Music Snobbery

Eli "Paperboy" Reed & The True Loves / Jenny Dee & the Deelinquents @ Maxwell's: Keeping It Sexy

Going back to last Saturday night, no doubt I had to squeeze in a performance from my main man Eli "Paperboy" Reed. When the rest of the world catches on to his endless talent and infectious sound, he'll be the toughest ticket in town. The reason being is his stepping-up to the majors with a record deal with Virgin. Before he heads back over to Europe, he'll play a big opening spot for Dave Matthews Band in NJ.

Here are his tour dates:

• April 15: The Izod Center @ The Meadowlands -- E. Rutherford, New Jersey
• April 19: Academy 3 -- Manchester, UK
• April 20: Classic Grand -- Glasgow, UK
• April 21: O2 Academy 2 -- Birmingham, UK
• April 22: ULU -- London, UK
• April 24: Le 106 -- Rouen, France
• April 25: Bourges Festival @ Le 22 -- Bourges, France
• April 26: AB Club -- Brussels, Belgium
• April 27: Tivoli De Helling -- Utrecht, Holland
• April 29: Loppen -- Copenhagen, Denmark
• April 30: Woody West @ Storan -- Goteborg, Sweden
• May 1: Garage -- Oslo, Norway
• May 2: Bergenfest @ Garage Bergen, Norway
• May 5: Musikzentrum -- Hannover, Germany
• May 6: Doornroosje -- Nijmegan, Holland
• May 7: La Vapeur -- Dijon, France
• May 8: Luxor -- Koln, Germany
• May 9: Frankfurt -- Frankfurt, Germany
• May 11: La Trabendo -- Paris, France
• May 13: La Riviera -- Madrid, Spain
• May 15: Vitoria Azkena Rock Festival @ Mendizorroza Sports Arena -- Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain

Saturday showed that Eli is getting better at being the showman. His wears his classic soul influences on his sleeves, so he sweats through his show like those who passed before him, Otis, Jackie, JB. Pencil in Eli "The Hebrew Hammer" Reed as one of the top five acts you're not seeing.

Mark my words, my friends. He's going to be everywhere this year when his second album hits the masses. Even Jools Holland took notice and had him on his show.

Previously:

• Eli and The Sweet Divines with special guest Sharon Jones at Union Hall
• Eli's previous Jersey gig at the Download Festival in Camden.

 

 

 

 

 

Following Eli in this small East Coast tour is fellow Bostonian, Jenny Dee & the Deelinquents. The vocal stylings are your classic girl group style from Stax and Motown. It was the perfect tone for the night. Furthurmore, her Boston accent was the thickest I've ever came across. It was wicked. She said on stage, "It took me awwwwww-ahs to find ah spaaaht fooooor my cahhhhhh (it took me hours to find a spot for my car." It was a thing of beauty.

 

Primal Scream / Kuroma @ Music Hall of Williamsburg: Kill All Hipsters

Going back to Sunday night, the legendary British act Primal Scream took to Brooklyn on a foggy and stormy night. It's rare that the band makes their way to the U.S. They didn't even tour for the last album, the stripped, less-electronic Riot City Blues. So when they added a second show to their NYC stay, I was there. I definitely wanted to relive their 2004 shows at Irving Plaza, which were just fantastic. That didn't happen on Sunday. It was a loud and lumbering show that proves that sometimes, music is better how you remember it back in the day.

The setlist:

• Kill All Hippies
• Can't Go Back
• Miss Lucifer
• Suicide Sally & Guitar Johnny
• Jailbird
• Beautiful Future
• Higher Than the Sun
• Deep Hit
• Exterminator
• Suicide Bomb
• Sick City
• Shoot Speed
• Swastika Eyes
• Movin on Up
• Rocks
• ENCORE: Damaged
• Country Girl
• Accelerator

When you look at the twenty year history of Primal Scream, you see a band that started as one thing and are now a completely different entity. They were on the forefront of the resurgent BritPop movement of the late 80s alongside the Stone Roses. Then after Vanishing Point didn't do much for anybody, they evolved into a electronica infused band. They traded those groovy, trippy pop gems for something gnarly and ready for the dance floor.

I'm all for that, but their past three albums, included their latest release Beautiful Future, are only good for a couple of decent tracks. On Sunday, they want to show that they don't live in the past and that their current work is just as good as Screamadelica. Thus, the show was heavy on those heavily programmed electronic elements that's more suited for taking ecstasy, rather then those acid-fueled early works.

