Red Blondehead

Florence and the Machine

2009-05-04T14:55:00.005-05:00

I first heard "Dog Days Are Over" by Florence and the Machine while watching the third season of Skins on Youtube a few months ago. (The 3rd season should air here in the States on BBC America this summer, if anyone's interested...but don't expect it to be at the same level as the first two seasons.) Then I started noticing mentions of Florence and the Machine everywhere. The band, fronted by Florence Welch, has released just two limited singles to critical acclaim in the UK and US, but their debut album, Lungs, will be released July 6.

If you have a fear of carnies/clowns/having glitter thrown in your face, I wouldn't suggest watching the video for this song.

Megafaun, yesssss!

2008-06-21T11:22:00.003-05:00

Greetings, dear readers, and we thank those of you who have checked our page EVERY DAY since March hoping for an update of some sort. Those who are patient and persistent will received blessed rewards.

Okay, so I don't really know if that's true, but I just opened a fortune cookie, and that's what IT told me. Who am I to be a doubting Thomas? I shall believe dogmatically in the veracity of my fortune cookie. DOGMATICALLY, I TELL YOU. I can just imagine some wise, whited-beared, ancient sage stuffing the tiny rectangular page into the cookie himself!

Moving onward and upward, here's where we tell you that Red Blondehead has become a bi-yearly publication, meaning of course that we e-publish something twice a year. What that means for you is that you'll only have stuff to read if we really, really think a band is worthy of your attention.

That's where MEGAFAUN come in.

Megafaun is a Raleigh/Durham, NC-based band close to our hearts, close indeed. They won us over in September of 2007 when they came to Birmingham and entertained us with their three-part harmonies and their countrified, half-dark, half-playful gospel tunes before hopping onstage with Akron/Family and holding their own with Brooklyn's famed 'Family. We've been hooked ever since, especially since the recent release of Bury the Square.

Here are two of the tracks from that release as well as a video of the 'Fauns performing "Lazy Suicide" and talking about their music. If you like it, you can pick up Bury the Square from spun.com. Also, plan to come out and hear them play in Birmingham for the second time on Thursday, June 26th. They'll be performing with Birmingham's Sworn Enemies, another folkish band that has picked up a following in our fair city.

Find Your Mark
His Robe

The Dodos

2008-03-25T15:31:00.002-05:00

The Dodos are playing tonight at Bottletree and both Leah and Jackson the Fantastic Bear are super excited about seeing them. So excited that they are spending the day dreaming about how great the show is going to be instead of posting a blog about the band in an effort to spread the good word. Leaving me to post songs and encourage you to come out tonight, even though I did not return from SXSW raving about The Dodos after seeing them twice like a certain (blonde) person did. That's not to say that I wouldn't have returned home singing their praises...if I had actually been able to go to SXSW this year. Does my skin look a little green to you? At least green works with red and purple.

The Dodos - Fools
The Dodos - Red and Purple

Oooh, girl

2008-02-19T10:47:00.005-06:00

I can't stop listening to these MGMT tracks. They're so synthtastic and delicious...and they make me feel like I should be skating around a roller disco to fully appreciate their Prince-meets-Bee Gees charm. I like almost all of Oracular Spectacular but I can't resist looping "Electric Feel" and "Kids" over and over..and over.

MGMT - Electric Feel
MGMT - Kids

Download and play the interactive video for "Electric Feel" here. It's like Choose Your Own Adventure!

Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars in Birmingham

2008-01-26T10:25:00.001-06:00

Dirty clothes, fast food, cramped vans, sweaty bandmates that get super annoying, the promise of anywhere from $25 to $500 (most likely the former) to get you to the next city: all of these things make us feel bad for indie bands getting their start in the US. They endure these unpleasant conditions--not to mention having to play some of the most awful clubs imaginable--in city after city as they drive through unfamiliar cities and desolate badlands.

Every now and then, though, a band or group comes around that makes us question the hardships of these often-from-Brooklyn indie bands making their own way. One such group is Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, a West African reggae/hip-hop/Afro-pop group that formed in the squalid and often unsanitary conditions of an honest-to-god refugee camp in Guinea. Like countless other refugees, band members lost wives, were separated from parents, had limbs amputated by rebels--indeed, one member featured in the documentary film was forced to kill his own child before having rebels cut off part of his arm--and were forced to flee from the home most of them had known their whole lives.

And somehow, in the midst of the refugee camps, the musicians found their voice again and began playing to heal. Soon, they were playing to heal others. Documentary footage shows downtrodden refugees smiling and dancing at the sounds made by the all-stars on their second- and third-hand instruments and sound equipment. It wasn't long before the UN invited the musicians to return to their own country--to "look and see" the changes and, most importantly for the band, to record their record to share with the world.

As a result of that trip, we have the Refugee's first album, Living Like a Refugee, released in the US on Anti- Records. As an extended result, the band has gotten the opportunity to tour around the US to share their musical message of love and peace to the thousands who hear them play.

Finally, we have a chance to hear them in Birmingham this weekend. The All Stars will be performing at the Carver Theatre this Sunday night, January 27, at 8:00 p.m. It's rare to have such an opportunity in Birmingham, so we hope to see you all there tomorrow night!

For a taste, here are some songs from the band's 2006 release, Living Like a Refugee:

Soda Soap
Big Lesson
Garbage to the Showglass

Roses and Tulips and...Goats

2008-01-17T16:56:00.000-06:00

Hello, Blue Roses released The Portrait Is Finished And I Have Failed To Capture Your Beauty... yesterday. Like most Dan Bejar projects (this time with vocalist/flautist Sydney Vermont), it's growing on me. I've listened to "Sunny Skies" several times just trying to think of what other song it reminded me of, until I realized it was "This Woman's Work." Am I the only one that hears it?

Hello Blue Roses - Shadow Falls
Hello Blue Roses - Sunny Skies

Headlights is one of my favorite pop bands, so I'm greatly anticipating the release of their next album, Some Racing, Some Stopping on February 19. Their label has released their first single for our listening pleasure, and here it is in all its sweetly jangly bliss.
Headlights - Cherry Tulips

The Mountain Goats will also be releasing Heretic Pride on Feb. 19.
The Mountain Goats - Sax Rohmer #1

Traci's Top 20

2007-12-31T10:08:00.000-06:00

All the usual year-end favorites list disclaimers apply to this list: I've arranged this list several times, ranking is somewhat random past the first few albums, ranking varies depending on mood and time of day, please do not consume ranking on an empty stomach. There are a few debut albums on my list, but most are from familiar names.

1. The National - Boxer
The National - Slow Show
The National - Fake Empire

2. Stars - In the Bedroom After the War
Stars - Take Me To the Riot
Stars - The Night Starts Here

3. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Arcade Fire - Antichrist Television Blues
Arcade Fire - Intervention

4. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
Jens Lekman - Your Arms Around Me
Jens Lekman - Into Eternity

5. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Spoon - The Underdog
Spoon - You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb

6. Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog
Iron & Wine - The Devil Never Sleeps
Iron & Wine - White Tooth Man

7. Architecture in Helskinki - Places Like This
Architecture in Helsinki - Hold Music
Architecture in Helsinki - Red Turned White

8. Menomena - Friend and Foe
Menomena - Weird
Menomena - My My

9. Beirut - The Flying Club Cup
Beirut - Guyamas Sonora
Beirut - A Sunday Smile

10. The Rosebuds - Night of the Furies
The Rosebuds - I Better Run
The Rosebuds - Cemetery Lawns

11. Feist - The Reminder
Feist - I Feel It All
Feist - My Moon, My Man

12. The New Pornographers - Challengers
The New Pornographers - Myriad Harbour

13. Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
Andrew Bird - Heretics

14. Pela - Anytown Graffiti
Pela - Anytown Graffiti
Pela - The Trouble With River Cities

15. The Broken West - I Can't Go On, I'll Go On
The Broken West - Down In the Valley

16. The Ladybug Transistor - Can't Wait Another Day
The Ladybug Transistor - Always on the Telephone

17. St. Vincent - Marry Me
St. Vincent - Paris is Burning

18. Blonde Redhead - 23
Blonde Redhead - 23

19. Band of Horses - Cease to Begin
Band of Horses - The General Specific

20. Okkervil River - The Stage Names
Okkervil River - Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe

Honorable mentions:
Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter
The Shins - Wincing The Night Away
Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
Field Music - Tones of Town
Eleni Mandell - Miracle of Five
Through the Sparks - Lazarus Beach

And a few of my favorite songs of 2007 (excluding any included above)
Loney Dear - I Am John
Calvin Harris - The Girls
The Virgins - Rich Girls
Josh Ritter - Rumors
Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew - Lucky Ones
Illinois - Screendoor
Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/Lovesounds
Amy Winehouse - Rehab

Have a happy New Year!

PSA from Jackson the Fantastic Bear: Don't drink and drive or you may be my first afternoon snack of 2008.

Jackson's Top Ten (x 2)

2007-12-17T15:37:00.000-06:00

Red Blondehead presents:
Jackson the Fantastic Bear's 2007 Top 10 (x 2) - straight from his honey-encrusted claws to your computer screens!

When Traci asked me if I wanted to do a write-up of my favorite albums of 2007, I didn’t even know where to start. I have listened to so much music this year that I couldn’t even remember what was released this year, let alone how much I liked it. So I did what needed to be done… I sorted my music by year, pulled out all the music from 2007, and listened to every single album again. So if the Red Blondehead ladies were wondering why the hell my list was taking so long, that’s why.

After my listening fest, I found myself split between a number of amazing pop records and an even longer list of experimental/electronic/noise/ambient music. I mean, how can you compare Jens Lekman with Boris? You just can’t. No way, no how. So, I made it easy on myself and made two lists that were, nonetheless, just as hard to narrow down.

Albums my father would wear earplugs to:

10. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
Jens Lekman - If I Could Cry (it would feel like this)

9. Akron/Family - Love Is Simple
Akron/Family - Ed is a Portal

8. Prints - Prints
Prints - Blue Jay

7. Caribou - Andorra
Caribou - She's the One
Caribou - Melody Day

6. Beirut - The Flying Club Cup
Beirut - A Sunday Smile

5. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam

4. Panda Bear - Panda Bear
Panda Bear - Bros

3. Le Loup - The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations Millennium General Assembly
Le Loup - Canto Xxxiv
Le Loup - To The Stars! To The Night!

2. Low - Drums and Guns

1. LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver
LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends

Albums that would give my father diarrhea:

10. Burial - Untrue

9. Andrew Pekler - Cue

8. Black Dice - Load Blown

7. Stars of the Lid - And the Refinement of Their Decline

6. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam

5. Wzt Hearts - Threads Rope Spell Making Your Bones

4. Battles - Mirrored
Battles - Race In

3. Boris with Michio Kurihara - Rainbow

2. The Field - From Here We Go Sublime
The Field - A Paw In My Face

1. Pantha Du Prince - This Bliss
Pantha Du Prince - Saturn Strobe

And as a bonus, Jackson did some tinkering on our banner to make it even more awesome!

Leah's favorite albums of the year

2007-12-10T15:45:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year again: drunk Santas, reindeer, presents, decorated trees, best-of lists... I'm happy to go first on that last item!

I've got ten favorite albums this year. There were many to choose from, but the way I look at it, the smaller the list, the more prestigious. Or at least rare. I'm going with that, anyway. I tried to choose albums from this year that I'll most definitely be listening to next year (and hopefully beyond that if they hold up as well as others have).

10. CocoRosie - The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn
9. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova - Once soundtrack
8. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
7. Levon Helm - Dirt Farmer
6. The Roadside Graves - No One Will Know Where You've Been
5. Akron/Family - Love is Simple
4. Through the Sparks - Lazarus Beach
3. Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter
2. The Real Tuesday Weld - The London Book of the Dead
1. The Felice Brothers - Adventures of the Felice Brothers Vol. I

Looking back, I've posted mp3s from most of these albums. Here's a few from the list that were overlooked, though. Oh, and Happy Holidays to you all!

The Real Tuesday Weld - It's a Wonderful Li(f)e
The Real Tuesday Weld - Last Words
The Real Tuesday Weld - Bringing the Body Back Home
Levon Helm - Calvary
Levon Helm - Got Me a Woman
CocoRosie - Japan

Clearing the cobwebs

2007-11-12T17:10:00.000-06:00

Wow, it's been a real ghost town around here lately, hasn't it? I had to fight off a dust bunny of gargantuan proportions while tumbleweeds were hot on my heels just to get to the ol' RB. Allow me to dust off the cobwebs and share two albums that I've been enjoying since they were released in early October.

In his most recent album Night Falls Over Kortedala, Jens Lekman swings from orchestral pop, soul, and disco to doo wop and African rhythms, without ever losing his inherent wit and romanticism. It's the romanticism of everyday life, the observance of small moments that are so often overlooked: a haircut, fumbling over words because someone makes you nervous, a heartbeat "beating like Ringo." And somehow Jens makes a story about cutting off the tip of his index finger and bleeding all over the sink because he was surprised by a stealth hug while chopping an avocado sound like one of the sweetest things you've ever heard in "Your Arms Around Me."

