Instrumental Analysis

And the winner of this week’s open call for Throwback Thursday is… me!?! Since I had zero suggestions, I had to wing it. The sad thing is that somebody could have written in and said Vanilla Ice and they would have won. The good news is that I came up with something at the eleventh hour. Our weekly throwback artist is… Morphine.

Morphine was a nineties band from the Boston area. The funny thing about them is that there are a lot of people reading this that have never heard of them. They were cool like that, in an underground way. Their sound is very unique. For the most part, it consisted of a 2-string bass, various percussion and sax. Tragically, lead singer Mark Sandman died of a heart attack on stage in 1999.

I am very fortunate to have seen them at the 9:30 Club in DC, literally a couple of months before his death. It was a great show and one of the ones that I am proudest to have witnessed. In concert, they played with bass, sax and two drummers. Sandman did poetry readings in between songs. I also remember it being a very loud show.

So enjoy this week’s throwback. If you don’t know them, try something new. Mike will be filling in next week and he has a good one planned. As for the prize that went unclaimed, it will be added back to the pool that will be given away for our first contest. Look for details on that in the near future.

Good
You Look Like Rain
The Saddest Song

Yes
Honey White
Yes

Cure For Pain
Candy
Cure For Pain

Greatest Hits: ‘92-’95
Buena
I’m Free Now

Like Swimming
Wishing Well
French Fries With Pepper

The Night
The Night

Past Throwbacks:
08/24/06: The Lemonheads
08/17/06: Depeche Mode
08/10/06: New Order

There are some bands that you just cannot get out of your head. Recently, there was a band that found me on myspace. We started talking and became penpals. Now, things will never be the same. Before I even touch on their music or cd, I have to talk about them and their amazing backstory. This story is so unbelievable, that it has to be true.

Astroladies are an indie band located in Belgium. According to their official bio, they are a four piece comprised of “a half Congolese computer freak, a nearly blind Italian guitar player who is about as tall as his pedalboard is long, a monomaniac Belgian voice and a Vespa freak on drums.”

According to Vincent, their sound “originates from poverty rather than intention”. He says that “Frederik plays a second hand Roland Juno 106 and if he’s lucky his Casio SK-1 will join in, until it breaks down… again! I play the cheapest guitar I could find, an Ibanez Jetking II. The computer that we use for live shows exploded a couple weeks ago and the entire band is technically unemployed.”

They are “about as unsigned as one can be.” They are trying to promote their album and receive some positive attention so that future releases can be on a proper label and have actual distribution. They are trying to play as much as possible, but are having problems finding gigs and airplay in their own country without a proper label or promotion. Vincent said, “we did our first gig in a psychiatric hospital. The crowd ‘liked’ us so much that we had to hide backstage. We got paid with ice cream on that occasion.” He also told me that they would love to come play in America, but they would “probably have to sell some of their vital organs to make that happen.”

How is the music, you ask? Well, Neon Tokyo is absolutely brilliant. If you didn’t know their back story, you never would have guessed it. This does not sound like an album that was recorded in those conditions with such poor instrumentation. I have received a lot of low budget recordings, but I have never heard one that sounds this professionally done. I have played this for friends who are not in to this type of music and they all have said that while it is not their thing, it sounds really good.

I was trying to figure out how to describe their sound. The best that I could come up with is a combination of early Depeche Mode, very early New Order and Auchtung Baby era U2. The guitars on some of the tracks are what remind me of U2. Neon Tokyo, Meet Me At The OC8, Swallows and The Management Has Failed 2day are all really good songs. In all honesty, I never fast forwarded through any of the 11 songs, which is very rare for my short attention span. They have a lot of talent and a sense of desperation. That combination is what makes them a good band.

I am going to post a few of their tracks. It was hard for me to pick a couple to post, because there are so many different sides to their sound. If you would like to hear more, become their friend. They also have some videos and a remix available there. If you like their music, please support them. In the states, you can purchase their album on iTunes.

Finally, post a comment or shoot me an email. I would love to hear what you think about these guys.