With that said, the show did have some great elements. The final three songs before the encore, "Swastika Eyes", "Movin on Up" and "Rocks", was worthy of a Primal Scream show. It made me think of how awesome they were five years ago, the only other time I saw them. I was jonsing to hear "Come Together," but that didn't happen.

Seeing them again, I didn't have that sense of discovery when seeing a great band for the first time. A few elements remain the same, Bobby Gillespie still is on a acid trip from 1995. My man Mani still loves rocking out. Finally, the crowd has a fair share of middle-aged Brits dudes still trying to relive 1989. I had a guy on one side who couldn't stand still and kept on bumping into people because he had no balance. On the side I had a dude who kept on spitting on floor like he was a baseball pitcher.

When you boil it down, Sunday's show was not what I was hoping for and you do have to respect a band's choice of setlist. My bigger wish was that cut back on the pre-programmed electronic elements and just get back to playing instruments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know what to make of Kuroma, the new band from former MGMT backing guitarist Hank Sullivant. This is the second I've seen them at the Music Hall. The previous time was opening up for another legendary British act, Jarvis Cocker. I'm trying to wrap my head around when he wants this band to be. It's in the whelm of Flaming Lips, but he's not that out there or inspiring. At times, the bands wants to be experimental and danceable, but they don't make me remotely excited hearing the sound. When you think you see hs ways, you then a hear a Southern rock style track. At the end of their set, Hank grabs the microphone and starts doing old school hip hop dance moves while rapping. Your guess is as good as mine.

Wavves @ Mercury Lounge : Make Sure You Call Your Mother Back

You can file this gig post under "25 Minutes That Could Have Been Better Spent." My eight straight days of gigs didn't ended on a high note. No big deal.

I read the same blogs and music sites that rhyme with Snitchfork like you do, and kept on seeing the name Wavves. Okay, fine, let me see what they have to offer. Checked out the Myspace stuff and I saw some potential. It felt like a variation on what Times New Viking does -- lo-fi recordings with a high-guitar distortion factor. Cool, I'll give them a look-see when they come through our parts.

Seeing the one-man project from guitarist Nathan Williams at Mercury Lounge left me feeling unfazed and uninspired. He can't capture that drive or rough-around-the-edges style you hear in recorded form. Also, I don't think this kid has anything to say. He just wants to rock out with his drummer in tow. He's not as bad Ponytail, who literally don't have anything to say. Williams relies to much on his wails and "oooohhh" and "ahhhhs". It's his crutch. He has a few chops on guitars, and the drummer is competent, but he comes off as low-rent knock off of early White Stripes using the whiny little bitch vocal prowess of Sum 41 or Blink 182. It's Californian, skater punk music under an indie rock gaze.

The room was packed, thus you see the power of hype. I don't see what the big deal is, maybe Wavves goes over my head. Or, I can go back to ignoring reviews from high-profile indie music sites.

As a final note, Williams got a phone call from his mother during his set. It's good to keep in touch with your momma, and treat your momma right.

White Lies / Friendly Fires / The Soft Pack @ Bowery Ballroom: Don't Forget to Dance

 

Last Friday was the second night of the two-night stand of the NME Tour with co-headliners White Lies and Friendly Fires with The Soft Pack in support. Chalk this one up as finest line-ups you'll see this year.

White Lies played last, and they are no strangers to this site from the past 11 months. Sometimes, you just find a band that represents everything you love about discovering new music and seeing performers multiple times. Their Mercury Lounge show last year is now just a blip on the musical radar, because now they are on the cusp of being big time.

The setlist:

• Farewell to the Fairground
• To Lose My Life
• E.S.T.
• From the Stars
• A Place To Hide
• Unfinished Business
• Fifty on our Foreheads
• The Price of Love
• Death

Looking at their new live show with the fancy lighting schemes, the band sounds as loud and full as ever. They've got the talent and raw energy to have a long career, now the rest of the world just has to come around. 

The music and the live show centers around Harry McVeigh's booming vocals. As you read in my interview, he's a little bit reserved. On Friday, he's started come out of shell and take the lead singer role. He's visibly more into music and responding better to the crowds chants.  

The new lighting scheme, inspired by their tour with Glasvegas, gave the set an extra layer of grandeur. It looked like a photo shoot on hyper drive with all the spotlights against against the black and chrome. The lights come to life during all those high points in Unfinished Business, Death and To Lose My Life.

