new Panda Bear video: "Comfy in Nautica"

Here's the second video from -- spoiler alert -- our album of the year, Person Pitch. The clip, directed by Patrick O'Dell and Sam Salganik, is essentially a typical skate video, except it features a dude emerging from the sea on his skateboard. And it has a much better soundtrack than most skate videos. This is exactly the video I had hoped for, but for the wrong song ("Take Pills," with the skateboard sample laced throughout, would've been the obvious choice):



mp3:
Panda Bear Comfy in Nautica

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elsewhere:

David took in Devotchka's annual "Day of the Dead Gala" in Denver this past weekend. Here's what he had to say:



"The costume-infused Day of the Dead Gala was a festive, if not commanding testament to Devotchka's much, much deserved, yet irretrievably odd control over the diffuse audiences they woo. In a night where the band executed an absurdist pre-Halloween bacchanalia with dangling trapeze artists and ritualistic Mexican death ceremonies, throngs and throngs toasted and reciprocated in droves. This merely speaks a ton about the strength of a sound that reminds us that fine music simply cuts through. Multi-instrumentalist Shawn King freely admits that the foursome are "a stange anomaly," and if it wasn't all too apparent after such an impressive performance and baroque conceptual display, then perhaps it will be ever more clear when we're graced with their new batch of tunes sometime next year."


trumpetmonster


shawn and tom of Devotchka


shawn king of devotchka




Nick Urata of Devotchka


Jeanie Schroder of Devotchka

Polaroids by David and Tamara Gallegos. Drop by here for more coverage, live shots, etc.

new sigur ros video: "Gitardjamm"

Spinner has our first look at Sigur Ros' upcoming film, Heima. Here's a Dean DeBlois-directed clip of the band performing "Gitardjamm," in their native Iceland:

dead moon

Here's the Halloween-themed video for Sam Champion's "Dead Moon." The Bridget Palardy-directed clip was shot in one take on a rooftop in Prospect Heights, and features our friend Adam's "acting" debut. He's the ice cream cone.



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tonight in Denton:



HEALTH plays at 8th Continent in Denton this evening. Read We Shot J.R.'s interview with the band here.

mp3:
HEALTH vs. Crystal Castles Crimewave

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finally:

Happy Halloween, everyone. Here's some undead zombie kids:

new marissa nadler

You may recall us mentioning once or twice that Marissa Nadler has a thing for Neil Young, which works out well for us, because she recently posted her rendition of his classic "Cowgirl in the Sand" on her myspace page. Yet another heartbreakingly beautiful Neil Young cover by Ms. Nadler, which makes her 3 for 3 (if you're scoring at home).

mp3:
Marissa Nadler Cowgirl in the Sand (neil young cover)

In other Marissa Nadler news, here's the brand new video for her song "Bird on Your Grave," directed by and starring Portuguese artist Joana Linda:



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unrelated:

Here's another stellar jam from Alabama's Paper Route Recordz crew, featuring a conspicuous sample of this notorious guilty pleasure. I never understood why he says "wrapped up like douche" though.

mp3:
Jackie Chain Blinded by the Light

voodoo festival: new orleans

common at voodoo fest

I made my way to New Orleans this past weekend for the Voodoo Music Experience. I was more excited about my first post-Katrina trip to the city than the actual fest, but Voodoo turned out to be one of the more enjoyable festival experiences of the year. Saw great sets from Spoon, Common, M.I.A., Boots Riley of the Coup and Chali 2na (with Galactic), Smashing Pumpkins, and more, and got to hang with some of my favorite blogger people. And of course, the city itself was amazing; friendly people, ridiculous food, creepy cemetaries, gorgeous French and Spanish architecture, and rad bars from the 18th century. Despite a couple of Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz sightings, it was a great time. Check some Polaroids from the weekend after the jump (thanks to Dodge for helping out with the shots), and go here and here for live shots from the fest.


britt daniel and spoon in a golf cart


weezy: downtown NOLA


crucia mausoleum


little girl at voodoo


picasso and drummer on the mississippi river


girls at ghostland observatory's set


ben harper at voodoo


miss lena: french quarter


guy in french quarter


m.i.a.'s hype woman with friend in the quarter


new orleans' city park: voodoo festival grounds


sinead at voodoo


girl cranks dat soulja boy


rotge-toga mausoleum

the trees community

One of the stranger albums to reemerge in the freak-folk revival of psychedelic artifacts...this 1975 LP is one of the few that genuinely qualifies for the much-abused "lost masterpiece" designation.
--The Big Takeover on The Christ Tree


the trees community

Today, Stylus lists the best reissues of 2007 here. At the top of the list is The Trees Community's 1975 LP, The Christ Tree, which was reissued by Hand/Eye earlier this year. Stylus (which originally gave the album an A+ back in January) tells it like this:

"Unlike the Arcade Fire, who thump their bibles until they're neon, the Trees Community open the book and absorb the pages, and in so doing chronicle their discovery by displaying its worldliness, adorning it in sitars, kotos, hand drums, flutes, harps, and the most frail, HUMAN voices heard in eons."

What they fail to mention is that it's totally unsettling and eerie upon first listen(s), but can be quite rewarding if you're into the more peculiar side of what is now unfortunately referred to as "freak folk." Highly recommended.

mp3:
The Trees Community Psalm 42

The Christ Tree 4-CD box set has long since sold out, but you can get the single CD version here.

