gorilla vs. bear at SXSW

We might've mentioned that we're involved with both of these amazing SXSW parties, and now we finally have visual evidence: the final posters. We hope to see everyone at these events, as well as Hot Freaks. Oh, and we have one more party that we'll be announcing soon, and it's a good one, so now you've got plans for Thursday too.



Thanks to the Austinist and Gothamist for all of their hard work to put this thing together, and thanks to Justin Cox for the poster. Head over to the Gothamist to view all of the set times.

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And as if you needed any reason to attend the IHEARTCOMIX/Viva La Rock/Triple 5 Soul Blowout other than the fact that it's the best afterhours party at this year's festival, here's a Simian Mobile Disco video which may or may not be the best video ever:

easier

Grizzly Bear stopped at Good Records in Dallas yesterday to play their first ever in-store (according to Ed Droste). Many thanks to the talented Rye Clifton for putting this together for us, to Lullabyes for recording the audio, to Good Records, and thanks to Grizzly Bear for being amazing.



We were blown away by the duality between the stripped-down, ethereal, acoustic in-store performance and the band's show later in the evening at Dada, in which they showcased their incredibly rich song structures, a vast sonic palette, and a maturity well beyond their years. We appreciate the band for allowing us to impose on their space to learn more about what they do.


polaroids by David

And for good measure, here's another video from the band's incredible Good Records in-store, featuring "Service Bell" and "Knife":

definitive swim

Adult Swim and Def Jux continue their generous trend of giving away great hip-hop for free, this time by releasing Definitive Swim, featuring Aesop Rock, El-P, and more. Download the individual mp3s, or the entire album and exclusive artwork in a handy .zip file, here.

Mr. Lif Red October mp3

pullhair rubeye

Avey Tare + Kria Brekkan (with Great Pyrenees)

We finally heard Avey Tare and Kria Brekkan's Pullhair Rubeye, and as feared last week, the entire thing is in reverse, which makes for a good novelty listen, but it remains to be seen how it'll hold up in that form. Not that the intended (reverse) version is terrible, but after hearing the record forward, we're more disappointed in what could have been. According to Paw-Tracks, "the record was mixed down onto a two track borrowed from a friend who bought it at a garage sale for a dollar." Very charming I suppose, and this process resulted in a very intimate, hypnotic collection of songs (even in reverse), but I guess we're just a little confused as to why the duo would render songs as pretty as "Lay Lay Off Faselam" and "Opis Helpus" unintelligible by reversing them. The record comes out April 24, so maybe it's an April Fool's Day joke:

mp3:
Avey Tare + Kria Brekkan Lay Lay Off Faselam (reversed)

(To clarify, this is the song forward, or reversed from the version that will appear on the album.)

EDIT: Avey Tare has cleared this up on the Animal Collective message board. Click read more link to view his response...



"hey guys that is indeed the record, no tricks involved here, no concepts. We just really like it that way. Hope thats cool. Were not bummed. i hope youre not...

Its not really an issue of prefering the songs backwards. Its more of the fact that this is a release we wanted to put out. It has a foreign/other quality and as you said nice warm ambient quality that we like. I wouldnt really say its a noise record. Ive put tons and tons of work into songs noone will ever hear why should it stop me from doing what i want with them. its just because you guys know the songs and can even hear them reversed on your computers that makes you have all these confused thoughts. If you couldnt download bootlegs of the songs and couldnt hear them reversed then you would just say fuck this record sucks..or cool this record rules and youd let it grow on you or you wouldnt. Youd find a place where it works or you wouldnt. Its not hard to flip a reel around and hear it backwards or even decide that it sounds sweet and its not really that bizzare of a record either or that difficult if you can get over the fact that its backwards you dont even need a computer. If you just pass it off as backwards sure ofcourse its not revolutionary or "experimental" youve been able to flip tape for more or less almost 100 years now why would i think its experimental??? Ive heard "i am sitting in a room" okay, i know what experimental music is (hehehe joke).
Its also clear that the bulk of our fanbase is able to put the thing on their computers and listen to it the other way so its not as if we didnt know that was gonna happen either. we dont think it should be heard that way cause songs are sped up, dont have vocals etc. but we know that wont stop you so do what you like, and in a way that is cool.
If there wasnt so much hype and so much of an expectation for us to put out this killer "experimental pop record" then alot of you might never even hear about this record. But wed still be into it and would have faith that some people would too.
we offer this cause we think it is somthing special we made (as equally special as the songs forward) and different from what youve heard and songs that you can get else where. We like the textures and the melodies. And honestly somthing we think our fans can digest. If i thought it was just a "noise record" i wouldnt put it out. If your just passing judgment cause of what youve heard other people say you should atleast check out the record.