The best thing about White Lies is that they'll only get better and when they hit the large venues, watch out ... and bring your sunglasses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since it was a Friday night party crowd, the room filled up for new rave Britons, Friendly Fires. When they hit the stage, the party was on.

When I saw them last year at BV's day showcase for CMJ, it took me a while to get into their set. Seeing them on Friday and loving it big time, I came to realize something, seeing a show in the afternoon, on a weekday and indoors -- blows. It's more of a way to get introduced to an act rather than be entertained.

So Friendly Fires disco and new wave fueled dance music truly came to life on Friday night. Still in the spotlight is lead singer Ed Macfarlane's gay Eastern European stripper dance. He sort of jerks his pelvis back and forth while his arms are swinging around. It's a dance unique to him, I guess. I kid, I kid. It's his way of getting into the music.

"On Board" performed live with cowbells a plenty is a real crowd pleasure. That's where you best be jumping around and waving your arms in the air. Before he began, Ed reminded everyone to dance. Easier said then done. I was stuck in the non-dancing section in the crowd where people were either standing there like a statue, taking crappy pictures with their iPhone or checking their twitter accounts. The next time I go to a show where there will be dancing, I'm going to wear a shirt that says, "Dance ... or get the fuck out of the way."

 

 

 

 

 

 

The awesome The Soft Pack have the unfortunate situation of having to change their name just when they were become known in indie circles. Now, they have to be billed as The Soft Pack (formerly The Muslims). This makes me wonder if the band that got to keep their name is billed as The Muslims (not the Soft Pack).

In any event, like Friendly Fires during CMJ, I caught the future Soft Pack at a CMJ showcase in the afternoon among a bunch of industry people -- that also blows. On Friday, they made me an ever bigger fan. I was bordering on fall asleep with four hours of sleep the night before, but hearing "Nightlife" was the caffeine shot I needed. Their catchy garage indie rock sound is unfussy, while remaining consistent. While they are similar in tone to the Black Lips, they don't have antics on stage. They stand their and let the music speak for themselves. They ended with "Parasites", which is just a killer track with a lot drive.

 

Ben Folds / Jukebox the Ghost @ Wellmont Theatre: Rockin' the Suburbs

If I knew Ben Folds was going to play the director's extended cut of his show in Montclair tonight, I would have smuggled in some snacks. The former lead singer of Ben Folds Five played two hours and ten minutes, which encapsulated his old and new works alongside plenty of story telling.

Picture of the set list is at the end of the post. I don't feel like typing it out, plus he played it out of order and added other tracks. For the encore, he played "Fair" and "Army".

Let's start off with the important information that Mr. Folds presented tonight -- he use to be a Montclair resident back in the early 90s. He lived in a small room with no air conditioning for eight months, taking the bus everyday into the city for his job in musical theater. Furthermore, he recorded some tunes in that time that later morphed into tracks for Whatever and Ever Amen. Quick, somebody call the town council so we can designate his old house for historic preservation.

As for this epic show, the guy is a performer in the true sense. He sings with such consistency, but also pounds away on his piano. As fans know, he composes some complicated songs. On top of that, his lyrics are dense and lengthy, so his memory capacity must be high.

I was a big Ben Folds Five fan back in the day. They were one of the first bands I could play the snobbery card -- listening to a band before they become popular. Once that overplayed "Brick" song came into prominence, then everybody in the dorm floor was listening to them. I do remember how super hyper Folds was back in the mid 90s. Today, not as spastic, but still just as goofy in his Charles Nelson Reilly glasses.

So with that in mind, I hadn't seen him as a solo performer. That's about 12-13 years since the last time I saw him. I guess I haven't responded to the solo work as much as I did when he had a band. That's not to say I haven't listen to the solo works. I have, but seeing them tonight, not many rang a bell for me. As much as I'm glad I saw him, I did feel out of it because he has an intense fan base who knows every song by heart. Basically, I'm waiting for something I recognize like "Alice Childress," "Rocking the Suburbs" and his latest fun single "You Don't Know Me". My favorite Ben Folds song? Either "Underground", "Jackson Cannery" or "Song for the Dumped".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My buddies in Jukebox the Ghost received a tremendous push with the opening slot on this tour. I can see the Cult of Jukebox the Ghost stirring among the masses.