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elsewhere:


photo by lizeth santos

Thanks to Rafter, Susanna Waiche of Dirty Projectors, and Asthmatic Kitty for this: a kickass official gorilla vs. bear theme song, featuring "a G vs. B battle/an old school/new school duet between rafter and susanna waiche from dirty projectors."

mp3:
Rafter (feat. Susanna Waiche) gorilla vs. bear (monsters)

man man on blog radio

man man at the loft :: dallas, TX

During his brief stay in Dallas, Honus Honus of Man Man was kind enough to talk with Garrison for our SIRIUS Blog Radio show. The show airs today on Sirius at noon and midnight, EST. Check the full playlist, with assorted mp3s, after the jump...

*******************
Elsewhere:

While we were in Austin for ACL/Hot Freaks last month, we had a chance to meet up with the La Blogotheque guys. They told us about an adventure filmed the prior day with Red Hunter and Sparrow House's Jared Van Fleet. The outcome shows the guys in a van making music and driving around outskirts of Austin, eventually finding a weird looking farm house owned by lo-fi musician Jad Fair.




Blog Radio with Man Man's Honus Honus:

1. Marissa Nadler--Diamond Heart (Daytrotter Session)
2. Angel Deradoorian--Grey Teeth (mp3)
3. Feu Therese--Nada (mp3)
4. Man Man--Skin Tension*
5. Man Man--Van Helsing Boombox (mp3)
6. Shelly Duvall--He Needs Me*
7. Animal Collective--Safer
8. Moondog--Bird's Lament*
9. Liars--Protection*
10. Ernest Tubb--Drivin' Nails in My Coffin*
11. James Brown--Please Please Please*
12. Man Man--I'd Rather Go Blind
13. Pas Chic Chic--Sur les Ecrans Statiques (mp3)
14. Arcade Fire--Poupee de Cire Poupee de Son
15. Panda Bear--Untitled (live)
16. Final Fantasy--Hey Dad (Feat. Beirut)
17. Grizzly Bear--Blackcurrant Jam
18. Girl Talk--Bounce That (mp3)
19. Busdriver--The Troglodyte Wins (mp3)
20. Kid Sister--Let Me Bang (XXXChange remix)
21. Celebration--Heartbreak
22. Black Lips--Veni Vidi Vici (Diplo remix) (mp3)
23. White Denim--Paint Silver Gold
24. Cat Power--I Don't Blame You
25. The New Pornographers--The Bleeding Heart Show
26. Battles--Atlas

(* = Honus Honus pick)

Girl Talk for free

You may have noticed that we're presenting Girl Talk's Dallas debut this coming Friday at the Loft. We have five pairs of tickets to give away. This one's easy: in the comments, tell us your favorite mashup of all time.

We know there's a chance you think that you think that mashups are lame, but we all know you still love them.

mp3:
Girl Talk 'Knife' Remix

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Unrelated:
Blender has posted a second video from White Denim's CMJ performance. Watch the video of the band performing "Shake Shake Shake" after the jump...

it's gonna hit

This post is about two bands from Montreal that don't particularly sound like the Arcade Fire or Wolf Parade, and apparently sing exclusively in French. Still, both are extremely promising, and worth looking into.

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I'd never heard of Montreal's Feu Therese before this week, and to be honest, I only checked out their new LP, Ca Va Cogner ("It's Gonna Hit"), because of that cover art. It's actually a pretty decent representation of what was to come, because this album definitely contains its share of adventurous and potentially off-putting elements, from the "overwrought faux primitivism" (the band's words) of the synths, to the seemingly out-of-left-field (but exceedingly awesome) utilization of a children's choir on the title track. But, as it turns out, those are the very things that make this such an engaging and exciting listen. Here's more on the album, from their label:

"Feu Therese aims to recuperate and re-cast a "synthetic" music that intentionally eschews the codified elements of 21st-century electro nostalgia: the "cool" analogue keys, the heavy bass & drum mix, the overwrought faux primitivism...some will no doubt find the whole package impenetrable, while others will wonder what brilliant alternative reality (Cannes ca. 1985 in a parallel universe?) they somehow missed."

This track may or may not be the best representation of Feu Therese's sound (they've been compared to everyone from Air to Bowie to Neu! to M83), but I like it quite a little bit:

mp3:
Feu Therese Nada

Ca Va Cogner was released this week in the U.S., and I highly recommend it. Read a pretty solid review of the album here.

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As far as I can tell, Montreal's Pas Chic Chic (not to be confused with !!!) only has one extremely limited and probably sold-out-by-now 7", but luckily for us, both songs are available for download on the band's website. It's hard to peg a band based on only two songs, but it's safe to say these guys are big fans of Tropicalia and '60s French pop:

mp3:
Pas Chic Chic Sur les Ecrans Statiques
Pas Chic Chic Tes Cliches Declenches

Pas Chic Chic on myspace.

cool rock

I've been digging Holy Hail's "gospel-hop-electro-country" for a while now, and Cat Hartwell's post-Fannypack band just finished a rather rad new video for their ridiculously catchy single, "Cool Town Rock." Here it is. Shapes and colors are pretty:

White Denim: Live at CMJ

The Fader magazine had quite the lineup for their "Sideshow" at CMJ, including "buzz" bands Yeasayer, the Cool Kids, Santogold, Health, Atlas Sound (Bradford of Deerhunter) and more. But from the looks of these videos, TX's own White Denim stole Fader's show. Not that I'm surprised or anything. Here's footage of the band playing one of my favorite songs of theirs, "All You Really Have To Do." Not the best sound quality, but you get the picture. Now you know, New York:



Check out Blender's interview with the band after the jump...

