Kimya Dawson - Alphabutt

Kimya Dawson is back with a new album on K Records entitled Alphabutt! It's a collection of insanely cute songs seemingly aimed at children but will most likely be consumed by greedy college students!

Here is a video of the title track. This was filmed live at Chaz's Records in Durham, NC. Enjoy!

Casiotone For the Painfully Alone - Town Topic EP

Billed as 15 Songs in 22 Minutes, CFTPA's Town Topic EP is the soundtrack to indie film Stay the Same Never Change. Filmmaker Laurel Nakadate intially wanted to use previously released CFTPA material, but Owen opted instead to re-construct songs from a variety of previous projects and blend it with a number of new pieces to create a cohesive score specifically for the movie. "Ice Cream Truck" is a fantastic song. Also, "Nashville Parthenon" was turned into an instrumental track. It's a beautiful, entertaining switch from the original recording. All in all, the Town Topic EP succeeds brilliantly. If you have 22 minutes to spare, sit down for a listen.

CASIOTONE FTPA MYSPACE

Just for kicks, here is the video for the original version of "Nashville Parthenon!"

All Girl Summer Fun Band - Looking Into It

I really love All Girl Summer Fun Band. Looking Into It is just the latest in their long string of upbeat, sugar pop recordings that are sure to put a smile on your face. I can't get the tracks "Oh No" and "This Will Never End" out of my iPod rotation. "Rewind" is a pretty amazing tune as well. Actually, all 11 songs on this album are strong, well written, pop gems. Go check them out.

ALL GIRL MYSPACE

Parenthetical Girls - Entanglements

Entanglements is a lovely, strange album of fascinatingly bizzare orchestrations and amazing melodies. Parenthetical Girls has produced a really fantastic collection of songs that should not be overlooked. Really I can't describe this to you. You have to hear it for yourselves. My picks include (other than the album in its entirety) "Four Words", "Abandoning", & "Avenue of Trees." Go check this out now.

PARENTHETICAL GIRLS

Listing Ship - A Hull Full of Oil & Bone

Listing Ship is an interesting oddity of a band. To call them a folk band would be slighty inaccurate. But, there is a heavy folk influence. Though I am loathe to make comparisons on indie albums that are wholely original...imagine if Calvin Johnson belted sea chanties with 2 beautiful mermaids sharing the singing duties. The musicianship is more than impressive. The real strings and acoustic bass are ideal for the feel they are going for. After a couple of listens, my favorite tunes include "Death Rolls In", "Voice of the Future", and the title track "A Hull Full of Oil & Bones." I would imagine we will all be hearing a lot more from this band in the future.

LISTING SHIP

The Dodoz - Do You Like Boys

Entertaining rock from France? C'est impossible! At least that's what I thought until someone turned me on to The Dodoz. Check out their video! The song is awesome, even if the video makes their band look dull. But, seriously, poke around on their myspace. They are really pretty darn good! THE DODOZ MYSPACE

Okkervil River - The Stand Ins

Austin, TX has always been the coolest town on the prairie. Now, thanks to Okkervil River, they are even cooler. The Stand Ins is an exceptional album. Part folk, part pop-rock, it is full of cleverly written songs and astonishing vocal performances. Songs like "Lost Coastlines" and "Bruce Wayne Campbell Interview" remind us that sometimes extraordinary singers exalt songs beyond the ordinary into an entirely new stratosphere! I know the whole indie rockers as folk musicians thing is starting to wear on us all, but I promise you, this record is 100% worth your time. Go out and get a copy.

OKKERVIL RIVER

Soda Fountain Rag - It's Rag Time

Soda Fountain Rag's It's Rag Time is delightfully cute. The music is the creation of Norweigian indie-pop songstress Ragnhild Hogstad Jordahl. I wouldn't necessarily categorize this release as twee, but it's about as close as you can get without having 3 young boys in spectacles and cardigans playing guitar in your bathroom, serenading you as you shower. But I digress...Check out songs "Army of Silent Kids" and "Go!". This is another quality European release from from Ireland's YesBoyIcecream Records (Suburban Kids With Biblical Names). If you need to brighten your mood, I highly recommend this album!

SODA FOUNTAIN RAG

YESBOYICECREAM RECORDS

Ruby Isle - Night Shot

Ruby Isle is the latest creation from I Am The World Trade Center and Kindercore Records founder Dan Geller. Joining him in this over the top, dancetastic endeavor are Aaron Lemay and Mark Mallman. Night Shot (due out 9/16) is a purposely fun and goofy wink and nod to almost all of the various musical styles from the late 70s and early 80s, but with a dance beat! Hands down, the best track on the record is "Hey Hey Hey (That Kids Okay)." It is remniscent of the best parts of the Boomtown Rat's hit "Up All Night" with a bridge taken directly out of Cheap Trick's "Surrender." It's a pretty awesome homage to that era! I probably could have lived without the cover of Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill," a duet with fellow IATWTC bandmate Amy Dykes. Honestly, her voice is not right for the song and really detracts. You will find everything thrown in on this well crafted record - Joan Jett style guitar riffs, Eurasure style synth pop, Bauhaus flavored dance tunes, and more. Also, there is an appearance from Tay Zonday of "Chocolate Rain" fame on the title track "Night Shot." This album is worth more than a few smiles.