Jens Lekman - Your Arms Around Me
Jens Lekman - Into Eternity
Jens Lekman - Kanske Ar Jag Kar i Dig.mp3

And then there's my new favorite band-with-a-name-likely-to-confuse-people-if-heard-instead-of-read: Prints.

"What music are you playing?"
"Prints."
"Wha? That's not my favorite funky 5'2" Purple One!"

While not the product of Minnesota's finest, Prints is the result of Zac Nelson (Who's Your Favorite Sun God) and Kenseth Thibideau (Sleeping People, Pinback) self-recording their brand of eclectic pop in their homes.

Prints - Too Much Water
Prints - Blue Jay

Final Fantasy (and Lylas) tonight!

2007-11-05T17:01:00.000-06:00

Don't forget Final Fantasy tonight with Cadence Weapon and RB favorite, Lylas! Owen Pallett was enchanting when he last played at Bottletree, so this promises to be a show not to miss.

A couple of my favorite live tracks from Final Fantasy's Bottletree performance August 24:
Final Fantasy - Hey Dad + The CN Tower Belongs to the Dead (live)
Final Fantasy - Peach Plum Pear (live Joanna Newsom cover)

And check out "Hey Dad" featuring Beirut on Final Fantasy's myspace.

Thriller...thriller night

2007-11-02T16:35:00.000-05:00

Some pics from the Halloween Josh Ritter show:

As you can see, it was a fun night.
Check out Leah's review over at tinymixtapes.

Josh Ritter on Halloween

2007-10-30T11:11:00.000-05:00

Kids! It's the day before Halloween!

And where will you be tomorrow night?

Where will Red Blondehead be, you ask?

How awfully kind of you to inquire, dears. This fearsome, firesome duo will be spending the evening at Workplay--in costume, might I add--enjoying performances by Eric Bachmann and current RB favorite Josh Ritter. That's at 8:00 p.m.

Later on that night, Laser's Edge in Homewood, RB's very favorite indie record store, is hosting a supercool Josh Ritter afterparty. Here are the details for that:

What: Post-concert in-store performance/recording and Halloween party
Who: JOSH RITTER and you
Where: Laser's Edge Compact Discs. You know how to get here.
How: Bring your Workplay ticket stub or wrist band or stamped hand to the store, along with some semblance of a Halloween costume for admittance. Those who come dressed without Halloween garb may be forced to wear something of our choosing...cardboard box hats dressed-up with Sharpie art and two holes for eyes are a distinct possibility.
When: Halloween night, around 11:00 pm, immediately following Josh's concert at Workplay
What Else: A GuessTheCharacterFromAPopularSong costume contest, special prizes, refreshments, merry fellowship

Also, many of our costumed peeps will be heading to BottleTree to catch a FREE and freely spectacular show featuring Celebration, Dragons of Zynth, and Lonesome Spirit Device. LOTS to do on Halloween night, kids, so don't stay in and sulk. Put on a goofy-spooky costume and join the thousand eyes of the night!

Now, for a couple of my favorite Josh Ritter songs, just to get you in the mood!

Kathleen from Hello Starling
Come and Find Me from Golden Age of Radio

Stars at the Variety Playhouse - 10/27/07

2007-10-29T12:52:00.000-05:00

It is my opinion that Stars is worth driving over 2 hours to see, which is exactly what I did on Saturday when they played the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta. I haven't seen them live since the fall of 2005 when they opened for Death Cab at the Tabernacle (also on the Saturday before Halloween). At that time they didn't seem to be very well-known among the showgoers in my general vicinity, but quite a few people were buzzing after their performance. They've certainly become more well-known in the past 2 years, so I was expecting a good turnout for their return to Atlanta. I guess the band wasn't because they expressed their surprise that so many people showed up in a city where they only know 2 people.

Magnet opened and he played a pretty good set but talked too much. I didn't count how many songs he played but it felt like he only played 5 because of his stage patter. I would have been happy to listen to his charming Norwegian accent if he had been the co-headliner but when you're the opener, it's time to get down to business. He also asked for audience participation on practically every song, which was a little annoying.

After a short break, Stars took the stage (which was covered in flowers and artwork) to begin their energetic performance. I don't see how anyone could have left the venue unhappy with their Stars experience because the band's joy in performing is so contagious. Some highlights included the band throwing flowers into the crowd every few minutes, Torq coming on stage in a light-covered coat during "The Ghost of Genova Heights," a lovely version of "Look Up" (which was the song that introduced me to the band in 2003), Amy Millan diving into the crowd, "Elevator Love Song" and "On Peak Hill." I wish that they had played more than one Nightsongs selection and "My Favourite Book" from In the Bedroom, but those are small grievances. It was a fantastic show.

The setlist to the best of my memory:

Take Me to the Riot
Set Yourself on Fire
Elevator Love Song
Ghost of Genova Heights
Bitches in Tokyo
One More Night
Personal
Look Up
Soft Revolution
Midnight Coward
Window Bird
Your Ex-Lover is Dead
Reunion
Sleep Tonight
What I'm Trying to Say
Ageless Beauty
In Our Bedroom After the War

Encore
On Peak Hill
Calendar Girl

A few Nightsongs
Stars - Counting Stars on the Ceiling
Stars - My Radio (AM Mix)
Stars - Going, Going, Gone

Long Time, No Blog

2007-10-26T16:54:00.000-05:00

There's not been much time for blogging recently with my returning from vacation this week and Leah leaving for one. But I brought you souvenirs from Montreal and L.A. and Brooklyn (and Jersey, whoo! how exotic) to show you how much I missed you!

Pas Chic Chic - Sur les Écrans Statiques
Soft - Dumb Blood
Young Galaxy - Come and See
Saturday Looks Good to Me - Make a Plan
West Indian Girl - To Die in LA
Chromatics - I Want Your Love

John Fitzgerald Page loves Los Campesinos!

2007-10-12T11:31:00.000-05:00

I planned to post about Los Campesinos! yesterday but then this fantastically awesome Gawker post and its comments pretty much ruined my productivity for the whole day. (You must click on the link. A coworker and I would randomly break into giggles throughout the day yesterday just thinking about it.)

If I ran a record label, it would be Arts & Crafts. Their taste in pop acts is right in line with my own. And they continued the trend by signing 7-member band Los Campesinos! and releasing their debut EP, Sticking Fingers Into Sockets back in July. They sound like early Architecture in Helsinki, but with less Vegemite (they're from Wales instead of Australia).

Los Campesinos! - We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives
Los Campesinos! - TheInternational Tweexcore Underground.mp3

Video for "You! Me! Dancing!"

p.s. Seriously, click the Gawker link.

Calling all spazz-dancers!(!!)

2007-10-03T16:00:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow night, Red Blondehead presents !!! with The Field at Bottletree for what should be a fun night of electro-dance-punk music. And you know how we like to give away things so the first 30 ticketholders through the door will receive a token of our appreciation. Please spazz-dance responsibly!

!!! - Bend Over Beethoven
!!! - Must Be The Moon

The Felice Brothers

2007-09-29T16:23:00.000-05:00

A friend and I caught The Felice Brothers at AA Bondy's CD release party of American Hearts a few weeks ago in Birmingham. I dug up some of their music online (it was initially pretty difficult to find) and loved every second of it, and Scott... er... AA Bondy has good tastes in opening acts.

Good taste in brothers-in-law, too, apparently. The Felice Brothers, hailing from New York state, are the rough-and-tumble brothers of Bondy's lovely missus; they were opening for Bondy, but I'll be damned if they didn't near steal the show.

Five minutes into their set, my friend and I were dancing up a storm and laughing like crazy; the brothers were having just about as much fun as any band I've ever seen. Where did these guys come from? That's what I wanted to know. Soon, others around the country will be asking the same question. An upcoming US tour with Bright Eyes has been announced, and the brothers have also landed an enviable gig with Levon Helm and his Midnight Ramblers. This shouldn't be surprising, as comparisons to Bob Dylan and The Band have been irresistible for reviewers who have listened to these guys:

“Singers of ragged and lovely Catskills harmonies, rickety gospel backporch jams, 19th century medicine show charmers, cheap suit rhapsodizers, watchers of the Nashville skyline, part-time residents and always-welcome houseguests at Big Pink, students of Bob Dylan and Levon Helm, the Partridge Family in pinstripes and scruffy beards.” -stolen from songs:illinois, stolen from Gabe Soria of Vice Magazine

Upcoming Dates:

Wed-Oct-10 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom (supporting Jason Isbell)
Sat-Oct-13 Woodstock, NY Woodstock Film Festival
Sat-Oct-27 Woodstock, NY Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble

With Bright Eyes:

Tue-Nov-06 Memphis, TN Orpheum Theatre
Wed-Nov-07 Birmingham, AL Alabama Theatre
Thu-Nov-08 Charleston, SC The Plex
Fri-Nov-09 Winston Salem, NC Millennium Center
Sat-Nov-10 Norfolk, VA The NorVA
Sun-Nov-11 Washington, DC DAR Constitution Hall
Mon-Nov-12 Wilmington, DE Grand Opera House
Wed-Nov-14 Binghamton, NY Magic City Music Hall
Thu-Nov-15 Rochester, NY Main Street Armory
Fri-Nov-16 Portsmouth, NH The Music Hall
Sat-Nov-17 Providence, RI Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
Sun-Nov-18 Worcester, MA Palladium

Finally, the songs, the songs! These are from The Adventures of the Felice Brothers Vol. I:

Frankie's Gun!
Radio Song
Whiskey in my Whiskey

Find the Felice Brothers on myspace.

Writing sentences composed only of song titles

2007-09-24T16:50:00.000-05:00

...results in sentences that sound like the product of a game of drunken Mad Libs.

Ra Ra Riot - Each Year
Little Name - Tracy and I
The Long Weekend - Record
Los Campesinos! - You! Me! Dancing!
Sunset Rubdown - Up on your Leopard, Upon the End of your Feral Days
Le Loup - We Are Gods! We Are Wolves!

Oh, Sophia Petrillo!

2007-09-11T16:57:00.000-05:00

I was excited to see Biirdie's second album, Catherine Avenue, in my inbox last week because I was a fan of of their last album, Morning Kills the Dark. It looks like Biirdie decided to follow up Morning's "Open Letter to Jenny" (their ode to Jenny Lewis) with a tribute song to Estelle Getty. Well, actually I'm not sure if "Estelle" is really about her, but it should be if it isn't. Because she is awesome and we need more songs in this world written in her honor. In fact, I think I will begin to compose a concept album about Sophia, Rose, Blanche, and Dorothy as soon as I finish this blog.

But back to Catherine Avenue for a moment. Team Clermont describes the album as a collection of "sweeping anthems told in California semi-gloss, with twinges of West Coast Country and big-hearted Southern balladry" and this is an apt description.

Biirdie - Estelle
Biirdie - Him
Biirdie - I Wish I Could've Been There

Catherine Avenue will be released on October 30. Okay, I'm off to write the lyrics to "Picture It, Sicily 1912" and "Back in St. Olaf."

This Season In Indie Music, Sneaky Is The New Black

2007-09-09T20:28:00.000-05:00

From the Desk of Jordan Sowards, RB Semiregular Guest Blogger

Remember a couple months ago when Stars oh-so-quietly released the digital version of In Our Bedroom After the War approximately 1/4 of a year before the previously announced release date? The official reason given for the premature "drop" was to, like a diaper, "combat leaks."

And how silly did we all feel, scrambling to be the first to download it after Arts & Crafts threw a royal monkey wrench into our own personal album release schedules? I had already used up my eMusic downloads for the month, for crying out loud.

To me, this release-to-beat-the-leak business is also not unlike one of those middle school preemptive defensive breakups. You know, when you catch wind that your B or GF is going to break up with you, so you make tracks to their locker and announce conspicuously that you will, in fact, be doing up the breaking. Upper hand officially secured. And me and my denim shirt are back all up on the market.

Well, apparently this ultra-absorbent (back to the diaper joke) record release method is becoming a fashionable trend among the twee pop set. Last night I was having a look at the Internet, and at one point I must have blinked because when I looked back, there was the new Beirut album, The Flying Club Cup. And it was all, "What? I've been here the whole time." But I knew it hadn't. It had snuck out. And it's been out since Tuesday on iTunes, people! Did we know this?

Whatever. All I know is it's out now. And, as you might expect, it's gorgeous. I'm talking Brad Pitt sliding up out of the swimming pool in slow motion gorgeous. Wait, did I say Brad Pitt? I meant Angelina Jolie, but the backspace key is broken on my compuper.

The Flying Club Cup is said to be based more on French pop than Balkan music, so expect less Hawk and A Hacksaw, and more Yann Tiersen's Amelie soundtrack. "A Sunday Smile" opens with a waltzing organ whose sound you will recognize from the pair of sublime lo-fi electronic numbers on Gulag Orkestar, and continues with the gentle, more familiar still, baritone croon of youngster Zach Condon. Like any indie pop song worth its salt, "Guyamas Sonora" starts with a cute, tinkling glockenspiel (which I adore) and whimsical piano. As proof of the community effort, both songs build into a mighty Euro-hoedown sing-along. The whole of The Flying Club Cup, like the Lon Gisland EP, employs the contribution of Condon's entire touring orkestar, and is also augmented with string arrangements from Owen Pallett of Final Fantasy. And is awesome.