One of the fun things in following bands is seeing them going from playing closets to performing in front of 2,000 people. Hopefully, they've gained some fans along the way with their super-poppy and fun ditties of whimsy. Up next, their first U.K. jaunt. My British peoples better show the trio some love, especially at their Club NME show at KOKO on April 17 with The Temper Trap.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Micachu / The Grates @ Pianos

Another night of bands passing thru NYC after SXSW. Micachu is something else. Once I figure out what that something else is I'll let you know.

The pint-sized 21-year old musician creates music that is more interesting, than enjoyable. Going in, I knew a handful of songs and remixes she does for other bands. The songs we heard tonight are densely constructed bits and pieces of weirdness mixed with odd electronic elements. The music is something you'd understand after a few more listens. It's just way out there. It's the very definition of avant garde. If somebody asked me what I thought I would say, "I think I liked it." There's always something different she throws around, mostly changing structures of songs to give them a freeform base. They are not A to B songs, more like A to D to Y to B.

The big white elephant in the room with Micachu when you see her live is that she doesn't look like your typical musician. I just have to say it, she looks like a 13-year old boy -- the love child of Shane MacGowan and Cate Blanchett as Bob Dylan (I credit that observation to Pop Tarts Suck Toasted). I'm sure all other media will point it out. It's all part of the weird Micachu package.

In any event, I ditched early because the sets were running 45 minutes late thanks to the lovely Leona Naess

Looks who's back on this space! The Grates are on these pages where they belong. Three of my favorite people are in the states to promote their second album, Teeth Lost, Heart Broken, and to see if anyone wants to distribute it here. It's awesome and crazy exciting to see that they are a big deal in Australia, so that love needs to come here via your ears

If you're are not familiar with them, they are a hyper-power pop trio from Australia who I've grown fond of and see anytime they are around. Our histories have been intertwined since I started this thing.

When they took to the stage at Pianos, it was like they never stopped playing. Oh, Patience, don't ever change -- although she's doing the blonde thing these days. I don't know how she does it. She jumps around, dances and head bangs to every song. Between songs, she cracks jokes and mingles with the crowd. She decided to "come on a guy's shoulders" during her interpretive dance song, "Rock Boys." Yup, it's par for the course for Pae.

They'll be back sometime in the late summer to bring the fun and pop some balloons. I miss them already.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ladyhawke / Hearts Revolution / Peggy Sue @ Bowery Ballroom

Not even the FDNY and a room full of smoke can prevent me from finally seeing Ladyhawke live. A year of patiently waiting for her to gain enough steam to came to the U.S. came to fruition tonight.

Just to make things interesting, the sold out Bowery Ballroom had the added pleasure of standing in a smoke filled room with no air conditioning and no ventilation for 45 minutes. Rock shows rule! More on that later.

Let me tell you, that was one great set for Miss Pip Brown of New Zealand. Despite all the retro 80s synth sounds and imagery, she's a rock chick at her core. You can pump your first or just dance to your heart's content. It's one of the finest debut performances I've seen from a foreign act.

After inhaling smoke, she played about a 40-45 minute set -- skipping "Better Than Sunday". The setlist:

• Professional Suicide
• Manipulating Woman
• Dusk Till Dawn
• Magic
• Another Runaway
• Danny & Jenny
• Back of the Van
• Paris is Burning
• ENCORE: My Delirium

I've mentioned plenty of times on this space how I grow tired of bands taking ques from 80s new wave, so what makes Ladyhawke different? Her music is steeped in nostalgia, she remembers the music she grew up with and makes it her own. As I said, this was a rock show with guitars, drums and basses with a couple of small synths to add that level of other worldliness. Even though her music and name brings up images of 80s pop culture, she doesn't lean on it as crutch, relying more of great choruses and a rocking dance beat.

When I first dropped her name in the Camden Crawl 08 preview, I said she was Peaches, Debbie Harry and Stevie Nicks all in one. After hearing her nearly perfect debut album, I would drop the Peaches and add in Heart, both the 70s and 80s versions. Pip has hitmaker status written all over her songs. The sign of a talented artist is that you hear a song and you instantly get hooked. Then, after the hundredth time you've heard the tune, it still makes you excited, just like the first time. P.B. has several of those songs like Dusk Till Dawn, Magic, Back of the Van, Paris is Burning and My Delirium.

