Should I Listen?

Buffalo Moon

Nick Nicoludis :: Friday, April 30th, 2010 2:10 pm

As spring begins transform itself into summer, and cool evenings become sweaty sun-drenched afternoons, a palpable transition of musical taste starts to occur. Enthusiastic springtime jams become lazy pop tunes around this time of the year. Finally, summer beach songs are starting to surface, and one band in particular is kicking my nonchalant summer mindset into gear. That band is Buffalo Moon. Hailing from Minneapolis, they perfectly blend bossa nova grooves and ’60s surf-pop. Hear some tunes après le jump. MORE »

Album Review: Avi Buffalo’s “Avi Buffalo”

Amy Rose Spiegel :: Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 12:00 pm

You should probably ignore any of the envy-laced praise that specifically concerns Avi Buffalo’s members’ diminutive ages. Yes, everybody loves a good prodigy or four, but that shouldn’t be the focal point of reception of their impressive debut, out today on Sub Pop. Instead of listening to each track as if its quality can be quantified by the number of years that its creators have lived and thinking “I could never have done this” or, conversely, “I could have done this better,” it’s best to forget all that nonsense and turn your attentions instead to the subtler details of each song’s construction. Most notable are their jangly guitar riffs and oddball lyrics (e.g. “you are tiny and your lips look like little pieces of bacon”). As I realized how personalized and unique this group’s songwriting style is, any thoughts of ageism, either for or against the band, dissipated quickly. MORE »

The Luyas: Live In NYC

Gray Hurlburt :: Friday, April 23rd, 2010 2:20 pm

Leaving their poutine and francophones at home, Montreal’s up and coming psych-pop quintet The Luyas crossed the border this week for their premier New York City tour. The group includes members of the Arcade Fire, one former and and one present, and others from post-rock group Bell Orchestre. With such backgrounds, The Luyas have focused in on a baroque, multiinstrumental sound not dissimilar to Devotchka, but with wispy vocals and twinkling guitar that seem pulled from the ether. MORE »

The Knife Are Back With “Tomorrow, In A Year” Today, On NPR

Amy Rose Spiegel :: Friday, January 29th, 2010 3:25 pm

Last night, The Knife’s 2006* anthem “Heartbeats” came on while I was making a dubious attempt at dancing in incredibly high heels. As I heard that well-loved, electrifying opening, I suddenly found I was more than capable. Everyone around me was also immediately more enthusiastic - I noticed a severe uptick in finger pointing, hip swinging, and of course, bum shaking of all kinds. Based on the way everyone was acting, you would think the song was brand-new. Believe it or not, it’s actually been nearly four years since we last heard from The Knife, although we did get two incredible albums in 2006 - the US issue of Deep Cuts, and the creepier, but still stunning, Silent Shout.

We Are Wolves Announce US Tour Dates

Amy Laviero :: Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 4:00 pm

We Are Wolves have announced a short tour beginning February 4th to promote their third album, Invisible Violence, out February 2nd. The French-Canadian trio will hit Boston, NYC, and Brooklyn before embarking on a tour of Canada. April tour dates will be performed with Wolf Parade.

Their latest single, “Blue,” can be heard here.

Check out the full list of dates and the band’s music video for “Holding Hands” after the jump. MORE »

These New Puritans Release New Track

Amy Laviero :: Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 3:10 pm

These New Puritans second album, Hidden, has been greeted with a rapturous reception in the U.K. and Europe and recent reviews are hailing it “the first masterpiece of the decade.” A bit hyperbolic, if you ask me. But hey, what do I know? I invite you to form your own judgment by listening to the track here. For me, it’s a bit too Gregorian; dragging chains and a staccato bass drum only succeeded in reminding me of Monty Python and left me searching for the nearest Bible with which to smack myself.

Broken Bells Debut Music Video on MySpace

Amy Laviero :: Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 2:00 pm

Comprised of artist/producer Danger Mouse and James Mercer, lead vocalist of the Shins, Broken Bells describe themselves as “melodic, but experimental too.” Their first single begins with what sounds like a remix of all my favorite childhood video games and I’m loving it. Quickly building to the chorus, the song is catchy and sad and and pretty all at the same time. The recently released music video depicts with the duo wandering an empty road at night and can be seen here. MORE »

New from She & Him

Amy Laviero :: Friday, January 22nd, 2010 4:45 pm

She & Him released a song from their upcoming album, Volume Two, today on Pitchfork and since I have a girl crush on Zooey Deschanel, I thought I would share. You can listen to “In the Sun” here.

The duo has also announced a handful of shows, listed after the jump, which will begin early March and conclude with Coachella on April 16th. MORE »

Motel Motel Break from Recording, Debut New Songs at Union Pool

Amy Laviero :: Friday, January 22nd, 2010 12:00 pm

Motel Motel took a break from their break last night to play a show at Union Pool in Brooklyn. The band, who has been in the process of recording their latest album, played a set debuting five songs off their upcoming album, which is still untitled but slated for release in 2010. MORE »

New Music From Panda Bear

Amy Rose Spiegel :: Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 12:15 pm

On January 15, ambient artist Panda Bear debuted a slew of all-new songs at a show at Hebbel Am Ufer in Germany. Many were guitar-based, which is a new direction for the artist, who has largely used electronic means to create his catalog of music in the past. Many of the tracks, however, continue in his tradition of creating songs that sound equally melody- and machination-based. Much of the new music is reminiscent of accidental arpeggios played by a ton of beeping machines in a factory warehouse, layered under full, drawn-out vocal lines, which are often repeated for emphasis.

Run Toto Run do Passion Pit

Amy Laviero :: Wednesday, January 13th, 2010 5:08 pm

While scouring the internet for new music, I came across this cover of Passion Pit’s “Sleepyhead,” by Run Toto Run and thought I would share because hey, who doesn’t love a good cover song? Hailing from the UK, the band has only been around about a year, although their cover and single, “Catch My Breath,” have enjoyed some recent satellite radio air play and online buzz generated by the blogging community. MORE »

How Do You Become More Than an iPod Commercial?

Danielle Johnsen :: Monday, November 16th, 2009 5:36 pm

The Asteroids Galaxy Tour are making it their business to be more than just “that band from the iPod commercials”. The infectious acid pop/dance duo from Denmark, whose single “Around the Bend” was everywhere earlier this year thanks to the Apple commercial complex, just released their first full length,”Fruit”. The band did a few small shows last week here in New York City before setting sail for their headlining tour throughout Europe. MORE »

We’ll Finally Get More Hole

Danielle Johnsen :: Friday, November 13th, 2009 4:37 pm

Courtney Smoking As a forever alterna-teen, news of Courtney Love’s upcoming record is making me way too excited. The co-founder and leader of Hole, as well as twitterer and blogger extraordinaire, will release ‘Nobody’s Daughter’ next January. The album started taking shape a few years back in 2005 when Courtney was doing a court-mandated stint in rehab, originally being produced by Billy Corgan and Linda Perry. Love scrapped the work she had done with Corgan and Perry in 2007 and began working on the album at New York’s famous Electric Lady Studios with producers Marko Larkin and Michael Beinhorn. MORE »