Listen here first, then go score it for yourself. The physical release is still scheduled for October something somethingth. (Ed: October 9)

Beirut - Guyamas Sonora
Beirut - A Sunday Smile

more love for Akron/Family

2007-09-06T15:41:00.000-05:00

I have championed freak-folk rocksters Akron/Family so much around friends and family that most folks hold their breath or roll their eyes whenever the words "Akron" and "Family" come out of my mouth in close proximity to each other.

Like I care. People, when I champion bands, I champion them for a reason. Because this band is Gary Oldmanin' AMAZING. Their upcoming release, Love is Simple, both improves upon things they've been doing and showcases them diverging from the path they've been traveling.

The abrupt, mid-song changes (from slow- or mid-tempo to fast, soft and pretty to raucous and weird, raucous and weird to laid-back and country) that characterized, nay, helped to define their first, self-titled album is still present, but the transitions on Love is Simple are smoother.

Although the warm sounds/moods we've become accustomed to are still present, the band's style changes quite a bit on this record. It's more primitive and more communal; they added some additional musicians to what sounds like a big, sometimes jam-bandish party.

Luckily for those of us in Alabama, these fellas will be returning to Birmingham to play their second show in Alabama. It's been two years since their last performance, and nobody has been anticipating a return performance more than I. If you're in town next Thursday, September 13, come out to Bottletree to catch the show.

Oh, and menfolk, be sure to grow out your beards!

Ed is a Portal
I've Got Some Friends

Buy the new record in all its hippie glory here

Side Project Friday

2007-08-31T11:04:00.000-05:00

Lately I've been listening to Memphis and The Whitest Boy Alive, side projects of a couple of my favorite bands, Stars and Kings of Convenience respectively. Torq (Stars) and Erlend Øye (KoC) both have distinctive voices that I really enjoy...they're definitely in my favorite male singers pile.

Here's a couple of songs from A Little Place in the Wilderness.
Memphis - Incredibly Drunk On Whiskey
Memphis - I'll Do Whatever You Want

Leah and I were shopping in the SCAD store in Atlanta earlier this month when I heard a familiar voice over the sound system. The music sounded like Kings of Convenience mixed with dancepop, so I asked the shopgirl if it was a remix of a KoC song. "No, it's Erlend Øye...The Whitest Boy Alive." I never checked out this band when Dreams came out last year, but I'm digging the crap out of it now.

The Whitest Boy Alive - Fireworks
The Whitest Boy Alive - Don't Give Up
The Whitest Boy Alive - Burning

Have a fun Labor Day weekend!

Josh Ritter

2007-08-29T22:24:00.000-05:00

This is the blog entry where I stand up on my soapbox and proclaim my love for Josh Ritter. I think he's the king of Americana right now, to be rivaled only by the formidable Brooklyn songsters Hem. But this blog is about how much I love Josh Ritter. Right. To this day, I can't tire of 2004's The Golden Age of Radio, and Hello Starling's "Kathleen" is enough to make any girl weak-kneed. Show me a woman who isn't wooed by that song and I'll show you a woman with a heart of stone who is insusceptible to flattery:

"All the other girls here are stars
You are the northern lights
They try to shine in through your curtain
You're too close and too bright...

And I won't be your last dance
Just your last goodnight
Every heart is a package
Tangled up in knots someone else tied...

I'll be the one
To drive you back home, Kathleen"

SWOON!

It was hard to pull myself away from "Other Side" and "Harrisburg," but I finally left them alone long enough to listen to The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter. Hyperbolic title? Maybe. I mean, most definitely, and for the best Ritter album it's got some stiff competition, but it's worthy in its own right as a more straight-up rock record than his previous efforts. And once again, I'm smitten.

Here's a few favorites from the new record:
The Temptation of Adam, a more folky and traditional sound for Ritter. Yum. I dig the horn intro.

Rumors, I think this one has gotten the most attention of all the songs on the new record, and rightly so. I love the lines "And the string section's screamin' like horses in a barn burning up" and "Can't seem to forget you 'cause the music isn't loud enough."

Real Long Distance, a fun rocker tune with pounding keys and skronky horns.

You can, of course, pick up the record at all your favorite record stores and my favorite, the insanely cheap spun.com. Do yourself a favor and check out the other albums mentioned, too. It's love at first sight for folkies.

Oh, and:

That's what happens when you ask Mister Ritter to "smile stupid" with you.

Cheers!

Pinback - Autumn of the Seraphs

2007-08-28T17:51:00.000-05:00

Pinback will release Autumn of the Seraphs on September 11. I've got to say, I really don't like the album artwork or title at all. It seems like the work of one of those girls who are obsessed with angels and dark fairies...you know, the sort that have a large selection of angel statue photography on their myspace profiles. Not really my bag. Thank goodness the music on the album is classic Pinback and it doesn't sound like the tunes that might be more at home on a record called Autumn of the Seraphs. So far I'm digging "Bouquet" and "Blue Harvest" the most, but those tracks are not label-approved for posting so here's the promo single instead, along with my 2 favorite Pinback songs from previous albums.

Pinback - From Nothing to Nowhere

Pinback - Crutch
Pinback - Penelope

what's next: the ninja cheerleader jumprope edition

2007-08-22T14:57:00.000-05:00

The Go! Team's music makes me want to jump rope double-dutch style...if I had ever actually mastered that skill in elementary school. Double dutch and rope climbing were the bane of my third grade gym class experience. But I totally rocked the square dancing portion of the class! You haven't truly lived until you've experienced the full sass of my California Twirl.

Proof of Youth comes out September 11.

The Go! Team - Grip Like a Vice
The Go! Team - The Wrath Of Marcie

what's next: the low-key edition

2007-08-21T14:33:00.000-05:00

Today was a big release date with Architecture in Helsinki, The New Pornographers, Josh Ritter, Earlimart, Minus the Bear, M.I.A., and Rilo Kiley all sharing space on the new release shelf of your favorite record store. But these days you can listen to an album weeks before its street date if you so desire and the cries of "what's next?" start before the ink has dried on the digipaks...the big music wheel keeps on turning and CD's keep on burning. So let's take a look at a few upcoming releases.

Sambassadeur is putting out a new single on August 28.
Sambassadeur - Subtle Changes

Also on August 28, Sally Seltmann, the songwriter of Feist's "1234," will release Somewhere, Anywhere under her New Buffalo moniker.

New Buffalo - Emotional Champ
New Buffalo - It's Got to Be Jean

On September 26, Jose Gonzalez will follow up his widely-praised Veneer with In Our Nature.

Jose Gonzalez - Killing For Love
Jose Gonzalez - Down The Line

Warning: the "Killing for Love" video could induce nightmares...

The Most Serene Republic are giving us a new Population on October 2.

The Most Serene Republic - Sherry and Her Butterfly Net

A Night Drive with a Healer after a Dark Day In the City

2007-08-17T15:17:00.000-05:00

I have no clue how I discovered Chromatics. Some days I download every mp3 I come across on ye olde internete, then I don't listen to them for a few days and I don't remember the origin of the file. But anyways, I downloaded "Night Drive" and dug it, so that led to a search for more from the band. This is dark, sexy music with haunting female vocals, string sections, and drumpads.

Chromatics - Night Drive
Chromatics - Dark Day
Chromatics - Healer
Chromatics - In the City

Chromatics myspace
Chromatics blog

Asleep At Heaven's Gate

2007-08-16T15:49:00.000-05:00

Rogue Wave's got an album coming out next month...September 18 to be exact. Asleep At Heaven's Gate is keeping in the same vein as Descended Like Vultures, so it looks like the band's sound hasn't been affected by changing from Subpop to Jack Johnson's label. I've given the album a few listens but so far, I prefer Descended Like Vultures. Maybe it will be a grower.

A trio of songs in the theme of places (real or imaginary)
Rogue Wave - Lake Michigan
Rogue Wave - Chicago x 12
Rogue Wave - Phonytown

Preorder Asleep at Heaven's Gate at Insound and get a free 7" with the album!

short posts are better than no posts, right?

2007-08-02T16:13:00.000-05:00

I hate to end my blogging hiatus with such a short post but most of the time it's better to just let the music speak for itself anyway. Check out the sweet indie pop/rock of Brooklyn-based Via Audio. Jim Eno of Spoon produced their first album, Say Something, which is set to debut on September 25.

Via Audio - Presents
Via Audio - Modern Day Saint

Re: Issue of Ryan Adams

2007-07-23T23:13:00.000-05:00

From the Desk of Jordan Sowards, RB Semiregular Guest Blogger

There are those who might suggest that Ryan Adams' now-infamous prolificacy is a bad thing. Who would say that the quality his music suffers from the breakneck pace at which he writes and records? These people are foolish.

Dude's always going to have his detractors. After all, his public persona is one of somewhat of a horse's patoot, he's probably just a(n angle)hair too popular for most indie kids' comfort, and some are repelled by his serial genre-drifting. Personally, I don't know that I can think of a single other artist whose new releases I still anticipate as much today as I did five years ago.

Today finds me celebrating (almost) the entire Ryan Adams back catalog. That's because they are reissuing new, 180-gram vinyl pressings of Gold, Demolition, Rock N Roll, Cold Roses, Jacksonville City Nights, and 29. That's right, you can cancel your outrageous $175 bid for a copy of Gold on eBay (yeah, that's real and people do it), because tomorrow it can be yours for a much more reasonable $14.99 or so. If you already paid that much for yours-—sorry.

Heartbreaker was already reissued last year, but the gorgeous and elusive 2x10" Love Is Hell is inexplicably neglected this time around. In my mind, I see the oddly small-looking Love Is Hell running out to his mailbox to check on tiptoes one last time for his copy of the invitation to the party. Just then, the carpool containing all the other records goes speeding by and blasting Whiskeytown, and Easy Tiger is hanging out of the sunroof and pouring champagne all down the front of Parker Posey and Lindsay Lohan. Everyone laughs in slow-motion. And I just wish so badly I could make him a cup of chai tea or something, but he just goes inside to be so alone.

Paragraphs like that are the reason they don't let me give blood ever. But I can still go to Laser's Edge today and go crazy on the LPs. And I will. Here come corresponding digital goodies.

Sylvia Plath (live 11.21.02) from Gold
So Alive (live) from Rock N Roll
Strawberry Wine (live 5.16.05) from 29

The Levon Helm Band at the Ryman Auditorium

2007-07-20T14:24:00.000-05:00

Well, folks, a few days ago on July 18, Red Blondehead took a mid-week trip to Nashville to catch The Levon Helm Band at the Ryman Auditorium. Thanks to RB friend Wyatt, we scored AMAZING seats, and if you were there you might have noticed a long-haired blonde girl smiley stupidly for the entire performance. That was me.

I think anyone who has enjoyed a record by The Band or anyone who has enjoyed The Last Waltz would have loved this concert. The Levon Helm Band, featuring Levon Helm, multi-instrumentalist Larry Campbell, and guitarist Jimmy Vivino, among others, played many Band classics, blues standards, and favorite covers. Special guests throughout the night included Emmylou Harris, Little Sammy Davis, Buddy Miller, Sam Bush, Ricky Skaggs, John Hiatt, and Sheryl Crow.

All talented musicians, the Levon Helm Band pulled off many Band classics such as "Chest Fever," "Tears of Rage," and "Ophelia." The finale and encore were "The Weight" and "I Shall Be Released," respectively, and both performances recalled the glory of the star-studded performances on The Last Waltz.

Highlights were the Helm/Harris duet "Evangeline" and Helm favorite "Ophelia," which featured a stripped-down horn section. We were warned that Helm's vocals weren't "what they used to be" due to his recent bout with throat cancer. However, despite his frail appearance, one would hardly know they weren't hearing the Helm of yesteryear.

As to be expected, the show was bittersweet. While listening to Jimmy Vivino tackle the vocals on "Tears of Rage," I couldn't help but notice what was missing, or rather, who was missing: Richard Manuel's soulful vocals are that song's trademark, and during the show he was never more missed than during the opening bars of that song. Rick Danko, too, was conspicuously absent; again, with a voice so distinctive, it's hard not to imagine his ghost onstage.

This show was worth it, though, despite the sad moments that were bound to occur. As a gal born about twenty years too late to witness the original lineup of The Band, I think this was as good as it gets. Catch this show if you are lucky enough to have them tour near you!

A Starlight Mints contest...

2007-07-12T17:29:00.000-05:00

Starlight Mints will be returning to Birmingham next Monday, July 16, for a show at Bottletree and we've got 10 tickets to give away! The Mints put on a great show when they played here last year, so I'm looking forward to seeing them again.

Send us an email at redblondehead@gmail.com with your full name and a haiku to enter. Yes, haiku. We'll pick our 10 favorites and those people will be our winners.* Amaze us with your creativity. The deadline for entries is July 16 at 3 pm.

An example of haiku:
Free wifi at home
I discovered late last night!
Don't tell the neighbors.

*Each winner will only receive one ticket and it is non-transferable.