Astroladies – Neon Tokyo
Astroladies – Meet Me At The OC8
Astroladies – The Management Has Failed 2day

The calendar turns to September this weekend, which means only two weeks until the Festival! The big names are getting ready to filter through central Texas. Until then, let’s see who will be in the ATX this week.

As Joe said in his post, the dinosaurs are out this week. I am not a huge fan of punk and hardcore bands, but two of the most well known and influential ones are playing together Wednesday at Stubbs: X and The Rollins Band.

On Thursday, Stubbs has San Antonio’s Buttercup and the latest Austin buzz band, Oh No! Oh My!. Friday night brings Gil Mantera’s Party Dream to Emo’s. They are they best thing to come out of Youngstown, OH since Joe. They will be joined by Texas locals The Lord Henry, lalaland and February Chorus. You need to listen to their Fleetwood Mac cover. It is frightening, yet addictive.

The big show of the week is at the Continental Club on Friday. National buzz band Snowden is coming along with local bands The Onlys and For Those Who Know. Additionally, Snowden will be doing an in-store at End of an Ear at 6pm. Hopefully I will see you guys Friday night.

Finally, I want to show you some love. AT&T is sponsoring a free show at Stubbs on September 13 featuring Gnarls Barkley. They are giving away tickets starting Wednesday 8/30. Please check here for more details.

X – Los Angeles
Rollins Band – Liar
Buttercup – Anti-Antartica
Oh No! Oh My! – Walk in the Park
Gil Mantera’s Party Dream – Dreams
The Lord Henry – Like You Like Me
Lalaland – Crack Up
February Chorus – Cars and Planes
Snowden – Black Eyes
The Onlys – Ah Happiness
For Those Who Know – Competition
Gnarls Barkely – Gone Daddy Gone

Sometimes I find sites that are so good, that I need to pimp them. One that fits the bill is Daytrotter. Instead of talking about the same bands as everyone else, they invite the bands that everyone else is talking about to stop at their studio in Rock Island, IL for 2 hours between tour stops. While they are there, the bands record 4 exclusive songs that are made available for free on Daytrotter’s site. Some are covers, some are unreleased, some are old rarities and some are just reworked versions of the songs that you love. In all cases, it is pure quality. Some recent sessions include Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Maritime and French Kicks. They recently recorded a wonderful set by Cold War Kids that includes two unreleased tracks and a great version of Hospital Beds. Please check these guys out and give them your love, they deserve it.

I had to save the best for last. On Thursday night, AVECduet will be having a cd release party at The Talking Head. Nashville’s Forget Cassettes will also be on the bill. They are suporting their superb new disc Salt. If you forget how I feel about them, see this to refresh your memory.

AVECduet is one half of local band AVEC. I know, how the hell did they get a band like Forget Cassettes to play their cd release party? Shawna Potter (AVEC’s lead singer) used to be in a Nashville band called Fair Verona. Two of her bandmates were Forget Cassettes singer Beth Cameron and drummer Aaron Ford. Once you listen to their mp3, this pairing will make sense. They really are not too bad themselves. This should be a stellar show and I highly recommend it to anyone who will be in the area.

AVECduet – Chase Adam
Forget Cassettes – Quiero, Quieres

I also have mp3s of 2 in-studio broadcasts from Forget Cassettes recorded at WOXY. The first one was recorded in August 2005 and includes the following songs: Sleeper, Vis-A-Vis, Tabula Rasa, Nicholas and Venison. The second one was recorded this month and has these tunes: Venison, Quiero Quieres, Lonely Does It and Nicholas.

August 26, 2005
August 18, 2006

Finally, I have a live video of Forget Cassettes performing Quiero, Quieres.

Forget Cassettes – Quiero, Quieres

Technically, summer’s last hurrah is upon us and for whatever reason, dinosaurs are taking over the region this week.

Ironically, the week begins with Dinosaur Jr. at The Ottobar. Thursday brings World Party and Elvis Perkins to the Rams Head Tavern in Annapolis. Mike, didn’t you see WP in the early 90’s?