chromatics + jason schwartzman

ruth radelet of chromatics

Chromatics are at it again with the myspace gift-giving, this time offering up one of the better songs from their recently BNM-honored LP, Night Drive. Perfect listening for the transition from late night to early morning, which is why I'm posting it at 1 AM:

mp3:
Chromatics I Want Your Love

Go here to download some new demos and to purchase Night Drive. And, because I can't get enough of this song/video, here you go:



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also:

Jason Schwartzman stopped in Dallas earlier tonight for a Q & A following a special sold-out screening of The Darjeeling Limited, preceded by its "companion" piece, Hotel Chevalier. The short session turned into a 90 minute conversation with the audience, during which he was genuinely enthusiastic, open, and engaging (and at times, hilarious). He revealed his love for Animal Collective, Emitt Rhodes, Garbage Pail Kids: The Movie, and Steve Martin (among other things), talked a little about his solo recording project, Coconut Records, and about the role music played in the writing/creative process for The Darjeeling Limited (check the iTunes playlist that Schwartzman, Wes Anderson, and Adrien Brody put together here). He also shares our appreciation for outdated and obsolete picture machines, and was nice enough to take some Polaroids for us to share:


jason schwartzman self-portrait


schwartzman, obscured (photo presumably taken by owner of feet)

new (free) menomena remix

In case your memory needed refreshing, Menomena's early 2007 record deserves a spot on your year end list. And, as a subtle reminder, the band has posted a new remix of Friend and Foe standout "Weird," and it's available for free download on their myspace page for the next 9 hours. According to the band:

"Immediately after this NINE-hour period (which just started NOW, dude), it shall return it to its "streaming only" state. So get there pronto and have a total dance-party-freak-out with us! In freshly reformatted 4/4 tempo!"

Sweet. Grab it there. Or here.

mp3:
Menomena Weird (Dekoder remix)

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elsewhere:

Anybody need a version of "Paper Planes" that they can play at their next church gathering? Cool, because Diplo posted the original chorus version here, so, according to him, "yall can play it at like elementary schools now." Thanks man.

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speaking of Diplo:

Here's footage of our current obsession (musically speaking, of course), Santogold, performing the Diplo-produced "Unstoppable" at the Fader Sideshow at CMJ:

grey teeth

young angel deradoorian with monkey (via here)

Angel Deradoorian is, for now, best known for her work in other people's bands (Dirty Projectors, mainly, and also Inlets). If you've seen Dirty Projectors play in the last year or so, then you know she's one of the reasons their live show is so captivating in its most recent incarnation. Well it turns out Angel also makes her own music, and it's really something, as evidenced by the four demos on her myspace page. They're all stellar (if slightly lo-fi), but the haunting and sad "Grey Teeth" is my current favorite:

mp3:
Angel Deradoorian Grey Teeth

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All of the songs on Angel Deradoorian's myspace page are available for download, so if you like this one, you should go get the rest. These are her other bands:

mp3:
Dirty Projectors No More
Inlets Roots on Sidewalks

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elsewhere:

Here's the impossibly fitting video for the new Glass Candy jam we posted last week (see below):



And here's that jam, but it really sounds better when played with the accompanying visuals (see above):

mp3:
Glass Candy Digital Versicolor

Final Fantasy feat. Beirut: "Hey Dad"

Final Fantasy has a new 7" single due out on Tomlab on November 6, as part of the label's Alphabet Singles Series. The beautiful a-side, "Hey Dad," features Owen Pallett's good friend Zach Condon, and his band, Beirut. Listen here.

edit: Did he just say, "But I got a plan for a miracle/I'll shit it out and put it on the table"?? I think he did.

Mr. Pallett will also be playing the Fun Fun Fun Fest. Win tix here.

diplo vs. black lips

black lips

In a violent collison between two of my favorite artists, Black Lips fan Diplo has remixed Diplo fans the Black Lips. Here's his take on the BLips' woozy, slow-burning garage psych jam "Veni Vidi Vici." As a fan of both, I am pleased with the results. Thanks to our friends at Viceland for the hookup:

mp3:
Black Lips Veni Vidi Vici (Diplo remix)

The Veni Vidi Vici single comes out on Vice UK on December 3.

fun fun fun free

I'm sure by now you've seen the impressive lineup for the 2007 Fun Fun Fun Fest, featuring some of our very favorite bands: Cat Power, Diplo, Cadence Weapon, Busdriver, Celebration, White Denim, Battles, New Pornographers, and the list goes on. We're one of the sponsors of this fine event, which means we have a pair of free tickets to give away. Email us at gorillavsbearcontests@gmail.com, and let us know why you want to go. We'll pick a winner one week from today.

mp3:
New Pornographers Myriad Harbour
Busdriver The Troglodyte Wins
Cadence Weapon Sharks
Celebration Hands Off My Gold (SMD remix)
Cave Singers Seeds of Night



We'll have news about an after-party or two with some very special surprise guests in the near future, so stay tuned.

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elsewhere:

We're also presenting the Girl Talk/Busdriver show here in Dallas on the Friday before Fun Fun Fun. We'll have some tickets to giveaway soon, but for now here's a new Girl Talk jam:

mp3:
Girl Talk Let's Run This

st. vincent: live at the modern

the modern

St. Vincent capped off a perfect evening of music and art Friday night at the Modern in Fort Worth. A couple things: if you ever get the chance to see Ron Mueck's "hyper-realistic" human sculpture, do it. Unreal. Also, the Modern's rooftop sculpture garden was the ideal setting to see acts like Doug Burr, Peter and the Wolf, St. Vincent, et. al, and the fall weather couldn't have been better. Lullabyes.net posted the entirety of St. Vincent's wonderful set, including this crowd pleasing Beatles cover:

mp3:
St. Vincent :: Live at the Modern Dig a Pony (Beatles cover)

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related:

Watch Amanda Palmer (Dresden Dolls) and friends cover St. Vincent's "Marry Me" after the jump...