Starlight Mints - Pumpkin
Starlight Mints - Inside of Me

beauty and the macabre and the roadside graves

2007-07-10T16:55:00.000-05:00

Red Blondehead got a little taste of New Jersey last weekend when The Roadside Graves drove through Birmingham to play with Blue Mountain. Needless to say, Blondehead was left happy and hankerin' for more. So.... I picked up a copy of their latest release, No One Will Know Where You've Been and was immediately smitten. These fellas play and record as a seven-piece and so reasonably have a very full sound. There's always something to entice the ear, whether it is clever lyrics delivered in lead singer John Gleason's shaky vocals or a sweet piano fill c/o Mike DeBlasio.

I can't pretend to always understand the lyrics on this record, and maybe that's a good thing since a quick press search turns up accounts of Gleason' inherent misogyny. I like what I can hear, though. Any potentially offensive lyric I've heard stands out moreso for its gritty and sensual realism--almost Faulknerian in its ability to curse its subject and marvel at it in fascination simultaneously.

Ah, the wonderful feeling of finding a record among countless others that you can really get into. Here's the opener, and probably my favorite track:

Family and Friends

This track is thematically and musically reminiscent of one of my favorite songs from Music from Big Pink. Can anyone guess which one?!

The Black Hills

And finally, one I can make out all the words to and one to make out to:

Live Slow

Pick up your copy here. You'll have a hard time putting it down, I'll bet.

it's a miniminimix

2007-07-10T15:24:00.000-05:00

Thanks to everyone who entered! Congrats to Matt.

Completely unrelated but here's a few songs for this Tuesday the 10th (but not 10 songs, sorry).

Stars - The Night Starts Here
Maps - To The Sky
Art in Manila - Our Addictions
Kenna - Better Wise Up
Eastern Conference Champions - The Box

It's the Golden Leahtard's Birthday Party!

2007-06-25T17:18:00.000-05:00

Red Blondehead presents
THE GOLDEN LEAHTARD'S BIRTHDAY EXTRAVAGANZA!
with VOXTROT
+ Palomar and T-Minus Band
Thursday, June 28 @ 9 pm
Bottletree

Everyone is invited! There will be cupcakes and various party favors. Anyone wearing a leotard in honor of the Leahtard will receive a special prize!

From the LP Voxtrot
Voxtrot - Kid Gloves

From the EP Raised by Wolves
Voxtrot - The Start of Something
Voxtrot - Raised by Wolves

Crack is whack, y'all.

2007-06-25T16:18:00.000-05:00

Dear Crackheads who climbed up on the office roof to steal copper from the air conditioner so that we have no air conditioning in our office on this hot Alabama summer's day...yet you only made off with 10 dollars worth of the stuff,

Thanks so much for converting our office into a sauna...and you did it for only $10! While I'm enjoying sweating out impurities in a dark office, you're probably down at Shop-a-Crack haggling with your dealer for a discount on a rock suitable in size for Tinkerbell if she were strung-out on crack instead of pixie dust. So thanks again for your generosity.

Love,
Traci

p.s. Tomorrow I'm bringing a kiddie pool to sit in so there will be even more steam! You might want to consider installing one during your next office-to-sauna conversion.

Irving - the longest day in the afternoon

(You and) I Better Run (to Bottletree tonight!)

2007-06-22T16:11:00.000-05:00

Don't forget about the Rosebuds show tonight! Land of Talk and Lonesome Spirit Device will be opening...it should be a fun show.

The Rosebuds - I Better Run
The Rosebuds - Cemetary Lawns

Land of Talk - Speak to Me Bones

A Sunny Teenage Stride in Glasgow

2007-06-22T15:30:00.000-05:00

Brookyn band My Teenage Stride are currently spreading their "Eno-fronting-the-Smiths" sound across the US while on tour with A Sunny Day in Glasgow (sadly they are not coming to Birmingham on this tour).

From Ears Like Golden Bats
My Teenage Stride - Terror Bends
My Teenage Stride - To Live And Die In The Airport Lounge

From Scribble Mural Comic Journal
A Sunny Day in Glasgow - The Best Summer Ever
A Sunny Day in Glasgow - No. 6 Von Karman Street

Rocky Votolato be all braggin' and cussin'

2007-06-21T14:24:00.000-05:00

Memo

Subject: RB Co. Promotion

Secret Assistant to the Regional Mascot Jordan Sowards has been promoted to the new position of Semiregular Guest Blogger while also maintaining his previous title. Please take a moment to congratulate him on this achievement. We look forward to seeing all his future work.

From the Desk of Jordan Sowards, RB Semiregular Guest Blogger

I was introduced to Rocky Votolato with last year's most excellent Makers, and I loved it immediately and completely. This was unexpected, because Makers was sort of a throwback to a time when my musical palate was dominated by acoustic guitar-wielding singer-songwriters, and I just don't really listen to that sort of stuff very much anymore. That's why I have to give crazy mad propz to the guy for even getting my attention.

Rocky Votolato's new album, The Brag & Cuss came out Tuesday. It's a fuller, more band-oriented record, and like Makers it's fraught with lovely, country-tinged pop elegance. The Brag & Cuss didn't knock my socks off right away like Makers did, but I very much look forward to loving the crap out of it in the near future. And hopefully somebody will book this guy at Bottletree, yo.

From The Brag & Cuss
Rocky Votolato - Whiskey Straight
Rocky Votolato - The Wrong Side of Reno

From Makers
Rocky Votolato - White Daisy Passing

Eleni Mandell

2007-06-20T13:33:00.000-05:00

I saw Eleni Mandell open for Great Lake Swimmers last week and judging by the comments heard after her set, I think everyone left a little smitten with her. She's a sultry torch singer with a catalog that alternates between alt-country, jazz, and rock. It's no wonder that Harp magazine named her one of their "Hot Summer Sirens."

Eleni Mandell - Girls (from Miracle of Five)
Eleni Mandell - Easy on Your Way Out (from Afternoon)
Eleni Mandell - Fall Away (from Afternoon)

BRMC pt. 2

2007-06-14T17:48:00.000-05:00

I wish I could be as glowing as Traci in my commentary, but the truth is that I'm an ornery, balding, sharp-tongued elderly man in the body of a 27-year-old, blonde-haired, blue-eyed gal. When we made our way to the front of the venue and the band began playing, I had to immediately head toward the back of the venue where the other tall folks were standing. I was so close to the speaker that it started blowing my hair around like a fan when the band started. I guess that, along with the ensuing ear-ringing and buzzing, is very rock and roll. It looks like I'm NOT very rock and roll though, because I couldn't stand the kitchen heat for longer than about three minutes! (It should also be noted that I was wearing earplugs.)

When I retreated to the back, I could hear very little because of the aforementioned "basstrap." Zydeco has a very low ceiling and poor acoustics, so most people who go there come out complaining about the sound.

None of this, of course, is a reflection on Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. They're terrific musicians, and it's obvious from the enthusiastic crowd response that they know how to put on a kick-ass rock show. Maybe next time they play the 'ham we'll actually be able to hear beyond the throbbing bass and otherwise poor sound.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ Zydeco, 6.12.07

2007-06-13T15:15:00.000-05:00

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club arrived in Birmingham Tuesday from their previous tour stop of Orlando ready to unleash their brand of dirty, bluesy rock. It was my first time to see the band live and I wasn't disappointed. Their songs practically slither into your ear and you leave feeling slightly violated but thoroughly seduced.

The venue is known for being a big basstrap but that's not so bad in my mind because I'm a sucker for big bass sounds. Good thing because we were standing right next to a speaker while taking photos. I thought we might leave the show deaf from the RAWK and blind from the monstrous strobes pulsating on stage. But earplugs and one of the band members requesting the strobes be turned off because he was getting shocked saved our two most important senses.

The crowd seemed really into it, especially the middle-aged man in front of me who danced through the whole show and the young guy front and center who kept time by stomping his boot-clad foot on the stage. And it was a foot-stomping show...definitely one worth catching if the band visits your neck of the woods.

The next stop for the BRMC tour is Houston, check out Houston Waiting in a few days for a writeup.

A few more photos...

And more at Flickr.

BRMC Tourzine

File update

2007-06-12T14:27:00.000-05:00

Our mp3s will be down until tomorrow. Sorry for the inconvenience, but we went way over our data transfer for the month and have a bill of $110 to show for it. I finally had to shut down the site that hosts our files for a few days to avoid even larger fees.

Sorry

2007-06-08T11:53:00.000-05:00

Some of our mp3 files might be temporarily unavailable for the next few days due to some data transfer problems we are having. If you are unable to access a file, please come back next week. Thanks!

The Blonde reclaims her throne with Ray's Vast Basement!

2007-06-07T12:29:00.000-05:00

Move over, would-be usurpers, both of you! It is I, the original Blondehead, who has come to reclaim my mighty throne of vapidity and musical snarkiness.

PS--That wig was not flattering on EITHER OF YOU. I MEAN LIKE NOT AT ALL.

Ahem... Helloooo everyone! I am back, and I brought Ray's Vast Basement along with me. Thanks to Jon Polk at Team Clermont for sending me a copy of Ray's Vast Basement's new album, Starvation Under Orange Trees. On first listen I thought this record was "weird," and after listening through I put it away, but something kept me coming back to it.

These songs have a comfortable warmth to them, but ever-present, too, is a dark and ominous narrative undercurrent. Most of the tracks have a literary quality to them and are very much lyric-driven, and singer Jon Bernson's lazy vocals carry the lyrics well. All of this makes sense after reading a label on the record sleeve that says the songs were written for a San Francisco stage production of Of Mice and Men. Perfect, perfect, and I'm sure the songs were a wonderful accompaniment to a modern production of one of Steinbeck's most well known works.

From Starvation Under Orange Trees:

Black Cotton
Tall Bob Smoke

...and my personal favorite:

Work Song

Show Ray's Vast Basement some love on their myspace page

Hold Music

2007-06-05T13:02:00.000-05:00

While we're waiting for the votes to be tabulated for our blonde imposter contest, how about a little music for the interim? I guarantee that this stuff is catchier than the muzak they make you listen to when you're usually put on hold.

Architecture in Helsinki will release their third album on August 7. Places Like This is a bit of an evolution from their previous twee pop...the band experiments with some new calypso, electronica, and dance music sounds while building on the diverse instrumentation found on In Case We Die and Fingers Crossed. All together, it's an odd combination of genres but I think they pull it off.

Architecture in Helsinki - Hold Music
Architecture in Helsinki - Red Turned White

Another August release is The New Pornographers' Challenger, which is set to appear in stores on the 21st. The first single "My Rights Versus Yours" has leaked so here's a little taste of what's to come.

The New Pornographers - My Rights Versus Yours

Sure to be the favorite summer album of all fans of onomatopoeia (and babies!), Spoon's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga will hit the streets on July 10. Merge is offering a sweet preorder deal where you get a limited edition bonus disc of 22 minutes of extra music. Gimme Fiction was one of my 2005 favorites with a very high play count, and after a few listens to Ga Ga, I'm sure it will be on my 2007 list.

Spoon - The Underdog
You can listen to other songs from the album at Merge's site.

Jordan vs. Jackson Deathmatch 2007: The Battle of the J's

2007-06-01T16:10:00.000-05:00

Not to be outdone by his Secret Assistant, Red Blondehead's official mascot had to submit himself as a candidate for the Substitute Leah position. So here's Jackson, le Love Bear's (formerly known as Jackson, The Fantastic Bear) entry.

Jackson, le Love Bear is superexcited about his new look.

The Cooooomas

In a pure cliché of the mid-2000’s (or whatever this decade is known as), Leah and I had an exchange on MySpace that culminated in my first exposure to The Comas. It started when I noted that I still don’t understand Leah’s unhealthy obsession with The Handsome Family (no hate, bro). She avoided the comment by asking if I understand her newfound obsession with The Comas. “No seriously [gringo], listen to ‘Red Microphones.’” And so I did.

I wouldn’t quite consider them a guilty pleasure, but The Comas are certainly outside my usual listening habits. For some reason, I even tried to find something wrong with their most recent album Spells. I searched for a way to label them the next Sparklehorse or Apples in Stereo rip-off. Slowly nit-picking though each song, the enjoyment started to set in. Well hot damn if I wasn’t being seduced by the cute sassy girl that I had just sneered at.

Somehow The Comas carve their unique power pop niche despite sounding like so many other bands: Ted Leo, Weezer, Grandaddy and the aforementioned Sparklehorse and Apples in Stereo. From fuzzed-out romp to blissed-out ballad, the most consistent quality about The Comas is that they keep things interesting.

It’s so easy to get wrapped up in obscure instruments and rampant experimentation that sometimes one forgets about the good ol’ indie rock. Listen to the songs below and come see The Comas at Zydeco on Monday, June 4 or at Bottletree July 31. (RB: We suggest both, but if you can only afford one...it's an easy guess which one we would endorse. heh.)

The Comas - Red Microphones
The Comas - Now I'm a Spider
The Comas - Thistledown

(cheesy announcer voice) The competition is heating up! Who will be crowned Substitute Leah? Whose life will be forever changed by winning? Tune in next week!

You can't have a music revival without a Deacon

2007-05-30T16:45:00.000-05:00

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

2007-05-24T20:56:00.000-05:00

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.

2007-05-22T12:34:00.000-05:00

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

2007-05-11T16:51:00.000-05:00

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?

