You can't have a music revival without a Deacon

To follow up Jordan's Dan Deacon post, the show was AMAZING. Or as Dan himself might say, "as sassy as if you were wearing a huge purple bow...like this thing is so big that people wonder how you even fit in your car, it's that sassy."

Deacon began his set by inviting everyone to herd onto the stage and requesting that the movie screen be lowered so we would all be enclosed in an intimate space about the size of a bedroom. After a brief soundcheck, he led a countdown to his first song (20-16 dejected voice, 15-11 silent interpretive dance, 10-1 supersassy) and I don't think I stopped smiling for the next hour or so, which included a spazz-dance circle, several funny Dan tales like the story of how he and Shaq team up to embarass Michael Jordan by renting Space Jam whenever the three of them go to the video store, a handholding group apology to one of his friends for losing some of his Netflix movies, choir robes and lyric sheets for a group singalong to "Wham City," and of course some booty-shakin' music. A friend of a friend was capturing the whole thing on video and I hope he'll make it available for public viewing.

To conclude, don't miss Dan Deacon if you have the opportunity to see him live. Trust me, you won't regret it.

Red Blondehead Presents: The Search for the Next Snarky Blonde

I've been feeling rather despondent this week, what with my two favorite blondes (Leah and Veronica Mars, natch) departing for countries abroad and the Great Television in the Sky respectively. After listlessly roaming the halls of RB Headquarters and throwing myself a brief but satisfying pity party, an idea for a more positive course of action developed. What I really needed was a Substitute Leah! The search for suitable candidates began immediately. Now we have entered the audition process, to which you shall bear witness.

Meet the first candidate.



Jordan is currently serving as the Secret Assistant to the Regional Mascot at Red Blondehead Co. and he's interested in moving up within the company. While not a natural blonde, he's committed to doing what it takes to earn the Substitute Leah position. His greatest strength: pinky fingers of steel. His greatest weakness: working too hard.

And now begins the written portion of his audition.

The Impending Ordination of Bottletree - And Why It Will Pwn Everyone

What I'm talking about is Dan Deacon. His album just came out last week, and he's playing at Bottletree next Tuesday. Obviously, relevance abounds here people, so listen up.

The first time I saw a picture of Dan Deacon, I was unsure what to expect musically. He wears oversized spectacles that appear to be fashioned from many pieces of colored tape, he sports shirts featuring various Looney Tunes (a brand we all know to have long ago slipped into the domain of trailer-people), and in general cultivates the look of a person with some special developmental needs.

So I thought, "Hey, Wesley Willis was kinda funny, maybe this guy is too." I learned immediately that this was a gross underestimation on my part. There is an element of silliness in the lyrics and vocal delivery, but his awesomely danceable electropop is quite seriously legitimate. And just real good.

It's almost always inherently fun and catchy like "The Crystal Cat," whose sawtooth synth sounds like M83 with a belly full of red Kool-Aid. And occasionally it veers into downright beautiful, like "Big Milk," which would have been comfortably at home on Enjoy Your Rabbit.

In live shows, he hovers and gyrates over a nest of pedals, toy keyboards, vocoders, and myriad electronic noisemakers retrieved from dumpsters. And from what I gather from pictures, you should be practicing your sexiest-while-still-indie dance moves, because it will be a Girl Talk-type affair where folks get pulled on stage to shake it with him.

Don't sleep on this dude. The show is next Tuesday, so there is the risk of people attending Animal Collective wanting to take a night off, but I can assure you that would be a poor decision. Don't dare miss Dan Deacon.

Dan Deacon - Crystal Cat
Dan Deacon - Big Milk

And thus concludes the written portion. So what do you think? He certainly wins points for overall blog style, plus the blonde wig complements his fake stache nicely. But can he sing all of "The Weight" by The Band? That's an important skill for the Substitute Leah to possess. But at this point Jordan is looking like a possible forerunner. We shall see.

ETA: I think this blog may have confused some people regarding Leah leaving for countries abroad. Perhaps I should have stated more clearly that she's not moving to Europe, but she went there on vacation for a few weeks.

The good shows die young.

Today is a day of mourning around Red Blondehead headquarters because the last episodes of Veronica Mars will be airing tonight barring a miraculous last-minute reprieve by the lame-brained CW executives (yeah, I'm not holding my breath). I could write a book about the mishandling of this show by The CW (as others have)...but this is a network that renewed the steaming dungheap that is The Search for the Next Pussycat Doll so obviously their focus isn't quality television. Why do I always end up loving the smart, witty shows that forever teeter on the brink of cancellation?

To say goodbye, I've gathered a few song choices featured on or inspired by the show to serve as a musical tribute.

Dandy Warhols - We Used to Be Friends
Elvis Costello - Veronica (Spoon's Britt Daniel covered this song during his cameo in "Rashard And Wallace Go To White Castle")
Spoon - I Turn My Camera On (from "Cheatty Cheatty Bang Bang")
Ivy - Edge of the Ocean (from "One Angry Veronica")
Mike Doughty - I Hear the Bells (from "Look Who's Stalking")
Yo La Tengo - Watch Out For Me Ronnie (or Yo Yo Taco as Wallace mistakenly called them on the show)
Doves - Last Broadcast
The Postmarks - Goodbye

Tuesday nights won't be the same.

p.s. Leah has been in Europe since last week and is unable to blog but check in later this week for some special guests.

You should be dancing...yeahhhh

A couple of danceable tunes, one new and one not so new, because it is Friday and eight minutes from the weekend!

Architecture in Helsinki - Heart It Races

The Knife - Heartbeats

Come out to Bottletree's 1st birthday party tonight and hear Elf Power, Kyle Hamlett of Lylas and June Avenue!

Mother, May I post some upcoming May releases?

You know...I think Mother, May I Sleep With Danger? wins the prize for BEST TV MOVIE TITLE EVER(!). If anyone can think of a better one or if you just want to share a funny tv movie title, please post it in the comments. It's sad that Lifetime seems to have lost the creative spark they once had for naming movies. Over the years they've progressed from the brilliance of "Mother, May I" to the dully-named "A Life Interrupted."

wheeee....

May 8

The Clientele | God Save The Clientele
The Clientele - Bookshop Casanova
The Clientele - Here Comes the Phantom

Travis | The Boy With No Name
Travis - Closer
Travis - My Eyes
Travis - Battleships

May 15

Wilco | Sky Blue Sky
Wilco - You Are My Face
Wilco - Hate It Here

Au Revoir Simone | The Bird Of Music
Au Revoir Simone - A Violent Yet Flammable World
Au Revoir Simone - I Couldn't Sleep

May 22

Bjork | Volta
Bjork - Innocence
Bjork - Declare Independence

The National | Boxer
The National - Slow Show
The National - Fake Empire

Stars | Do You Trust Your Friends?
While the wait continues for a new Stars album, we'll have to content ourselves with this track by track reimagining of Set Yourself on Fire. Do You Trust Your Friends? is full of remixes and new interpretations of the songs from the 2005 release.
Stars - One More Night (Apostle of Hustle remix)
Stars - Ageless Beauty (Most Serene Republic remix)
Stars - Reunion (Jason Collett remix)

Handsome Furs | Plague Park
Handsome Furs - What We Had
Handsome Furs - Dead + Rural

The release date for the new Interpol isn't in May, but what the heck. This was recorded from a radio broadcast but the quality's not bad.

July 10

Interpol | Our Love to Admire
Interpol - The Heinrich Maneuver