Live and Direct Around Baltimore

The fall season is overflowing with good shows. While evilhomer is at Voodoo today, there are some happenings around the Baltimore-DC area.
On Saturday, New Pornographers roll into the 9:30 club sporting a new album. They're playing with Emma Pollock and Benjy Ferree. If you haven't bought tickets than it's too late. They're sold out. But Pasta has some relief for you right here:

New Pornographers - My Rights Versus Yours.mp3
more New Pornographers --> website --> buy

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On Sunday at the Rock & Roll Hotel in DC, Annuals come in with their amazing live sound. If you haven't had a chance to see them, now is the time. They're playing with the Manchester Orchestra.

Annuals - Mama.mp3
more Annuals --> website --> buy

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On Sunday at the 9:30 club the Shout Out Louds drop in for support of their new album, Our Ill Wills. The opening acts are Johnossi and Nico Vega. The 9:30 is an awesome venue so all these bands should simply sound wonderful if you're lucky enough to get down there for the shows.

Shout Out Louds - Normandie.mp3
more Shout Out Louds --> website --> buy

Quick Hits - Eulogies

Everyone knows I'm a fan of Sea Wolf. Well their Dangerbird label mates, Eulogies, is starting to make an impression on me also. Their self titled debut came out this September and its rockin' the 'ol pod right now. Eulogies plays straight forward indie rock taking me back to the likes of Wilco, Sebadoh, and Built To Spill. That's pretty high company, I know, but there's nothing more appealing than a band that just PLAYS ROCK MUSIC. They don't fuss around.

Eulogies - Life Boat
Eulogies - Running In The Rain

more Eulogies --> website --> buy

J-Live? Trust me. He's good.

Before I even talk about him, listen.

J-Live - Feel Like Spittin' (produced by Da Beatminerz) from Reveal the Secret EP
J-Live - Wax Paper (produced by Prince Paul) from The Best Part
J-Live - Braggin Rights Revisted (produced by Premier) from The Best Part

Now you know. Why isn't J-Live blowing up charts? I dunno. That's the state of hip hop I guess. Everything J-Live is on, is friggin great. The majority of his albums are just plain ridiculously good. Go get one and find out for yourself. He's worked with Premier, Prince Paul, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and DJ Spinna. Braggin' Rights Revisted is a classic for the mixtape and it looks like his new EP Reveal the Secret(came out yesterday via BBE Music) will be chocked full of classics too. A lot of MCs these days look to gimmicks and guest stars to make their albums more 'interesting' or 'appealing'. J-Live just raps like his life depends on it. Trust me. He's Good.

more J-Live --> website --> buy

Monday Mystery Tour #4

So here we are again. Another MMT. This time the stakes are higher. I know before the prize was to be immortalized on this 'lil blog's sidebar. That is still the prive, but with an added bonus. Now there will be an illustrated comic of your rise to power in the Monday Mystery Tour challenge. That could be you in the above picture conquering Mt. MMT. So give it a shot. 5 songs in this mix. What are they? You've got 7 days to tell me(unless someone else tells me first).
Monday Mixdown #4

Oh and here's the solution for last weeks tour:
Lyrics Born - Do That There
We Are Scientists - Lousy Reputation
Oh No - To Be An MC feat. KJ7
K-os - Sunday Morning
Illinois - What Can I Do For You

Apostle Of Hustle - New Video & Huey Lewis

Did I mention I am completely into Apostle of Hustle. They just put out well crafted drum and melody driven songs. Well they are at again. This time covering Huey Lewis and the News? Why not:
Apostle of Hustle - I Want A New Drug

In other AoH news, they just released a video for Cheap Like Sebastien. Umm...yeah...check it out here.

more Apostle of Hustle --> website --> buy --> mp3

Caribou Live

Hey there folks. I've got a little friday info for y'all. First Caribou has announced that they've made an entire concert(at the pink room) available for free at youtube along with some other videos of theirs. Check it out here.

Caribou - Melody Day
more Caribou --> website --> buy

They also have released a new tour cd that features 6 exclusive tracks and a half hour dj mix. Be sure to pick it up when you see them!