RUBY ISLE

The Uglysuit - The Uglysuit

Oklahoma City band The Uglysuit's self-titled new album on Touch and Go Records is a collection of 9 beautiful songs all of which have amazingly lush and rich instrumentation. They tend to keep things on the happy and dreamy side of indie. Tracks like "Chicago" and "Let it Be Known" remind us that life is not bleak. It is not hopeless. There is happiness in the world. The Uglysuit is fantastic. Go check them out.

The Uglysuit

Live Review - Elf Power & LA Tool & Die

Friday, August 29th. Tremont Music Hall. Charlotte, NC.
Pictures are courtesy of Dianna Augustine Photography.


I had never been to Charlotte's Tremont Music Hall before. It is an all ages venue that starts shows pretty early and seemingly tries to get everything over with by midnight. LA Tool & Die took the stage at 9:30 and for the next 40 minutes rocked the place with a live show that was almost anthemic in nature and far surpasses anything I have ever heard on their recordings. Opening with "Jesus Saved Me at the Record Show" was quite entertaining considering the songs lyrics include, "I saved Elf Power and I'll save you." They played a couple of songs I don't think I've heard before, most notably, a number that was reminiscent of mid-90s freak rock with Boss Hog-like interplay between Lee & Emily. Emily sings, "I'm going to touch your mustache." Lee replies, "Don't touch my mustache." By the way, though cheesily funny, Lee sings the song using a unicorn hand puppet with a giant goofy mustache attached. "Bleep and a bleep and a bloop is all I have to say to you." They closed their set with a thunderous version of their 7" song "1983."

Emily & Travis from LA Tool & Die!

Elf Power got on stage around 10:20. Thier line-up was leader Andrew Rieger, Jimmy Hughes on guitar and some keyboards, Derek Almstead on bass, and their amazing drummer Eric Harris. A majority of the songs they played seemed to be from their more recent albums Back to the Web and In a Cave. Live they were really, really great. Very gutty and gritty and full of oomph. I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. Watching Derek Almstead's intricate work on bass in a live venue was a real treat. The sound system at Tremont was exceptional and you could really feel the bass move right through your body as Derek expertly drove the songs along. Also, Eric Harris blew me away with his constantly changing, intricate patterns on drums. One of the best drummers I have ever seen live. Their set lasted about an hour and highlights included a great version of "Spiral Stairs" and the beautiful, beautiful song "Come Lie Down With Me."

Jimmy, Derek, & Eric from Elf Power

All in all, a great night of music! If you get a chance to see either live, I strongly recommend you do so!
ELF POWER
LA TOOL & DIE
DIANNA AUGUSTINE PHOTOGRAPHY

Portastatic - Some Small History

Some Small History is a double-disc of Mac McCaughan rarities, collecting B-sides, compilation tracks, EPs, fanzine vinyl, and previously unreleased material recorded between 1990 and 2007. 44 Tracks on two disks. All of it a delight, especially for those of us who have been around since the heyday of Superchunk and the creation of Portastatic.

Disk 1 is filled with tons of great tunes mostly featuring covers and unused demos. One of my favorite tracks on this disk is the rip-roaring “Trajectory.” According to the liner notes, the demo had a “distorted and good” quality that they could quite recreate when recording it for real. Based on the amazing quality of the demo recording, I can only scratch my head and wonder why they didn’t just throw it on a record anyway. It f’in rocks! “Make You Up” is a forgotten 4-track gem that has amazing lyrical content. “I didn’t have you, so I had to make you up.” Mac’s throw-aways are better than most band’s best efforts. One song I am shocked never made the light of day was “Portraits From Before the War.” According to the notes, this song was recorded for Bright Ideas but somehow didn’t make it. Mac refers to it as coming out “kind of weird.” Weird? Weird?!! Maybe compared to the sound he had in his head, but not to the rest of us.

Disk 2 is a bit more sturdy top to bottom than the first. It starts off with the title track “Some Small History.” You may recall this tune from Old Enough to Know Better, the incredible comp Merge released in conjunction with it’s 15th anniversary. Disk 2 also features the original acoustic version of “Spying on the Spies” from its 7” release in 1996, perhaps one of my favorite songs ever. I am also totally in love with the Galaxie 500 cover, “Tugboat.” According to Mac’s notes, “we also recorded it in an unusual fashion for us - live, in the studio, including the vocals, which due to my inaccuracy are almost never done live.”

I strongly encourage absolutely everyone to obtain a copy of Some Small History. It goes so far above and beyond a mere compilation of b-sides and rare recordings. It truly is a glimpse into the history of indie rock. For 2 decades, Mac McCaughan has helped to write, mold, shape, encourage and develop the genre through his work with Superchunk, Portatstatic, and especially, Merge Records. I can’t really imagine what indie would be today without his contributions.

The official release date is Sept 9th. But, you can preview all 44 tracks now by visiting http://www.mergerecords.com/.

