On Friday night, in an effort to warm up the crowd from the main event this weekend, the Austinist (sometimes home of Big Diction's Rob "Don't Call Me Gay" Stiller hosts their sixth "Local Music Is Sexy" at the Mohawk and, if I may say so, I think this one may be the sexiest yet. How do I know? Let's count the reasons:

1. Brothers and Sisters

photo by Courtney Chavanell

With the release of their second album Fortunately earlier this year, this Austin super-group headed by "Brother Will" built on the wild alt-country successes of their '06 eponymous debut with stunning efficiency. The new album stands on the same folk foundations that drew them comparisons to bands like the Jayhawks, but it also sees the band expanding their horizons, incorporating its fair-share of guitars that are more prone to crunch than they are to twang. Brothers and Sisters put on one helluva show, and you'd be hard pressed to find a better representative of sexy local music than "Brother Will" (a strictly platonic observation I might add).

Brothers and Sisters - You're Gone"

Brothers and Sisters - The Air Is Getting Thicker"

2. Foot Patrol

The sometimes-comical Hung Nguyen and TJ Wade comprise this foot-fetish driven hip-hop group who fill the number 2 spot on the lineup. With album titles like Smellabration and Toetry In Motion, this band speaks for themselves, and I dare not try to match their wits.

Trample Me Intro

Trample Me

3. The Lovely Sparrows

It's safe to say Bury The Cynics was one of Austin's best releases this year. Finally with the opportunity to expand on the short but stunning EP Pulling Up Floors, Pouring on (New) Paint, Sparrows' leader Shawn Jones has outdone himself lyrically and musically - even if it did take him nearly two years to do it. Though the band is essentially Jones, they come to us Friday as a six-piece, which may be one of a few occasions you'll have to hear the album performed live as it was written.

The Lovely Sparrows - Department Of Foreseeable Outcomes

4. Leatherbag

Photo by: Dena De La Paz

Whether Leatherbag's fantastic new album Love and Harm is the sleeper-hit of the year or the century, I doubt Leatherbag (aka Randy Reynolds) could care less. The man has, over the course of multiple albums, been refining and redefining his sound, mixing and matching between bands as famous as Richard Buckner and The Velvet Underground and, more recently, bands from Austin's mid-80's "New Sincerity" movement. We caught Leatherbag with his new backing band (which consists mainly of players from Jude Ross's band) last week and, needless to say, we're itchin' for more.

Tennessee

5. The Eastern Sea

The Eastern Sea were recently featured on Austin Sound's Sound Off. Here's what they had to say:

"Though the Eastern Sea has gone through several variations in the past few years, both in lineup and sound, Matthew Hines has finally developed a quartet that gorgeously explores the contours of his songwriting. Their recently released self-titled debut EP is beautifully subtle but rich in harmonies and delicate unwinding textures, with touches of Iron and Wine or Seven Swans-era Sufjan Stevens. Yet there is also a mesmerizing force underlying the songs, hypnotic in Hines' deft guitar work as he rolls through oblique personal narratives that suggest the Microphones and Mountain Goats."

The Menu

Sexy enough? Thought so. Progress Coffee will be on site serving up drinks and rumor has it there will be food on hand as well. The show starts Friday at 8pm and is 21 and up, so get them ID's ready.

Note: The show has been moved to La Zona Rosa

Well proud Americans, if you hadn't noticed already tomorrow is Election Day. So as with all other major events in your life, it would be unnatural to not go with a hearty hangover. That's why Do512 is throwing an election-themed party tonight called Red State Blues - A Concert for Change at La Zona Rosa. Unless you intend to cast your ballet sober, I highly suggest being in attendance tonight.

Now it probably goes without saying that, since this party takes place in Austin, you're going to find the whole show slanting more than slightly leftward. But if you're reading this website at all (you know how to use the internet), chance are your leanings are liberal already (unless of course, you're on this website).

Looking at the lineup, the music at this show could draw a serious crowd election or not. Headlining the show is the amazing Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, whose timeless contributions to funk and soul are hardly worthy of my descriptions - suffice it to say, missing a chance to see Sharon Jones is a serous mistake. Have a listen to "100 Days, 100 Nights" below if you really need any convincing.