Friday has two shows that make me feel like I am still rocking out to cassettes in my old ass ‘87 Chevy Spectrum circa 1993. The Violent Femmes and their pals Langhorne Slim invade Rams Head Live. One of the original hardcore bands, Gorilla Biscuits; are back together and will play a sold out show at The Ottobar followed by an after party that features a solo acoustic set by Walter Schreifels.

Fortunately there is some new blood circulating through the region this week. Los Angeles band Gliss will be at The Sidebar Tavern on Friday night. They will be joined by Crooked Looks, Life in Bed and The Closer I Get. John Ralston will be at The Ottober on Saturday night.

Heading to Pennsylvania, Saturday brings Ennui and A Choir Silence to The Chameleon Club. For those looking for a relaxing time, the Kipona Festival is in Harrisburg Saturday through Monday and features a lot of acoustic acts. It is “a celebration of sparkling water.” Darcie Miner will be headling the festival on Monday night.

Dinosaur Jr. – Feel the Pain
World Party – What Does It Mean Now?
Elvis Perkins – Ash Wednesday
Violent Femmes – Good Feeling
Langhorne Slim – Mary
Gorilla Biscuits – Start Today
Walter Schreifels – Arthur Lee’s Lullaby
Gliss – Blue Sky
Crooked Looks – Pay Day Baby
Life In Bed – Logic is Your Best Defense
The Closer I Get – August
John Ralston – Gone, Gone, Gone
Ennui – Tonight
A Choir Silence – Julia’s Harbor
Darcie Miner – Explain This To Me

Next Tuesday has two pretty big releases from American singer/songwriters. They are Pete Yorn’s Nightcrawler and Ray Lamontagne’s Till The Sun Turns Black.

The new Pete Yorn disc is his third studio album and it is the completion of his Morning (musicforthemorningafter, 2001)/Day (Day I Forgot, 2003)/Night (Nightcrawler, 2006) trilogy. Yorn says “When you hear it, you’ll understand. This could be the last one. I could be three records and out in this form. I might start a band and see where that takes me.” If it is half as good as musicforthemorningafter, he should be fine. I listened to that album for a year straight.

Ray Lamontagne is following up 2004’s Trouble. I heard a lot of these songs when I saw him live last month. They sound like a natural progression from his first disc. He is not making any major musical breakthroughs, but with him it has always been about the lyrics anyway. On a side note, Ray did a lot of work before Trouble. His early albums a demos are available here.

Pete Yorn – For Us
Ray Lamontagne – Three More Days
Ray Lamontagne – Empty (Live from Bonnaroo)

If we were asked to name our favorite current bands, Bloc Party would be a consensus pick. Today is a good day, because today seems to be Bloc Party day. Adding to an already crazy week, we have info on the new album, the new US tour and we stumbled upon a demo. If you don’t have a clue who we are talking about, you have to check this out.

The new album is slated for late ‘06/ early ‘07 release. It does not yet have an official title, but it sounds like they are being much more experimental on this album. Kele Okereke says the album is “dark, bigger and quite abrasive. It’s not noisy, but it’s quite dense. I think it’s going to require people to make an effort with it. There’s a lot of interplay and a lot of detail. There are some slower moments too. I was aware that we didn’t have very many songs that were laid back. Everything was frenetic and that’s fine, but we wouldn’t be doing ourselves any justice as musicians if we just ploughed the same furrow.” More information can be attained here. In addition, they have revealed the track shortlist for the new album. Songs which don’t appear on the album will be used as b-sides. The songs are:

A Prayer to the Lord
England
Hunting for Witches
It Started in an Afternoon
Kreuzberg
On
Seroxat
Song for Clay (Disappear Here)
Sunday
Uniform
Waiting for the 7:18
We Were Lovers
Where Is Home?