by the way it was the 21st of december when we decided this. I think it was a combination of of being stuck in nyc for christmas and seeing that new david lynch movie, so if youre that bummed you can blame the weather and david lynch."

alleluia

Is 2007 turning out to be a great year for new music or what? This one sort of came out of nowhere, as we weren't at all familiar with Odawas. But over the last week or so, we've received numerous recommendations to check out their new record, Raven and the White Night, and it would be fair to say we're absolutely blown away by "Alleluia." Spend some time with this song, and we're pretty certain you'll feel the same way. Atmospheric, impossibly sad, and featuring some of the best whistling you'll hear outside of Andrew Bird, this is likely the dirge of the year:

Odawas Alleluia mp3

Raven and the White Night is out on Jagjaguwar on March 6. The LP package "also comes with a gratis compact disc version of the album," which is pretty awesome as far as we're concerned.

sxsw blowout

Check out the ridiculous lineup for the IHEARTCOMIX/Viva La Rock/Triple 5 Soul BLOWOUT Friday night at SXSW. We're beyond psyched to be one of the co-sponsors for the Mad Decent Room, featuring Diplo, Bonde Do Role, A-Trak and more. You should probably go ahead and RSVP now if you want to get into this thing. Stay tuned for updates, including tunes from the artists, giveaways, and info on how to get one of the absolutely insane Mad Decent Tour shirts.

EDIT: oops, we jumped the gun on that poster. we should have the final version ready to post soon. stay tuned...

Midlake, Tacks, + St. Vincent: Live in Dallas

Saturday night's show at the Granada, which featured 3 of Texas' best young acts, was effectively stolen by Dallas' own St. Vincent (who, according to Gapers Block, has signed with Beggars Banquet). Her live show has grown into quite the force, and with the addition of her stomp/kick drum-on-the-floor setup, and vocal effects courtesy of the Copperphone, she has become a captivating one-woman show. I know it's cliche as hell to say, but St. Vincent is one of those performers you just have to see live. Look for her debut LP in June, after a spring tour with Mr. John Vanderslice.

Austin's Tacks, The Boy Disaster is also quickly becoming one of our favorite bands. They played most of their wonderful Oh, Beatrice EP, and Evan Jacobs and crew were able to fill the theater with their expansive piano-jams, which tended to rock a little harder in a live setting than on record. Midlake was solid, as usual. The band had the adoring almost-hometown crowd in the palm of their hands for the duration of their set, and while the enormous video-projection setups on either side of the stage were a distraction at times, it's obvious that this long tour has served them well.

View more photos (by Garrison Reid) of St. Vincent and Tacks, The Boy Disaster after the jump. No Midlake photos, unfortunately. We gave up our prime spot, and by the time they went on, there was no getting anywhere near the stage...

arcade fire on SNL

Despite being hosted by Dwight and a cameo appearance by the Arcade Fire in one of the skits last night, I was amazed at just how terrible that show is these days. At least the Arcade Fire came through in their performances. Here's "Intervention," in which Win gets mad at his guitar strings for breaking on him. I'm sure this won't be up long, so catch it while you can:



Sixeyes has the mp3s.

he hit me (it felt like a kiss)

Grizzly Bear will be here in Dallas next week, and we've convinced the band that it would be a good idea to let us record a live session for our SIRIUS Blog Radio show, so look for that soon. In the meantime, the boys recently played a short live set on the great KEXP, and The Smudge of Ashen Fluff has all of the mp3s, including this haunting cover of a Spector-era classic by The Crystals:

mp3:
Grizzly Bear He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)

Bonus: The Crystals' original version of this song was apparently hated by the girls (and most of the public) at the time, and refused radio-play by most stations because of the brutal and very real subject matter (based on singer Little Eva's abusive relationship). Grizzly Bear posted the mp3 of the Crystals' original version over on their blog.

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elsewhere:

Don't forget about the Midlake/St. Vincent/Tacks, The Boy Disaster show tonight at the Granada.

gonna gonna get get down

Austinist/Gothamist and Gorilla vs. Bear proudly present:


shut up the poster isn't ready yet

Gonna Gonna Get Get Down! II

Starring:

• Architecture in Helsinki * Headlights * Peter and the Wolf * Loney, Dear * Hello Stranger * Sparrow House * The Shivers

...and a bunch more. poster coming soon...

