Sound Bites

New Radio Dept | "Freddie and the Trojan Horse"

Has it really been two years since The Radio Dept. released Pet Grief? The calendar says "yes." The only reason I noticed this was a missive from Labrador records letting me know that their new album, Clinging to a Scheme, will be out September 10. That's actually a year quicker than it took for these Swedes to follow-up their acclaimed 2003 debut. At this rate, we'll get Album #4 next summer.

According to the band, influences for the third album included "minimalistic post-punk, krautrock, repetitive 'motorik' beat and ambient noise." I don't hear any motorik beat on Clinging to a Scheme's first single, "Freddie and the Trojan Horse," though I do detect some '80s gated drums and less reverb than we're used to from these guys (which still means more reverb than most). It's definitely peppier than almost anything on Pet Grief, which was a disappointment around these parts. Catchier too.

MP3: The Radio Dept - Freddie and the Trojan Horse

Down the Stretch

I don't know much about Horse Racing, but today's Kentucky Derby made me think about one of my favorite reggae songs: The Pioneers' "Long Shot Kick De Bucket." There are apparently loads of reggae songs about horse racing, more than there are non-reggae songs about any other sport. (Caymanas Park in Kingston, the setting of this song, is still hugely popular.) So I'm told. But this is the most famous, and the only one I know.

MP3: The Pioneers - Long Shot Kick De Bucket (buy it)

The Derby also made me think of the only other horse racing pop song I know, "The Fix," a duet between Richard Hawley and Guy Garvey that's on Elbow's new album, The Seldom Seen Kid. This one's a lot of fun:

MP3: Elbow w/ Richard Hawley - The Fix (buy it)

Getting High

So my cable provider, Time Warner, just announced that by the end of this year they're upping the number of "free" HD channels to 50 as of today and promise over 100 by the end of the year. Wisely, they have eschewed things like AMC, Sci-Fi, FX, or Bravo in favor of channels like the Hallmark Movie Channel HD and A&E HD which, by the looks of the schedule, should actually be called the CSI Miami HD Channel.

But the best new addition to TWC's HD line-up has to be NY1 HD, the station everyone turned on in the morning to get the time and temperature before we all got a widget to do the same on our computers. Actually, I'm pretty sure today was the debut of NY1 HD, and oh boy was it worth the wait:

I really feel sorry for the people with old-fashioned 4-3 TVs who don't get to experience what I'm dubbing NY1's "HD bars." This is truly "next gen."

Sloan Sloan Sloan

I haven't written about Sloan since last May. Which is a long time for me. So get ready, I've got lots of info.

Firstly, this is the cover to the band's new album, Parallel Play -- This is the band's eighth studio effort and the title is a reference to the stage in kids' development when they play next to each other but not with each other. Which is their winking way of describing how the band works these days. For more on this, bassist Chris Murphy had this to say:

Collaboration can be difficult. Our band does less of it than we used to and it's too bad. It may just be a romantic feeling but the songs where something major was added by someone other than the main writer are my favorite. I definitely come in with finished song structures but I like to leave room for someone to play something I wasn't expecting.

We never fight. We just stew. Aren't the best bands the ones that are founded in passive aggressiveness? If this is true then we are truly the best band ever. When you've gone this long without a real fight there is the constant fear that if we start telling each other the truth that it will be the end of the band.

If we videoed this process even Metallica would think we looked like goofs:

"Don't try to make my song sound like the fucking Traveling Wilburys!"
"Yeah well give your backwards delay wah pedal to some 15 year old that thinks it's cool!"
...band over.

We have all developed a sophisticated sense of humor that we use against each other at times. Patrick is the funniest man alive but he also loves digital delay. That would make me a Traveling Wilbury.

This is the most democratic, percentage-wise, Sloan record we've gotten in a long time. As you may know, all four members write and sing and this time it's pretty evenly split, with everyone getting three songs, except drummer Andrew Scott who gets four. Clocking in at 35 minutes, Parallel Play is their shortest ever. Kinda funny, as their last one, 2006's Never Hear the End of It, was their longest. It's out June 10 on Yep Roc but you can hear it right now, via a streaming player on the Yep Roc website. But here's the first single, Chris Murphy's "I'm Not a Kid Anymore":

MP3: Sloan - I'm Not a Kid Anymore (Pre-order Parallel Play)

I've listened to the album a few times and it's another strong one in their 17-year career. Chris Murphy brings snark and melody, Patrick Pentland delivers the Big Riffs, and Jay Furgeson's encyclopedic pop knowledge gives us the best songs on the album, including highpoint "Cheap Champagne," which should please anyone who really dug Navy Blues' "C'mon C'mon." As for drummer Andrew Scott, he generally classes up the joint, and finally answers the question many Sloan fans have been asking: "When will Sloan's genre-plundering finally lead them to reggae?" The time is now, folks.

