New Music - White Williams & The Octopus Project

This past Tuesday was a day I was looking forward to for a long time. New music day! White Williams put out his full length debut Smoke on the Tigerbeat6 Label. His New Violence EP definitely had me excited about this release. There are always doubts. Is it going to have the same creative energy? Will I like a full album of this music? Both were answered yes. White Williams seems to put together a barrage of electronic, analog, sampled, and live instrument sounds that at some points come across as chaotic. Luckily he seems to have mastered writing pop songs to these orchestrations because the songs really take hold when the vocals come in. They just make sense, beautiful, wild sense. If you want something new, get this. If you want something inspiring, get this.

mp3: White Williams - Danger
--> website --> buy



Another album I acquired Tuesday was The Octopus Project's Hello, Avalanche out on Peek-A-Boo Records. What turned me on to these guys was their mix of Black Moth Super Rainbows' Drippy Eye. That was fantastic giving me high expectations for this album. If this is the way modern music is going then I will be a happy man in the future. Carefully blending indie guitar pop with sample based electronica, The Octopus Project has put together a deep collection of tunes that is worthy of many listens.

mp3: The Octopus Project - Bees Bein' Strugglin'
--> website --> buy

Radiohead Webcast?

Word on the street is that Radiohead is planning a live webcast on Friday November 9th from 9pm-12am UK Time(which is 4 pm to 7 pm if you are on the east coast of the US like me). I don't know if this is a fact I'll let you know if I hear anything more.
Radiohead's Site

Support Good Music - Siberian

It's not often that you're emailed good music. The other day Finn Parnell of Siberian sent me a few tracks off there brand spankin' new album, With Me. The tracks kinda blew me away. How are these guys not being talked about? Well they deserve to be. Hailing from Seattle, Siberian plays atmospheric indie rock in the same vein as Interpol. They're not a cheap imitation of Interpol, though, like many bands out there strive to be. These guys play well thought out music that is usually only coming out of well seasoned bands. I digress. Listen and love and demand for an east coast tour!

mp3: Siberian - Belgian Beer And Catholic Girls
mp3: Siberian - Islands Forever
--> website --> buy

Division Day Rides Again

So a while back I heard the Song 'Tap Tap Click Click' by Division Day and it proceeded to get extensive play in the old 'pod. Then other music enveloped me at the time and Division Day was but a distant memory. Their album, Beartrap Island, came out this year with good reviews, but somehow it managed to escape my grasp. That is until now. DD reminds me of Voxtrot mixed with Bloc Party mixed with...Division Day. They're fairly unique blending off kilter driving beats with catchy melodies and lyrics. The best part of the album is DD's ability to vary the types of songs while maintaining an identity as a whole. Sometimes they pump up the sound with fast hardcore beats laden with great hook lyrics. Sometimes they slow it down for an almost dub-esque sound. All great songs. See for yourself then go get it.

Division Day - Ricky.mp3
Division Day - Hand To The Sound.mp3
Division Day - Enjoy The Silence.mp3 (Depeche Mode Cover)
--> website --> buy

Tuesday Night Live

A great show that I wish I was going to tonight in DC is Menomena and Illinois at the Black Cat. If you make please let me know how it was. Also Action Action and the Pink Spiders play the Rock and Roll Hotel.

Menomena - Rotten Hell.mp3 --> website --> buy

Illinois - Alone Again.mp3 --> website --> buy

Action Action - What Temperature Does Ait Freeze.mp3 --> website --> buy

Toofer Toosday - All Ages

Tiny Master Of Today are a punk/indie rock band from New York consisting of siblings Ivan, a 13 year old, and Ada, an 11 year old. I was suprised when I first heard these guys. I would have never known their youth if I wasn't told in the article. Maybe their youth is the spark of energy that envelops their music. TMOT is defenitely worth some listens and more.

Tiny Masters Of Today - Hologram World.mp3 --> website --> buy
Tiny Masters Of Today - Pictures.mp3

I couldn't really drum up any info on the 4 year old rapper Nico. What can you really say, but the song is on the Peanut Butter Wolf's BBall Zombie War disc and features DJ Babu. I had to post this song because my ipod seems to want me to hear it repeatedly. The shuffle has played it at least 5 times within the last week and it always puts a smile on my face. Now you know.

Peanut Butter Wolf - Now You Know - Nico and DJ Babu.mp3 --> website --> buy

A little Superdrag to get you pumped

To get you all ready for Superdrag at the 9:30 club this Thursday, Daytrotter has an interview with John Davis, a review of their Chicago show, and a bunch of two track mp3's they recorded out there. Pretty cool stuff.

Somehow, there are still tickets available for this show. Buy them here.

Also, the show is now a late show with doors opening at 10:00pm. Expect many yawns on Friday morning.

Show Review
Interview
Mp3's

More Radiohead innovation

Apparently releasing an album fully online and allowing people to pay what they want isn't enough. EMI/Parlophone will be releasing a 7 disc box set with all their full length albums on December 10th, but will also offer the option to have all 7 plus digital artwork and the like available on a special USB stick in the shape of the Radiohead bear. That's pretty slick.

Available for pre-order here.

Nada Surf - Live at the 8x10

Its taken me three days to actually be able to process my thoughts enough to post about this amazing show. Laurent the Laurent has posted about Sea Wolf opening this show, and I second everything he wrote. They were a great opener, but the crowd was there for the main event. This was the second sellout crowd for Nada Surf at the 8x10 club in lovely Federal Hill in Baltimore.

Nada Surf took the stage to a serious ovation. They commented on how it was great to be back, and thanked the crowd for coming out. They opened the show with Happy Kid, but about a minute into the song, Matthew stopped playing, and said something along the lines of, "forget all that, I'm really in the bathroom right now," and ran off stage only to return with a different guitar. He quickly reiterated all the previous remarks, and started Happy Kid again. This set a playful and loose mood for the set that would ensure a good time for all. After rocking through a few favorites, the real nature of the show and the crowd was revealed when they played Fruit Flies. It would have been great no matter what, but when the song got to the whole "I'm sorry, you've got no where to go" part, the Matthew let the crowd sing along, and WOW, what a moment. I've seen a LOT of Nada Surf shows, but never have I witnessed a crowd so well versed in their music, or so into the show. All throughout the set, the crowd sung along loudly (myself included). It's great to see that people have finally discovered this incredible talent.

Anywho, Nada Surf rocked through an amazing set that included two new songs, Whose Authority and I Like What You Say which can be found here as part of a live acoustic show. The new material sounds great; Certainly they fit well with the Nada Surf library of music.

As far as the older material, Nada Surf really brought the fire to this show. Maybe it was because this was the last date of this tour, or maybe because of the great crowd, but they played at a whole new level. Every transition was sharp. Matthews voice sounded better then I've ever heard. They were clearly having a good time on stage.

The last two songs of the main set, Paper Boats and Hyperspace rocked to no end, with extra crazy jamming at the ends, that included Matthew playing his guitar on his mic stand during Hyperspace. After a very brief break which had the crowd chanting Nada Surf, they returned to the stage and brought with them Lisa Fendelander, the keyboardist from Sea Wolf to play the accordion for Blonde on Blonde. It was a nice addition to the song. After absolutely killing Do It Again, the crowd got another bonus. Alex Church, the front man of Sea Wolf joined the band for a song. I don't know what it was called, but it was pretty cool. After that, they closed the set with Always Love and a crazy singalong version of Blankest Year that had the crowd screaming "fuck it" back at the stage. The song concluded with two separate crazy breakdowns, only to return to the main of the song.

What else can I say. This was easily the best Nada Surf show I've ever seen. I can't wait for the new album in February, or the tour that is sure to bring them back to Baltimore. Wow. I sound like a total fan boy. I guess I am.

Do It Again
Blizzard of 77
See These Bones

Full Setlist:

Happy Kid
Hi Speed Soul
What is Your Secret
Fruit Flies
Killians Red
Whose Authority
Blizzard of 77
Concrete Bed
Inside of Love
80 Windows
I like What You Say
Imaginary Friends
Paper Boats
Hyperspace

Blonde on Blonde
Do It Again
The Killing Moon by Echo and the Bunnymen w/ Alex Church
Always Love
Blankest Year

Update:

A new Nada Surf song called "Weightless" will be featured on Heroes tonight. Even more reason to watch the best show on TV.

Must See Monday

I know Heroes is on tonight, but there are some good shows around the area. In DC Rogue Wave, Bodies of Water, Port O'Brien, and Phosphorescent play the Black Cat. Anybody who saw Rogue Wave open up for Nada Surf last year in Baltimore knows this will be a great show. Also The Warlocks play the Rock and Roll Hotel with Darker My Love. Enjoy yourself then come home and watch heroes on Tivo or the internet or not at all.

Rogue Wave - Seconds (U2 cover).mp3 --> website --> buy
Bodies Of Water - Doves Circle The Sky.mp3 --> website --> buy
The Warlocks - So Paranoid.mp3 --> website --> buy

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Monday Mystery Tour is on a temporary hiatus, but here is the solution from last week.

Black Fiction - Disease.mp3
The Arcade Fire - My Body Is A Cage.mp3
Bob Dylan - Ballad Of A Thin Man.mp3
Cadence Weapon - Holy Smoke.mp3
The Anniversary - Sweet Marie.mp3

Sea Wolf @ the 8x10

I had been looking forward to this show for a long time, and I wasn't disappointed at all. Listening to their CD and EP I knew I was going to hear some fantastic music, but I didn't know it would ROCK THAT MUCH! Hell yeah it did! Coming onto the stage, Alex Brown Church(the lead singer/songwriter of Sea Wolf) looked the part of good natured traveler and musician. The first notes of Winter Windows got the crowd pretty pumped letting me know that they had a pretty sizable following in attendance at the small sized 8x10. The Cold, The Dark, & The Silence and Middle Distance Runner followed and were spectacular. The arrangement of the songs live was put together really well. Everybody seemed to have a tamborine near by for some timely percussion. Then came the time where, in my opinion, Sea Wolf went to 11(ala Spinal Tap). They flat out rocked Made A Resolution. There was no stopping it after that with Sea Monuments and Song For The Dead following. Mr. Church then made me a happy man by slowing it down a tad to play a mezmerizing rendition of The Garden That You Planted. This was basically the set up song for the final one two punch of You're A Wolf and Black Dirt. They played these songs with the highest amount of emotion and energy giving them more power and meaning than they had before. When they left the stage they had me wanting more. Where was the encore? Oh yeah they were the opening act for Nada Surf(who took the show to a higher level...more on that later). With this show Sea Wolf has put them in the 'must see live' category for me. If you have a chance do yourself a favor and see them. They still have a couple more dates on this leg and hopefully will launch another one sometime next year. If you can't make it, pick up a copy of their EP or full length. Stay tuned for more on the Nada Surf half of the show.

Sea Wolf - The Garden That You Planted.mp3 --> website --> buy
Sea Wolf - Black Dirt.mp3

Thanks to Ted Licinski(Sea Wolf bassist) for giving some great feedback about the tour, life, crappy jobs, good jobs, and poster design. Keep on rockin that Devo suit.

FRIDAY(PASTA MIX)

Today's the final work day of the week(for some...sorry weekend warriors). Time to crank up these remixes, turn to your boss, and give him the 'ol jolly roger. Booyah! Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for you getting fired, but cheers to you!

Neutral Milk Hotel - Naomi (Joe Beats Remix).mp3
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Gold Lion (Diplo's Optimo Remix).mp3
Del The Funky Homosapien - If You Must (Dan The Automator Remix).mp3

Word!

Get In On It! Live in BaltoDCPhilly!

Tis a busy Friday for live music. Those of you who have been reading this blog know Evilhomer and I will be enjoying a pretty much guaranteed awesome show of Nada Surf and Sea Wolf at the 8x10. Hope to see you there. If you're in Philly The Velvet Teen, Say Hi To Your Mom, and The A-Sides are playing Johnny Brenda's. Down in DC Band of Horses is at the 9:30 with The Drones. Have a good one!

Nada Surf - Treading Water.mp3
Sea Wolf - The Garden That You Planted.mp3
The Velvet Teen - Caspian Can Wait.mp3
Say Hi To Your Mom - The Twenty-Second Century.mp3
The A-Sides - Park Avenue.mp3
Band Of Horses - Monsters.mp3

That's some good stuff right there.

Decemberists cancel "the long and short of it" tour

From their website:

With much regret The Decemberists have canceled the remainder of "The Long and Short of It" tour.

One of our band members has been ill for a while but we thought all would be well in time for these tour dates. After a couple shows, though, it has become clear that the illness is much worse than we had initially realized. We need to return home so our friend can mend.

It saddens us to disappoint our fans. We hope everybody understands it is only because of an extreme situation that we had to cancel a tour we've all been excited about doing since the idea was originally hatched.

Our deepest apologies but at this time no plans are being made to reschedule the dates. Ticket holders should seek refunds at point of purchase.

Well that F'in sucks. I was getting super pumped for those shows. Get better, mystery band member.

Lukestar

I admit it. I'm not really hip to the Norway music scene. That is until I heard the single White Shade from the band Lukestar. Straight outta Oslo, these guys play hard driving indie space rock with a flair of emo in there(better lyrics though). They have an full length album coming out in January 2008 and hopefully will plan some US tour dates. I know Halloween is over, but this is my treat for you guys.

Lukestar - White Shade.mp3

more Lukestar --> website --> buy

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There are two good shows tonight in the BaltoDC corridor. Zap Mama plays the 8x10 with Courtney Cowe and Lavender Diamond plays the Black Cat with David Bazan(Pedro the Lion). If you've recovered from your Halloween sugar high(or hangover) you should check them out.

Zap Mama - Call Waiting.mp3
Lavender Diamond - Like An Arrow.mp3

Jimmy Eat World - Live at the 9:30 club

Jimmy Eat World came to the lovely 9:30 club on Tuesday, and Evil Homer was on the scene. JEW at the 9:30 club has a special place in my heart, as I attended their two night DVD recording a few years back. My hopes were high, and they didn't disappoint.