2007-05-04T14:01:00.000-05:00

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

my (Levon Helm-heavy) Band mixtape

2007-04-27T17:17:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I hurriedly made a mix of songs by The Band for a friend. Said friend likes Levon Helm, so naturally I made a mix where Leeeeeeevon figures prominently into the songs. Thought I would share the mix with you guys--both for those of you who love The Band (who wouldn't?!) and for those of you who need a good introduction to songs by The Band. It's early release-heavy, but we all know that the newer a release is, the worse it is for these guys. So, enjoy! All the songs should be pretty easy to find on iTunes, etc.

The Band - Levon

1. "The Stones I Throw (Will Free All Men)" - Levon and the Hawks (A Musical History)
2. "Go Go Liza Jane" - Levon and the Hawks (A Musical History)
3. "We Can Talk" - The Band (Music from Big Pink)
4. "Chest Fever" - The Band (Music from Big Pink)
5. "Katie's Been Gone" (Outtake) - The Band (Music from Big Pink)
6. "Keys to the Highway" (Outtake) - The Band (Music from Big Pink)
7. "(I Dont Want To Hang Up My) Rock 'N' Roll Shoes (Live 12/28-12/31/71, The Academy Of Music, NYC)" - The Band (A Musical History)
8. "Ain't No More Cane on the Brazos" -The Band (A Musical History, The Basement Tapes)
9. "Baby Lou" - The Band - (A Musical History)
10. "Bessie Smith" - The Band - (A Musical History, The Basement Tapes)
11. "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" - The Band (The Band)
12. "Up on Cripple Creek" - The Band (The Band)
13. "Jemima Surrender" - The Band (The Band)
14. "Rockin' Chair" - The Band (The Band)
15. "Ophelia" - The Band (I used the version from The Last Waltz, which I think is better than the version on Northern Lights - Southern Cross
16. "The Weight" - The Band (again, I used the Last Waltz version.
17. "Strawberry Wine" - The Band (Stage Fright)
18. "The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show" - The Band (Stage Fright)
19. "Daniel and the Sacred Harp" - The Band (Stage Fright)
20. "When I Paint my Masterpiece" - The Band (Cahoots)
21. "The River Hymn" - The Band (Cahoots)

Through the Sparks - Lazarus Beach

2007-04-24T17:26:00.000-05:00

Red Blondehead has been on pins and needles about posting some tracks from Birmingham, AL natives Through the Sparks' debut full-length record, Lazarus Beach. It's darkly beautiful and upbeat-sounding yet often menacing thematically. Lyrically clever and musically dense, the record always features something interesting to focus on, even in the songs with more downbeat tempos.

But that's enough talking about a record that can speak volumes for itself, so why not giddy up and have a listen.

content removed at the request of Skybucket Records
Mexico (Every Last Buffalo)
Falling Out of Favor With the Neighbors

content removed

PS: If you're in the Birmingham area, you can catch Through the Sparks' CD release party for Lazarus Beach next Saturday, May 5 at the Bottletree.

No River City is an American band (thanks, John Seay)

2007-04-19T14:05:00.000-05:00

I used to hate having to stand through the performances of opening bands, so I find it ironic that I first heard one of my now-favorite bands whilst I stood waiting for Iron and Wine to play in the now-defunct Echo Lounge in Atlanta.

No River City is the band that opened that night, and I have been hooked on the Atlanta natives ever since. One of the reasons is that I love a good story, and Drew deMan is one of the best songwriting storytellers since Whiskeytown. In fact, if you're a fan of the croonings of the Ryan Adams and Caitlin Cary pair, I think you'd like deMan's music. It gives one a feel for his love of all things western, all things beat culture, and all things egalitarian. That means calling up the wandering spirits of Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly and at times the defiant mood and it's-all-out-on-the-table morality of Henry Miller. In short, it's a gem for those of us who appreciate neo-folk and good storytelling.

Here's one of my favorites from No River City's first album, This is our North Dakota: 100 Mile Dance

These are from the band's new release, Wolves and Fishes:

Two Sad Horses
Leftover Men & Machines
Dissolved in Your Whisky

If you're in Birmingham, come out to Bottletree this Saturday night, April 21, to hear No River City play with Birmingham's own folk outfit The Saturdays and Athen's Nate Nelson.

Other No River City dates this tour:

April 2007
20th Album Release Party, Redlight Cafe, Atlanta, w/ Blake Rainey & Little Country Giants
21st Bottletree, Birmingham, AL

May-June 2007 - Westerly Tour
May 2 Brentwood Pub, Nashville, TN
May 3 Off Broadway, St. Louis, MO
May 4 Blue Fugue, Columbai, MO
May 5 TBA, Lawrence, KS
May 7 Mooch And Burn, Tulsa, OK
May 11 3 Kings, Denver, CO
May 17 Old Ironsides, Sacramento, CA
May 18 Hotel Utah, San Francisco, CA
May 22 Radio show, LA, CA
May 23 Silverlake Lounge, LA, CA
May 24 Pappy & Harriet's, Pioneertown, CA
May 25 The Hut, Tucson, AZ
May 31 Common Ground, McCall, ID
June 1 Neurolux, Boise, ID
June 5 In-Store, Music Millennium, Portland, OR
June 8 John's Alley, Moscow, ID
June 9 In-Store, Cactus Records, Bozeman, MT
June 14 High Noon Saloon, Madison, WI
June 15 The Mill, Iowa City, IA
June 16 The Busted Lift, Dubuque, IA

The Go Find - Stars on the Wall

2007-04-18T16:07:00.000-05:00

The Go Find, the indietronica project of Belgian native Dieter Sermeus, will release its second album Stars on the Wall next Tuesday. It's been 3 years since the debut of Miami and Sermeus has added a few new touches to his sound (like check out the banjo on "Monday Morning") and toned down some of the electronica aspects. If you enjoy the music of Styrofoam, you should check out The Go Find because Arne Van Petegem of Styrofoam produced Miami and you can definitely hear the influence.

From Stars on the Wall:
The Go Find - Dictionary
The Go Find - Monday Morning
The Go Find - New Year

Video for "New Year" (hey, there's Monchichi!)

From Miami:
The Go Find - Over the Edge
The Go Find - Summer Quest

Let's Go Sailing!

2007-04-16T07:52:00.000-05:00

Some things you might not know about Los Angeles' Let's Go Sailing (LGS):

-Shana Levy of LGS, who studied classical piano as a child, has played keys for Rilo Kiley, Irving, and Dios Malos.
-You might've heard LGS between sets at the last Flaming Lips show you attended.
-Watch Grey's Anatomy? Specifically, the episode that aired March 22? Then you've heard not one, but two LGS songs.
-Some of our promoters caught LGS at SXSW and fell in LOVE.
-You can go right now to KCRW and hear LGS on Morning Becomes Eclectic.
-You can come out to Bottletree Monday night for a two-band (read: home early) set featuring LGS and Louisiana pop songsters We Landed on the Moon!

Join us for a night of the lovely melancholy pianotude sounds of Let's Go Sailing, preceded by the sweet indie pop of We Landed on the Moon!

Monday, April 16
Doors @ 8:00
WLOTM! starts @ 9:00
Tix: $8

From LGS's debut record, The Chaos in Order:

All I Want from You is Love
Heart Condition
Come Home Safely

The National - Boxer

2007-04-13T15:52:00.000-05:00

I thought Leah might post some stuff from The National's upcoming album (release date - May 22) but it seems she started the weekend early (I heard her mutter something about an appointment with someone named Riesling as she ran from RB headquarters and she's been gone for hours). So that leaves me to share a few favorites from Boxer. I've only listened to it a few times but it looks like it's going to be in high rotation for a while.

The National will be opening for The Arcade Fire for a select few dates this spring, including Atlanta.

The National - Slow Show
The National - Mistaken For Strangers
The National - Fake Empire

Ten for Tuesday

2007-04-10T14:21:00.000-05:00

A few years ago I saw Broken Flowers with a friend and although I left the theater disappointed with the movie, the song playing during the closing credits left a lasting impression. We hung around until the end of the credits to get the artist and title of the song and I made a mental note to track it down. I must have filed that mental note pretty far back in the filing cabinet because it took me 2 years to find the song. But here it is.
The Greenhornes and Holly Golightly - There Is An End

Songs from St. Vincent's upcoming album "Marry Me" are slowly leaking onto the internets. Another to savor...
St. Vincent - Now.Now.

The Wombats - Moving to New York
Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin - Half-Awake (Deb)
The Electric Soft Parade - If That's the Case, Then I Don't Know
Palomar - Our Haunt
Land of Talk - Speak to Me Bones
Bellavista - Divided We Suffer
Joseph Arthur & The Lonely Astronauts - Diamond Ring
Apartment - 10,000 Times

Indie Pop Monday

2007-04-09T16:04:00.000-05:00

From What the Hell Do I Know?:
Illinois - Screendoor
Illinois - Alone Again

From Jarvis, the solo debut of the former Pulp frontman, Jarvis Cocker:
The melody for "Black Magic" is completely ripped off from "Crimson and Clover"...still good though.
Jarvis Cocker - Black Magic
Jarvis Cocker - Don't Let Him Waste Your Time

From Night Of The Furies:
The Rosebuds - Get Up Get Out
The Rosebuds - Cemetery Lawns

From New Believers (to be released on April 17):
Elk City - Cherries in the Snow
Elk City - Los Cruzados

The Virgins - Rich Girls
Check out The Virgins on myspace.

Menomena....da da dadada...

2007-04-04T15:56:00.000-05:00

Menomena, the band with the best album art of the year so far (their music's not bad either), will be playing at Bottletree tonight with Kiss Me at the Gate.

Menomena - Wet and Rusting
Menomena - Weird
Menomena - My My

See you there?

Yes, we're still an mp3 blog...

2007-04-03T11:45:00.000-05:00

How about some mp3s instead of Leah and me writing endless posts about SXSW? At this point, we're like your great aunts who arrived home from their vacation armed with photo slideshows and now they won't stop yapping about their trip for another 6 months. Not that I've completely abandoned the detailed accounts of our every move (doesn't that look threatening in italics like that?) in Austin, just taking a break. I know that probably no one really cares to read another indulgent South By blog, especially 2 weeks after the fact but I've made it a personal goal to finish what I started. Sorry to involve you in my own self-improvement quest for personal fulfillment...my deepest apologies. However, procrastination in action results in some new music so please accept the tunes as an offering of penitence.

I can't get enough of Headlights' Kill Them With Kindness...I love almost every song. Their music makes me think of Stars, which is a high compliment in my book.

Headlights - Songy Darko
Headlights - Put Us Back Together Right
Headlights - Hi-Ya!

I'm lazy (SXSW recap)

2007-03-29T01:17:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I'm lazy. It's now two weeks post-SXSW, and I've yet to write about my experiences at SXSW. I'm going to direct you all to Tinymixtapes.com, though, where I posted detailed reviews of the three days I was there. I know you're DYING to read!

SXSW Day 1 on Tinymixtapes.com
SXSW Day 2 on Tinymixtapes.com
SXSW Day 3 on Tinymixtapes.com

Wednesday was, by far, my favorite day of shows. I love Tunng. Tunng is my new favorite band. Whooo, Tunng!

Loney, Dear tonight!

2007-03-27T11:26:00.000-05:00

I decided to skip seeing Loney, Dear at SXSW in favor of some bands that don't often tour these parts since Loney, Dear would be playing at Bottletree within a couple of weeks of the conference. That time has arrived and the band will take the stage along with Battles tonight.

Loney, Dear is the indie-pop project of another talented Swede, Emil Svanängen. Subpop released Loney, Noir last month and it was met with an enthusiastic response, especially among the blogger community.

"I Am John" has a pretty high play count on my computer...I love how it builds with the instrumental bell part and then just lets loose with the multilayered voices. It hasn't been very long since I posted it for the first time but I'm posting it again because not all of you listened to it before. Big Brother is watching.

Loney, Dear - I Am John
Loney, Dear - Sinister in a State of Hope
Loney, Dear - Saturday Waits

Hope to see you tonight at 9 pm!

SXSW - Day 1

2007-03-26T14:38:00.000-05:00

I had been warned to take my vitamins while attending SXSW, since the toll it takes on a body can leave one susceptible to the germy nastiness that often thrives in large groups. I heeded the advice...faithfully popping Airborne until I ran out, yet I still found myself with a cold by Saturday afternoon. Thankfully, I didn't develop symptoms until an hour or so into the 13 hour drive home. It would have sucked to miss out because of some silly virus. SXSW was exhausting enough for a healthy body with all the walking, staying up until 5 am almost every night, and diet consisting of barbecue, pizza, and pancakes. Sometimes it felt like we were running on pure adrenaline and Starbucks coffee (in Greg Slamen's case) and walking with cement blocks on our feet. Despite our aching arches, SXSW was a music lovers' promised land...a place where musicians are playing at almost every available space in the city including barber shops, pizza places, and chain clothing stores. It's a place where bands are tagged with bright orange artist wristbands and set loose to freely roam the urban landscape and the game of Guess Which Band That Guy/Girl Wearing the Extremely Tight Jeans Is In (otherwise known as the "Did I just bump into the lead singer of Bloc Party at the bar?" game) is a welcome diversion in between sets.