They may all be nearing 40, most of them with kids, but they've still got it. Certainly, they're still easily one of the most consistently awesome live shows of my rock-show-going existence. If you've never experienced Sloan in person, shame on you, but you can rectify that shortly as they'll be in the States in June:

Jun 14    Detroit        Majestic Theatre
Jun 15    Philadelphia    North Star Bar   
Jun 17    Washington, D    Black Cat   
Jun 18    Cambridge, MA    T.T. The Bear's (buy)
Jun 19    New York, NY    Bowery Ballroom   
Jun 20    New York, NY    Bowery Ballroom   
Jun 22    Cleveland, OH    Grog Shop   
Jun 23    Chicago, IL    Double Door

Tickets for the Bowery shows are on sale this Friday.

But wait, there's more! Lots more ("witch music," "techno," etc)... after the jump.

Calvin Harris | Bowery Ballroom | 4.28.2008

I really try not to be some sort of elitist, but the my elitism kicks in and I get annoyed. The crowd for Calvin Harris at Bowery was overrun with creased-brim ballcap bros and girls who looked like Heidi Montag? Had I somehow accidentally ended up at a Webster Hall club night? The opening DJ, Burns, made it seem like it, playing a predictable set that included "DVNO," "The Music Sounds Better With You," "Robot Rock," and Mylo's "Drop the Pressure." What fresh hell was this?

I guess I shouldn't be surprised Calvin Harris is popular beyond higher-than-thou types like myself. His songs are big, obvious dance tracks, made for maximum enjoyment and butt-shaking. Why would I be the only one to like it? Still, the bankers-n-babes crowd was annoying. But it all pretty much went away when Calvin took the stage. He's a 6' 5" party machine with a tight band and everyone pretty much ate it up. (I think last year's show at Mercury Lounge was better, though. Again, the elitism.) There was a little too much crowd-pumping for my taste ("Come on New York!"), especially when it seemed people were pretty pumped as it was.

Save for four songs we got all of I Created Disco plus two new songs that seem like Calvin's work with Kylie and Roisin Murphy has rubbed off on him. "Back Door" and "Jerusalem" were full-on Eurodisco, complete with sweeping strings and Haddaway-style piano and if the crowd's reaction to them was any indication, just might kill off the jock-jam loving portion of his American fanbase. Bring it on.

Setlist: Conjoined Skin | Certified | Disco Heat | This Is The Industry | 80s | Merrymaking at My Place | Neon Rocks | Back Door | Jerusalem | Colours | Vegas. I Created Disco | The Girls

MP3: Calvin Harris - Disco Heat (buy I Created Disco)

Also in attendance: The Music Slut, Punk Photo, and Disconap.

I wasn't really close enough to get good pictures, but I do like the one I took found above. Calvin's all a blur but right in the middle of it is a clear-ish shot that looks like he's staring straight at the camera. Spooky.

South | Union Hall | 4.26.2008

In March 2002 I saw Elbow open for South at Bowery Ballroom... the first time I'd seen either band live. All I remember about that show is it was Guy Garvey's birthday and that I thought South suffered a bit from having to follow Elbow. I've seen both bands since, each has gotten better, but that certainly crossed my mind as I hopped into a cab right after Elbow's Webster Hall show Saturday and raced across the Manhattan Bridge to catch South at Union Hall.

Who can say why bands become more or less popular? South have genuinely gotten better over the years, I think, with 2003's With the Tides being the album that shoulda been their Big Breakthrough, and 2006's Adventures in the Underground Journey to the Stars their creative peak. South's fourth album, You Are Here, is a little to new to rank it, but I do like it and certainly think it's better than today's middling Pitchfork review.

MP3: South - Opened Up (buy You Are Here)

It is a little weird hearing some of their sweeping epics in such a small venue, but I guess I should view it as a treat. The songs from Journey to the Stars worked best (the New Order-y "Shallow" and fused "You Are One") in this environment, but it was a good, not great, show overall. But they are certainly one of this decade's most underrated bands and if they're playing near you, they're worth a look:

Apr 30 North star bar     Philadelphia PA
May 1 Great Scott     Boston MA, Massachusetts
May 3 Rock & Roll Hotel     Washington DC, Washington DC
May 5 Abbey Pub     Chicago IL, Illinois
May 6 Turf Club     St Paul MN
May 8 Marquis Theatre     Denver CO
May 9 Mesa Theater & Club     Grand Junction, Colorado
May 11 Doug Fir Lounge     Portland OR
May 12 Nectar Lounge     Seattle WA
May 14 The Independent     San Francisco CA
May 15 The Echo     Los Angeles CA
May 16 Brick by brick     San Diego

I spied Matt from the Music Slut from across the room, singing along to every song. His report is a little more detailed than mine.

Elbow | Webster Hall | 4.26.2008

"That's something you don't hear very often," joked Guy Garvey early in his bands performance at Webster Hall. The phrase in question was a shouted "Elbow rocks!" from the audience.

It's true. Though Elbow do rock in a gentle, yet epic sort of way. This was the first night of their American tour for Elbow's great, just-released fourth album, The Seldom-Seen Kid which is full of the heartfelt mini-epics the band are so good at. Joined on this tour by two violist/backup singers, Elbow were grander than usual, but it was Garvey's charm, humor, and smokey voice that makes people lifetime fans.