Amanda Palmer (and friends) "Marry Me" (St. Vincent cover):

panda bear's people party

Remember that free Panda Bear DVD? It was never officially released for various legal reasons, but magically, it's made its way to YouTube for our viewing pleasure. Here's part I, featuring "Take Pills," "Song for Ariel," "Good Girl," and more:



Watch part II ("Comfy in Nautica," "Bros," "#1," "Chores," more) and the bonus footage/interview after the jump...

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unrelated:


the pase rock

mp3:
Pase Rock + Diplo The Motherfucking Rave is Over

(via Discobelle)


People Party part II:



People Party Panda Bear interview:

tonight

Two must-see shows tonight here in DFW: we've mentioned the GvsB presented Man Man show at the Loft, which promises to be insane. We also plan on hitting up this event at the Modern in Fort Worth. Go for the frighteningly life-like sculptures by Ron Mueck, and stay until midnight for the bands/DJs, including St. Vincent, Peter and the Wolf, Sleeping States, Mom, Sober, and more:



mp3:
St. Vincent These Days
Mom Josh Likes Me
Peter and the Wolf Sparks


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marissa nadler on daytrotter

Before you do anything else this morning, head over to Daytrotter.com to download Marissa Nadler's stunning 4-song session, which includes 3 songs from her Songs III: Bird on the Water LP (one of the best of 2007), as well as an unreleased song. Marissa Nadler's album is out on Kemado; here's the record's perfect opening track:

mp3:
Marissa Nadler Diamond Heart

lost and found

In a week of fucked up and totally bizarre videos, the new one for Ola Podrida's "Lost and Found" takes the cake. Directed by Todd Rohal (Guatemalan Handshake), and described to me by Ola Podrida frontman David Wingo as "completely fucking insane and demented." I would say that's fair, if a bit of an understatement. David, play for the guy because he loves it, okay?



Ola Podrida are playing CMJ. Check their dates here.

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elsewhere:

Go here to listen to Sufjan Stevens, Cat Power, Tweedy, and Jim James/Calexico cover Bob Dylan.

ghostland on conan

And you thought Animal Collective had trouble translating to late night TV. I wonder if the Ghostland dudes felt as weird and awkward doing this as I felt watching it. Regardless of how you feel about these guys, I think we can all agree that 30 Rock is not the time nor place. It's just not the same without the fog and the throngs of screaming girls. At least Conan seemed to love the shiny cape:

College + new Sigur Ros and Daft Punk singles

The song of the night comes to us from purveyors of dreamy French house, College, with a reworking by London's Russ Chimes. I don't know anything about either of these dudes (aside from the obvious Daft Punk worship), and while this jam is maybe slightly derivative of you know who, it's got some '80s heart that'll make you nostalgic for the days when everyone drove a Countach and rocked a Zack Morris phone.

mp3:
College Teenage Color (Russ Chimes remix)

Via Disco Dust. Hear more from College and Russ Chimes on myspace.


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speaking of daft punk:



Discobelle has the incredible live version of "Harder Better Faster Stronger," taken from Daft Punk's upcoming Alive 2007 live LP, prompting us to further lament missing their North American tour.

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elsewhere:

Hopefully you've forgiven Sigur Ros for that whole NPR debacle, because their new single single, "Hjomalind," is beautiful. Written in 1999 during the "Agaetis Byrjun era," it wasn't recorded until earlier this year. It will be released on heavyweight 7" vinyl on October 29, but you can hear it now at the band's myspace.

we miss you in the summertime

Here's the brand new video for Black Moth Super Rainbow's Air-meets-Strawberry Fields single, "Sun Lips." We've been listening to Dandelion Gum in fairly heavy rotation since we first heard it back in April, so it's already been established that these guys are a little out there -- the record is "loosely based on witches who make candy in the forest" -- but this video is off the charts bizarre. The visuals match the whimsical yet eerily dark nature of the song, though, and floating animal ghosts are always cool.



mp3:
Black Moth Super Rainbow Sun Lips

Download more Black Moth Super Rainbow mp3s here.

gorilla vs. bear presents: Man Man

photo by Matt

The unstoppable force that is Man Man rolls through Dallas on Friday night, stopping briefly to rock The Loft (check that flier to your left). We have 5 pairs of tickets to give away for this; if you'd like to attend, shoot us an email at gorillavsbearcontests@gmail.com with "Man Man" in the subject line, and we'll pick 5 winners at random.

mp3:
Man Man Zombie (live)
Man Man Van Helsing Boombox

Other shows at the Loft this week include Earlimart and Caribou. Get tickets here.

i saw you dancing

This Worried Noodles 2x LP is shaping up to be pretty promising, with great contributions from Grizzly Bear, Liars, Hot Chip, David Byrne, TVOTR, and more. Here's a preview of YACHT's jam on the record, which sounds pretty sweet based on this 40 second snippet. NSFW, if your work frowns upon primitive drawings of boobs:



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elsewhere:

The tracklisting for Cat Power's upcoming Jukebox LP (part of which was recorded here in Dallas) has been announced. Check it here. Although I'm pretty disappointed their version of "Tracks of my Tears" was left off after seeing her perform it in Dallas recently, the cover art more than makes up for it:

yet even more new Glass Candy again

2007's most generous band, Glass Candy, is offering yet another two more roller-disco anthems for free download on their myspace page. Seems like the duo is posting new songs every week for free, which wouldn't mean much if they weren't so damn consistent. These will appear on their Beatbox Tour CD. Now where's the LP?

mp3:
Glass Candy Life After Sundown
Glass Candy Digital Versicolor

Glass Candy's fall North American tour (including some dates with Architecture in Helsinki) starts Friday in Chicago. They'll hit TX in mid-November.