Illinois and Menomena - On Tour

November is a busy month for shows. Now its busier. I come to find out today that Menomena and Illinois are playing the Black Cat in Washington DC on November 6th...a Tuesday. Why oh why is the weekend only two friggin' days! Hmm...unless...hehehe. Anyway I was talking about something, wasn't I? Oh yes! Good music! Listen. Buy. Go to the show. Maybe I'll see you there.
Illinois - Screendoor
more Illinois --> website --> buy

Menomena - Wet and Rusting
more Menomena --> website --> buy

Rivers Cuomo - New Album

Filter just reported that Rivers Cuomo has a new album coming out in December. If you've been following Weezer over the years, you probably know that Rivers writes an extensive amount of songs, many of which never see the light of day. This album is a selection of demos and songs that he has written over the years. Good news in the music world is just over flowing these days.
Rivers Cuomo - Pig

more Rivers --> website

Toofer Toosday - Figurines & The Seedy Seeds

Another drab Monday passes by and I realize it's a long time 'til the weekend. Then I remembered it's TOOFER TOOSDAY time!!! Up first is a band I'm quite fond of, Figurines. Yes yes the Baltimore-Denmark connection is alive and thriving. I first heard of these guys after they released Skeleton in 2005. Now they've got a new album When The Deer Wore Blue. Skeleton had high energy shaken up with strong pop sensabilities. When The Deer Wore Blue is toned down on the energy side, but taken up a notch with strong lyrics and pop melodies. If you're a fan of straight up pop rock with a twist of off beat Modestmousenessities, then you should check Figurines out.
Figurines - Bee Dee (from When The Deer Wore Blue)
more Figurines --> website --> buy


Next up is The Seedy Seeds. "The Seedy Seeds don't know you, but they already like you." How can you not be interested in a band that says that. The Seedy Seeds formed in 2005 and make danceable indie rock electronica pop. Imagine Imperial Teen with electronic beats, samples, and of course banjos. Here's a great song of theirs and you can stream more on their site.
The Seedy Seeds - Earned Average Dance America
more The Seedy Seeds --> website --> buy

Monday Mystery Tour #2

Okay. So nobody took a stab at the first mix challenge. JB said he knew all but one track...but that just doesn't cut now does it JB? Oh well, here's the track list solution:
1. Soul Position - Keys
2. Lovage - Stroker Ace
3. Susan Christie - Paint A Lady
4. A Tribe Called Quest - Get A Hold
5. Of Montreal - Cato As A Pun

If you like the challenge, please try again for this weeks round. Just remember that you have a week to get your answers somewhere posted on this blog. If you ace it then you will be forever immortalized on the sidebar of this blog. Get crackin'!
Monday Mixdown #2

Quick Hits - Imperial Teen

Here's my 'lil take on IT's new album, The hair the tv the baby & the band. It's good. Not as good as the last one, On. On was great no nonsense POP MUSIC. The hair... is not as cohesive or poppy. Truthfully, I'm just happy they're making new music and that I get to rock out to a song called 'Shim Sham'. Hell yeah!
Shim Sham - Imperial Teen

More Imperial Teen --> website --> buy --> mp3

The Slice

John Vanderslice is the man. He is so much the man that I have shortened his name to simply "The Slice". Album after album, The Slice continues to churn out solid indie rock that strays from normal pop tendencies. There's no recipe to his genius, he just writes great lyrics(a bit of poetry and a bit of story telling) and is a master producer. The drums are thick and the guitar is up front with you patting your back, urging you to go on and tap your hand on your leg as if you were strumming along(ahhh the run on sentence). Ever since I heard MK Ultra's 'The Dream Is Over', I knew this guy is for real. He's not just a guy actually, he's The Slice. Keep on slicin' Slice!
The Parade (from Emerald City)
Trance Manual (from Pixel Revolt)
They Won't Let Me Run (from Cellar Door)
The Dream Is Over - MK Ultra (from The Dream Is Over)

More Vander'Slice' --> website --> buy

Also--he's on tour with Bishop Allen!!! Go check em out! Now!

Toofer Toosday- White Williams & BOAT

White Williams has sparked my interest recently and has me anticipating his November 2nd release of Smoke, his debut album from Tigerbeat6 Records. White Williams, aka Joe Williams, has been playing music for a good while now alongside Girltalk's Greg Gillis. Williams' music reflects Gillis' in a certain way, but then again not at all. Williams' crafts pop songs emersed in life. His use of samples and synthesizers build homes, hills, and mountains around his timid vocal melodies. He pushes the definition of pop songs to new levels much like Girltalk completely rewrote the book on mash-ups. Please check him out.
White Williams - Violator

More White Williams --> website --> mp3s


Don't let the picture scare you, these guys are good. Hailing from Seattle, BOAT is indie rock at it's best. Catchy pop and an unfiltered sound means these guys are stuck on repeat on the pod. Please check them out.
BOAT - Holding All The Globes

More BOAT --> website --> buy --> mp3s

Support The Lefties!