I don't know how people manage to live blog the conference without missing out on shows or sleep. Perhaps the skill of live blogging is taught in Advanced South by Southwest while I'm still mastering the basics of SXSW 101. I can't even get a blog up a week after the conference ended! In my defense, I did have to write something for the al.com blog. (http://blog.al.com/sxsw)

I had an impossible list of 50 bands I wanted to see but I did manage to fit listening to 27 bands into 3 days with Wednesday being the most productive. Some sets were highly anticipated while others I ended up listening to inadvertently, which led to a few discoveries.

Wednesday
Headlights, Stars of Track & Field, Apes and Androids, Architecture in Helsinki, The Pipettes, Oh No! Oh My!, Through the Sparks, Fink, Tunng, Peter Bjorn & John

Our first day began around noon with a trip to the conference center so that Leah and the Through the Sparks boys could pick up their badges and wristbands. The line was pretty long so Katy and I decided to go ahead to the Austinist/Gorilla vs. Bear party since I already had my wristband and Katy had arrangements to pick one up the next morning. The Forms were playing when we entered but I was still getting my bearings so I didn't pay very much attention to them. A friendly guy that works for Austinist gave us VIP guest passes (as Katy said, "sometimes it pays to be a girl") and we headed up to the VIP area to grab some food and drinks. Despite hearing the name before, I had never listened to Headlights. They proved to be an enjoyable surprise and I hope to hear more from them in the future (possibly at Bottletree since Katy also liked what she heard and is interested in booking them for a show). We then headed to the indoor stage to hear Stars of Track and Field. They weren't bad but I almost broke into giggles several times while they were playing. They were just so...earnest and melodramatic with their facial expressions. I thought the drummer was going to break into tears at any moment.

The music moves us so much, we have to sing with our eyes closed.

Stars of Track and Field's drummer...is that the glisten of a tear I spy?

Apes & Androids

Apes & Androids' dancing monster

By the time we went back outside, Apes & Androids were playing. The nice Austinist guy had told us they were a "don't-miss" and we were glad that we took his advice after witnessing the makeup-covered, glittery halter-clad band play their electrorockopera while dancing with a big inflatable monster. After Apes & Androids finished, we stayed outside to get a good position for Architecture in Helsinki.

Architecture in Helsinki

Architecture in Helsinki is a band I've wanted to see for a long time but location and logistics prevented it until the moment this Australian collective played on this rainy Wednesday. Their high energy was infectious...the lead singer danced from drum pad to guitar to keyboards to bongos without missing a beat and sometimes while adopting a singing voice straight out of the Muppets. Definitely one of my favorites of the whole conference.

Katy and I then met up with Leah and a few others at Slacker's, a futuristic Miami-type bar that seemed out of place when compared to the surrounding venues. It turned out that they had just caught Robbers on High Street and Jesse Sykes as part of a secret show. We rested on the banquettes briefly before heading out into the melee again. Leah and I decided to walk the thirteen blocks to La Zona Rosa for The Pipettes and find a place to eat on the way. Once we got to La Zona Rosa, we were surprised to see a long line but it moved pretty quickly and we only missed a couple of songs from the Pipettes' set. I know they're a novelty act, but they're cute in their semi-matching dresses and their songs are catchy. Plus, the lyrics of their songs are subversive enough to make them more than just a retro thowback.

The Pipettes

Next we grabbed a taxi to head back across town to catch Through the Sparks. We arrived a little early, so we headed into the Flamingo Cantina to listen to Nashville band Oh No! Oh My! for a while. I like a few of their songs but Leah deemed them "silly" and wanted to leave after about 4 songs (I think the spastic K. Fed wannabe waving his hands in her face may have had more to do with her desire to leave than the actual band.) so we went back to wait for Through the Sparks.

Through the Sparks

Leah wrote a good review of the performance and I can't really add anything of note so I'm just going to quote her (All this typing is making me tired, maybe giving a detailed account of each day wasn't a great idea. Only a few hours to go. Yay, copy and paste!)

"Through the Sparks had a great performance. They sounded well rehearsed and played songs from all three of their releases. One of the complaints I have about SXSW overall is that when you see so many bands in one place, the sounds start to run together to form ill-defined indie rock band X. I told our group riding home that this wasn't really the case with TTS. They've got unique instrumentation, among other key factors, and Jody is just not your typical frontman. Self-deprecating and ironic, he speaks softly and doesn't seem to care whether anyone hears his banter or not. I know listeners' demands and expectations vary and that some like lead singers who command attention, but all around, artists who don't try to pander to their audience seem more genuine. That's true with this band, anyway."

As soon as TTS finished, we raced back across town in a taxi to catch Tungg and Peter Bjorn & John because we expected long lines after our Pipettes experience at La Zona Rosa. To our surprise, we walked right in. The band playing might have had something to do with that...Fink was Snooze City. Things picked up with Tunng, a British folktronica group that Leah was pretty excited about seeing. The singer Mike Lindsay was working the whole modern Jesus look. I liked the percussionist's wide array of noisemakers and the girl singer's swishy dress and red star-shaped tambourine. (This blog entry is about to devolve to "Dress pretty. Funny drums, yay!" I know you're probably thinking that this account of SXSW day 1 will never end, which is a pretty accurate picture of the actual day while we were living it.) On to the last act of the night, Peter Bjorn & John!

Peter Bjorn & John had my top pick for favorite album of 2006 with Writer's Block and it was also high on Leah's list, so we had high hopes for their late night performance and they didn't disappoint us. Their set featured all the catchy pop for which they're known plus crowd-pleasing antics like rawker scissor kicks and Peter throwing his guitar down to dance a jig on it.

PB&J's set ended and we were excited about sitting down during the 15 minute cab ride back to the hotel. But a rest for our poor feet would have to wait because everyone in Austin needed a cab. We walked around for about an hour before Katy and John finally rescued us from no cab Hades. Ah, La Quinta. You've never looked more beautiful in all your fake terracotta glory.

Gearing up for SXSW Part 6: Tunng, The Besnard Lakes

2007-03-10T15:37:00.000-06:00

My two favorite genres of music are folk and electronica. Imagine, then, my delight at discovering UK band Tunng, whose music is a lovely mix of both. It's like Simon and Garfunkel- and Four Tet- flavored ice cream! What a yummy flavor; it's better than Triple Chocolate Orgasm-Fudge Heaven, which is like my favorite! There are a few weird mash-ups (Patsy Cline, wha?), but I like them enough not to care.

Jenny Again
Tale from Black

They'll be playing at SXSW: Catch them Wednesday, March 14 @ La Zona Rosa with Peter Bjorn and John.

Next up is The Besnard Lakes, another Montreal band. They sound like the Beach Boys, like about 50 gazillion other dream-pop bands, but ask me if I care. I like the Beach Boys. They are, of course, associated with other Canadian bands Stars, the Dears, and Wolf Parade and are, appropriately, we feel, signed to the Jagjaguwar label.

Disaster
You Lied to Me

They'll be playing SXSW March 15 at the Jagjaguwar showcase. Maybe we'll see you there!

Gearing up for SXSW: Part 5

2007-03-09T15:56:00.000-06:00

I'll be spending most of my weekend packing and planning a SXSW schedule that will probably fall apart after being in Austin for a few hours. Before getting my nerd on by creating color-coded cross-referenced band lists in Excel (what? although I'm not very organized in many aspects when it comes to trips I like to have an itinerary so I get my money's worth), here's Field Music, a UK pop band that will be playing the Beauty Bar Patio on Saturday, March 17 at 9 pm and also at several day shows.

I was interested in this "dance craze" Field Music supposedly spawned (according to some British tabloid) and found this from an interview with drummer Peter Brewis:

According to scummy UK tabloid News of the World you started a dance craze?
We had a funny little dance in one of our videos that ripped off Prince in “Raspberry Beret” and transported it to Sunderland. It caught on for about three days when all of me friends were rehearsing it. I don’t know if it was a joke, but the guy who does the music editing basically decided that he was gonna create a dance craze.

So if you are interested in pale Brits dancing, here's the video.

Study up, people! You don't want to be the only one at the Field Music showcase who doesn't have all the moves memorized.

From this year's Tones of Town:
Field Music - In Context
Field Music - Sit Tight

From Write Your Own History:
Field Music - Alternating Current
Field Music - Test Your Reaction

Gearing up for SXSW Part 4: Through the Sparks

2007-03-08T23:46:00.000-06:00

A band with which Red Blondehead is fairly well connected and whose upcoming debut full-length album we are excited about is Through the Sparks. The record, to be released in early May, is unavailable for public consumption (only in the good ole US of A do we consume music like it's umm... chocolate. chocolate, right?) for now, but we've got a couple of b-sides for you to hear in the meantime.

We can say this, though: the new record, while just as full of infectious melodies as the EP and the demo collection released, is a much more layered production than past efforts. We can't wait for you to hear it.

Through the Sparks will be playing SXSW Wednesday, March 14 at Habana Calle 6 Annex at 10:00 p.m. Here are a few tracks for your current uh... consumption.

Invisible Kid (alternative version)
From Where I'm Going (alternate from AudioIotas)
Lay, Lady Lay (Dylan cover)

Also, tune in to al.com for our SXSW coverage with the band. We'll update as often as we can.

Gearing up for SXSW Pt. 3: Lymbyc Systym

2007-03-06T15:00:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone!

I've returned to the land of the living temporarily to announce a SXSW band that I'm excited about: Lymbyc Systym.

This indie post-rock lap-pop duo from Arizona opened for the Album Leaf on the AL's fall tour and had everyone at the shows as impressed as Mr. Jimmy LaValle himself. Some of us were even more impressed because, unlike our beloved LaValle, they don't try to sing along to their instrumental goodness. You know I love you, Jimmy, and that one day you'll have my Fennesz-lovin' lap-trip-hoppin' babies, but dear lord quit it with the singing!

If you're into music by Four Tet, Benevento Russo Duo, Tortoise, Sigur Ros, (you're getting it by now), Lymbyc Systym is guaranteed to be a new favorite. Come see them play in Austin on Friday, March 16 at Lovejoy's.

If you're in Birmingham, AL, you can catch them tonight at the Bottletree around 9:00 p.m. They've driven a long way to get some southern love. Your southern love.

from Cambridge, MA show 11.7.06:

Astrology Days
Carved by Glaciers

from 2007 release Love Your Abuser:

Birds

Gearing up for SXSW: part 2

2007-03-01T13:08:00.000-06:00

Dear Leah's Work,

Please release Leah from your inhumane imprisonment posthaste. The proletariat awaits her words of wisdom and you have silenced her for too long. Your shackles of slavery cannot hold forever! The masses will rise up and demand her freedom! The revolution is coming.

Sincerely,
The Free Leah Coalition

More bands I hope to catch at the conference...

Loney, Dear - I Am John
Loney, Dear - Saturday Waits
Loney, Dear - I Am the Odd One
Loney, Dear SXSW page

The Village Green - When the Creepers Creep In
The Village Green - Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
The Village Green SXSW page

The Pipettes - It Hurts to See You Dance So Well
The Pipettes SXSW page

The Postmarks - Goodbye
The Postmarks SXSW page

FREE LEAH! FREE LEAH!

Gearing up for SXSW: Part 1

2007-02-20T16:49:00.000-06:00

My mind is too boggled by the overwhelming SXSW schedule of showcases and day parties to write very much today but I wanted to post a few songs by a band I'm interested in checking out while in Austin...Chicago pop band The Changes.

The Changes - When I Wake
The Changes - On a String
The Changes - Modern Love

SXSW's blurb on the band:

The Changes are Darren (vox/guitar) David (guitar/vox/songwriter) Rob (bass) and Jonny (drums/bells) & they all man the keys. In combination they make up four of Chicago's favorite sons. The quartet self-produced their recently released debut album entitled Today Is Tonight, which properly introduces The Changes to the world care of Drama Club Records in the US and Kitchenware in the UK and Europe. They are no longer a well-kept Chicago secret as people and critics from all over have caught on to their distinct, indelible sound. They are on tour now.

So who is going to SXSW and who do you want to see there?

The Broken West

2007-02-12T15:06:00.000-06:00

Thank goodness a lawsuit over their band name resulted in The Brokedown changing their name to The Broken West, which sounds far more poetic and less grammatically incorrect than the former option. This Los Angeles-based band's full-length debut, I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On, features pop sounds reminiscent of Wilco's Summerteeth years. On first listen, "Down in the Valley" is one of those songs that sounds vaguely familiar but you can't place exactly where you've heard it but it's catchy and enjoyable enough that you can't fault it for being derivative. The Broken West aren't breaking any molds (that pun was unintentional, really!) but it's the type of pop music that I enjoy. If you like power pop music and are not a jaded listener of the "heard it all" variety, you might like it too.

The Broken West - Down in the Valley
The Broken West - Brass Ring
The Broken West - Slow

We Heart Bears

2007-02-02T14:15:00.000-06:00

It's no secret that we love bears. Leah is obsessed with polar bears (I may have found some of her secret polar bear poetry on her computer hidden in a Word file named veryboringjamesjoycethesis.doc...Leah, you can't fool me with the misleading name!), I've had a lifelong affinity for panda and koala bears, and our mascot is a fierce yet lovable grizzly bear. So when I realized I had been unknowingly listening to mostly bear-named bands all day on the Friday before a Super Bowl featuring the Bears, a themed post seemed like a good idea. I don't follow football. I knew the Bears were playing in the Super Bowl because I heard it on the news but otherwise I know very little about the team. However, my subconscious picked them as its favorite and therefore chose an appropriate soundtrack for the day.