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Tonight at CMJ:



Two of Austin's finest will be playing over at the Galapagos art space, along with Cheeseburger, Juiceboxxx, and more. This is White Denim's NYC debut, and all their shows are like this, so you should probably go:

blog radio

Here's the playlist for our Sirius Left of Center Blog Radio show, which aired today at noon EST (you can hear it again at midnight here). Highlights this week include the Arcade Fire's new 7"-only Serge Gainsbourg cover, Grizzly Bear's unreleased "Blackcurrant Jam," and the new Santogold (which might just be the most asked about song I can remember since we started on Sirius). Check the full playlist -- complete with assorted mp3s -- after the jump...

Gorilla vs. Bear Blog Radio :: October 15, 2007

(right click/save as to download mp3s)

1. Radiohead--House of Cards
2. Beach House--Master of None (mp3)
3. Grizzly Bear--Blackcurrant Jam
4. Chromatics--I'm on Fire (Springsteen cover) (mp3)
5. Santogold--LES Artistes
6. Cut Copy--So Haunted
7. Bangers & Cash--Loose (mp3)
8. Ghostface Killah--Chunky (mp3)
9. Hollertronix--Betty
10. Radiohead--All I Need
11. LCD Soundsystem--Someone Great
12. Zach Condon of Beirut--Venice (mp3)
13. Sunset Rubdown--Stallion
14. Radiohead--Reckoner
15. The Tough Alliance vs. Taken by Trees--Taken Too Young (mp3)
16. White Denim--Shake Shake Shake
17. Map of Africa--Bone
18. Black Lips--O Katrina
19. Arcade Fire--Poupee de Cire, Poupee de Son
20. France Gall--Poupee de Cire, Poupee de Son
21. Bodies of Water--Here Comes My Hand
22. St. Vincent--Landmines
23. Cass McCombs--Petrified Forest
24. Peter and the Wolf--Sparks
25. Panda Bear--Untitled (live on Ma Fama)
26. Sigur Ros--Staralfur (mp3)
27. Animal Collective--Safer

some things

The Vashti Bunyan early singles and demos collection that we talked about back in August finally sees release next week on FatCat. Tons of great, mostly unheard stuff, and I'd recommended it for even the most casual fans of her gentle pastoral folk. Here's some mildly awkward vintage footage from the mid-'60s of Ms. Bunyan uncomfortably lip-synching the album's Mick Jagger and Keith Richards-penned title track, from a TV show called "Shindig" (watch another clip from the show here).



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unrelated:

Timbaland did some free thing at the Palladium here in Dallas on Saturday night. He basically stood around while his DJ, Steve, played all of Tim's famous Jay-Z and Timberlake and Missy and Ginuwine beats. Then he just sort of sat there and said "Hey Dallas" a bunch and probably made like $75K for an hour. At one point he brought some arguably hot girls up on stage, so kudos to you, Mr. Timbaland. The Dallas Observer's music blog called the performance "both brilliant and self-inflated," which would be accurate, if not for the "brilliant" part. Remarkably, we still had fun at the "show," there were multiple mass "Soulja Boy" crankings, and David even took this Polaroid of Timbaland looking like a bulldog:

bodies of water cover R.E.M.

I'm sure by now you've heard about Stereogum's R.E.M. tribute Drive XV: A Tribute to Automatic For the People, featuring the likes of Rogue Wave, the Meat Puppets, Figurines, and more. One of the "unreleased b-sides" is this cover of "Everybody Hurts," by L.A.'s Bodies of Water. I was never a huge fan of the original version, but the beautiful harmonies on this one make it a keeper.

mp3:
Bodies of Water Everybody Hurts (REM cover)

Bodies of Water are playing 5 West Coast dates with the Go! Team starting on Monday.

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Dallas/tomorrow:

The Party and Timbaland for free. Click to RSVP:

sigur ros vs. NPR

NPR's Luke Burbank recently "conducted" this hilariously awkward, cringe-inducing "interview" with Sigur Ros. NPR's Bryant Park Project blog suggests that this is "possibly the worst interview in the history of electronic media," and we tend to agree. We did learn one thing from all this: "Hopelandic" is "fucking bullshit" (or something to that effect). If you can make it through all 5 and a half minutes, you win. We barely could.




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elsewhere:

Here's that Black Lips on Conan youtube we promised:

new cut copy: so haunted

Aussies Cut Copy have posted their new, Tim Goldsworthy co-produced single, "So Haunted," on their myspace page. It's noisy and ambitious and slightly atonal in all the right spots, and it takes a turn for the better at about the 2:45 mark. If you're a real smart guy you can probably figure out how to download it from the Fader Blog (Edit: or just grab it from Big Stereo). Cut Copy's new record, In Ghost Colours, comes out in early 2008 on Modular. Check their blog for a compelling list of the "top 5 fruitiest instruments" used on the album.

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elsewhere:

Bangers & Cash's Spank Rock, Benny Blanco, and Amanda Blank present: the "Top 10 Songs to Do It To."