The only piece I've been missing is seeing her live show. She's been performing these songs for almost two years, so she comes in perfectly seasoned and ready to rock the house. Although, she doesn't necessarily look like she's ready to rock the house. As you might know, Pip suffers from performance anxiety, specifically Asperger syndrome. Thus, she barely speaks between songs and shuts her eyes most of the time during the show. No matter, she's a hell of a musician and I couldn't have ask anything more from her. 

By far, this was the show I wanted to see the most this week. I wanted to discover her songs in a live setting and, frankly, get my dance on, clap to the beat and scream about how awesome she is. The show went by so fast, a sure sign of a quality set.

The quick story behind the smoke inhalation for 45 minutes. During the setup, everyone started to smell smoke. As first, I though it was that fake fog used for shows. Then you see the room get cloudy, not thick, but enough to notice. The smell wasn't strong, just enough to question what was going on. Eventually, a Bowery dude gets on the P.A. and says that there's a fire nearby on the block, it's under control and the show will continue. Then he added they are turning the air conditioning off until the smoke disappears. Well, nothing like a little toxic fumes to get you ready for some good times. Did your gig last night have that? I don't think so.

 

 

 

 

   

To further torture me, Hearts Revolution from Los Angeles opened up. If Eddie Argos heard this band, he might reconsider his move to L.A. Just annoying, recycled 80s synth dance crap. Think Crystal Castles without the sense of destruction. It's a drummer and synth guy with a lead singer who jumps around and screams nonsense like a little girl. I pray for the day that this electroclash fad goes away again. As I looked around, thank god I wasn't the only one with their arms folded with a look on their face that says, "Could you please get off the stage?"

 

Peggy Sue was a last minute addition to the line-up, albeit an odd choice being that they are a folk band. No matter, me likey. I didn't think Monday's performance at Pianos wasn't their best effort, and they agreed. Katy said during their set, "This is our second New York show. Our first one was last night and it was atrocious." This set was five times better. Katy and Rosa looked well rested and their set was tighter with more depth. Especially when Rosa hits all those painful, confessional high and lows during the songs, it does make a difference. The end result was the Peggy Sue I wanted to see.

 

Sam Isaac / Jay Jay Pistolet / Peggy Sue @ Pianos

Let's knock these posts out, gang. I have eight straight days of gigs. We can do this! We can build on this.

As per usual, the British bands travel through NYC before heading home after SXSW. All the acts tonight made their area debuts, and all had the look on their faces of "OMG, not another show." A week of playing a series of gigs in the Texas heat, then having to schmooze with the T-MIGs (Typical Music Industry Guy/Gal) will wear you down.

Sam Isaac is a singer-songwriter I've been admiring from a far. While many of the new British acts are leaning towards ultra-twee pop, Sam has a more mature view of popular music.You can consider him the anti-twee. His set was the most energetic of the night -- mostly because he brought his five-piece backing band. The main draw for me is the sense of joy in his music and his fine choruses. His performance is unfussy, free from fake depression and ultimately, sincere. Make sure to check out Come Back Home Tonight on his myspace page.  

The man has a strong voice as a singer and hopefully, you'll grow to like his lyrics as well. If you want to make comparisons, his voice resembles that Rik Flynn of Captain. The overall package will have you thinking of Ben Kweller, both have a good genial nature and have an ear for catchy tunes.

Jay Jay Pistolet (pronounceed Pis - Toll - Lay) comes from the Noah and the Whale camp. Those Noah people have led me to discovering more acts than any other in recent memory. Justin Hayward-Young is the man's name and his short, five song set worried me at first. He had that deer in the headlights/lone gunman look as her surveyed the small, late night crowd before delving into his tunes. After the first song, he cracked a joke about how the dirt in his fingernails went to his throat. That fact nobody laughed at first, then made it laughable. After that, he held his ground and did a fine set

In any event, he's got such a pure voice, very sweet and endearing. His music is the style of the 50s early rock singers like Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly, but very stripped down. Tonight, it was just him, his electric guitar and an echo effect on his microphone. I enjoyed his little boy in love song, "Happy Birthday You." I would love to see him again with a backing band to witness some of his tunes take on a different energy.

The band formerly known as Peggy Sue and the Pirates ended the night. Those two girls looked tired and it showed in their music. I truly adore their music, a strong gospel meets country roots folk. It's different from the other anti-folk music coming out of the U.K. "Lazarus" could have easily fit into O Brother, Where Art Thou? with it's terrific harmonies and heavy drum beat. I wanted to get that feeling from their live set, but it was decent, not great. I did have high expectations, but I think the circumstances of playing late and still having that SXSW hangover affected their performance. They get a pass. What we did get is a fun cover of Missy Elliot's "Up In My Grill".