As far as a tour goes, the good news is they will be going on one during the late fall. The bad news is that they will be opening for Panic! At The Disco. The Dates are:

* 11/7 – Sunrise, FL @ Bank Atlantic Center
* 11/8 – Orlando, FL @ UCF Arena
* 11/9 – Atlanta, GA @ HiFi Buys Amphitheatre
* 11/10 – Charlotte, NC @ Cricket Arena
* 11/11 – Fairfax, VA @ Patriot Center
* 11/13, 14 – New York, NY @ The Theatre at Madison Square Garden
* 11/16 – Toronto, ON @ Ricoh Coliseum
* 11/17 – Rochester, NY @ Gordon Field House at R.I.T.
* 11/18 – Lowell, MA @ Paul E. Tsongas Arena
* 11/19 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wachovia Center
* 11/21 – Detroit, MI @ The Palace of Auburn Hills
* 11/22 – Chicago, IL @ UIC Pavilion
* 11/24 – Minneapolis, MN @ US Bank Theatre at Target Center
* 11/25 – St. Louis, MO @ St. Charles County Family Arena
* 11/26 – Council Bluffs, IA @ Mid America Center
* 11/28 – Denver, CO @ Magness Arena
* 11/29 – West Valley City, UT @ The E Center
* 12/1 – Portland, OR @ Memorial Coliseum
* 12/2 – Vancouver, BC @ Pacific Coliseum
* 12/3 – Seattle, WA @ Everett Events Center
* 12/5 – San Jose, CA @ HP Pavilion
* 12/6 – Long Beach, CA @ Long Beach Arena
* 12/7 – Glendale, AZ @ Glendale Arena
* 12/8 – Las Vegas, NV @ Orleans Theatre
* 12/9 – San Diego, CA @ ipayOne Center

Finally, we found a demo floating around. It is for the track Song For Clay (Disappear Here) and was supposedly recorded earlier this year. According to blocparty.net, “‘Song For Clay’ is about the main character in Brett Easton Ellis’ novel ‘Less Than Zero’. A rich young college student who returns to his hometown of Los Angeles for the winter break. Clay subsequently becomes bored and turns to drugs and cheap thrills to keep him occupied, resulting in further boredom. This dizzying spiral of desperation takes him to relentless parties in glitzy mansions, seedy bars, and underground rock clubs as he seeks inner direction.” If this is any indication of what the finished album will sound like, it is going to be great.

Bloc Party – Song For Clay (Disappear Here) – Demo

For this week’s throwback, I was leaning in several directions. After their new song leaked yesterday, I knew that I had to go with The Lemonheads. While they may not be one of my absolute favorites, they will always have a special place in my heart. Way back in the day, they were my first indie rock show. Since that fateful day, they have released music in various forms and Evan Dando did some solo things. Now they are back, kind of. Evan got a new group together to record and tour under the old name. Their new album drops in late September on Vagrant. Until then, let’s take a trip down memory lane. Enjoy!

The Lemonheads – Hate Your Friends (1987)
The Lemonheads – Confetti (1992)
The Lemonheads – It’s a Shame About Ray (1992)
The Lemonheads – Into Your Arms (1993)
The Lemonheads – If I Could Talk I’d Tell You (1996)
The Lemonheads – No Backbone (2006)

A bonus Whitney Houston Cover….
Evan Dando – How Will I Know

Past Throwbacks:
08/17/06: Depeche Mode
08/10/06: New Order

Hot enough for ya? I’m sweating more than a…well I don’t know what ’cause my brain melted about 4 days ago from this heat. Maybe some live music will cool you and me off. This is some of the stuff that is happening around town this week.

Thursday 8/24 @ Stubb’s inside the club: Birdmonster. Worth a listen. Plus get some good grub upstairs before the show.

Thursday 8/24 @ Antone’s: Tim Reynolds. Guitar magic at the home of the Blues.

Friday 8/25 @ Red Eyed Fly: Alpha Rev. Austin-based Casey McPherson led outfit. Definately worth a look and listen.

Saturday 8/26 @ The Parish: Hairy Apes BMX. The BMX stands for Butt Movin’ eXperience. Prepare yourself for a funk-tastic good time.

So get out there Austin and party. While you wait to go to the shows, have a listen to some of the tracks.

Birdmonster – Ice Age (live)
Alpha Rev – Big Blow
Hairy Apes BMX – Phone Numbers