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Speaking of Spank Rock:

Discobelle has XXXChange's unreleased remix of the title track from Thom Yorke's The Eraser.

the big dough rehab

Ghostface announces that his new record, The Big Dough Rehab, will drop on December 4. Uh, Ghost, that's the same day the new Wu-Tang album comes out. Who wants to bet this doesn't happen? Don't download his shit though. Tell your grandma or something like that (via Spine):

black lips on conan

Leave it to Black Lips to show everybody what a late night TV performance can and should look like. The band tore through "O Katrina" with an intensity and energy that more or less matched their actual live show, which I imagine is sort of difficult to do in a 4 minute spot. Watch it here. Recommended for everyone that hated Animal Collective's Conan performance.

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related:

Justice "performed" on Kimmel last night...wtf?

all i need

Well I stayed up late for this, we might as well talk about it, yeah? Upon first (and second and third) listen, In Rainbows exceeds all the expectations we didn't really have any time to develop. Some initial, hasty thoughts: not really feeling "Bodysnatchers," but "Nude" through the almost dubby "House of Cards" is essentially a perfect 6-song sequence, highlighted by the "Julia"-esque "Faust Arp," and the hypnotic, breakbeat-laden dreamscape, "All I Need." My first impression is that this is the band's most enchanting, instantly enjoyable work since OK Computer or Kid A. But that might have to do with the fact that it's 2 AM. That's all I'll say for now, back to listening to "All I Need" and "Reckoner" for the 5th time. Oh, and the Black Lips killed on Conan too. Good night all around.

sigur ros at the wordless music series

Sigur Ros played a secret, 3-song acoustic set on Friday night at NYC's Good-Shepherd Faith Church as part of the Wordless Music Series. Our friend Adam was in attendance. He took some Polaroids, then passed the camera over to Jonsi to take some shots. (Download a gorgeous recording of the band's full acoustic set from Saturday night at Florence Gould Hall below, courtesy of nyctaper.)


Jonsi Birgisson of Sigur Ros (photo by Adam Farrell)


Kjartan Sveinsson of Sigur Ros says hi to Jonsi while drummer Orri Pall Dyrason kicks it (photo by Jonsi Birgisson)


Will Oldham + Sigur Ros (photo by Adam Farrell)

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Sigur Ros: live at Florence Gould Hall (October 6, 2007)

mp3:
Sigur Ros Agaetis Byrjun
Sigur Ros Heima
Sigur Ros Njosnavelin (the nothing song)

(Recommended: download lossless .flac files here)

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elsewhere:

Artist Steve McLaughlin took all of the Beatles' UK releases and "and compressed them into a single, 1-hour mp3 by increasing their tempo by 800 percent." I'm sure this serves some purpose, I just don't know what it is. All I know is that listening to 2 minutes of it made me dizzy. (via Boing Boing)

"the beatles one of the greatest bands in history, nah mean?"

RZA talks to Kotori Magazine about getting Dhani Harrison to play Russell Crowe's guitar on Wu-Tang's new single, "The Heart Gently Weeps." He also claims Ghostface's verse on the track is one of the best he's heard in the last 7 years.



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elsewhere:



Daft Punk is streaming "Too Long/Steam Machine," a new track from the band's upcoming Alive album, at their myspace page. Listen here.

new Grizzly Bear mp3: "Alligator (choir version)"

Here's the first official promo mp3 from Grizzly Bear's upcoming Friend EP: the new cinematic choir version of "Alligator," featuring Beirut and Dirty Projectors. Absolutely soaring multiple-part harmonies building to an explosive crescendo = a sound that begins to approach the band's mighty live show, which in turn makes this one of the best songs of the year. I hope this and new song "Blackcurrant Jam" are an indication of what these guys have in store for the future:

mp3:
Grizzly Bear Alligator (choir version)

Friend comes out November 6; wait until you hear the CSS cover of "Knife," which Ed Droste described to me as sounding "sort of like Avril Lavigne, but in a good way." Pre-order the 10-song EP now for only $8.99 and get this limited edition lithograph for free. The band will also play "Knife" on Conan the night of the EP release.

she's like a rainbow

The ad execs at Sony Bravia have followed up their brilliant "Heartbeats" bouncing ball viral ad with this stop-motion clip, which features hundreds of Play-Doh bunnies descending on New York city (update: idea was very possibly likely jacked from these two). Perfectly soundtracked by the inspired choice of the Rolling Stones' "She's a Rainbow":

sigur ros: Hvarf-Heim

Sigur Ros is now streaming four songs from their upcoming Hvarf-Heim, the companion record to their upcoming film, Heima. Listen at their space. We're still working on setting up an HD screening of Heima here in Dallas, and it looks like that will happen sometime in early November. Some info on Hvarf-Heim, from Sigur Ros' blog:

"Hvarf-Heim...is more cousin than sister release. It has two titles because it is in effect two separate, but complementary, entities, with -- get this -- two front covers and a limited edition run of two discs. Open it one way and it's"Hvarf" ("disappeared" or "haven", a five track electric studio record comprising mainly unreleased rarities from Sigur Ros's back-pages, none of which is on Heima. Open it the other way and it's "Heim" ("home"), a six track acoustic record, comprising delicate new unplugged versions of some of Sigur Ros's best moments, which have never been performed before...Hvarf-Heim features three previously absolutely unreleased electric songs (Salka, Hljomalind and I Gaer) and is, anyway, wall-to-wall re-workings... "

bodies of water on la blogotheque

Bodies of Water recently performed "Our Friends Appear Like the Dawn" as they strolled through colorful Chinatown in their hometown of Los Angeles. Luckily La Blogotheque's Take Away Shows crew was there to capture it for us. The band will be playing dates in the near future with the Go! Team, and then will tour North America with Phosphorescent:



La Blogotheque also posted a few great St. Vincent videos today. Check them out here.