Sharon Jones - 100 Days, 100 Nights

Local mainstay James McMurtry, who is no stranger to singing about politics, also plays tonight. His fantastic new album Just Us Kids, which dropped earlier this year, may well be one of the best local albums of the year, and it draws heavily on the failures of the current administration (can you say wealth of material?). After nine releases McMurtry remains a beacon of Austin music, capturing the laid-back southern vibe and political left-leaning/common sense that has made our city famous.

Oh it keeps getting better: Brownout!, winners of the Best Latin Contemporary category at this year's Austin Music Awards, open the show.

But wait, here's where it gets really good. Do512 are also offering a VIP package ($75) which includes a number of sweet perks. You've got your typical VIP things (free food and drinks), but also something a bit more enticing: a exclusive performance by Chrysta Bell and Paris 49. Rumors are abound that this might be a 8 1/2 Souvenirs reunion show, but don't hold me to it.

So remember, voting is just about standing in long lines because you procrastinated about early voting, and it's not just about scrolling through 10 pages of judges who's names you don't know to get to "Barack Obama," it's also about good music and good people. Need I say more?

If you're in the market for a great show this Saturday night (as you should be), may I humbly recommend checking out Jaguar Love at Emo's with Polysics tonight.

Jaguar Love, who hail from Portland, just released their debut LP, Take Me To The See, on Matador Recs. The band's lineup is a combination of remnants of bands past, including Johnny Whitney and Cody Votolato of The Blood Brothers (whose demise came only last fall) and Jay Clark of Pretty Girls Make Graves.

It's no surprise then that the band retains some of the punk sound that characterized these earlier projects, but I can't help but notice a pop attitude in some of the new songs. The music is slightly more, shall we say "wholesome," than most of the Blood Brothers releases. To some extent that's a good thing, as while the band may loose some of the cult appeal drawn by the searing riffs of Blood Brothers, Jaguar Love is more universal: there's still the same driving, energetic angst behind Jaguar Love, but there's also catchy riffs and howling synths, all combined into a strange hard-core-glam-rock that's highly enjoyable. It's successful on the album, and my bet is that the live show will only get better.

All that plus Polysics's Japanese New Wave. Seriously, nothing says Saturday like weird pop music. Tracks from Jaguar Love below, and check out Polysics myspace for tunes (I suggest "Arigatou" and skip to like 1:40). See you tonight.

Jaguar Love - Highways of Gold

If you've got your finger on the local pulse, you may have noticed a band called Frantic Clam on Austin Sound this week. And if you went so far as to listen to the demos, you already know most of what I'm about to tell you about relative newcomers Frantic Clam and "Richard Cory": they're a band to seriously watch (and listen to, for that matter).

The originality, or probably more appropriately, the honesty in their music is aggressively refreshing. Instead of a band caught up in the pride of their record collection, desperately trying to define their "unique place in music" without straying too far from Papa-Westerberg's sight, Frantic Clam are a band that's unique from the get-go, though not in that gimmicky sideshow-instrumentation way that we've come to associate with "unique." No, Frantic Clam immediately sound of familiarity, like you've been listening to them for years, but unlike anything you can put your finger on. Influences? Sure: Bowie, The Stones, low-fi Velvet Underground or early Modest Mouse even. But a knock-off they are not.

This song, from their current EP Celebrity, takes its name and theme from the Edwin Arlington Robinson's famous poem by the same name:

Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored, and imperially slim.

So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.

The band formed under the direction of Zack Hadley and Joe Sparks (who has since left the lineup) while in Iraq, compliments of the US Army, an environment which seems to be reflected in some of the darker themes of the music. I won't presume to infer the meaning of lines like "Bang bang bang Richard Cory's dead, a thirty-eight revolver emptied in his head" or even "...fought a war you didn't care about" (in "Amnesty"), but it's obvious that these lyrics draw more from the hard realities of life than those of the average indie rock band whose, if we're going to stretch the stereotype to the extreme, trust-fund-bought lyrics (and gear) are probably more related to how the tight squeeze those pants are putting on their testicles.