From the upcoming Person Pitch...
Panda Bear - Bros
Panda Bear - Comfy in Nautica
Panda Bear - Ponytail
Preorder it at Insound.

From The Soft Machine...
Teddybears - Cobrastyle
Teddybears - Punkrocker (feat. Iggy Pop)

From Yellow House...
Grizzly Bear - Knife
Grizzly Bear - Marla

From Interpretaciones Del Oso and Menos El Oso respectively...
Minus the Bear - Drilling (P.O.S. Redo)
Minus the Bear - Hooray

Early Bird Special!

2007-02-02T09:52:00.000-06:00

We hope you all decide to come out to hear MIDLAKE this Saturday night at Bottletree--so much so, in fact, that we'll be parceling out free beer and free posters to the earlybirds.

Come early to hear THROUGH THE SPARKS, and we'll buy you a beer. If you are one of the first 50 people (21+) to walk through the doors, you'll get a nifty drink ticket for a beer on us.

There will also be a limited supply of free posters featuring a design by me (see below).

Tell your friends! Hope to see you there!

Saturday, February 3rd @ BOTTLETREE
RED BLONDEHEAD PRESENTS:
MIDLAKE
TACKS, THE BOY DISASTER
THROUGH THE SPARKS
8:00 p.m. doors
9:00 p.m. show

From The Trials of Van Occupanther:
Midlake - Roscoe
Midlake - Young Bride
Midlake - It Covers the Hillside

Tacks, The Boy Disaster is an Austin-based quartet with Evan Jacobs (formerly of the Polyphonic Spree) as their fearless leader. Their debut EP, Oh, Beatrice, was released last year and is full of musical gems. You can buy it here (or at the show!).

From Oh, Beatrice:
Tacks, The Boy Disaster - Frozen Feet
Tacks, The Boy Disaster - Matilda

Paleo

2007-01-28T18:54:00.000-06:00

I read somewhere that Paleo, a.k.a. David Strackany, makes Ryan Adams look like a couch potato. Verily, I may in fact be plagiarizing the exact sentence. Sometime last spring, the man determined to write and record a song a day for a year, and write and record a song a day for a year he has (almost). “Easter to tax day,” he says on his website, which features hours and hours of recordings from different cities.

Paleo has the kind of rough vocals that recall Destroyer’s Daniel Bejar and a one-man band setup similar to that of Chad VanGaalen. Music fans of Birmingham will have the chance Monday night to find out for themselves. Please come out and support this touring wonder as well as Birmingham locals The Triceratops and Jon Black.

In the Morning Linda Dies
Occam's Razor

The Epochs

2007-01-18T15:00:00.000-06:00

Brooklyn-based band The Epochs play catchy electropop with enough layers to keep you warm during these chilly days of January. I think it may be time to shell out the $8 for the whole Epochs album because over the past couple of days I've worn out the 3 songs I currently have.

The Epochs - Mouths to Feed
The Epochs - Opposite Sides
The Epochs - Stand Up and Be Counted

Stream the whole album.
Or go to their myspace.

Bobby Bare "neo-cow punk" Jr.

2007-01-18T10:35:00.000-06:00

What we used to call "cow punk" or "country punk" has become a bit more sophisticated with the likes of Bloodshot artist Bobby Bare Jr. When I hear the term I think of raucous, randy folk like the Hollisters and the Meat Purveyors. And yeah, these guys are apparently still on Bloodshot Records, too. This Bobby Bare Jr. fella can be racous and randy, too, only these songs from The Longest Meow seem somewhat... uh... evolved. No less good, mind you! And still irreverent!

Mayonaise Brain
Sticky Chemical

On this record Bare has employed the help of members from Clem Snide, My Morning Jacket, ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, and Lambchop. It is at times more indie-rock than alt.country, but fans of both should find something they like.

If you're in Birmingham, come out to hear Bobby Bare Jr. play at Bottletree tonight, Jan. 18. Wear your cowboy hat(or your scarf).

New Release Mania Superpost

2007-01-16T12:55:00.000-06:00

A quick roundup of upcoming releases...there's a lot to anticipate in the next few months. Which are you eagerly awaiting?

January 23

The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
The Shins - Phantom Limb

Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
Of Montreal - Suffer for Fashion
Of Montreal - Bunny Ain't No Kind of Rider

The Good, The Bad and The Queen (self titled)
The Good, The Bad and The Queen - Herculean
The Good, The Bad and The Queen - 80's Life

The Earlies - The Enemy Chorus
Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity

January 30

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Some Loud Thunder
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Underwater
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Love Song No. 7
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Satan Said Dance

Youth Group - Casino Twilight Dogs
Youth Group - Sorry

February 6

Peter Bjorn & John - Writer's Block (domestic release)
Peter Bjorn & John - Amsterdam
Peter Bjorn & John - The Chills

Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City
Bloc Party - The Prayer

The Apples in Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder

February 20

Explosions in the Sky - All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone
Calla - Strength In Numbers
Minus the Bear - Interpretaciones Del Oso

February 27

Do Make Say Think - You, You're A History In Rust

March 6

The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
The Arcade Fire - Intervention
The Arcade Fire - Black Mirror
The Arcade Fire - Black Wave / Bad Vibrations

Air - Pocket Symphony
Air - Mer du Japon

Maria Taylor - Lynn Teeter Flower

March 20

Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - Living with the Living

Release Date Unknown

Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
Modest Mouse - Dashboard

podcast 2.2

2007-01-15T13:07:00.000-06:00

Hey podbloggers!

Just so you're aware, Red Blondehead has just put up a new BOTTLETREE podcast for your listening/previewing pleasure. Check your iTunes subscription if you have one, or if you'd rather download directly or stream, click here. If you'd like to subscribe, search for "Bottletree" or "Red Blondehead" under podcasts on iTunes.

The new podcast is packed with music and information about upcoming benefits. This edition features songs by the following artists:

Benjy Ferree
Lylas
Brad Armstrong (13 Ghosts)
Bobby Bare Jr.
I Love Math (supergroup from Old 97s / Deathray Davies)
Preston Lovinggood (Wild Sweet Orange)
Zoroaster
The Hidden Hand
Kylesa
Solilloquists of Sound
Dan Sartain
Paleo
Jon Black
The Great Book of John
Midlake
Tacks, the Boy Disaster

Also, be sure to hear Andrea and Greg's countdown of the TOP TEN BOTTLETREE SHOWS OF 2006! It is also available as a recent podcast through iTunes.

Thanks so much for listening! We hope to see you all at these upcoming shows.

Blast it loud, blast it proud, and don't forget to party.

Benjy Ferree

2007-01-14T13:07:00.000-06:00

Traci and I hate to be late in discovering Benjy Ferree because now that we have found him, he is like candy for our ears. Not like nasty licorice or Mike 'n Ike candy but like good candy. Like uh... lemon drops and circus peanuts! Candy from Maple Grove Farms of Vermont! Yummy Pixie Sticks! ohhh, now that I'm started. Back to Benjy.

His record Leaving the Nest was released in August of 2006 on Domino Records. His catchiest song, "In the Countryside," reminds me of the Shins and the White Stripes. That might seem a bit odd, but it's delicious. See, taste!

In the Countryside

A few others:
A Little at a Time
The Desert

Pick up Leaving the Nest at Spun.com, and if you're in the Birmingham area, come out to Bottletree Monday, January 15 to hear Benjy Ferree play with Lylas of Nashville and Brad Armstrong of 13ghosts. We'll be there with bells on!

Favoritest records of 2006, part deux!

2007-01-11T15:30:00.000-06:00

My Favorite Albums of 2006 list has been delayed slightly by a little New Year's Illness, but I haven't forgotten about it! (Not that anyone has been waiting with bated breath.) The cold that had been clinging to Leah tighter than a baby koala but with none of the cuteness finally relinquished its grip and latched onto me with its germ-infested claws. Thankfully, I've finally shed my temporary title of "Mouthbreather" to re-enter the world of people who can breathe through their noses and thus appear to be at least 100 IQ points more intelligent.

So here's the list of the albums or EP's I enjoyed the most in 2006...the order gets a little fuzzy for me once I get past number 6, most albums could easily switch places depending on the day and my mood.

1. Peter Bjorn & John - Writer's Block
Peter Bjorn & John - Young Folks

2. TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me

3. Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
Belle & Sebastian - White Collar Boy

4. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Neko Case - Star Witness

5. Irving - Death In The Garden, Blood On The Flowers
Irving - Jen Nothing Matters To Me

6. The Little Ones - Sing Song EP
The Little Ones - Lovers Who Uncover
This would have been higher on my list, if not for the fact that it is an EP.

7. The Black Keys - Magic Potion
The Black Keys - Your Touch

8. Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass
Yo La Tengo - Mr. Tough

9. Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
Beirut - Postcards From Italy

10. Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther
Midlake - Roscoe

11. Lylas - Lessons for Lovers
Lylas - Summer in a Sweater

12. Beck - The Information

13. Jamie Lidell - Multiply Additions
Jamie Lidell - Multiply

14. Voxtrot - Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives EP
(again, would have been higher if not an EP)
Voxtrot - Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives

15. Margot and the Nuclear So & So's - The Dust of Retreat
Margot and the Nuclear So & So's - Skeleton Key

16. Amy Millan - Honey from the Tombs
Amy Millan - Baby I

17. The Long Winters - Putting the Days to Bed
The Long Winters - Fire Island, AK

18. Band of Horses - Everything All the Time
Band of Horses - Funeral

19. Islands - Return to the Sea
Islands - Jogging Gorgeous Summer

20. Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of This Country
Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken

21. The French Kicks - Two Thousand
The French Kicks - Knee High

22. The Hidden Cameras - Awoo
The Hidden Cameras - Learning the Lie

23. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere

24. Joseph Arthur - Nuclear Daydream
Joseph Arthur - Enough to Get Away

25. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
The Decemberists - The Perfect Crime

favorite records of 2006

2007-01-03T09:44:00.000-06:00

Well hello my puppies. (I know that you are not really puppies, but I'd like to pretend that you are since I didn't get one for Christmas.) Traci and I hope that all of you had very Merry Christmases (or whatever it is you celebrate) and a fun new year's celebration. Whilst hopped up on near-illegal decongestants, I watched a pirated copy of Blood Diamond and then watched third-rate celebrities ringing in the new year on Dick Clark's Swingin' New Year. Both showed me tiny fractions of what is wrong with our planet.

There were a few bright spots in 2006, however, right? Like my favorite CDs of the year. Traci's been asking me to post them. Maybe she'll post hers soon, but the thing is that she's still out partying and ringing in the new year. If you find her, please give her a slap on the wrist and send her home.

Now, on to my favorites; love them or hate them, here's what I liked the most that came out this year:

10. Duquette Johnston – Etowah
09. Ratatat – Classics
08. Bob Dylan – Modern Times
07. Man Man – Six Demon Bag
06. The Handsome Family – Last Days of Wonder
05. M. Ward – Post-War
04. Stone Jack Jones – Bluefolk
03. Califone – Roots and Crowns
02. Peter Bjorn and John – Writer’s Block
01. Wooden Wand and the Sky High Band – Second Attention

have a merry sufjalylaslicious christmas!

2006-12-22T15:51:00.000-06:00

Tired of listening to the same old Christmas songs over and over again? Broke your granny hips rockin' round the christmas tree? Traci did (pix soon!)

Here's some newer Christmas songs for you to load up onto the old iPod. Merry Christmas to you all, and a happy new year if we don't get you before then.

Sufjan Stevens - Christmas in July
Sufjan Stevens - Get Behind Me, Santa!
Sufjan Stevens - Come On! Let's Boogey to the Elf Dance!
Lylas - Sara Wear your Sleigh Bells Home
Lylas - Swing Low, Sweet Misletoe

The Man....sigh.

2006-12-12T09:44:00.000-06:00

Subpop-approved Shins song from Wincing the Night Away:

The Shins - Phantom Limb

ex-Verbena night at BottleTree

2006-12-08T11:29:00.000-06:00

I remember--several years ago--editing a concert review for Tinymixtapes.com about a band named Verbena. As I read the review, I became interested when I learned that the band originated in Alabama, though this particular show was in Chicago. Since then, I have had several conversations with Duquette (Daniel) Johnston and have stuffed my mouth full of chocolate cupcakes alongside Les Nuby, yet only recently have I realized the connection. Small world, they say, small world.

Now, Verbena's ex-lead singer, A.A. Bondy (I think he used to go by "Scott") is getting his material back out there, and all that I've heard of it is lyric-driven and mostly stripped down to acoustic guitar and vocals, a far cry from the Verbena music I was able to track down. Folkies will love these songs for their pretty melodies, and folks in Birmingham can catch Bondy sing some of them live tonight.

Bondy and Johnston will be performing (separately) tonight at Bottletree, along with Red Blondehead favorite Stone Jack Jones from Nashville. The show starts at 9:00 p.m. with the dark, Appalachia-Americana flavored and trippy songs of SJJ, so don't be late!