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elsewhere:

Liars discuss gorilla vs. bear. Angus Andrew gets it totally wrong (unlike GZA and Wyclef Jean):

Devendra Banhart: live at the granada

An interesting and enthusiastic crowd -- marked by a surprisingly high percentage of 14-year-olds -- took in Devendra Banhart's show last night at at the Granada Theater. Devendra's supergroup, consisting of Noah Georgeson, Andy Cabic, Pete Newsom, Luckey Remington, and Greg Rogove, has developed such an impressive ease and relaxed dynamic that the songs have almost become second nature. This was evident during their breezy, rollicking take on Vetiver's fantastic "You May Be Blue," and through the pitch-perfect, almost Gregorian harmonies that elevated the entire set. As I've mentioned before, regardless of your take on Devendra and crew's perceived loopy, "Spiritual Bonerz" schtick, their accomplished live show is always a force worth checking out. Only 5 dates left on this tour though (Austin tonight), so hurry.

(photos by david)




noah georgeson




andy cabic



...view more photos of Devendra's set after the jump...

beirut: live on kexp

Beirut's The Flying Club Cup has earned the designation of my official record of Fall. I didn't expect to love it this much, but the enthusiasm and respect with which Zach Condon tackles his obvious affection for baroque Parisian pop is refreshing and undeniably infectious. That Blogotheque video with Ed Droste didn't hurt either. Condon and the band recently played a number of the album's standout tracks live on KEXP. Here are a few of my favorites:

mp3:
Beirut Nantes (live on KEXP)
Beirut A Sunday Smile (live on KEXP)
Beirut Cherbourg (live on KEXP)

Download the full performance from KEXP. The Flying Club Cup is officially released on Tuesday, but you can get it now from eMusic. Read Stylus' A- review of the album here.

UPDATE: With two new additions today, La Blogotheque crew has nearly completed their project of posting a video for each song from The Flying Club Cup. Here's the wonderful clip for "St. Appolonia," yet another reason to look into the album:



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elsewhere:

Alela Diane stopped by Daytrotter's Rock Island studios earlier this summer for an encore to her jawdropping SXSW session. Previously unreleased numbers "Age Old Blue" and "The Alder Trees" are must listens, but the whole session is pretty special.

animal collective: live on conan

In case you missed it like I did, here's footage of Animal Collective's national television debut last night on Conan O'Brien. The band played Strawberry Jam gem "#1," and with Avey's vocals even more distorted and fucked up than on the record, the spotlight is focused on Noah's ethereal warbling. Jennifer Connelly and Fred Willard fans everywhere are still scratching their heads. In HD, thanks to Collected Animals:

arcade fire: beonlineb

Not what anyone was expecting, but pretty impressive nonetheless. If you aren't impressed, you can always drown Win. Click:

saturday night: Devendra Banhart

Devendra Banhart will confuse and amaze the drunken Texas-OU revelers tomorrow night in Dallas at the Granada Theater. No matter how you feel about Devendra's increasingly out-there hippie persona and his new "spiritual boner," you simply can't deny that the man knows how to put on an entertaining show. If you were at his packed-beyond-capacity show at the Cavern in 2005, then you know what I'm talking about. GvsB favorite and Devendra-friend Jana Hunter will kick off the festivities. Doors at 8 PM.

mp3:
Devendra Banhart Seahorse
Jana Hunter Babies

Black Lips: live in dallas

the black lips

What can we say, the Black Lips put on one of the best shows of the year last night at the Loft. The dudes were better than advertised: raw, loud, and raucous as hell, their flower punk laced with unstoppable melodies, and an eerily authentic knack for creating/updating a sound from another era. Highlights included new jams "Katrina," "Cold Hands," and "Bad Kids," as well as everything they played from Los Valientes Del Mondo Nuevo. Love that record so much. Oh, and that was one of the rowdier crowds I've seen in Dallas in years, so good job Dallas. Polaroids by David (you can check some live shots by Garrison + Jennings here, or check out noisyneighbor's photos here).

mp3:
Black Lips Cold Hands


cole alexander aka old king cole younger


ian st. pe


joe bradley


jared swilley




the loft: skylight

m.i.a. + blaqstarr: what i got

We posted the making of "Paper Planes" clip a while back, and another short vid has surfaced from the Kala sessions, courtesy of M.I.A. herself. This time she's in the studio with Baltimore's DJ Blaqstarr, working on Kala b-side "What I Got." According to Maya, this went down "IN THE BASEMENT IN BALTIMORE ON A COLD NITE IN DECEMBER 2006 WITH A NEW HAIR CUT."



M.I.A. will be back in TX for a couple shows next month.

los saicos

We hit up the Black Lips show last night at the Loft, and those guys tore it up (more on the show later today). We spoke briefly with gangsta-grilled guitarist Ian St. Pe about what he's been listening to lately (from Project Pat to Diplo), and the conversation quickly turned to early '60s teenage Peruvian surf-garage punks Los Saicos. The Saicos happen to be one of Ian's favorite bands, as well as one of the Lips' biggest influences. Not unlike the Monks, these kids essentially existed independently of anything else that was around at the time. Although they were fairly big hits in their native Peru (they had their own national TV program during 1965), they never released a proper LP and mysteriously disbanded after only a couple years in 1966. Here are a couple of their early singles:

mp3:
Los Saicos Demolicion
Los Saicos Salvaje

Read more about Los Saicos here, and check out their official myspace.

new White Denim: "World as a Waiting Room"

