/emotional imagery that bands like Sigur Ros and The Album Leaf do with me. Open water, expansive tundras, macrocosms and microcosms...like you could go forever in any direction, just exploring.
This is the second full-length (fourth release) by experimental metal guru, Justin Broadrick (Godflesh, Napalm Death), and I have to say this is definitely his best so far. I'm a designer, and when I'm working on something I like to listen to music that's not too distracting, instrumental stuff usually. This album is definitely too distracting. I find myself day-dreaming, thinking about obscure shit...oh wait, I have a deadline..crap! So if you can dedicate a hour to daydreaming, spirit-walking, or whatever the kids are calling it these days, then grab the earphones and a comfortable pillow and pop in "Conqueror". It's like seeing a really good movie. One that gets you all introspective afterwards. Very overwhelming, in a good way.

Download the song "Conqueror" here. (Via P'fork)

More upcoming Atlanta/Athens shows

Here they are like I promised:

Sat. 1/13/07 - Mission of Burma @ The Earl
Tue. 2/06/07 - Vetiver, Vashti Bunyan @ The 40 Watt Club
Thu. 2/08/07 - The Woggles @ The 40 Watt Club
Fri. 2/09/07 - The Woggles @ The Earl
Sat. 2/10/07 - Oxford Collapse, Thunderbirds Are Now! @ The Drunken Unicorn
Thu. 2/22/07 - Against Me! @ The 40 Watt Club
Thu. 2/22/07 - Ocha La Rocha (Record release show) @ The Earl
Fri. 2/23/07 - Sleep Therapy, Marnie Stern, Barr ***DO NOT MISS***@ The Drunken Unicorn
Thu. 3/01/07 - Red Sparrowes, Planes Mistaken For Stars @ The Drunken Unicorn
Sat. 3/03/07 - The Selmanaires @ The Drunken Unicorn
Fri. 3/09/07 - The Thermals @ The Drunken Unicorn
Sat. 3/10/07 - Rob Crow @ The Earl
Wed. 3/14/07 - Band of Horses @ The Earl
Mon. 3/19/07 - Asobi Seksu, Saturday Looks Good To Me @ The Drunken Unicorn
Tue. 3/20/07 - The Walkmen @ The Earl
Thu. 3/22/07 - Appleseed Cast @ The Drunken Unicorn
Thu. 3/22/07 - Aqueduct, Priestbird (formerly Tarantula A.D.) @ The Earl
Sat. 3/24/07 - Bishop Allen, +/-, Say Hi To Your Mom @ The Earl
Sun. 4/08/07 - Sebadoh @ The Variety Playhouse
Sun. 4/15/07 - Junior Boys @ The Earl

As always if there are more I'll post 'em and if you got any, let me know!

Peter, Bjorn and John "Writers Block"...how'd I miss this??

Well I should should start off by saying that if I had known about this album before this month, then it would have had a place (a high one at that) on my Top 25 Albums of 2006 list. Maybe I'll ammend that...hmmmm. I am really dumbfounded as to how this album escaped my attention. I'm not sure what the hell I was doing when everyone was talking about this, but I hope it was worth it.
This album is utterly amazing. From the obviously awesome "Young Folks" (it was Pitchfork's #5 in their Top 100 Songs of 2006...but I bet you already knew that too) to tracks like "Poor Cow"(which reminds me of "Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy"-era Who) and "The Chills" (the driving drums and bass lines...my god). Man, Sweden must have something in the water because they are just crankin' out one amazing band after another. The only drawback to this album is that I wish there was more Victoria Bergsman on this album. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to settle for a close-to-perfect album. Sigh.

Peter Bjorn and John - Website
Peter Bjorn and John - MySpace

No posts, no worry.

Sorry about the lack of posts for the last couple of days. I've been really busy at home, and I had a performance of "Stomp" going on behind my temples last night (i.e. a bad migraine). But rest assured, I have quite a few things to put up. So that might mean multiple posts on the same day.

Right now, I can imagine that your squeals of excitement are probably annoying anyone within 20 ft. of you. So calm down, it will be alright. Those people next to you deserve to use the free Wi-Fi there at Starbucks in peace.

Hopefully I won't lag this far behind for awhile. Life can really screw up...well, life.

There's an all-night dance club in my car.

Ever since I downloaded the song "Phantom Part I" from Justice's Myspace, I haven't stopped playing it. I have an hour drive into work, I played it 9 times. 9 fucking times. This thing is infectious, seriously. I haven't been sucked in like this since Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger". The song consists of a driving bass line, catchy-as-fuck keyboard melody and some of the best use of electronic glitches since Radiohead. There's this metal-like breakdown in the middle comprised of what sounds like a CD skipping, but scratched and controlled. Fan-tastic!! Justice is a French duo, Xavier de Rosnay & Gaspard Auge, and the song is apparently just a track they released on their Myspace page with no plans to put it on their new album. If this is just a throw away track, then I can't imagine how bad-ass the actual album will be. After a quick search, I found that I had already heard some of their stuff in the form of a remix they did of Death From Above 1979's "Blood On Our Hands", which I loved as well. Until I'm able to host MP3s, I'll just have to point you to places who can. Download it here. (Via Pitchfork)