Though their history is brief, it's already apparent even from these 5 short songs that Frantic Clam have a strong sense of direction, and the upcoming release of Anatomica (due out on January 15th, 2009 on Exemplary Records) will hopefully build on these solid foundations. If the music community is even partially fair in its judgment of Frantic Clam, we should expect to hear only more good things about this band -- and thank God for it, if I get one more press release about how you and your band put a computer mic up to your shoddy washing machine and found the true meaning of "meaningful," I'm moving to Ulan Bataar and never looking back.

The band are playing Friday at Trophy's, check em out (poster below). Here's a tune from Celebrity:

Frantic Clam - Richard Cory

[Note: Bangers and Mash is a column about Brit-pop by Big Diction's arch-nemesis, and chief Welsh corespondent, Dan Cwikla. He also writes a short column in the Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogery- chwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch Gazette. -Ed.]

It's the best album you'll ever listen to! Well, maybe not. Still, Super Furry Animals' disc MWNG (Welsh: MANE) is certainly the best Welsh language album you'll ever listen to. Written and performed in the native tongue of the Cardiff quintet, as expected, the 2000 release throws a bit of everything at its audience. Ranging from lounging ballads to accordion heavy pop, MWNG is both completely delightful and, for most of the world, completely unintelligible.

Emerging from the burgeoning Welsh music scene of the early 1990's which produced Manic Street Preachers and Catatonia among others, the Furries had consistently offered their fans a unique blend of electronica and pyschedelia served with a heaping dose of pop rock sensibilities. After achieving early success with Alan McGee's legendary label Creation Records with increasingly experimental offerings, MWNG marked a sudden return to the basics, showcasing the group's songwriting skills rather than their outward thinking.

Despite a noticeable cohesiveness, the album is in fact something of a deliberate collection. Bassist Guto Pryce said of MWNG, "We had some Welsh songs when we did Guerrilla but we thought it would be better if we put them all together instead of a token Welsh song here and there, on a b-side and maybe one or two on an album. We thought it would be nice to put them all together."

Recommended Tracks:

"Ymaelodi ]]> Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:06:32 -0700 http://virb.com/bigdictionblog/posts/text/887158 http://virb.com/bigdictionblog/posts/text/879717

This is a press pic by Stefano Giovannini
Live shots from the show here or here.

After a not-so-fun-fun-fun-fest and a canceled show, Cat Power had some making up to do on this visit back to Austin to make good on her reschedule. I'll save you a little suspense: she made up good.

A few numbers off Jukebox and an apology served to clear the lingering air of the past. Whether they were as concerned with a proper apology or not, the packed crowd seemed more than willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, cheering her on as she crept along the stage, pausing to crouch down and sing to pockets of fans. Though I've never been blow-away by Chan Marshall the recording artist (The Greatest lingered in my CD rotation for a while, but Jukebox came and went all to fast), I realized that night that there's another half I'd been missing: Chan Marshall the performer. With the dark blue haze of the stage lighting obscuring our view, she'd reach down, tilting her head and even kneeling, to bring up deep, soulful tones reminiscent of old jazz performers. Without a guitar she was free to roam about the stage at will, sinking below our view into the audience up front or standing strong at center stage. I left feeling that I ought to give Jukebox another shot - with the image of "performer" in mind, a cover album at least seems much more appropriate.

I think it's sufficient to say I couldn't get enough of Marshall's performance. Unfortunately, I mean that quite literally. As stunning as she was, her presence on stage seemed to wane more and more often throughout the show. An intermission featured the band's very-British keyboardist playing an awful rendition of "This Little Light of Mine" and long solo breaks often left her absent from the show entirely. Worst of all, backup vocals (on songs like "The Greatest") that have become some of my favorite parts of the albums went missing.

These complaints are more about the style of the show of course, and my final word is still an expression of my amazement of Marshall as a performer. Even during songs off The Greatest she managed the same soulful girl-croon that I've been raving about. If nothing else, the show healed all wounds with her Austin fans, and, at least for me, left a feeling that I needed to go back and give her catalog the time it deserved.

For those of you who'd prefer I shut up and just post music, here ya go:
Cat Power - Metal Heart

[Note: Bangers and Mash is a column about Brit-pop by Big Diction's arch-nemesis, Dan Cwikla -Ed.]

The only album proper ever released by the Liverpudlian quartet, at the time, The La's heralded a possible addition to the old guard of melodically endowed Britons upon its release in 1990. Marked by jangled guitars and the distinctive, gravelly vocals of frontman Lee Mavers, the album offered a simplified respite from the still thriving, extravagant Madchester scene.