...and as usual, we don't go posting good news like this without some mp3s to back it up:

Peter and The Wolf Safe Travels
Headlights TV
Loney, Dear I Am John
Sparrow House When I Am Gone
Architecture in Helsinki Wishbone (Franc Tetas remix)

related:

Be sure to check out the Austinist's Interactive Guide to SXSW.

red eagle

Above the Trees (click for larger image)

Ooh, we're excited about this one. We've proclaimed our love for Paul Duncan before, and today we received the first track from his new record, Above the Trees. We've been anticipating this one for a while now, and the first song doesn't disappoint. In fact, it's one of his best:

Paul Duncan Red Eagle mp3

Above the Trees features a ton of guest stars (including members of Grizzly Bear, Tortoise, Smog, and more) and will be released on the inimitable Home Tapes on May 1.

p.s. that cute deer up there is the album art, and it just automatically jumped into contention for 2nd place in the Best Album Art of 2007 competition behind Person Pitch. What can we say, we love animals.

new CocoRosie

Folk-hoppers (uh, sorry) CocoRosie have taken a break from working with people with names like Black Cracker and Bunny Rabbit to finish up their new LP, entitled The Adventures of Ghosthorse & Stillborn. This is the opening track, taken from the free 2007 Domino sampler, in which the girls explore their obsession with hip-hop (one of their "dreams for the future" is making an album with the RZA). I could do without the rapping and the occasionally cringeworthy lyrics on this track, but I still find their best moments (ghostly vocals over cheap hip-hop beats--see "Noah's Ark" or "By Your Side") oddly compelling:

mp3:
CocoRosie Rainbowarriors (link removed at request of label)

The Adventures of Ghosthorse & Stillborn comes out April 7 on Touch and Go.

next time might be your time

We were turned on to the greatness of "Blue" Gene Tyranny's mostly unknown 1977 gem Out Of The Blue by Tommy from new Austin reissue label Unseen Worlds and our friend Martin Crane recently, and we can't thank them enough. Pitchfork featured "Blue" Gene in this month's Out Music column, and called this song, which features the lovely, bittersweet vocals of Patrice Manget, "nostalgic-futuristic...like the kind of country music they should have been playing A Clockwork Orange, except with no irony or dark edge."

Stream "Blue" Gene Tyranny's "Next Time Might Be Your Time" at Myspace. Highly recommended.

A re-mastered reissue of Out Of The Blue (complete with new artwork and a 24-page booklet) was released by Unseen Worlds for the first time on CD in early '07. Does that mean we can include this on our favorite songs of 2007 list? Good. Buy it here.

when we pretend that we're dead

Brasilian superstars CSS stopped by BBC Radio 1's Rob Da Bank show on Feb. 5. They played 4 songs, including this L7 cover, which I used to love when I was a kid. I think mostly because of that time it was on Beavis & Butthead and they called them "grubby chicks." Remember that?

mp3s: Live on BBC Radio 1

CSS Pretend We're Dead (L7 cover)
CSS I Wanna Be Your J-Lo

ice cream is going to save the day

muscles

Hey guys it's like 75 degrees here in Dallas today, so I'm guessing that might have something to do with just how much we instantly love this song. Our friend Mike told us about this band/guy Muscles, who's from Australia and calls his own sound "post-electroclash." Music for Robots says it's like "tv on the radio fronting hot chip," and I sort of agree with that, but maybe 100x more fun. If you've always wanted someone to make a worthy, completely irony/pretense-free ode to ice cream, your wait is over friend:

mp3:
Muscles Ice Cream

We don't make guarantees around here too often, but how's this: "Ice Cream" will be the 2007 summer jam of the year. Guaranteed. If you don't agree, turn it up.

Arcade Fire: Live on NPR

NPR has made the Arcade Fire's Feb. 17 show at Judson Memorial Church in NYC available for free download. These shows were magical by all accounts, according to those who were lucky enough to attend. Bastards. But for the rest of us, I guess this is as good as it gets:

The Arcade Fire Live at Judson Memorial Church mp3 (71 mb)

sxsw buddy

We (along with Music For Robots and Done Waiting) have joined forces with Yaris to help bring you their incredibly useful 2007 SXSW website. So head over there to sign up for your free SXSW survival kit, plan out your daily itinerary (complete with Google maps), and download a bunch of mp3s from showcasing artists. Dudes, Yaris will even pick you up at the airport for free when you get into town on Wednesday. And while you're over there, check out our band previews to see who we're excited about seeing this year.