Here's a preview of A.A. Bondy; these are mixes from his yet-to-be-released record Witness Blues:

Out with the Tide
American Hearts
Some Summer

And here's an older track from Stone Jack Jones' Narcotic Lollipop:

Gloria in Excess

If you haven't yet, check out some of the songs we posted from Duquette Johnston's Etowah a couple of months back.

BottleTree podcast 7: the merry hanakwanzaachristmas edition

2006-12-07T13:35:00.000-06:00

Hiya folksies!

Traci and Leah here! Red Blondehead's most recent podcast for BottleTree, podcast 7 for 12.7.06 - 12.23.06, is now available here for any of you who may be impatient. For those of you with an iTunes subscription, it should be up there later today.

Please listen and pick some shows to come out to; we'd love to see you at all of them!

Bands featured on this podcast:

AA Bondy
Duquette Johnston
Stone Jack Jones
Pearls and Brass
The Appleseed Cast
Red Harp
Centromatic
Dexateens
Pacific Stereo
Colour Revolt
The Ackleys
Teen Getaway
Glossary

and new, exclusive tracks from:
Through the Sparks
Ferocious Bubbles

Thanks for listening. Oh, and--have a Merry Hanakwanzaachristmas!

Every music blog needs a mascot...

2006-12-01T00:15:00.000-06:00

Those of you who listened to our last Bottletree podcast were introduced to Red Blondehead's recently named mascot/office pet/substitute sound engineer, Jackson. Those of you that didn't listen to our last podcast, meet Jackson.

5 important facts about Jackson to learn and share with your friends:
1. Jackson is a grizzly bear. (What, you thought Red Blondehead would have a fluffy bunny for a mascot?) He was willing to pose for a few photos after a filling lunch of honey and small unruly children. This is him re-enacting his favorite scene from Borat:

2. He has made it known that his preferred full title is Jackson, the Fantastic Bear.
3. Recording podcasts in his bear cave makes Jackson hungry.
4. Jackson, the Fantastic Bear's favorite snack is people who don't listen to RB podcasts.
5. We have recently taught Jackson how to type with his cute little bear claws and today he makes his debut as a guest blogger.

So without further adieu, Red Blondehead proudly presents The Musical Musings of Jackson, the Fantastic Bear!

Benoit Pioulard's debut LP, Précis, has had a hard time escaping the scary confines of my record player lately. It’s barely gotten a break since its mid-October release on the influential Kranky Records.

Précis consists mainly of short and sweet folk-pop gems (a la Elliot Smith or Bert Jansch) beneath layers of haze, echo, and found sound. The effect is unique, enticing, and surprisingly effective. The atmosphere of the music lends it an autumnal feel - explaining why I’ve had such an obsession over it for the last month. But, I don’t think it’ll have a problem holding up during any other season of the year.

To sum it up, I would file this one under lo-fi electro-ambient-shoegazerrific folk-pop.

Some songs for the listening:

Benoit Pioulard - Triggering Back
Benoit Pioulard - Palimend
Benoit Pioulard - Ash into Sky

Hopefully you find the songs pleasant enough to excuse his faux-French pseudonym.

Super sampler Tuesday!

2006-11-21T20:20:00.000-06:00

In celebration of Thanksgiving, we're posting several tracks by artists with recently released records. We got a loaded compliation from Force Field PR and are passing on the most interesting of those to you.

Matthew Friedberger (Fiery Furnaces) - Up the River
Chris Garneau - We Don't Try
Micah P. Hinson - Jackeyed
Metallic Falcons - Snakes and Tea
Benevento/Russo Duo - Echo Park
Nick Castro & the Young Elders - Winding Tree
Swan Lake (Dan Bejar, Spencer Krug, Carey Mercer) - All Fires
Bosque Brown - Tell Her

We've also included a few tracks from what will probably be our agreed-upon best pop record of the year, Writer's Block by Peter Bjorn and John.

Amsterdam
The Chills

Okay that's it for now. You kids enjoy getting fat by a warm fire. Be aware the dangers of intaking high levels of irritating family members, turkey, alcohol, and football. We don't want to be bailing any of you out of the jailhouse.

Happy Turkey Day!

The Hidden Cameras

2006-11-17T15:27:00.000-06:00

The Hidden Cameras are playing Bottletree this Sunday and it will be interesting to see what shenanigans they pull during their stage show. Past antics include 30 go-go dancers and musicians on stage, videos, projected lyrics, and heavy audience participation. Their music is reminiscent of Belle & Sebastian and Magnetic Fields with a dash of the Flaming Lips and the Polyphonic Spree.

Here's a few songs from the Learning the Lie 7".

The Hidden Cameras - Learning the Lie
The Hidden Cameras - Death of a Tune
The Hidden Cameras - Lollipop

hehe...I just accidentally typed Lollipoop. Poop. hee. Yes, I'm 5. Happy weekend!

Xiu Xiu

2006-11-15T22:51:00.000-06:00

Listening to Xiu Xiu is not like putting on a Gram Parsons CD and bellowing along to "In My Hour of Darkness" or "Cash on the Barrelhead." (As much as I love that ole' dope-smoking, faux-country bastard, one must admit that one can do one's hair up with poetry or write a paper or be otherwise engaged whilst listening to Gram 'n Emmylou.) Bands like Xiu Xiu are a bit less accessible, though no less beautiful, but one thing to be said about them is that they command attention.

For those of you unawares, it's experimental, sparsely-arranged pop in the vein of Deerhoof or Mount Eerie. Some of these tracks manage to be catchy and oddly memorable despite their lack of typical song structure and arrangements, especially "Hello from Eau Claire." Here's a few tracks from their recent release, The Air Force.

Buzz Saw
Hello from Eau Claire
Save Me

Califone!

2006-11-12T19:33:00.000-06:00

Lately, Red Blondehead can't get enough of Califone. It turns out that Roots and Crowns is the perfect accompaniment/pick-me-up to our seasonal affective disorders (SAD). At least, we like to claim SAD as our reason for consuming too many chocolate bon-bons from Savage's whilst watching TMT's Home Alone marathon all day Sunday, this day of our Lord.

Some favorites from Roots and Crowns are the rhythmically catchy Pink and Sour and A Chinese Actor. My personal favorite, Spider's House, reminds me of Brian Wilson-y goodness with some lovely lazy horns, yum.

If you're in the Birmingham area, you must catch the Califone show at Bottletree 11.17.06. It's a Friday night, so everybody gets to play late!

muah.

BottleTree podcast #6 now available

2006-11-09T16:11:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone,

Last night we recorded podcast #6 for BottleTree, and it's now available for download. This podcast, which we like to call the "mostly punk-rock edition," features Red Blondehead with special guest Jackson Willis. Bands on this edition include:

Be Your Own Pet
Irving
+/-
The Slits
The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower
Cursive
Jeremy Enigk
Les Georges Leningrad
Califone
So Many Dynamos

Have a listen for a preview of the bands along with show dates and a bunch of silliness from yours truly. We hope to see a lot of you out at these shows--it's a crazy and fun week!

Irving +/- Be Your Own PET

2006-11-07T14:20:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow night Be Your Own PET will be playing Bottletree with Irving, +/-, and Awesome Color. I've considered posting mp3's of Irving and +/- before but I've never gotten around to it so it seems like a good time. And speaking of good times, this should be a fun show...4 bands equals more bang for your buck plus I've heard Be Your Own PET puts on an entertaining set. People are throwing around the "star" word when talking of singer Jemina Pearl, so you might want to catch her now before she's selling out much bigger venues and starting her own clothing label.

Irving - Jen Nothing Matters to Me
Irving - Situation
Irving - Turn of the Century

+/- (Plus/Minus) - Fadeout
+/- (Plus/Minus) - Steal the Blueprints

Be Your Own PET - Adventure
Be Your Own PET - Bicycle Bicycle, You Are My Bicycle

David & the Citizens

2006-11-06T15:54:00.000-06:00

Good news (we think) is that Red Blondehead survived Halloween. All fun was contained and appropriate in an adult manner, but not in an ADULT ADULT manner, if you know what I mean.

Now-the bad news. The bad news is that in all our Halloween revelry, we forgot to bring to you new tracks from David & the Citizens in a timely fashion. Their debut full-length, Until the Sadness is Gone, was unleashed upon the public October 31.

You may not have heard them, and I have debated for a long time--or at least for the past five minutes--over what to tell you they sound like. I've decided that if Rhett Miller was somehow able to procreate with Conor Oberst, a.k.a. Not the New Bob Dylan and Not Even Close but Somewhat Palatable in His Own Right, and the two were able to incorporate instruments like the Scandinavian whooping klezmer clarinet with their country-punk, raucous-but-moody, emo brooding, then, THEN they might approximate something like David & the Citizens.

And, horns in pop music? Wasn't exactly expecting that.

The End
Long Days

The Prix

2006-11-02T15:50:00.000-06:00

Don't you hate it when you discover a new band that you like and they only have a few songs available for public consumption? That's the case with Los Angeles-based The Prix...I was only able to find a 3 song single although I think they have a full-length in progress. This is fun, jangly garage pop/rock with its fair share of handclaps (especially in the case of "Trip").

The Prix - (It's All in the Way That You) Trip
The Prix - Top Ten
The Prix - Shoot Out the Lights

The Prix at Myspace

Happy Halloween from the Gruesome Twosome!

2006-10-31T11:15:00.000-06:00

In honor of the holiday, we decided to share a spooky song or two in between our predominant activities of cackling madly and stirring our witchy brew at Red Blondehead Headquarters while the flying monkeys circle our heads before going out into the world to obey our nefarious bidding.

Up first, we have a fun Lylas rarity..."Bit by a Witch" from their hard-to-find Halloween release What is Undead, Anyway? I love the "Dear Diary" bit Kyle Hamlett does at the beginning (it's pretty funny to see him do it in person) and at the end when his brother Josh repeats "Bit by a witch" all deep-voiced in the background.

Lylas - Bit by a Witch

And to continue our theme, a few vampire-themed songs:

Margot and the Nuclear So & So's - Vampires in Blue Dresses
Say Hi to Your Mom - These Fangs

A song about zombies:
Final Fantasy - The CN Tower Belongs to the Dead

Monsters!
Sound Team - Movie Monster

And songs of a more general sort of fright:
Say Hi to Your Mom - The Forest Scares the Hell Out of Me
Doves - Darker
The Theater Fire - Kicking Up the Darkness

I thought about including a Kevin Federline song on this Halloween Mini-mix of Terror but some things are too evil and frightening even for us.

Tracks from Wilco in Huntsville 10.9.06

2006-10-20T16:31:00.000-05:00

Hi folks!

Thanks to our good friend Nate Saturday, we now have in our greedy little hands an audience recording of Wilco's show last week in Huntsville, Alabama. It's an excellent audience recording--Mr. Saturday gives it an A-. Good, hey?!

Here's the tracklisting along with a few tracks for ya. Enjoy!

01 Intro
02 Poor Places
03 Muzzle of Bees
04 Shot in the Arm
05 Impossible Germany
06 Break Your Heart
07 Kamera
08 Handshake Drugs
09 Jesus, Etc.
10 At Least That's What You Said
11 Airline to Heaven
12 Walken
13 Theologians
14 I'm the Man Who Loves You
15 Via Chicago
16 Hummingbird
17 crowd

--1st encore--

18 Late Greats
19 Always in Love
20 How to Fight Loneliness
21 Heavy Metal Drummer
22 crowd

--2nd encore--
23 Let's Not Get Carried Away
24 Kingpin
25 Misunderstood

The Blow

2006-10-19T16:27:00.000-05:00

Last night Red Blondehead caught Man Man with Asobi Seksu and The Blow. While we have posted Man Man and Asobi Seksu songs before, we had never heard of The Blow. So when Khaela Maricich (one half of The Blow) began her spastic but endearing dance routines while singing over electro-dancepop, we were surprised, amused, and then entranced. I wish I could find a good video of her, but everything I found at YouTube was either poor quality or one of her more lowkey songs with less dancing. So take a listen to these songs and picture a girl doing the interpretative type of dancing that you do when you are in your room alone and you've got a fun song cranked up. I say "you" because when I'm dancing alone in my room, I'm doing elaborate professional-level choreography.

The Blow - Parentheses
The Blow - True Affection

The Blow's new album Paper Television will be released next week.

Amalg*

2006-10-17T15:01:00.000-05:00

Where've we been! Well maybe "where have YOU been?" is a better question. Hmmm? Yeahhhhh.

Well we're right HERE. And here's some new to newish stuff that is worth a listen. We can't stop, anyway.

Cemetery Row 14 from The Minus 5's 2006 release The Gun Album. This track features Colin Meloy of *yawn* The Decemberists. Funny, the only time I can stomach the guy is when he's singing a song written by Scott McCaughey.

Portrait in Clouds from the recent Wooden Wand release, Second Attention. This is a great record to check out in its entirety.

Tropicana and Kennedy from Ratatat's infectious Classics.

Finally, a track from The Curtains' new record Calamity, which will be released next Tuesday on Asthmatic Kitty. Deerhoof fans will of course be in love with this one: Go Lucky.

Till next time, friends, till next time.