The fact that The La's ever saw the light of day was something of a feat in itself. Burdened by lofty expectations stemming from early praise by Morrissey and NME, a constantly shuffling lineup, and the often eccentric behavior of a drug-addled Mavers, the group spent nearly two years repeatedly re-recording the disc. Following its release, although the album sold well in England (eventually reaching #30), it received little fanfare elsewhere. By 1992, plagued by internal division and frustrated by perceived corruption in the music industry, The La's entered a de facto separation, eventually officially calling it quits in 1995.

Despite a catalog consisting solely of this album and a handful of B-sides, the group has been cited as a significant influence on a number of British acts including Oasis, Travis, and Pete Doherty of The Libertines and Babyshambles. Stateside recognition has been far more subdued with the exception of the album's fifth track, "There She Goes," which became a hit single for Sixpence None The Richer in 1999. Although for a time the subject of the song was (HILARIOUSLY) rumored to be heroin rather than an actual girl, this speculation has since been denied by the group's former guitarist.

Recommended Tracks:

"Son Of A Gun," "I Can't Sleep," "I.O.U"

The La's - Son of a Gun

The good people at The Kora Records sent over a new track today from a Swedish band I'd never heard of called Fredrik. My first thoughts went to a couple of shoddy chairs I bought from IKEA that, if I remember correctly, have the same name. If that indeed be the case, I'd like to have a word with the band about the necessity of a solid base in the making of a quality sitting apparatus.

Supposing that either a) Fredrik is in no way connected to my chairs, or b) I'll forgive their shoddy worksmanship, let's move on to talking about their new album Na Na Ni.

The band is a collection of six musicians, allowing the complex arrangements to develop appropriately in the songs without sounding forced or muddled. The overall tone is a blissful melancholy that naturally satisfies any equation of the form "Acoustic Guitar + (Harmonies x Croon)". But just as wine snobs swear they can taste the wood in a bottle of aged wine, you get the feeling that for all the obvious pleasures of the music, there are textures of creativity looming behind the scenes, a reference to the "fermentation process" that must have occurred for such lush arrangements to have been written.

We've got a cut from Na Na Ni here called "Black Fur," which I bet you'll enjoy. If you like what you hear check out the full album; it's out October 28, 2008 on The Kora Records.

Fredrik - Black Fur

The band also has a video out for one another one of the new songs, you can find it below.

The band is on tour in a couple of cities. Dates are listed below.

11.5.08 - DC - DC9
11.6.08 - Baltimore - Metro Gallery
11.7.08 - New York - Cake Shop
11.9.08 - Pittsburgh - Brillobox
11.12.08 - Boston - TT the Bear's
11.13.08 - Portland, ME - Space 538
11.15.08 - New York - Piano's

I was listening to some wailing trumpet solos when I got the press release about Jay Crocker's new album Below The Ocean Over, so when I heard this track off it, the horn parts fit suspiciously well with the playlist I'd been listening to and enjoying on my own.

Crocker you might know as a member of another Calgary band I posted about a while ago called Ghostkeeper, but - and this might just because the album is still fresh - I've been enjoying Below The Ocean Over more than Ghostkeeper's material. The album racks up a variety of styles, including some songs that are a little too unfocused (I think the technical term is 'experimental') for my tastes, but in certain songs Crocker seems to have tapped into that universally sought recipe for mixing "pop sensibility" with, you know, all that other cool stuff about music. What does that mean? I don't know, but it sounds like this:

Jay Crocker - Below The Ocean Over Pt. 23

Any one else hear a little Randy Newman in there? Anyway, the album is out October 14th on Artunit. Check it out.

Okay first of all, has anyone seen this? Pitchfork's "Guide To Music"? Really? If you're like me, trying to get a grasp on over a century of great music that came before your lifetime (yeah I'm a Sousa fan) can be, at times, daunting. But that doesn't mean you need to ruin the experience of finding out yourself!

