Playing Soon
And tickets go on sale tomorrow at noon!
I’m psyched about Oliver Sacks, author of several of my favorite books, including The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Seeing Voices: A Journey into the World of the Deaf. He will talk from his newest, Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain at this year’s New Yorker Festival, which is promising mind-rejuvenating panels in abundance throughout the weekend of October 5 (full schedule). Then there’s Zadie Smith, whose last event in New York, an evening at BAM, sold out way in advance; who spoke with such fury and conviction at last year’s festival, and whose White Teeth remains one of the most refreshing books I’ve ever read. Also participating are Fiona Apple, Sigur Ros, Yo La Tengo, actor Bill Nighy, authors Salman Rushdie, Miranda July, Ian McEwan, Steve Martin, amongst many others.
Download Petra Haden’s cover of “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey (from Guilt by Association)
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Engine Room Recordings hosted a contest to mark the upcoming release of a compilation featuring “15 acclaimed underground artists covering their favorite guilty pleasure pop tunes”. They are now showing winning videos and other entries at YouTube, film student Andy Cahill emerging victorious with his stop-motion piece for Devendra Banhart’s rendition of “Don’t Look Back In Anger” by Oasis. This and other two other songs revealed by way of the videos – Petra Haden’s cover of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin” and Will Oldham‘s cover of Mariah Carey‘s “Can‘t Take That Away” – surely hint at Guilt by Association being an interesting take on guilty pleasure pop tunes. Launch parties will be hosted in various cities, including two in New York: August 21 at Pianos and September 7th, “the big launch” following September 4 release, at Joe’s Pub.
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Download “In Our Talons” (from Hymns for a Dark Horse)
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Firstly, Bowerbirds is returning to New York for two dates:
10-01 New York, NY – The Bowery Ballroom
10-02 Brooklyn, NY – Studio B
Mark these down, because the last time they played Bowery Ballroom (video!), they were quite fabulous. Secondly, given that Dan Deacon’s shuffle iPod, which remains taped to a plastic banana, went missing during a show in London, we can assume his cousin’s friend in the State Department was able to get him a passport for his first ever trip to Europe. On his “missing beast”, he posted a MySpace bulletin saying he’s not mad, but he’d like it back.
Photo: Jeffrey Scott
Beth Tacular of Bowerbirds, on the other hand, claims her accordion was stolen by Gumby, and is offering a $500 reward for the Gumby, with or without the accordion.
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After playing Irving Plaza summer dates, Australia’s Architecture in Helsinki will be “returning” to New York for two fall dates: October 11 at The Gramercy Theatre and October 12 at Studio B (most members seem to have settled down as Brooklyn residents anyway). La Blogotheque recently teamed up with the band for another accidental occupation of apartments in Paris, this time even borrowing electricity from one kitchen. On a previous occasion it was members of Holland’s Alamo Race Track performing from small balconies of a Parisian building. They, too, will be playing New York: this Thursday, August 2nd, as part of the showcase series hosted by NME at the Annex.
Download “Northern Territory” (from Black Cat John Brown)
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Download “The Night Starts Here” (from In Our Bedroom After the War)
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From the sound of this first peek and the title of their forthcoming album (In Our Bedroom After the War), Stars seems to be still weaving from the space where they’ve garnered most inspiration: the bedroom. A bedroom that witnesses the rise and the fall of a relationship, never not looking out to the same swaggering and staggering of the world outside. The album is coming to the US on September 25th, and the band will be playing Town Hall on October 18th. Pre-sale will be here.
Download “Love Song No. 7″ (from Some Loud Thunder)
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09.11 – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah / Blender Theater at Gramercy
09.14 – Do Make Say Think / New York Society for Ethical Culture
09.24 – Beirut / New York Society for Ethical Culture*
*I’m repeating this for context!
09.27 – Jose Gonzales / The Gramercy Theater
09.28 – Jose Gonzales / The Gramercy Theater
09.29 – Jose Gonzales / Music Hall Of Williamsburg
09.30 – Animal Collective / Webster Hall**
**and this too
Download “320″ (from the forthcoming XOXOXOXOXO)
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The duo from Brooklyn has just announced a few North American dates w/ Fujiya & Miyagi. Though these don’t include New York, head out to Cutting Room on July 2nd or Piano’s on July 18th to witness Jeremy Haines and Sammy Rubin’s contagiously jumpy music. The touring is in support of XOXOXOXOXO (that’s 5 each), coming out August 14th from Might Records. Posted here is “320″ from that record, a follow-up to last year’s debut with a self-titled EP.
And there are plenty of hot dancing tips in this video around for “HJIH”:
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My favorite song of the last two weeks: “The Purple Bottle” by Animal Collective from 2005’s Feels. It’s with much anticipation that I await their album Strawberry Jam and two consequent shows at Webster Hall. Tickets are still available for September 30th and October 1st. Until then, after the jump are some Bowery Ballroom shows to be pleased about (including two Panda Bear dates).
More after the jump.
Continue Reading »
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It’s taken me some time to get to Mirrored, the much talked-about album from Battles on Warp Records. Thankfully, I’ve also been oblivious to much of the hype (hate the hype, not the band, I say). The foursome will be playing Studio B on July 20, but I might miss that for Bishop Allen over at Seaport Music Festival, where Battles will be playing an August 31 date. Animal Collective, Danielson and XXX Change from Spank Rock are kicking the fest, which happens to be one of my favorites this summer, off today.
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Download the Parts & Labor podcast (from SoundOpinions.org)
Brooklyn’s “noise rockers” Parts & Labor play the loudest show Chicago Public Radio has ever hosted at their studios. First segment features analysis of R. Kelly’s sexual content. Don’t skip it if you want to hear him sing about how he’s a sexasaurus. Segment two includes Parts & Labor interview and in-studio performance. They talk about their own label, crazy leaving-New-York stories, their unique instrumentation and other things. The trio will also be playing a Brooklyn show on June 22nd at Above the Auto Parts Store (600 Bushwick Ave, Brooklyn, NY). Playing with them are: Matt & Kim, Ponytail, Deathset and Golden Error.
Previously:
