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the culture of me (10 unread)

Download: The 1900s - "Age Of Metals"

Posted: December 3rd, 2008, 6:48pm MST by that dude jeff

Enclosure: [download]

The 1900s, that wonderful troupe of Midwesterners (fine, they're from Chicago) who create intensely beauteous indie pop, have just issued a mini-album called Medium High for digital release (with a physical release happening January 20). "Age Of Metals", the first track we've gotten our hands on from the release, is a masterpiece of acoustic guitar, drum repetitions and vocal caterwauls, but thematically, it's far from the conceits of Cold & Kind, the band's debut. Looks like they've been playing LPs by Will Oldham a lot during the break.

Tracklist:

01 Collections
02 When I Say Cohen
03 Age Of Metals
04 A Face I Know
05 A Will In Firm Fashion
06 Making Love In Summertime
07 Gay Peace

(mp3) The 1900s - Age Of Metals

Godspeed!
News: Bumblebeez to write thirty songs in thirty days

Posted: December 3rd, 2008, 1:35pm MST by that dude jeff

Enclosure: [download]

For the entire month of December, the Aussie brother-sister Colonna crew (Chris and Pia) Bumblebeez will be sharing with the world a new track every day...hopefully. This will be the first work since August's US release of the Prince Umberto & The Sister of Ill LP. Let's all keep fingers crossed about the kids actually being able to finish the task, but either way, it's a pretty rad idea to finish off the year. The first track, "Follow The Seals To The Land Beneath Us", can be heard on the band's website.
(mp3) Bumblebeez - Rio (Crookers remix)
Godspeed!
Video: La Roux - "Quicksand"

Posted: December 3rd, 2008, 1:20pm MST by that dude jeff

Enclosure: [download]

Guilty pleasure pop is totally not a guilty pleasure anymore. In a world where every new band has some genre classification with lots of hyphens attached, we like to describe La Roux as, well, just smashingly good. No need to condense this into neat little packages, just press play and listen. The debut single from La Roux, "Quicksand", is out now on Kitsune and the video is amazing. A-ma-zing. It doesn't hurt of course that Elly Jackson is also the kind of quirky-good-looking girl you fell in love with sophomore year, right?
(mp3) La Roux - Fascination
Godspeed!
Live: Famous Friends 1-year anniversary with The Twelves

Posted: December 3rd, 2008, 9:10am MST by that dude jeff

Enclosure: [download]

Okay, but seriously guys. It's amazing to us here that the cutest party kids ever, Famous Friends, have only been at it for 365. Like, whoa, feels like waaaaay longer than that. Dudes have been killing it, first destroying our fair Brooklyn and then moving on to a full-out assault on all of NYC. We're so happy that we've known all four of them (Bradley D, VDRK, Ruthie and Beth) and will continue to as good people who just like to party and hang and make sure everyone else is smiling all fucking night. They're turning the ripe old age (in nightlife at least) of 1 this coming Saturday at Europa in Brooklyn, and they're bringing out the guns. For the first time in the US and the first time in NYC, Famous Friends are debuting The Twelves.
The Twelves are one of those DJ/production duos that come along every so often, basically slaying all that came before and challenging all who'll come after. The Brazilian duo came to prominence in '07 with a smashing "Boyz" remix which immediately put them on the blow-up and they followed that one up this year with dozens of commissioned or not-so-commissioned work. What you may not realize, though, is that João Miguel and Luciano Oliveira are as handy in the studio as they are in a live setting, where the duo create a slamming set of the freshest treatments and unreleased (or forgotten) tracks right up next to their own performance, which features the duo using keyboards, drum machines, samples and on-the-fly techniques to bring your ass-shaking bodies up to the heavens.

The line-up also includes AC Slater, Finger on the Pulse, Bradley D and VDRK and the whole damn thing is hosted by Rude Bear, Palms Out Sounds and Big Stereo. Tickets are 12 bucks and we think you should get them post-haste.
(mp3)    Shwayze - Buzzin' (AC Slater remix)

(mp3)    The Virgins - Rich Girls (The Twelves remix)

(mp3)    M.I.A - Boyz (The Twelves remix)

(mp3)    Kylie Minogue - 2 Hearts (The Twelves remix)

(mp3)    VDRK - At The Beach (Mix sampler)

Godspeed!
News: The View to release sophomore record

Posted: December 3rd, 2008, 8:19am MST by that dude jeff

It's called Which Bitch? (amazing, amiright?) and it's the follow-up to The View's excellent debut Hats Off To The Buskers. The record will be release on February 2 in the UK and the day after here in the states. The band will also be heading out on a UK mini-tour of sorts starting the day of release.

Tracklist:
01 Typical Time 2
02 5Rebbeccas
03 One Off Pretender
04 Unexpected
05 Temptation Dice
06 Glass Smash
07 Distant Doubloon
08 Jimmys Crazy Conspiracy
09 Covers
10 Double Yellow Lines
11 Shock Horror
12 Realisation
13 Give Back The Sun
14 Gem Of A Bird
(mp3) The View - Up The Junction (Squeeze cover)
Godspeed!
News: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart announce some dates

Posted: December 2nd, 2008, 8:56pm MST by that dude jeff

Enclosure: [download]

(photo by Annie Powers)

Sure, they're in February, but these dates coincide with the long-awaited release of the band's debut, self-titled release, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. So, break out those C81 and C86 compilations for the next few months and wait til you can dance your ass off on these nights. Like this, the video for their new track, "Everything With You". We're trying to figure out why the band isn't playing a Valentine's Day date, but we'll let them get in touch with us for their reasons.