Or more importantly, it doesn't mean you need a book's worth of distraction from the hordes of great music being produced at this very instant. Today, for example, we've got a new track from long-time writer and producer Scott Garred, aka Super XX Man. The new album is called Volume XII: There'll Be Diamonds, and it draws primarily from experiences at a State Hospital. While the subject of the mentally ill is in itself is somewhat haunting, and Garred captures the solemn, inconsolable guilt of the whole experience.

The music is reassuringly upbeat, often times searing with guitar feedback, or as in "Medication," calculated in its movements, like a Kill the Moonlight-era Spoon song with the "cool" turned way down. But don't let it be a distraction from the lyrics underneath: "I've taken too many medications, I don't know, I don't know..." Take a listen for yourself:

Super XX Man - Medication

The new album is out October 28, 2008 on Tender Loving Empire.

Note: Unfortunately, camera issues marred our pictures from the show, so these are stock photos instead. Apologies. - Ed.

Let me just put this on the table and then back it up with some facts: Shearwater are the best "new" (to the indie-mainstream) band in the world right now. Like Spoon's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga last year, Shearwater answered their newfound media attention with an album that completely surpassed all expectations, one that will probably go down in the books as the best album of the year (of course, I'm talking about Rook here). Jonathan Meiburg is perfect: he has a knack for weaving intricate and often delicate music into an ether of pure energy, cycling seamlessly from crystalline falsetto and string arrangements to caustic guitar tones and barbarian howls, holding the creative reigns of an extremely talented set of musicians and pushing the possibilities to the extremes; perfect.

To see Shearwater live, as I did once again this past week, is to see the amazing qualities of the band all Gestalt-ed into one grand performance. I was initially worried that, playing outdoor at the Mohawk, the performance would not live up to the one the band gave a couple months ago at The Parish, where they presented Rook in its entirety, hiring on a harpist and various string players to fill in the gaps left by the core members. Unfortunately, this largely proved to be true: the sound quality at the Mohawk wasn't stellar (it seemed that the right channel was faltering mid-way through the show, and the e-piano was mixed insultingly high), and many of the intricacies of the past show that I was hoping to relive were lost somewhere in summer night.

With distorted highs and inaudible calms, the dynamic range of songs like "On The Death of The Waters" (i.e., most of Rook) was much less stunning, but still strong. On the upside, the band did play to perfection what is still one of my favorite Shearwater songs, "Seventy-Four, Seventy-Five". Under the staccato of a pounding piano and the wail of a trumpet the band roared through the powerful track off Palo Santo, lighting up the entire stage, shitty sound-system and all. With few exceptions, the louder songs prevailed, though only because they were most likely to be properly heard, and the softer didn't, only because they couldn't quite compete with poor sound, the wail of sirens, and the rest of the intrusive city ambiance.

I'd never miss a chance to see Shearwater, and even in the worst situations (at least sound-wise) the band still easily impress, adapting to their environment and showing their flexibility in moving from studious composers to seasoned outdoor rockers. That being said, I'd prefer to see Shearwater in a venue more suited to highlight the band's gorgeous intricacies. Alas, bad sound or no, Shearwater are damn near perfect.

Tunes:
Shearwater - "Rooks" (off Rook)
Shearwater - "Leviathan Bound" (off Rook)
Shearwater - "Red Sea, Black Sea" (off Palo Santo)

Info:
Rook has been out for a while now on Matador. You should own it.

Websites
[official]
[myspace]

The Donkeys - Photo: Jeff Wenzel

First of all, I know I've been out of touch lately, with hardly any posts up, so let me apologize for my absence, but also suggest that you check out some of the other great sources of music we have linked to in our "Links" section off to the side whenever we're out of the office.

Second, and more importantly, Living On The Other Side, this new album by The Donkeys, is a must listen for fans of good Americana music. And guess what: they're playing Wednesday night right here at the Mohawk in Austin on the second stop of their cross-country tour supporting the new album.

The Donkeys are experts at musical progress, channeling the music of their elders with pride while still making considerable creative progress in their own right. Owing their musical direction to time-tested Americana traditions, most of the album tends to sounds vaguely familiar to the undiscerning listener, like a Blues record that got lost in an extensive collection, unheard for years. That sense of familiarity is the genius of a band like The Donkeys: it's clearly not a ripoff - you can never put my finger on exactly which band they sound like - but it embraces the spirit of its influences (the ones Americana has been preaching for years), placing that spirit at the album's core and building freshly from their. It's no surprise then that even with repeated listens there is still that sense of familiarity and Americana identity.