Bonde Do Role Solta O Frango mp3

p.s. Yaris is also sponsoring Flatstock, which is an essential visit and one of the highlights of SXSW every year.

sis around the sandmill?

We've been waiting for this damn mp3 to arrive in our inbox for some time. It finally showed up today, and it doesn't disappoint. In fact, it's even weirder, more hypnotic, and further out there than we expected. Because it's backwards, obvs!

Avey Tare and Kria Brekkan Sis Around the Sandmill mp3

To hear the track in reverse, which would actually be forwards, head over to Pitchfork, where they put the song through some exclusive reverse-playing-machine. Confused? Awesome!

Pullhair Rubeye comes out on Paw Tracks on April 24.

wow: sasquatch 2007 lineup announced

The lineup has been announced for the 2007 Sasquatch Music Festival (website coming soon), which will take place May 26th-27th at the Gorge Amphitheater. So far the lineup includes:

Bjork, Arcade Fire, M.I.A, Grizzly Bear, Neko Case, Spoon, Ghostland Observatory, St. Vincent, The Blow, Beastie Boys, Interpol, Bad Brains, The Hold Steady, and many more.

Arcade Fire Black Mirror mp3
The Blow Pile of Gold mp3

Hopefully we'll see you there.

sxsw preview: essie jain

Essie was born and raised in London, England, thus making her very British. She is now based out of New York city. Her music is gentle, warm, open and intimate.--Essie Jain's official bio



Lately, it seems like quite a few people who have impeccable taste (from The Rich Girls Are Weeping to the excellent UK blog Nothing But Green Lights) have recommended Essie Jain's new LP, We Made This Ourselves. Released last week on Ba Da Bing Records (home of Beirut), this isn't the kind of record that will necessarily blow you away upon first listen, but it's worth spending some extra time with. Case in point: "Glory," a sparse and simple gem that showcases Essie Jain's warm and soulful voice:

mp3:
Essie Jain Glory
Essie Jain Haze

Essie Jain will be playing SXSW. Make it a point to see her. Buy We Made This Ourselves here.

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elsewhere:


love is all

Sweden's Love Is All have made a live version of "Spinning and Scratching" available for free download on their website:

Love Is All Spinning and Scratching (live) mp3

The band also has a double A-side single coming out next month, featuring their great cover of the Pastels' "Nothing To Be Done," and album track "Ageing Had Never Been His Friend":

I Will

Our good friend over at Lullabyes.net posted a great recording of Kevin Barnes' (Of Montreal) solo performance yesterday at Good Records here in Dallas. Kevin played a great 10-song set, including a brand new song and some wonderful covers, like this one:

Kevin Barnes I Will (Beatles cover) mp3

Download the full set here

in the city

Photo Credit: austinette

Our obsession with Austin bands continues. It's a new week so, well, why not a new Austin band?

Borrowing the trademark looseness of Pavement with the vocal deliveries in the vein of Apples in Stereo, Austin's Peel seems to have something both new and energetic with enough nostalgic reference points to be charmingly familiar.

Last week Idolator described Peel's debut as "rambunctious and fun." which isn't even remotely off base given their loose, "fresh out of bed" guitars and throwback analog tones and somewhat psychedelic swirling synths.

Peel will play the Peek-A-Boo Records showcase at Blender Balcony on the first night of SxSW. Make sure to stop on by if you're in town.

Peel In the City mp3
Peel Oxford mp3
Peel Oxford (Live on KVRX Local Live) mp3

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Oh yes, and we almost forgot!
Courtesy of director Black Nasty, we have the latest in our weekly installment of Panda Bear's undergraduate forays in student film, President's Day edition.

new blonde redhead

23

Head over to Marathonpacks to read his excellent writeup on "23," the title track from Blonde Redhead's new album, and one of the more powerful and well-chosen album-openers in recent memory.

mp3:
Blonde Redhead 23

the kingdom

We've posted on France's Mina Tindle a few times before, and after hearing this new demo, I think it's about time for us to accept that she's going to be a long-time favorite around here. Mina's music possesses the kind of inherent timeless quality (along the same lines as Sparrow House) that we predict indie-film music supervisors will be all over; it's the kind of song that can turn a scene into an instant classic. It's worth noting that Mina's influences include Feist, Regina Spektor, and Billie Holiday, because on this song, she makes like a lo-fi combination of the three (calm down...not saying she's there yet, just that the influences are clear).