White Denim is set to embark on their first North American tour, and the band will have their spanking new, perfectly shambolic 9-song tour EP in hand. Despite having seen the band play these songs live numerous times over the past year and a half, the EP sort of floored me, and in the process reminded me why they're my favorite band right now. I could throw superlatives at these fellas all day, but instead I'll just suggest that you go see them live if they come to your town. Here's the opening track:

mp3:
White Denim World as a Waiting Room

Here are all the dates, including CMJ. If you can, go say hey:

Oct. 04 Austin, TX (The Parish w/ What Made Milwaukee Famous)
Oct. 08 Chicago, IL (Schubas w/ Tokyo Police Club) SOLD OUT
Oct. 10 St. Louis, MO (Billiken Club w/ White Rabbits)
Oct. 11 Columbus, OH (Bourbon Street)
Oct. 13 Princeton, NJ (Princeton University w/ Via Audio)
Oct. 14 Philadelphia, PA (Khyber w/ Middle Distance Runner)
Oct. 15 Washington, DC (DC9 w/ Symes)
Oct. 16 Brooklyn, NY (Galapagos w/ Cheeseburger, Via Audio, Juiceboxxx, and Tacks, the Boy Disaster)
Oct. 18 New York, NY (Gramercy Theatre)
Oct. 19 New York, NY (Mercury Lounge w/ Broken West, Shaky Hands)
Nov. 03 Austin, TX (Fun Fun Fun Fest w/ Diplo, Cat Power, Celebration, Battles, New Pornographers, and more)

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DALLAS:

Black Lips are coming to town tonight, and while we can't guarantee pee or vomit, we can guarantee fun. Wear your raincoats just in case:



mp3:
Black Lips Lock & Key (live at Amoeba)

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Download the new Beatles interpolation from Wu-Tang, featuring Erykah Badu and John Frusciante. Wouldn't be bad if the annoying "loud.com" guy hadn't rendered the track mostly unlistenable with his incessant whispering.

mp3:
Wu-Tang The Heart Gently Weeps

Beach House on white vinyl

As you might recall, Beach House's self-titled debut LP was one of my favorite records of 2006. The painfully-limited white vinyl version of the record has been sold out for about a year now, but Heart Break Beat Records has repressed a limited number of them, which you can pick up here until they're gone for good. Don't sleep on this, as Victoria Legrand sounds even warmer and sadder on vinyl.

mp3:
Beach House Master of None
Beach House Apple Orchard

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elsewhere: (by garrison)



As you wait for the surely awesome Neon Neon record we spoke of months ago, the Hood Internet has offered up a temporary substitute. The mashup features the guitar loop of SFA frontman Gruff Rhys's Candylion track "Gyrru Gyrru Gyrru" and the rhymes of Blak Jak's "Ride & Swerve."

mp3:
DJ STV SLV Black Jak vs. Gruff Rhys - Marchogi a Gwyri

In related news, "Carbon Dating," the standout track from SFA's Hey Venus, is still in serious rotation 'round the GvsB "offices". Grab it on eMusic.

sigur ros: Heima in NYC

Sigur Ros will screen their new film, Heima, this Saturday night in New York City. Prior to the screening, the band will give a rare acoustic performance. Since we're stuck in TX and can't attend, XL has hooked us up with one pair of tickets to give away for this special event, which is sure to sell out. Here are the details. And to get you excited, the trailer:



We are pleased to invite you to a special midnight show in New York with Sigur Ros:

Saturday October 6, 2007 at Florence Gould Hall
Doors at 11:30 / Performance begins at midnight.

Sigur Ros will perform a short acoustic set and then screen their new film Heima.

Tickets on sale Wednesday October 3, 2007 at 12:00 PM EST. $20.00 per ticket plus ticketmaster service charges. Limit of 2 tickets per person. Tickets will also be available at the Florence Gould Hall box office while supplies last.

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To win, shoot us an email at gorillavsbearcontests@gmail.com, explaining why we should give you the tickets. We'll pick a winner on Thursday evening. Heima comes out on XL on November 6, and we're working on setting up an HD screening of the film here in Dallas in the very near future.

mp3:
Sigur Ros Untitled #4
Sigur Ros Staralfur

!!! (chk chk chk) + The Field: Live in Dallas

Nic and Shannon of !!!

Last night's !!! and The Field show at the Loft was one of the more enjoyable, floor-rattling (literally) shows of the year. The Field played a satisfying 45 minute set, drawing from his excellent From Here We Go Sublime LP, but the highlight was his euphoric remix of Annie's "Heartbeat."

mp3:
Annie Heartbeat (The Field remix)

THE FIELD:




Axel Willner aka The Field

!!! lived up to their billing as one of the best live dance acts around. Frontman Nic Offer and unlikely hype/frontwoman Shannon led the 8-piece -- and the enthusiastic young-ish audience -- through a kinetic and surprisingly tight set of spastic avant-disco.

CHK CHK CHK:









!!! shannon (by tony romano)


!!! shannon


photos by david. check them all here.

m.i.a.: "paper planes" remix + instrumental

Diplo has upped the street remix (feat. Bun B and Rich Boy) and instrumental of one of my favorite songs of 2007, M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes." The remix has been in heavy rotation on our Sirius show for a few weeks now (Bun B's verse kills), and now you can download it for free at the Mad Decent blog.

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...catch Diplo at his next TX stop: the Fun Fun Fun Fest on November 3-4, at Austin's Waterloo Park.

!!! tonight !!!

...just a reminder that tonight's !!! show at the Loft is an early one. Doors at 8. The Party kicks it off shortly after that. Get there in time to see Best New Music-anointed The Field -- all the way from Stockholm! -- whose dreamy, minimalist dance jams should offer an interesting juxtaposition against the Loft's sweeping view of the Dallas skyline:

mp3:
The Field A Paw in My Face

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