To describe the band any further would probably do their music even more of an injustice, so I'll hand it over to The Donkeys after the jump, where you can download "Walk Through A Cloud" and "Nice Train" straight off the new album. If you like what you hear, be sure to head out to the show tonight at the Mohawk. They'll be playing with local acts Golden Bear and Visitors (who also come highly recommended).

Music, tour dates and more after the jump.

Tunes:

Donkeys - "Nice Train"

Donkeys - "Walk Through A Cloud"

Info:

Living On The Other Side is available 9/9/08 on Dead Oceans.

The Donkeys Fall 2008 Tour Dates:

09/02/08 Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves
09/03/08 Austin, TX - Mohawk
09/04/08 Houston, TX - Rudyard's Pub
09/06/08 Birmingham, AL - Bottle Tree
09/08/08 Charlotte, NC - Thirsty Beaver
09/09/08 Philadelphia, PA - M Room
09/10/08 Cambridge, MA - The Middle East Upstairs
09/11/08 Brooklyn, NY - Union Pool
09/12/08 New York, NY - The Cake Shop
09/13/08 Purchase, NY - The Stood
09/14/08 Rochester, NY - Bug Jar
09/15/08 Bloomington, IN - Cinemat
09/16/08 Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge
09/18/08 Des Moines, IA - Vaudville Mews
09/19/08 Lawrence, KS - Replay Lounge
09/20/08 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
09/21/08 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
09/23/08 Seattle, WA - Sunset Tavern
09/24/08 Portland, OR - Someday Lounge
09/25/08 San Francisco, CA - Hemlock Tavern

Note: This review was originally posted on Austin Sound (link), but is the original work of the author. -Ed.

If local thrift stores selling old pearl snaps along side vintage instruments wasn't enough to convince you that Austin might be a town that values a "revival" spirit, the Jungle Rockers might be the kick in the 40-year-old Levis you need. In fact, the new EP by the Jungle Rockers, which follows in the footsteps of last year's eponymous debut, would be more at home on the shelves of one of a hundred "vintage" stores, or perhaps even your dad's record collection, than next to most new music today. While venturing into the same territory as thousands of garage bands across America, the Jungle Rockers recreate a bygone era with striking success; but whether or not mere revival of the classics is cause for celebration hinges on a simple question you should probably ask yourself: Am I looking for one hell of a rockin' good time?

Don't kid yourself, you are. And if that be the case, Cool It Out is a shot straight to the vein of guitar licks so raw they could get Bo Diddley turning in his grave. A primal scream jump starts "Cool It Out", followed by riffs and vocal howls that burn the tape throughout, pushing needles to red and, presumably, all the kids to the black checkered dance floor. "I wanna be a good boy, meet a good girl / But there's a devil in my head goin' 'ha, ha, ha, ha'" chant the Rockers, flashing their signature sardonic wit like true greasers. In fact, most lyrics can be classified into one of three taxa: 1) self-attributions of "bein' bad", 2) clever sexual innuendos about women, or 3) screaming, with an emphasis on 3) screaming. The combination of the three is, quite literally, timeless.

In the grand scheme of things, both for music and the Jungle Rockers, Cool It Out is generally more of the same. But when that "same" is exciting music that hearkens back to a simpler, more enjoyable time in rock-n-roll, it's hard to deny that while musical pioneers they are not, their music is first and foremost entirely enjoyable, a quality music has often forgot in the many years since.

Tunes:

Jungle Rockers - "Cool It Out"

Info:

Cool It Out is available now.

Websites:

[myspace]

Chicago/NY duo French Horn Rebellion recently did a remix of a band we featured a little while ago, This Is Ivy League (we included the track below). But the band, which features the Brothers Perlick-Molinari, David you you might know as the producer of first MGMT EP, also have a brand new full-length out now, which they're supporting with a tour this fall.

I don't know a whole lot about the band, and I was quite honestly a little disappointed when their music didn't include any (identifiable) french horns, but their music is certainly fun, and made me dance a little bit in my desk chair, which is enough for me. Check out the track "Up All Night" from the new album (which sounds like a seizure-laced acid trip) and their remix of "London Bridges" (which sounds like the end credits to a Sega Genesis game) after the jump.