Mina Tindle The Kingdom mp3

previously:

Mina Tindle The Good mp3

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elsewhere:



The full SXSW 2007 Schedule has been announced, and the official SXSW site has started uploading mp3s of the artists as well. Go here to make your full SXSW itinerary, complete with map. Here are some mp3s from some of the showcasing artists we'll be checking out:

Crystal Castles Air War mp3
Ola Podrida Instead mp3
Tacks, The Boy Disaster Frozen Feet mp3
Alela Diane The Rifle mp3
Au Revoir Simone Fallen Snow mp3

black lips

There's a moment on the new Black Lips record, Los Valientes Del Mundo Nuevo (out Feb. 20 on Vice), where the frontman realizes out loud, "This is gonna be the best live record of all time." The dude sounds serious, and he makes his bold claim with such conviction that we aren't even going to argue. As we mentioned previously, the record was recorded live in Tijuana, and it sounds like it, at least as much as that's possible. And I mean that as the highest possible compliment...if you've spent any time there you'll know what I'm saying.

Black Lips Fairy Stories mp3

The Black Lips will also be playing our Hot Freaks SXSW party. Don't miss it.

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elsewhere:

Skatterbrain posted an mp3 of one of the best songs of the year so far, Gui Boratto's "Beautiful Life." They even give the song their extremely rare and prestigious "Highly Recommmmmmended!" rating.

premiere: new midlake remix!

Midlake + Jason Lee

Here's a brand new "Roscoe" remix, courtesy of UK "dance floor destructionists" Erol Alkan and Richard Norris, aka Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve. We don't know much about these guys, other than the fact that they did a pretty nice "Young Folks" remix last year, and their previous effort is an album of acid rock re-edits called Spring. On this spaced-out remix of our favorite song of 2006, they extend "Roscoe" by two full minutes (definitely a good thing) and turn it into what Midlake's label calls "an homage to kraut rock."

mp3:
Midlake Roscoe (Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve remix)

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related:

Still a few days left to enter our Midlake ticket giveaway.

the reminder

Forgive me if this has already been posted everywhere by now, but we were completely charmed by this new Feist single (courtesy of Fluxblog). I mean, we already loved her and everything, but if this record doesn't make her a huge star I will be shocked.

mp3:
Feist My Moon, My Man

The Reminder is out April 23 worldwide, but we have to wait until May 1 in the U.S./Canada. I seem to remember P-fork reporting that the record would feature Jamie Lidell in some capacity, so as if this song wasn't enough, there's another reason to get excited.

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Speaking of soon-to-be huge stars, check out Chromewaves' pics of St. Vincent (and Midlake) at their Toronto performance the other night.

marissa nadler hates valentine's day

"valentines day is the worst holiday ever-it makes lonely people feel really bad about themselves-well-really its just a Hallmark holiday but it still makes me feel bad every year"--Marissa Nadler



Marissa Nadler posted a myspace bulletin yesterday explaining her disdain for Valentine's Day, but it worked out well for us because she posted two brand new songs that probably won't see release anywhere else. The first one sets Bob Dylan's poem "Last Thoughts on Woodie Guthrie" to music. According to Marissa, "The poem is pretty intense...the song then flows into an Anne Sexton verse from 'Her Kind' and then a couple lines from Pablo Neruda. This is what happens during whiskey winter weather when winds weaken the warrior princess." Marissa also says both songs "were done stream of conciousness--meaning they weren't written yet and we just pressed record. Its fun to shake things up a bit."

Marissa Nadler Last Thoughts on Woodie Guthrie
Marissa Nadler Your Heart is a Twisted Vine

Marissa then went on to curse Valentine's Day some more, then signed the bulletin, "xoxo marissa." We think both of these are great (especially "Your Heart..."), but then Marissa Nadler could probably sing the back of a cereal box or a passage from a thesaurus and we'd still like it.

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elsewhere:

Rogue Wave posted a special Valentine's Day cover of "All You Need Is Love" at their myspace page.

Happy Valentine's Day

Stones Throw has been hooking us up lately in a huge way. First that ridiculous J Dilla mix, and now this: the Peter Butter Wolf Valentine's Day Mixtape, featuring Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Stereolab, and more (available only through V-Day). From Stones Throw:

"E-mail this mixtape to your sweetheart, your spouse, your girlfriend, your boyfriend, your maingirl, your babycake, your beloved, your chick, your darling, your honeybunch, your cupcake, your broad, your lover, your number one, your numero uno, your old lady, your old man, your paramour, your patootie, your pet, your significant other, your ex, your sugar daddy, your suitor, your turtledove, or your valentine."

download mp3:

Peanut Butter Wolf Valentine's Day Mixtape (30 mb)

Click here to see the track list. While you're over there, might as well download Chrome Children