Another phrase you don't hear that often is "pristine sound at Webster Hall." I bash the venue nearly every time I write about it but not this time. If it wasn't for the "thump thump" of Awesome '80s Prom coming from below I would call it perfect. We got most of The Seldom Seen Kid, a nice chunk of Leaders of the Free World (my favorite album of '05), plus older favorites "Newborn" and "Grace Under Pressure." This was the best Elbow show I've attended.

There were also two great sing-a-long-moments. Garvey orchestrated a crowd-assist for set-closer "On a Day Like This" which the Webster Hall audience were more than happy to help with. I have a feeling this is going to happen at all the shows on the tour, so if you want to start practicing now, here's a little help:

MP3: Elbow - One Day Like This (buy The Seldom-Seen Kid)

The second was a bit more special. "If you want us to come back for an encore, you're gonna have to sing," he dared us, and then asked the crowd for suggestions. "It's gotta be something everyone knows." Someone yelled "Killing Me Softly" and a broad smile grew across Garvey's face. "Brilliant choice." Everyone laughed but I think few thought it would really happen. But then, after the band went offstage, sure enough the song broke out in the middle of the crowd and filled the whole hall. Garvey came out almost immediately, grinning "You lovely fuckers!" Right back at you, Guy!

Also in attendance: Music Snobbery and Johnny Leather. Go see them if you can. Dates:

April 29 - Park West, Chicago, IL
April 30 - Fine Line Music Cafe, Minneapolis, MN
May 2 - Bluebird Theatre, Denver, CO
May 3 - The Depot, Salt Lake City, UT
May 5 - Showbox at the Market, Seattle, WA
May 6 - St Andrew's Wesley Church, Vancouver, Canada
May 8 - Bimbo's 365 club, San Francisco, CA
May 9 - Avalon, Los Angeles, CA

Holy Crap! Echo & the Bunnymen are Doing 'Ocean Rain' in NYC

Echo & the Bunnymen's 1984 classic Ocean Rain is one of my 20 or so favorite albums of all time so I was somewhat flabbergasted when I read on The Music Slut that they were going to perform it -- with an orchestra -- in its entirety  at Radio City Music Hall on October 1. I knew they were doing it at London's Royal Albert Hall in September as part of the band's 30th anniversary, but I just never figured they'd do it here.

No word on ticket prices yet (I'm a bit scared), but the presale starts this Saturday, April 26 at noon via Bunnymen.com. You need to register for their newsletter to get the password. In addition to the orchestral backing, I wouldn't be surprised if they coerced original bassist Les Pattinson out of the woodwork to rejoin the group for these shows -- if so, it would be his first since leaving the Bunnymen in 1999.

If you've never heard Ocean Rain, you really should. In my opinion it's is up there with The Queen is Dead, Low-Life, Head on the Door, Steve McQueen as one of the defining albums of the '80s. In singer Ian McCulloch's opinion, it's up there with Sgt Pepper, Forever Changes, the first Velvet Underground album, Electric Warrior, and sex. The songs, the production, his amazing pipes... it's a swoon-pop masterpiece. Here's maybe my favorite song:

MP3: Echo & the Bunnymen - My Kingdom

The expanded edition of Ocean Rain that Rhino reissued in 2003 is great, definitely pick it up.
 

Meanwhile, the Bunnymen's new album, The Fountain is due this Fall with the first single "I think I Needed Two" to drop in July.

I could've directed it: New Mystery Jets Video

I've waxed enthusiasic about the new Mystery Jets album, including the '80s-sax-laden "Two Doors Down" which will be the album's next single, and probably huge summer UK hit. But the video's a bit obvious, isn't it? The "Young Love" video was really clever, I thought, and this was just puts the band in dayglo shirts, skinny ties, pastel jackets... plus other vintage MTV trappings. Yawn. But the song remains irresistible, with one of my favorite lines of recent memory: "I hear she likes to dance 'round the room/to a worn-out 12" of Marquee Moon." I'd just better not see them wearing a graduation cap and a Beat t-shirt when you make a video for "MJ."

MP3: The Mystery Jets - Two Doors Down (Buy Twenty-One from 7 Digital)

Cherchez la Femme

Like pretty much everyone who heard it, I dug Dan le Sac Vs Scroobius pip's "Thou Shalt Always Kill" which was enough to make me check them out at South by Southwest and I've become a full-on fan ever since. (A whole month!) Anyway, the new single from this duo, "Look for the Woman," should take these guys out of One Hit Wonder novelty status and into the double digits. In fact, I think this will be a genuine (UK) hit for them, and deservedly so. It's kind of the British indie equivalent of LL Cool J's "I Need Love." Check it out:

As opposed to the Irish folk equivalent of "I Need Love," which goes something like this:

If you're going to Coachella this weekend, they're playing Friday at 6:30 on the Gobi stage. "Look for the Woman" is out next week on Sunday Best records and Dan le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip's debut album, Angles, is hits stores May 12.  Preorder/buy them here. You might recognize the sample from this one:

MP3: Dan le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip - Letter from God to Man

And just because...

MP3: Luka Bloom - I Need Love