They won't be playing in Austin, but they will be through Dallas if anyone up North is interested, at The Door on August 30th. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go play more John Madden Football '92.

Tunes:

French Horn Rebellion - "Up All Night"

This Is Ivy League - "London Bridges (French Horn Rebellion Remix)"

Websites:

[official]
[myspace]

Shows:

FRENCH HORN REBLLION Tour Dates
08/08 @ Akron Musica in Akron, Ohio
08/09 @ American Eagle Outfitters Festival in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
08/10 @ The Barbary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
08/13 @ Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park, New Jersey
08/15 @ The Red Dragon in Evanston, Illinois
08/16 @ Mad Planet in Milwaukee
08/20 @ Electro Lounge (Robotic Wednesdays) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
08/21 @ The Vertical Violet in Wichita, Kansas
08/22 @ Black Box Revue in Springfield, Missouri
08/23 @ The Sound Pony in Tulsa, Oklahoma
08/24 @ Chandler Park in Tulsa, Oklahoma
08/26 @ The Bright House in Lubbock, Texas
08/28 @ Le Disko El Paso, Texas
08/30 @ The Door in Dallas, Texas
09/02 @ George's Majestic Lounge (Electro Tuesday) in Fayetteville, Arkansas
09/04 @ Bar Twenty3 (VBS Thursdays) in Nashville, Tennessee
09/07 @ Neil's Music Room in Memphis, Tennessee
09/13 @ Duncan's in Frostburg, Maryland
09/19 @ Lit Lounge in New York, New York
10/09 @ Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont

Through a veil of snare fills and murky feedback, Preteen Weaponry stammers into existence. This umpteenth album from Oneida is meant to be listened to as one song, divided nicely into three distinct parts (or "movements" if you prefer), all recorded in the same day. It's slow and persistent, a challenging album at best, but one of the most intelligent and primitively enjoyable releases of the year from a band who's never received even half the credit they deserve.

Flip through the liner notes and you'll find them bleak: a few short notes on recording and mastering, a landscape collage, and then, most importantly, album art that more closely mimics and enhances it's encased record than any art I've seen in a while. Unfolded, the cover art is the picture you see above (sorry about the flash), a design apparently by Dan Schechter. Flowing forth from a cloud is a twisted knot of haze, six even lines down its side, like the fretboard of a guitar. Growing from the falling haze are mountains built of dots and lines, perfect geometry arranged in a flowing, natural pattern. The art is gorgeous in its own right.

But in many ways the music of Preteen Weaponry reflects its cover, and is even understood through it. Ebbing guitars flow throughout the album, marrying a constant canvas-like drone with sudden ripples of life that cut through the surface. At times (like "Part 33) the music is serene, drawing up energy slowly and changing paces with great difficulty like the viscous drip of molasses; other times (like "Part 23) specks of sounds hurl forward, guitars and synthesizers in tow. Like the cover, the music of the album is knotted up, an edified structure construed from a sonic mess: pick at its pieces and you'll be trying in vain to untie a knot, but stop for a second and enjoy the whole and words will escape you.

Preteen Weaponry is the first of three in a triptych (or "3. transf. a. A set of three operas or pieces of music intended to be performed together" (OED), if you prefer) of upcoming releases called "Thank Your Parents", set for the next year or so. The band asks us to "consider [Preteen Weaponry] an introduction to their forthcoming triple album Rated O." If Preteen Weaponry is any indicator of future music from Oneida, it may only prove that the band is still hard at work doing what they do best: steadfastly making good music which, despite the fact that none of us may truly be able to fully grasp it, is quite literally the contorted quintessence of the true aims of music as an art form.

Info:

Preteen Weaponry is available now from Jagjaguwar and Oneida's own Brah Records.

But it here.