Opening for JEW on this tour is Viva Voce, a duo from Portland comprised of married couple Kevin and Anita Robinson. I immediately deemed them the reverse White Stripes, as Kevin plays drums and Anita plays guitar. Both sing some lead and some backups. These two were a treat. They have a lot of style, a good stage presence, and can jam. Anita is the best female guitar player I think I've ever seen. They were a great warm up, and I'll be picking up an album.

So, jimmy took the stage around 7:30pm (being an early show). The crowd seemed pretty pumped, but turned out to not be (more on that later). A large banner unfurled, revealing the little bird symbol which has been all over their website recently. Wasting no time, they went right into "Big Casino," the opening track from Chase the Light. Big Casino is a solid track, right in line with what JEW does best, rock music. Showing that this would be a great show, they went into "A Praise Chorus" and then "Work." Jim Adkins played through these songs with so much energy and emotion that all could see he was really into it. At the same time, I could tell that this was not the best audience. Many seemed to not be at all versed in songs from Clarity and Futures, and even those who were did little beyond calmly mouthing the lyrics. By the time JEW had finished "Blister," I was pretty sweaty, as was Adkins.

This shows set list seemed to be aimed at the old heads who've been rocking to JEW since Clarity, but they seemed to get a crowd that mostly just listened to Bleed American. That's really a shame to, because the crowd didn't know what they were missing. JEW played an awesome set they even included the song "Robot Factory," which Adkins said before the song that they had not played it in ten years. On top of that, they played probably my all time favorite, "23," and an amazing version of "Kill" that was really powerful and emotional.

The end of the main set and the encore featured most of their radio hits, including "Pain", "Sweetness", and closing with "The Middle."

Overall, this was a great show. The production at the 9:30 club is always top notch, and the atmosphere is great. JEW continue to be one of my favorite bands to see live. Until next time.

Big Casino
A Praise Chorus
Work
Always Be
Blister
Lucky Denver Mint
Carry You
For Me This Is Heaven
Robot Factory
Get it Faster
Disintegration
Let it happen
23
Kill
Bleed American
Pain

Break

Your House alt version
Hear you me
Sweetness
The Middle

Viva Voce - The Tiger and How We Tamed It

JEW - 23

JEW - Carry You

Quick Hits - The Forms

I was surprised by these guys. It's been since 2004 since their last release, Icarus. Icarus received good reviews from Pitchfork, and pretty good reviews from myself. It didn't wow me though. I'm more of a pop-rock than post-rock or math rock kinda guy. Their new self titled album recently released has definitely taken the band to another level. Produced by Steve Albini(Nirvana, The Pixies) and recorded for 50 pain filled days in Illinois, The Forms seem to really hit their stride on this one. The music is focused and well written. They've added some pop sensibilities that break through the pianos and 7/8 timings every now and again. The production is top notch. Anyone who ever wants to make their music rock more should head on over to Mr. Albini's place and he'll make it happen. So the verdict. The Forms = Good Music. Wednesdays = Not So Good. Happy Halloween.

The Forms - Knowledge In Hand.mp3
The Forms - Bones.mp3

more The Forms --> website --> buy

More "old" news

Nada Surf played a 7 song acoustic set in Chicago on October 20th at the Apple store. And of course there is video. Included are the new tracks "Whose Authority" and "I Like What You Say." Watch and drool.

Its in three parts.

The Cold War Kids coming to a 9:30 club near you

This is prob old news to some, but it was news to me, so I'm posting. And you can't stop me.

The Cold War Kids will be kicking off a limited US tour November 16th in Portland, and will be at my second home (the 9:30 Club) for two night November 27th and 28th. I had the pleasure of watching these guys open for Muse twice this summer, and they rock. Go see them.

Tickets

Hang Me Up to Dry

Cover of Radiohead's Electioneering

Website

Right now there are only tix on sale for the 27th, but their myspace clearly shows two nights. Not sure what that means.

And what do you know. I mentioned Muse. Thats a perfectly good reason to post more video from their amazing show in Philly this summer.

Sucker

Every once in a while somebody says to me, "Laurent, you're a sucker for good indie pop." And I say, "Sucker? SUCKER? WHO ARE YOU CALLIN' A SUCKER?!!" (big cloud of dust)
Today I realized I really am a sucker for good indie pop. Robbers On High Street found their way onto the computerized shuffle in my car ride home from work. I was all smiles and steering-wheel-a-pounding. That's what I like. Music that makes me look like a fool...and a sucker.

Robbers On High Street - Crown Victoria.mp3

more Robbers On High Street --> website --> buy