Dates:

Feb 07 New York City, NY Mercury Lounge *#
Feb 08 Philadelphia, PA Kung Fu Necktie *
Feb 09 Washington, DC Black Cat Backstage *
Feb 11 Chicago, IL Schubas *
Feb 12 Toronto, ON Neutral *
Feb 15 Boston, MA Middle East *
* = w/ The Depreciation Guild
# = w/ Cause Co-Motion!

(mp3) The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Everything With You

(mp3) The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Come Saturday

Godspeed!
Awesome New Republic do Art Basel; NYTimes take note

Posted: December 2nd, 2008, 2:46pm MST by that dude jeff

Not only do the dudes in Awesome New Republic have news for you about their full length effort Rational Geographic (it's due out sometime in April next year) or about the new track that's currently streaming on their MySpace page, the slow-burning-funk-er "Digital World", but they're also playing two shows this week during Miami's Art Basel. And they got name-dropped in the old gray lady The New York Times last week. Holy shitbags Batman. We couldn't be happier for a ragged duo striving for notoriety about the greatness they've already found. They'll be at the Miami Art Museum on Thursday, December 4 and at Random Warehouse on Saturday. Both shows kick off at 8pm.
(mp3) Awesome New Republic - Rotary Clone
Godspeed!
Live: One For The Team head out on tour + new single

Posted: December 2nd, 2008, 1:57pm MST by that dude jeff

Enclosure: [download]

The biggest little indie pop band from Minneapolis, One For The Team, are setting off on a month-or-so-long jaunt around the US. More dates are to be announced right now (the band did, after all, play about 150 shows in 2008), but these should whet your appetites for destruction (ha!). The guys and girl have also just released another single from the excellent Build It Up, a marching boy-girl-Mamas-&-Papas-gone-electric track called "Deconstruction Site".
Dates:
Dec 03 Northfield, MN St. Olaf College
Dec 04 Chicago, IL Beat Kitchen
Dec 15 Omaha, NE The Waitroom
Dec 16 Des Moines, IA Vaudeville Mews
Dec 17 Iowa City, IA Picador
Dec 19 Wausau, WI Rockwater
Dec 20 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue Mainroom
Jan 02 Chicago, IL Abbey Pub
Jan 03 Lexington, KY Al's Bar
Jan 07 New York, NY Heirloom Arts Theatre
Jan 08 Danbury, CT Heirloom Arts Theatre
Jan 12 St. Louis, MO Bluebird
Jan 13 Columbia, MO MoJos
Jan 14 Kansas City, MO Record Bar
Jan 16 Moorhead, MN Concordia College
(mp3) One For The Team - Deconstruction Site
Godspeed!
Download: The Raveonettes - "Come On Santa"

Posted: December 2nd, 2008, 12:28pm MST by that dude jeff

Enclosure: [download]

(photo by Soren Solkaer-Starbird)

Boy oh boy are the Danish duo getting into the holiday spirit. As they drop their final EP of 2008 (after both Beauty Dies and Sometimes They Drop By, not to mention that remix EP), Wishing You A Rave Christmas, Sharin and Sune aka The Raveonettes are kindly offering up a free track, called "Come On Santa". The song is still drenched in trademark wallow and distortion, though we can't get past the whole this-band-is-making-a-record-for-Christmas thing, you know?

Tracklist:

01 Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
02 Come On Santa
03 Christmas Ghosts
04 Christmas In Cleveland

(mp3) The Raveonettes - Come On Santa
Godspeed!
News: New Dillinger Escape Plan record on the way + thoughts on GN'R

Posted: December 2nd, 2008, 10:59am MST by that dude jeff

Enclosure: [download]

In a MySpace bulletin from this morning, the dudes in Dillinger Escape Plan only hinted at their work on a new record, which they say won't be nearly done or released until late-09, if not later. The bulletin said, "We're writing, we've loosely set aside June and July 2009 for recording with Steve Evetts".
And in a longer-winded diatribe, these are their notes on Chinese Democracy:

I like it. There, I said it. I didn't like it at first but hear me out. It's not as good as Appetite, but as a whole I think it's better than Use Your Illusion...although the best songs on Chinese Democracy aren't as good as the best songs on Illusions. It's still, as far as mainstream rock releases go, about as good as you can ask for nowadays. It smokes Velvet Revolver and Godsmack and Hinder and whatever else people have been into in the mainstream rock world lately, and unless Freddie Mercury rises from the grave or Chris Cornell shows up at Kim Thayil's house I'm not holding out hope for much better. That's not saying a whole lot I guess, but seriously some of the arrangements and songs and solos and vocals and whatever else are pretty good. Some of it sucks though. Figure that stuff out Axl. Maybe you can figure it out by calling 1-800-GETSLASHANDDUFFANDIZZYANDSTEVENFUCKINGADLERBACKANDWRITE-AREALGUNSRECORDBEFOREONEOFYOUDIESANDITSTOOLATE.

(mp3) Dillinger Escape Plan - Unretrofied

Godspeed!