Tunes:

Oneida - "Preteen Weaponry (Edit)" (a clip from the new album, shortened to about 5 and a half minutes)

Websites:

[official]
[myspace]

Shows (where the band is apparently playing Preteen Weaponry in its entirety):

Tues, Aug 12 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's
Wed, Aug 13 - Pittsburgh, PA - 31st Street Pub
Thurs, Aug 14 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Tavern
Fri, Aug 15 - Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
Sat, Aug 16th - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
Sun, Aug 17th - Bloomington, IN - The Bluebird
Mon, Aug 18th - Nashville, TN - The End
Tues, Aug 19th - Memphis, TN - Hi-Tone
Wed, Aug 20th - Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn
Thurs, Aug 21st - Winston-Salem, NC - The Wherehouse
Fri, Aug 22nd - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
Sat, Aug 23rd - Washington, DC - The Black Cat
Fri, Aug 29 - New York, NY - South Street Seaport

My initial thoughts on hearing "Los Dos Bros" concerned the close and unfortunate similarity between their name and "Los Dude-Bros", which is a) hilarious, and b) my least favorite sub-demographic of white people. As such, I was thoroughly perplexed when I found out their new album Songs For Feeling Strong wasn't a ode to Forty's, , and . In fact, it's one of those albums that a) kind of sounds like classic rock but has enough violins, horns and good lyrics to shy away from the oldies-tribute genre, and b) is really good.

The Los Dos Bros formed in March of this year out of the remnants of HATAPCO (aka Holiday and the Adventure Pop Collective) following the abandonment of their drummer while on tour with Louis XIV. Now only half a year later, the duo have two releases out: a full length titled Greek Gods in the West and the shorter Songs For Feeling Strong (from which I pulled "Start All Over Again").

"Start All Over Again" is a good sampling of the album as a whole. Bearing the inviting warmth of the analog 24-track to which it was recorded, "Start All Over Again" is equal parts pop music, with sweet melodies and strong vocals, and something entirely different, with pseudo-psychedelic guitar tones and torrential buildups. There's nothing better than a band prepared to keep their listeners entertained while still venturing to cover new ground. Los Dos Bros do just that (and record it all to tape too).

Check out "Start All Over Again" after the jump, as well as another cut from the album, "Time Changes Everything" (originally a Tommy Duncan song), which sounds like it may as well be a lost track from Cake's Comfort Eagle.

Tunes:

Los Dos Bros - "Start All Over Again"

Los Dos Bros - "Time Changes Everything"

Info:
Songs For Feeling Strong is out now. You can get it, and other Los Dos Bros albums here.

Websites:
[official]
[myspace]
[facebook]

Bark Hide and Horn sound like the bottom of a bottle of whiskey slowly running out while the night's not quite done. Solemn trumpet solos and the occasional bell part punctuate the sparse arrangement of drums and guitars, the reserved croon of lead singer Andy Furgeson proudly standing in the forefront. Recovering from the feeling of despair that haunts a first listen (despite the marginally joyful melodies that carry the song), I was able to look further into the story of the band's debut full length titled National Road, which is as interesting as the song itself, if not more so.

Drawing their songwriting inspiration from Furgeson's obsession with Melville Bell Grosvenor, editor of National Geographic Magazine from 1957-67, the lyrics of "Treasure of the Everglades", off National Road, confront their seemingly odd subject with solemnity, leading off with the line "I think the rainy days are over, the season is getting late / if you slime(?) your body over, would you let me be your mate?", followed shortly after by a chorus of "Do you ever feel like you're dying darlin', do you ever feel like you're dyin'?". True to its "literary" influences, the entire song is a strange, but all together perfect personally emotional imagining of a subject more apt to be covered by scientific observation than music: snail mating.

Leaving aside the fantastic music the lyrics are set to, the story in the song is both comical, endearing, melodramatic and at times everything in between. "I love the way you wear your shell," sings Furgeson, commenting on his potential snail-lover's dashing physical appearance and inviting a chuckle from casual listeners and Snailogists alike. But as I eluded to earlier, the sense of despair in the musical arrangements is equally present in the lyrics; "If we were the last of our kind darlin'," the speaker eventually asks, "would you let me into your shell?". A metaphor for life? Perhaps. Another cheesy love song? Equally probable, but either way, Bark Hide and Horn handle it with skill, churning out a small masterpiece.

Have a listen to "Treasure of the Everglades" off the new LP National Road after the jump, and then (if you live in the Portland area) check out their CD release show on August 16th (more info here).

Tunes:

Bark Hide and Horn - "Treasure of The Everglades"

Listen to/Download more songs from National Road here.

Websites:
[myspace]
[official]