I'll get to see them again tonight as they've been added to the Ladyhawke bill at Bowery. The better setting will serve them well. Even if they don't live up to my hopes in live form, their songs have great value. So more on them tomorrow.

 

Camden Crawl 2009 Bands to Watch

One of my favorite things to do on this space is preview the up-and-coming bands playing at the Camden Crawl. Just to get you up to speed, the Camden Crawl is London's pseudo version of SXSW, but mainly focused on new bands. Instead of five crazy days, the Crawl is concentrated on two days with about 100 bands. I've always wanted to go, but won't be happening this year.

Last year's Crawl featured break out performances from Ladyhawke, White Lies, Sam Sparro and Florence and the Machine. I think that's why the showcase is successful, they always have bands on the verge of become popular. In years past, Arctic Monkeys, Wolfmother, Guillemots, Hard-Fi, Hot Chip, Maximo Park, Magic Numbers, Art Brut, Kate Nash, Calvin Harris, New Young Pony Club, Foals and Adele started their buzz machines at the Crawl.

Some of the performers are familiar names on this space including Alessi's Ark, VV Brown, the Joy Formidable, The Invisible and Peggy Sue. Here's a few of the acts to keep your peepers on.

Laurel Collective -- If I were to look into my crystal ball and predict that an act will reach the best notoriety from the Camden Crawl, I'm putting my money of the seven-piece London outfit, Laurel Collective. The recent signees to Domino Records have one major thing going for them, they don't sound like anybody in the British music scene. They are not the next Arctic Monkeys, Klaxons, Kaiser Chiefs, Franz Ferdiand, etc. If I can lamely compare them to another band, at least in spirit, I'm thinking The Beta Band. Like that departed band, The Laurel Collective are a little bit of everything, with a lot of different ideas bouncing off each other, lo-fi electronics, smooth vocals, trippy dance beats, off-kilter rhythms and a willingness not to repeat themselves from song to song.

James Yuill -- This singer-songwriter comes with the endorsement of Peter Bjorn and John, as they'll be taking him along on their European tour. He's sounds like a Jose Gonzalez remix project, he has a gentle voice, very heartfelt. His music has splendid guitar playing mixed with delicate electronic touches. My good buddies at Moshi Moshi put out his debut album, Turning Down Water For Air, which is available in the U.S. for your listening pleasure.

Goldielocks-- I'm sure that any female artists that raps, sings and has dancey tunes is going to be compared to Miss Lily Allen. There's no escaping it. This lady is known in the UK scene for producing, remixing and DJing skills, so the natural next step is to step out from behind the turntable and turn the party out herself.

Kasms-- I heard what this post-punk, post-techno, post-everything band has to offer and they are insane. They sounds like Liars with a crazy female lead singer -- think Alice from Crystal Castles. They are well past in-you-face, they are up in your business. The London four-piece put on a live show that could lead to your ears bleeding. They've already gone through New York last year, and by the looks of it from the videos on YouTube, they bring the noise. Their debut album comes out in May.

Three Trapped Tigers-- All their songs are numbered. Que? Did Forward Russia reunite? Nope, Three Trapped Tigers are a strange a concoction of jazz riffs and electronic beats as produced by Stokes mastermind Gordon Raphael. Think Battles and Holy Fuck: The Experiment Prog Rock Jazz Project. The three piece have a self-titled EP available for your enjoyment from your download site of choice. It's far from dull and well-into memorable listening experiences. All of the strange sounds comes together nicely and it is rather tuneful. Check out No. 4

The Cordelier Club-- There's not much available on this band beyond their myspace page. It leads to me believe that they were formed last week for all I know. From the one song I've heard, I want to hear more ... NOW! They are a brother and sister duo who's song Stolen Lovers is damn good, it's so good I can't even find an .mp3 of it, not even video. The sister has a got a set of pipes on her. Indie Pop singers who can sing? What up with that?

It's Official! Me + Blur + July 3rd + London = Woo Hoo!

No fireworks for me, cousins. I think the headline speaks for itself. It's just a no brainer in going.

Me and Thighs Wide Shut will be holding hands and singing The Universal in New Hyde Park.