The Knife have been nominated for an mtvU Woodie Award. They're up for a "Left Field Woodie" which is all about breakin' the mold of normal music. They've got some competition though. Also nominated are Madvillain, The Klaxons, CSS, and Rodrigo Y Gabriela. It's tough to vote against Madvillain, but I think I'm gonna have to. You've got until November 2nd to vote, so get clickin':
http://woodies.mtvu.com

Just a reminder of how good The Knife and Madvillain are:
The Knife - Neverland
Madvillain - Figaro(ST101 Remix -Four Tet)

More The Knife --> website --> buy --> mp3s
More Madvillain --> website --> buy --> mp3s

IT'S TIME TO ROCK

Okay. It's Friday! It's been a long week. Doesn't everyone deserve to rock out? I mean come on. This week I've walked in the door of my place of employment and found things in shambles. There sitting on the desk, a note reading "fix it". And though there were hours of agonizing, eyeball burning repairs, I actually made it to the end of the week without cursing anyone out. So now is the time I get to rock out. Quit jivin' me turkey! Ya got ta sass it! Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' 'bout. It's time to look foolish on the car ride home. I'll be that person playing my steering wheel like a snare drum and slapping my knee like a high hat. Here's a couple that just might let your inner rocker out...

Radiohead - My Iron Lung

The Ettes - No More Surprises

Figurines - Ambush

Wolf Parade - It's A Curse

Pseudosix

Sometimes new music is very inspiring. Today was a humdrum kind of day. Nothing special. Then a song I never remembered hearing before comes on the old sound box. Medium tempo with subtle melodies and strumming guitars. I admit I'm humming to it. Then just when I thought it was all peace and love in the song, a little edge comes through. Some angst hidden but embraced like a lovers warm deathly kiss(huh?). I LIKE THINGS LIKE THAT. SUPRISES ARE GOOD. So if your in the mood for something melodic, strummy, and angst infused, then Pseudosix is the music for you.

Pseudosix - Under the Waves

More from Pseudosix--> website --> buy

Toofer Toosday #2

Here's more music floating around my vast database of sound.

Rogue Wave - Lake Michigan

Wax Tailor - Positively Inclined feat. Marina Quaisse

The first one is off of Rogue Wave's newly released "Asleep at Heavens Gate". Pretty much everything these guys produce is fantastic, so don't hesitate to pick this one up. They also have a completely change of pace cover of the Pixies' "Debaser" available to stream on their site.

The second is from a french dj Wax Tailor. I picked up a couple albums of his on Emusic. Most is standard trip hop. Not bad, but over time it could fade in my music library. There are some stand outs like Positively Inclined that make getting these albums worthwhile. If you can read french you should check out his myspace page.

Not Just The Same Old

Sometimes you just crave something different. When I use the word different, I mean Daedelus. He is the definition. Known as Daedelus Digitalis Darlington aka Vinegar Valentine, he puts together music that sounds like "hopefully sleepy kittens, more like nervous bunnies." He's a master of putting together forgotten sounds with intricate beats and off-kilter tempos. He's not for everyone, but deserves a good long listen. His albums can take hold and transport you out of this mundane life into a world where colors turn sepia and flowers bloom inside...huh...sorry...just listen

Daedelus - At My Heels from Denies The Day
Daedelus - Impending Doom from Exquisite Corpse

Daedelus on myspace
Video:
Daedelus - Sundown



Sometimes you just crave something different. When I use the word different, I mean Copy. He is the definition. Known also as Marius Libman, Copy describes his music like "A Computer and a Man hanging out and, you know, 'Getting to Know Each Other'." I guess I can't say it much better than that but I'll try. His music comes across as video games with a dance beat. The 8-bit sound just oozes out of it. Some may say it's too simplistic for them, but if you take a minute to enjoy it you will realize that there's more there then you thought you heard. He layers simple synth together to create fantastic and complex pop melodies. They flow so easy that the first thing that comes to you is simplicity. That's the beauty in it I guess. Did I mention that I like the beats. I do.

Copy - Backward from Mobius Beard
Copy - Could You Like Her from Hair Guitar

Copy on myspace

Toofer Toosday

Here's a couple that are circulating th'old pod.
Vampire Weekend - A-Punk
Caribou - Melody Day

Caribou- website / buy / more mp3s
Vampire Weekend - website / buy / more mp3s

The Song Remains The Same

Are you ever listening to a song and say,"Hey that really sounds like this other song. I wonder if they realized this when it was being written."
That happened to me yesterday. There I was driving and Cat Stevens' "Father and Son" came on. It struck me then that his singing melody sounded eeriely similar to The Flaming Lips' "Fight Test" song. Later I did a 'lil Google search and come to find out The Flaming Lips got sued over it. Apparently Wayne realized the similarity when he was writing it, but didn't think to do anything about it. That was a bad idea for him. If he had just said something to the record company it could have been taken care of nice and legally. Oh well, a coupla tours should pay that fine off.

Cat Stevens - Father and Son buy

The Flaming Lips - Fight Test buy