1996 Revisted - Urusei Yatsura - We Are Urusei Yatsura

In the mid 1990s, a Scottish quartet with a name stolen from Japanese anime burned up the college charts reigniting kids love for indie pop/punk from the UK. Their unique sound, counter melodies, and fun loving spirit was just the kick in the pants that the CMJ scene really needed. (Back then, the CMJ festival was still worthwhile and not completely overrun by record labels hogging up all the venues spewing out whatever shit they were trying to push on us at the time.) In 1996, UK label Che Records released We Are Urusei Yatsua! Unfortunately, due to US Trademark laws, the band had to change the name of both the band and release for US consumption. So, in the states, it was called We Are Yatsura by the band Yatsura. But, who cares, it was the music that matters. Tracks like "Si Amese" featured amazing intricate vocal rhythms with 2 singers dueling out their individual melodies at the same time. It's great fun trying to concentrate on just one or the other hoping to figure out what the heck they are saying. Songs like "Kewpies Like Watermelon" and "Plastic Ashtray" are really fantastic rocking numbers that still manage to maintain a melodic grace rarely found during the time period. If you get a chance, do some investigating on your own! Urusei Yatsura is totally worth it!

YATSURA WEBSITE

YATSURA MYSPACE

Woodhands - Heart Attack

Beware! Woodhands, the infectious electropop goofball duo from Canada, are about to conquer the US one indie rocker at a time! Heart Attack is 10 tracks of sheer delight! Their enthusiasm for music seeps through on every single song and you can't help but to enjoy yourself listening to them as much as they clearly enjoy making the music. Tracks like "Can't See Straight" and "I Wasn't Made for Fighting" will get even the most dour music afficianado smiling. Check these guys out. Now.

WOODHANDS WEBSITE

Caesars - Strawberry Weed

Unfortunate title aside, the new Caesar's record Strawberry Weed is pretty darn good! Let's just blame the title on technical difficulties translating Swedish to English! Unlike their last record Paper Tigers, there is no "Spirit" to focus all of our attention upon. None of the songs on Strawberry Weed surpass the quality of the album as a whole. Rather this time around, the all of the songs are really stong and the overall result is an album far superior to Paper Tigers. My favorite tracks early on are "Waking Up", "In Orbit" (despite them rhyming down with clown), and "Solina." Astralwerks/Caroline are responsible for bringing this album to the US and have released it as an expanded 2 disk set with 24 tracks instead of the original 12. All 24 are worth a listen.

CAESARS MYSPACE

This Broad Went Abroad!

Hey!
Sorry for being gone so long! I got the opportunity to go back overseas and jumped on it like an Emo kid jumps on Jordache Jeans! I will get back to posting again next week!

-Viva!

Bodies of Water - A Certain Feeling

I can't say enough great things about Bodies of Water and their quasi-operatic rock. A Certain Feeling comes out 7/22 on Secretly Canadian and it is sure to blow your minds. If you missed their debut release from about a year ago Ears Will Pop and Eyes Will Blink, get that too! Creepy ogans abound on this release. Thow in some rockin' riffs and amazing drum work and you start to get the idea...Then top it all off with amazing boy/girl vocals. Check out the song "Under the Pines" on their myspace and you will be hooked! This shit rocks.

BODIES OF WATER

Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust

I haven't really been able to find too much that has excited me to write about the last few weeks! Then a friend ordered me to buy the new Sigur Ros. I have to be honest, after the strange soundscapes on the last album, I wasn't really sure I wanted to. However, this friend is a reliable source, so I followed directions...thankfully. This latest release from Iceland's finest band is so remarkably beautiful I could listen to it over and over again. Standout track for me is #4: Við spilum endalaust. Though I really can wholeheartedly endorse every track on the first half of the album. If you are also having uneasy feelings about spending money this summer, I promise this is $12 well spent.

www.sigurros.com

Silver Jews - Lookout Mountain Lookout Sea

It took me a little while to "get" Lookout Mountain Lookout Sea. Siver Jew's usual blend of amazing lyrics with oddball vocals is there of course, but this album is a bit more stripped down and the writting comes across as more personalized prose/poetry filled with Berman's usual sense of humor. That is both great and offputting at the same time. Once the album sucks you in, however, it's really great. For example, the opening line of "Strange Victory Strange Defeat" is "Squirrels imported from Connecticut." I'm not even going to give the bridge to this song away...you have to hear it for yourself. If you have a few weeks of your life to spare, go grab this album.

SILVER JEWS

Earlimart - Hymn and Her

I'm not sure I can say enough great things about Earlimart. Their new album Hymn and Her is due out July 1st and is loaded with one beautiful song after another. What really sets Earlimart apart is the amazing percussive sounds they generate with their acoustic instrumentation. It's as if they transcend the realm of guitar, piano, drums, and cello and move into a whole different stratosphere of aural pleasures that are not easily created by the ordinary musician. Hymn and Her is low-key, but never, ever boring and you never get the sense that this is just another band doing the same old thing that several other bands are doing. They are unique. They are genuine. They are sincere. And they are phenomenal. Stand out tracks include "Great Heron Gates" and "Town Where You Belong." July 1st is just around the corner. Make a note.

EARLIMART